Irish lean on Tate to make big plays
Weis looking to get ball in WR’s hands
SOUTH BEND – The loss of receiver Michael Floyd for the season because of a broken collarbone was a crushing blow for Notre Dame.
But if there is a silver lining, coach Charlie Weis might have found it.
“There are plenty of cons (to not having Floyd), but one pro is it forces you to do more game planning,” said Weis, whose 3-1 team plays host to 2-2 Washington at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
“You have to be more creative. You have to create more opportunities schematically. It forces you to create more plays.”
A lot of that creativity has gone into finding ways to get receiver Golden Tate the ball.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver was shifted between the left and right side in last weekend’s 24-21 victory at Purdue.
“It is just the way our offense is set up,” said Tate, who primarily lines up on the left. “There are a lot of times I’m on the right. It just depends on what the play call is and where coach wants to run or throw the ball.”
Tate was also used as a running back and took the snap in the Wildcat formation against the Boilermakers.
The creative uses of Tate produced good results against Purdue. Along with his five catches for 57 yards, he ran for 57 yards on nine carries with a touchdown. Tate also returned a punt for 16 yards.
“Golden really played his butt off last week and did everything he could to help the team,” receivers coach Rob Ianello said. “We are just trying to maximize our playmakers on offense, whoever they are. I think that is what you should be doing as an offensive staff.”
The absence of Floyd and running back Armando Allen (sprained ankle) against Purdue landed Tate at running back.
Tate played the position in high school and was recruited as a running back by Notre Dame. He was moved to the offensive backfield to help fill the hole in the Irish’s running back corps and to get him the ball without the Boilermakers double-covering him.
Tate didn’t work with the running backs in the week leading up to the game against Purdue, according to Ianello.
“He’s explosive, everybody knows that,” running backs coach Tony Alford said of Tate. “It’s like any other offense in the country; you try to put the ball in playmakers’ hands.”
Tate is averaging 114.2 all-purpose yards this season. He has a team-high 24 catches for 358 yards with three touchdowns and has 62 rushing yards on 12 carries with another touchdown. He has also returned four punts for 37 yards.
Last season, Tate led the Irish in all-purpose yards (1,754), receptions (58), receiving yards (1,080) and touchdowns (11). He had 37 rushing yards on five carries and averaged 20 yards per kickoff return in 2008.
“Golden is a very, very special athlete,” Allen said. “The sky is the limit for him. When you see a guy like that making plays, it kind of brings energy to everybody. When he’s out there giving it all he has whether as a receiver, running back or quarterback of the Wildcat, it is always amazing.”
Notre Dame’s offensive tackles know what it’s like to enter Notre Dame Stadium when it’s filled with 80,000 fans.But when sophomore left tackle Zack Martin and senior right tackle Taylor Dever take the field for Saturday’s 3:30 p.