Four players to watch when Notre Dame football hosts Northern Illinois

SOUTH BEND — There’s no letdown coming, right? No stunner like against Marshall. No last second-escape like against Toledo. No chance that No. 5 Notre Dame football gets so happy with its opening-week effort (and road win) against Texas A&M that it forgets to put in the work this week in advance of the home opener against Northern Illinois.

No chance, right? It’s still so early into this college football season, so there’s always a chance. It might be slim, but ... we still don’t know, even if we think we know.

Following are four players to watch in Saturday’s game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois.

Depth chart doings: Notre Dame football depth chart vs Northern Illinois on Saturday in South Bend

NORTHERN ILLINOIS (1-0)

CB Javaughn Byrd (2)

Tackle totals have decreased each of the last two seasons for Byrd, a 6-foot, 191-pound senior from Milwaukee, but that’s the way it should be for any cover corner who can, well, cover.

Opposing teams have learned it best not to test Byrd, who finished with 32 tackles (nine solos) last season, to earn second team All-Mid-American Conference honors. His eight pass breakups ranked second for the Huskies . He led the team with three interceptions.

Byrd has played in 36 career games with 27 starts but may face one of his most challenging tests Saturday in South Bend. Notre Dame can run receivers at him in waves. Maybe it’s the speedy Jayden Harrison for one series, or the lanky Beaux Collins the next. Or a physical tight end-like receiver in Jayden Thomas. A first team All-MAC preseason selection, Byrd made only two tackles in the opener against Western Illinois. The Leathernecks likely look opposite Byrd. They know what he can do.

So too might the Irish.

WR Travon Rudolph (3)

Rudolph’s a guy who must factor into any game plan, against any opponent. In any form or fashion. Get him the ball. Get him in space, or in a crowded space, and let him figure it out. He usually does, either by running with it, catching it, or returning it.

The former walk-on — and a freshman All-American — shows the skills that allowed him to excel as a prep quarterback in Crete, Illinois, which is not that far of a drive from South Bend.

The 5-10, 187-pound redshirt senior Rudolph had four catches for 104 yards (43 after the catch) and a touchdown last week against Western Illinois. He also ran twice for 67 yards (long, 60) and another score. That’s Rudolph., who entered his final season with 1660 career receiving yards (on 116 catches) and 1,388 kick return yards on 58 attempts.

Scary part is, he might be getting better. Who did the Huskies name most improved player coming clear of the spring game? Rudolph.

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NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (1-0)

WR Beaux Collins (5)

There’s just a bond, a kinship, an understanding that runs through old guys. Veteran guys. Experienced guys.

Collins had it in the opener against Texas A&M with fellow graduate transfer Riley Leonard. At the game’s end in College Station, the 6-3, 206-pound Collins tallied a team-high five catches for 62 yards. One of nine Irish to make at least one catch in the crazed atmosphere of Kyle Field, Collins led the team in targets (seven).

When the quarterback needed him, he often found him. Like on the decisive drive when Leonard looked deep left and found Collins for 20 yards. A lot of that was Collins, doing work of an old guy. Money down, money catch.

Notre Dame could use a go-to guy to emerge this month. That guy might be Collins, who caught 91 passes for 1,290 yards and 11 TDs over his Clemson career. He plays with a swagger the position hasn’t seen since Chase Claypool. He also was good as an old head.

CB Christian Gray (29)

Make your first collegiate start as a sophomore and do it opposite an All-American junior team captain and known menace (Benjamin Morrison) and you better be ready.

The 6-foot, 184-pound Gray was ready against Texas A&M. He lost a few battles but won some as well. He finished with two tackles and two passes broken up while fitting seamlessly into an Irish defense that turned the screws in the second half.

The moment wasn’t too big for Gray, especially on the ensuing Texas A&M series following the decisive Irish score. On fourth-and-two from the Aggie 33, Gray then jumped an inside slant route by Jahdae Walker and broke up a Conner Weigman pass.

We should’ve seen this coming from Gray, who made 11 tackles with nine solos with two pass breakups and a pick as a true freshman. He made a career best three tackles with a PBU in the Sun Bowl. It was a preview of what was to come, of what we’re now seeing.

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Four players to watch when Notre Dame football hosts Northern Illinois