Hafis Williams

[Irish To The Core]

With so many stellar performances on the defensive side of the ball yesterday, a really outstanding game by Hafis Williams has gone largely unnoticed.

As any Irish fan knows, Ian Williams was in the midst of a career year when he was injured and replacing him with a tandem of Cwynar and Williams (both significantly smaller bodied) has worried us all. Yesterday I watched Williams closely especially in the first half when the game was in the balance and he was a wall. Utah wanted to drive him back and run inside but Williams did exactly what an NT needs to do...he took on the double team, neutralized the Utah push pressuring the running back and assisting our linebackers in taking down the runner...over and over again. Williams also did a nice job of crushing the Utah pocket on passing plays, giving qb Wynn "happy feet" resulting consistently in incomplete passes.

I have to say, Notre Dame created more pressure on Wynn rushing 3 guys yesterday than they ever did rushing 6 last year. That allowed Diaco to dial up the odd blitz which actually came as a surprise and therefore worked (Shhhhemboooo!)

Moving forward with Williams and Cwynar looking so good and with Louis Nix and Brandon Newman waiting their turn, the middle does not appear to be a problem.

 

[IrishinSyria]

I saw the same thing, the defensive line played a phenomenal game. Virtually every single player who has been criticized in the last few years stepped up and played the best game of their career yesterday.

 

[Riddickulous]

Matt Asiata really did not have a tremendous amount of running room and that was largely due to Hafis. Good call.

We do need a couple of DTs in the 2012 class.

 

[Rocket89]

Imagine the future if we can get quality minutes out of Tyler Stockton.

 

[irishff1014]

The D-line played great yesterday both with 3 & 4 guys on the line.

 

[STLDomer]

Is he coming back next year?

 

[OCIrish]

Is he coming back next year?

I don't think so, but I could be wrong.

 

[Junkhead]

Really thought he or Stockton would have done something by now.

 

[Emcee77]

Is he coming back next year?

If a decision's been made on this I don't think it's been made public. I think he will come back just for depth since we didn't get the Armsteads, but I wouldn't be shocked if they cut him loose.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Hafis has played some good football for us at both NT and DE [more the previous year than last]. If there is a loose scholarship [like the one Salvi got] and Hafis wants to come back, he would be a welcome insurance policy against any injuries.

 

[NDhoosier]

I am pretty sure there is still one free schollie left for the team... I have been keeping my roster up to date, adding all the 2012 recruits (including Neal) and entering the returning 5th years (Cave, M. Golic, KLM, McCarthy, Slaughter, Goodman, & Salvi) Still says there is 1 schollie left.

 

[dublinirish]

From a SBT article

The others not returning — wide receiver Deion Walker, nose guard Brandon Newman, offensive lineman Lane Clelland, defensive lineman Hafis Williams, and linebackers Anthony McDonald and David Posluszny — are eligible to play at other colleges next year without having to sit out, if they so choose.

Newman, reportedly, will land at Ball State.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Sad to see these guys go without ever really having an impact. I was genuinely excited for each ones potential when we landed them.

 

[Old Man Mike]

If Charlie Weis has any loose scholarships he should contact Hafis; he'd help most college D-Lines at [at least] back-up if not actually starting.

 

[PANDFAN]

Sad to see these guys go without ever really having an impact. I was genuinely excited for each ones potential when we landed them.

unfortunately that the name of the game....its always funny later to go back and look at recruiting classes and see who had a good career...looking back at all of those 5* and 4* we have had a bunch of lack luster performances...hoping in years to come this will be quite the opposite

 

[dublinirish]

Im pretty sure Charlie's Kansas would take all of these guys if they had the schollie's for them.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Best of luck to all those young men. Haffis the beats played very well for ND in 2010!

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Im pretty sure Charlie's Kansas would take all of these guys if they had the schollie's for them.

Not sure about Walker...he was in charlies dog house also.

 

[dublinirish]

Not sure about Walker...he was in charlies dog house also.

ah yah you are right there about DW, hard to believe that 5 catches for 56 yards in the BG Game was his career highlight :S

 

[fitz_bu47]

Charlie has already mentioned adding 5th year guys at the end of the school year. I hope they all end up in Lawrence, the Hawks need as much help as they can get.