Why Notre Dame (temporarily) benched Audric Estimé against Navy
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman confirmed Monday, in no uncertain terms, that junior running back Audric Estimé was temporarily benched for fumbling in the first quarter Saturday against Navy.
Estimé had gained 13 yards on the first play of the second Irish offensive drive when Navy safety Rayuan Lane punched the ball out. It was a punch that would make Charles “Peanut” Tillman proud: quick, violent and accurate.
The ball rolled out of bounds, allowing Notre Dame to retain possession, but that was Estimé’s last snap of the first half.
“To address Audric, yeah, he was taken out of the game,” Freeman said. “There’s a standard that [running backs coach Deland McCullough] and our offense and our team have set for that room. You can’t put the ball on the ground.”
After the game, Freeman said he was unsure if McCullough had pulled Estimé with intent. The plan had been to get all five scholarship running backs significant playing time anyway. But he talked to McCullough between then and Monday’s press conference, and the two were in agreement.
Estimé did not pout after being pulled from the game. Instead, he welcomed the accountability.
“Credit to Audric Estimé, who we all know is the guy,” Freeman said. “RB1. To be able to accept that you know what, you’re gonna be held accountable, because you did not perform to our standard. You put the ball on the ground.”
It did not take long for the experience to turn positive for all involved.
Estimé came back after halftime and had a productive third quarter for the Irish. He carried five times for 42 yards, with none of those attempts going for fewer than six. Estimé also caught one pass, an impressive juggling grab from Hartman on a four-yard checkdown with a linebacker draped all over him.
Even with the benching and five others — running backs Gi’Bran Payne (So.), Jadarian Price (So.), Devyn Ford (Gr.), Jeremiyah Love (Fr.) and senior slot receiver Chris Tyree — siphoning carries throughout the evening, Estimé took 16 of Notre Dame’s 32 rushing attempts. He finished with 95 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, and he added 22 receiving yards to boot.
Regarding those five running backs, Freeman can’t say enough how talented they all are. He said that the carry distribution spoke to the unselfishness of everyone in the room, particularly Estimé in his situation.
“There’s no guy throwing his helmet, mad because he’s taken out,” Freeman said. “He’s like, ‘Hold me accountable, coach. That’s your job. And when I get the opportunity to come back in, I will. And he did, and he did a great job.”
Freeman used Estimé’s temporary removal as a demonstration for not just the running back room, but for the team as a whole. He doesn’t care if it’s Estimé or even graduate quarterback Sam Hartman, if the Irish players aren’t playing up to their coaches’ expectations, there will be consequences.
“I thought it was a great example to not just those two, but to everybody, even our entire team,” Freeman said. “Nobody’s bigger than the standard. Nobody’s above the standard.”
On Monday, Freeman called Estimé’s handling of the ordeal a “proud moment” for him. He’ll look to carry that into the Irish home opener against Tennessee State. Pun intended.
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