The CFP finalists ramped up intensity over the course of their 16-game slate, allowing some players to return from early injuries.
At one of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s first preseason practices in early August, sophomore left tackle Charles Jagusah went through drills with his teammates just like he had done numerous times.
Jagusah was supposedly lost for the season. It was a massive blow to Notre Dame’s hopes before the season was underway. Jagusah’s return after a long layoff is one side of the coin to this slog of a season that starts as early as July 24 for those with fall camp kicking off ahead of a Week 0 game. Most teams are at full go in early August and play through at least Thanksgiving. This season’s calendar added an additional wrinkle of two off weeks as a result of when the holidays fell to provide an even longer run than normal.
“It alters how you approach the physicality of what you do towards the end of the season of course,” Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. “You can’t have the same practice Week 16 as you had the first day of training camp. It’s not quite as physical as it was maybe in the beginning. But you have to be able to balance the work that you need with limiting some of the physicality but still get the speed as much as you possibly can.
The injuries were blows, no doubt, but could have been an even bigger issue had the sprawling support and training staffs not ramped up intensity as the games grew more meaningful. The coaches, too, played a role, in leaning on years of sports science and knowing when to dial things up or back as needed.
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