SOUTH BEND — Brandon Wimbush faked a handoff in his second series after entering in the third quarter of Saturday’s game against Massachusetts.
Notre Dame’s backup quarterback then followed a blocker up the middle, broke a tackle and raced 58 yards for a touchdown.
Not a bad way to make a debut.
Wimbush rushed for 92 yards and the TD. He also completed 3-of-5 passes for 17 yards while playing most of the second half of Notre Dame’s 62-27 victory.
“As you can see, he’s athletic,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “He can throw the ball deep. … He’s capable of pushing the ball down the field as well as running the football. We’ll continue to work with him, and he’s got a lot of talent.”
The No. 6 Irish (4-0) had the opportunity to give some of their true freshmen extending playing time in the blowout. And the players made the most of the chance.
Running back Josh Adams rushed for 133 yards and one TD. Fellow back Dexter Williams rushed for 48 yards and one TD.
“We had to really get Josh involved early, which we did, and then it was nice to see him run well,” Kelly said. “And then Dexter obviously is a very gifted player and we saw that (Saturday). He’s got great speed.
“He’s just still learning, but we saw (Saturday) what kind of athletic ability he has.”
The Irish began subbing out starters in the third quarter. That’s when Wimbush replaced DeShone Kizer for his first action with the Irish. The 58-yard TD run was the longest by a Notre Dame quarterback since Andrew Hendrix went 78 yards against Air Force on Oct. 9, 2011.
“I spent a lot of time talking to him about, ‘You’re a five-star athlete coming out of high school, you have all the talent in the world,'” Kizer said. “‘That stuff can translate over to the college field if you’re comfortable in what you’re doing.’
“He was very comfortable going out there. He was obviously put in a position where there wasn’t too much pressure on him, and he balled out just like we expected.”
True freshmen accounted for four of the team’s nine TDs.
“It feels like the best is yet to come,” said freshman C.J. Sanders, who returned a punt 50 yards a TD in the second quarter. “Our class is really close and we’ve been close since the beginning.
“… It’s a glimpse into the future of what’s to come.”
Notes: Notre Dame wide receiver Corey Robinson did not have any damage to a knee he tweaked prior to the UMass game. He did not play against the Minutemen, but is expected to be ready for Tuesday’s practice. … Safety Avery Sebastian continues to recover from a foot injury suffered in the season opener against Texas. He could be out another three weeks, Kelly said. … Safety D.J. Morgan, a four-star recruit from Bellflower, Calif., orally committed to Notre Dame on Sunday. Rivals.com ranks the 6-3, 200-pound Morgan No. 22 among all safeties nationally for the class of 2016.
Twitter: @lamondpope
