Tausch alive and kicking again

SOUTH BEND — You could almost see the “well, duh” in Nick Tausch’s
eyes when asked whether he was a fan of the NCAA’s new kickoff rules.

“It is five yards closer,” he pointed out of the new 35-yard
line launching point. “I like the idea.”

But the senior-to-be kicker from Plano, Texas, loves the idea
of being back at the top of the Notre Dame kicking depth chart for the
first time since his freshman season — at least for now.

Irish third-year head coach Brian Kelly said earlier this week that
Tausch leads sophomore-to-be Kyle Brindza in the competition to be the
team’s field goal/PAT kicker and that they’d likely share duties on
kickoffs.

Only the place kicks will be potentially on display during Saturday’s
Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium, and there won’t be any attempts
to block them or even provide a rush.

In fact, most of ND’s special teams play — an area of offseason angst
for much of the Irish fan base — will be abridged in Saturday’s
Blue-Gold format. Kickoffs will be non-existent.

In the fall, though, kickoffs will definitely exist, with a more
touchback-friendly five-yard shift down the field, a new 25-yard line
touchback and new regulations regarding the kickoff coverage teams.
For Kelly, that means a new multi-faceted strategy.

“We’re going to do two different kickoffs with the new rule,” Kelly
said. “Bang it out of the back of the end zone — that’s probably going
to be Brindza. And then we’re going to try to kick that thing with
good hang time — and that’s probably going to be Tausch.”

Last season Tausch was little more than a spectator, making possible a
fifth-year option in 2013 but testing his patience and resolve.

“It was very difficult,” said Tausch, the son of former NFL offensive
lineman Terry Tausch and brother of TCU starting offensive tackle Eric
Tausch. “But at the same time, I didn’t lose any of my focus. I
continued to go out there with a chip on my shoulder and try to get
better every day.

“So I think it really improved me as a kicker and as a person.”

The 6-foot, 201-pounder, with a career 83.3 conversion percentage on
field goals, won the place-kicking job in 2009 as a true freshman out
of Dallas Jesuit College Prep. He missed the first field goal attempt
of his career, a 28-yarder at Michigan, then nailed the next 14 to
break Mike Johnston’s school record for consecutive makes.

A foot injury and a mental fog prompted then-head coach Charlie Weis
to turn to former Siegfried Hall interhall standout David Ruffer for
the final three games of 2009.

Ruffer then Wally-Pipped Tausch, converting 23 consecutive field goal
attempts to start his career and holding the job until he exhausted
his eligibility Dec. 29 in the Champs Sports Bowl. Meanwhile, Brindza
became the top option on kickoffs in 2011.

“I think my mental side is sharper now,” Tausch said of his recent
ascent. “I think I’m more zoned in on what I need to do. I know that
anytime I go out on the field, I’m capable of making every single
kick.

“I’m happy I’m back into things. I’m just excited to get out there and
compete well and help us win football games.”

On the mend

There was a temptation for Kelly to give starting center Braxston Cave
at least a cameo in Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game, given the Penn High
product’s faster-than-expected recovery from November foot surgery.

In the end, restraint will likely prevail.

“I’m really, really pleased with Braxston Cave and his ability to
move,” Kelly said. “We probably could play him, but we don’t need to.
But he’s moved so well that we probably could give him the green
light. It’s really encouraging.”

Cave suffered a season-ending foot injury Nov. 5 against Wake Forest.

Starting cat (outside) linebacker Prince Shembo’s case of turf
toe evolved into a serious enough condition that he had to have
surgery on it.

Shembo underwent surgery, Kelly said, at the Cleveland Clinic
recently. He is expected to be 100 percent in roughly five weeks.

“We don’t think there’s any problem,” Kelly said.

Scout’s honor for Te’o

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, an Eagle Scout, will be the special
guest and speaker at the LaSalle Council’s Mayors For Scouting
Luncheon on Wednesday in Mishawaka.

The event will take place at noon at Windsor Crossing. Tickets are $50
each and are available at the door or by calling the LaSalle Council
offices at 574-289-0337.

“It was a great experience,” the senior-to-be from Laie, Hawaii, said
of becoming an Eagle Scout. “My dad’s an Eagle Scout as well. He said,
‘There’s nothing like being an Eagle Scout. You won’t understand it
until you get older.’ But I was so focused on football.

“My dad sat me down and said, ‘If you don’t finish your Eagle Scouts,
you won’t play football.’ It wasn’t a hard decision for me, so I
finished it, and I definitely feel it prepares a young man for
anything in life.”

Once upon a time

Of all the book signings being staged this weekend on and around the
ND campus, one of the more curious ones surrounds a book about the
Notre Dame-Miami football rivalry.

It’s a children’s book.

Notre Dame grads Frank Corrigan and Brandon Crouch, the latter an
Elkhart Memorial High product, co-authored “Dream of the Echoes: Notre
Dame Beats Miami!”

It’s the second volume in a series of children’s books “designed to
pass on to the younger generation some of the legendary stories
surrounding Notre Dame football.”

Walk-on recognition

It may not lead to an eventual movie script, but Notre Dame’s latest
crop of walk-ons will get to be part of ND’s longest road trip of the
2012 season.

“I made a decision to include all of our walk-ons on our trip to
Ireland because of the work that they did,” Kelly said. “All of the
guys who came in provided us with some great help.”

The Irish open the season Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland, against Navy.