BILLINGS — Luke Talich continues to force his way onto the football field. He makes plays.
The Notre Dame safety most recently did it in Saturday's 49-20 road victory, fooling Stanford's special teams unit on a fake punt. The Cody, Wyo, junior caught a pass on the left side of the field and turned in into an 84-yard touchdown showcasing his speed and athleticism.
The play wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.
Watch Luke Talich score a pair of TDs in his last two games for Notre Dame:
"It was something we'd been working on for a couple weeks. We knew if we got the look it was something we could check to, and we got the look," Freeman said afterward. "They've been practicing that for quite a while and they executed it just like they practiced it."
Lining up in an unusual punt formation position, Talich caught the attention of his mom who was on hand with Luke's family in California.
"I knew something was up from where he was lined up on punt (formation) because that's not normally where he stands … I don't think that's where he stands on punt. So, it stood out to me as like, wait, why was he there. And then I was like, oh my gosh," Jen Talich told MTN Sports.
This marks Talich's second touchdown in as many weeks. Against Syracuse, he caught a blocked punt mid-air and returned it for a score on the way to a 70-7 victory.
"Yeah, it was shocking," Jen Talich recalled of watching the Syracuse touchdown. "I think I was cuddled on my couch in a blanket and some of my other kids were there and we started screaming. And then, you know, your phone just goes crazy."
The walk-on turned scholarship player has been a consistent contributor for the Fighting Irish this season, appearing in every game while returning 22 punts. Talich has recorded 47 career tackles with one forced fumble for the Fighting Irish. His three career touchdowns include a pick-6 from last season.
Talich's journey from Wyoming walk-on to key Notre Dame contributor has been a rewarding one.
"It's just been really fun to watch it all unfold and to watch him grow in his confidence there at Notre Dame. He's loving it, he's loving every minute of it," Jen Talich said.
The Fighting Irish, who reached last year's national championship game, are 10-2 and sit ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings. The final 12-team NCAA College Football Playoff announcement is on Sunday.
Meantime, keep an eye on No. 28. Just like opponents, you never know where he’ll be.
