Drue Tranquill’s stock has risen over the past month due in large part to the Irish staff using him in ways that best suit his skills. Early in the season, he was asked to play a lot of coverage against the inside number two wide out. Teams took advantage of Tranquill denting his confidence. In the new regime under Greg Hudson, the major theme is about using guys in ways they feel most comfortable.

“I think what we've seen is the transition to putting him in a position that best suits his skill set. He's not a guy that, quite frankly, is best suited to play the number two receiver man to man. He's better to be in a position to run support and be in a complementary position for top down coverage. I think we've done a good job of putting him in where we believe he can best impact our football team.”

Tranquill played a major role a year ago against option football, prior to his season ending injury, and will be called upon to do much of the same. Film-study and task oriented football constitute the main elements of preparation for the Irish defense against Navy. It’s Tranquill’s leadership that will come into focus, helping monitor Devin Studstill, Nicco Ferttitta, and Jalen Elliott in their preparation.

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“Secondly, with as much youth as we have back there, it's required him to take on a leadership role, and I think he's really grown into that. So where he's been really effective for us is, I think, an increased level of leadership, and I think we've put him in a role where we really can count on a real good tackler close to the line of scrimmage and somebody that is not necessarily put in a lot of man-to-man situations because, quite frankly, a 220-pound safety is not built for that, and we try to stay away from those kinds of situations.”

The difficulty with option teams, especially one has tremendous as Navy, is their ability to have an answer for in-game adjustments for defenses. The chess match is an aspect that occurs not just for a drive or two, rather the entire game. Focus and adaptation are essential to stopping the triple-option.

The Irish must execute at a high level against Navy, relying on playing players in ways that suit their strengths and listening to the wisdom and guidance of experienced players.

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