As NBC sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen’s game day assistant, I keep an eye on the Notre Dame sideline, noting behavior, looking for patterns and then deviations from those patterns. While pandemic regulations restricted general attendance and drastically reduced our sideline access, the quieter stadium atmosphere allowed for more nuanced sideline observations.
Some of my takeaways through five home games this season:
Throughout the year, Ian Book and Kyren Williams have frequently visited the offensive-line huddle on the sideline. Book usually approaches the seated huddle multiple times per game and fist-bumps each player in it.