Irish CB Blanton becoming a key player on defense

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly got his message across early to Robert Blanton: Talk all you want off the field, but tone down the chatter when you’re playing.

Blanton’s performance at cornerback is making plenty of noise for the Irish. The senior seems to be where the ball is these days. Last Saturday against Michigan State, he made six tackles, including three for losses, broke up three passes, had a sack and — most important for the Irish — shut off a late Spartans drive with an interception, returning it 82 yards to seal the win.

Blanton’s emergence as one of the stars of the Irish defense is no surprise to Kelly. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has two interceptions this season, giving him eight for his career, the most among active Notre Dame players.

Last season, Blanton blocked a punt and returned it six yards in a season-turning victory over Utah. As a freshman in 2008, he picked off a pass against Purdue and took it back 47 yards for a score.

“We felt very strongly about Robert Blanton coming into the season, that he would give us great play. I think he’s exceeded everybody’s expectations at this point,” Kelly said. “He can do a lot of things for you: he can play safety, he can play corner, he can play nickel. As you know, last year he was a great special teams player.”

Blanton has speed and good timing and when the ball is in the air, and he’s aggressive going after it. On a high throw, he seems to be able to find the football at the same time or even earlier than the receiver and then can battle him for it — often winning.

“He’s just got a swagger and a confidence about him that he carries with him, not only on the field but off the field as well,” Kelly said. “I think that’s very important when you play back there, that you have that kind of personality. He’s a very confident young man in everything he does.”

Blanton often answers questions with `Yes, sir and “No, sir,” a mannerly approach to interviews. But earlier in his career, he liked to chatter some during games and Kelly made sure to address that issue when he took over the program before last season.

“ I don’t allow talk on the field, so we had our conversations in the first couple of practices last spring. Since that time, he’s curtailed the talking. But if you meet him off the field, he hasn’t stopped talking,” Kelly said. “It’s great that he’s got that kind of personality. He just doesn’t talk on the field. He does it with his actions, which is what I expect of him.”

Blanton said he really doesn’t talk that much and he was paying attention when Kelly was telling him what was expected of him — as a talker and a player.

“It was a great conversation. ... I make sure I listen to him and do everything he says. He’s the head coach and I’m always willing to take coaching,” Blanton said.

Secondary coach Kerry Cooks, a former defensive back himself, said you can’t expect a corner to be silent. It’s all a matter of how much talking they do.

“At times he took it over the top. We weren’t really toning him down. I don’t want to take that out of him,” Cooks said. “We just talked to him about letting his play, letting his pads do the talking for him. He’s done a great job of doing that. But he still talks, just not as much.”

Net up for Notre Dame is Pittsburgh. The Panthers (2-1) are coming off a tough loss at Iowa when they blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against the Hawkeyes.

Pitt coach Todd Graham should be familiar to the Irish: He brought Tulsa into Notre Dame Stadium last season and led the Golden Hurricane to a pulsating 28-27 upset victory — arguably the biggest victory in the school’s history. Notes: Kelly said he got a clarification from officials this week on an unsportsmanlike conduct call on receiver TJ Jones. After a TD catch Saturday, Jones put his gloves together — revealing a Fighting Irishman — and showed it to the crowd. “That, in fact, is not a penalty,” Kelly said he was told. “Now if he does that and put it in somebody’s face or jumps into the Michigan State band, then that would be an unsportsmanlike penalty.” ... Kelly again praised the relentless pursuit on pass rushing duties of freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch, who had his first career sack and forced fumble with a hit of Spartans quarterback Kirk Cousins. ... He also lauded the play of his offensive line, most notably tackle Zack Martin and guard Trevor Robinson, for their aggressive play that helped the Irish running game be so effective. ... Linebacker Prince Shembo’s family medical crisis has ameliorated. Shembo, who missed the win over Michigan State, is expected to play Saturday at Pitt.