BILLINGS — When MTN Sports caught up with Luke Talich at his Cody, Wyoming, home in June, he was on his way back to South Bend, Indiana, for summer football training with Notre Dame.
When the nation most recently saw him Saturday on TV, Talich was on his way to the end zone for a pick-6 helping Notre Dame (8-1) put away Florida State 52-3.
“Luke can run … Luke can run,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said during Monday's media conference, noting Talich’s energy boost as icing on the cake. “They were moving the ball on us a little bit and I’m trying not to lose my mind while they were moving the ball. And he came out of nowhere. That was a huge play.”
And one Talich will never forget. It was the sophomore’s first Notre Dame touchdown in front of a frenzied home crowd. Though Freeman admitted he held his breath for Talich's final few steps to the end zone.
“I thought it was a no-brainer touchdown," the coach said. "Then I saw that (FSU) quarterback getting pretty close to him and I said, ‘Oh, hold on Luke.'”
Talich, as noted last summer, walked on at Notre Dame a year ago before catching Freeman’s full attention during the season. The head coach later surprised him with a well-earned scholarship at the semester break.
“He provides depth, obviously, in our safeties room and he’s an impact player on special teams," Freeman continued on Monday. "And he embraces and values his role.”
Riding a seven-game winning streak, Notre Dame is preparing this week for its final home game of the regular season Saturday against Virginia.
Notre Dame’s media relation’s department didn’t respond to MTN Sports' request for an interview with Talich earlier this week. But Talich clearly doesn’t have his head coach second-guessing the value of his scholarship.
“He’s been vital for us, he’s improving, and he’s got a great future for us,” Freeman said.
