Welcome back to another edition of Subway Domer’s Wu Am I?series. This is a look at who the 36 players of impact are on this Notre Dame Football team for 2010. If you have missed some of the previous Wu Am I? posts from 2010, please check out: Chambers 1&2, Chambers 3&4, Chambers 5&6, Chambers 7&8, Chambers 9&10, Chambers 11&12, Chambers 13&14, Chambers 15&16, Chambers 17&18, Chambers 19&20, Chambers 21&22 , Chambers 23&24, Chambers 25&26, and Chambers 27&28
The end is getting closer as we open Chambers 29 & 30…
Robert Hughes #33
Running Back
5’11” 245 lbs.
Senior
Chicago, Illinois
Wu Name: Chi-Town Colossal Ass-Kicker
Man I remember wanting Robert Hughes’ commitment bad, with a little luck and a helping hand from Chris Zorich… ND got their man. Hughes came to South Bend looking to be a premier back for the Irish. Fellow freshman, Armando Allen, was getting more looks early on for the Irish in the dismal 2007 season, but at the end of the season, it was Hughes that was being celebrated as he ran for 246 yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns in the final two games of the season. It looked as if Hughes had regressed for most of the season in 2008, but it was Hughes who started the Hawai’i Bowl and ran for a solid 55 yards and had 27 yards in receptions with a TD. Although Hughes has his best statistical season in 2009, it was a season filled with short bursts of awesomeness, followed by long droughts of… well, unawesomeness.
Robert was built for the offense that Weis has installed at Notre Dame (and was completely underutilized, hence more proof about the last staffs incompetence). I honestly feel like he was the best running back on the roster the past 3 years. The thing about Hughes, is that he is a back that needs the ball fed to him like a child needs their fruit snacks to shut up. The system that Kelly has brought to South Bend is perfect… for Allen, and Wood, and to a certain extent- Jonas Gray. To be honest, I thought that Hughes would be the odd man out in the spring, but I am coming around to a different theory the closer we get to camp. I still think Hughes is a great talent, and Kelly will find ways to use Robert in a variety of ways at running back, and maybe some snaps at H-back. Obviously we will know more as we get further into fall camp, but I have a gut feeling that Hughes’ last season will have something good in store for all of us.
Braxston Cave #52
Center
6’3″ 309 lbs.
Junior
Mishawaka, Indiana
Wu Name: Commander Crunch
Braxston Cave’s junior classmates are considered to be the #1 recruiting class in 2008 by Rivals after Alabama failed to qualify a handful of players. How much of that rank does Braxston deserve credit for- or more precisely… his mother. It became apparent in the early stages of that recruiting class that Cave and his family were just as good as any recruiter in the country. Living only minutes away from Notre Dame in Mishawaka, Cave’s family would let recruits stay the night and more importantly feed them (Cave’s size should speak of that difference). This went on for quite some time as Braxton (who is named after Braxston Banks) committed to ND in early March of 2007. Once Cave got to campus with the rest of the recruits in the summer, he quickly won a starting job as the short snapper (FG and EP). After 2:03 of playing time, Cave suffered a season ending injury. In 2009, Cave once again won the short snapping duties and played the entire season in that spot.
2010 is calling, and it is asking Cave to do so much more than what he has done thus far. After spring ball, Braxston is expected to win the starting job at center. In effect, he will be supplanting 5th year senior and 3 year starter, Dan Wenger. Can he do it though? Can he hold off a 5th year senior that should be playing with a greater sense of urgency than in previous years? As much as i would like to go with Wenger, because I have a soft spot for 5th year guys… I have to say yes. Cave is a mammoth-sized player that looks a lot like former NFL draft bust, Tony Mandarich in his upper body. If he can mentally grasp what Kelly is aking, he is the better athlete and the more aggressive of the two. Cave could be the next Jeff Faine, or the first Braxston Cave.
