But once the Irish sophomore wide receiver picked himself up after being tackled for the first time in 48 days, he was awash in normalcy.
?It was almost like a confidence boost,? he said Saturday.
And, perhaps a big boost for the Notre Dame offense heading into the BCS National Championship Game between the top-ranked Irish (12-0) and second-ranked Alabama (12-1), Jan. 7 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore finished the regular season as ND?s fourth-leading receiver (25 receptions for 375 yards), despite missing the final 2? games with a broken collarbone suffered at Boston College on Nov. 10.
More telling than those numbers is how he stretches opposing defenses, as his 15-yards-per-catch average ? best among ND?s top five pass catchers ? suggests.
?We?ve got to get big-chunk plays,? Irish head coach Brian Kelly said. ?I?m telling you that right now. They (Alabama) know that. We know that.?
And Daniels knows that.
He also knows that if ND were playing in just about any other postseason game, he?d been questionable at best, if not completely unavailable. The Irish, for instance, played their bowl game on Dec. 29 last season. Daniels? first day of contact practice since the injury was Dec. 28.
?When I broke (the collarbone), I didn?t even know what I had done,? he said. ?I just knew it was bad. It was difficult, because I didn?t know at first if I?d be able to come back. I was just hoping I?d be in this position.?
He?ll be welcomed back into action by a team that ranks first nationally in total defense and second only to the Irish in scoring D.
?We would not put him out there unless he was free from injury,? Kelly said. ?Now he practiced the last three weeks, but in a red jersey. We just didn?t want any contact. I usually don?t put jerseys on guys, but I wanted him?to be involved in all the timing work, but nobody could touch him.
?Now, he?s out of the red jersey. He?s good to go out and play, jump, get hit, fall down. He?s a really good player who understands his reps are going to be based upon how he practices and how he performs. I?m certain that he?ll play a role in the game.?
Personnel matters
Safety Austin Collinsworth was never expected to be a late-season option to play for the Irish, but Kelly at least figured he?s have the junior available for scout-team duty in preparation for Alabama.
But as Collinsworth recovered from June shoulder surgery that effectively wiped out his 2012 season, he began to experience back discomfort.
The day before the Irish closed the regular season Nov. 24 at USC, Collinsworth underwent back surgery, Kelly revealed Saturday.
?It?s similar to what (tight end Tyler) Eifert had,? Kelly said. ?He needed that attended to. He feels great, so we think we?ve got him put back together, and he?s champing at the bit.?
Collinsworth, a possible starter for 2013 who will potentially have two seasons of eligibility left, is expected to be full-go in the spring, per Kelly.
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