Linebacker Bo Bauer Reins In His Emotions To Thrive For Notre Dame

One of the indelible images of Notre Dame’s 42-26 win over Florida State on Saturday came early in the third quarter. 

Matthew “Bo” Bauer, wild-eyed maniac of the Fighting Irish special teams, had just been flagged for a 15-yard penalty after a late hit on kickoff coverage. With the tenuous lead down to nine points, Bauer got a sustained lecture from Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly on the home sideline.

“I wasn’t able to hold the standard there,” Bauer said later. “I got a little too aggressive on that play. Coach Kelly would agree.”

Rather than get buried on the Notre Dame bench, Bauer made the adjustment and overcame his lapse. The junior linebacker finished with four tackles, two tackles for loss and a fourth-quarter sack against the dangerous Seminoles and proved again he can keep his competitive engine from overheating.

“It’s just being able to tamp down that energy level and holding that standard through the game and every moment, from (special teams) to defense,” Bauer said.

Growing up on the shores of Lake Erie, where he led Cathedral Prep to 28 straight victories and back-to-back Pennsylvania 4A state titles, Bauer learned to play the game with a bubbling ferocity. At Notre Dame, however, Kelly and his cerebral defensive coordinator, Clark Lea, asked Bauer to rein in those emotions. 

Running around with his scraggly mane on fire, as the saying goes, was not going to fly in Lea’s complex system. Bauer eventually got the message. 

“I took my energy level from about a ‘10’ to a ‘4’ and was able to focus while doing that,” Bauer said. “I was able to spend extra time understanding what my purpose was and where I was supposed to go and I just slowed everything down.”

No longer just a backup to starting middle linebacker Drew White, Bauer has made himself into a vital third-down weapon and maybe more for the nation’s fourth-ranked team. 

“Bo’s evolution has been much more about his ability to control and handle his emotional space,” Kelly said. “Getting into his emotional zone where he can play the game and play it at the level necessary for him to be the best football player. That’s not just from a physical standpoint. That’s from a technical and tactical standpoint.”

The old Bo? 

“He was a bit out of control,” Kelly said. “He might miss a fit here or not be lined up in the right position.”

No longer. 

“He’s really done an incredible job of finding that emotional zone that allows him to be locked in and be assignment correct,” Kelly said. “If you bring that with his physical tools and his knack for finding the football, you can see a guy that has ascended in our defensive structure. It’s really good to see.”