Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 PRESEASON 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED tackles for loss and eight sacks) return to roam behind the defensive line. The Wolverines are still working out the third spot, but it's a group with plenty of options. "Harbaugh called Devin Bush the fastest linebacker he's ever coached and possibly the best he's ever seen," Balas said. "He was a second-team All- American last year. … Junior Khaleke Hudson is right there with him at vi- per. … Those two should be as good as any in the conference. "Weakside is still up for grabs, but there are capable and potentially out- standing options there in junior Devin Gil and sophomore Josh Ross. They've also got a pair of four- and five-star guys vying for time in [sophomores] Jordan Anthony and Drew Singleton, and both have had great camps. This is a deep unit." Cornerback will remain a position of strength with juniors David Long and Lavert Hill, who combined for four in- terceptions and 13 passes broken up in 2017, while safety is the question mark. "Hill and Long were Pro Football Focus' best cover corner duo in the country last year based on pass effi- ciency defense," Balas said. "They're unbelievably sticky and hard to get away from. "The knock on this group last year was the safeties and their cover ability. They were exposed at times, but junior Josh Metellus and senior Tyree Kin- nel have plenty of experience. Brown said he'd tweak his defense this year to make sure they had more help back there when quarterbacks tried to pick on them." Even with the talent returning, Notre Dame possesses a weapon that gave the Wolverines fits at times last year: a mobile quarterback. Projected Irish starter Brandon Wimbush rushed for 803 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017. Keeping the senior in check will be vital for the Wolverines. "That was one of the Achilles heels for this team a year ago … doing ev- erything right, getting to the quarter- back but letting him escape for big gains," Balas explained. "It's a risk that comes from bringing pressure all the time, but a guy like Wimbush could make them pay." Both teams are similar heading into this opening contest in terms of a de- fense that is projected to be the team's strength while the offense's ability to be productive and consistent will likely determine the squad's ultimate success in 2018. Those similarities should equal a close contest to open the season. "This is an SEC-caliber defense with talent all over the field, and we ex- pect a low-scoring game," Balas said of the matchup. "By the same token, the Michigan offensive line has plenty to prove and needs to protect Patterson in his first start, and there's no guarantee they'll be able to do that. "Patterson is capable, but asking him to win a game by airing it out every play in that environment is a risk. He's made some mistakes in the passing game in his short career as a starter at Ole Miss. "This is one of those games that could go either way." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: MICHIGAN Senior running back Karan Higdon finished six yards short of a 1,000-yard season in 2017. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN 2018 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Sept. 1 Michigan (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 Ball State (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 15 Vanderbilt (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at Wake Forest TBA Sept. 29 Stanford (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at Virginia Tech TBA Oct. 13 Pittsburgh (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27 vs. Navy* (CBS) 8 p.m. Nov. 3 at Northwestern TBA Nov. 10 Florida State (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 vs. Syracuse^ (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at USC TBA * at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego; ^ at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y. 2018 MICHIGAN SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Sept. 1 at Notre Dame (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 Western Michigan (FS1) 12 p.m. Sept. 15 SMU (BTN) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 22 Nebraska TBA Sept. 29 at Northwestern TBA Oct. 6 Maryland 12 p.m. Oct. 13 Wisconsin TBA Oct. 20 at Michigan State (FOX/FS1) TBA Nov. 3 Penn State TBA Nov. 10 at Rutgers TBA Nov. 17 Indiana TBA Nov. 24 at Ohio State (FOX) 12 p.m.