Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1031117
36 OCT. 1, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. STANFORD RUN DEFENSE San Diego State rushed for 130 yards in the first half of the season opener against Stanford. Over the next 10 quarters, though, the Cardinal sur- rendered merely 184 yards on the ground while allowing just 2.5 yards per attempt to drop its per- game average to 104.7. Stanford held USC to just 114 yards and 3.1 yards per carry, and the Cardinal front seven has been especially productive early in the season. Fifth-year senior linebackers Joey Alfieri and Bobby Okereke combined for 6.5 tackles for loss in the first three games, and junior defensive end Jovan Swann — an Indiana native — has registered 3.5 stops behind the line in the early going. The Notre Dame ground game struggled in its first two outings. It put up a respectable 132 yards against the vaunted Michigan defense, but the Irish had just 117 yards while averaging an ane- mic 2.9 yards per carry in the 24-16 win over Ball State Sept. 8. That performance was especially troubling. It bounced back with a more physical 245-yard output in the 22-17 victory against Vanderbilt Sept. 15, with junior running back Tony Jones Jr. leading the way by rushing for a career-high 118 yards. That game must be tempered a bit because Vanderbilt gave up 254.4 yards per game on the ground against Power Five opponents in 2017. Stanford will be the test that will determine if the Irish rushing offense is going to once again be among the best in the country or if the early sea- son struggles are a sign of things to come. Advantage: Stanford Fifth-year senior linebacker Bobby Okereke has fueled an improved run defense that gave up just 104.7 yards per game during Stanford's 3-0 start. PHOTO COURTESY STANFORDPHOTO.COM GAME PREVIEW: STANFORD Offense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. WR 81 Miles Boykin 6-4 228 Sr. 4 Kevin Austin 6-2 210 Fr. LT 74 Liam Eichenberg 6-6 308 Jr. 55 Jarrett Patterson 6-4½ 290 Fr. LG 71 Alex Bars 6-6 315 5th-Sr. 76 Dillan Gibbons 6-4 313 So. C 53 Sam Mustipher 6-2½ 306 5th-Sr. 57 Trevor Ruhland 6-3½ 295 Jr. RG 78 Tommy Kraemer 6-6 316 Jr. 75 Joshua Lugg 6-7 314 So. RT 72 Robert Hainsey 6-4½ 295 So. 69 Aaron Banks 6-6 319 So. TE 86 Alizé Mack 6-5 247 Sr. 84 Cole Kmet 6-5½ 258 So. WR 10 Chris Finke 5-9½ 180 Sr. 88 Javon McKinley 6-2 219 Jr. WR 83 Chase Claypool 6-4½ 227 Jr. 87 Michael Young 5-10 192 So. QB 7 Brandon Wimbush 6-2 222 Sr. 12 Ian Book 6-0 203 Jr. RB 6 Tony Jones Jr. 5-11 220 Jr. 8 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 218 So. Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. DE 53 Khalid Kareem 6-4 265 Jr. 91 Ade Ogundeji 6-4½ 255 Jr. DT 99 Jerry Tillery 6-7 305 Sr. 57 Jayson Ademilola 6-3 284 Fr. NT 55 Jonathan Bonner 6-4 295 5th-Sr. 41 Kurt Hinish 6-2 295 So. DE 9 Daelin Hayes 6-4 265 Jr. 42 Julian Okwara 6-4½ 241 Jr. Mike 4 Te'von Coney 6-1 240 Sr. 52 Bo Bauer 6-3 225 Fr. Buck 23 Drue Tranquill 6-2 235 5th-Sr. 2 J. Genmark Heath 6-1 225 So. ROV 22 Asmar Bilal 6-2 225 Sr. 33 Shayne Simon 6-3 222 Fr. CB 5 Troy Pride Jr. 5-11½ 190 Jr. 35 TaRiq Bracy 5-10 170 Fr. S 21 Jalen Elliott 6-0½ 205 Jr. 24 Devin Studstill 6-0 200 Jr. S 11 Alohi Gilman 5-10½ 202 Jr. 3 Houston Griffith 6-0 205 Fr. CB 27 Julian Love 5-11 193 Jr. 8 Donte Vaughn 6-3 211 Jr. NOTRE DAME DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. K 19 Justin Yoon 5-10 198 Sr. 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 200 So. P 85 Tyler Newsome 6-2½ 214 5th-Sr. 42 Jeff Riney 5-11 181 Sr. KO 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 200 So. 19 Justin Yoon 5-10 198 Sr. H 12 Ian Book 6-0 203 Jr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. LS 54 John Shannon 6-2 235 Jr. 46 Matt Bushland 6-2 210 Jr. KR 87 Michael Young 5-10 185 So. 8 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 218 So. PR 10 Chris Finke 5-9½ 180 Sr. 87 Michael Young 5-10 185 So. Special Teams