Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 5, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Running Game Cannot Be Pedestrian By Lou Somogyi With junior quarterback Ian Book at the throttle, Notre Dame has become an efficient offense with primarily the short passing game that had Book leading the country in pass completion percent- age entering the Oct. 27 weekend. However, while Book has completed passes at a 75.2 percent clip, about 75 percent of his fellow Football Bowl Sub- division quarterbacks have been more effective throwing the ball 20 yards or more down the field, per College Football Film Room. The latter will not be a big deal provided the Notre Dame ground attack can consistently augment the controlled passing game — and thereby make the deep and intermediate throws potentially more lethal. During the 1-2 regular season finish last year, tailback Josh Adams appeared to be running on empty, while the ground attack averaged 142.0 yards per game (and the offense 17.3 points per contest), a far cry from the 269.5 average it finished with to rank seventh nationally. Notre Dame this year is not nearly as ground reliant, but senior Dexter Wil- liams and junior Tony Jones Jr. should be fresher for the stretch run, and the return of a healthy sophomore Jafar Armstrong in the backfield is a boost. If this offense can provide an effective, consistent 160- to 180-yard rushing effort per game throughout November, the efficient passing numbers should continue to take care of themselves. There are more cold-weather games in November, and the offense will need to hunker down on occasion with a strong ground attack. That would maximize the unit's overall efficiency far more than last year. Defensive Line Must Dominate By Bryan Driskell The defensive line is the most vital component to Notre Dame finishing with a strong — and ideally unbeaten — performance in November. The most dominant teams in the country the last four seasons have been Alabama and Clemson. The two programs are quite different on offense, but both boast strong defenses led by outstand- ing lines. During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, the Alabama defense gave up just 72.8 rushing yards per game and averaged 2.9 sacks a contest in November. The Crimson Tide won every game in November during that stretch by at least 10 points, and their average margin of victory was 26.1 points. Last season, however, Alabama needed help to get into the College Football Playoff after struggling to beat Mississippi State (31-24) and losing by 12 to Auburn in the final game of the regular season. Without the Big Ten and Pac-12 champs having two losses, Alabama would have been unlikely to get in. Mississippi State rushed for 172 yards against the Tide, Auburn ran for 168 yards, and Bama had just one sack in each game. Clemson's offense struggled at times in 2017, but in November the defen- sive line took over and carried the Tigers to the CFP. In its final four games against Power Five opponents — which included the ACC title game against Miami — the Tigers gave up just 89.8 rushing yards per game and racked up 11 sacks. If the Notre Dame front — led by senior tackle Jerry Tillery — follows a similar path, the Irish will make the College Football Playoff for the first time. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT WILL BE MOST CRUCIAL TO NOTRE DAME WINNING OUT IN NOVEMBER? RB DEXTER WILLIAMS DT JERRY TILLERY Notre Dame signed the fourth-best ACC class in the 2018 recruiting cycle — behind Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest — thanks to commit- ments from three Rivals100 prospects. That trio included Mars (Pa.) High guard Robby Carmody, who was Pennsylvania's Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 31.1 points, 14.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game during his senior season. Carmody is set to be part of the Irish rotation this fall with his versatility on both ends of the court. BGI: What's the transition from high school to college been like so far? Carmody: "It's been a lot of fun. It's been tough at times. Obviously, coming in the competition is going to be a lot tougher. That's something I'm re- ally liking because it forces me to get better every day. That's the stuff I like to do. "It hasn't been tough. It's something I expected. I wasn't going to come in here and be the No. 1 guy right away. I knew I would have to figure out my role early on. I'm still searching for that a little, but I feel I'm starting to find my niche." BGI: What do you feel you've done well this fall and what are the areas you need to improve? Carmody: "I think I've been really good driving the ball and sitting down on defense to get stops. I definitely need to start shooting the ball a lot better. I shot well in the summer, but it hasn't just yet. I think it will soon, though. "[I see myself as a] very versatile defender who can get into the lane and make plays there." BGI: Have any of the veterans helped show you the ropes a bit? Carmody: "Rex [Pflueger] and T.J. [Gibbs] have really helped me out a lot. They've been in my ear telling me to be more aggressive and not be as tentative as I've been. It's something that I've really liked about them that's helped me as well. "It's really nice having those guys. They are guys I can talk to if my confidence gets down or anything like that. They are people who always know the right thing to say and get my game back on the right track." BGI: Has there been anything about college life or being a student that has caught you by surprise? Carmody: "How many papers I have to write. One week I had four. That was the toughest part for me so far. It hasn't been too hard of an adjustment. "They have us go to study hall two hours three times a week, so that's something I've used to my advantage and helped me get acclimated to budget my time better." BGI: How do you feel the team is looking right now this fall? Carmody: "We're looking really good. I think we will surprise a lot of people. We have a lot of guys who can come in and contribute big that haven't maybe had huge roles in the past. Everyone is going to step up this year, and we're going to do big things." — Corey Bodden Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME MEN'S BASKETBALL FRESHMAN GUARD ROBBY CARMODY Carmody was named the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in Pennsylvania after averaging 31.1 points, 14.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA