Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1047749
42 NOV. 12, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED "A couple of the young defensive tackles have shown flashes as well — redshirt freshman Cory Durden and true freshman Robert Cooper." Junior linebacker Dontavious Jack- son (41 stops) and sophomore line- backer DeCalon Brooks (39 stops) were two of the unit's top three tack- lers while manning the second level. "Jackson has been the Seminoles' best linebacker by far," Schoffel noted. "He is extremely aggressive in run- support, which meshes well with the schemes of defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett, and he plays with a lot of passion. Brooks, who is the son of FSU and NFL Hall of Famer Der- rick Brooks, has had an up-and-down year. He finds the ball pretty well in run defense, but has had some tough moments in coverage." Though they have struggled de- fending the pass, the Florida State secondary did rank 38th nationally in interceptions (eight) and 12th in passes defended (49). Starting junior cornerbacks Kyle Myers and Levonta Taylor have combined for three of those eight in- terceptions, while senior safety A.J. Westbrook and sophomore safety Stanford Samuels III each notched two picks and five passes defended. "This cornerback group also has been very hit or miss," Schoffel said. "Myers has played well for most of the season at one corner, which has been a pleasant surprise, but Taylor has struggled in matchups with bigger receivers. Taylor was expected to be an All-ACC caliber corner, but it hasn't happened yet, at least not statistically. "Westbrook has been solid, if not spectacular. He did record the inter- ception in the final minutes of the Louisville game to spark that come- back victory. Sophomores Hamsah Nasirildeen, Stanford Samuels III and Cyrus Fagan are all extremely talented and have made some nice individual plays. As a group, though, the Seminoles' secondary has given up way too many big passes." Speed at wide receiver is one area Schoffel feels Florida State can use to its advantage against the Irish. However, he questions whether the group's offensive line can hold up long enough to do so, which will put more pressure on the defense to give the offense more opportunities. "I think FSU's defense will play very well, as it has for most of the season," Schoffel said of the matchup with Notre Dame. "But that group will have to be more resilient than it was in the Clemson loss, because I'm expecting another rough outing for the offense. The longer Barnett's defense can keep the Irish offense in check, FSU's chances to pull off the upset will rise ... but it could be just delaying the inevitable. "It's hard to imagine the Semi- noles' offense finding itself this late in the season, especially on the road. Notre Dame should deservedly be a heavy favorite." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: FLORIDA STATE Junior defensive end Brian Burns is among the nation's best at getting to the quarterback and was tied for the ACC lead with nine sacks through nine weeks. PHOTO BY BILL PEARCE/FSU SPORTS INFORMATION 2018 FLORIDA STATE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 3 Virginia Tech L, 24-3 Sept. 8 Samford W, 36-26 Sept. 15 at Syracuse L, 30-7 Sept. 22 Northern Illinois W, 37-19 Sept. 29 at Louisville W, 28-24 Oct. 6 at Miami L, 28-27 Oct. 20 Wake Forest W, 38-17 Oct. 27 Clemson L, 59-10 Nov. 3 at NC State L, 47-28 Nov. 10 at Notre Dame (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 Boston College TBA Nov. 24 Florida TBA 2018 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 1 Michigan W, 24-17 Sept. 8 Ball State W, 24-16 Sept. 15 Vanderbilt W, 22-17 Sept. 22 at Wake Forest W, 56-27 Sept. 29 Stanford W, 38-17 Oct. 6 at Virginia Tech W, 45-23 Oct. 13 Pittsburgh W, 19-14 Oct. 27 vs. Navy* W, 44-22 Nov. 3 at Northwestern W, 31-21 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.