Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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134 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. JULIAN LOVE, CB — His 2017 sophomore season was one of the most productive cornerback campaigns in Notre Dame history. He set a school record with 20 passes broken up and returned two of this three interceptions for touchdowns. Love followed it up with an even better junior year, recording 63 tackles (three for loss), breaking up 16 passes and grad - ing out by Pro Football Focus as the fourth-best cover corner in the country. He was named a consensus All-American, Notre Dame's first at cornerback since Shane Walton in 2002. 2. Jerry Tillery, DT — A minor position switch proved incredibly beneficial for Tillery, who built on a quality 2017 campaign with an All-America season in 2018. He moved to defensive tackle after spending most of his first three seasons at nose tackle, and the result was developing into one of the nation's premier interior pass rushers. His eight sacks were second in the nation among interior linemen and his 49 quarterback pressures were third, result - ing in him earning second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Sporting News. 3. Drue Tranquill, LB — For the third straight season Tranquill was asked to line up at a different position, this time moving inside to Buck linebacker. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native made a seamless transition, finishing with 86 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four passes broken up. His 11.8 percent run stop rate by Pro Football Focus led the defense. Tranquill was named a team captain for the second straight season, and his impact at Notre Dame was felt on and off the field. 4. Dexter Williams, RB — His status coming into the season was unclear, and the senior ball carrier missed the first four games due to a suspension. However, his return provided the offense with a significant boost. Williams took his first carry of the season for 45 yards and a touchdown against Stanford, foreshadowing what was to come. In just nine games Williams rushed for 995 yards and 12 touchdowns. 5. Alohi Gilman, S — A case could be made that fellow safety Jalen Elliott was the better all-around player, but there is no debate about which defender made the most game-changing plays. The Navy transfer became an immediate contributor, and in his first game he showed his clutch gene. Against Michigan, Gilman broke up a would-be touchdown pass, forcing a field goal in the 24-17 win. Two weeks later, he stripped the ball from Vanderbilt wide receiver Donaven Tennyson inches short of the goal line in a 22-17 Irish victory. He was at his disruptive best when he intercepted two passes in a 36-3 beat-down of Syracuse. 1. JERRY TILLERY SACKS STANFORD Stanford spent the previous decade building a reputation of outstanding offensive line play, but the Cardinal line was outmatched against the big Irish defensive tackle. The Notre Dame All-American tied a school record with four sacks in the game, dominating the Stanford guards, including 2017 All-American Nate Herbig. Two of Tillery's sacks came on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter, ending any chance of a Stanford comeback. 2. Front Four Shuts Down The Wolverines — Notre Dame's defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage, limiting Michigan to a season-low 58 yards on the ground, and an aver - age of just 1.8 yards per attempt. When the Wolverines dropped back to throw, the front harassed quarterback Shea Patterson, registering 17 pressures, three sacks and four hits. Michigan's final chance to tie the game was ended when Tillery stripped the ball from Patterson that senior linebacker Te'von Coney recovered. 3. Offensive Line Fuels Florida State Destruction — Florida State struggled much of the 2018 season, but it did enter the Nov. 10 matchup at Notre Dame ranked 17th nationally in run defense, allowing just 111.1 yards per game and 2.8 yards per rush. That made Notre Dame's 365 rushing yards and 7.3 yards per carry even more impressive. Senior running back Dexter Williams rushed for 202 yards, marking the first time since 1982 that Florida State allowed a back to eclipse 200 yards. 4. Ian Book Shines In His First Start — Despite opening 3-0, Notre Dame made a change at quarterback prior to its contest at Wake Forest Sept. 22 in hopes of sparking the offense, and Book did just that in his initial 2018 start. He passed for 325 yards and accounted for five touchdowns while completing 73.5 percent of his throws. Notre Dame, which scored only 70 points in its first three games, rolled to 56 against the Demon Deacons thanks to Book's precision passing and red zone running. 5. Epic Defensive Performance Fuels Syracuse Victory — In order to stay in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot, Notre Dame had to travel to Yankee Stadium Nov. 10 and take on a Syracuse offense that was averaging 44.4 points per game. The vaunted Orange unit could muster just three points, and the Irish defense dominated on all three levels. Notre Dame's front crushed the Syracuse blockers, fifth-year senior line - backer Drue Tranquill finished with a pair of sacks, and junior safety Alohi Gilman had two huge interceptions. A first-quarter interception by junior safety Jalen Elliott set up Notre Dame's first touchdown and established the tone in the 36-3 blowout. TOP FIVE GAME PERFORMANCES All-American defensive lineman Jerry Tillery turned in a dominant per- formance in the win against Stanford. He tied a school record with four sacks, two of which came on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter that ended any chance of a Stanford comeback. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL Julian Love was named a consensus All- American, Notre Dame's first at cornerback since Shane Walton in 2002. Love finished his junior season with 63 tackles (three for loss), 16 passes broken up, three fumble re- coveries and one interception. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL