Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 SEPT. 16, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED "They play fired up for him. But I think he would admit that this is go- ing to be a pretty rough first year for this defense because there are a lot of new faces." On a positive note, three of New Mexico's four captains play defense, including fifth-year senior linebacker Alex Hart who was injured for most of last season. This is the third season in a row Hart was named a captain. Linebacker Brandon Shook is the team's top returning tackler with 40 in 2018, and he is projected to back up Hart at Mike. The other two defensive captains play on the line. They are end Trent Sellers, who is also returning from a season-ending injury, and nose tackle Aaron Blackwell, one of the few bright spots for the 2018 Lobos. De- fensive end Erin Austin is also back after recording 2.5 sacks last year. Perhaps the biggest wild card for New Mexico is how its secondary will perform, especially after sec- ond-team All-Mountain West safety Marcus Hayes transferred to Kan- sas State. Senior cornerback De'John Rogers returns after grabbing one interception in a reserve role last sea- son. The rest of the secondary will consist of new faces. MATCHUP WITH NOTRE DAME While Davie's return to South Bend — health permitting — may be ripe with juicy storylines, the actual outcome of the game will likely have little impact on how much longer his tenure at New Mexico lasts, unless the Lobos pull off the upset. New Mexico should have the of- fensive line talent to slow down Notre Dame's potent pass rush, but it's hard to see the Lobos doing much to stop the Irish offense, especially with an inexperienced secondary. Virgen said that Davie views a trip back to South Bend positively and is excited for his players and coaching staff to experience what it's like to play in such a historic stadium on national television. He doesn't anticipate a shocking outcome, but he does expect how well they play to surprise people. "I could see New Mexico playing a lot like what they did against Wis- consin last year, as far as hanging around at first and then kind of start- ing to fall behind the opposition," Virgen said. "But these players really love Davie. They do. I don't doubt that, and they know that [this game is] important for their coach. They're going to really step up." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: NEW MEXICO Fifth-year senior linebacker Alex Hart was sidelined for most of last season by a knee injury, but he is a three-time team captain and recorded a career-best 58 tackles in 2017. PHOTO COURTESY UNM COMMUNICATIONS 2019 NEW MEXICO SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 Sam Houston State W, 39-31 Sept. 14 at Notre Dame (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21 New Mexico State 4:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at Liberty (ESPN+) 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at San Jose State (CBSSN) 10 p.m. Oct. 11 Colorado State (CBSSN) 8 p.m. Oct. 19 at Wyoming 3 p.m. Oct. 26 Hawai'i 4 p.m. Nov. 2 at Nevada TBA Nov. 9 Air Force 2 p.m. Nov. 16 at Boise State TBA Nov. 30 Utah State 4 p.m. 2019 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 at Louisville W, 35-17 Sept. 14 New Mexico (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Georgia TBA Sept. 28 Virginia (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 Bowling Green (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 USC* (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Michigan (ABC/ESPN) TBA Nov. 2 Virginia Tech (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Duke (ACCN) TBA Nov. 16 Navy (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 23 Boston College (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at Stanford TBA * This will be the Irish Wear Green contest, with fans encouraged to dress in green ACCN — ACC Network