Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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11. Navy — Nov. 2 2012 Record: 8-5 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 50, Navy 10 (2012) Impact Player: Sophomore QB Keenan Reynolds — Navy won six of its last seven regular-season games in 2012 thanks in part to Reynolds, who breathed some life into a stagnant offense as a rare plebe starter. He's back at the helm this year after accounting for 1,547 yards and 19 of the team's 28 touchdowns as a freshman. Outlook: The Midshipmen will have to replace two starting offensive linemen and two of their starting running backs. Senior Darius Staten (5-6, 190 pounds) emerged as the top candidate at the wing position, which Navy calls its super back. He averaged 8.8 yards per carry last year, but had only 21 attempts. Former quarterback Trey Miller might also be an option at the position. Junior fullback Noah Copeland returns after racking up 738 rushing yards as the first weapon in the offense's triple-option attack. On defense, Navy graduated its top four tacklers from a veteran 2012 group that gave up an average of 408.9 yards per game. The Mids will look to senior Cody Peterson to fill a large part of that void at inside linebacker. Peterson, a co-captain, was arguably the team's best linebacker by the end of the 2012 season. Spring Storyline: Head coach Ken Niumatalolo's top priorities in the spring included finding a new go-to running back and revamping a line to block for him. Graduated seniors Ryan Paulson and Josh Cabral left two vacancies on the left side of the line. Senior Graham Vickers will likely take over at left tackle, but he missed all of spring with a shoulder injury. Sophomore E.K. Binns takes over for Cabral, who was the team's largest and best lineman last year. 10. Air Force — Oct. 26 2012 Record: 6-7 (5-3 Mountain West) Last Meeting: Notre Dame 59, Air Force 33 (2011) Impact Player: Junior RB Jon Lee — Teammates say Lee, a backup last year, runs with a chip on his shoulder. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns as a sophomore. He looks primed to be the next Georgia product to star in the backfield for Air Force. Outlook: Fifteen of the 22 players who started for the Falcons in the Armed Forces Bowl last December are no longer on the team. Three first-stringers return on offense and four on defense this season for head coach Troy Calhoun. The depletion peaks at linebacker where all four starters from a year ago are gone, including Austin Niklas (older brother of Notre Dame's Troy) who led the team with 128 tackles a season ago. The secondary may be the strong point of the Falcons defense next season. Starting cornerbacks Chris Miller and Steffon Batts both return along with safety Christian Spears, who made 91 tackles and caused three turnovers a year ago. A battle for the starting quarterback spot will continue into August. Junior Kale Pearson (5-9, 175 pounds) took first-team reps in the spring, but may not have the size to play for an offense that Calhoun hopes to make more of a passing threat. Sophomore Jaleel Awini could have the arm he is looking for. Spring Storyline: Back-to-back losing records convinced the Falcons coaching staff it was in need of a shake-up. Air Force started its "spring" workouts in late February and made them as physical as NCAA rules would allow. Air Force doesn't play a spring game, but Calhoun worked to test the toughness and durability of a young and inexperienced team by allowing full contact as often as possible during the 15 practices.