Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JAN. 1, 2021 41 Harris (68 total tackles, 7.0 for loss) highlight the deepest front-seven rotation in the country. Advantage: Alabama NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. ALABAMA PASS DEFENSE With 20-of-28 passing, 219 yards and no inter- ceptions last time out against Clemson, Book's numbers appeared adequate and efficient in the final box score. But zero touchdowns passes in the game and the six sacks — not necessarily his fault — pulled down his performance and resurrected old demons. Fifth-year senior wide receiver Javon McKinley was held to just three catches for 37 yards in the Clemson rematch after recording five receptions for 102 yards in the first meeting. McKinley needs to return to form against Alabama after he aver- aged about six grabs and 99 yards while scoring three touchdowns in his previous four games. With 35 catches, second on the Irish, freshman tight end Michael Mayer remains the most consis- tent pass catcher on the team. Alabama freshman linebacker Will Anderson Jr. leads his team with 7.0 sacks for a unit that ranks 24th nationally in sacks per game (2.9) and 19th with 11 interceptions. Crimson Tide freshman defensive back Malachi Moore leads the team with three interceptions. Junior defensive back Josh Jobe has 11 passes bro- ken up, and All-SEC preseason first-team defensive back Patrick Surtain II has contributed 10 passes broken up and one interception. Advantage: Alabama SPECIAL TEAMS It's not fair to single out any particular play as a turning point or defining moment in a game. But the momentum and emotion that was sapped from Notre Dame in the first quarter against Clem- son when Irish senior placekicker Jonathan Doerer missed a 24-yard field goal can't be ignored. A chip-shot attempt that could've pushed an early but precarious lead for Notre Dame to 6-0, Doerer pushed it wide right and helped open the flood gates to 34 straight points scored by the Tigers. Doerer has missed seven of his 22 field goal attempts this year, most of those coming in the second half of this season. Highlighted by a 24.88-yard average and an 84- yard touchdown on the eight punt returns from the aforementioned DeVonta Smith, Alabama ranks ninth in the country in punt return average. Crimson Tide sophomore placekicker Will Reich- ard is 12 of 12 on field goal attempts this season. Advantage: Alabama COACHING Kelly temporarily lifted the heavy burden of hav- ing never beaten a top-five opponent at Notre Dame when he knocked off top-ranked Clemson back on Nov. 7. That weight returned after the 24-point thrash- ing that Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney handed Kelly in the rematch. Kelly has lost his four postsea- son games with Notre Dame against top-10 teams — including this year's ACC Championship — by an average score of 38-14. Fair or not, forgettable memories are exhumed and more comparisons made again between this year's Irish team and Kelly's 2012 group that lost to the Crimson Tide 42-14 in the BCS National Championship Game. Meanwhile, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals means little to Alabama head coach Nick Saban — this is his sixth appearance in the four- team tournament. What's more important for Saban — winner of six national championships, five with Alabama — is hoisting the national title trophy for the first time since 2017. Advantage: Alabama INTANGIBLES No. 1 Alabama (11-0) and No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1) are built similarly, but based on NFL Draft projections — and an opening betting line that favored the Crimson Tide by nearly three touch- downs — it's hard to argue the sizable talent ad- vantage that Saban's Crimson Tide hold. ESPN's Todd McShay projects as many as six Alabama players — compared to just one for the Irish — to be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Notre Dame and Alabama feature arguably the two best offensive lines in the country, as well as two of the top defensive front sevens. Alabama displayed consistent domination under a COVID-19 cloud while becoming the first team in SEC history to win 11 games against conference foes in one season. Notre Dame hearing how it has little to no chance in this game could work in its favor though. Advantage: Alabama GAME PREVIEW: ALABAMA Offense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. WR 11 Ben Skowronek 6-3 220 5th-Sr. 18 Joe Wilkins Jr. 6-1½ 190 Jr. WR 3 Avery Davis 5-11 202 Sr. 18 Joe Wilkins Jr. 6-1½ 190 Jr. LT 74 Liam Eichenberg 6-6 302 5th-Sr. 73 Andrew Kristofic 6-5 292 So. LG 69 Aaron Banks 6-6 330 Sr. 76 Dillan Gibbons 6-4 309 Sr. C 75 Josh Lugg 6-7 310 Sr. 52 Zeke Correll 6-3 295 So. RG 78 Tommy Kraemer 6-6 317 5th-Sr. 56 John Dirksen 6-5 306 Jr. RT 72 Robert Hainsey 6-5 290 Sr. 77 Quinn Carroll 6-7 306 So. TE 89 Brock Wright 6-4½ 255 Sr. 24 Tommy Tremble 6-3 242 Jr. or 85 George Takacs 6-6 245 Jr. or 87 Michael Mayer 6-5 235 Fr. WR 88 Javon McKinley 6-2 215 5th-Sr. 8 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 220 Sr. QB 12 Ian Book 6-0 206 5th-Sr. 10 Drew Pyne 5-11½ 194 So. RB 23 Kyren Williams 5-9 194 So. 25 Chris Tyree 5-9½ 188 Fr. or 20 C'Bo Flemister 5-11 195 Jr. Defense Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Vyper 9 Daelin Hayes 6-4 270 5th-Sr. 29 Ovie Oghoufo 6-3 240 Jr. or 7 Isaiah Foskey 6-5 257 So. DT 95 M. Tagovailoa-Amosa 6-2½ 282 Sr. 57 Jayson Ademilola 6-3 279 Jr. NT 41 Kurt Hinish 6-2 296 Sr. 54 Jacob Lacey 6-2 293 So. SDE 91 Ade Ogundeji 6-4 268 5th-Sr. 19 Justin Ademilola 6-2 248 Jr. or 7 Isaiah Foskey 6-5 257 So. Buck 33 Shayne Simon 6-3 228 Jr. or 35 Marist Liufau 6-2 226 So. or 24 Jack Kiser 6-1½ 227 So. Mike 40 Drew White 6-0 227 Sr. 52 Bo Bauer 6-3 230 Jr. Rover 6 J. Owusu-Koramoah 6-1½ 215 Sr. 10 Isaiah Pryor 6-1½ 204 Gr. CB 4 Nick McCloud 6-0½ 192 5th-Sr. 5 Cam Hart 6-2½ 207 So. CB 26 Clarence Lewis 5-11½ 192 Fr. or 28 TaRiq Bracy 5-10 180 Jr. SS 20 Shaun Crawford 5-9 180 6th-Sr. 3 Houston Griffith 6-0 204 Jr. FS 14 Kyle Hamilton 6-4 219 So. 12 DJ Brown 6-0 194 Jr. or 10 Isaiah Pryor 6-1½ 204 Gr. NOTRE DAME DEPTH CHART Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. KO 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 197 Sr. 38 Dawson Goepferich 6-2 200 5th-Sr. K 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 197 Sr. 38 Dawson Goepferich 6-2 200 5th-Sr. P 19 Jay Bramblett 6-1½ 193 So. 38 Dawson Goepferich 6-2 200 5th-Sr. LS 65 Michael Vinson 6-2 226 Jr. 44 Alex Peitsch 6-1 208 Fr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. H 19 Jay Bramblett 6-1½ 193 So. 14 J.D. Carney 5-10 180 Sr. PR 32 Matt Salerno 6-0½ 196 Jr. 13 Lawrence Keys III 5-10½ 173 Jr. KR 25 Chris Tyree 5-9½ 188 Fr. or 8 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 220 Sr. Special Teams