Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/140903
Senior nose guard Louis Nix III (left) and junior end Stephon Tuitt (right), both of whom are regarded as preseason All-Americans, team up to give the Irish one of the best defensive lines in the nation. photo by bill panzica Chris Watt (guard) rival any in the country, and senior right tackle Christian Lombard also is a future NFL prospect. How the unit performs with a new center and right guard will be pivotal. 5. Tight End — When has tight end not been a strength for the Fighting Irish the past five decades? All but one full-time starting tight end at Notre Dame since 1988 has played in the NFL, not including recent firstround selection Tyler Eifert. Junior Troy Niklas already has an NFL physique (6-7, 260), while his backups, junior Ben Koyack and senior Alex Welch, were four-star recruits who made progress this spring. Top Five Potential "Multiple" Positions Entering 2013, these positions possess perhaps the most options and opportunities for creativity when it comes to mixing or matching personnel: 1. Slot Receiver — A stereotype of this position is lining up the smaller water-bug type athlete, a la the graduated Robby Toma, or his classmate and predecessor Theo Riddick. Yet this spring, the Irish rotated 6-4, 213-pound senior Daniel Smith and 6-1, 220-pound converted safety C.J. Prosise — and 6-5, 253-pound junior tight end Ben Koyack also was utilized there. That might signal a more physical, grind-it-out approach. Or, when healthy, 5-10, 185-pound running back Amir Carlisle could be slipped in there, a la Riddick. The options are abundant, depending on what is most needed. 2. Running Back — Despite the graduation of top 2012 rushers Riddick (917 yards) and Cierre Wood (742), the Irish backfield stable has six candidates, with junior George Atkinson III (361 yards in 2012) the frontrunner. Can any one player emerge as a three-down figure who can excel as a rusher, receiver and blocker? 3. Quarterback — This is the last position where a coaching staff wants to mix and match, but options — literally and figuratively — might have to be looked at with Everett Golson sidelined in 2013. Senior Tommy Rees is experienced with 18 starts, and last year he was college football's ace "relief pitcher." This season, senior Andrew Hendrix or freshman Malik Zaire, both capable runners, might need to come out of the bullpen to help diversify the offense. Hendrix could be the ultimate "X-factor" because he has four years in the system, unlike Zaire, and has more physical abilities than Rees. If he could blossom, the ability to be able to use two seniors at the position in different capacities might be intriguing. Two-Headed Quarterbacks Quarterback is the most important position in football where a no-doubt-about-it starter is required, a la Brady Quinn (2003-06) or Jimmy Clausen (2008-09) at Notre Dame. Circumstances, however, sometimes necessitate the use of more than one quarterback. That might be the case in 2013 at Notre Dame where it was learned Memorial Day weekend that incumbent Everett Golson will not play football this season because of an academic transgression. While senior Tommy Rees is the understandable front-runner with his 18 career starts, senior Andrew Hendrix or freshman Malik Zaire might be needed too as a change-up in the spread attack. Here are five seasons over the past 50 years where the quarterback position had somewhat of a revolving door: 1. 2012: Everett Golson and Tommy Rees Golson started the season when incumbent Rees was suspended, but Rees (who started twice) came in for an injured or ineffective Golson during tight home victories against Purdue, Michigan, Stanford (in overtime) and Brigham Young. By the final month, Golson had the position to himself, but the Fighting Irish would have not advanced to the BCS National Championship Game and finished 12-1 without Rees' fireman duties when needed. 2. 1993: Kevin McDougal and Paul Failla After the graduation of No. 2 NFL pick Rick Mirer, head coach Lou Holtz declared McDougal No. 1 and Failla No. 1a. Popular opinion was that incoming freshman Ron Powlus would win the job. Instead, a broken clavicle in the preseason sidelined Powlus, and McDougal set a school record with his passing efficiency. Yet Failla was often inserted in red-zone situations and started in a victory over USC. McDougal completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,541 yards, but Failla also saw situational duty on a team that finished 11-1 and No. 2. 3. 1980: Blair Kiel and Mike Courey Notre Dame was coming off a 7-4 campaign and graduated quarterback Rusty Lisch, who would play in the NFL. Senior Mike Courey was the heir and led a good start, but freshman Blair Kiel seized the starting job by the fourth game before some late-season rotation occurred after the Irish reached No. 1. Kiel completed 38.7 percent of his passes for 531 yards with no touchdowns. Courey completed 47.5 percent for 348 yards with two scores. Head coach Dan Devine's Irish leaned on a stout defense and a smash-mouth ground game that propelled a 9-0-1 start before losing the last two games. 4. 1987: Tony Rice and Kent Graham After starter Terry Andrysiak was injured in the fourth game, sophomore option specialist Rice took the throttle, but freshman Graham, who would play in the NFL for a decade, was inserted for some passing situations and also made one start. The Irish finished 8-4 and No. 17 in the country. Rice took control as the starter during the 1988 national title march, and Graham transferred to Ohio State a year later. 5. 1975: Rick Slager and Joe Montana In the first seven games the year after three-year starter Tom Clements' graduation, the senior Slager started four times and the sophomore Montana three before he suffered a hand injury. Montana was brilliant in relief during three comeback wins, but faltered as a starter with a 1-2 mark, throwing eight interceptions in his 66 attempts that year. The Irish finished 8-3 and out of the final Associated Press poll for the first time in 12 years. Two years later, Montana would come off the bench as a third-team QB to help win the national title. Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 23 20-27.Season Preview-Superlatives.indd 23 6/25/13 8:46 AM