Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526412
8 SEPT. 14, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME The Irish Pass Defense Is Elite By Todd D. Burlage With the reigning national defensive player of the year at one starting safety (Xavier Watts), a former freshman All-American at one of the cornerback po- sitions (Benjamin Morrison) and two 2024 preseason All-America defensive linemen (Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills) all back from last season, there was little doubt heading into this campaign that the Notre Dame pass defense would be one of the team's primary strengths. And through the very early stages of this season, the unit hasn't disappointed. An immediate measure of just how good this pass defense already is and how elite it can become came Aug. 31, when the Irish shut down standout Texas A&M redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, in a 23-13 Notre Dame road win to open the season. Weigman, whom Blue & Gold Illustrated rated in its preseason preview magazine as the top opposing quarterback Notre Dame will face in 2024, completed only 12 of 30 passes (40.0 percent) for 100 yards with 0 touch- downs and 2 interceptions. The work from the Irish pass defense was so dominant in this statement win that Texas A&M didn't manage a play of more than 18 yards in the game. The Irish last season led the nation in passing efficiency defense, finished third in fewest passing yards allowed and 10th in the country with 16 inter- ceptions. All are impressive numbers, indeed. But given the depth and talent of this 2024 Notre Dame pass defense, expect the Irish to improve in each of these categories this season. The Offensive Line Will Be Solid By Year's End By Jack Soble Notre Dame's inexperienced offensive line — partic- ularly sophomore left guard Sam Pendleton and fresh- man left tackle Anthonie Knapp — struggled against Texas A&M's defensive front for much of Week 1. Of course they did. Were you seriously expecting otherwise? To think the Irish would hold up on the majority of their snaps against a defensive line that included projected NFL first-round pick Nic Scourton with a group that entered with a combined six starts would be unrealistic and frankly unfair to those involved. That is why Notre Dame crafted an offensive game plan that tried to hide its disadvantage on the line of scrimmage. "The most important thing in the end is making sure you don't put them in a compromising position that maybe their development hasn't made them ready for yet," offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. So yes, Scourton and company beat Knapp and company a ton. And in a crowd of more than 100,000 people, there were miscommunications in blitz pickup. But every now and then, the youngsters got them back. Pendleton made the key block on junior running back Jadarian Price's touchdown run. Knapp and junior right guard Billy Schrauth helped clear the way for sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love's game winner. Notre Dame rushed for 5.8 yards per carry. Now, that inexperienced offensive line has 16 combined starts heading into the Purdue game. If it stays healthy, it will have 46 by November. It showed more than enough talent and grit to believe it will be a strong unit by then. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THE START OF NOTRE DAME'S SEASON? Talk about an opportunity avalanche rolling through in a big hurry. In the span of about six weeks this summer, Tony Simeone, a Fighting Irish Media broadcast ace and the radio play-by-play voice of Notre Dame men's basketball since 2021, was given two offers he couldn't refuse. The first was to take over for Paul Burmeister as the radio play-by-play voice of Fighting Irish football. The second offer was to be part of the NBC Paris Summer Olympics coverage team in charge of field hockey. Simeone said yes to both. A 2011 Pepperdine graduate, Simeone, 35, took over football duties this fall from Burmeister, who left the Notre Dame play-by-play post to take an expanded role with NBC Sports. Well-rounded and no stranger to Notre Dame athletics, Simeone has worked for Fighting Irish Media in a variety of roles since 2016, and he took over radio play-by-play duties for Irish men's bas- ketball three years ago when Jack Nolan retired. And now, following in the footsteps of Bur- meister, Don Criqui and Tony Roberts, Simeone becomes only the fourth radio voice of Fighting Irish football since 1980. Blue & Gold Illustrated recently caught up with Simeone to discuss his new opportunity with Notre Dame football, and working alongside color commentator and former Irish offensive lineman Ryan Harris. BGI: Landing the Fighting Irish football job and an Olympics gig this summer, how neat was that? Simeone: "Thinking about somebody coming to me in a six-week span and asking me if I wanted to broadcast the Olympics and Notre Dame foot- ball, I would've been honored. But I also would've said that there's no way I'm going to ever get a chance to do that. "It all still feels surreal." BGI: How exciting is it to take over Notre Dame football play-by-play duties? Simeone: "The opportunity to call this team's games, there is no better opportunity in the country. There are plenty of other great college football teams. But in my opinion, there is no better team to call college football games for." BGI: You're only the fourth person to hold this job in the last 44 years, what does that mean to you? Simeone: "The combination of just knowing what the program means to college football, and then knowing how rare the airtime is, those are the things that help me recognize how unique and how lucky I am to be chosen." BGI: What are your thoughts on working along- side an Irish great in Ryan Harris? Simeone: "I'm excited to kind of build on that rapport with Ryan, and see where it goes. That's what excites me most about working together is building a bond together." BGI: What has your time working at Notre Dame meant to you? Simeone: "All of these amazing broadcast op- portunities have allowed me to accomplish a lot of personal and professional goals that without being an employee here, I never would have. It's a place that I will be forever indebted to." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL RADIO PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER TONY SIMEONE Simeone is only the fourth radio voice of Fighting Irish football since 1980. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Benjamin Morrison Sam Pendleton