Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Lofty Goals Irish stoppers aim to improve on last year's stellar season N By Dan Murphy otre Dame's defense enters the 2013 season with sky-high expectations. Last year, the Irish allowed only 12.77 points per game, a number slightly inflated by the 42 points Alabama picked up in the BCS National Championship Game and a figure that ranked second nationally behind the Crimson Tide's 10.93. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco returned to defense Overview Notre Dame along with eight returning starters and a number of other players, both young and old, who are poised to take a step forward in the fall. The Irish have their sights set on being an even better defense this season, but there are a few questions left to answer before they can unseat last year's efforts. 1. Where Will The Leadership Come From On Defense? The senior leaders and loudest voices in Notre Dame's locker room have moved on. Former All-American linebacker Manti Te'o, defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore and safety Zeke Motta leave the door open for new leaders to emerge this season. And while there is no single figure that will likely control that post like Te'o did in 2012, there is a long list of potential front men on this year's defense. Head coach Brian Kelly named fifth-year seniors Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese, senior Bennett Jackson, junior Matthias Farley and even sophomore KeiVarae Russell among the starters that would give the defensive unit its direction this coming fall. Fox, Calabrese and senior outside linebacker Prince Shembo have been quiet, lead-by-example types during their first three seasons on the field. The most outspoken of that group is Jackson, who said he feels comfortable as a mouthpiece for the defense if he is called on to speak. "I look at myself as somebody who brings energy to the unit," he said. "I've got guys that ask me questions, so I guess I look at myself as a leader. But at the end of the day, everybody at their position is a leader in their own specific way. We've got a lot of them." 2. Who Replaces Te'o In The Middle Of The Defense?