Game Preview: Air Force
Top Storylines
By Lou Somogyi
The Wrong Angle To Take
Every time Notre Dame faces a military academy, the centerpiece story
usually revolves around how the
Fighting Irish defense will have to deal
with the triple-option scheme.
What tends to get overshadowed,
maybe even ignored, is the opposite side of the ball, which generally
is more relevant: How will Air Force
(or Navy or Army) be able to stop
Notre Dame's attack when the Irish
possess so much more size, strength
and speed? That's the real angle of the
game.
To wit: Air Force's three-man defensive front has no one listed in the
two-deep who weighs more than 265
pounds, including 6-3, 245-pound
starting senior nose guard Dana Luebbe. Other than freshman Jaylon
Smith, all of Notre Dame's starting
linebackers weigh at least as much as
Luebbe.
Speaking of linebackers, the Falcons' four-man starting unit has
Junior linebacker Joey Nichol (6-1, 230) is part of an undersized Air Force defense that has had trouble
stopping opposing offenses in 2013, allowing 37.6 points and 488.7 yards per game during a 1-6 start.
photo courtesy air force
