Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216396
Under the Dome Carlo Calabrese never missed a start, while Danny Spond started each of the last 11 contest after overcoming a health issue during the preseason. • Bennett Jackson and KeiVarae Russell started every game at cornerback, while Zeke Motta did the same at safety. The lone defensive setback was a season-ending injury to Jamoris Slaughter early in the third game, but Matthias Farley never missed a start over the final 10 games. This year has been a different story. Through the first 10 games, 11 different Notre Dame defensive players that opened the year on the two-deep have missed at least two games this season because of an injury. This has included season-ending injuries to junior Mike linebacker Jarrett Grace, reserve junior Dog linebacker Ben Councell and Springmann, a junior whose injury occurred in the preseason. That's not even including end Tuitt's ejection on the first play of the second quarter in the Nov. 9 loss at Pitt for a "targeting" infraction. Eleven different Irish defensive players that opened the year on the two-deep, including senior lineman Kona Schwenke, have missed at least two games due to injury. Turnover Travails Photo by Bill panzica Much is made about turnovers when Notre Dame loses. During its 7-3 start this season, the Irish committed eight turnovers in the three defeats and only five in the seven victories. What is often overshadowed is Notre Dame's inability to generate turnovers. In those same three losses, the Irish forced only one. Two years ago during its 8-5 season, Notre Dame forced only 14 turnovers (while committing 29), the fewest we could find in research dating back to 1950. This year after 10 games, it was on pace to "surpass" that with only 10 forced turnovers. Last year it forced 23, a much better number. Notre Dame plays a relatively conservative defense, which paid off handsomely last year, but not as much in 2011 and 2013 when it came to manufacturing turnovers. "The more gambling or the more pressures, the better chance for potential takeaways," agreed head coach Brian Kelly. "You also have to have guys that you feel like will excel in that kind of system. "Last year we got some turnovers, but we had some guys that could do that … [Manti] Te'o in particular. We haven't been as opportunistic."