Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/234294
Maximized his skill set in the absence of starter Everett Golson, but lacked a 2012 defense to bail him out when nine of his 13 interceptions occurred in the four defeats. 3. S Matthias Farley Stats: 49 tackles (one for loss), three passes defended and two interceptions. Was an extremely rough year for Irish safeties overall sans Zeke Motta. This should be one of the most competitive areas for playing time in 2014. 4. WR TJ Jones Stats: 70 catches for 1,108 yards (15.8 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns, and nine carries for 67 yards and two scores. Joined left tackle and fellow captain Zack Martin as the epitome of consistent week-to-week production and excellence. He is a standard for the new, fledging crew of wideouts to emulate. 5. DE Stephon Tuitt Stats: 49 tackles, 9.0 stops for loss and 7.5 sacks. Slowed by offseason hernia surgery that affected his conditioning, his sack total dropped almost by half from 2012, but his absence in the final three quarters in the Pitt loss was conspicuous. 6. LB Carlo Calabrese Stats: 91 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss, 0.5 sacks and one pass defended. Similar to Rees on offense, the oft-unappreciated Will linebacker consistently answered the bell, finished second in tackles and put forth his best season at a position with limited depth and options. 7. C. Nick Martin Stats: Started the first 11 games before a knee injury against BYU sidelined him against the Cougars and the balance of the season. Former guard and tackle held his own, and then some, in his first stint at center and remains a pivotal building block up front with two more seasons of eligibility. 8. RB Amir Carlisle Stats: Led team in rushing after three games with 30 carries for 148 yards, and added seven catches for 30 yards. In final 10 games he carried only 16 times for 54 yards and caught no passes. The USC transfer became the fourth option in the backfield. Can he find his niche as a slot player or return man in the next two seasons? 9. OLB Prince Shembo Stats: 48 tackles and 5.5 sacks, which placed the senior outside linebacker seventh and second on the team, respectively. Earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor at Dec. 13 Awards Show for his consistent effort every week versus the run and pass, highlighted by 17 quarterback hurries, an unofficial school record since the stat was first kept in the late 1990s. 10. WR DaVaris Daniels Stats: 49 catches for 745 yards (15.2 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns. Primed to succeed TJ Jones as the centerpiece of the 2014 receiving corps, but the next step will be to display Jones' consistency in all facets, specifically attention to detail, route running and competitive attitude. — Lou Somogyi