Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/234294
next snap Zaire and incoming recruit DeShone Kizer take in a college game will be their first. Player development is what Kelly has taken most pride in during his career. Linebacker and quarterback will undergo a major test in 2014. play as an in-line tight end, he's going to be an exceptional player." So many players … and only one football. With health at quarterback, the Irish should be capable of regularly averaging at least 30 points in years to come. 4. SPREADING THE WEALTH 5. PACK YOUR DEFENSE FOR THE ROAD Who would have thought that in Kelly's first four seasons at Notre Dame he would not have averaged at least 30 points per contest in one of those years? Kelly arrived with a long history of prolific scoring outputs under his watch, but during his time the Irish have finished 67th, 49th, 78th and 75th (heading into the bowl) nationally in scoring offense. Golson returns at quarterback to provide some oomph to an already veteran unit, although replacing the left side of the line with tackle Zack Martin and guard Chris Watt will be a challenge. • All five running backs return, but can one or two be feature performers who develop a yearlong rhythm? • There could be close to a dozen receivers on scholarship, led by junior DaVaris Daniels, but who can be a consistent complement? • The tight end tandem of Troy Niklas and Ben Koyack might rival any in the country, and current freshman Durham Smythe made a strong impression in practices. "I don't want to overhype him but he has some really unique ball skills for that position," Kelly said of Smythe. "As long as he continues to develop and gets stronger physically, and he doesn't get into a hybrid position in terms of not getting strong enough to Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz (1986-96) espoused that if you had aspirations to be a championshiplevel team, one of the mandatory prerequisites was to "pack a defense" on road trips. Indeed, during the 2012 regular season, Notre Dame in its six road games allowed 8.0 points per game and only three touchdowns. Conversely, in the six road games in 2013, the Irish permitted 22.2 points per contest (not including an interception return for a touchdown) and 19 touchdowns while losing three times. The 41 points scored by Michigan in 2013 were nearly as many as Notre Dame yielded in six road games in 2012 (48), and Pitt's 28 points were a bit of a surprise, too. Even 1-11 Purdue, which averaged a paltry 13.8 points per game, tallied 24 against the Irish. Next year, Notre Dame's road games include Florida State, Arizona State and USC, all with veteran quarterbacks. Navy signal-caller Keenan Reynolds also returns after leading his troops to a 331-yard rushing effort and 34 points at Notre Dame. If Notre Dame is to avoid two or three losses in these road contests next year, it cannot rely just on its veteran offense to carry the freight. ✦