Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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(33 catches and 16.9 yards per recep- tion). Six starters return on defense. 50-50 GAMES Any of these teams could be Nos. 2 to 5 on the schedule, with road games increasing the degree of difficulty. 2. AT USC (10-4) Winter News: Former USC assis- tant and 2009-13 Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian (34-29, with a best mark of 8-4) was hired to replace interim coach Ed Orgeron … Five players left early for the NFL: wide receiver Marqise Lee, tight end Xavier Grimble, center Marcus Martin, defen- sive end George Uko and safety Dion Bailey. Notable: Notre Dame has not de- feated USC three consecutive seasons since the 11 in a row from 1983-93. Brian Kelly will try to join Lou Holtz as the lone Irish coaches to start 3-0 in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Summary: Even with early depar- tures and NCAA sanctions (75 schol- arships), there is star power all over with quarterback Cody Kessler (2,968 yards passing at a 65.4 percent clip), wideout Nelson Agholor (56 recep- tions and 16.4 yards per catch), a trio of backs led by Javorius Allen (785 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns), three starting offensive linemen and seven returning starters on defense, led by end Leonard Williams, line- backer Hayes Pullard and safety Su'a Cravens. 3. AT ARIZONA STATE (10-4) Winter News: Quarterback Taylor Kelly (3,635 passing yards and 608 rushing yards in 2013) will headline seven returning starters on an offense that finished 10th in scoring (39.7 points per game) … Backup QB Mi- chael Eubank did transfer to Samford ... Head coach Todd Graham hired longtime friend and colleague Kevin Patterson from West Virginia as the new defensive coordinator. Notable: ASU was adamant about not canceling this game after Notre Dame's move to the ACC in 2012 looked like it would force it off the schedule. It is one of the more antici- pated games ever in Tempe. Summary: Another shootout like last year 's 37-34 Irish win might be projected. The defense is a question mark after losing eight starters, but the Sun Devils tap into the junior college ranks well, including incoming defen- sive end Edmond Boateng. 4. STANFORD (11-3) Winter News: The Cardinal lost three early exits: offensive linemen Cameron Fleming and David Yankey, plus safety Ed Reynolds … Defensive coordinator Derek Mason accepted the head coaching position at Vanderbilt and was replaced by Cardinal outside linebackers coach Lance Anderson. Notable: Stanford's 46-8 record the past four years ties Alabama (46-7) for most victories in that span. Summary: The defense loses several outstanding leaders and playmakers, including linebackers Trent Murphy and Shayne Skov. Offensively, work- horse back Tyler Gaffney is gone with four of the starting linemen — but the 2012 offensive line haul was the na- tion's best, led by five-star tackles An-