Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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size to the inside receiver position for the Boilermakers this year. Monteroso was in line for early playing time as a freshman in 2013 before breaking his collarbone in fall camp. He added 25 pounds to his lanky frame this winter and has the chance to grow into a fa- vorite target of his classmate, quarter- back Danny Etling, this season. SPRING OUTLOOK: Notre Dame's first three opponents all have big issues to solve on the offensive line this sum- mer. Purdue's biggest question after spring ball is a lack of talent and depth at the tackle position. A pair of dy- namic runners, Akeem Hunt and Ra- heem Mostert, could help head coach Darell Hazell's team improve in year two if they find some holes to run through. VS. SYRACUSE • SEPT. 27 2013 RECORD: 7-6, 4-4 ACC LAST MEETING: Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 23 (2008) TOUGHEST TO REPLACE: Defensive tackle Jay Bromley leaves the Orange with a hole in the trenches that they may not be equipped to fill. The 280-pound captain was the team's most produc- tive pass rusher as a senior, finish- ing the season with 10 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. Syracuse rotated some defensive ends inside during spring practice to try to find some options that were in good enough shape to take over for Bromley. KEY PLAYER: Offensive coordinator George McDonald wants to pick up the pace on offense, and sophomore wide receiver Brisly Estime could be the main beneficiary. Estime caught 28 passes in his rookie season, but is expected to be a weapon that the Or- ange will try to get in open space on a regular basis moving forward. SPRING OUTLOOK: Syracuse is searching for its third straight bowl win in 2014. Much like the Irish, they'll balance a lot of those expectations on the shoul- ders of second-year quarterback Terrel Hunt. He went six games last season without a touchdown pass, but didn't get much from his receiving corps. On defense, a trio of athletic linebackers should keep opposing offensive lines on their toes. STANFORD • OCT. 4 2013 RECORD: 11-3, 7-2 Pac-12 LAST MEETING: Stanford 27, Notre Dame 20 (2013) TOUGHEST TO REPLACE: Linebacker Shayne Skov tops a list full of de- fensive candidates for this category. Skov, who made 109 tackles and 5.5 sacks in his final season, provided the Cardinal's stout defense with its identity and emotional leadership. The defense also has less experi- ence waiting in the wings to replace Skov than some of its other defensive standouts from last season such as defensive end Trent Murphy. KEY PLAYER: Redshirt freshman Aus- tin Hooper, a Palo Alto native, could be the key to restoring the tight end in Stanford's offense next season. No tight end on the roster had double- digit catches last season after produc- ing NFL talent Coby Fleener and Zach Ertz in recent years. Hooper impressed the Cardinal coaching staff throughout spring ball. SPRING OUTLOOK: Stanford's offense may have to shy away slightly from