Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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AT ARIZONA STATE • NOV. 8 2013 RECORD: 10-4, 8-1 Pac-12 LAST MEETING: Notre Dame 37, Ari- zona State 34 (2013) TOUGHEST TO REPLACE: Two-time Pac- 12 Defensive Player of the Year Will Sutton is the biggest loss from a de- fense that has only two returning start- ers. Sutton was the fulcrum of a pass rush that produced 91 sacks in the last two seasons. Only Stanford had more in that time frame. He was the first player opposing offenses talked about in their game plans all season. KEY PLAYER: Safety Marcus Ball com- peted for a starting spot as a true freshman last August before breaking his collarbone in training camp. The former four-star athlete has great size (6-3, 205) for the safety position, and he will get a chance to be a leader early on for a very young group in 2014. Ball also has redshirt junior Damari- ous Randall, a returning starter, by his side at safety to help break him in. SPRING OUTLOOK: While head coach Todd Graham considers the defense "his baby," he'll need to win some shootouts to contend for a Pac-12 South title this year. Quarterback Tay- lor Kelly enters his third season as a starter with a sold offensive line and standout wide receiver in junior col- lege transfer Jaelen Strong. NORTHWESTERN • NOV. 15 2013 RECORD: 5-7, 1-7 Big Ten LAST MEETING: Northwestern 17, Notre Dame 15 (1995) TOUGHEST TO REPLACE: Kain Colter made more headlines away from the field this year (spearheading a push to form a player union), but he gave the Wildcats a unique weapon as a senior in 2013. He played both quarterback and wide receiver at times compiling 1,066 yards of total offense. Without a real running threat at quarterback next season, Northwestern might have to scrap the read option part of its of- fense. KEY PLAYER: Former Rutgers receiver Miles Shuler will be a name to watch in the passing game next fall. The speedy transfer is a threat in the slot and the return game. He sat out 2013 after catching five passes for 71 yards as a sophomore for the Scarlet Knights. He and fellow transfer Kyle Prater — a fifth-year senior who started his career at USC — provide a lot of talent for quarterback Trevor Siemian. SPRING OUTLOOK: Talk of a player union dominated Northwestern's spring, taking valuable time from head coach Pat Fitzgerald and challenging the Wildcats to avoid potential locker room rifts. For a team that finished 2013 in a 1-7 tailspin, the summer will be a delicate time. LOUISVILLE • NOV. 22 2013 RECORD: 12-1, 7-1 AAC LAST MEETING: None TOUGHEST TO REPLACE: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, a first-round draft pick, would have been a lot of fun to watch in the new offense Bobby Petrino plans to install at Louisville. The Cardinals also must weather some big losses at safety, but anytime a Heis- man candidate leaves town, especially at quarterback, there is bound to be a transition period. KEY PLAYER: Bridgewater 's replace- ment, redshirt sophomore Will Gard-