Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: ARIZONA STATE On PaPer BY DOUGLAS FARMER ARIZONA STATE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Losing a playmaker like Marion Grice would greatly diminish most teams' running games, but the Sun Devils simply reloaded at the position, slotting in junior running back D.J. Foster to pace their ground attack. Foster ran for 648 yards on 110 carries (5.9 yards per attempt) in the season's first seven games, leading the way for ASU's 49th-ranked rushing attack (185.9 yards per game). Fifth-year senior quarterback Taylor Kelly boosted that total by running for 168 yards in the three games before he suffered a foot injury. After missing three games, he returned to face Washington Oct. 25. Kelly ran for two of Arizona State's 13 rushing touchdowns through seven games. The Irish, meanwhile, gave up only seven ground scores in the same time span. Notre Dame held its opponents to 102.7 rushing yards per game through the season's first seven tilts, highlighted by limiting Purdue, Stanford and Florida State all to 56 yards or less. Utilizing a dual-threat quarterback and fast-paced offense, North Carolina managed to gash the Irish for 184 ground yards only a week before Notre Dame held the Seminoles to 50. Between Foster and Kelly, Arizona State's attack mim- ics the Tar Heels' far more than it does Florida State's. The Irish defensive front entered this season young, but it has matured quickly, led by junior defensive lineman Sheldon Day and his 26 tackles (5.5 for loss). Advantage: Even ARIZONA STATE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE Whether it is Kelly or backup redshirt junior quarter- back Mike Bercovici slinging the ball for Arizona State, the Sun Devils' aerial attack has hummed steadily Junior running back D.J. Foster was Arizona State's leading rusher through seven games with 648 yards and six touchdowns, and he was also the team's second-leading pass catcher with 32 recep- tions for 424 yards and two scores. PHOTO COURTESY ARIZONA STATE