Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: ARIZONA STATE this season, averaging 303.4 passing yards per game through seven outings. Under Bercovici, the offense hardly missed a beat. He threw for 488 and 510 yards against division rivals UCLA and USC, respectively, along with eight touchdowns in those two games. Kelly, however, is a three-year starter and presents a more consistent threat when he is healthy. The two quarterbacks utilize a receiver corps led by redshirt junior Jaelen Strong, who had a team-high 52 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games. Foster presents a genuine threat out of the backfield as well, with 32 grabs for 424 yards and two scores. Notre Dame will rely on fifth-year senior Cody Riggs to slow Strong, and sophomore linebacker Jaylon Smith to keep up with Foster. Entering the Navy tilt, the Irish had intercepted opponents 11 times this season, while Arizona State's two quarterbacks had combined to throw only three picks. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian Van- Gorder's aggressive tendencies had created 13 Irish sacks. With Arizona State replacing both its center and first-team Pac-12 left tackle Evan Finkenberg this season, a few well-timed blitzes could create unusual turnover opportunities. Advantage: Arizona State NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. ARIZONA STATE RUN DEFENSE Arizona State lost third-team All-American defensive lineman Will Sutton as well as three other crucial front-line pieces. Moving back a level, the Sun Devils Redshirt junior safety Jordan Simone notched two of Arizona State's four interceptions in the season's first seven games, and he ranked second on the team with 60 tackles. PHOTO COURTESY ARIZONA STATE