Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/416910
UNDER THE DOME does he force the move of Morgan to another posi‑ tion, or will Morgan still be groomed as his heir? • Will senior Jarrett Grace, the team's top tackler in 2013 before fracturing his leg in an Oct. 5 win over Arizona State, apply for a fifth season in 2015 and be healthy enough again to be a factor? • Does Martini, who was credited with a team‑high nine stops against Navy but did not play a snap on de‑ fense at ASU, cross‑train at Mike after mainly backing up Smith? "We will have to use the offseason to figure out … is he a Will or a Mike?" Kelly said of Martini. Meanwhile, Smith played his best game of the year at Arizona State, per the Irish head coach. Pro Football Focus, which graded every play and assignment in the Notre Dame‑Arizona State game, agreed with Kelly. PFF gave Smith the highest score among Irish defend‑ ers, just ahead of senior nickel back Matthias Farley, with his nine tackles and four quarterback hurries. "We were going to continue to push to get him to be more vocal and to do more, but he's still trying to get comfortable at a new position too," Kelly said of Smith. The third linebacker position, Sam on the flank, has been the odd man out in some respects because Notre Dame has used five defensive backs in its base defensive formation, especially against spread or strong passing teams. For ex‑ ample, at Arizona State, Farley was on the field for 66 of the 76 Irish defensive plays, in place of sophomore Sam linebacker James Onwualu, who was in the lineup the other 10 plays. Freshman linebacker Greer Martini got his first career start against Navy Nov. 1 and was credited with a team-high nine tackles. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA