Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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a major one — the 23-yard grab on fourth-and-10 to secure a 17-14 win over Stanford. While Koyack was not nearly as productive as recent starters at "Tight End U.," the Irish played him on virtually every meaningful offensive snap of the season. 5. LB Joe Schmidt Stats: 65 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in eight games. Schmidt suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle Nov. 1, and Notre Dame went 0-4 the remainder of the regular season. Named the team MVP at the end-of-year awards banquet, Schmidt led the Irish in tackles before his injury. He will be back in 2015 in the middle of the Notre Dame defense. 6. CB Cody Riggs Stats: 33 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble in 10 games. Riggs, like every other defensive player on this list, endured injury issues in the second half of the season. A stress reaction in his foot held him out at Arizona State and at USC, but prior to that he was a productive corner for Notre Dame. His "free agent" addition for the Irish — as cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks called it in August — paid off, especially with junior KeiVarae Russell out in 2014. 7. WR Chris Brown Stats: 35 receptions for 499 and one touchdown. Kelly praised Brown in August as the unit's top receiver, but he was inconsistent in his junior season. That, however, did not matter much for Notre Dame with the emergence of sophomore Will Fuller (71 receptions for 1,037 yards and 14 touchdowns), as well as the strong play of fellow sophomore Corey Robinson (40 catches 539 yards and five TDs). 8. OL Nick Martin Stats: 12 starts. Martin started the season as the center, but moved to left guard after three games while Notre Dame reconfigured its offensive line and Martin battled a hand injury that limited his ability to snap the ball to the quarterback. He requested NFL Draft Advisory paperwork, but indicated he will return to South Bend in 2015. 9. DL Sheldon Day Stats: 38 tackles (7.5 for loss) and one fumble recovery. Day missed the final two games of the regular season with an injury, but returned for the Music City Bowl. He was not as dominant as some expected in the new scheme, but would help anchor the defense in 2015 if he does return. He also applied for NFL Draft Advisory paperwork and publicly stated he would wait until after the bowl game to weigh his options. 10. S Austin Collinsworth Stats: 13 tackles (1.5 for loss) and one fumble recovery in five games. Collinsworth admitted at the banquet that his season was "cursed" from the start. He suffered an MCL strain two days before the season opener that held him out during September, then returned for parts of two games before sustaining a dislocated shoulder injury. After returning for three games in November, he aggravated the injury in a disappointing end to the captain's Irish career. — Andrew Owens