Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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the Pinstripe Bowl led to second-year head coach Steve Addazio's second straight 7-6 finish. Boston College also lost close calls against Colorado State (24-21), Clemson (17-13) and at Florida State (20-17). The highlight was racking up an as- tounding 452 yards rushing and 8.4 yards per carry in the 37-31 conquest of USC. 2015 PERSONNEL OVERVIEW: Only three starters return on offense, led by soph- omore running back Jon Hillman (860 yards rushing). The Eagles graduated all five starters along the line plus do-it-all quarterback Tyler Murphy (1,623 passing yards and 1,184 rush- ing yards). Potential successor Darius Wade attempted only eight passes as a freshman last season. The defense brings back seven start- ers from a unit that finished 11th na- tionally in total defense (324.2 yards allowed per game) and 21st in scor- ing defense (21.3 points allowed per game). Spearheading the group is tackle Connor Wujciak, a third-team All-ACC selection in 2014 and the son of 1974-75 Irish starting guard Al Wu- jciak. SUMMARY: This Shamrock Series out- ing will be played in Boston College's backyard at venerable Fenway Park, and it's a guarantee that Addazio will have his physical Eagles stoked, espe- cially with a bye the week prior. 8. NAVY (8-5) REVIEWING 2014: The Midshipmen had a 6-1 finish, culminating with a 17-16 victory versus San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl. The lone defeat in those final seven games was 49-39 to the Fighting Irish in what was another hard-earned victory by head coach Brian Kelly's troops. 2015 PERSONNEL OVERVIEW: Five starters are back on offense and six on defense. The centerpiece is senior quarter- back Keenan Reynolds, who has given Notre Dame immense fits with his op- tion acumen and play-action passing. Complementing him in the backfield is 245-pound fullback Chris Swain, who rushed for 693 yards and aver- aged 6.7 yards per carry in 2014. The last two meetings against the Midship- men marked the first time Notre Dame surrendered more than 30 points to Navy in back-to-back years in the 88- game series history. However, Notre Dame also has scored 56, 50, 38 and 49 points in its last four encounters with Navy — an average of 48.2 points per contest. SUMMARY: It might help Notre Dame's preparation that it plays Georgia Tech three weeks earlier. Both teams also will be coming off emotional contests the week prior, with Notre Dame play- ing at Clemson and Navy taking on Air Force. LESS LIKELY TO UPSET 9. AT VIRGINIA (5-7) REVIEWING 2014: The Cavaliers en- dured their sixth losing season in the last seven, dropping head coach Mike London's five-year record to 23-38 (.377). He will be on the top three of any "Hot Seat" list in 2015. The staff includes defensive coordinator Jon Te- nuta, who was at Notre Dame in 2008- 09, and defensive line coach Jappy Oliver, an Irish assistant from 2005-08. 2015 PERSONNEL OVERVIEW: Virginia took a huge hit when defensive end Eli Har-