Blue and Gold Illustrated

March 2015 Signing Day Edition

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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BY LOU SOMOGYI I n 2015, Notre Dame returns vir- tually everyone on defense other than cornerback Cody Riggs, who could be replaced by 26-game starter KeiVarae Russell upon his pos- sible re-admission this summer. None of the top Fighting Irish op- ponents in 2015 will have such experi- ence on defense. USC, Clemson and Stanford will all be rebuilding there, while Georgia Tech was 52nd in scor- ing defense (25.7 points per game) last season. Meanwhile, the Notre Dame offense also will return every starter from its bowl victory other than tight end Ben Koyack. That might make the 2015 sched- ule seem "favorable." Here is an early summary (with last season's record in parentheses) of the slate and how we would rank the opposition from toughest to more favorable. THE TOP FOUR 1. USC (9-4) REVIEWING 2014: First-year head coach Steve Sarkisian's team finished No. 20 in the final Associated Press poll after defeating Nebraska 45-42 in the Holiday Bowl. The NCAA sanctions from the Pete Carroll era are beginning to wear Defense-Less Most top 2015 Irish foes are rebuilding on defense USC quarterback Cody Kessler threw six touch- down passes against Notre Dame last season. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

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