Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ing the Yellow Jackets entering next season. With Thomas, four returning starters on the offensive line and several returning starters on defense, Georgia Tech could be one of Notre Dame's more difficult matchups next season. MASSACHUSETTS • SEPT. 26 2014 Record: 3-9, 3-5 MAC Last Meeting: First meeting Toughest To Replace: UMass returns a lot of play- ers on both sides of the ball, but one noticeable departure is defensive tackle Daniel Maynes. He finished with 7.5 tackles for loss in 2014, and his 44 total tackles were the most of any Minuteman de- fensive lineman. Maynes started 11 of 12 games last season, and seven of his nine appearances in 2013. Key Player: Tajae Sharpe, a 6-4, 200-pound senior wide receiver, was the go-to target for the Minute- men last year, notching 85 catches for 1,281 yards and seven touchdowns. That more than doubled the production of quarterback Blake Frohnapfel's second most important target from 2014, tight end Jean Sifrin, who snagged 41 grabs for 637 yards in his final season. Sharpe's efforts helped him earn first-team All-MAC honors following his junior year. Season Outlook: The 3-9 record in Mark Whipple's first season as head coach was a step in the right direction — considering the Minutemen finished 1-11 in 2013 — and that record doesn't tell the entire story of 2014. UMass lost five games that were within one possession, including 41-38 versus Colorado Sept. 6, 34-31 at Vanderbilt Sept. 13 and 42-41 at Miami (Ohio) Oct. 4. Still, despite the great potential of a Frohnapfel/Sharpe tandem on offense, the Minutemen have work to do on defense before they become a serious contender in the MAC. AT CLEMSON • OCT. 3 2014 Record: 10-3, 6-2 in ACC Last Meeting: Clemson 16, Notre Dame 10 (1979) Toughest To Replace: Two-time first team All-ACC defensive end Vic Beasley went to the Atlanta Fal- cons with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Beasley finished with 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks in 2014, both team highs, anchoring a defensive line that played a huge part in Clemson's success last season. The Tigers front seven notched a tackle for loss, forced fumble or pass defended once every six to seven plays (15.8 percent, No. 1 nationally) last season according to Football Outsiders. Key Player: Dual-threat quarterback Deshaun Wat- son displayed flashes of brilliance in eight games (five starts) as a true freshman last season, complet- ing 93 of 137 passes (67.9 percent) for 1,466 yards with 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions, while also producing 200 yards and five scores on the ground. Now firmly entrenched as the starter, he'll try to improve a Clemson offense that averaged only Sophomore dual-threat quarterback Deshaun Watson showed flashes of brilliance for Clemson in 2014, accounting for 1,666 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns in eight games (five starts). PHOTO BY DAWSON POWERS/COURTESY CLEMSON