Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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eight touchdowns last season to earn first-team All-ACC honors, joins Connor to give the Panthers a formidable one-two punch on offense. However, Clemmings will be difficult to replace and Pitt will be breaking in a new head coach in Pat Narduzzi, who takes over for Paul Chryst after he was hired as head coach at Wisconsin. Behind their studs on offense and Narduzzi's defensive expertise, though, Pitts- burgh has the potential to surprise in 2015. WAKE FOREST • NOV. 14 2014 Record: 3-9, 1-7 ACC Last Meeting: Notre Dame 38, Wake Forest 0 (2012) Toughest To Replace: One of the Demon Deacons' few bright spots in 2014 was their pass defense, which held opponents to 6.4 yards per pass attempt (No. 21 nationally). That will take a hit with the departure of cornerback Kevin Johnson, who was selected No. 16 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Houston Texas. The 6-0, 188-pounder was voted second-team All-ACC by the league's coaches after starting all 12 games for Wake Forest in 2014. He allowed only 24 completions all season according to NFL.com. Key Players: A trio of players finished with more than 100 tackles for Wake Forest last season, includ- ing safety Ryan Janvion (115), linebacker Brandon Chubb (109) and linebacker Marquel Lee (101). All three standouts return to a defense that will look to go to the next level after allowing just 5.2 yards per play last year (No. 36 nationally). Season Outlook: Thanks to its offensive struggles, last season was pretty bleak for Wake Forest. But second-year head coach Dave Clawson has been successful with time at each of his previous head coaching stops at Fordham (1999-2003), Richmond (2004-07) and Bowling Green (2009-13). While it doesn't seem likely the Deacons will make a major leap this season, small improvements are possible on offense, starting with quarterback John Wolford. The 6-1, 205-pounder completed 214 of 367 passes (58.3 percent) for 2,037 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a true freshman last year. BOSTON COLLEGE • NOV. 21 2013 Record: 7-6, 4-4 ACC Last Meeting: Notre Dame 21, Boston College 6 (2012) Toughest To Replace: Boston College ran on 72.3 percent of its offensive play calls last year, one of the highest rates in the country. A large chunk of those carries went to quarterback Tyler Murphy, who transferred in from Florida as a graduate student with one remaining season of eligibility. The 6-2, 213-pounder ran for 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns on 181 carries, and completed 131 of 230 passes (57.0 percent) for 1,623 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Key Player: The only player to carry the ball more than Murphy last season was running back Jon Hilli- man. The 6-0, 215-pounder picked up 860 yards and 13 touchdowns on 210 carries as a true freshman for the Eagles. However, his 4.1 yards per carry aver- age must improve if Boston College wants to have increased success in 2015. Season Outlook: Losing Murphy, and offensive linemen Ian Silberman and Andy Gallik in the 2015 NFL Draft, plus other offensive starters, means third- year head coach Steve Addazio has several holes to fill. The Eagles have made two straight bowl games — finishing with 7-6 records in each year of his tenure — but this could be a season they take a step backwards instead of a leap to the next level. AT STANFORD • NOV. 28 2014 Record: 8-5, 5-4 in Pac-12 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14 (2014) Toughest To Replace: After starting every game for the Cardinal his sophomore and junior seasons, and earning Associated Press second-team All-America honors, offensive tackle Andrus Peat was selected No. 13 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2015 NFL Draft. Led by the 6-7, 317-pound tackle, Stan- ford's offensive line ranked 14th nationally in tackles for loss allowed per game (4.62) and 44th in sacks