Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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GAME PREVIEW: TEXAS Zaire and gifted junior running back Tarean Folston. Texas allowed 164.3 yards per game in 2014, which ranked just 59th in the land. The Longhorns' ability to improve will be hindered by having to replace six of its top seven tacklers from a season ago, including first-round NFL Draft pick Malcolm Brown at defensive tackle and leading tackler Jordan Hicks, a linebacker who went in the third round. Texas should still have a strong front thanks to the return of defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, who racked up 11 tackles for loss and six sacks last fall. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. TEXAS PASS DEFENSE This should be a matchup of strength on strength. The Irish return a deep and talented group of pass catchers, and the Longhorns have an athletic second- ary that is led by standout cornerback Duke Thomas. Notre Dame is paced by junior wideout Will Fuller, who racked up an Irish sophomore record 76 recep- tions and 1,094 receiving yards to go along with 15 touchdowns in 2014. Fuller is joined by senior Chris Brown and junior Corey Robinson, who combined for 79 receptions and 1,087 yards last season. The question mark is Zaire, who has the arm strength to excel in the pass game but has yet to show he can consistently make the right decisions and throw the ball on time. Texas will focus on pressuring Zaire and forcing him into mistakes. Defensive coordinator Vance Bedford likes to be creative with his pressure packages and will use aggressive coverages in an attempt to limit an opponent's ability to attack his pressures with quick throws. Advantage: Notre Dame SPECIAL TEAMS Neither team had much success in this phase of the game last season. Notre Dame ranked 74th na- tionally in kick returns and 111th in kick return de- fense, while Texas was 98th in kick returns and 125th in kick return defense. Notre Dame was a bit better in the punt game, ranking 53rd in punt returns and Junior defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, who was second on the team in sacks (six) and fourth in tackles for loss (11) last year, will anchor the Longhorns' front seven. PHOTO COURTESY TEXAS