Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ting better at everything I do. During the summer, the whole D-line worked hard at it collectively." POSITION BATTLES Even with the loss of senior nose guard Jarron Jones to an MCL injury, Notre Dame enters the fall with nine returning starters if you include cor- nerback KeiVarae Russell after his one- season suspension. Nonetheless, the Irish had five po- sition battles on de- fense heading into the season opener against Texas: • NOSE GUARD: Jones would have been the starter here, but with the senior shelved f o r 2 0 1 5 , N o t r e Dame will call upon sophomore Daniel Cage and freshman Jerry Tillery to man the position. Cage received limited snaps in 2014 — a number that increased down the stretch when the defense was devas- tated by injuries. Tillery is a true freshman that has been on campus only since arriving as an early enrollee in January. He com- mitted to the Irish in June 2013 and for most of the time he and the program expected that he would be an offensive tackle. During the winter, both sides agreed his best chance to contribute early came on defense. While the duo is not expected to contribute the production nor the snap totals that Jones would have, the Irish are not without talent in his absence. • WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END: Okwara is the incumbent starter, but he and Trum- betti mostly split reps at the position last fall. During the five practices open to the media this fall, Okwara's bulk of playing time seemed to increase and Gilmore called the senior one of two standouts (along with Rochell) at the position during camp. Trumbetti's upside is higher than Okwara's, but Notre Dame likes vet- eran experience and that's something Okwara can offer immediately. • MIKE LINEBACKER: This position is a logjam, with three players that have prior starts under their belts competing for reps. Fifth-year senior Joe Schmidt started the first eight games last year before suffering a season- ending ankle injury last November. Voted the 2014 team MVP, Schmidt again earned starting status this fall. Fellow fifth-year senior Jarrett Grace led the Irish in tackles in 2013 before a leg fracture knocked him out of the re- mainder of that season and all of 2014. He's back and appears to be near his 2013 level. Sophomore Nyles Morgan is one of Notre Dame's most intriguing young talents. He was thrown into the fire last November when Schmidt went down, and his confusion proved he was not ready for the task. The coaches think differently this fall and Morgan appears more settled to make his mark on the unit. "WE'VE EVOLVED. WE'VE ALL LEARNED FROM IT. … WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE A PACKAGE THAT ALLOWS OUR DEFENSES TO KEEP INVENTORY AND STILL BE ABLE TO BE RATHER MULTIPLE AND NOT JUST LIVE IN ONE DEFENSE." VANGORDER ON LAST YEAR'S STRUGGLES AGAINST UP-TEMPO TEAMS