Blue and Gold Illustrated

GAME PREVIEW: VIRGINIA to a pair of victories. Johns will have a talented but largely unproven group of pass catchers, led by senior Canaan Severin (42 catches for 578 yards and five touchdowns, all team highs). Severin proved to be a big-play threat during the second half of the season, averaging 16.4 yards per catch during the final five games. The Irish surrendered 233.0 yards per game through the air in 2014 and allowed opponents to complete 60.3 percent of their passes. The key for the Irish will be getting pressure on Johns. Virginia allowed 34 sacks last season, a trend Notre Dame needs to continue. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME RUNNING GAME VS. VIRGINIA RUN DEFENSE Virginia ranked 18th nationally in run defense in 2014, limiting opponents to just 120.7 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry. The Cavs held the nation's top rushing offense — Georgia Tech — to its fourth-lowest total of the season and was the lone opponent to hold the Yellow Jackets under 4.5 yards per rush. The Cavaliers must replace six of their top seven tacklers from last year, including all three starting linebackers and defensive end Eli Harold (who was a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers). Notre Dame returns four of its starting linemen from the team's 263-yard ground performance in a 31-28 Music City Bowl victory over LSU. Also back is the team's leading rusher, Tarean Folston, who has rushed for 1,359 yards during his first two sea- sons in South Bend. The presence of Malik Zaire, a 222-pound quarterback that likes to run, should provide a significant boost to the Irish ground attack. Advantage: Notre Dame NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. VIRGINIA PASS DEFENSE This particular matchup is the game's most in- triguing. Virginia ranked just 72nd nationally in pass defense and allowed 12.8 yards per completion a season ago, a result of the high-risk nature of defen- sive coordinator Jon Tenuta's blitz packages. Virginia does, however, possess arguably the most talented secondary on Notre Dame's schedule. Sophomore safety Quin Blanding led Virginia with 123 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions as a rookie a year ago, and he could emerge as one of the top safeties in the na- tion this season. Senior Maurice Canady tied with Blanding for the team lead in interceptions and is a top-level cornerback, possessing elite size for the position at 6-2 and 195 pounds. Notre Dame's offense is fueled by a deep, tal- ented and fast group of wide receivers. Junior Will Fuller (76 receptions for 1,094 yards and 15 touch- downs in 2014) has the speed and big-play ability to give Virginia problems. A matchup to watch will be Notre Dame tight ends Durham Smythe, a junior, and Aliz'e Jones, a freshman, against the Virginia linebackers, all of who are new to the starting lineup. Advantage: Even SPECIAL TEAMS Virginia was poor in the punt game last sea- son, ranking 102nd nationally in coverage and just 114th in punt returns. Notre Dame was solid in both areas, ranking 53rd in returns and 33rd in coverage, giving the Irish an edge on paper. The opposite is true with kickoffs, where Virginia ranked seventh in returns and 22nd in coverage. Notre Dame ranked just 111th in coverage and 74th in returns. These matchups could have a significant impact on the outcome of this game. Advantage: Even COACHING During his career, London has built a reputation as one of the nation's top defensive line coaches. He is a stellar recruiter and is held in high regard by high school coaches in the state of Virginia. After replacing Al Groh in 2010, London ap- peared to have Virginia on track, leading the Cavs

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