near the top nationally in scoring de-
fense (12.0 points allowed per game), yet
it was fool's gold because they were go-
ing against some of the country's worst
ranked offenses.
When North Carolina went up-tempo
in a 50-43 loss to the Irish, VanGorder
admitted he wasn't ready for such an at-
tack. The defense fared relatively well in
a 31-26 loss at No. 2 Florida State, but an
inordinate amount of injuries to prime
personnel led to a disastrous Novem-
ber, when in five games Notre Dame
allowed an astounding 43.4 points per
game (not totally fair because it in-
cluded a couple of interception returns
for scores).
Still, VanGorder had an "out" last year
because it was his debut and the defense
became injury ravaged in November.
This year, nine of the 11 starters were
back — not including lineman Jarron
Jones, lost for the regular season in
August — as was a 26-game starter at
Brian VanGorder (right) was hired in 2014 to help take the Notre Dame defense to "the next level," but it
has often faltered.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
