Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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wide receiver and tight end as well. The scoring average of 34.7 points per game this regular season was the sec- ond highest at Notre Dame since 1993. That leaves defense as the perceived weak link. The 2015 unit was replete with expe- rience while returning 10 starters, but having too many big-play breakdowns and forcing too few turnovers (13, tied for 112th nationally) necessitated three fourth-quarter comeback wins, and a fourth that wasn't enough in the final 30 seconds in the 38-36 loss at Stan- ford. The 2016 defense will be without its All-American lineman (Sheldon Day) and likely its Butkus Award winner (Jaylon Smith). The top safety (Elijah Shumate) and sack man (Romeo Ok- wara), neither of whom were noted for instinctual play, have exhausted their eligibility. Mike linebacker Joe Schmidt — deemed too valuable to take off the field while setting up the defense in what has been sometimes assessed as too complex a scheme under coordina- tor Brian VanGorder, who has coached most of the past decade in the NFL — also graduates. Fifth-year senior Jarron Jones, side- lined during the 2015 regular season with a knee injury, might be able to compensate for Day's loss, as can cur- rent junior Isaac Rochell, but lineback- ers like Smith are rare commodities. The back end, in particular, must have an upgrade and display far bet- ter instincts. The good news is that it will be playing mostly inexperienced or untested quarterbacks in 2016, in- cluding new starters at Michigan State, Stanford, USC, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech. The best Irish head coaches usually showed it by their third season. Van- Gorder likewise needs to have his sys- tem humming much more consistently in year three (2016) if the Irish are to make another bona fide run at the Col- lege Football Playoff. Two of the three units appear in place. The third will determine if Notre Dame is to remain a contender or becomes a pretender. 2. TWO FOR THE QB SHOW? After years of drama — injuries, suspension, limited mobility, turnover fests, etc. — at quarterback under Kelly, the position is anticipated to be at its strongest ever in his time. Following his debut as the Music City Bowl MVP in a victory over LSU, junior Malik Zaire began 2015 with a sizzling 19-of-22 effort for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-3 victory versus Texas in the season opener. When Zaire was sidelined the rest of the season after an injury in game two at Virginia, sophomore DeShone Kizer displayed the "It factor" with a game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive in the closing seconds, and his QB rating of 151.7 at the end of the regular season was tied for fifth best ever at Notre Dame (and highest ever by an Irish sophomore). "He just had a way about him," Kelly said of Kizer. "When we offered him, we offered him on that premise that he had that kind of — I can't put my finger on it, but the guy just gets it done late." Yet to let Zaire languish on the bench