Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 14, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME When Miami repeat‑ edly challenged Notre Dame's young second‑ ary vertically down the field in 42 pass at‑ tempts during its 30‑27 loss Oct. 29, it did not record one "explosive" play, which is defined as a gain of 25 or more yards. The latter is espe‑ cially notable because of the six Notre Dame p l a y e r s w h o l i n e d up in the secondary, four were true fresh‑ men: free safety Devin Studstill, and corner‑ backs Troy Pride Jr., Julian Love and Donte Vaughn. Studstill played 75 of the possible 77 snaps on defense with fel‑ low safety and junior Drue Tran‑ quill. Pride Jr. led the corners with 63 snaps, while Love had 54 and Vaughn 32. Especially notable was the rangy 6‑2 Vaughn had three passes broken up. No Irish defensive back entered the Miami game with more than two passes broken up. "Julian was tested as well," head coach Brian Kelly pointed out. "They both play the ball well down the field, they were both tested, because that was the game plan … When you see three freshmen corners, I think your first thought is, 'Let's push the ball down the field,' and they all did a very good job." A less complex de‑ fensive scheme imple‑ mented by Kelly and now acting coordina‑ tor Greg Hudson that d o e s n ' t e m p l o y t o o much variation in cov‑ erages or assignments has allowed the fresh‑ men to use their skills to the maximum and thrive. Also, nothing is a greater friend to a sec‑ ondary than excellent pressure up front. After recording one sack in four September games, Notre Dame had three versus Stanford Oct. 15 and five against the Hur‑ ricanes. Pass pressure and coverage skills all have to work as one to be successful as a unit. "The pressure that we had up front at times forced the quarterback to get rid of the ball maybe a little bit quicker than he wanted to," Kelly said. "So it was a combination of be‑ ing in good position with our defen‑ sive backs and really getting very, very good pressure from our front four." NOTRE DAME AND VIVID SEATS FROM TICKETING PARTNERSHIP Vivid Seats is the new official ticket marketplace of Notre Dame ath- letics, which was announced by the university Nov. 3. The change takes effect immediately. It is designed to link the univer- sity's ticket platform with the secondary market, and Vivid claims it's a nationally recognized technology and industry leader in the secondary ticketing space. "I'm gratified by our fans' response to the enhancements we've made to the ticketing experience in recent years, including moving renewals and applications online, accepting credit cards universally, eliminating all primary ticket fees and introducing digital tickets," Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. "Vivid Seats' innovative technology will enable us to transition from playing catch-up with industry best practices to being proactive in providing the modern ticket solutions that Notre Dame fans expect. "Our common vision with Vivid Seats of creating a familiar, seamless and unified experience for the ticketholder was at the heart of choos- ing them as our partner." In 2017, the two sides will launch the Notre Dame Ticket Exchange. It will be the home for Irish fans looking to buy and sell tickets. Sea- son ticket-holders who participate in the ticket lottery will receive incentives and rewards for using the ticket exchange, according to the release. Notre Dame fans can access the marketplace at und.com/ticketex- change or by visiting vividseats.com. Freshmen Defensive Backs Continue To Impress VENUES FOR 2020 GAMES ANNOUNCED After playing Navy for the first time in Jacksonville, Fla., this season and doing the same with the Midshipmen at San Diego (Qualcomm Stadium) in 2018, the annual Notre Dame-Navy series will return to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 5, 2020. Notre Dame and Navy last squared off at MetLife Stadium in 2010, when the Midshipman defeated the Irish 35-17. The 2020 matchup will also mark the first time since 2012 — when the two programs traveled to Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland — that Navy will be Notre Dame's opener. The Irish won that game 50-10 to kick off a 12-0 regular-season run. Meanwhile, Wake Forest announced it will play its regular-season game against Notre Dame at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 26, 2020. The Charlotte venue has a capacity of 75,412, whereas Wake Forest's on-campus BB&T Field could hold only a capacity audience of 36,307 when Notre Dame visited in 2011. "We have a lot of alumni in the Charlotte area and we brought 20,000 people with us when we played in the bowl game in 2007," Demon Deacons athletics director Ron Wellman said. "We will still have six games in our home stadium in 2020 and this is a great opportunity for us to play in an NFL stadium." Wake Forest and Notre Dame have met three times in football. The Fighting Irish won the first meeting, 24-17 in 2011, at BB&T Field. Wake Forest visited South Bend in 2012 and 2015 with the Irish posting 38-0 and 28-7 wins, respectively. Wake Forest is scheduled to play at Notre Dame on Nov. 4, 2017, and will host the Irish at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem on Nov. 17, 2018. Cornerback Troy Pride Jr. is one of four freshmen who have become mainstays in Notre Dame's defensive backfield this season. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA