Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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American by the Associated Press, Pro Football Focus, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News and the Walter Camp Foundation. MVP DEFENSE Senior Rover Drue Tranquill Tranquill had to overcome a pair of major season-ending knee injuries in his first two campaigns, and head- ing into his senior campaign he had to endure a position change. He had played safety his first three seasons at Notre Dame, but moved to the rover position in new coordinator Mike Elko's scheme. The move paid huge dividends for Tranquill, who emerged as one of the team leaders and was arguably the top playmaker on the Irish de- fense. He finished the regular season ranked third on the team in tackles (74), tied for second in tackles for loss (8.5), and he had a team-leading three fumble recoveries. His strong play in the slot forced offenses to game plan to keep him from taking over. TOP PERFORMER OFFENSE Junior Running Back Josh Adams The dominant play of the offensive line allowed Adams to emerge as one of the top backs in the entire country. He finished the regular season with 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns, and his average of 7.3 yards per carry ranked seventh in the nation. Adams led the country with a Notre Dame-record seven runs of 60 yards or more. He rushed for 229 yards in a 49-20 victory at Boston College Sept. 16, which marked the fourth-best single-game performance in Notre Dame history. TOP PERFORMER DEFENSE Sophomore Cornerback Julian Love Love set new Notre Dame re- cords with 17 passes broken up and 20 passes defended, which ranked fourth and second in the country, re- spectively. He returned his first pick of the season for a 59-yard touch- down at Michigan State, and he took his second theft back 69 yards for a score to give Notre Dame a 14-point lead against North Carolina State. Love's third pick didn't end with him running into the end zone, but he did take it back to the Wake Forest 5-yard line. The Irish offense punched it into the end zone a play later. Difference Makers Revisited In August, Blue & Gold Illustrated listed Notre Dame's 10 potential difference makers for the 2017 season. Here's how they fared in the regular season. 1. Quenton Nelson, Sr., LG Stats: Graded out as the top run blocking offensive lineman in the country by Pro Football Focus. Season: Not only did he become a unanimous All-American, Nelson emerged as the top guard in the nation and arguably the top overall offensive lineman. 2. Nyles Morgan, Sr., LB Stats: Was second on the defense with 83 tackles, while adding 6.5 tackles for loss and six hurries. Season: Didn't have the breakout season that was hoped for, but was steady … Named the team's Defensive Player of the Year. 3. Mike McGlinchey, Sr., LT Stats: Graded out as the top run blocking offensive tackle in the country by Pro Football Focus. Season: After a down season in 2016, McGlinchey bounced back with a dominant 2017 campaign, joining Nelson as a probable consensus All-American. 4. Josh Adams, Jr., RB Stats: Rushed for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Season: Finished seventh nationally in yards per rush and 13th in rushing yards … According to Pro Football Focus, he led the nation with a 5.2 yards per carry average after contact, and with seven runs of 60 or more yards. 5. Equanimeous St. Brown, Jr., WR Stats: Paced the offense with 31 re- ceptions and 468 yards, plus four scores. Season: Had a disappointing season compared to 2016 due to overall strug- gles in the pass game and his inability to make contested catches. 6. Daelin Hayes, So., DE Stats: Finished the season with 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, six quarter- back hurries and two fumble recoveries. Season: Was a steady player all sea- son, but didn't emerge yet as much of a playmaker on defense. 7. Brandon Wimbush, Jr., QB Stats: Passed for 1,818 yards, rushed for 765 yards and accounted for 30 total touchdowns. Season: Struggled as a passer, com- pleting just 49.8 percent of his throws while tossing six interceptions … Became the first Notre Dame quarterback to pass for more than 1,500 yards and rush for more than 700 yards in a season. 8. Greer Martini, Sr., LB Stats: Tallied 70 tackles, which ranked fourth on the team … Added two forced fumbles. Season: Lost his starting spot midway through the season because of Te'von Coney's breakout contri- butions, but remained a key contributor at linebacker and on special teams. 9. Alex Bars, Sr., RG Stats: Started all 12 games at right guard. Season: Was up and down early in the season, but had back-to-back strong performances in wins over USC and North Carolina State … Finished the season on a high note. 10. Drue Tranquill, Sr., Rover Stats: Second on team with 8.5 tackles for loss and third with 74 tackles, and led the defense with three fumble recoveries. Season: Arguably the top playmaker on the Irish defense and one of its emotional leaders … Was a top run defender all season and was disruptive in the pass game. — Bryan Driskell Behind the play of a dominant line led by Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson, junior running back Josh Adams racked up of 1,386 rushing yards and nine scores. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 26 JANUARY 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED