Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2018 27 MOST IMPROVED OFFENSE Senior Center Sam Mustipher Mustipher was maligned for some poor snaps during the 2016 season, but behind the scenes the Notre Dame coaches sang his praises all off- season, and he rewarded their faith with a strong senior campaign. He anchored the middle of the line, which paved the way to an average of 279.1 rushing yards per game in the regular season. Notre Dame re- ceived a big boost late in the sea- son when Mustipher announced he would be returning in 2018 for his fifth season. MOST IMPROVED DEFENSE Junior Nose Tackle Jerry Tillery Through his first two seasons, Til- lery battled to live up to the unrea- sonably high expectations placed on him. The Shreveport, La., native had just five tackles for loss and one sack his first two year, but he experienced a breakout as a junior. Tillery had more tackles (52), tack- les for loss (8.5), sacks (four) and quarterback hurries (10) this season than he had in his first two com- bined. He led the Irish in sacks and hurries — feats seldom seen from a nose guard. MOST UNDERRATED OFFENSE Fifth-Year Senior Tight End Durham Smythe Smythe never had the pass catch- ing breakout that was hoped for, but he finished his career as one of Notre Dame's more durable and depend- able players. A strong blocker on the edge and a clutch pass catcher, he could always be counted on to exe- cute his assignment with consistency. Smythe caught 13 passes for 234 yards in his final season, but sev- eral of his catches were highlight-reel grabs. MOST UNDERRATED DEFENSE Senior Defensive End Jay Hayes Hayes was just 14th on the de- fense in tackles (26) and had just 3.5 stops behind the line, but his value went far beyond the stat sheet. What he brought to the defense can't be measured by individual statistics, and that is what makes him an underrated and underap- preciated performer. The 290-pound senior was highly effective all season at beating block- ers off the ball, getting a strong push into the backfield and constantly throwing off the rhythm of the op- position's ground game. BIGGEST SURPRISE Junior Buck Linebacker Te'von Coney When the season started, senior captains Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini were expected to be the de- fense's top playmakers at linebacker, but it was Coney that emerged as the team's best linebacker. Coney didn't become a starter until October, but that didn't keep him from being a tremendous producer. He led the Irish with 99 tackles and 13 tackles for loss despite playing 246 fewer snaps than Tranquill, 197 less than Morgan and 142 fewer than Tillery. FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR OFFENSE Right Tackle Robert Hainsey Despite the presence of talented, older players on the roster, Hainsey forced himself into the rotation dur- ing fall camp and ultimately took over as Notre Dame's starter at right tackle. FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR DEFENSE Defensive Tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa The Hawai'i native developed into the first interior player off the bench for much of his rookie campaign. Tagovailoa-Amosa was far more dis- ruptive than his 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss shows, and he could be a future cornerstone on defense. TOP ROLE PLAYER/ SPECIAL TEAMS Senior Linebacker Greer Martini Martini was a regular on the Notre Dame special teams, starting on the kickoff team, the kick return unit and the punt coverage squad. The cap- tain played the second most special teams snaps (184) on the roster and was fifth with eight special teams tackles. ✦ Junior linebacker Te'von Coney began the season as a backup, but finished it as Notre Dame's leader in tackles (99) and tackles for loss (13). PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL