Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE 60 yards of total offense per game. Bet- ter ball security — especially from the quarterback position — has also lifted the Irish from one of the worst turn- over teams in the country last year to one of the best. • Finding playmakers to fill the void left by All-American wide receiver Mi- chael Floyd was another preseason challenge facing the Irish coaches. Floyd accounted for nearly one-third of the production in the passing game last season with 100 catches and 1,147 receiving yards. He also had nine of the 21 touchdown receptions for the Irish. Kelly promised in the preseason defensive backfield were a third per- sonnel concern for the Notre Dame coaches before the season, especially with a lineup of experienced and tal- ented opposing quarterbacks on the schedule. The defensive backfield was so thin Kelly and his staff moved of- fensive players into the secondary, certainly not a preferred substitution method for any coach. No worries. With the help of a disruptive Irish a collective effort would replace his team MVP by saying, "You'll need a media guide" to keep up with the deep rotation at receiver, and his troops have delivered. No single Notre Dame receiver Nov. 24, junior wide receiver TJ Jones had 40 catches, four of which resulted in touchdowns and another 29 that went for first downs. Senior tight end Tyler Eifert also had 40 catches, four of which went for touchdowns and an- other 25 that resulted in first downs. And of the six catches this season for fifth-year senior wideout John Good- man, three were touchdowns. • Injuries to an already depleted ranks in the top 100 nationally in ei- ther receptions or receiving yardage. But better unit balance, reliability and clutch catches are making this position group plenty dangerous, especially when paired with an improved run- ning game. Heading into the USC game front seven that routinely keeps op- posing quarterbacks pressured and uneasy, the defensive backs have been able to learn and grow into the most pleasant surprise on the team. Of course, no defensive synopsis is complete without mentioning the leadership and pride All-American linebacker Manti Te'o instilled into this unit. • In addition to personnel concerns, a treacherous schedule was another element to the six-win regular-sea- son prediction, and I'm standing by that "treacherous" assessment. Notre Dame's schedule stacked up with any in the country, and the Irish players and coaches owe no apologies or dis- claimers to the growing number of "experts" who feel differently. And as for at least one writer, no matter what the schedule looks like next season, I won't be fooled again into thinking there isn't a team on it Notre Dame can't beat. ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com