Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Point���������Counterpoint: Which Alabama Player Will Be The Biggest Challenge For Notre Dame? Tough Hanging With Cooper Keeping Up With Jones By Dan Murphy By Wes Morgan Alabama is as committed to its run game as How good is Alabama senior center Barrett any top-tier team in the country, which means Jones? Good enough to win the 2012 Campbell Notre Dame���s defense will be committed to stop- Trophy (college football���s top scholar-athlete) and ping it. The Irish have thrived on defense this the first ever from Alabama to claim the Rimington year by attacking a team���s Award, which honors the best strength and limiting posplayer at that position in the sible damage. The Tide will country. Oh, and it was Jones��� eventually get its yards on first year playing center. The the ground, but Bob Diaco���s 6-5, 302-pounder with a 4.0 defense is going to pour a lot grade-point average in acof resources into making its counting, is apparently equally opponent earn them. proficient at crunching numSo what can Alabama do bers and defensive linemen. to take advantage? Meet Jones was literally at the Amari Cooper, the speedy center of a dominant Crim6-1 freshman wide receiver son Tide front that paved the who will be playing in front way for 224.6 rushing yards of a home crowd in Miami. per game. Projected as a Cooper became the Tide���s first-rounder in the 2013 NFL top receiver from the mo- Freshman wide receiver Amari Cooper Draft, Jones previously started ment he stepped on campus. is Alabama���s leading pass catcher with at left tackle (10 games) and 53 receptions for 853 yards and nine He caught 53 passes for 895 touchdowns. left guard (25 starts) and had yards and nine touchdowns photo courtesy alabama never lined up at center at as a rookie. He had his best any level of organized football game of the year in the SEC title tilt with eight prior to this season. catches for 128 yards and a backbreaking 45-yard Not only has he helped quarterback AJ McCartouchdown reception in the fourth quarter. ron identify defenses and help make checks at the The Irish secondary did a nice job of containing line of scrimmage, he���s played a crucial role in the USC���s Marqise Lee in the regular-season finale, but line surrendering just 23 sacks this year. Last seathat was the defense���s top priority. Will selling out son, at left tackle, Jones won the Outland Trophy against the run give Cooper more space in which as the nation���s top lineman. Once again, he���s a to operate? In a game that probably won���t get consensus All-American. past 50 combined points, the freshman���s big-play With quickness, balance and ample intelligence, ability is a dangerous potential difference maker. Jones will be quite a challenge for Notre Dame���s Stuffing the run and hanging with Cooper is a tall talented defensive front seven, and one of junior task for the Irish. nose guard Louis Nix���s toughest career tests.