2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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126 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL Under head coach David Shaw, the Stanford Cardinal has produced outstanding football players on offense. Quarterback Andrew Luck was a Heisman Trophy runner-up, while running backs Chris- tian McCaffrey (2015) and Bryce Love (2017) also finished second in balloting for the award. What is often overlooked is how good Stan- ford has been on defense. From 2011-17, that side of the ball boasted five top-15 finishes according to the Fremeau Efficiency Index. In recent seasons the Stanford defense has seen a decline, finishing 45th in 2015 and 62nd last fall. The 2018 prognosis isn't much better, especially considering the tough schedule the Cardinal must go against this season. "Stanford faces the brutal schedule switch of the even years, which puts almost all the tough- est games on the road," CardinalSportsReport. com publisher Jacob Rayburn said. "It's really bad timing for Stanford to have the most ques- tionable defense of the David Shaw era." Stanford's 22.7 points per game allowed in 2017 was its highest under Shaw, and the Car- dinal must replace three All-Pac-12 defenders, among them third-round draft picks Harrison Phillips at nose tackle and Justin Reid at safety. The good news is the offense has a chance to be outstanding. Stanford is led by the record-breaking Love, whose 2,118 rushing yards last season set a single-season best at the school. Love has arguably the best offensive line in the Pac-12 blocking for him. Led by junior Kaden Smith, the Cardinal also return one of the best young tight end duos in the league. Crucial to Stanford is the development of junior quarterback K.J. Costello. "Costello stepped in for an inconsistent Keller Chryst last year and for the most part played very well," Rayburn said of the quar- terback who passed for 1,573 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017. "… He has the arm talent and a very high level of confidence." Costello missed the spring with a hip injury, which cost him valuable development time. ✦ 2018 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2017 Result Aug. 31 San Diego State L, 20-17 Sept. 8 USC L, 42-24; L, 31-28* Sept. 15 UC Davis — Sept. 22 at Oregon W, 49-7 Sept. 29 at Notre Dame W, 38-20 Oct. 6 Utah W, 23-20 Oct. 18 at Arizona State W, 34-24 Oct. 27 Washington State L, 24-21 Nov. 3 at Washington W, 30-22 Nov. 10 Oregon State W, 15-14 Nov. 17 at California W, 17-14 Nov. 24 at UCLA W, 58-34 * Pac-12 Championship Game QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 19-13 Last Meeting: Stanford 38, Notre Dame 20 (Nov. 25, 2017; Palo Alto, Calif.) Head Coach: David Shaw, 73-22 at Stanford and overall (8th year) 2017 Results: 9-5 overall, 7-2 Pac-12 North (T- 1st); lost to USC 31-28 in the Pac-12 champion- ship game; lost to TCU 39-37 in the Alamo Bowl Returning Starters: 15 (9 offense, 6 defense) 2018 Preseason Rankings: No. 13 by Lindy's, Street & Smith's and ESPN Football Power Index, and No. 18 by Athlon. Did You Know?: Notre Dame is just 2-6 against Stanford during Brian Kelly's tenure … David Shaw has been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year four times (2011, 2012, 2015 and 2017) … Shaw passed legendary coach Pop Warner for the all-time leader in wins at Stanford when the Cardinal beat rival California 17-14 on Nov. 18, 2017 … Running back Bryce Love was named a preseason first-team All-American by Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports and Street & Smith's … Guard Nate Herbig was named a preseason second-team All-American by Athlon and Lindy's … Four Stanford offensive linemen were named preseason first-team All-Pac-12 by Lindy's. Prediction: Notre Dame 30, Stanford 27 STRENGTH: Offensive Line Stanford has rushed for at least 202.4 yards per game in five of head coach David Shaw's seven seasons, and each of the last three years. A big reason for that success has been the play of the Cardinal offensive line, and it is once again the linchpin of the unit. Junior left guard Nate Herbig is without question the top dog for the Cardinal line. Herbig was in- serted into the starting lineup halfway through his freshman season, and since that time Stanford has rushed for an average of 228.8 yards per game. Six players return with starting experience. Fifth- year senior right tackle A.T. Hall and classmate center Jesse Burkett are three-year starters and solid contributors. Right guard Brandon Fanaika is another fifth-year player that has made starts in each of the last two seasons. Sophomore Walker Little is a former five-star re- cruit that became the first freshman since 2000 to start at left tackle. Junior Devery Hamilton started multiple games last season and he'll compete for action, as will sophomore Foster Sarell, another former five-star recruit. Stanford's line averages 318.6 pounds, making it one of the bigger ones in the country. Like Notre Dame, Stanford has a new line coach this season, with Kevin Carberry taking over for Mike Bloomgren, who left this offseason to be- come the head coach at Rice. CONCERN: Defensive Line From 2011-14, the Cardinal defense was one of the nation's best when it came to stopping the run. During that stretch, Stanford gave up only 94.8 rushing yards per game and 3.0 yards per rush attempt. Its per-game clip has steadily increased the last three seasons, finishing 2017 with 169.0 rushing yards per game allowed — its worst average since 2007. A less effective defensive line has been the primary culprit, and that position is once again a cause for concern for Stanford. The Cardinal lost star defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the NFL. Phillips made 102 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks a season ago, pro- duction that will be hard to replace. Starting end Eric Cotton — who posted 30 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks — has also graduated. There is little proven experience on the line to take over for the departed veterans. The replacement for Phillips will be redshirt sophomore Michael Williams (six tackles in 2017) and redshirt freshman Dalyn Wade-Perry. Senior Dylan Jackson is the most experienced re- turner, though he made just nine solo tackles and 1.5 stops for loss last fall. Redshirt sophomore Jo- van Swann is slated to start opposite Jackson after making 25 tackles and 3.5 stops for loss in 2017. Stanford's end depth chart returns just one ca- reer tackle, but talented freshman Thomas Booker and redshirt freshman Ryan Johnson have promise. STANFORD CARDINAL SEPT. 29 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM • SOUTH BEND RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Bryce Love (2,118 yards, 19 TD) Passing: QB K.J. Costello (1,573 yards, 14 TD) Receiving: WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (781 yards, 9 TD) Tackles: LB Bobby Okereke (96) Sacks: Okereke (4) Interceptions: S Frank Buncom (3) X-FACTOR: For the third straight season Stanford will have a new opening-day starter at quarterback, and for the second consecutive year the expected No. 1 missed spring ball due to a late-season in- jury. Junior K.J. Costello getting healthy and build- ing on his end-of-year surge is vital to Stanford's 2018 success. PHOTO COURTESY STANFORDPHOTO.COM

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