Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 153 1. 17-14 vs. Stanford, 2014 — The 2013 class was involved in just one win over Stanford, but a number of defensive players from the class made a significant impact in that victory. Linebacker Jaylon Smith racked up 14 tackles and a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss, helping the defense hold the No. 14 Cardinal to just 47 rushing yards on 32 attempts. Defensive end Isaac Rochell was stout on the edge to help the ground defense. Cornerback Cole Luke had a career day, picking off two passes and forcing a fumble on a first-quarter sack. 2. 38-3 vs. Texas, 2015 — Quarterback Malik Zaire was at his best during his first career regular-season start, passing for 313 yards and three scores while completing 19 of 22 passes to lead the blowout. Wide receiver Will Fuller was his top target, with the pair connecting seven times for 142 yards and two scores. Smith had seven tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry as part of a dominating performance from the defense, which held the Longhorns to 163 yards of offense. Offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey and guard Steve Elmer were part of an offensive line that paved the way for 214 yards on the ground. 3. 41-31 vs. USC, 2015 — Fuller was brilliant in this rivalry win, hauling in three passes for 131 yards and a score. Corey Robinson caught one pass — a diving 10-yard fourth-quarter score that put the game away. McGlinchey and Elmer fueled a line that racked up 249 rushing yards. Smith was all over the field, finishing with 14 tackles. Linebacker James Onwualu made seven tackles and broke up one pass, while Rochell was dominant, registering six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Max Redfield had a pick in the game, and Luke made six tackles. 4. 31-28 vs. LSU, 2014 — The 2014 Music City Bowl marked the first career starts for Zaire and McGlinchey, who played major roles in the win. McGlinchey was part of a line that totaled 263 yards on the ground. Game MVP Zaire had 96 of those yards while also compiling 96 yards on 12-of-15 passing. Running back Tarean Folston did a lot of dirty work during the hard-fought triumph, rushing for 73 yards and a score and also making a key block on C.J. Prosise's 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Fuller got the scoring started with a 12-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive. Redfield had a career-high 14 tackles, 10 of them solo. Smith added nine tackles, and Rochell blocked a fourth-quarter field goal attempt. Luke was part of a secondary that held No. 22 LSU's outside receivers to zero catches. 5. 31-0 vs. Michigan, 2014 — Fuller had his first breakout game, hauling in nine passes for 89 yards, including a 24-yard back-shoulder touchdown late in the second quarter. Smith led an Irish defense that had its way with the Wolverines' offense, finishing with 10 tackles and a stop for loss that was highlight reel worthy. Redfield had six tackles and a pick in the victory, while Rochell made four stops and recovered a fumble. The Irish snapped Michigan's NCAA-record 365-game streak without being shutout that extended back to the 1984 season. Final Grade: B The 2013 class, the highest-rated group of the Brian Kelly era, never lived up to its No. 3 ranking by Rivals. Notre Dame signed four five-star players, but only Jaylon Smith panned out. However, it produced three All-Americans, a Butkus Award winner and five NFL Draft picks. Top Five Individual Performances Of The 2013 Class 1. Will Fuller vs. Virginia and USC, 2015 Picking just one of Fuller's top games is impossible, but his dominant performances against Virginia and USC stand above the rest. Fuller hauled in five passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns in Notre Dame's 34-27 win at UVA, highlighted by the dramatic 39-yard, over-the-shoulder catch and score with just 12 seconds remaining to win the game. He was just as good against USC, finishing with three catches for 131 yards and a score in a matchup against cor- nerback Adoree Jackson, an eventual first-round NFL Draft pick. After USC opened the game with a touchdown drive, Fuller responded by smoking Jackson for a 75-yard tally to tie the game in the 41-31 victory. 2. Malik Zaire vs. Texas, 2015 Zaire started just three games in his career, and they were memorable — none more so than his performance against Texas in his first regular-season start. Zaire completed 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards with three scores and no picks, shredding the Longhorn defense during a 38-3 Irish victory. His 86.4 percent completion percentage was the second-best single-game perfor- mance in Notre Dame history, trailing only Steve Beuerlein's 90.9 percent mark on just 11 attempts in 1984. 3. Cole Luke vs. Stanford, 2014 Luke had his coming out party in Notre Dame's 17-14 victory over Stanford, the lone time the 2013 class beat the Cardinal. Matched up against Stanford star wideout Ty Montgomery — a third-round draft choice (2015) of the Green Bay Packers — Luke was brilliant while helping shut down the Cardinal offense. Montgomery had just four receptions for 12 yards while matched up against Luke, who made an early impact, forcing a fumble on a first-quarter sack. He also picked off Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan twice in the victory. 4. Jaylon Smith vs. Michigan, 2014 Smith was never put in position to take over games the way Manti Te'o did back in 2012, but that didn't keep him from having a number of impressive performances. One of the best came during Notre Dame's 31-0 beatdown of Michigan early in the 2014 season. Smith finished the game with 10 tackles, and Notre Dame shut Michigan out — the first time the Wolverines failed to score in an NCAA-record 365 games. 5. Tarean Folston vs. Navy, 2013-2014 Folston was at his best early in his career in a pair of matchups against the Midshipmen. In Notre Dame's 38-34 comeback win over Navy in 2013, Folston rushed for 144 yards and had the game-winning touchdown. On that drive the freshman Folston carried the ball eight times for 47 yards. Folston added another 149 yards in Notre Dame's 49-39 victory over the Middies a year later. His 25-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter put the game away. Top Five Wins For The 2013 Class Five-star recruit Jaylon Smith was a two- time All-American and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker after the 2015 campaign. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS