Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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On Sept. 1, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh will attempt to become the sixth head coach to defeat Notre Dame at two different schools. He previously accom- plished the feat at Stanford in 2009 and 2010. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Preventing A Double Play In this year's Notre Dame-Michigan opener, Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh will attempt to join the rare company of five other head coaches who have defeated the Fighting Irish at two different schools. The first was Howard Jones, whose Iowa team in 1921 handed Knute Rockne's squad its lone defeat during a 10-1 campaign, and then would do the same several times while at USC — the first in 1928. Next was Johnny Majors, who twice led Pitt to wins over the Irish in 1975 and 1976, and then two more times at Tennessee in 1979 and 1991. After that came Dennis Erickson (Miami 1989 and Oregon State in 2001 Fiesta Bowl) and Nick Saban, who guided Michigan State to three straight wins over the Irish in 1997-99 before seeing his 2012 Alabama juggernaut post a 42-14 conquest of the Irish in the BCS National Championship Game. The most recent was Todd Graham, whose Tulsa team stunned Notre Dame in 2010 (28-27) before also winning 55-31 at Arizona State in 2014 versus the Irish (with a 15-12 defeat at Pitt in between in 2011). Harbaugh's final two Stanford teams vanquished the Irish in 2009 (45-38) and 2010 (37-14), before he rebuilt the San Francisco 49ers into a Super Bowl team. Adding to Harbaugh's dossier as a nemesis is he was the starting quarterback at Michigan when the Wolverines defeated the Irish in both 1985 (20-12) and 1986 (24-23). To achieve it again as the head coach of the Maize and Blue would be the icing on a triple play. Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina have become much more emphasized states in Notre Dame's recruiting the past several years, and Texas also appears to be on the comeback in this year's cycle. However, entering 2018 these states still remain atop in volume and influence in the lineup among scholarship players at Notre Dame. 1. Illinois (10) Pass catching and pass defending headline this corps. On offense, senior receiver Miles Boykin and a couple of tight ends in sopho- more Cole Kmet and fifth-year senior Nic Weishar will factor in, while junior Julian Love is a candidate to be an All-American at cornerback. Freshman safety Houston Griffith — a Chicago native who starred at IMG Acad- emy in Bradenton, Fla. — and sophomore rover Isaiah Robertson will aid the defense and special teams, while junior John Shan- non handles the long snapping. 2. Ohio (6) Although the volume is smaller than Cali- fornia and Florida, the impact is more pro- nounced, especially along the offensive line with juniors Tommy Kraemer (right guard) and Liam Eichenberg (left tackle) taking over as starters. Senior Chris Finke will be in the receiver rotation and likely will be the punt return man a third straight year. Seniors Nick Coleman and Shaun Craw- ford were starters at safety and nickel last year, respectively. This year, Coleman might have more of the nickel role while Crawford helps at corner. 3. Florida (10) Were it not for the dismissals of wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and running back Deon McIntosh, who tallied five touchdowns apiece last year, this state might be at the top minus the drama. Senior Mike linebacker Te'von Coney led the team in tackles (116) and stops for lost yardage (13) last season, while junior run- ning back Tony Jones Jr. could be the lead back this season if fellow Floridian Dexter Williams isn't ready to go. Junior linebacker Jonathan Jones also might be needed to help more than on spe- cial teams. Safety Devin Studstill started nine games as a freshman two years ago. 4. California (8) Second-year recruiting coordinator Brian Polian's work on the West Coast, plus Hawai'i, often reaps results, including three more Golden State natives in the freshman class, led by top-100 Rivals recruit Jack Lamb at linebacker. Two reserves from California seized the moment in the Citrus Bowl victory versus LSU. Junior quarterback Ian Book tossed two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, while sophomore Jordan Genmark-Heath, now at Buck linebacker, saw extensive action and recorded five stops, including a crucial one near the goal-line to force a field goal. 5t. Michigan (4) and New Jersey (4) No state has greater influence on this year's pass pressure than Michigan, which features the junior defensive end trio of start- ers Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem, plus backup Ade Ogundeji. All four of New Jersey's representatives are from powerful St. Peter's Prep, most notably starting quarterback Brandon Wim- bush. The freshman triumvirate of defensive line twins Jayson and Justin Ademilola plus linebacker Shayne Simon could contribute this year as well. If you pool the crucial resources from these two states into "Michijersey," it could be at the top. Top State Representation 26 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW