2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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averaged a modest 25.8 points per game. Yet, that also happened to be the team that played for the national title — thanks in large part to a defense that finished No. 2 nationally with just 12.8 points allowed per game. Who finished No. 1 in scoring defense that season? Alabama, of course, which al‑ lowed only 10.9 points per game and defeated the Fighting Irish 42‑14 in the BCS National Cham‑ pionship Game. Stark Contrast The past four seasons have seen three college football programs — Ala‑ bama, Clemson and Ohio State — separate themselves from the pack, specifically when it comes to defensive talent. Notre Dame more than holds its own against "The Big Three" when it comes to recruiting, develop‑ ment and, on occasion, production on offense. Since 2011, Notre Dame's 13 selections on offense in the top three rounds of the NFL Draft are not far off from Alabama (17) and Ohio State (15) — and more than double that of Clemson (six). The conspicuous difference comes on de‑ fense. In that same time frame since 2011, Alabama has churned out 23 defensive play‑ ers drafted in the first three rounds, Ohio State 17, Clemson 13 — while Notre Dame has had merely six. Only one defensive player from Notre Dame was selected at all the past two seasons — lineman Isaac Ro‑ chell in the seventh and final round in 2017. In the four seasons from 2014‑17, the Fight‑ ing Irish offense has finished in the top 25 per the Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) three times, matching Clemson, while Alabama and Ohio State were four there all four years. Again, the stark contrast is on defense. In FEI ratings on defense from 2014‑17, The Big Three were in the top 10 every season (last year Clemson was No. 1, Alabama No. 2 and Ohio State No. 7), while the Irish managed to make the top 20 only once — No. 20 in 2017. That is what might bode well in 2018. Seasoned Two-Deep With A New Coordinator In 2018, Notre Dame's defense will return nine of its 11 starters from a 2017 unit that improved its scoring defense from No. 62 nationally in 2016 to No. 31 last season and was appreciably better in fundamentals. It marks only the sixth time since the start of two‑platoon football in 1964 that the Irish returned at least nine starters on defense (see sidebar on page 31). Even when fifth‑seniors Jay Hayes (strongside end) and Nick Watkins (corner‑ back) opted to become graduate transfers elsewhere this spring, the two‑deep on de‑ fense was as seasoned as it's ever been the past 25 years. Whereas the 2018 Notre Dame offense lost both of its early applicants to the NFL Draft — juniors Josh Adams and Equanimeous St. Brown at running back and receiver, respec‑ tively — the defense returned its two stalwarts along the line (Jerry Tillery) and at linebacker (Te'von Coney) that also had submitted their paperwork for draft evaluation and seriously contemplated turning pro right to the end. Plus, linebacker Drue Tranquill returned for a fifth season as a two‑time captain when he, too, could have easily used his degree in engineering or tried out for the NFL. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 29

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