Notre Dame-Michigan Preview

Notre Dame QB's: Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees got the season off to a great start with an accurate and impressive passing performance against Temple. Rees completed 70 percent of his passes for 346 yards (career-high) and 3 touchdowns. He did this on 16 completions out of 23 attempts and was throwing the ball pretty far to show heavily improved arm strength. Passes short and long were completed with a pair of 32 yard touchdowns, a 66 yard touchdown, and a pass that went for 51 yards. Rees spread the ball out well with TJ Jones, DaVaris Daniels, Chris Brown, and Troy Niklas all making a big impact in the passing game against Temple. It was easily the best game in Tommy Rees's career at Notre Dame, and Andrew Hendrix played the final drive with 1 completion out of 4 attempts for 9 yards.

Notre Dame QB's vs. Michigan Pass Defense: Michigan allowed 144 yards in the air in its opener against Central Michigan while also getting an interception as well. Notre Dame gives Michigan stronger competition and with an improved Tommy Rees makes things quite challenging. Rees will need to build upon his performance against Temple and continue to be accurate, efficient, and spread the ball around to his receivers. If he does so, then the passing game will continue to be seen as a strength for the Irish.

Edge: Notre Dame

Michigan QB's: Denard Robinson was the starter over the previous three seasons with Devin Gardner starting the last few games of 2012. Gardner had been used in a few different ways last season, but is the starting quarterback this season. Garder completed 10 of 15 of his passes for 162 yards and 1 touchdown, but threw 2 interceptions against Central Michigan. He also ran for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Backup Shane Morris had 4 completions on 6 attempts for 59 yards and 1 interception.

Michigan QB's vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense: Devin Gardner had an average day against Central Michigan in the air, but did well on the ground. For the Irish defense, he is not to be underestimated in this case. Michigan having a total of 3 interceptions is also a concern considering that interceptions were an issue in last years game against Notre Dame when many interceptions were thrown. Shutting down Gardner on the ground and in the air is top priority and also preventing him from moving the chains is extremely important. Notre Dame's pass defense allowed 228 yards to Temple but prevented the long passes well with the longest pass allowed at just 26 yards.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame RB's: The running back unit for Notre Dame combined for 193 yards on 34 carries for a 5.6 yard average (Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees had -5 yards from a sack so the total rushing yard numbers are actually 188 yards). Amir Carlise opened the game and his Notre Dame career with a 45 yard run and finished the day with 67 yards on 7 carries. Cam McDaniel had the majority of the carries with 12 for 67 yards and a 5.4 yard average. George Atkinson III wasn't as impressive with 8 carries for 34 yards (4.2 yard average per carry), but had a rushing touchdown at the goal line and a key reception that went for a first down. Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston combined for 26 yards on 7 carries and Folston had a 9 yard reception as well with their playing time happening on the final drive.

Notre Dame RB's vs. Michigan Rush Defense: The Wolverines did well in shutting down Central Michigan with only 66 rushing yards allowed. Notre Dame doesn't have a feature back to rely on yet, but is able to divide up the carries and keep Michigan guessing. Establishing the run early is key for Notre Dame in this game and helps keep the offense balanced. All five backs that played against Temple should get playing time against Michigan. The status of running back Will Mahone is still unknown as of writing, but if he is healthy enough to play, he will see playing time too.

Edge: Even

Michigan RB's: Fitzgerald Toussaint and Derrick Green had a majority of the rushing yards by running backs. Green had 58 yards on 11 carries and 1 touchdown and starter Toussaint had 57 yards on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns. Drake Johnson, the 2^nd running back on the depth chart, is going to out for the season after an ACL injury. He had 2 carries for 9 yards in the win over Central Michigan. Thomas Rawls had 12 yards on 2 carries and 1 touchdown. De'Veon Smith had 12 yards on 7 carries and Justice Hayes had 7 yards on 1 carry for the Wolverines.

Michigan RB's vs. Notre Dame Rush Defense: The Irish allowed 134 yards on 29 carries in their opening win over Temple with a majority of it coming on quarterback Connor Reilly's 65 yards on 12 carries. If that is taken away, then Temple ran for 69 yards on 17 carries for a 4 yard average. The longest rush overall was for 18 yards. Notre Dame needs to keep quarterback Devin Gardner in check on the ground and take care of the running game of Michigan while preventing conversions into first down.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame WR's and TE's: Notre Dame had big games out of the receiving unit. TJ Jones had a career-high 138 receiving yards on 6 receptions and Chris Brown exceeded his 2012 totals in this game alone with 3 receptions for 57 yards. DaVaris Daniels had his first 2 career touchdowns on a pair of 32 yard touchdowns and overall had 3 receptions for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns. Daniels had an injury but is fine to play against Michigan. Troy Niklas had 1 reception for a 66 yard touchdown late in the first half for the Irish. In addition, many freshmen got in playing time including Corey Robinson, C.J. Prosise, James Onwualu, and Will Fuller. The depth here and at running back really shined against Temple.

Notre Dame WR's vs. Michigan Pass Defense: Michigan faces a much stronger receiving unit that is able to catch short and long passes and also has the ball spread around well to them. The longest pass Michigan allowed was for 43 yards in the Central Michigan win. Look for TJ Jones, DaVaris Daniels, Chris Brown, and Troy Niklas to be the primary targets. However, the younger players will also see playing time and could have an impact against the Michigan secondary. Tommy Rees needs to be able to get the ball to his receivers efficiently as well.

Edge: Notre Dame

Michigan WR's and TE's: Jeremy Gallon led the way for Michigan with 4 catches for 47 yards and 1 touchdown. Tight end Devin Funchess had 2 receptions for 47 yards and Drew Dileo had 2 receptions for 43 yards. Dennis Norfleet had 2 catches for 15 yards and Joe Reynolds had a 45 yard catch on 1 reception.

Michigan WR's vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense: While a single player never exceeded 47 receiving yards in Michigan's first game, at least 4 players had 40 or more yards. The Irish will need to keep a strong eye on all 4 players. The secondary of Notre Dame is a deep unit and will need to shut down the Michigan's receiving unit.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame OL: Notre Dame did a solid job with the offensive line and pass protection was great with the only downfall being a sack allowed. Run blocking was solid as the Irish had nearly 200 rushing yards on the day.

Notre Dame OL vs. Michigan DL: The interior of the Michigan defensive line has seniors in Quinton Washington and Jibreel Black leading the way. The Irish have a new center this season in Nick Martin who did well in his first career start against Temple. The defensive lineman for Michigan didn't record much in the start chart, but the defense was able to get into Central Michigan's backfield with 4 sacks and 8 TFL's. Notre Dame's offensive line is going to need to protect Tommy Rees very well and open up lanes for run blocking as well.

Edge: Even

Michigan OL: The offensive line allowed only 1 sack, 6 tackles for loss, and did a great job in run blocking with a 5.1 yard average, 6 rushing touchdowns, and 242 rushing yards. The best player is senior left tackle Taylor Lewan and the unit has the most experience with the offensive tackles, while having underclassmen on the interior part of the line in Jack Miller, Kyle Kalis, and Graham Glasgow

Michigan OL vs. Notre Dame DL: Michigan will have a bigger challenge in Notre Dame down in the trenches with defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, Louis Nix, and Sheldon Day. While the defense of Notre Dame had just 1 sack, it should be able to build on that and improve. The best thing for the Irish defense is to attack the interior part of the offensive line and the matchup of Taylor Lewan and Stephon Tuitt will be the key matchup here.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame DL: The defensive line wasn't at its best against Temple, with Louis Nix III getting 2 penalties most notably. However, some backups were able to play at least, Stephon Tuitt had a sack, and the unit escaped injury-free. Considering the losses during the offseason with Kapron Lewis-Moore (NFL), Chase Hounshell and Tony Springmann (Injuries), Notre Dame cannot afford to squander opportunities for the backups to play and to help establish depth.

Notre Dame DL vs. Michigan OL: Stephon Tuitt vs. Taylor Lewan is going to be the big matchup between first-team all-American candidates. Louis Nix III will likely be double or triple teamed, which can open things up for Sheldon Day and the remainder of the front seven. However, the interior line for Michigan is still inexperienced overall and the defensive line is one of the big strengths of Notre Dame.

Edge: Notre Dame

Michigan DL: Michigan has experience in the interior line with seniors Quinton Washington and Jibreel Black, but had lost starters on the outside from last season in Craig Roh and William Campbell. The unit didn't do much in the stat chart, but they were able to handle Central Michigan's offensive line so other defenders could get into the backfield and get 4 sacks and 8 tackles for loss.

Michigan DL vs. Notre Dame OL: Notre Dame has a strong area on the left side of the line in Zach Martin and Chris Watt. The unit did a great job in pass protection and run blocking that allowed Tommy Rees to get career-high passing yards and for the running backs to get close to 200 rushing yards. Considering that Notre Dame was putting in two new starters and another lineman moved from right tackle to right guard, it was still an impressive way to start the season.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame LB's: The lack of Manti Te'o on the inside was noticed for the Irish linebacker unit, but Jarrett Grace did well in a backup role, while Prince Shembo had an amazing 5 quarterback hurries for Notre Dame. Even with the offseason losses of Manti Te'o and Danny Spond to injury, the unit is still a deep one overall.

Notre Dame LB's vs. Michigan: Prince Shembo is the impact player for the Irish in this area. His 5 quarterback hurries is impressive and he needs to continue to put pressure on Michigan and get to Gardner and anyone else in the backfield. Jarrett Grace is another key player who finished with the third most tackles.

Edge: Even

Michigan LB's: Desmond Morgan led Michigan with 7 tackles and had .5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Cameron Gordon had a strong game for the Wolverines with 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup and 2 sacks. Brennen Bayer had 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 sack. James Ross had 3 tackles and .5 tackles for loss.

Michigan LB's vs. Notre Dame: The linebacker unit of Michigan had a good amount of sacks and tackles for loss and keeping them contained will be key. The Irish have a lot of skill position players that they will have to account for and will make this an interesting area to keep an eye on.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame DB's: The defensive backs prevented the long ball from Temple and there was some decent play and freshman Cole Luke garnered a considerable amount of playing time as the third cornerback and could easily be starting in Bennett Jackson's spot when the 2014 season happens. However, the defensive unit as a whole was stronger in the second half with zero points allowed, only 131 yards overall, and only one long drive that was the first drive of the second half.

Notre Dame DB's vs. Michigan WR's: Devin Gardner was able to spread the ball around in the season opener with 8 different players catching passes, but none exceeded 47 receiving yards, but Joe Reynolds had a 45 yard reception. Jeremy Gallon and Drew Dileo had 47 and 43 receiving yards each, but are both shorter receivers at 5'8 and 5'10 respectively. The defensive backs of Notre Dame are a great unit that surprised many last season and will need to shut down the receivers and keep them contained. They prevented the deep ball against Temple and will need to keep doing that and avoid allowing short passes to get yards after catch. Devin Gardner did throw 2 interceptions and that could also be a factor in this area as well.

Edge: Even

Michigan DB's: Raymon Taylor had the only interception for Michigan with it being returned for 54 yards. The longest pass the unit allowed was 43 yards by Central Michigan's Andrew Floyd who finished with 4 receptions for 79 yards. None of the other Central Michigan players had more than 28 receiving yards and overall only 3 players had double-digit receiving yards. Central Michigan did play 2 quarterbacks as one was injured early on and were forced to use a backup who had zero playing experience.

Michigan DB's vs. Notre Dame WR's: Michigan gets a significantly harder challenge for their defensive backs with DaVaris Daniels, TJ Jones, Troy Niklas and Chris Brown of the Irish. All 4 were able to catch deeper passes or get yards after catch on shorter passes. Tommy Rees was quite accurate and those 4 will be the main focus of the receiving game for the Irish. If Tommy Rees is able to get passes off quick and spread the ball around, it will be extremely difficult on Michigan's secondary.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Kicking Game: Kicking was a definite weak point for the Irish against Temple. Notre Dame missed both field goal attempts and Brindza hit touchbacks during punting and clearly helped give Temple solid field positioning. However, Brindza did get 2 touchbacks on 5 kickoffs.

Michigan Kicking Game: Michigan kicked only one field goal and it was a 30 yarder by Brendan Gibbons. Kenny Allen had a 51 yard punt that was fair caught. And Matt Wile had 5 touchbacks on 10 kickoffs. The Irish did create a turnover on a Temple punt return which was one of the highlights of the special teams for Notre Dame.

Stronger Unit: Michigan

Notre Dame Return Game: The return game wasn't able to show much with George Atkinson III having 2 kickoffs returned for 40 yards and TJ Jones returned 3 punts for 23 yards, but had a 12 yard return and did more than the non-factor unit of the previous season.

Michigan Return Game: Dennis Norfleet had 4 kickoff returns for 106 yards for a 26.5 yard average and a long of 39. Joe Reynolds had a 30 yard blocked punt return early in the win over Central Michigan and punt returns were basically a non-factor with the longest return being 9 yards and Norfleet having 2 returns for -1 yards.

Stronger Unit: Michigan

Everything Else: Notre Dame and Michigan are both coming off blowout wins to open the season. The Irish are deep in many areas, particularly at running back where they will likely use 5 players, wide receiver, linebacker, and the secondary. Notre Dame needs to establish the run early and keep the offense balanced to keep things going. The offensive line has to keep Rees protected and prevent Michigan players from getting into the backfield. Considering that a solid amount of freshmen played for the Irish in the previous game, we can expect to see that continue as some were quite impressive in the offseason. The defense needs to prevent long plays and yards after catch. Louis Nix III will need to avoid penalties that can prove to be costly as well. Look for another balanced effort on offense for the Irish.

Prediction: Notre Dame 26, Michigan 10  

IRISH COACHING CORNER-EPISODE 1 "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN"

 The man with the Golden Gun, and I am not talking about Roger Moore and his role in the 1974 James Bond Movie, I am talking about Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees. The Irish QB silenced the skeptics by an almost perfect performance this past Saturday versus Temple as he threw for 3 TD'S and completed 16 of 23 of his passes to lead the Irish in their home opener.


 
             Rees leads Irish in opener

Going into the 2013 season many thought due to the loss of so many skilled players such as Tyler Eifert, Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood to name a few offensively, the production would no doubt suffer. This was not the case Saturday as T.J. Jones, DaVaris Daniels, Amir Carlisle, and yes Tommy Rees all stepped up in the Irish's opener. Balance was the key as 5 running backs had the chance to rush the football, and 7 offensive players were recipients of completed passes by Rees. This balance is something that Brian Kelly talked about to reporters before the game saying, sometimes you build your offense around one guy too much. He likes the fact he has more options instead of that one, "go to guy".

In our first episode we are going to take a deeper look, more of an analytical look at the things that were present to help the Irish QB  achieve those numbers, but first it is Important to understand the key elements which are vital for a successful passing attack.

All starts with protection, the Irish offensive line did an outstanding job of protecting Rees allowing only one sack in Saturday's contest. Zack Martin, the heart and soul of that offensive line, and only the 18th two-time Co Captain at Notre Dame, along with the rest of the Irish  front did their job of recognizing the Owl's fronts and intentions. Communication is the key, and the offensive line need to be commended for their efforts.
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    Zack  Martin is the anchor of the Irish Offensive Line.

The second key element is a sound running game so that balance is present. Once the run game is established, the Play Action Pass becomes an element of an offense's scheme that can prove deadly. The Irish proved this throughout the game versus Temple, most notably during their first possession of their opening drive. On the first play from scrimmage Notre Dame's Amir Carlisle rambled 45 yards that got the crowd buzzing early. This was Carlisle's first run in a Notre Dame uniform. On the second play George Atkinson lll gets the same play but different direction as he plows his way for 5 yards. Then on the third play, Rees gives the same run action as the two previous plays which forces the Owls defense up, and executes a beautiful well designed Play Action pass that resulted in a 32 yard TD pass to DaVaris Daniels. The fact that Notre Dame could run the football only enhanced the passing game through play action.

The third element is the fact you have to have receivers that will go up and get the football, make the bad ball catch, have the ability to extend plays after the catch, make plays. As I stated earlier 7 Irish offensive players were at the receiving end of Tommy Rees 's completions. T.J. Jones averaged 23.0 yards per catch as did DaVaris Daniels. Chris Brown caught 3 passes for 57 yards averaging 19.0 yards per catch, and Tight End Troy Niklas's 66 yard TD scamper before the half  shows the versatility and what these guys can do after they catch the football. Yards after catch (YAC) is vital in building that successful passing game, and the Irish showed they are very capable with this element.

What about our Golden Gun? Our Quarterback? How does he fit into this mix? Tommy Rees did 3 things Saturday that impressed me more than anything. Two of which you will not find in any box score or stat. First, he was efficient as can be seen by his completing 16 of 23 passes for 346 yards and ZERO TURNOVERS! Secondly, and you saw this multiple times against Temple, was his ability to throw the "bad ball", throwing to the back shoulder of his receivers, throwing the ball to a location where his receivers can make the adjustment to catch the football but the defender cannot.

Tommy does this well, and he has done so throughout his career at Notre Dame. Finally, his ability to scan the defense, checkout of the bad plays and audible to the correct ones for those specific situations is another element of the game  Rees does very well, and he did so on numerous occasions against the Temple Owls. Remember, Tommy is the son of a football coach and you can see that while he is on the field. His game management and clock management, coupled with his composure that he exhibited Saturday, are all key components to becoming a complete QB.

So, can Rees continue this Golden Gun stature? Can he give Coach Brian Kelly the consistency that is needed at the QB Position? Only time will tell.  I believe he can, and I believe the big key is what I talked about earlier with the elements that make up a successful passing game, protection and the threat of a running game. He has the receivers to make plays, he has the football knowledge.

Join me next week with episode 2 of "The Irish Coaching Corner" when we take a deeper look at the strategies employed either offensively or defensively that made a difference. Next week it will be the Michigan Wolverines at the big house! See you then, and remember.....

GO IRISH!

Eddie Ganim (irishfbfan1)

Notre Dame-Temple Preview

Notre Dame QB's: Going into this season, Notre Dame's quarterback situation was a non-factor with starter Everett Golson returning after a 12 win season, and having backups who have had playing time in Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix. However, in late May, Everett Golson was suspended for the season and Tommy Rees would be named starter. Tommy Rees has started 18 games over 3 years with a majority of the starts being in the 2011 season. Rees appeared in every game in 2012 with the exceptions of Navy (due to suspension) and Alabama, with notable amounts of playing time against Michigan, BYU, and the final drive against Purdue. Rees completed 34 out of 59 passes for 436 yards with 2 passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Backing Rees up will be Andrew Hendrix, who only completed 5 of 7 passes for 55 yards. Hendrix is also capable of running the ball as well. True freshman Malik Zaire enrolled early and had significant playing time in the spring game with a touchdown pass. Zaire and Hendrix both could see a lot of playing time this season depending on how things go, regardless it is important for both to get playing time and game-time experience.

Notre Dame QB's vs. Temple Pass Defense: The Temple Owls had one of the worst secondaries in college football last season with a unit that only had 4 interceptions all season and allowed 237 passing yards a game. The Owls graduated both starting safeties from last season and are expected to have a true freshman starting at one of the safety spots going into the season opener. Considering that the Temple pass defense is one of the worst units on the team it would be ideal for Notre Dame to pass early on in the game and allow the backup quarterbacks to get playing time.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple QB's: Temple quarterback Connor Reilly will be making his first career start against the Irish, Reilly has been the holder on extra points. The starter from the previous season, Chris Coyer moved to H-Back and is actually the teams returning leading rusher as well and had 444 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Backing up Connor Reilly will be Juice Granger who passed for 370 yards and also completed 31 passes out of 55 attempts with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Granger is the teams second returning leading rusher with 206 yards and 1 touchdown.

Temple QB's vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense: Connor Reilly has the task in his first career start of going against a veteran Notre Dame secondary that returns 3 starters. Notre Dame's pass defense was a surprise last season and allowed only a few opposing teams to pass for 200 or more yards all season. Even with the loss of Zeke Motta to the NFL, look for the Irish to keep improving in the pass defense and keep Temple below 200 passing yards all game.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame RB's: Although the Irish lost Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick, who both had significant stats last season, there is still plenty of depth at the running back position. George Atkinson III is the top returning player with 51 carries for 361 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns and had a few 50+ yard runs and a team-high 7.1 yards a carry. Cam McDaniel had 23 carries for 125 yards and 1 touchdown last season. Amir Carlisle and Will Mahone will both see playing time as well along with true freshmen Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston. Will Mahone had an injury and will be out against the Owls.

Notre Dame RB's vs. Temple Rush Defense: The run defense for Temple isn't any better than their pass defense. The Owls allowed 199 rushing yards a game which was the teams worst since 2006 (allowed 244 yards per game on the ground) and lost most of their starters on the defensive line and return only 1 starter this season. Rotating in running backs will be important to wear out their defense and also get in playing time as well. Look for a strong effort by the Notre Dame running game and for most to potentially all available running backs getting in playing time.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple RB's: Temple lost nearly half of their returning rushing yards in Montel Harris, a Boston College transfer who had 1,054 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns last season. His backup last season, Matt Brown also graduated and had 372 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. The starter, Kenny Harper had only 65 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns last season. Also, his backup Jamie Gilmore only had 94 rushing yards last season.

Temple RB's vs. Notre Dame Rush Defense: Notre Dame has what may be the best defensive line in college football that is headlined by juniors Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt. With Temple being heavily inexperienced at running back, look for the Irish to have a strong showing on defense against the run and keep Temple well below 100 rushing yards for the game.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame WR's and TE's: The Irish lost their top guy in tight end Tyler Eifert who set numerous records for a Notre Dame tight end and is now in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Irish do return TJ Jones and DaVaris Daniels, TJ Jones was named one of the team captain and had 50 receptions for 649 yards and 4 touchdowns. Daniels had 31 catches for 490 yards and missed 2 games late in the season due to injury. Also returning of note are Chris Brown and Daniel Smith. CJ Prosise moved over from the secondary and the Irish have quite a few incoming freshmen. Corey Robinson in particular has done well in preseason practice and was an early enrollee as well. Troy Niklas is the new starter at tight end with the loss of Tyler Eifert and is expected to carry on the legacy of Notre Dame producing great tight ends recently and historically. Also, the backups at tight end will be Alex Welch and Ben Koyack.

Notre Dame WR's and TE's vs. Temple DB's: The Temple secondary is one of the weakest units on the team and is breaking in new starters at both safety spots as well. Tommy Rees will need to get the ball to his receivers and spread it out as well. While TJ Jones, DaVaris Daniels, and Troy Niklas will be targeted, look for others to see playing time as well. The Notre Dame receivers should have a great game and look for backups to get meaningful minutes in as well.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple WR's and TE's: The top returnee at receiver for Temple is Jalen Fitzpatrick who had 30 receptions for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns. The only other players who return with 10 or more receptions are Cody Booth (who has moved to the offensive line) and Kenny Harper (a running back), as Temple was more of a run based team in 2012 (201 rushing yards per game and 121 passing yards per game).

Temple WR's and TE's vs. Notre Dame DB's: Jalen Fitzpatrick is the only player the Irish have to worry about significantly with Temple being more of a run based team, which will help with the defense as it may mean that the Irish don't have to drop as many players into coverage and still be able to commit to both the pass and the run.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame OL: The Notre Dame offensive line is headlined by Zach Martin and Chris Watt on the left side. Martin was named captain for the second season in a row and the unit will feature a couple new starters with Braxston Cave and Mike Golic Jr. having graduated. Early enrollee Steve Elmer has been drawn quite a bit of praise from Brian Kelly and also is capable of playing multiple spots on the offensive line as well.

Notre Dame OL vs. Temple DL: The Temple Owls only return one starter in senior Levi Brown for their defensive line. Even with Notre Dame having a couple new starters, this shouldn't be an issue as the Irish should be able to open lanes up for the running game and keep opposing defenders out of the backfield.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple OL: The Temple OL returns quite a few starters including 6^th year player Sean Boyle. The line did a solid job in run blocking as Temple had 1000 yard rusher last season. The Owls offensive line is easily the strength of Temple offense this season with the Owls having new starters at QB and RB most notably.

Temple OL vs. Notre Dame DL: While the Temple offensive line is their best offensive unit, they face one of the very best defensive lines in Notre Dame's. While Notre Dame has a little bit of the depth issue due to injuries, they should be able to play backups as needed against Temple.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame DL: The defensive line for Notre Dame is the strength of a really great Notre Dame defense. Even with the loss of Kapron Lewis-Moore, the Irish have Stephon Tuitt, Louis Nix III and Sheldon Day starting. Day has earned a lot of praise after playing a solid amount as a true freshman while Tuitt and Nix are All-American candidates. Tuitt had a strong season in 2012 with 12 sacks and a defensive touchdown, and Nix is a force in the middle. Sheldon Day is a rising star and could a strong presence in opposing backfields with the main focus on Nix and Tuitt.

Notre Dame DL vs. Temple OL: While Temple returns the core of its offensive line, the Irish have two players in Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix that will attract double coverage and give more opportunities for Sheldon Day and other defenders. The Irish will need to stay healthy and avoid injuries with Tony Springmann and Chase Hounshell out for the season.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple DL: Levi Brown is the only starter returning from the Temple defensive line from last season and he had 27 tackles and 3 tackles for loss last season. The unit allowed 200 or more rushing yards in 5 games in the 2012 season.

Temple DL vs. Notre Dame OL: With Temple having only 1 returning starter from last season, the new starters will be put to a test right away with an experienced Notre Dame offensive line that features a strong left side. Temple's defense also had trouble getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks with the most out of a single player being 2 quarterback hurries. Look for Notre Dame to contain the inexperienced Temple defensive line.

Notre Dame LB's: The loss of Manti Te'o will be felt, but the linebacker unit is still deep even with Danny Spond having to retire early. Jaylon Smith will start at outside linebacker opposite multi-year starter Prince Shembo. The inside has veterans with Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox, but is deep with Jarrett Grace and Kendall Moore as well. Shembo could build upon his strong junior season with a potential of a double-digit sack season as well.

Notre Dame LB's vs. Temple: For the Notre Dame linebackers, the biggest focus for them will be supporting the defensive line. Look for Prince Shembo to make his presence known in the backfield and put pressure on Temple. Jaylon Smith will need to be able to make an impact as well with it being his first career start.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple LB's: The linebacker unit is the strongest unit of Temple's defense that returns to tackler in Tyler Matakevich who had 101 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 3 pass deflections last season. He also was the Big East Defensive Freshman Player of the Year last season. Another returning starter is Blaze Caponegro who had 30 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass deflection last season. Nate D. Smith returns with 75 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 2 pass deflections and 1 quarterback hurry.

Temple LB's vs. Notre Dame: Containing Temple's linebackers will be the most important thing to do for the Irish, especially Tyler Matakevich. This could mean more double tight end sets on offense for the Irish. If Notre Dame keeps the linebacker unit contained and out of the backfield, then that will make things significantly easier on offense for Notre Dame.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame DB's: What was a big question mark going into last season wound up significantly exceeding expectations and helped keep numerous teams below 200 passing yards last season. The unit returns nearly intact with the only notable losses being Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter (both in the NFL now). The unit welcomes back Austin Collinsworth and Lo Wood who missed last season due to injury. Bennett Jackson was named captain and is the teams top returning tackler and interception leader with 65 tackles and 4 interceptions. KeiVarae Russell was a big surprise after being put into the other starting cornerback spot and and had 2 interceptions and was first team freshman All-American as well. Matthias Farley stepped in when Jamoris Slaughter and had a solid season as a redshirt freshman.

Notre Dame DB's vs. Temple WR's: The only receiver Notre Dame must really worry about is Jalen Fitzpatrick as he is the only returning receiver to have made an impact last season. Fitzpatrick had 363 receiving yards last season which was 226 more yards than the no. 2 receiver last season. Considering all of this, Notre Dame won't have to have as many players playing in coverage and should be able to focus on the run.

Edge: Notre Dame

Temple DB's: Temple is starting new safeties this season but returns both starting corners in Zamel Johnson and Anthony Robey. The pass defense was horrible last season with Temple allowing 237 yards per game and only allowed below 200 yards 3 times (and one of those was a run-based team that only attempted 9 passes in the entire game). The unit only had 4 interceptions all season which was one of the lowest among Division 1-A teams last season.

Temple DB's vs. Notre Dame WR's: The Irish have experienced receivers in TJ Jones and DaVaris Daniels and can pose problems for the Owls secondary. If Tommy Rees is able to get the ball to the receivers and spread it around, it will make committing to the pass harder for Temple, especially with a unit that was weak against the pass last season and having a couple of new starters.

Edge: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Kicking Game: Kyle Brindza made 23 out of 31 field goals with the most notable being the game winner against Purdue last season and also was the kickoff specialist last season with 26 touchbacks. Wake Forest transfer Alex Wulfeck is expected to take over on punts with Ben Turk having graduated, but it is possible that Brindza could handle punting duty as well in addition to being the kicker and kickoff specialist.

Temple Kicking Game: The unit is getting a big drop off with the kicker and punter from last season being gone. Albany transfer Paul Layton will be handing the kicking and punting duties and was 2-time All-NEC while at Albany.

Stronger Unit: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Return Game: George Atkinson III didn't have as great of a season as he did in 2011 when he returned 2 kickoffs for touchdowns. In 2012, he had just a 20 yard average and only a long of 39 yards. Punt returns were a non-factor as most needed to be fair caught.

Temple Return Game: The return game also suffered a huge hit with the loss of Matt Brown who averaged 25.5 yards per return and had a kickoff return for a touchdown. He also also averaged 14.2 yards per punt return with a long of 45. Jaen Fitzpatrick also returned kickoffs and had a 24 yard average and a long of 43.

Stronger Unit: Even

Everything Else: The offseason for Notre Dame was an interesting turn of events with the suspension of Everett Golson and injury issues as well. However, the team has it's depth and experience, and returns most of the starters on defense while having a strong left side on the offensive line. New starters and first year players will need to establish themselves. Tommy Rees has the experience and needs to cut down on turnovers that were an issue most notably in 2011. The running back unit will need to be consistent with the losses of Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood. While George Atkinson III is the starter, the backups need to establish themselves to prevent reliance on Atkinson. Troy Niklas will need to be able to make plays and help make up for the loss of Eifert. The defensive line must stay healthy and get in backups as needed for experience. Temple is playing under a first year head coach, a new starter at quarterback who was buried on the depth chart the last couple of seasons. Temple had major losses in the running game and on the defensive front. Look for a strong balanced effort on offense to open the season for the Irish.

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Temple 0  

How Members Became Notre Dame Fans, Part 2

It is time for part two to How I Became a Notre Dame Fan.  This is an ongoing series of articles.  I asked the question of the members of our Facebook group.  We have a great group over there and, if you are not a member already, I invite you to come on over and join our great Notre Dame Family.  If you missed the first part of How Members Became Notre Dame Fans, please click the link and you will be taken there.  If you would like to be included in Part 3, just send me a private message on Facebook.

The eleven members who submitted their stories for part 2 are from all over.  There are Canadians, Left Coasters, Midwesterners and Southwesterners.  This further proves that, not only is the University of Notre Dame loved by citizens spread all over the entire Nation, but it is also loved by people throughout the World.  Each person's story of how they became a Notre Dame fan is simultaneously unique and also similar.  The similarity is the power that has attracted them to loving Notre Dame and Notre Dame football (and Notre Dame sports in general, for many).  Other Universities have passionate fans.  That is true. However, I have seen throughout the years that Notre Dame fans are different in their passion.  Is it the religious component?  Is it the rich tradition?  Is it a tradition within our families?  Whatever it is, it is unique and it is real and it is powerful.

Please enjoy the stories of our members.  Each one is valuable to us.  Each one is an individual, yet, also a part of the Notre Dame Family.  Notre Dame grads, students, subway alumni - we all have a love for Notre Dame that binds us together.

The stories:

Lionel Jimenez, Hale Center, TX, originally from Lubbock, TX - Well, I guess you can say that I was born a Notre Dame fan. For as long as can remember holding a football, I also wore a golden helmet. Being born and raised in Texas Tech country, Lubbock Texas, I have always been the odd ball out, but it never stopped me from loving my team. Just to let you know, I have never set foot in Jones AT&T Stadium, and the only time I will is if by chance The Irish were to play there. I have never been able to see my beloved team in person, but thankfully for NBC, and their 50 year contract to show all Fightin' Irish home games, I can still cheer for my team, but believe me that watching a home game in person is number one on my bucket list, and now thanks to the internet I have a pretty nice collection of Notre Dame memorabilia. I even have a Notre Dame tattoo on my neck for the world to see that I love my team. In life and in death, I will be cheering for the Irish.

John Wolf, Centreville, MI, originally from Sturgis, MI - I Remember listening to the 1966 Championship Game on the Radio with my Dad. What a great historic ass whooping is was against USC (51-0). Since that game, I watched (Notre Dame) on TV or listened on the radio to every game. I’ve been a life long fan and we always make it a family event every year to watch every game as a family. I have never been to a game, but would love to make it to South Bend sometime, just for the experience. I’m from Sturgis, MI and now live in Centreville, MI.

Mallorie Brugh, Shakopee, MN - I became an ND fan the fall after I was born. My dad would watch games and yell, "TOUCHDOWN JESUS" when ND scored. Since I was just sleeping away, a little baby in his arms, you can imagine his screaming startled me a bit. I would wake up with my arms flailing all over and scream myself! I think this is why ND is such a special place/tradition for my family and I. The first game I attended was almost 20 years after that. I sat right next to my dad, too big for his arms now, but, when ND came out of that tunnel we both had tears in our eyes. I will never forget that day! Go IRISH!!!

Mark Manis, South Bend, IN - I was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. My grandfather was a huge fan. He got me started on Notre Dame football at around 6 or 7 years of age.  I grew up watching every game, eventually, ending up getting a job for all Notre Dame home games. I have not missed a Notre Dame game in 40 years. We are ND.

GO IRISH!

Stephen Drislane, Kilworth, Cork, Ireland -  I was first introduced by a friend of mine who had seen Rudy and he gave me a DVD of the infamous Bush push game. Coming from Ireland, I had not even heard of Notre Dame football. Anyway, from watching that game, I was heartbroken for the team, this is despite the fact that the game was played months earlier. So, from the start of the next season I would get the games delivered to me on DVD every Thursday and watch them as if they were live. No fear of spoilers over here!! So, then I met a friend of mine who had spent the previous few years, spending 6 months in America and I couldn't believe when he told me he actually lived in South Bend with his new wife. So, having a friend in South Bend was brilliant he invited me over to go see a game. So, in November of 2009 we travelled over to see ND play UConn - bad loss. But, it was a great experience and I got to fulfill a dream I had from the first time I saw Notre Dame Stadium. Sadly, my friend passed away from cancer last year, but, I’ll definitely get back in a few years and, I'm getting married in 2015, so maybe, we can make it part of the honey moon ha, ha! 

Jason Rogers, Norwalk, CA - I grew up in Norwalk,CA, East of Los Angeles. It was

1992 when I became a fan. I was playing outside of my friend’s house when his mom started yelling. So, I ran in the house to see what was going on and she was standing their yelling and cheering at the t.v. And it was because Notre Dame just scored a long td run. I don't remember who they were playing, but seeing her so excited over a football game just stuck in my head and, from that day on, I started watching football and was an Irish fan since! Out of every sport -pros or college, Notre Dame is my favorite team. I get emotional every season, every game and just hearing the fight song gives me goose bumps. I couldn't live without Notre Dame football. Win or lose, I will always root for my boys.

Eddie Ganim, Nitro, WV, originally from South Charleston, WV - This seems like yesterday as I think back when I first became a part of the Notre Dame family. Growing up in a predominately Roman Catholic atmosphere in South Charleston, West Virginia may have played a role (lol), but I will NEVER forget, as long as I live, staying at my Grandmothers house while mom and dad were working and seeing my Uncle's " Time Magazine issue with Terry Hanratty on the cover. I was 6 years old and my dad, who was probably the biggest Notre Dame fan in the universe, talked about the Irish all of the time. I wanted to impress him, so my uncle read to me the story, showed me the photos, and explained to me the unbelievable story of Notre Dame. I went on to converse with my father who was so impressed that he took to an in depth and real meaning behind the lore of Notre Dame football. My relationship with my father is one I will treasure for eternity because he gave me something. Second to love, he gave me the meaning and introduced me to the greatest football tradition ever.

Not a day goes by in which I don't think of either ND or my dad. Nor does there go a day that goes by in which I don't listen to the fight song.  It's my ringtone lol!

When I hear them say "wake up the echoes" I not only think of Rockne, The Gipper, Leahy, Bertelli, Lujack, Hart, Lattner and so many more, but I think of my dad, and I thank him always for introducing me to Notre Dame! Now, I want to go back to the Grotto and light another candle for him!

Go Irish

Ultimatesteelheadsfan Chris Martin, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada - I became a fan when I was 10 years old, as our family roots are Irish on my father’s side. My uncle bought me a Notre Dame Fighting Irish shirt. I was curious as to who they were, but, I was told to cheer for the Irish. I wore that shirt proudly and one day put on an Irish football game and just was in awe at all the people packing the stadium in South Bend. To this day I remain a fan although I no longer have that shirt. I have new ones, a jersey, hats, etc. and always cheer ND and watch the games. I am a huge hockey fan as I have played all my life and have come to realize that ND has a great hockey program as well!! My name is Chris Martin from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada and I am ND - HERE COME THE IRISH!!! I get chills to this day when it's kick off time.

Rob Snyder, Fort Wayne, IN, originally from South Bend, IN - I grew up in South Bend Indiana. On a clear day in late fall, winter, or early spring, when trees weren't full of leaves, I could actually see the Golden Dome from my second story bedroom window. I remember watching the Notre Dame Replay on Sunday mornings with Lindsey Nelson, and "Following an exchange of punts, we move to action later in the third quarter … ". There wasn't a lot of interest in Notre Dame in my family back then. My dad dreaded Notre Dame Saturdays because it screwed up the traffic flow in parts of South Bend. None of my 2 brothers and 2 sisters had much interest in Notre Dame. No one in our family tree had ever gone beyond high school. My dad worked in a factory, and my mom stayed home and raised kids. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, this was not uncommon at all. Mom didn't even have a driver's license.

My mom knew I had an interest in Notre Dame. She told me that I could actually go there. There was no way we could afford it, but she said if I worked hard and got good grades, Notre Dame might give scholarships to help pay the way. I was a kid of about 8 years old then, and certainly didn't know any different, so I believed her.

I went to Notre Dame on a few occasions as a child. We saw the Ice Capades at the ACC when I was 8 or 9. In 8th grade I went to a city wide math contest that was held at Notre Dame. I had my first success there as I won first place in individual algebra and our team took third place.

My first Notre Dame game was in November 1975. I had just turned 14. My younger brother rode up to our sandlot football field on his bike and grabbed me to tell me that our neighbor Brownie (Merle Brown) had a ticket to the Notre Dame game that day against Georgia Tech. I left and headed straight home, and went with him to the game. It was a real treat. His lady friend had gotten sick, and so I lucked into the opportunity. Brownie was disabled, had a severely twisted knee and hip, and walked painfully with a twist and a drag of his leg on every step. He had to pivot on his good leg, because the other was virtually useless, so it was a very strange and painful looking way of moving about. I swear to this day though (and maybe this is my selective memory, I could be guilty of that) that when we got to the stadium and parked he had a bit of a spring to his step. Unbeknownst to me, he had packed a cooler and some homemade sandwiches and chips, and I remember being surprised that we just sat there in the parking lot and ate and had a good time before the game. I was in heaven! We talked with all the other people around us, doing the same thing, and I remember thinking that Brownie sure knew a lot of people. It was great. I didn't realize until the drive home when he told me he'd never met any of those people before. That's just what game day and tailgating are like. I thought that was so awesome. And I remember everyone was so kind and seemingly oblivious to Brownie's deformed leg and disability that I was profoundly impressed.

The game itself was great. Just walking in the stadium was awe inspiring. The crowd was so into the game. Notre Dame won that day. There was a lot of chanting and hubbub at the end of the game, and I didn't know at the time what it was all about. It wasn't until later that I found out a little known player got a few plays under his belt at the end of the game. Rudy had made it on to the field.

I did get excellent grades, a very high score on the SAT in my only attempt, and was accepted into the freshman class at Notre Dame in 1980. My mom was right! I (probably not too brightly) applied to only one school. I lived at home and commuted to school because with scholarships, grants, and working part time jobs I was only able to handle tuition, but not room and board too. My family had no money to put towards the education, but contributed mightily with my room and board. I was a rarity, an off campus freshman. Freshman weren't allowed to live off campus as a matter of course, but I was a financial hardship case, so I got the exception. I graduated in 1984 with a BSEE.

I had Dan Devine as the ND Football coach for my freshman year, and then Gerry Faust for the next three. I attended the football games as a student, and have been going ever since. I now have season tickets, and we go to all home games, and usually at least half of the road games as fun filled road trips into enemy territory!

My last Notre Dame game was this past January in South Beach when we played for the National Championship. Notre Dame did not win that day, but we did show that Notre Dame can compete at the highest possible level without lowering their extremely high standards. College Football, and society in general, needs to be reminded of that lesson every once in a while. In my personal experience with Notre Dame football, from the Rudy game to last year's BCS National Championship game, and so many in between, Notre Dame has kept her standards high while so many others around her have wavered.

To me, Notre Dame is about dreams, and potential, and the people of Notre Dame doing everything they can to help others reach that potential. The standards are high, and won't be lowered. But then the achievements are high too, and the satisfaction and successes are worth it. Even in times of trouble, Notre Dame continually does the right thing. High standards are hard to live up to. We all make mistakes. Notre Dame holds its family members accountable, but tempers that with forgiveness, chances to redeem, and paths to recovery. Notre Dame isn't just a school, a bunch of buildings, or even just about football. Notre Dame is about the people and the Notre Dame family.

My first tailgating experience showed me acceptance and the bonding of people coming together for a common goal, in this case to see Notre Dame succeed on the football field. My time there as a student taught me that standards would be high, but that you can stretch beyond what you think you are capable of, and achieve more than you dreamed. My time as an alumni and football fan has taught me that Notre Dame is family, and the common Notre Dame thread gives you instant acceptance and camaraderie all across the nation.

To sum it all up, Lou Holtz probably says it best. To be a Notre Dame fan is something special. If you go on campus, you can instantly see it and feel it, and you just plain get it. If you feel it, no explanation is necessary, if you don't no explanation is satisfactory.

And there is no place better to be on a fall Saturday afternoon than in Notre Dame Stadium watching the Irish.

Paul Krutzmann, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada -  I'm from Victoria BC, Canada. So, growing up in Canada you're just supposed to be a hockey nut. But, in our household it was always football. I become a fan for a few reasons. One, we are Catholic Irish, so ND is pretty much a given. And, two, my older brother went to a Catholic high school in Vancouver that's sports team’s name was, the Fighting Irish. Well, since most younger siblings always do what their older brother does, I became a fan of the 'other' Fighting Irish team as well. I'm 38 years old and have pretty (much) not missed a game for over 25 years. In fact, I went and finally saw my Irish play at ND Stadium last year against the Cardinal for the first time ever. I even rushed the field after that amazing overtime game. (I) Left the field through the tunnel. What a rush!!!!

I live/love Notre Dame football.

Go Irish!!!!

Art Sedlar, Tulsa, OK, originally from Dowagiac, MI - I grew up 30 miles from ND. My whole family are ND fans and hate (the) U OF M - even though I was raised in Michigan

Notre Dame Wide Receiver Analysis For The 2013 Season

Notre Dame Football WR's 2013

Players that return: TJ Jones, Davaris Daniels, Chris Brown, Daniel Smith, Justin Ferguson, Davonte Neal

Players that leave: John Goodman, Robby Toma

New Additions: Will Fuller, Corey Robinson, James Onwualu, and Torii Hunter Jr.

Overview: For the first time since the 2007 season, Notre Dame did not have a single receiver have 1,000 or more receiving yards in a single season. Notre Dame doesn't have many losses at this position and gains 4 freshman in the 2013 class. TJ Jones and Davaris Daniels have solidified themselves as 2 of the 3 starting wide receivers for the 2013 season, as Robby Toma graduates. What is most likely to happen is for Chris Brown to get the other receiver spot, but Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson will also be possibilities as well. Corey Robinson and James Onwualu are early enrollees and will see some playing time in the next season. Torii Hunter, Jr. suffered an injury that could limit him a bit and might lead to possibly redshirting in 2013.

TJ Jones 2012 Statistics:

Rushing: 1 attempt, 8 rushing yards, 8 yards per rush.

Receiving: 50 receptions, 649 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns, 12.9 yards per reception.

TJ Jones 2011 Statistics:

Receiving: 38 receptions, 366 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns, 9.6 yards per reception.

TJ Jones 2010 Statistics:

Receiving: 23 receptions, 306 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns, 13.3 yards per reception.

Career Single Game Highs: 7 receptions (vs. Alabama, 2012 National Championship) 90 receiving yards (vs. Alabama, 2012 National Championship), 1 receiving touchdown (Multiple Games, vs. Purdue, 2010, vs. Michigan, 2010, at Navy, 2010, at Michigan, 2011, vs. Michigan St., 2011, at Purdue, 2011, vs. Purdue, 2012, vs. Stanford, 2012, vs. Pittsburgh, 2012, and vs. Wake Forest, 2012), 1 attempt (vs. Purdue, 2012), 8 rushing yards (vs. Purdue, 2012), 8 yards per rush (vs. Purdue, 2012).

Additional Information: TJ Jones was arguably one of the most improved players in the 2013 season, and had his best season overall as a Notre Dame football player in 2012, he closed off the season strong with a career highs in receptions and receiving yards in the national championship loss to Alabama. TJ Jones will enter the 2013 season as one of the starting receivers. TJ Jones has scored 1 receiving touchdown against Purdue each time Notre Dame has played against them during his career at Notre Dame.

Davaris Daniels 2012 Statistics:

Receiving: 31 receptions, 490 receiving yards, 15.8 yards per reception.

Career Single Game Highs: 7 receptions (vs. Pittsburgh, 2012), 115 receiving yards (vs. Alabama, 2012 National Championship), 24.5 yards per reception (at Navy, 2012)

Additional Information: After redshirting in 2011, Davaris Daniels had a good season as a redshirt freshman despite missing time in 2 games and not recording any statistics in 2 other games. He had missed the last 2 regular season games with injury before coming back against Alabama and setting career highs in receiving yards in the national championship loss against Alabama. Daniels will likely be the top wide receiver for the Irish this season and his size gives him an advantage.

Daniel Smith 2012 Statistics:

Receiving: 7 receptions, 47 yards, 6.7 yards per reception.

Career Single Game Highs: 2 receptions (vs. Purdue, 2012), 14 receiving yards (vs. Purdue, 2012), 10 yards per reception (vs. Wake Forest, 2012)

Additional Information: Daniel Smith has sparingly played in his time at Notre Dame and didn't record any receptions in 2010 or 2011, but gave the Irish necessary depth, which is likely what will be expected in the next season.

Chris Brown 2012 Statistics:

Receiving: 2 receptions, 56 yards, 28 yards per reception.

Career Single Game Highs: 1 reception (at Oklahoma, 2012 and vs. Wake Forest, 2012), 50 yards (at Oklahoma, 2012), and 50 yards per reception (at Oklahoma, 2012).

Additional Information: Chris Brown appeared frequently in the 2012 season, and almost always on a deep route, but only brought in one deep pass against Oklahoma, but it was crucial and went for 50 yards. He will likely compete with Justin Ferguson and Davonte Neal for the 3rd wide receiver spot and could be one to have a big season for the Irish.

Justin Ferguson 2012 Statistics:

Receiving: 1 reception, 9 receiving yards, 9 yards per reception.

Career Single Game Highs: 1 reception (at Navy, 2012), 9 receiving yards (at Navy, 2012), and 9 yards per catch (at Navy, 2012).

Additional Information: Justin Ferguson is another receiver who played as a true freshman and despite doing the least of the three true freshman, he will likely be counted on to contribute more after only recording one reception in the first game of the 2012 season.

Davonte Neal 2012 Statistics:

Rushing: 1 attempt, 7 rushing yards, 7 yards per rush.

Receiving: 1 reception, -5 yards, -5 yards per reception.

Career Single Game Highs: 1 reception (at Navy, 2012), -5 receiving yards (at Navy, 2012), -5 yards per reception, 1 attempt (at Navy, 2012), 7 rushing yards (at Navy, 2012), and 7 yards per rush (at Navy, 2012).

Additional Information: Davonte Neal also wasn't used much on offense, but was the punt returner for the Irish in the 2012 season. Neal will also be expected to contribute more after not doing much as a true freshman on offense.

Additional Information on wide receivers: Even though there is a lot of youth at the position, it is one of the most well stocked positions for the Irish as nearly everyone is either a freshman or sophomore in the 2013 season. It's possible that one or two of the freshman wide receivers will be able to redshirt, and Corey Robinson and James Onwualu have a step up over other incoming freshman due to enrolling early. Torii Hunter, Jr. will be the one most likely to redshirt as he recovers from his injury.

Projected Wide Receiver Depth Chart:

FL: DAVARIS DANIELS SO.
Justin Ferguson So.
Daniel Smith Sr.

SE: TJ JONES SR.
Corey Robinson Fr.
James Onwualu Fr.

SL: Chris Brown So.
Davonte Neal So.

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Notre Dame Running Back Analysis For The 2013 Season

Notre Dame Football RB's 2013

Players that return: George Atkinson III, Cam McDaniel, Amir Carlisle, Will Mahone

Players that leave: Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood

New Additions: Greg Bryant, Tarean Folston

Overview: Notre Dame loses a good amount of its production at running back with Theo Riddick graduating and Cierre Wood declaring for the NFL draft. Riddick was just as important with catching the ball as he was running the ball and Wood finished pretty high on the all-time rushing list at Notre Dame. In the 2012 season, Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood combined for 304 carries, 1,659 rushing yards, and 9 rushing touchdowns. Riddick also was 4th on the team in receiving with 36 receptions for 370 yards and 2 touchdowns. George Atkinson and Cam McDaniel are the only returning Notre Dame running backs that had any playing time in 2012 as Amir Carlisle redshirted due to injury and Will Mahone redshirted. Even with the new additions of Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston, expect both to redshirt in 2013 to help preserve eligibility for the future.

George Atkinson III 2012 Statistics:

Rushing: 51 attempts, 361 rushing yards, 7.08 yards per rush, 5 rushing touchdowns, 30.08 rushing yards per game.

Receiving: 2 receptions, 4 yards, 2 yards per reception, 0 receiving touchdowns, 0.3 receiving yards per game.

George Atkinson III 2011 Statistics:

Rushing: 9 attempts, 27 yards, 3 yards per rush, 2 rushing touchdowns, 2.08 rushing yards per game.

Receiving: 1 reception, 10 yards, 10 yards per reception, 0.8 receiving yards per game.

Career Single Game Highs: 10 attempts (vs. Miami FL, 2012), 123 rushing yards (vs. Miami FL, 2012), 12.3 yards per rush (vs. Miami FL, 2012), 2 rushing touchdowns (vs. Navy, 2012), 1 reception (at Purdue, 2011, vs Stanford, 2012, and vs. BYU, 2012), 10 yards (at Purdue, 2011)

Additional Information: George Atkinson III was one of 2 Notre Dame running backs to have 2 rushing touchdowns of 50 or more yards (the other was Cierre Wood, who had 2 that were 60+ yard touchdowns). The amount of playing time Atkinson had on offense varied throughout the 2012 season. In the first game of the season, he had 9 carries for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns, while in the next game he had only 1 carry for 0 yards. He missed the Oklahoma game due to illness. Heading into the spring, Atkinson will likely be the de facto starter at running back due to the most experience out of everyone returning.

Cam McDaniel 2012 Statistics:

Rushing: 23 attempts, 125 rushing yards, 5.43 yards per rush, 1 rushing touchdown, 10.42 rushing yards per game.

Receiving: 2 receptions, 41 receiving yards, 0 receiving touchdowns, 3.4 receiving yards per game.

Cam McDaniel 2011 Statistics:

Rushing: 3 attempts, 9 rushing yards, 3 yards per rush, 0 rushing touchdowns, 1 yard per game.

Receiving: N/A

Career Single Game Highs: 11 attempts (vs. Miami FL, 2012), 59 rushing yards (vs. Navy, 2012), 6.56 yards per rush (vs. Navy, 2012), 1 rushing touchdown (vs. Miami FL, 2012), 1 reception (vs. Navy, 2012 and Miami FL, 2012), 21 receiving yards (vs. Miami FL, 2012), 21 yards per reception (vs. Miami FL, 2012)

Additional Information: Cam McDaniel played sparingly during his second season with the Irish with only 3 games in 2012 where he had carries, and all of it had been when the outcome had been decided. McDaniel will likely see more carries in the 2013 season and could have a solid impact as well. While George Atkinson III is most likely the starter going into the spring due to experience, it might be McDaniel who is the 2nd string running back due to experience, but expect there to be an open competition to replace Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick.

Information on remaining running backs: Amir Carlisle redshirted after transferring from USC due to injury and Will Mahone redshirted during his freshman season. Both are capable of challenging for a starting role. Mahone might be the power back that the Irish are looking for. While Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston might redshirt in 2013, they could also potentially see playing time in 2013, but it just depends overall.

Note: A player who is all caps notes a returning starter.

Projected Running Back Depth Chart:

George Atkinson III Jr.
Amir Carlisle So.
or Will Mahone rFr.
or Cam McDaniel Jr.
Greg Bryant Fr.
Tarean Folston Fr.

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Notre Dame Quarterback Analysis For The 2013 Season

Notre Dame Football QB's 2013

Players that return: Everett Golson, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Gunner Kiel

Players that leave: None

New Additions: Malik Zaire

Overview: The Irish return everyone at quarterback for the first time since 2009 when the Irish had returned Jimmy Clausen, Dayne Crist and Evan Sharpley that season. However, the depth at this position is at its best in some time as 3 players have all seen decent time during their careers as Tommy Rees was a 2-year starter in 2010 and 2011, and Everett Golson completed his first year of starting as a redshirt freshman. The Irish having a quarterback in each year also helps build consistency as well in addition to depth.

Everett Golson 2012 Statistics:

Passing: 318 attempts, 187 completions, 58.8 completion percentage, 2,405 passing yards, 7.6 yards per attempt, 12 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 200.4 yards per game.

Rushing: 94 attempts, 298 rushing yards, 3.17 yards per rush, 6 touchdowns, 24.83 yards per game.

Career Single Game Highs: 36 attempts (vs. Alabama), 23 completions (vs. Pittsburgh), 77.3 completion percentage (vs. Miami, FL), 346 passing yards (vs. Wake Forest), 11.5 yards per attempt (vs. Wake Forest), 3 passing touchdowns (vs. Wake Forest), 2 interceptions (vs. Michigan), 16 rushing attempts (vs. Purdue), 74 rushing yards (vs. Pittsburgh), 8.5 yards per rush (vs. Miami, FL), 1 rushing touchdown (6 different games with 1 rushing touchdown)

Additional Information: Everett Golson appeared in 12 games and started 10 games in 2012 as a redshirt freshman and helped lead the Irish to a 12-0 regular season record and a 42-14 bowl loss to Alabama. Golson will be the starting quarterback going into the 2013 season and should build upon the numbers he posted in 2012, he led all players on his team in rushing touchdowns with 6 rushing touchdowns in the 2012 season. While he did not start against Miami (FL), he came into play after the first 3 plays and played the whole game until the backups were brought in when the win was for sure, and missed the BYU game due to a concussion.

Tommy Rees 2012 Statistics:

Passing: 61 attempts, 34 completions, 55.7 completion percentage, 436 passing yards, 7.1 yards per attempt, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 36.3 yards per game.

Rushing: 5 attempts, -15 rushing yards, -3 yards per rush, 1 rushing touchdown, -1.25 yards per game.

Tommy Rees 2011 Statistics:

Passing: 411 attempts, 269 completions, 65.5 completion percentage, 2,871 passing yards, 7 yards per attempt, 20 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 220.8 yards per game.

Rushing: 31 attempts, -56 rushing yards, -1.81 yards per rush, 0 rushing touchdowns -4.31 yards per game.

Tommy Rees 2010 Statistics:

Passing: 164 attempts, 100 completions, 61.0 completion percentage, 1,106 passing yards, 6.7 yards per attempt, 12 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 122.9 yards per game.

Rushing: 12 attempts, -2 rushing yards, 0 rushing touchdowns, -0.17 yards per rush, -2.0 yards per game

Career Single Game Highs: 54 attempts (vs. Tulsa, 2010), 33 completions (vs. Tulsa, 2010), 72.7 completion percentage (vs. Navy, 2011), 334 passing yards (vs. Tulsa, 2010), 10.8 yards per attempt (vs. Navy, 2011), 4 passing touchdowns (vs Air Force, 2011 and vs. Tulsa, 2010), 3 interceptions (3 vs. Tulsa, 2010 and 3 at USC, 2010), 5 attempts (at Pittsburgh, 2011 and vs. Maryland, 2011), 6 rushing yards (at Pittsburgh, 2011 and vs. USC, 2011), 1 rushing touchdown (vs. Michigan, 2012)

Additional Information: Tommy Rees appeared in 11 games in the 2012 season with all of them being consecutively and played as little as 1 play to a whole game. He started against Miami (FL), but was pulled after 3 plays for Everett Golson and started against BYU when Golson was out with a concussion. Rees helped rally the team against Purdue, Michigan, and Stanford in relief as well. A senior to be in the 2013 season, Tommy Rees will likely battle with redshirt freshman to be in Gunner Kiel for the number 2 spot behind starter Everett Golson.

Andrew Hendrix 2012 Statistics:

Passing: 7 attempts, 5 completions, 71.4 completion percentage, 55 passing yards, 7.9 yards per attempt, 0 passing touchdowns, 0 rushing touchdowns, 18.3 yards per game.

Rushing: 8 attempts, 41 rushing yards, 5.13 yards per rush, 0 rushing touchdowns, 13.67 yards per game.

Andrew Hendrix 2011 Statistics:

Passing: 37 attempts, 18 completions, 48.6 completion percentage, 249 passing yards, 6.7 yards per attempt, 1 passing touchdown, 2 interceptions, 49.8 yards per game.

Rushing: 25 attempts, 162 rushing yards, 6.48 yards per rush, 1 rushing touchdowns, 32.4 yards per game.

Career Single Game Highs: 24 attempts (at Stanford, 2011), 11 completions (at Stanford, 2011), 45.8 completion percentage (at Stanford, 2011), 192 passing yards (at Stanford, 2011), 10.6 yards per attempt (at Navy, 2012), 1 passing touchdown (at Stanford, 2011), 1 interception (at Stanford, 2011 and vs. Florida St., 2011), 12 attempts (vs. Florida St., 2011), 111 rushing yards (vs. Air Force, 2011), 18.5 yards per rush (vs. Air Force, 2011), 1 rushing touchdown (at Stanford, 2011).

Additional Information: Andrew Hendrix played sparingly in 2012 with appearances in only 3 games, which were Navy, BYU, and Wake Forest. Hendrix will be a junior in the 2013 season and will likely provide additional depth at the quarterback position and also will likely be the 3rd or 4th quarterback on the depth chart.

Information on remaining quarterbacks: Gunner Kiel had redshirted in 2012 after being an early enrollee for the Irish. He played in the spring game and will likely battle with Tommy Rees for the 2nd spot on the quarterback depth chart behind starter Everett Golson. Malik Zaire is the next early enrollee at quarterback (previous ones were Gunner Kiel, Everett Golson, and Jimmy Clausen) and will see some playing time during the spring game. However, he will redshirt in 2013 and likely have an impact on the scout team.

Note: A player who is all caps notes a returning starter.

Projected Quarterback Depth Chart:

EVERETT GOLSON SO.
Tommy Rees Sr.
or Gunner Kiel rFr.
Andrew Hendrix Jr.
Malik Zaire Fr.

Notre Dame-Alabama Preview

Notre Dame QB's: Redshirt freshman Everett Golson has continued to get better and better for Notre Dame this season on offense. He has been at his best since the win at Oklahoma, and for the season he has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 2,135 yards along with 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In addition to the numbers he has through the air, he also has been important in the running game as well with 305 rushing yards (4th on the team) and 5 rushing touchdowns (Tied for 1st on the team with 2 other players). Golson has done well at home and away from home as well. Backup quarterback Tommy Rees has seen playing time in 11 games this season and has completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 436 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Andrew Hendrix has also seen a little bit of playing time in 3 games this season and has completed 5 of 7 passes for 55 yards and rushed for 41 yards.

Notre Dame QB's vs. Alabama Pass Defense: Alabama will Notre Dame's third opponent this season that is currently in the top 10 in pass defense this season (Michigan is ranked 2nd overall and Michigan St. is 9th overall) and ranks 4th overall in pass defense in college football. They have allowed opposing teams to complete just 54.3 percent of their passes for 2,161 yards and allowed only 7 passing touchdowns and the defense has 17 interceptions this season. Everett Golson has managed to do a great job at avoiding interceptions and while he has thrown 5 interceptions, 3 of them were early in the season (1 against Navy, 2 against Michigan). He will face a bigger test in the Alabama defense who has a great amount of interceptions this season. The big factor in this is the ability that Golson has in being a threat on the ground (Alabama's lone loss this season was against a team that also had a quarterback that was a threat on the ground). Golson will need to manage the game and be important in running and passing the ball as needed.

Edge: Even

Alabama QB's: AJ McCarron has been a highly efficient quarterback this season for the Crimson Tide. He has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,669 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions. He takes care of the football as evidenced by what few interceptions as they didn't happen until the loss at home to Texas A&M and in the SEC Championship against Georgia. He was perfect in the months of September and October by being interception free. McCarron also has experience as well in the National Championship when he led his team to victory over LSU in the previous seasons National Championship. Blake Sims has seen playing time with 5 of 10 completed passes for 77 yards and 187 rushing yards on 30 carries for an average of 6.2 yards a rush with 2 rushing touchdowns. Phillip Ely has completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. Both have played in 9 and 6 games, respectively.

Alabama QB's vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense: Notre Dame comes in with the 20th ranked passing defense in the nation and has allowed opponents to complete just 59.4 percent of their passes for 2,333 yards and similar to Alabama has allowed 7 touchdowns and intercepted 16 passes. Notre Dame's pass defense has the distinction of allowing just three opponents all season to throw for 200 or more yards with zero of those happening in the month of September on top of that. While the Irish won't be the highest ranked pass defense that Alabama has faced (Michigan, Georgia, and LSU hold these distinctions), they have significantly exceeded expectations this season despite the loss of 3 players to season ending injuries. Forcing McCarron into incompletions will be difficult as he has only completed under 60 percent of his passes just 2 times this season (against LSU and Michigan), but regardless he still faces a challenge in a passing defense that doesn't allow many opponents to get a lot of yards through the air. However, Alabama's passing offense is only ranked 85th in the nation with just 214.5 yards a game overall.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame RB's: Notre Dame comes in with the 28th ranked rushing offense that is led by Theo Riddick. Riddick has moved from running back (freshman year) to wide receiver (2010 and nearly all of 2011) before moving permanently back to running back for 2012. He leads the team with 880 rushing yards on 180 carries with 4.9 yards a carry. He also is tied with 2 other players for 1st overall on the team in rushing touchdowns with 5. Riddick has also been absolutely vital to receiving game as well with some very important receptions this season, and he has 35 catches for 364 yards and 1 touchdown this season. Cierre Wood has 740 rushing yards on 110 carries this season for 6.7 yards this season and 4 touchdowns in 10 games this season and also has 2 runs of 60+ yards (both went for touchdowns as well). George Atkinson III has 361 yards on the ground this season on 51 carries and has 7.1 yards per rush. He also is tied for 1st in rushing touchdowns with 5 and has 2 runs of 50+ yards and both went for touchdowns. Cam McDaniel has seen playing time as well with 125 rushing yards on 23 carries and has a 5.4 average and 1 touchdown.

Notre Dame RB's vs. Alabama Rush Defense: Alabama has the top ranked rushing defense in all of college football and has allowed opponents to average 2.7 yards a rush and allowed 79.7 yards a game and 9 rushing touchdowns. However, Notre Dame has faced top ranked rushing defenses before this season with the 2nd and 3rd ranked rushing defenses being opponents Stanford and BYU. Notre Dame rushed for 270 rushing yards against BYU (the most BYU allowed in a single game this season and Notre Dame was the only opponent that rushed for 200+ yards on BYU all season long) and Notre Dame had 150 rushing yards against Stanford (3rd most Stanford allowed in a single game all season long). What Notre Dame needs to do is establish the run early and use it to wear down Alabama's defense as Notre Dame has ran for 200+ yards in 7 games this season with 5 of those being in the last 6 games this season.

Edge: Even

Alabama RB's: Alabama comes in with the 19th ranked rushing offense that averages 224.6 yards a game, has 2 running backs with 1000+ rushing yards and has 35 rushing touchdowns this season. Eddie Lacy leads the team with 1,182 rushing yards on 184 carries for a 6.4 yard average and 16 touchdowns. T.J. Yeldon has 1000 rushing yards on 154 carries for a 6.5 yard average and has 11 touchdowns. The drop off is big after that with Kenyan Drake having 274 rushing yards on 39 carries with a 7.0 average and 5 touchdowns. Regardless, Alabama's running game is extremely important for the team with 2 running backs having 1000+ yards this season and combine for 27 rushing touchdowns (out of 35 total for the ground game).

Alabama RB's vs. Notre Dame Rush Defense: Alabama will go up against the best run defense they have seen all season long in Notre Dame. The Irish are ranked 4th in college football by allowing 92.4 yards a game and just 2 rushing touchdowns all season long as the 2 rushing touchdowns are the fewest allowed by any team this season. Notre Dame has allowed only 4 opponents to run for 100 or more yards this season with no team rushing for more than 161 yards (Michigan) all season long. Notre Dame has done a great job in shutting down running games this season behind a very impressive front seven. However they do face a team that has ran for 100+ yards in every game this season with the fewest being 103 (vs. Western Kentucky) and Alabama has 8 games with 200+ yards on the ground and 3 with 300+ on the ground.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame WR's and TE's: Notre Dame gets a big boost in the return of Davaris Daniels. Daniels played in the first 10 games before being injured against Boston College, he has 25 receptions for 375 yards this season and is important in deep passes. Tyler Eifert is having a great season and the winner of the 2012 Mackey Award to the best tight end in the nation. He also has quite a few school records when it comes to tight ends. On the season he has 44 catches for 624 yards and 4 touchdowns. TJ Jones is having his strongest season yet as a Notre Dame player with 43 receptions for 559 yards and 4 touchdowns. Robby Toma has been important on the shorter passes with 24 catches for 252 yards, while John Goodman has been used more later in the season with 7 catches for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns. Troy Niklas has 5 catches for 75 yards and 1 touchdown, while Daniel Smith has 7 receptions for 57 yards. Chris Brown should see a solid amount of time and has 2 catches for 56 yards.

Notre Dame WR's vs. Alabama DB's: The Crimson Tide have a top pass defense that has not allowed an opponent to pass for 300 or more yards this season and only 6 have passed for 200+ yards in a single game. They face a team that has arguably the best tight end in the nation and one that attracts a considerable amount of coverage. If Golson continues to spread the ball around to other receivers, it will help considerably and open things up on the ground as well. Look for Davaris Daniels to have an impact with him back in the lineup and for TJ Jones to have a good game.

Edge: Even

Alabama WR's and TE's: Freshman Amari Cooper leads the team with 895 receiving yards on 53 receptions and has 9 touchdowns. Kevin Norwood has 26 receptions for 395 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Christion Jones has 25 catches for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns. Michael Williams has 21 catches for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns and Kenny Bell has 17 receptions for 431 yards and 3 touchdowns. DeAndrew White has 8 receptions for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns this season.

Alabama WR's vs. Notre Dame DB's: The big matchup here will be Amari Cooper against Bennett Jackson. Jackson has been having a really good season in his first season starting at cornerback. Cooper having more than double the receiving yards and touchdowns will absolutely vital to shut down. Ever if Cooper is shut down, the other receivers will need to be accounted for as well. Notre Dame has done a great job in shutting down top receivers before (such USC's Marqise Lee and Robert Woods) this season, so this won't be unfamiliar territory for the young group of defensive backs that the Irish have.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame OL: The offensive line has done a great job as of late in the run and pass block areas. The line is helping the running game average 5 yards a carry, 202.5 yards a game, and 22 rushing touchdowns. They have allowed 16 sacks and 52 tackles for loss, and 42 quarterback hurries. The unit is particularly strong on the left side with juniors Zach Martin and Chris Watt, along with senior Braxston Cave at center.

Notre Dame OL vs. Alabama DL: Alabama has done a terrific job at getting into opposing backfields with 81 tackles for loss, 33 sacks, and 44 quarterback hurries this season. While not a single player has double-digit sack numbers, there are 14 players with at least a sack. Keeping Golson protected and opening things up for the running game will be needed to keep the offense going and help prevent Notre Dame's defense from wearing out.

Edge: Even

Alabama OL: Alabama has one of the very best offensive lines in college football that has a very experienced group overall. However, Rimington award-winning center Barrett Jones's status is in doubt for the game due to an injury and has yet to practice since the injury in the SEC Championship game. If the team captain is unable to play, then redshirt freshman Ryan Kelly will be the one to come in and start. The other four lineman have all started every single game this season. The unit has allowed 60 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, and 18 quarterback hurries this season. Run blocking has been very excellent as well since the average per rush is 5.6 yards along with 224.6 rushing yards a game and 35 rushing touchdowns.

Alabama OL vs. Notre Dame DL: Alabama faces a really strong defense in Notre Dame that is a rather deep unit. Notre Dame's defense has had no problems getting into opposing backfields with 67 tackles for loss. Quarterback pressure is also top notch as well with 45 quarterback hurries and 34 sacks as well with Stephon Tuitt having 12 sacks to lead the way. If Barrett Jones is for sure out for the Crimson Tide, then the line will have a significant challenge in nose tackle Louis Nix III that really helps anchor the defensive line and is a massive presence at 6'3'' and 340 pounds. Regardless, this is going to be one of the biggest matchups in the entire game here in the trenches. If Notre Dame's defense continues to dominate as they have all season, it can shut down the running game and force Alabama to rely more on their passing game.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame DL: The defensive line has been one of Notre Dame's biggest strengths all season long. Stephon Tuitt is having a sensational season with 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 9 quarterback hurries, 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 blocked kick. Tuitt hasn't been the only defensive lineman who has been dominant this season as Louis Nix III has 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries, and 1 forced fumble. Kapron Lewis-Moore is having a great final season with 39 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 9 quarterback hurries, and 2 forced fumbles. Other lineman have seen time with Sheldon Day having 20 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass breakup, and 1 quarterback hurry. Tony Springmann has 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 3 quarterback hurries while Kona Schwenke has 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 0.5 sacks.

Notre Dame DL vs. Alabama OL: This is will be one of the most exciting matchups to watch in the National Championship game, even if center Barrett Jones might be out for Alabama with an injury. All three of Notre Dame's starters up front have been able to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and have little difficulty in getting into the backfield as well. If the Irish are able to consistently get pressure up front and stuff the run, then it will be beneficial. With the ability to rotate in other players, this prevents the starters from wearing out, but whoever wins this matchup will have arguably the largest impact on this game.

Edge: Even

Alabama DL: The defensive line of Alabama features an experienced unit thats leader in tackles is Jesse Williams who has 36 tackles along with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups, 4 quarterback hurries, and a blocked kick. Damion Square has 33 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 9 quarterback hurries, and 1 fumble recovery. Ed Stinson has 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 5 quarterback hurries while Brandon Ivory has 21 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hurry, and 1 fumble recovery. Jeoffrey Pagan has 22 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 2 pass breakups while Quinton Dial has 21 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 4 quarterback hurries.

Alabama DL vs. Notre Dame OL: Once again, this is another important matchup in the trenches and will have an important impact on what happens with this game. Notre Dame's left side of the line is the biggest strength and will need to keep Golson protected and also consistently open holes for the running game to get through to help make progress and put points up on the board. This is a very even matchup and is one of the most important.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame LB's: The linebacker unit of Notre Dame is led by what is likely the best player in college football in Manti Te'o. Te'o has won numerous awards and is the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. On the season Te'o has 103 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 7 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries. Dan Fox has 57 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups, and 2 quarterback hurries while Prince Shembo has been important to the defense with 48 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 12 quarterback hurries, and 1 fumble recovery. Carlo Calabrese has 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble and Danny Spond has 38 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, and 3 pass breakups. Ishaq Williams has 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, 1 quarterback hurry, and 1 forced fumble. Others that will see playing time include Jarrett Grace, Kendall Moore, and Ben Councell.

Notre Dame LB's vs. Alabama: While Alabama has a pair of running backs with 1000+ rushing yards, Notre Dame has done a great job against the run and shutting down running games. This may not seem any different from what they have done all season against the run. Manti Te'o has been having a strong season and is always a threat to have an interception with the 7 he has this season. Look for Notre Dame to stuff the run often and give support to the defensive line that helps give Notre Dame a very excellent front seven.

Edge: Notre Dame

Alabama LB's: C.J. Mosley leads the Crimson Tide by an overwhelming amount in tackles with 99, he also has 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 forced fumble. Trey Depriest has 56 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups, and 2 quarterback hurries. Nico Johnson has 54 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup, 1 quarterback hurry, and 2 forced fumbles while Adrian Hubbard has 39 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 4 quarterback hurries, and 3 forced fumbles. Xzavier Dickson has 33 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 4 quarterback hurries, and 1 forced fumble.

Alabama LB's vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame's Theo Riddick will present a challenge for Alabama's defense with his ability to run the ball and catch the ball. Riddick is able to line up in other areas and the Irish have other backs in addition to Riddick. Tight end Tyler Eifert will also be a matchup nightmare as well for the Crimson Tide, and should present more interesting matchups.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame DB's: The Irish secondary has significantly exceeded expectations this season with the fact that it was the youngest and most inexperienced unit going into the season, three season-ending injuries to Austin Collinsworth, Lo Wood, and Jamoris Slaughter later and Notre Dame has done a terrific job shutting down the pass despite what has happened. Zeke Motta has 61 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery while Bennett Jackson has 61 tackles as well, 1.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery. KeiVarae Russell has had a very good season as a true freshman and has 50 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups, and 1 quarterback hurry. Matthias Farley stepped in for Jamoris Slaughter and has done well with 43 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 interception. Others have seen playing time in Elijah Shumate with 8 tackles and 3 pass breakups along with Nicky Baratti with 8 tackles and 1 interception.

Notre Dame DB's vs. Alabama WR's: Bennett Jackson will more than likely be the one lining up against Alabama's Amari Cooper. The other receivers must be accounted for, but the main target to watch out for is Amari Cooper. KeiVarae Russell and Matthias Farley will also be quite important for the Irish secondary as well. While Alabama runs the ball quite often, accounting for the passing game is just as important when a highly efficient quarterback is involved.

Edge: Even

Alabama DB's: Vinne Sunseri leads the Crimson Tide's defensive backs in tackles with 52 and has 6 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries. Dee Milliner has 51 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 18 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble, and 1 blocked kick. Robert Lester has 42 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 4 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery. Nick Perry has 37 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 pass breakups, and 1 fumble recovery and Deion Belue has 36 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 forced fumble. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has 30 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble while John Fulton has 15 tackles and 5 pass breakups.

Alabama DB's vs. Notre Dame WR's: Tyler Eifert is going to be a huge matchup nightmare for Alabama. The tight end can line up in many places and has massive size to catch the ball, and is important in the endzone as well. Davaris Daniels being back for the Irish gives them another deep threat. Alabama has been good defending the pass with an impressive 71 pass breakups by the defense. TJ Jones, Chris Brown, Robby Toma, and John Goodman will all be targeted by Golson and should provide an interesting matchup with Golson continuing to get better and better.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame Kicking Game: Kyle Brindza has made 23 of 31 field goals this season with a long of 52. While he has had some consistency issues, he has only missed 3 field goals away from Notre Dame Stadium (12 of 15 away from Notre Dame Stadium), but missed 5 field goals at home (11 of 16 at Notre Dame Stadium). With the redzone issues Notre Dame has had at times, he will be counted on. Ben Turk has averaged 40.6 yards a punt on 48 punts with a long of 53, 2 touchbacks, 19 fair caught, 13 inside the 20, and 8 of 50+ yards. Kyle Brindza handles kickoff duties with a 62.5 yard average on 68 kickoffs and 25 have gone for touchbacks.

Alabama Kicking Game: Cade Foster is 4 of 9 on field goals with him being 3 of 5 when it is 50 or more yards and a long of 52. He has had one blocked though. Jeremy Shelley is 11 of 11 with a long of 28. Cody Mandell is averaging 43.8 yards a punt on 46 punts with a long of 61 with 5 touchbacks, 13 fair caught, 17 inside the 20, and 12 of 50 or more yards. Cade Foster is handling kickoffs as well with a 63.4 yard average on 92 kickoffs and 42 have gone for touchbacks.

Stronger Unit: Even
Notre Dame Return Game: George Atkinson III has returned 19 kickoffs for 394 yards and an average of 20.7 yards with a long of 39. Cam McDaniel has 7 returns for 135 yards and a 19.3 yard average and a long of 25. Punt Returns have been a non-factor with Davonte Neal returning 18 for 44 yards and a long of 11.

Alabama Return Game: Cyrus Jones has returned 10 kickoffs for 250 yards and an average of 25 yards with a long of 41. Christion Jones has 6 returns for 182 yards and a 30.3 yard average. He also has a 99 yard kickoff return for a touchdown as well. Christion Jones is also the primary punt returner with 20 returns for 212 yards and a long of 31.

Stronger Unit: Alabama

Everything Else: When it comes down to it, this is a very evenly matched game, both teams have top defenses and are especially excellent agains the run. Notre Dame has a very good front seven that features a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy award and has received numerous other awards. However, Manti Te'o isn't the only important player on the front seven. Stephon Tuitt, Louis Nix III, and Prince Shembo all have had really great seasons and while the secondary is young, they have held a great majority of their opponents to below 200 yards passing this season. If Notre Dame shuts down the running game of the Crimson Tide, they will need to really focus on Amari Cooper and the other receivers. Interceptions will be rare since AJ McCarron has thrown very few this season. Golson will need to spread the ball around and know when to dump it off to Tyler Eifert and Theo Riddick. Both present matchup nightmares due to how versatile they are on offense. The game will really come down to it in the trenches, if Notre Dame is able to consistently open holes in the running game, and the defensive line pressures an Alabama offensive line that might be without it's best player will be important for the Irish. Its a very even matchup in nearly every area and Notre Dame will need to be able to move the ball against the Alabama defense to prevent the Irish defense from wearing out and need to be able to put it in the endzone.

Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 16