FROM OUR SITE

• Friday roundup: The “Hooked” episode
• Predictions: Growing our Wolf Pack

PODCAST

• Irish247: Wrapping Notre Dame-Texas, previewing Nevada
• Irish247: On-air talking Kizer, Notre Dame football with Fox Sports
• ND Insider: Recruiting update 9-8

NEXT GAME: vs. NEVADA (3:30 ET SATURDAY, NBC)

• ABC57: First Notre Dame game for Virginia couple, 50 years in the making
• Athlon Sports: Nevada Wolf Pack vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish preview and prediction
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Staff prediction
• CSN Chicago: For Notre Dame, Nevada game an opportunity for positive momentum
• ESPN: College football line moves, sharp and public bets according to Las Vegas bookmakers
• Inside the Irish: Pregame six pack: No place like home
• Inside the Irish: Concussion to keep Torii Hunter Jr. out against Nevada
• Irish Sports Daily: Game predictions
• Irish247: Staff predictions Nevada game
• ND Insider: Campus activities for Notre Dame – Nevada
• ND Insider: Lesar: Keys to the game for Notre Dame-Nevada
• NWI Times: Looking back and ahead
• One Foot Down: The anti-preview: Notre Dame vs. Nevada
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame vs. Nevada weather report
• One Foot Down: Game preview: Notre Dame vs. Nevada
• One Foot Down: Notre Dame vs. Nevada: Staff picks
• One Foot Down: Picks to click – Nevada week
• One Foot Down: What’s special about playing Nevada?
• The Oregonian: Notre Dame football vs. Nevada Wolf Pack: What time, TV channel, live stream, live score updates
• Record Courier: Pack take on Notre Dame
• Reno Gazette Journal: Three keys to Nevada-Notre Dame game
• Slap the Sign: When does Notre Dame vs. Nevada kick off and other questions
• Slap the Sign: Friday night picks: Predictions for Notre Dame vs. Nevada
• South Bend Tribune: What to expect heading to Notre Dame home opener
• UHND: Frankie V’s prediction: Notre Dame vs. Nevada ’16
• UND: Notre Dame – Nevada 2016: Five things to watch

https://vine.co/v/5JqQ2WXm1hu

OFFENSE

• AP: Watching Golson helped Kizer win job as Notre Dame QB
• Irish247: Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer named the starter
• Irish247: St. Brown calls Denbrock ‘a major key”
• Irish247: Sanders on WR group: “Guys are ready to ball out”
• ND Insider: Notre Dame WR Equanimeous St. Brown a viral sensation
• ND Insider: Voices from the past and present inspire C.J. Sanders’ ascent at Notre Dame
• UHND: Torii Hunter Jr. injury update
• UHND: Desmond Howard: DeShone Kizer ‘one of the best QBs in college football’

DEFENSE

• Irish247: Kelly confident Irish DBs will rebound from Texas loss
• Irish247: Martini: “We left a lot out on that field”
• Irish247 ($): Kelly, VanGorder focus on maximizing personnel strengths
• Irish247: Notre Dame’s Isaac Rochell talks message from Brian VanGorder
• Irish247: Morgan appreciative for fight, effort of defense
• Irish247: Luke impressed with early play of Devin Studstill
• Irish247 ($): Roll the dice with Studstill and Elliott

SCHEDULE

• MLive: Michigan State puts positive spin on early bye with Notre Dame looming

RECRUITING

• Irish Sports Daily (Free/$): ISD Intel
• Irish247 ($): Hezekiah Jones locks in Notre Dame official visit
• Irish247: Notre Dame commit update (Sept. 9)

LAST GAME: Texas 50, Notre Dame 47

• Burnt Orange Nation: Texas victory over Notre Dame could come to resemble 2004 win over Arkansas
• CSN Chicago: DeShone Kizer puts offseason improvements on display against Texas
• Football Scoop: Here’s the video Texas showed its players before beating Notre Dame

MISC.

• Forbes: Saturdays in the fall mean college football, tailgating and private jets
• FOX Sports: Watch basketball hall of famer Allen Iverson dominate as a HS football star
• Irish Sports Daily ($): The bigger picture: ND has come a long way
• ND Insider: New parking strategy set for Notre Dame Stadium
• UHND: Notre Dame’s road woes continue under Brian Kelly

The post Morning Roundup: Sept. 10, 2016 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

FROM OUR SITE

• Defensive “change” must come, one way or another

PODCAST

• CSN Chicago: Where does Notre Dame’s defense go from here?
• Irish Illustrated: How will Irish bounce back?
• Irish Sports Daily: Power Hour loaded

NEXT GAME: vs. Nevada (3:30 ET Saturday, NBC)

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame vs. Nevada: On paper
• AP: Irish looking to rebound, fix mistakes vs. Nevada
• Irish Sports Daily: Breaking down Nevada’s offense
• Irish247 ($): Tale of the tape
• Irish247: Polian prepared for Notre Dame homecoming
• NBC Sports: Notre Dame among heavy favorites in Week 2 college football odds
• ND Insider ($): Nevada’s Brian Polian returns to Notre Dame as opposing head coach
• ND Insider: More story: Nevada coach Brian Polian returns to Notre Dame
• Reno Gazette Journal: The odd link between Nevada and Notre Dame
• Slap the Sign: Throwback Thursday: Notre Dame’s lone romp over Nevada
• UHND: Nevada ’16: Notre Dame offense vs. Nevada defense
• USA Today: NBC’s Mike Tirico gets a first this weekend

2016 TEAM

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: BGI video: Brian Kelly post-practice, Sept. 8
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Brian Kelly, post practice
• Irish Illustrated ($): Prister’s Thursday thoughts
• Irish Sports Daily: From the cheap seats
• Irish Sports Daily: Kelly post practice
• Irish Sports Daily ($): BK notebook 9/8
• Irish Sports Daily ($): Seeing the field
• Irish Sports Daily ($): Six (late night) thoughts on a Thursday

OFFENSE

• AP: St. Brown shows calm demeanor in bigger role for Notre Dame
• Blue & Gold Illlustrated: Kelly wants more from Notre Dame’s left side
• CSN Chicago: DeShone Kizer stays the same leader for new group of Notre Dame teammates
• Irish Illustrated: Open season for young Irish WR corps
• Irish247 ($): Holmes, Stepherson, McKinley propelled into significant role
• ND Insider: Video: C.J. Sanders: I’m able to be a difference maker
• ND Insider: Malik Zaire’s father cools after angry Facebook posts
• News-Sentinel: Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly was the problem, now DeShone Kizer is the solution
• SB Nation: Why DeShone Kizer is (finally) the right choice to lead Notre Dame’s offense
• Sporting News: DeShone Kizer named Notre Dame starting QB

DEFENSE

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame aiming to cleaning up tackling problems
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Freshman Devin Studstill could make first at Notre Dame
• Irish Illustrated ($): Irish have hope in secondary
• Irish Illustrated: Video: Kelly keeps faith in Coleman
• Irish Sports Daily: Hopefully Nyles Morgan’s defense learns quickly
• Irish Sports Daily: Luke ready to right ship
• ND Insider ($): CB Cole Luke finds his voice with young secondary
• ND Insider: Notebook: Brian Kelly praises safety Drue Tranquill for pushing forward

RECRUITING

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Four-star safety Chaz Ah You still weighing his options
• Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2017 Rivals150 OL Aaron Banks will return to Notre Dame for official visit
• Irish Sports Daily ($): In the film room: Salvon Ahmed
• Irish Sports Daily: 2018 TX S sets Notre Dame visit
• Irish Sports Daily: Recruiting week in review
• Irish247 ($): Tunnel vision
• Irish247 ($): Four star OL Aaron Banks sets visits to Notre Dame, Oregon
• Irish247 ($): Finn Dirstine visiting Notre Dame this weekend
• ND Insider ($): New official visit rule has Notre Dame thinking of more changes
• ND Insider ($): Notre Dame LB commit Pete Werner healthy, hungry in senior season
• ND Insider ($): Notre Dame commit recap: Jordan Pouncey takes advantage of running back opportunity

LAST GAME: Texas 50, Notre Dame 47

• Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame vs. Texas: Defensive breakdown – 3-3-5 issues
• Burt Orange Nation: Quandre Diggs talks big Texas win over Notre Dame (Golden Tate)
• CSN Chicago: Notre Dame chat: Looking back at Texas, looking forward to Nevada
• ESPN ($): Texas win does wonders for recruiting

MISC.

• CBS Sports: Our fantasy football team with Tebow and MLB players who would be good at football
• Chicago Tribune: NBC’s Mike Tirico has favorite school, but – hey Irish fans – it’s not Michigan
• Irish247: Remembering Greg Bryant’s untimely death
• ND Insider: Throwback Thursday: Notre Dame Stadium history in photos
• ND Insider: Hard work leads D.J. Harvey to Notre Dame visit (basketball)
• Slap the Sign: Is it time for Notre Dame to join the ACC?
• UND: Irish sellout streak reaches 250 mark

The post Morning Roundup: Sept. 9, 2016 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

For the Irish: #5 Nyles Morgan (Jr.)

Credit: Irish Sports Daily

Nyles Morgan takes over the linebacker corps and is tasked with comprehending Brian VanGorder’s defensive scheme. Joe Schmidt’s graduation clears the way for Morgan’s elite talent, and the defense will look to rebound from large portions of 2015 where their red zone performance suffered.

While Morgan appeared in all 13 games last year, it was mostly in spot duty and accompanied by all-everything Jaylon Smith, who’s now departed for the Dallas Cowboys. Opposing offenses hope to capitalize on Morgan’s relative inexperience and the youth in Notre Dame’s defensive secondary, so the linebacker’s dual role in stopping run & pass efforts will be crucial to the team’s overall success.

Across the front seven, the Irish have enough experience to stack up well against most offensive rosters they’ll face. Morgan is the key cog in Notre Dame’s defensive system. If his potential turns to dependable play, the linebacker unit will perform well. Should Morgan’s inexperience lead to mental lapses, miscommunication on the field, or subpar positioning and fundamentals, the 2016 offense will be playing from behind more often than is prudent.

Preseason news implies that Morgan has grasped the linebacker role, and that mental understanding has caught up with his elite physical gifts. Let’s hope he can continue his improvement as fall camp concludes and the season commences.

For the Enemy: #46 Malik Jefferson (Soph. / Texas)

SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 – Texas’ Malik Jefferson, left, and head coach, Charlie Strong come out onto the field for the second half against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, September 5, 2015. Notre Dame defeated Texas 38-3. (RODOLFO GONZALEZ / AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

As soon as the euphoria of last year’s 38-3 Texas victory wore off, I’ve been dreading this defensive rematch with Malik Jefferson. Playing in his first collegiate game at Notre Dame and with the game out of reach for most of the second half, Jefferson still notched 9 tackles (5 solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss (a season high for him). The preseason watch lists already have tabbed him for a host of various defensive awards, and he will look to make his presence known opening weekend against Notre Dame with a large TV audience watching.

His 2015 freshman campaign was good enough to earn him a consensus spot on the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America squad as well as Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and an All-Big 12 honorable mention. His size and impact on the defensive side of the ball will remind Irish fans of Jaylon Smith, and Longhorn fans certainly hope Jefferson makes a sophomore leap as the defense’s leader. Much of the critique of Charlie Strong’s Texas tenure has been directed at his scoring offense, because the defense has been stout — the 2015 defense ranked 7th-best in yards allowed per play (4.68).

For a top-25 defense that returns seven starters, Texas will pose an immediate thread to the Irish offense. Win or lose, ND fans should expect to see Malik Jefferson quite a bit on the evening of Sept. 4.

The post Linebacker: Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Depth, baby! Everything this fall will revolve around the exceptional depth that has slowly been built year over year. The coaching staff has recruited exceptionally well over the past few years (the 2017 class aka #IRISHEL17E and the 2018 class aka #IrishBouND18 are stacking up quite nicely as well) especially addressing specific positional needs.

The depth is far and above where it has been in years past. The offense returns multiple assets at every position. Proven running backs Tarean Folston and Josh Adams will lead the ground game along with Dexter Williams guaranteed to be fighting for carries.

The offensive line depth is nothing short of incredible considering it lost two future NFL starters from last year in Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin. Junior guard Quenton Nelson has been named a Sports Illustrated preseason All-American and senior tackle Mike McGlinchey is garnering elite status as the 64th best player in the nation – according to ESPN. These two woolly mammoths will anchor the left side of the offensive line, and the right side anticipates a battle between junior Alex Bars and seniors Hunter Bivin and Colin McGovern.

Tight end, once a surging position of depth, took a hit in the academic ineligibility ruling against Alize Jones. As reported, Jones will miss the entire 2016 season. The return of transferring/not transferring Tyler Luatua provides the group with a huge (255 lbs. pun intended) veteran h-back, and his decision to not transfer now proves to be vital to the position group. Nic Weishar and Durham Smythe are both capable and consistent targets from a three point stance and split wide – this groups presence and overall utility within the red zone should not be understated.

Credit: Matt Cashore

The wide receiver cupboard is full – yet unproven. The only shoe-in to start is senior Torii Hunter Jr. Behind him will be an intriguing battle between Equanimeous St. Brown, Corey Holmes, Miles Boykin, C.J. Sanders, and potentially true freshman/early enrollee Kevin Stepherson. Finishing on the offensive side of the ball, who could forget the quarterback situation, in which the Irish arguably have the most collective talent at the position in the entire nation (including Brandon Wimbush)? *Insert your own opinions about the QB situation* and find my own here.

The defensive line (also unfortunately known as the Irish’s Achilles heel in recent years) is loaded with talent and (FINALLY) depth. Isaac Rochell, Jarron Jones and Daniel Cage are battle tested veterans while Andrew Trumbetti, Jay Hayes, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bonner, Micah Dew-Treadway and Elijah Taylor all look to make significant impacts and potentially break out. Also, look for the word “sub packages” to be thrown around as highly talented true freshman defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem could be utilized as pass rushers in such schemes.

Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)

Nyles Morgan is an automatic upgrade at the Mike linebacker position, and while replacing the “once in a century” freakish athleticism of Jaylon Smith is no small task, the linebacker corps is well stocked with young talent. Te’von Coney saw limited action last year and is reported to be fully recovered from a shoulder injury suffered in the Fiesta Bowl. His classmates and other blue chip linebacker recruits, Asmar Bilal (2015 defensive scout team player of the year) and Josh Barajas redshirted last year. This young talent will push upperclassmen, Greer Martini and James Onwaulu for reps.

The secondary returns Jekyll and Hyde aka Max Redfield along with sixth year Cal transfer Avery Sebastian and fan favorite Drue Tranquil – all at safety. Garnering spring ball notoriety was true freshman and early enrollee Devin Studstill, who was my “most likely to make an immediate impact” of the 2016 recruiting class.

Rounding out the secondary at cornerback is senior multi year starter Cole Luke along with juniors Nick Watkins and Devin Butler. They are surrounded by younger talent in sophomore Nick Coleman and Shaun Crawford, who was slated to be the team’s starting nickel back last year until suffering a torn ACL in fall camp. Crawford drew incredibly high praise during the 2015 fall camp before his injury, and his return provides a massive athletic boost to the secondary.

Credit: UHND.com

Over the past few years the Notre Dame special teams have often been regarded as the “not-so-special teams.” Last year, however, the group made great strides and improvements. Returning “The Big Three” key specialists in kicker Justin Yoon, punter Tyler Newsome, and long snapper Scott Daly should pay dividends for the special teams in 2016. DeShone Kizer has been relieved of his holding duties and he will be replaced by Montgomery VanGorder. The Irish also have the luxury of Sanders’ electric and ever-elusive return skills. As a true freshman, Sanders returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown last season. The special teams should continue to build off of last year’s success.

With the well-rounded depth in place, #NDFB is primed for an entertaining fall. Don’t forget that it is your civic duty as a Domer to recite one Hail Mary each day of camp for the shake of keeping this vital depth healthy!

Cheers and Go Irish!

The post Analyzing the Fall Camp Depth Chart appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Mike Vorel wrote the magazine’s cover story, “Avoiding A Split Decision,” on the quarterback competition between redshirt sophomore DeShone Kizer and redshirt senior Malik Zaire. Vorel interviewed former Texas head coach Mack Brown, former Notre Dame quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Brady Quinn and ESPN’s Austin Ward, who covered a similar competition at Ohio State last season. These experts have all previously endured summer-long speculation on who starts and who sits, and know how the student athletes will be evaluated, what intangibles will give one the lead over the other and importance of establishing an identity around the player ultimately chosen.

Brown’s probably got the most interesting tidbit, in explaining to Vorel how Vince Young got the starting nod at Texas in 2003.

Chance Mock was the No. 1 passing efficiency quarterback in the country, but we were really young up front and we couldn’t pass protect. … Chance wasn’t a great runner. So we put Vince Young in when we had the No. 1 passing efficiency quarterback in the country, because we needed to run the ball. We just couldn’t throw. Then we won 30 games and lost two. Was it fair to Chance? Probably not. But it was the best thing at that time for our football team.

Eric Hansen, the Tribune’s ND Football Insider, writes about middle linebacker Nyles Morgan, who was blocked from playing time by captain Joe Schmidt. Now that Schmidt has graduated, great things are expected of Morgan at the middle linebacker position. Morgan, from Crete, Ill., told Hansen:

Even though I was playing behind him, people assumed we had bad blood, but I loved Joe. If I had a question, Joe would answer it anytime.

I love Hansen’s writing style, especially when he described Morgan’s practice partner, Quenton Nelson, as a “garage with arms and a snarl.”

In a separate article, Shane Walton shares with Hansen what he sees from the current Notre Dame secondary. Walton, a 2002 graduate, is the Irish’s last All-American at cornerback. Will this be the year that senior Max Redfield consistently displays the talent that earned him five stars from recruiting services in high school?

Hansen also got an one-on-one interview with Coach Brian Kelly, including his insights on quarterback gurus, academic suspensions and playing the Shamrock Series overseas. Tyler James, the Tribune’s football recruiting expert, offers a piece on the risks and rewards of offering scholarships to three-star recruits. He also talks to three of the recruiting world’s most respected analysts about how Notre Dame can become a consistent top 10 powerhouse.

The magazine also includes smaller stories written by Vorel, Hansen, James and Tribune columnist Al Lesar about freshman quarterback Ian Book, senior running back Tarean Folston, sophomore wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, nose-guard-turned-tight-end Jacob Matuska, junior offensive guard Alex Bars, junior defensive tackle Jay Hayes, sophomore linebacker Asmar Bilal, freshman safety Jalen Elliott, redshirt freshman cornerback Shaun Crawford and fifth-year senior long snapper Scott Daly. There’s also a preview of all 12 teams on Notre Dame’s 2016 schedule.

Lesar has a lead-off column that, frankly, befuddled me. He argued that, in light of a “dead heat,” that Kelly should pick Zaire because he is “brash,” the “biggest talker” and has “attitude” and “swagger.”

Trailing Michigan State by five with four minutes to play and the ball at the Irish 20, the Notre Dame offense won’t be able to look at a blueprint of how to mount a comeback. It’s going to take a unit determined to get the job done, led by a guy who defines the word moxie. He might not always have the most accurate passes or the most seamless execution, but Zaire isn’t timid about improvising his way to a successful outcome.

Perhaps Lesar missed last year’s Virginia and Temple games?

The digital edition contains audio and video segments that just can’t be included with the magazine. I’d definitely recommend paying the $4.99 for the digital version, although I’d do so only if you have an iPad or comparatively sized tablet. Even with a generous text size, it’s impossible to read the stories on an iPhone without zooming in, which in turn makes scrolling a hassle. If you’re old school, the magazine is available for $9.95 on local racks in the South Bend area. (It costs $12.95 for a mailed copy.) I’ll definitely be dog-earing my copy as the season progresses.

Buy the digital version (Android or Apple) and the hard copy here.

Disclosure: The South Bend Tribune provided Her Loyal Sons with a complimentary hard copy. I paid for the digital version.

The post HLS Review: The 2016 ND Insider Football Preview appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Credit: Irish Sports Daily

Nyles Morgan’s surprising resurgence continues. Today, he was named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list. The Butkus Award is given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. Jaylon Smith and Manti Te’o are Notre Dame’s most recent award-winners. Could Nyles Morgan be the next?

The Butkus Award honors the best linebacker in high school and in college. Both Te’o and Smith won at both levels. Semifinalists will be named at the end of October and finalists at the end of November. The winner will be announced on December 6, 2016.

Nyles Morgan finished last season with nine (9) solo and eight (8) assisted tackles, behind Daniel Cage, Jarrett Grace, and Greer Martini. By all accounts, 2015 was a season to forget for the Irish linebacker. For some, his drop in productivity was the result of mismanagement, or worse, by the coaching staff. Regardless, his freshman year was more than solid: forty-seven (47) total tackles, of which twenty-three (23) were solo.

I think this nod by the national nabobs is more evidence that Morgan’s performance last season had more to do with what goes on the in the dark of the Gug and far less with the player’s ability to learn the scheme. How else to explain his inability to find the field last season?

While Coach Kelly has admitted that his staff were loyal to Joe Schmidt “to a fault,” that, in and of itself, cannot explain how a player with a freshman season like consistently loses out on snaps to a guy whose speed put the “walk” in “walk on.” Morgan’s absence from the field, and when he was on the field, from the play, made 2015 tough to watch. That he is counted amount the country’s fifty-one best linebackers at the moment is equal parts recognition of his talent and potential.

Without Joe Schmidt and Jaylon Smith in front of him, Morgan’s options this year are few: sink or swim. How he fares against a markedly improved Texas team to open the season will go a long way towards telling us what choice, if it is a choice, he has made. More profoundly, though, Nyles’ productivity at the Mike position will play an out-sized role in how much slack, if any, Coach VanGorder gets at the helm of the defense. If Morgan is successful and he calls solid games, BVG may just be onto something. If, however, the Irish continue to break down, I can’t see Uncle Rico driving the van back to South Bend for another season.

Injury can excuse a lot of poor performances, e.g. 2014. So can academic suspensions, e.g. well, you get the idea. With the Irish healthy and experienced in the defensive scheme, this should be the season where Nyles Morgan goes from the backup’s backup to the Butkus Award.

The post Nyles Morgan’s Surprising Resurgence appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)

Notre Dame coaches “undersold” sophomore linebacker Nyles Morgan last year in an effort to conceal a significant weakness in Brian VanGorder’s defensive scheme.

Blue & Gold Illustrated’s Bryan Driskell criticized VanGorder, the Irish’s defensive coordinator, for being too faithful to scheme and sticking with Joe Schmidt – although he graded out as one of the worst linebackers last year.

“Why did you run a defense that required you to put such an inferior player on the field in order for your defense to work?” asked Driskell on a podcast he co-hosted with BGI senior editor Lou Somogyi. “Why can’t Notre Dame, in two years, find a way to get a player like Nyles Morgan on the field? And now all of a sudden we’re to believe that this spring, Nyles Morgan went from – he was so bad that he couldn’t beat out the third worst linebacker in the country. We’re supposed to believe that now all of a sudden, according to the coaches, he’s this tremendous player and go out and lead the defense. That’s the frustration.”

Somoygi said Coach Brian Kelly admitted in a recent one-on-one interview that the staff may have “undersold” Morgan and were “loyal to a fault” to Schmidt last year.

Credit: Irish Sports Daily

Driskell said, despite the loss of Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame’s linebacker group could be better this year than last.

“The defense was built around the Mike linebacker making plays,” said Driskell. Schmidt, he said, consistently failed in that regard – noting that he both failed to sack USC’s Cody Kessler despite being sent on a blitz repeatedly and registered zero tackles (and seven missed tackles) against Clemson last year. Smith was used as an “eraser,” in Kelly’s terminology, for the errors of the both the defensive line and Schmidt in 2015.

“Now you have a player at Mike linebacker who is a more athletic, more effective, more productive player,” the analyst said of Morgan. “The key is: Can Nyles Morgan be a consistent player, avoid some of the big negatives that hurt him? But I think you’re going to see more production from the linebacking corps simply because – just by the nature of who he has – there is that weapon now at Mike linebacker that the defense can be built around. Whereas last year, when they tried to build their defense around Joe Schmidt, it just didn’t work because he wasn’t a good enough player.”

Morgan, Driskell said, will be the player who will most impact the success or failure of the defense if VanGorder’s approach remains unchanged. Somogyi noted that national experts, such as Phil Steele, had low expectations for the linebacker group. Steele slotted them as 45th best out of 128 teams entering 2016.

“This is a guy who has the physical tools. This is a guy who has been credited by Brian VanGorder, Brian Kelly, Mike Elston as working his tail off,” said Driskell. “I’ve heard great things behind the scenes about how hard he’s working, his attitude, the leadership he’s shown – all those kind of things. So I believe that position is poised to have much better production this season. Now, will Nyles Morgan take that step and become a legitimate playmaker? That remains to be seen.”

The entire podcast is worth a listen. Check it out here.

The post Expert: Nyles Morgan Scapegoated To Cover Coach’s Weakness appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 11: Jarron Jones #94 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against Jon Heck #71 of the North Carolina Tar Heels at Notre Dame Stadium on October 11, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

It has been no secret that the Irish defense has significantly lacked a strong and consistent pass rush the past few seasons under Brian VanGorder’s defensive system.

Yes, there have been flashes of well-designed blitzes and convincing individual performances. We all remember the thorough dismembering and countless cans of whoop ass that were opened on Michigan in 2014. How could anyone forget this marvelous shutout? (Quick update: Michigan still hasn’t scored). This was the game we were all formally introduced to the mustache riding, fist pumping, turn down for what defensive coordinator we collectively crushed on for a week.

It was also just a year ago that Romeo Okwara recorded three sacks in one game against Wake Forest. Okwara lead the team with 8 sacks, which was 45th best last year. Alabama, the reigning national champion, lead the country in sacks with 52, more than double Notre Dame’s lackluster output of 25. The Irish were tied for 74th in the country. As explosive as the Irish offense was last year, #NDnation drools at the thought of 10 more sacks potentially putting the offense in even better positions to light up the scoreboard. Since 25 sacks won’t cut it, is there any reason to believe this number will improve?

Yes – the defense will generate a better pass rush than last year. In terms of pass/fail, I would set the goal at 33 sacks. That output last year would have put the Irish in the top 30. I believe they’ll have a more effective pass rush than last year for two main reasons: depth and upgraded athleticism at key pass rush positions.

DEPTH

The defensive line has been a frustrating group to follow over the past few years. Depth has been a nagging issue. Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara have left behind large voids, but there is still reason to be optimistic about the defensive line. There’s an intriguing mix of inexperience and veteran presences.

Daelin Hayes (und.com)

Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem, two early enrollees, provide much needed depth, talent and overall star power. The pair, who both hail from Michigan, were top rated defensive linemen within the recruiting class. Hayes was once a U$C commit and Kareem was pledged to Alabama. They’ll be pushing redshirt freshmen Elijah Taylor and Michah Dew-Treadway, big bodies that are expected to compete for supporting roles.

Sophomore Jerry Tillery – star of Showtime’s “A Season With” documentary series – and battle-tested juniors Daniel Cage and Andrew Trumbetti will be staples on the defensive line this year. All three will be crucial to the group’s success and bring a different attribute to the line. Tillery is a highly cerebral defensive tackle with above average athleticism, giving him the ability to wreak havoc in opposing backfields. Cage is a 315-pound defensive tackle that often requires a double team in the middle of the defense, thus allowing linebackers to roam more freely. Trumbetti has seen two years of work at defensive end and has shown bursts and flickers of becoming a true rush end.

Unproven junior Jonathon Bonner finds himself in a curious grey area. Brian Kelly explained that Bonner was one of the “impressive up-and-comers” of the 2015 spring season; however, Bonner was unable to translate this praise onto the playing field on Saturdays.

Moving into 2016, Bonner explained to Blue and Gold Illustrated that he has settled in and become far more comfortable with his position.

“I do (feel myself getting better).  I actually feel a difference this year compared to even the end of last year. Workouts are much better and you can use everything in your toolbox from last year and really put it into play during spring ball.” Minimally, Bonner provides the defense with additional depth, and has potential to become a solid situational player within the defensive line rotation.

Finally, promising NFL prospects Isaac Rochell and Jarron Jones will set the tone for the group and will likely have the biggest impact on its success.

Jones returns this year after missing the entire 2015 season due to a fall camp knee injury. Jones’ long frame – 6-foot-5.5, 315 lbs. – is uncharacteristic for a defensive tackle. If he can develop an ability to leverage this length against his defenders, he could become incredibly difficult to block.

Rochell has the versatility and experience to play both tackle and end. He is anticipated to fill the leadership void within the position group that departed with Sheldon Day’s graduation. He is also one of my picks as a potential captain.

This evenly distributed amount of talent creates depth that has been dreadfully needed. With this depth in place, it would be a pleasant change of pace to see far more rotation on the defensive line compared to last season. Great defenses, especially defensive lines, have the ability to platoon players in and out, thus keeping the big bodies fresh for key snaps. Notre Dame has not had this luxury in recent seasons, but barring any (*FEROCIOUSLY KNOCKS ON WOOD*) injuries, the Irish should be able to create a steady and fresh rotation of defensive linemen.

UPGRADED ATHLETICISM

The BVG defensive scheme doesn’t shy away from a blitz or two (or three or four or…. you get it).  Sadly, a number of blitzes and a number of sacks are not directly correlated.  Last year, Irish fans witnessed a heavy dose of blitzes that failed to get home – many executed by Mike (middle) linebacker Joe Schmidt. This isn’t the time or place to debate Schmidt’s play, but it’s fair to say that when he blitzed, he rarely got home – twice to be exact.

Nyles Morgan (Credit: Chicago Tribune)

This upcoming year the defense will feature Nyles Morgan at Mike linebacker, and it’s with complete confidence that I conclude this will be an upgrade at the position. Morgan was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team, and to the Sporting News Freshman All-America Team in 2014. Many (including myself) were clamoring for Morgan to get more reps last year, but this simply didn’t happen. Many assumed it was due to a lack of totally understanding defensive schemes.  Morgan addresses this notion along with other intricacies of his position in a “Close Up” interview with WatchND.

Morgan is primed for a breakout year. His overall athleticism and three-year knowledge of the defensive scheme will produce vast improvements in the pass rush and in the defense as a whole.

Irish fans not only saw a bevy of blitzes from the linebackers, but also from the nickelback position. In the past few years, Matthias Farley often made a living firing off the line of scrimmage as a nickelback into opposing teams’ backfields. Redshirt freshman Shaun Crawford was going to be the team’s starting nickelback in 2015 before suffering a season ending injury in fall camp. He’ll be starting this year for sure. Crawford’s “quick twitch” agility and speed should be a deadly combination enabling him to come off the edge as an unexpected pass rusher. His pure athleticism, similar to Morgan, will be an upgrade at the position and a threat to opposing backfields.

Pairing the depth that has been created on the defensive line with the talent upgrades at other key pass rush positions, the Irish defense is in good position to improve from last year’s performance and inflict chaos on opposing pass protections.

Previous 5 Questions:

Will Another Star Receiver Emerge in ’16?

The post Will The Irish Defense Improve Its Pass Rush? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Jonathan Jones (Photo courtesy of Student Sports)

anyone who followed this class would’ve have said that before Signing Day. But given that Caleb Kelly committed to Oklahoma – despite the Irish pushing hard until the end – and Ben Davis signing with Alabama, Jones “saved” the class, at least on the defensive side of the ball.

Daelin Hayes, a 247sports composite four-star OLB and early enrollee, is certainly the player with higher expectations but it’s not yet clear what position he’ll end up at. So it’s Jones who will give the Irish depth at a position group that has lots of uncertainty heading into spring practice. Joe Schmidt and Jaylon Smith were the top two tacklers on the team. Te’Von Coney is recovering from injury. And Nyles Morgan – the only five-star linebacker on the roster – hasn’t been heard from in quite some time.

Jones, who was recruited primarily by Autry Denson, played at Oak Ridge High in Orlando. He appeared in The Opening, and is a 247sports composite .8745 rated player. For some context, Hayes is rated at .9371 and Caleb Kelly comes in at .9835.

Let’s be clear: Jones would be a developmental guy, probably heading towards a redshirt freshman season in more favorable roster scenarios. But where the linebacker group is with James Onwualu, Greer Martini, Morgan and Coney – and with Hayes’ injury history and position questions – Jones getting meaningful reps next season is a real possibility.  

Jamir Jones, the other linebacker in this class, could show up in spring practice and push Jonathan Jones on the depth chart, but most analysts have Jamir as longer term prospect, and there is some talk of moving him to defensive end, which is why he factors less in this discussion at this point.

So, Jonathan Jones is the guy who fills the gap in the depth chart. At least until Brian Kelly decides to convert a running back or safety.

The post Jonathan Jones Saved ND’s Class of 2016 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Note: the assorted thoughts below may or may not always include analysis from the game.

I should be drunk right now…

So my first taste of #DadLife during football season came early. In lieu of tailgating (aka having an excuse to drink at my house at 8 or 9 am), I spent my morning moving furniture out of our guest bedroom to begin the conversion to a nursery.

I managed to finish the process about 30 minutes before “kickoff”; however, the first drink that I consumed was water. In fact, I only consumed one beer the entire game.

What is happening to me? Send help.

Oh hey, our QBs are dancing

SupermanTDJesus captured this wonderful moment from the pre-game in his highlight reel. We’ve heard that the QB competition is about as friendly as it could be and I’m not sure anything proves this more than our QB duo dancing a jig.

And now, they shall dance forever!

The QB competition went as expected

I wasn’t expecting either Everett Golson or Malik Zaire to really grab the starting QB spot after Blue/Gold. Kelly said the competition would likely go until August and even if either of them had a terrible day it could be chalked up to something they’d need to work on during fall camp.

Needless to say, that (thankfully) didn’t happen and both QBs put together solid performances. I still believe that this is Golson’s job to lose, but, after seeing what happened against LSU, it just seems dumb to not give both playing time throughout the season.

That Zaire bomb though…

Straight football porn:

https://vine.co/v/ezTUDnErQD1

PEW PEW

Not sure if offense great or defense terrible

Here’s the annoying part of every spring game. When something incredible happens, you marvel at one side of the ball and then start to get worried if that great thing only happened because the other side of the ball is terrible.

Generally, I lean towards thinking that the offense usually has the advantage in these types of scrimages. Plus, some of those guys really are that good. That bomb that Will Fuller was wide open on? That’s going to happen to a lot of DBs and not just poor Nick Watkins.

Still, after some of the nightmares that happened in 2014, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly concerned.

Jerry Tillery is going to be a monster

I can see why Kelly gushed over him most of the spring. After making a position change and just a bit of spring football under his belt, he looked like a natural on the D-line. He didn’t make any huge plays, but he’s going to give a lot of offensive lines nightmares and I can’t wait to see what happens when he gets even better.

Welcome to the backfield CJ Prosise

Prosise is just one of those guys that needs to get the ball feed to him. He looked great in the backfield and will serve as a great compliment to both Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant. Added benefit: Prosise is likely going to continue driving those two to stay on top of their game so they don’t lose carries. Everybody wins.

No one got hurt!

Save for one slight scare when Nyles Morgan needed to be checked out, everyone left the Blue/Gold game in one piece. Really, that’s the biggest victory you can ask for.

Dan Hicks had to read my stupid blog joke

Dan Hicks has called play-by-play for an NFL playoff game. He’s been one of the voices for the Olympics and is now the voice for Notre Dame football home games. And now, he can add this to his resume:

https://vine.co/v/eztzrYXpYEw

I’m still laughing.

I think this is better than winning the #NDCallThePlay contest. The most absurd thing that I could think of made it on TV. Dan Hicks had no idea what he was reading/seeing and I can only imagine the look on Doug Flutie’s face too.

This might just be the highlight of my blogging career.

The post Assorted Thoughts from the 2015 Blue/Gold Game appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.