Blue and Gold Illustrated

February 2013

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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Follow Notre Dame Sports Year-Round in Blue & Gold Illustrated! Blue & Gold Illustrated is the foremost source for information, analysis and opinions on Notre Dame football and football recruiting. Your subscription includes: n One Year Of Blue & Gold Illustrated: 20 print publications (published weekly during football season and monthly the rest of the year — except June). n One Year Of Blue & Gold Report: Our game preview newsletters, complete with scouting reports, published every pre-game Wednesday during football season. They include weekly team rosters and depth charts for both teams. n Online Access at BlueGoldOnline.com: You don't have to wait for the mail. Every issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated is posted on our website at the same time it goes to press (Sundays during football season). Optimized for tablet viewing. notre Dame FiGHtinG iriSH DeptH CHart USC preview nov. 21, 2012 spoiler alert trojans look to ruin Notre Dame's national title dreams By Wes Morgan s outhern California head coach Lane Kiffin walked out of an interview in September when simply asked an injuryrelated question, then banned the reporter for revealing the Trojans' kicker had undergone surgery. A month later on Oct. 20, USC was busted for switching jerseys against hapless Colorado. Backup quarterback Cody Kessler changed from No. 6 to No. 35 before the game versus the Buffaloes, with No. 35 being the same number worn by Trojans punter Kyle Negrete. Kessler was used on a two-point conversion in the first half wearing No. 35 before moving back to No. 6 at halftime. Then there was the USC student manager who intentionally deflated footballs Date: Nov. 24, 2012 Site: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (93,607) Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET Television: ABC Radio: This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (27‑10, third season), USC — Lane Kiffin (25‑11, third season). Series Facts: This will be the 84th meeting between the two programs, and Notre Dame leads the all‑time series 43‑35‑5. The Trojans, who have won nine of the last 10 games against the Fighting Irish, picked up a 31‑17 victory in South Bend last season. Prime Personnel: Offense — Sophomore wide re‑ ceiver Marqise Lee boasts a national‑best 107 receptions for 1,605 yards and 14 touchdowns. The speedy 6‑0, 190‑pounder is averaging 145.9 receiving yards per game and 15.0 yards per catch. Defense — Junior defensive end Morgan Breslin leads the Trojans with 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. The 6‑2, 250‑pound junior college transfer Pos. No. WR 7 2 WR 9 19 LT 70 78 LG 66 65 C 52 57 RG 57 51 RT 74 70 TE 80 18 WR 81 87 QB 5 12 or 11 RB 6 or 4 or 20 OFFeNSe Name TJ Jones Chris Brown Robby Toma Davonte' Neal Zack Martin Ronnie Stanley Chris Watt Conor Hanratty Braxston Cave Mike Golic Jr. Mike Golic Jr. Bruce Heggie Christian Lombard Nick Martin Tyler Eifert Ben Koyack John Goodman Daniel Smith Everett Golson Andrew Hendrix Tommy Rees Theo Riddick George Atkinson III Cierre Wood Ht. 5‑11 6‑2 5‑9 5‑9 6‑4 6‑6 6‑3 6‑5 6‑3 6‑3 6‑3 6‑5 6‑5 6‑4 6‑6 6‑5 6‑3 6‑4 6‑0 6‑2 6‑2 5‑11 6‑1 6‑0 Wt. Yr. 190 Jr. 172 Fr. 185 Sr. 171 Fr. 304 Sr. 304 Fr. 310 Sr. 305 So. 304 5th‑Sr. 295 5th‑Sr. 295 5th‑Sr. 285 Jr. 309 Jr. 290 So. 251 Sr. 253 So. 215 5th‑Sr. 215 Jr. 185 So. 220 Jr. 210 Jr. 200 Sr. 210 So. 215 Sr. Pos. No. DE 89 91 NG 9 96 DE 7 69 Cat 55 11 Will 48 44 Mike 5 59 Dog 13 30 FC 6 43 S 17 29 S 41 24 BC 2 21 DeFeNSe Name Kapron Lewis‑Moore Sheldon Day Louis Nix III Kona Schwenke Stephon Tuitt Tony Springmann Prince Shembo Ishaq Williams Dan Fox Carlo Calabrese Manti Te'o Jarrett Grace Danny Spond Ben Councell KeiVarae Russell Josh Atkinson Zeke Motta Nicky Baratti Matthias Farley Chris Salvi Bennett Jackson Jalen Brown Ht. 6‑4 6‑2 6‑3 6‑4 6‑6 6‑6 6‑2 6‑5 6‑3 6‑1 6‑2 6‑3 6‑2 6‑5 5‑11 5‑11 6‑2 6‑1 5‑11 5‑10 6‑0 6‑0 Wt. Yr. 306 5th‑Sr. 286 Fr. 326 Jr. 290 Jr. 303 So. 300 So. 250 Jr. 255 So. 240 Sr. 245 Sr. 255 Sr. 240 So. 248 Jr. 240 So. 182 Fr. 185 So. 215 Sr. 206 Fr. 200 So. 190 Sr. 185 Jr. 199 So. SPeCIALISTS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PK 27 Kyle Brindza 6‑1 225 So. LS 60 Jordan Cowart 6‑2 230 Sr. 40 Nick Tausch 6‑0 201 Sr. 61 Scott Daly 6‑2 245 Fr. photo courtesy usc P 35 Ben Turk 5‑11 186 Sr. PR 19 Davonte' Neal 5‑9 171 Fr. 27 Kyle Brindza 6‑1 225 So. 81 John Goodman 6‑3 215 5th‑Sr. H 35 Ben Turk 5‑11 186 Jr. KR 4 George Atkinson III 6‑1 200 So. has 49 total tackles, four passes broken up and a fumble recovery this season. 14 Luke Massa 6‑4 225 Jr. 6 Theo Riddick 5‑11 200 Sr. For The Record: Both Notre Dame and USC have won 11 KO 27 Kyle Brindza 6‑1 225 So. consensus national titles and produced seven Heisman Tro‑ phy winners, though the Trojans have had far more success in the last decade … Thr Irish won the lowest‑scoring game want e-maiL notiFiCation oF new eDitionS oF BLUe & GoLD report? between the two schools, which was a 9‑0 decision in South ContaCt US at 1-800-421-7751 or GevanS@ComanpUB.Com Bend in 1952 that helped a Frank Leahy‑coached squad to a 7‑2‑1 record … The Trojans got the best of the highest‑ scoring affair, a 55‑24 contest in 1974 in Los Angeles when WantFor the first time this year a freshmanall the Irish news? to stay up-to-date with ELP WANTED: Now hiring qualified the Irish were ranked No. 5 and USC was No. 6. Head coach Lane Kiffin has found himself on the hot seat during a distraction-filled campaign that saw preseason no. 1 USC's national title hopes dashed by four defeats. ✦ Game FaCtS prior to the Nov. 3 game against Oregon. The school was fined $25,000, fired the manager and said he acted alone without instruction from anyone above him in the program. Kiffin's middle name is Monte, but it might as well be 'Controversy' — it follows him wherever he goes. The many distractions throughout a 7-4 season has made Kiffin's seat a little hotter. The Trojans finished 10-2 last year, which was the last of a two-season bowl ban after getting hit with NCAA sanctions stemming from allowing improper benefits to former USC running back Reggie Bush. And when quarterback Matt Barkley spurned the NFL and decided to play his senior season in Los Angeles, the table was set for USC, which started the year ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press poll, to sprint back into the national title race. "The expectations were created because of what they did last year," said Scott Schrader, who covers the team for FightOn247.com. "It's not like this came out of thin air. If they lose the last two games [against UCLA and Notre Dame] and don't have a good season next year, I think we'll be having that conversation." USC troJanS DeptH CHart Pos. No. SE 2 8 LT 75 or 70 LG 66 or 50 C 78 50 RG 59 74 RT 77 76 TE 86 or 82 FL 9 15 QB 13 6 FB 31 or 38 TB 22 or 25 OFFeNSe Name Robert Woods George Farmer Max Tuerk Aundrey Walker Marcus Martin Abe Markowitz Khaled Holmes Abe Markowitz John Martinez Jeremy Galten Kevin Graf Nathan Guertler Xavier Grimble Randall Telfer Marqise Lee Nelson Agholor Max Wittek Cody Kessler Soma Vainuku Jahleel Pinner Curtis McNeal Silas Redd Ht. 6‑1 6‑1 6‑6 6‑6 6‑3 6‑1 6‑4 6‑1 6‑2 6‑5 6‑6 6‑5 6‑5 6‑4 6‑0 6‑1 6‑4 6‑1 6‑0 5‑11 5‑7 5‑10 Wt. 190 205 285 300 325 310 305 310 300 295 295 270 260 255 195 180 235 215 250 225 190 200 Yr. Jr. So. Fr. So. So. 5th‑Sr. 5th‑Sr. 5th‑Sr. R‑Jr. Sr. R‑Jr. R‑So. R‑So. R‑So. So. Fr. R‑Fr. R‑Fr. R‑Fr. Fr. 5th‑Sr. Jr. Pos. No. DE 96 93 or 81 NT 90 99 DT 94 90 or 58 DE 91 58 SLB 18 34 MLB 55 51 WLB 10 56 CB 21 23 FS 7 19 SS 29 24 CB 26 4 DeFeNSe Name Wes Horton Greg Townsend Kevin Greene George Uko Antwaun Woods Leonard Williams George Uko J.R. Tavai Morgan Breslin J.R. Tavai Dion Bailey Tony Burnett Lamar Dawson Will Andrew Hayes Pullard Anthony Sarao Nickell Robey Kevon Seymour T.J. McDonald Drew McAllister Jawanza Starling Demetrius Wright Josh Shaw Torin Harris Ht. 6‑5 6‑3 6‑4 6‑3 6‑1 6‑5 6‑3 6‑2 6‑2 6‑2 6‑0 6‑1 6‑2 6‑2 6‑1 6‑0 5‑8 6‑0 6‑3 6‑1 6‑1 6‑1 6‑1 6‑0 Wt. 255 260 255 275 305 270 275 265 245 265 210 205 235 235 235 215 165 170 205 205 200 195 190 190 Yr. 5th‑Sr. R‑Fr. R‑Jr. R‑So. R‑Fr. Fr. R‑So. So. Jr. So. R‑So. 5th‑Sr. So. R‑Jr. R‑So. R‑Fr. Jr. Fr. Sr. 5th‑Sr. Sr. Jr. R‑So. R‑Jr. sept. 12, bacK on to P 2011 • $3.50 1st and g oal Cierre Wo ascend od, Irish No. 1 following tovolume 31 • issue 1 • est. 1981 38 of Wake -0 rout Forest Manti Te' o, No clinch a . 1 Notre Dame spot national champion in the with 22 -13 victor ship game y at US C Decembe volume r 2012 • $3.5 32 www.blue • issue 12 •0est. andGold.c 1981 om nov. 26, volume 2012 • $3.50 32 www.blue • issue 11 • est. 1981 andGold.c om G aininG g ro u n d George churn outAtkinson III hel soil in 50 293 yards of ps Iris -10 rou t over Na h vy SPeCIALISTS Pos. No. Name PK 48 Andre Heidari 46 Craig McMahon P 35 Kyle Negrete 35 Kris Albarado SNP 61 Peter McBride 49 Bryson Lloyd Ht. Wt. Yr. 5‑10 200 So. 6‑1 195 R‑So. 6‑0 225 5th‑Sr. 5‑10 195 R‑Fr. 6‑1 220 R‑Fr. 6‑3 225 R‑Jr. Pos. No. Name HLD 6 Cody Kessler 35 Kyle Negrete KOR 9 Marqise Lee 15 Nelson Agholor PR 21 Nickell Robey or 2 Robert Woods Ht. Wt. Yr. 6‑1 215 R‑Fr. 6‑0 225 5th‑Sr. 6‑0 195 So. 6‑1 180 Fr. 5‑8 165 Jr. 6‑1 190 Jr. no experienCe reqUireD H Makes a terrific gift for your Notre Dame Fan! Only $52.95 for one year young candidates to lead college offenses around the country. Must be willing to work nights and weekends, especially in the fall. No salary, but the benefits are second to none. The right man for the job will have a strong understanding of situational football, the ability to drop a pass inside a trash barrel from 40 yards away and the agility to run circles around an average defensive lineman. No past experience required. murphy's Law dan murphy There used to be a time when playing a freshman at quarterback was a liability. Newcomers are prone to mistakes amid the head-spinning speed of the game. Defenses relished the chance to add to that chaos, going out of their way to increase the confusion and salivating at the thought of burying a young signal-caller. Notre Dame will have its chance on Saturday against USC's first-time starter Max Wittek, a redshirt freshman. Losing senior Matt Barkley should have been a deathblow to the wobbling Trojans. The preseason Heisman frontrunner holds a slight advantage over Wittek with 47 more starts, 12,232 more passing yards and 115 more touchdown passes. Yet the mouths of Notre Dame defenders remain foamless. They don't have to look far to be reminded that this is the year of the rookie quarterback. Four of the top 10 teams in the country are currently piloted by a quarterback in his first year of eligibility. A fifth, No. 4 Florida, starts true sophomore Jeff Driskel, who got a five-game head start last season on his class of 2015 companions. Only two of the top 10 teams play with a senior under center. quarterback might win the On Facebook! Like Us sport's most revered individual prize. Texas A&M's Johnny ManzielFollowcandidate for the is the top Us On Twitter! Heisman Trophy. Manziel almost committed to Oregon, where he would have bat✦ page 18 tled with classmate Marcus Mariota. The Ducks have the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation with Mariota behind the wheel. He had the country's top pass efficiency rating until last week, when his team was knocked off by No. 8 Stanford and a Cardinal offense revitalized by redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan. And, of course, there is sophomore Everett Golson. Notre Dame's starter is 70 aerial yards away from passing Ron Powlus for the most productive rookie season ever for an Irish quarterback. Golson's trajectory has been as steadily upward as Notre Dame's movement in the national polls. He improvised enough to keep the Irish unbeaten while learning on the job. Improv and improve is the recipe for all rookie success this season, according to Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. "You have to have a skill set that allows you to play the game while you're learning," he said. "Every one of those freshman quarterbacks, if you go talk to their quarterback coach or head coach, they'll tell you they're everett Golson needs only 70 passing yards against USC to surpass ron powlus for the most productive rookie still learning. They have a unique skill set season ever for an irish quarterback. photo by bill paNzica — whether it's a high IQ, a great arm, inManziel transformed a fumble in the red Kelly's favorite quip in September and tuitiveness in how they play the game — zone into a touchdown on his way to upsetOctober was telling the press that Golson they've got to have something there." ting No. 1 Alabama. Mariota caught a hook was still baking in the oven. Today's world For most of football's diaper dandies shot of a pass from one of his teammates doesn't have the time for 350 degrees and a the ability to make something from nothand dove in for his first receiving touchmeat thermometer. ing has been the crutch they lean on while down against Arizona State. Hogan threw This generation of microwaved quarterclimbing the learning curve. (Although, a comeback-inspiring 40-yard touchdown backs seems to be just fine doling out inone could make a pretty good case that pass against Oregon State in his first start stant gratification. Is Wittek ready to join Golson's "skill set" includes junior backup while in the process of nearly being sacked. the ranks and help the Trojans stun Notre Tommy Rees.) The four aforementioned Golson's game-tying two-point conversion Dame? ✦ rookie quarterbacks have turned the type dive against Pittsburgh was designed to be of chaos defenses used to dream about into E-mail Dan at dmurphy@blueandgold.com. You a pass. can follow him on Twitter at @BGI_DanMurphy. game-breaking plays this season. sept. 10, volume 2012 • $3.5 0 32 • issu e 1 • est. 1981 www.blu www.blue eandGold andGold.c .com om ✦ page 21 Sample pages of Blue & Gold Report Send to: Blue & Gold Illustrated — Circulation Dept., P.O. 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