Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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D uring the summer of 2012, the Notre Dame football program under third-year head coach Brian Kelly was popularly described as "a year away." The 2012 season was prophesized by many pundits as the table-setting campaign, one where if the program could finish in the top 25 for the first time in six years it should be a prelude to vying for a BCS berth and a top‑10 finish in 2013 and beyond. There were too many factors working against Notre Dame to be a bona fide top‑10 team in 2012: • An untested sophomore quarterback in Everett Golson, a first-time starter, which inevitably would lead to some growing pains. • The absence of graduated NFL first-round playmaking wideout Michael Floyd. • The sudden departures of projected difference makers on defense — Freshman AllAmerican defensive end Aaron Lynch transferring to South Florida, and early enrollee cornerback Tee Shepard having to withdraw and transfer (Holmes Community College). The defense also graduated its lone firstround choice (safety Harrison Smith) since 1998. • A treacherous schedule that included games at Michigan State, Oklahoma and preseason No. 1 USC. Also, Michigan and Stanford each had defeated the Fighting Irish three straight seasons, and the inevitable "upset special" — Purdue? BYU? Pitt? — was always lurking. • Above all, despite three straight top‑10 recruiting classes from 2006-08, Notre Dame had developed a proclivity to underachieve collectively on the field. When you expected maybe a 6-6 finish in 2007, it was 3-9. When 8‑4 seemed conceivable in 2008-09, it was 6‑6. When 10-2 appeared attainable in 2011, it was 8-5. The five straight seasons of finishing outside the Associated Press top 25 from 2007‑11 were one year short of the school record six in a row from 1981-86. The 'Year Away' Is Here Surprise ascent in 2012 is now anticipated to be the norm Encore Presentation? Lo and behold, the 2012 Fighting Irish produced a once-in-a-generation "where did that come from?" campaign with a 12-0 regular season that procured a No. 1 ranking and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. An extremely bitter taste was left on the palate when Alabama trounced Notre Dame 42‑14 in the national title showdown. Yet in August 2012, probably 99.99 percent of Fighting Irish faithful would have signed up for a 12-1 season after the five previous seasons produced a 32-31 ledger. What can the Fighting Irish do for an en- Thanks in part to senior quarterback Tommy Rees' relief efforts, head coach Brian Kelly's team was 5‑0 last year in games decided by seven points or less — a first in Notre Dame's 125 years of playing football. photo by bill panzica core now that "the year away" is here? • Notre Dame graduated its two linchpins on both sides of the ball, consensus AllAmerican linebacker Manti Te'o on defense and John Mackey Award recipient (nation's top tight end) Tyler Eifert on offense. • The top two rushers from 2012, Theo Riddick (917 yards) and Cierre Wood (742), moved on to NFL pastures. • All that time invested last year into de- veloping Golson at quarterback won't reap benefits in 2013. He will now atone for an academic transgression and attempt to gain re-admission into Notre Dame in 2014. Still, expectations in 2013 are much different. At the end of spring, Notre Dame's highest preseason ranking was No. 5 (SI.com) and no lower than No. 14 (Lindy's) among five major media outlets. However, most of those ratings 128 ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview 128-129.Predictions.indd 128 6/25/13 10:55 AM