Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612
86 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW DEFENSIVE LINEMEN The Notre Dame ends combined for just 10.5 sacks on the season, and the entire line had just 15 quarterback takedowns. Notre Dame was forced to blitz because it had to, not because it wanted to, which is a dangerous proposition. As teams started to get a read on the Irish pressure packages, the defense as a whole became less effective. During the final six games of the regular season, Notre Dame allowed its opponents to average 453.7 total yards per game and 5.8 yards per play. It was the worst stretch of defense in school history. Kelly knows the front must be more effective at creating pressure and believes that will be the case this fall. He does acknowledge, though, it will be a group effort. "I don't think we're looking for one guy that's an elite pass rusher, that's going to be the guy," Kelly said. "I don't think anybody's going to look at it that way, but we think guys have improved immensely in their individual technique. "Isaac Rochell is a better pass rusher. I think you're going to see as we move forward that Andrew Trumbetti and Romeo Okwara are bet- ter on the edge than they were before. I think they'll all be improved from last year." Gilmore was encouraged by the spring progress of his unit. "They're learning how to work together," Gilmore said. "Pass rush is about effort. It's not about the great pass-rush move every single time. It's about guys giving great effort, understanding the rush lanes, collapsing the quarterback and getting sacks as a group." Rochell was a player that Gilmore mentioned all spring as being a standout in his eyes. "He's been very good," Gilmore said. "He has really stepped up from last year to this year and has made great strides. His pass rush has improved, and he's a steady force." Rochell's combination of size (6-3½, 287) and solid athleticism has always been attractive. What changed this spring is his under- standing of how to win one-on-one matchups in the pass game. "He's becoming more of an edge rusher," Gilmore explained. "The ability to learn how to flip his hips and turn the corner has been the biggest thing I've seen." Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder pointed to Trumbetti as a young player that is poised for a major jump in production. "Andrew Trumbetti was such a young player last year," VanGorder said. "If there's any freshman that jumps out it would be him." Sophomore Grant Blankenship is another blooming prospect with a unique combination of size (6-4½, 252) and athleticism. Blankenship must continue to develop physically, but Gilmore likes what he sees from his young end. "He shows great toughness and a high motor," Gilmore said. "I have to slow him down a little bit, and he's has to get a little bit stronger. His aggressiveness and his non-stop motor are probably his biggest assets." One wild card is the potential return of fifth-year senior end Ishaq Williams, who has recorded 45 tackles, six stops for loss and one sack in 35 career games (one start) with the Irish before being sidelined by last year's academic investigation. He was enrolled in summer school at Notre Dame, but his status on the team remained uncertain. A decision on the Brooklyn native's future was expected to come at the end of the summer. ✦ QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Keith Gilmore (1st at Notre Dame) Returning Starters: DT Sheldon Day (19 career starts), DE Isaac Rochell (13), DE Romeo Okwara (13) and NG Jarron Jones (12) Departing Starters: None Projected New Starters: None Top Reserves: DE Andrew Trumbetti (1), DE Grant Blankenship, DT Jay Hayes, NG Jacob Matuska and NG Daniel Cage Waiting Their Turn: DE Jonathan Bonner and NG Peter Mokwuah Newcomers: NG Jerry Tillery, DT Micah Dew-Treadway, DT Brandon Tiassum and DT Elijah Taylor Moved In: DE Doug Randolph (from Will LB) Other Departures: DT Justin Utupo (3) FYI: The defensive line is ranked No. 10 nationally by Lindy's Sports College Football National 2015 Preview and No. 18 by Athlon Sports College Football Preview … Day is ranked as the No. 7 defensive tackle nationally by Lindy's … Day was named a pre- season third-team All-American by Phil Steele's 2015 College Football Preview … Day was named a team captain in 2014 … Tillery is the first player from Louisiana to sign with Notre Dame since Albert Poree in 1999 … Dew-Treadway, Tiassum and Taylor committed to Notre Dame within a six-day span last June. Junior end Isaac Rochell was arguably Notre Dame's top run defender last year, and he finished with 39 tackles, 7.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 2.5 sacks. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BY THE NUMBERS 5 Games (Navy, Northwestern, Louisville, USC and LSU) in which Notre Dame al- lowed its opponent to rush for more than 200 yards in 2014. The Irish defense allowed 263.6 yards per game on the ground in those five contests. 8.5 The number of sacks last season by Notre Dame's returning defensive ends. 171.2 Rushing yards allowed per game last fall, the most surrendered by a Notre Dame defense since 2007. Year Sacks 2005 15.5 2006 23.5 2007 9.5 2008 10.0 2009 12.0 Year Sacks 2010 20.0 2011 13.0 2012 31.0 2013 16.5 2014 15.0 YEAR-BY-YEAR SACKS BY ND DEFENSIVE LINEMEN