Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/699309
2015 Year In Review 132 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY ANDREW OWENS A nytime Notre Dame is still in the national championship hunt heading into its final game of the regular season, it typically means the campaign can be considered a success. Head coach Brian Kelly's squad was able to absorb a number of season-ending injuries and still remain in the College Football Playoff discus- sion through 11 games. A devastating two-point loss at Clemson in Oc- tober was followed by another at Stanford during Thanksgiving weekend, but Notre Dame reached the 10-win mark for only the second time in nine seasons. The Irish lost one quarterback as a graduate transfer in May and another to a season-ending injury Sept. 12, but a sophomore made the most of his chance to lead the offense and program. The following is a timeline of the year that was: Aug. 4 — Running back Greg Bryant was ruled academically ineligible for the 2015 season and transferred to junior college ASA Miami later in the month. Aug. 5 — It is announced that defensive end Kolin Hill is leaving Notre Dame, and he transfers to Texas Tech. Aug. 6 — Notre Dame opened fall practice away from campus at Culver Academies in Culver, Ind., for the second straight season. Aug. 8 — Former Irish greats Jerome Bettis and Tim Brown were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Aug. 15 — Senior nose guard Jarron Jones suffered a knee injury that would keep him out for the rest of the regular season, dealing a blow to the interior of the defensive line. Aug. 18 — Kelly proclaimed that he thinks the 2015 Irish are "faster, more athletic and deeper" than any other team during his tenure, including the 2012 group that finished 12-1. Aug. 19 — Freshman cornerback Shaun Crawford's torn ACL knocks him out for the 2015 season just days after he was named the starting nickel back by Kelly. Aug. 27 — Five players were named captains for the 2015 season: senior defensive tackle Sheldon Day, fifth-year senior safety Matthias Farley, fifth-year senior center Nick Martin, fifth-year senior linebacker Joe Schmidt and junior linebacker Jaylon Smith. Aug. 28 — The NCAA ruled defensive end Ishaq Williams ineligible to compete in 2015 for reasons stemming from the 2014 academic investigation. Sept. 5 — Junior quarterback Malik Zaire completes 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards with three touchdowns in a 38-3 drubbing of Texas at Notre Dame Stadium to open the season. A look back at the last 12 months of Notre Dame football Junior wide receiver Will Fuller notched 62 catches for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns en route to being named the team MVP and becoming a first-round pick (No. 21 overall) in the NFL Draft. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA