Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 131 BY BRYAN DRISKELL In his second year as the head coach at Geor- gia, Mark Richt led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record, a Sugar Bowl victory and its first SEC title in almost 20 years. The Miami Hurricanes are hoping Richt can repeat his year two success. They finished Richt's first season with a five-game win streak, which has created a lot of buzz. Phil Steele has Miami ranked as his preseason No. 11 team in the country, and every other preseason publica- tion has the Hurricanes in the top 25. Miami will build around an athletic defense that held its final four opponents to 15.5 points and 310.5 yards per game. The line is expected to be one of the nation's best, with its top eight players returning. "They have quality depth across the board and will be able to keep fresh bodies in the game at all times," said Gary Ferman, pub- lisher of CaneSport.com. "The question now is who will emerge as impact players. We think second-year defensive end Joe Jackson has a chance to emerge as one of the nation's best pass rushers." Jackson led the Canes with 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a true freshman in 2016, while Miami ranked 22nd nationally in sacks. A secondary that lost all four of its 2016 starters, however, is the major concern. The offense returns a lot of talent. Lindy's ranks sophomore wideout Ahmmon Richards as the nation's eighth-best pass catcher and the Miami line as the eighth-best unit. The question is at quarterback, where Miami has yet to find a replacement for Brad Kaaya. "Malik Rosier is the only quarterback on the roster who has appeared in a game. That is the only thing anybody brings to the table," Ferman said. "N'Kosi Perry has great individual talent, but he is a true freshman. Evan Shirreffs doesn't appear to have a strong enough arm. … Vincent Testaverde just isn't good enough … so it's a tough situation on the surface." How quarterback shakes out could be the final piece to the puzzle for the Hurricanes. ✦ 2017 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2016 Result Sept. 2 Bethune-Cookman — Sept. 9 at Arkansas State — Sept. 16 at Florida State L, 20-19 Sept. 23 Toledo — Sept. 29 at Duke W, 40-21 Oct. 12 Georgia Tech W, 35-21 Oct. 21 Syracuse — Oct. 28 at North Carolina L, 20-13 Nov. 4 Virginia Tech L, 37-16 Nov. 11 Notre Dame L, 30-27 Nov. 18 Virginia W, 34-14 Nov. 24 at Pittsburgh W, 51-28 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 18-7 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 30, Miami 27 (Oct. 29, 2016; South Bend) Head Coach: Mark Richt, 9-4 (2nd year) and 154-55 overall (17th year) 2016 Results: 9-4 overall, 5-3 ACC (T-2nd Coastal); defeated West Virginia 31-14 in the Russell Athletic Bowl Returning Starters: 14 (7 offense, 7 defense) 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 11 by Phil Steele's, No. 16 by ESPN's Football Power Index, No. 19 by Lindy's, No. 19 by Street & Smith's and No. 23 by Athlon Did You Know?: Notre Dame has won four straight meetings against Miami dating back to 1990, with the last three victories coming during Brian Kelly's tenure … The last time Notre Dame played at Miami, in 1989, the Hurricanes beat the No. 1 Irish 27-10 to snap their program-best 23-game winning streak … Linebacker Shaquille Quarterman was named a preseason third-team All-American by Phil Steele's … Lindy's ranked Quarterman as the nation's 11th-best inside linebacker. Prediction: Notre Dame 28, Miami 27 STRENGTH: Front Seven Miami's front seven was loaded with young play- ers in 2016, with four freshmen and two sopho- mores in the starting lineup. That young group took its lumps, but by the end of the season it was playing at a high level. Miami's first five Power Five opponents aver- aged 197.8 yards per game on the ground, but the last five went for just 101.0 yards a contest and averaged just 3.1 yards per attempt. Those young players are now experienced and expectations for the group are sky high. Miami's defensive line combined for 67.5 tackles for loss and 25 sacks last year and is ranked as the na- tion's fourth-best group by Phil Steele's and sixth by Athlon. Sophomore defensive end Joe Jackson showed flashes of being a dominant end last season, and he's joined on the outside by former Rivals five- star Chad Thomas, who added 11 tackles for loss last fall. Inside, the Hurricanes return all four rota- tional players from a season ago. Miami started three true freshmen at linebacker last season, and that unit is poised for a breakout. It is led by Mike linebacker Shaquille Quarterman who finished second in tackles (84) and tied for third in tackles for loss (10) as a rookie in 2016. Miami's linebackers are ranked seventh nation- ally by Phil Steele's. CONCERN: Quarterback Losing starting quarterback Brad Kaaya was a tough blow for the Hurricanes. Kaaya was com- ing off a 3,532-yard season in which he tossed 27 touchdowns. He would have rewritten the school's passing record book had he returned, and the Miami of- fense would have had a chance to be outstanding. Instead, he left early for the NFL Draft. The move didn't pay off, with Kaaya not getting selected until the sixth round. Freshman Jack Allison — Rivals' No. 205 player in the 2016 class — decided to transfer to West Virginia. The job is now up for grabs, and there are more questions than answers. Junior Malik Rosier is the only quarterback on the roster with any experience. He led Miami to a 30-27 victory over Duke in his lone career start in 2015 when Kaaya was injured. He competed 20 of 29 passes for 272 yards in the win. Redshirt junior Vincent Testaverde and sopho- more Evan Shirreffs don't seem to be starting caliber players. Freshman Cade Weldon was an early enrollee, but he isn't ready. The wild card is incoming freshman N'Kosi Perry, the No. 188 overall player in the country according to Rivals. Perry is a run-throw quarterback who could add some juice to the offense if Rosier can't handle the job, but building around a true fresh- man is rarely ideal. MIAMI HURRICANES NOV. 11 • HARD ROCK STADIUM • MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Mark Walton (1,117 yards, 14 TD) Passing: QB Malik Rosier (32 yards, 0 TD) Receiving: WR Ahmmon Richards (934 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: LB Shaquille Quarterman (84) Sacks: DE Joe Jackson (8.5) Interceptions: Four players tied (1) X-FACTOR: Senior tight end Christopher Herndon will be tasked with replacing the 698 yards and eight touchdowns put up by David Njoku, a first- round pick of the Cleveland Browns. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI ATHLETICS