Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
90 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY LOU SOMOGYI AND BRYAN DRISKELL S ince 1964, the year Ara Parseghian arrived as Notre Dame's head coach, one specific position group has best encapsulated whether the Fighting Irish are or will be championship timber or an also ran. More than any other unit, this one has re- quired game-changing, big-time future NFL- caliber personnel to spearhead the charge. No, it's not really quarterback. The Everett Golson and Tommy Rees combination during a 12-0 regular season was serviceable while averaging a modest 25.8 points per game — the lowest in head coach Brian Kelly's seven seasons. In the championship-clinching wins in 1966, 1973 and 1988, and the debatable No. 2 finish in 1993, none of the Fight- ing Irish starting quarterbacks — Coley O'Brien, Tom Clements, Tony Rice and Kevin McDougal — were drafted by the NFL. (Nor was Golson or Rees from 2012.) The No. 2 Irish in 1970 did have Joe The- ismann at quarterback — but not one of the offensive linemen or running backs on that team played in the NFL. The single-most common thread in every championship-caliber team at Notre Dame — from Parseghian through Kelly in 2012 — remains the same and cannot be compro- mised: the defensive line, highlighted by at least one pass-rushing terror. A dominant defensive line alone won't nec- essarily make the Irish a contender, but the team can't enter the conversation of achieving lofty stature without possessing one. If Notre Dame is to rebound from its cata- clysmic 2016 campaign, a renaissance along the defensive line is imperative. For now, it is instead categorized, at least on the outside, as one of the team's primary concerns. Last year's line finished last among the 65 Power Five teams in quarterback sacks WHATEVER HAPPENED TO D-LINE U? No unit has more consistently defined excellent Notre Dame seasons or struggles The 1970s Notre Dame defensive lines featured constant stalwarts such as (from left to right) Willie Fry, Mike Fanning, Steve Niehaus and Ross Browner — all of whom were selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. In fact, Fanning, Niehaus and Browner were all top-10 picks. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS