Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1061429
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2019 15 UNDER THE DOME Subscribe to WELCOME BACK! Running back Dexter Williams romps for 161 yards while Notre Dame chops down No. 7 Stanford, 38-17 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM OCT. 8, 2018 • $3.50 VOLUME 38 • ISSUE 5 • EST. 1981 Blue & Gold Illustrated is the foremost source for information, analysis and opinions on Notre Dame football and football recruiting. Your subscription includes: n One Year Of Blue & Gold Illustrated: 20 print publications (published weekly during football season and monthly the rest of the year — except June). n Access at BlueGoldOnline.com: You don't have to wait for the mail! Every issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated is posted on our website at the same time it goes to press (Sundays during football season). n One Year Of Blue & Gold Report: Our digital game preview newsletters are emailed every pre-game Wednesday during football season. They include printable team rosters and depth charts for both teams. Blue Gold Report, our email newsletter Call 800-421-7751 to order or visit BlueGoldOnline.com Makes a terrific gift for your Notre Dame Fan! Starting at $39.99 THEY SAID IT "Notre Dame lacks the elite, echelon playmakers. But when you start to poke holes, there aren't many. They're solid across the board. There aren't glaring weaknesses. "… This is a better Notre Dame team [than 2012]; this is a more skilled Notre Dame team. Their passing game versus Clemson's secondary will decide the ball game. Nobody's going to line up and pound Clemson … but they have a chance to keep the game close." — ESPN's David Pollock "Two years ago, Notre Dame went 4-8 and everybody thought Brian Kelly was going to be fired. Despite the rumors, Kelly knew he had to make critical changes to his program. He overhauled his staff and himself (he started doing yoga), and began spending more time with his players. In 2017, his team won 10 games and he was asked how Notre Dame would build off that success, especially after losing two top-10 NFL Draft picks. "The Fighting Irish responded by going 12-0 this season, which likely wouldn't have happened if Kelly didn't make the difficult decision to switch starting quarterbacks after the third game. Brandon Wimbush had gone 12-3 as a starter, but Ian Book opened up the offense and limited the amount of snaps the defense had to take. The plan worked and now Notre Dame will play in its first playoff." — Laken Litman of Sports Illustrated on Notre Dame making the College Football Playoff "The team that can rattle the opposing quarterback will win the Cotton Bowl. That's easier said than done, of course. One might think that [Clemson quarterback Trevor] Lawrence would stumble at least once as a freshman. That simply hasn't happened. He was fantastic as the backup to Kelly Bryant, who has since opted to transfer, and equally consistent upon his move into the starting lineup. [Ian] Book has been a revelation, as an under-recruited prospect who ascended up the depth chart in September and has since tossed 19 touchdowns while completing more than 70 percent of his attempts. "Notre Dame has faced off with similarly gifted defensive fronts, most notably in its season-opening win against Michigan. Overall, the Irish have allowed 19 sacks on the year, good for 29th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. But Clemson will provide a different test. How well the Irish respond to the Tigers' pressure from end to end is likely the Cotton Bowl's deciding factor." — Paul Myerberg of USA Today "Key matchup: Trevor Lawrence vs. Notre Dame's pass defense. Lawrence emerged as Clemson's starter in late September after several weeks of splitting time with Kelly Bryant under center. He has yet to face a secondary with the talent and depth Notre Dame brings to the table during an exemplary rookie season. Then again, All-America candidate Julian Love, safety Alohi Gilman and a host of other playmaking threats on the back end of Notre Dame's defense haven't had to lock down a group of receivers that could match up with the options Lawrence has at his disposal. "Lawrence has thrown only four interceptions all season, none of them in his past three games. If he has a mistake-free game again, Clemson should have a great chance to return to its third championship game in the past four years." — ESPN on the matchup between the Irish and Tigers OF THE MONTH "The @CFBPlayoff Semifinal at the @Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is set! @NDFoot- ball and @ClemsonFB will face off in the 83rd Classic! #GoodyearCottonBowl." The official account for the Cotton Bowl Classic (@CottonBowlGame) Dec. 2 "I don't think Notre Dame plays a system or style that is conducive to blow people out and impress you in terms of saying they are better than this team or that team. They [just] play great football." — ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA