Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1061429
22 JANUARY 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN DRISKELL E ven the most optimistic Notre Dame fans would have had a hard time seeing this coming. Just two years ago, the Fight- ing Irish had wrapped up a miser- able 4-8 campaign, and the future of the program was in doubt. The fall was sudden and discour- aging, but from the ashes of that sea- son Notre Dame has quickly risen back to national prominence, win- ning 22 of its next 25 games. The Irish concluded a perfect 2018 campaign with a 24-17 victory over USC Nov. 24 in the Los Angeles Me- morial Coliseum, a place that had been a house of horrors for them in recent seasons. Notre Dame earned its first ever College Football Playoff berth after going 12-0 this season, and it was an all-around team effort. One could argue Notre Dame was better on defense in 2012, and the Irish have certainly had better of- fenses than this year. However, at no time under head coach Brian Kelly have the Irish been this good on of- fense and defense in the same season. The success of the team as a whole doesn't mean that there weren't indi- vidual standouts this season. Here is a look at the players who stood out most in 2018. MVP OFFENSE SENIOR RUNNING BACK DEXTER WILLIAMS When the season kicked off, Notre Dame was without the services of Williams. Off-the-field issues had re- sulted in him getting an "unofficial" suspension that kept him off the field through the first four weeks. He returned for the fifth game of the season and made his presence felt right away. Williams took his first carry of the season 45 yards for a touchdown to spark Notre Dame to an early lead over Stanford Sept. 29. By the time the game was over, he had racked up a career-high 161 yards on a career-best 21 carries to lead the Fighting Irish to a 38-17 vic- tory over the Cardinal. Williams surpassed that mark a week later, rushing for 178 yards in a 45-23 victory at Virginia Tech Oct. 6. His 97-yard touchdown run in the third quarter broke the game open. He again set a career high with 202 yards in a 42-13 win over Florida State Nov. 10, the last time he would play at Notre Dame Stadium. It wasn't just his 941 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns that earned Wil- liams the MVP honors for the offense. His emergence symbolized what the 2018 team was all about. Long known as someone unwill- ing to play the team game, Williams became an all-around contributor that did whatever his coaches asked, whether it was to run, catch or block for others. MVP DEFENSE SENIOR BUCK LINEBACKER DRUE TRANQUILL There were defenders that pro- duced more than Tranquill, but his value goes well beyond numbers. No player on the defense was asked to do as much as Tranquill, who had to handle difficult coverage tasks, excel as a run defender in the box and in space, and occasionally provide pres- sure on the quarterback when the line was unable to get to the passer. Tranquill broke his hand during Notre Dame's win at Virginia Tech, and an ankle injury he sustained GOLD STANDARD Tremendous performances on both sides of the ball propelled Notre Dame's perfect regular season Once senior running back Dexter Williams was inserted into the lineup, the Fighting Irish offense became an explosive unit. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA