Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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138 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW would play as well against the SEC opponent. The fol- lowing day, Zaire became the first left-handed starter at quarterback in Notre Dame history. Dec. 30 — Led by the two-quarterback assault, Notre Dame recorded its first win over an SEC school since 2005 and ended a disappointing season with a good feeling fol- lowing a 31-28 victory over LSU. Zaire accounted for 192 yards total offense, while Gol- son completed six passes for 90 yards and led the game- winning march with some clutch completions. Jan. 10 — Day announced his intentions to return to Notre Dame for his senior season and hold off on the NFL Draft until 2016. Jan. 13 — Left tackle Ronnie Stanley followed Day's lead and announced his return to South Bend for the 2015 season. Jan. 19 — Daniels announced that he would forego his remaining eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. He sat out the 2014 season while suspended due to the academic investigation. GAME PERFORMANCES 1. Everett Golson vs. Florida State — Notre Dame came painfully close to toppling No. 2 Florida State, the defending national champions, Oct. 18, due mostly to the elite performance by Golson who, coincidentally, will suit up for the Seminoles in 2015. The senior quarterback completed 31 of 52 passes for 313 yards with three touch- downs, with a fourth nullified by the controversial offensive pass interference call. Golson's performance in Tallahassee showed why he became a Heisman Trophy can- didate prior to turnovers dismantling his and Notre Dame's season. 2. Tarean Folston vs. North Carolina — The 43 points al- lowed by the Irish Oct. 11 were the most they surrendered in a victory at Notre Dame Stadium. To outscore the Tar Heels, Notre Dame needed a performance like the one Folston delivered. The sophomore running back rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught five passes for 71 yards and a score, in the victory. His October performances helped him emerge as the clear No. 1 running back on the squad. 3. Cole Luke vs. Stanford— Notre Dame eked past Stan- ford 17-14 Oct. 4. The highlight from that game was tight end Ben Koyack's game-winning grab on fourth down, but the Irish defense, led by Luke, a sophomore cornerback, kept Notre Dame in the game for four quarters. Luke intercepted a pair of passes — the first Irish player to do so since Manti Te'o against Michigan in 2012 — and held versatile Stanford wide receiver Ty Montgomery in check, while Notre Dame allowed only 4.4 yards per pass attempt and 8.8 yards per completion. 4. Malik Zaire vs. LSU — Notre Dame fans received a taste of what a Zaire-led offense might look like in 2015 when he led the Irish to a 31-28 win over LSU in the Music City Bowl in his first career start. The sophomore signal caller rushed 22 times for 96 yards and a touchdown, and also passed for 96 yards and a touchdown on 12 completions. While it is unrealistic to expect him to register 20 carries per game in 2015, Zaire pro- vided a new look against the Tiger defense to significantly aid the season-ending win. 5. Golson vs. Rice — Golson's long-anticipated return following a 2013 academic suspension culminated in an impressive performance against Rice in the season opener Aug. 30. Golson threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for an additional 41 yards and three scores. In what turned out to be a rarity in 2014, he also did not com- mit a turnover. TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. Joe Schmidt — Senior middle linebacker Joe Schmidt transformed from a walk-on when he first enrolled at Notre Dame to an irreplaceable part of the Irish defense in 2014. In the spring, head coach Brian Kelly indicated that Schmidt was the one defender the team could not afford to take off the field. Few fans bought in until the regular season, when Schmidt proved to be the unit's heart and soul. After he went down with an ankle fracture/dislocation in November, the Irish surrendered 55, 43, 31, 49 and 28 points, re- spectively, in the final five games, although some of it was on the offense. Schmidt earned team MVP honors at the end-of-year banquet in December. 2. Will Fuller — Following TJ Jones' graduation, one of the top offseason storylines was which receiver would develop into the go-to option in the passing game. Fuller, who changed his number to Jones' No. 7 prior to his sophomore year, caught 76 passes for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014. In only two games — Stanford and USC — did Fuller not score. 3. Ronnie Stanley — Notre Dame's offensive line did not live up to expectations in 2014, but that had nothing to do with left tackle Ron- nie Stanley. The junior had started at right tackle in 2013 before switching sides follow- ing the graduation of Zack Martin. Stanley started all 13 games and was regarded as a possi- ble first-round pick in the NFL Draft before he decided to return to South Bend in 2015. 4. Jaylon Smith — In his s e co n d s e a s o n at N o t re Dame, Smith moved from Dog (outside) linebacker in former defensive coordinator Bob Diaco's system to Will line- backer in Brian VanGorder's scheme. While the move took some time for Smith to adjust to, he was arguably the top athlete on the field for Notre Dame in 2014. Smith led the Irish in tackles (112) and tackles for loss (nine), and is cross-training this offseason to play both inside and outside. 5. Tarean Folston— The sophomore running back led the Irish in rushing yards (889) and finished second to Everett Golson with six rushing touchdowns. He took a major step forward from a strong freshman season, particularly as a pass blocker and receiver (190 yards and one TD). Each of the five players on this list will return to Notre Dame in 2015 and three, including Folston, will be juniors, and cornerback Cole Luke also excelled. Running back Tarean Folston's 169 total yards and three touchdowns helped the Irish edge North Carolina in a 50-43 shootout Oct. 11. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Quotable "Integrity is at the heart of our mission at this univer- sity. Academic dishonesty strikes at that heart. As we investigate, we will redouble our efforts to reinforce the importance of honesty in all we do. We are also examining ways to better convey to our students that they can avail themselves of legitimate assistance without cheating. We are committed to taking strong action and to using this ex- perience to reinforce among our students the importance of honesty in all they do." — University president Rev. John Jenkins during a press conference announcing an investiga- tion into possible academic fraud Aug. 15 "The play itself, in terms of what we ask our kids to do, it was pretty clear what happened on the play: Florida State blew the coverage and they got rewarded for it. It's unfortunate." — Kelly on the controversial offensive pass interference call at Florida State Oct. 18 Head coach Brian Kelly and the Irish found themselves on the wrong side of what they felt was a bad offensive pass interference call at the end of the Florida State game that cost them a victory. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA