2016 Notre Dame Football Preview

2016 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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38 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY LOU SOMOGYI E ntering the 2015 football campaign, there were three main themes on Notre Dame's offense. First, the line was expected to be the team's top strength that would lead to an improved rushing attack. Second, junior wide receiver Will Fuller would be one of the nation's most dynamic game-breakers. Finally, new dual-threat starting quarter- back Malik Zaire could not afford to get injured. Two out of three proved correct, while the third evolved into a pleasant surprise. The line did indeed feature No. 6 overall NFL Draft pick Ronnie Stanley at left tackle and second-round selection Nick Martin at center. They paced a ground game that — when including bowl games — averaged 207.6 yards per contest, the first time Notre Dame eclipsed the 200-yard barrier since 1998 (208.1). Fuller was named the Team MVP and became a first-round pick after his junior season. Meanwhile, Zaire was lost for the year in the second half of the second game because of an injury. Yet sophomore DeShone Kizer, who had never played and struggled mightily in the spring, acquitted himself remarkably while accounting for 3,404 total yards and 31 touchdowns. On June 9, head coach Brian Kelly spoke exclusively with Blue & Gold Illustrated on how the offense can improve upon its 34.2 scoring average from 2015, the highest in his first six seasons: Blue & Gold Illustrated: Last year, you said the quarterback had to be an integral part of the running game if this offense is to be suc- cessful. The QBs accounted for 719 rushing yards in 2015, the third-best single-season total in school history. Are you looking for some- thing similar this year from Kizer and/or Zaire? Brian Kelly: "The way teams were playing us defensively, we felt the quarterback needed to be added into our offense as the second runner. "Quite frankly, the way our offense is set up as a one-back alignment, it's hard to have an effective running game without the quarter- back being involved. If it's strictly a one-back offense, it's too easy for the defense to hone in on that running game. So to expand the run- ning game, that quarterback has to be part of it. "Either that or you need to be in more heavy sets [with multiple tight ends]." BGI: Do you see this offense staying mainly with 11 personnel (one back, one tight end and three receivers)? We ask because your best depth appears to be at quarterback and running back, whereas wide receiver is less so. Do you try to find more of a balance with more tight ends or a second back? Kelly: "Part of what we'll do is find out whether we can establish a similar offensive structure with the next guy up. Can we have a similar offensive structure to last year with Equanimeous St. Brown, with Corey Holmes, with CJ Sanders [who have two combined career catches] … whoever that next guy is at the receiver positions? "If we can't, then we'll look at what the next best situation is formation wise for our offense to function. Is it with two tight ends, or even three tight ends? We'll try to figure that out in preseason camp. We know what we're going to run, and we've got that set. "For us it's about formational packaging." BGI: Is there a greater willingness to run your quarterback because of the confidence in OFFENSE Q&A Last year, the Irish achieved their best rush- ing (207.6 yards per game) and scoring (34.2 points per contest) outputs during head coach Brian Kelly's tenure. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND TransiTion Notre Dame is projected to have different strengths this season than in 2015

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