Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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36 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Elko and Long are just two of Notre Dame's six new assistants, in addition to new leader- ship in strength and conditioning. Programs that undergo that much upheaval in one off- season typically are faltering, not ascending. But there is belief in South Bend that with Elko and Long in place, the Irish have turned a corner both psy- chologically and schematically. Elko's attack- ing 4-2-5 scheme produced strong results for Wake Forest in 2016, with the Demon Deacons finishing 23rd nationally in scoring defense (22.2 points per game) and 31st in defensive efficiency. In addition, the Deacons ranked third in fumble recoveries (15), tied for 10th in turnovers forced (27), 11th in sacks (3.15 per game), 18th in third-down defense (34.1 percent) and 22nd in team tackles for loss (7.3 per game). His unit's strong perfor- mance helped Wake Forest make its first bowl game since 2011. Long's up-tempo spread at Memphis also produced excellent results, with the Tigers ranking 15th in the country in scoring of- fense (38.8 points per game) and 28th in total offense (463.7 yards per game). Both new coordinators understand the pres- sure packed situation they are stepping into, where immediate results will be demanded. "I didn't take this job blindly," said Elko, whose 2013 Bowling Green defense ranked third in the country in red zone defense, fifth in scoring defense, sixth in passing yards allowed, ninth in pass efficiency defense, 10th in total defense and 11th in fumbles recovered. "I never would have. That was probably the biggest thing I looked at before taking the job — how fast can we have suc- cess? So I believe there's talent here that meshes and matches well with what we do. "I don't think it will be an exact match. It never is. But there certainly will be a foun- dation in place to get done what we need to do pretty quick." A s f o r L o n g , who replaces Notre Dame's previous of- fensive brain trust of Mike Denbrock and Mike Sanford, he was initially hesitant at the prospect of leaving the Tigers. "There were a bunch of guys [on staff] who MAKE-OR-BREAK HIRES Mike Elko and Chip Long bring new philosophies to Notre Dame for crucial 2017 season "Mike Elko does a lot of things that are hard to decipher, but easily taught. And his experiences are in college. He does an incredibly efficient job at communicating what he's teaching. And we're teachers. He's a really good teacher at the end of the day." HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY BY MATT JONES G oing through the kind of disappointing season Notre Dame struggled through in 2016 demands change. The Irish en- tered the 2016 season as a preseason top-10 team but fin- ished 4-8, and the result was a major staff overhaul. Head coach Brian Kelly recognized afterwards, and probably during, that a new direction and different voices were needed on both sides of the ball. To achieve that, Kelly hired two new coordinators – 39-year old Mike Elko on defense and 34-year old Chip Long on offense – that put together the kind of results last season that Notre Dame needs. Bouncing back demands their success follow them to Notre Dame. "We made quite a few changes," Kelly said. "It's important to certainly look at where you are, where you were and, for me, I know I'm going to always be reminded about last year, and I clearly understand that. "But I'm living in the present and building for the future." Elko is one of only two defensive coordinators in the nation to have a unit rank in the top 40 of the Foot‑ ball Bowl Subdivision in total defense over the last five years (2014‑16 at Wake Forest and 2012‑13 at Bowling Green). PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND