Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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68 PRESEASON 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED NFL ability," DiCarlo stated. "They don't need a guy to come in and run for his life. If [the coaches] can get someone in who can spread the ball around they'll be fine." Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko's last game while coaching at Wake Forest came against Temple in the Military Bowl. It was a 34‑26 victory for the Deacons, who held the Owls to minus‑20 yards on the ground. Wake Forest had more issues with the Temple receiving corps com‑ prised of redshirt junior Ventell Bry‑ ant, fifth‑year senior Keith Kirkwood and senior Adonis Jennings. The trio combined for 24 catches and 386 yards against Wake Forest. Bryant set a career high with 11 catches and Jennings set his career mark with 154 yards in the game. Temple also returns three starting offensive linemen, but its success ultimately will come down to how the quarterbacks handle playing in a tough environment. "Either way, you're going to have a guy under center who is either liter‑ ally playing his first snap of college football, or a guy who's making his first start," DiCarlo stated, summing up the predicament for Temple. DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW Like Rhule, Collins is a defensive‑ minded coach, and he inherits a team that thrived on that side of the ball last fall. Temple ranked third nationally in total defense, 11th in scoring defense, 21st in tackles for loss and 25th in rushing defense. Collins had Florida playing at an equally effective level. The Gators led the nation in pass ef‑ ficiency defense, while it ranked fifth in total defense and sixth in scoring defense. Collins will bring an aggressive defensive approach to Temple, us‑ ing the word "mayhem" often when describing his unit. Notre Dame will have to be prepared for a lot of pres‑ sure from a lot of different spots. "He's going to like to send pres‑ sure from all over the place," DiCarlo explained. "Sending linebackers, sending safeties, corners, the whole mayhem type of thing. "They've got a lot of athleticism at linebacker, they are just untested there, but they are the kind of guys who can blitz and get their hands up in pass lanes." Temple lost six of its front seven starters from a season ago — includ‑ ing defensive end Haason Reddick, who was drafted 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. The personnel losses will necessitate that Collins and defensive coordinator Taver Johnson come after the Notre Dame offense. Temple returns a deep group of linemen, but heading into the opener against Notre Dame no one is a proven commodity. The same can‑ not be said for the secondary, which is both skilled and a veteran group. Three starters return, and graduate transfer Mike Jones was a first‑team All‑MEAC cornerback in 2016. "Their secondary, I'm not saying it matches Alabama's, but it can match a lot of teams," Narducci said. "In fact, all four of them have a shot to be in the NFL." Temple ranked third nationally in passing defense last season and 13th in pass efficiency defense, and its vet‑ eran secondary was a big reason for that high level of production. Sean Chandler, a senior, began his career at cornerback before moving to free safety in 2016. In his first year on the back end of the defense, C h a n d l e r e a r n e d s e c o n d ‑ t e a m All‑AAC honors. He is joined by hard‑hitting strong safety Delvon Randall, the team's top returning tackler (65). "Chandler, who made a nice, smooth transition after being a start‑ ing corner his first two years to free safety last year, he and Delvon Ran‑ dall, they will be considered one of the better safety combinations in the country," Narducci proclaimed. Where Temple has the least amount of experience is at linebacker — all three starters from last year are gone. Despite the lack of starting experi‑ ence, there seems to be a great deal of excitement about what the unit brings. "Their three linebackers [last year] were really cagey veterans, but these guys are so much more athletic and can run so much better," Narducci explained. "Now, they don't know what they're doing as much as those other guys, but they can sure outrun some of their mistakes." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: TEMPLE 2017 TEMPLE SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Sept. 2 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 9 Villanova (ESPN3) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 15 Massachusetts (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at South Florida (ESPN) 8 p.m. Sept. 30 Houston TBA Oct. 7 at East Carolina TBA Oct. 14 Connecticut TBA Oct. 21 at Army (CBSSN) 12 p.m. Nov. 2 Navy (ESPN) 8 p.m. Nov. 10 at Cincinnati (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Nov. 18 Central Florida TBA Nov. 25 at Tulsa TBA 2017 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Sept. 2 Temple (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 9 Georgia (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Boston College (ESPN) 12 p.m. Sept. 23 at Michigan State (FOX) 8 p.m. Sept. 30 Miami (Ohio) (NBCSN) 5 p.m. Oct. 7 at North Carolina TBA Oct. 21 USC (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 NC State (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4 Wake Forest (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Miami (Fla.) TBA Nov. 18 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Stanford TBA Redshirt junior Ventell Bryant headlines a tal- ented receiving corps and is coming off a season during which he hauled in 54 passes for 895 yards and four touchdowns. PHOTO BY JOSEPH V. LABOLITO/COURTESY TEMPLE