2015 Notre Dame BYU Armed Forces Preview

2015 D-1 Independents Preview

BRETT CIANCIA
August 1st, 2015

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

ZACH KINDER
Big 12 Writer

It hasn’t been such rosy times in South Bend the past few seasons. After returning to the national elite and making the BCS National Championship in 2012, Notre Dame has gone 17-9. For one of college football’s most decorated programs, those number just won’t get things done for hungry alumni and an itching fan base. What transpired for coach Brian Kelly and the Irish in 2014, however, might have been out of his control. Football isn’t a place for excuses, but the season started with a serious academic investigation resulting in the season-long suspension of two of its most talented defenders, defensive lineman Ishaq Williams and cornerback KeiVarae Russell, who both return this season. The Irish also watched as several prominent members of the defense went down with injuries midway through the season, and the results were devastatingly apparent. Notre Dame lost five of its final seven games, several of which were in its grasp late in the game.

The season began with a blowout win against a respectable Rice team (48-17) and a shutout against rival Michigan (31-0), their most lopsided win in the series and the game’s final chapter. Notre Dame reeled off four more wins, including a gritty 17-14 win against Stanford, before heading into Tallahassee to face Florida State. With the game on the line and only moments left, quarterback Everett Golson hit Corey Robinson for the game winning score. Unfortunately for the Irish, an offensive pass interference call erased both the score and Notre Dame’s hope of winning. It was the beginning of the end for the Irish season. The team regrouped to pull out a 49-39 win against Navy next, but lost starting linebacker Joe Schmidt for the season in the victory. Following losses at Arizona State (55-31) and home against Northwestern (43-40), the Irish hosted a surprisingly good Louisville Cardinal team. Louisville held on for the win (31-28), and Notre Dame lost defensive lineman Jarron Jones and safety Drue Tranquil. The Irish’s top NFL prospect Sheldon Day also missed the Louisville game. With a pieced together defense and a struggling Golson, USC routed the Irish in Los Angeles in the final regular season game of the season. The Irish, however, were able to salvage at least part of the sinking season a month later in Nashville. With several key players returning to the lineup and sophomore quarterback Malik Zaire replacing Golson, the Irish stunned LSU on a 32-yard field goal as time expired.

Notre Dame is a program fans love to hate thanks to its arrogant persona. A quick Google search reveals several hundred pages of Notre Dame hatred explanations. Minus 2012, the past several years have been great source material for Notre Dame haters, but that might not be the case in 2015. The Irish return 16 starters, not including Ishaq Williams and KeiVarae Russell. The offense lost former starter Everett Golson for academic issues a couple seasons ago, and this time he’s gone for good. After a strong start to the season, Golson struggled to finish on a high note, and ultimately got benched in favor of Zaire. Following the season, Golson announced his intention to transfer and wound up at Florida State. Perhaps a more painful loss for the Irish was Matt Hegarty, who transferred to Oregon during the offseason. Hegarty had 11 starts at center in 2014, but his replacement, senior Mark Harrell, has only two games of playing experience and no starts. Zaire takes over the starting reigns full time in 2015, coming off a sensational performance against LSU in the Music City Bowl. While the offensive line loses two starters, it returns Rimington and Lombardi Award candidate Nick Martin, and an experienced left tackle, Ronnie Stanley. Shoring up the other side is junior Steve Elmer. They’ll be looking to improve protection for Zaire and running back Tarean Folston (885 yards, 6 TDs). Backup Greg Bryant also returns, but is suspended for the first four games of the season. Zaire will be throwing to all three returning starters at wide receiver, led by junior All-American candidate Will Fuller (1094 yards, 15 TDs) and Chris Brown. Tight end Ben Koyack is off to greener pastures in the NFL, but incoming freshman Alize Jones was the nation’s top tight end recruit. He’ll battle junior Durham Smythe for playing time in 2015.

As strong as the offense looks to be in 2015, it’s the defense that should scare opposing coaches. The Irish fell on hard times a season ago thanks to suspensions and injuries. Backups defensive backs Nicky Baratti, Austin Collinsworth and Cody Riggs all missed significant time for various injuries, but the story of 2015 will be the return of linebacker Jarrett Grace. Grace looked to be Mant’i Teo’s heir apparent, but suffered a gruesome leg injury against Arizona State two years ago. After sitting out last season, he’ll play a backup role this season. It’s deceptive to say the defense returns intact, when it, in fact, lost two starters. The two players stepping up to fill those positions, however, were locks to start in 2014 if not for suspensions. Defensive end Ishaq Williams and defensive lineman Sheldon Day, both NFL prospects, return to anchor a deep, terrifying defensive line. Opposite Williams is senior Romeo Okwara, who led the Irish in sacks a year ago. Jarron Jones helps anchor the interior with Day, an Outland Trophy candidate. Joe Schmidt will return healthy for the 2015 season a year after being named the team MVP. Returning with him are James Onwualu and All-American Jaylon Smith. Smith, one of the country's premier defenders, is a candidate for the Nagurski, Lombardi, Butkus and Bednarik trophies. Russell returns to anchor the secondary, which also returns starters Cole Luke, Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate. The defense began 2014 as one of the country’s best, but injuries depleted the roster in the second half of the season, and Notre Dame crumbled with it. Each tier of this defense contains NFL-ready talent, a scary thing for opposing teams to consider.

OUTLOOK
The Irish kick off the season at home in an intriguing matchup with the Texas Longhorns. Two of college football’s most decorated programs facing off in a season opener is sure to draw the attention of national media, but while Notre Dame might be ready to return to the spotlight, Texas certainly is not. Strong is sure to field a tough defense and test the Irish offense, but not talented enough to pull out the upset in South Bend. The Irish also have tough matchups against Georgia Tech, who beat Mississippi State to end 2014, and at Clemson before facing Pac-12 favorite USC in mid-October. A game at Temple two weeks after USC shouldn’t be overlooked. Temple returns every starter and nearly every backup on a defense that allowed just 17.5 ppg and 4.75 yards per play in 2014. The defense ranked No. 16 on Bill Connelly’s Def. S&P+, an opponent-adjusted rating. The Irish end the season with a tough road trip to Stanford. Road games against some incredibly tough defenses (including 2014’s top defense at Clemson) will put pressure on Notre Dame’s offense. While the schedule might not work out in their favor, a depth chart loaded with talent and experience give the Irish a good shot at breaking into the College Football Playoff in 2015. It might be a long shot for the Irish, but anything less should be considered a disappointment.

BYU COUGARS

BRETT CIANCIA
Co-Owner

Follow @PickSix_Pac12

In our ‘Best Non-Conference Games of 2015’ feature, BYU made the top 25 list four times – their entire September slate. As a guest on Sirius XM’s BYU Radio, I discussed that even a 2-2 September should be applauded, but that the sky is the limit with their dynamic leader: Taysom Hill. Three straight 8-5 seasons have the fan base a bit restless, and understandably so, for a team with such talent and tradition-rich history. Last season was the easier schedule to capitalize on, but a mid-season injury to Hill set them back a ways. Now, the schedule ramps up a notch, playing 4 Top 40 Power 5 teams, along with a slew of the strongest teams in non-AQ ball. And if you think the 2015 schedule is tough, take a peek at what’s to come in 2016 and 2017. As a BYU fan, you have to embrace the challenges, because this at least offers the idea of controlling your destiny, and makes a path to the Playoff or New Years Six Bowls at least fathomable. Will conference realignment rage on, and will BYU be considered for a spot? Who knows. If it was up to me, strictly-football speaking, I would throw BYU in the Pac-12 with either Utah State or Boise State. It’s not that easy, sadly. But for BYU the focus needs to remain on the 4 challengers awaiting in September.

OFFENSE
This season I am calling for improvement on offense, mostly due to Hill’s healthy return. Remember, it was the Hill-led offense that led to Mack Brown’s retirement in the 40-21 destruction of 2013, and the same attack that routed Texas again in 2014 to the tune of 41-7. Jamaal Williams is the leading returning rusher, and he hasn’t exactly burst onto the scene yet. Nonetheless, his senior leadership is valuable behind Hill. Star receiver Mitch Mathews will again be the top target in the passing game, and I expect him to eclipse the thousand-yard mark. Even with three starters returning, the line is young, and has the added importance of protecting Hill. Even with Hill missing 8 games, this unit managed to average 37.1 points per game (15th nationally). While the passing attack actually ranked above the rushing attack, I expect a reversal this year as Hill is known to run rampant on defenses. Knock on wood because college football fans everywhere want to see Hill at 100% all season long.

DEFENSE
Under Mendenhall, the nasty, physical defense has been BYU’s defining quality. The high energy, unity, and intensity the Cougar defense plays with is quite inspiring and a joy to watch. Especially fun to watch was impact player OLB Kyle Van Noy who was a force for years on this defense. A playmaker of that level hasn’t been seen since, but potential stars Bronson Kaufusi and Manoa Pikula are ready to lead. Moving on from KVN was tough, as the points allowed per game jumped up by almost a full touchdown. Hopefully the strong BYU rushing attack returns, meaning ball control and keeping the defense fresh. The strength is definetly in the front seven, as both the aforementioned playmakers lead their levels. The secondary was a blatant weakness last season, allowing 270 yards passing per game (114th nationally). And, just one starter returns to a weak unit. For as tough as that September slate is, there is one silver lining regarding the pass defense. A closer look at the four teams shows that 3 of them will be breaking in new starters, while the 4th, Nebraska, is a heavy-run team. Had it been 4 pass-heavy teams (Cal, Texas Tech, Washington State, and TCU, for example) the outlook would be much different.

OUTLOOK
BYU’s punishing run game, mobile quarterback, and energy-filled never-give-an-inch defense makes them one of my favorite teams to watch. I know that some BYU fans are becoming restless with the 8-win campaigns, and that is quite normal. But what Mendenhall has created (and sustained) here should be applauded. Now a challenging schedule awaits, and provides some what of a measuring stick to see how they stack up nationally. In order of “winnability” I will rank September: Michigan, Boise State, Nebraska, UCLA. All are tough but the 1984 Holiday Bowl rematch might be the best shot at a W. I am uneasy placing a win/loss number on this season, it is tough to gauge for sure. My answer, however, will not be satisfying to Cougar Nation: 8 wins (again).

ARMED FORCES PREVIEW

Who will capture the Commander-In-Chief Trophy?

BRETT CIANCIA
Co-Owner

NAVY   Even with another full season ahead of him, Keenan Reynolds already owns the NCAA career rushing touchdown record (quarterbacks) with an amazing 64 touchdowns. He has been the signal-caller for 3 straight winning seasons, but they ceded the Commander In Chief's Trophy to the Falcons. It is a new era of Navy Football, as the Midshipmen join a conference after 125 years of football independence. As members of the AAC West, new conference foes include Houston, Memphis, Tulane, Tulsa, and SMU. It is tough to gauge Navy in a conference, but with cross-division games against the East's bottom two teams, I am calling for a finish in the upper half of the West. Games against both West favorites (Houston and Memphis) will be tough, but I see Navy finishing no lower than 3rd, with the potential to strike higher. Navy continues to own the rivalry with Army (13 in a row); a reflection of the coaching staff, from Niumatalolo down to every single "player-coach," these Hosses know how to win.

ARMY         After yet 3 straight losing seasons, a new staff was brought in last season. Jeff Monken took over after a successful stint at Georgia Southern running a similar triple option attack. His Eagles (Division 1-AA) upset Florida in the Swamp - and didnt even attempt a single pass! In Year 1, there was a 1-win improvement from 3-9 to 4-8. This season, 10 starters return and there are several opportunities for wins: Fordham, Connecticut, Wake Forest, Eastern Michigan, Bucknell, Rice, and Tulane are all winnable. Army may bounce back to its winning ways with Monken around, but will not reclaim the CIC in 2015.

AIR FORCE      Troy Calhoun brought Air Force from 2 wins in 2013 up to 10 last season, the biggest turnaround of 2014. He also returned the Commander In Chief’s Trophy to Colorado Springs for the first time since 2011. This season, 11 starters return to face a tough non-conference slate that features road trips to Michigan State and Navy. Air Force again looks like one of the stronger teams in the Mountain West, and I am calling for a return to Bowl Season.

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF TROPHY PICK: NAVY MIDSHIPMEN ... ANCHORS AWEIGH

2015 D-1 Independents Preview

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

BYU COUGARS

ARMED FORCES PREVIEW

Who will capture the Commander-In-Chief Trophy?

2014 PREVIEW
QUICK LINKS

Privacy Policy

2015 D-1 Independents Preview

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

BYU COUGARS

ARMED FORCES PREVIEW

Who will capture the Commander-In-Chief Trophy?

2014 PREVIEWQUICK LINKS

Privacy Policy

2014 PREVIEW
QUICK LINKS