Notre Dame vs. Texas
It’s been almost twenty years since the Longhorns and the Fighting Irish have squared off on the gridiron, with Notre Dame leading the all-time series between the two school 8-2.
The 2015 season is a crucial campaign for both teams, as Notre Dame has Playoff expectations from pundits all across the nation, and Texas is looking to return to the national spotlight in head coach Charlie Strong’s second season at the helm.
No new season comes without question marks, concerns, and optimism. Both schools looking to solidify their quarterback position leaves many fans on both sides gnawing at their fingernails for the Week 1 match up to finally get underway to see what exactly they have in store under center.
Will Brian Kelly and the Irish kickoff their hopeful Playoff run with a dominating victory over Charlie Strong’s improved Longhorns? Or will we be in for a true nail-biter that is sure to take us down to the wire with two inexperienced quarterbacks running for their lives from defenses full of impact players? Only time will tell. Two nationally known programs are set to square off in South Bend, and here’s some matchups to look for in Week 1.
Texas Offensive Line vs. Notre Dame Defensive Line
The Longhorns return their entire starting offensive line from 2014, giving quarterback Tyrone Swoopes an assured comfort in a season-opening road test against a hopeful Playoff contender. Although most schools across the country would say returning all five offensive line starters is a huge bonus, the Longhorns quarterback was sacked 27 times last season, tied for fourth-worst in the Big 12.
The Irish lost starting defensive tackle Jarron Jones to a knee injury during training camp in early August, which puts pressure on star defensive tackle Sheldon Day, who’s sure to be doubled-teamed early and often against the Longhorns.
True freshman Jerry Tillery is expected to get the nod alongside Day, as per Notre Dame’s official depth chart. Tillery is a 6’6’’ 300 lb. former four-star recruit from Louisiana, whom the Longhorns tried desperately to secure during the 2015 recruiting cycle.
The Quarterbacks
Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire heads into the season opener as the unquestioned starter, with Brian Kelly telling ESPN “this is his offense, and we’re going to let him run with it”. Awfully high praise for a player who’s thrown a grand total of 35 passes in his short career.
Zaire has the luxury of having his entire starting skill set return with the likes of Will Fuller and Chris Brown at wide receiver, Taurean Foster at running back, and offensive weapon Amir Carlisle all coming back.
In front of Zaire, he’ll have All-American offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley protecting his blindside, and sees senior center Nick Martin return to lead the offensive line forward against a Longhorns defensive line that lost anchor nose tackle Malcom Brown to the NFL Draft.
Texas Tyrone Swoopes is under immense pressure as the expected starter for week 1, with Jerrod Heard breathing down his neck. Heard could easily take over under center if the Longhorns are trailing at halftime, or struggling mightily to move the ball with Swoopes at quarterback.
Whichever quarterback ends up playing has the aforementioned five returning starters on the offensive line, as well as returning starters at tight end and receiver in M.J. McFarland and Marcus Johnson respectively.
Swoopes threw 11 interceptions last season, including nine of the road, with an embarrassing total QBR of just 56.7, worst in the Big 12. It’s going to be an uphill battle against the Irish as he faces off against KaiVarae Russell, fresh off a season-long 2014 suspension.
Russell is expected to earn All-American honors by season’s end, and Swoopes will be a great “break in” opponent to start his comeback campaign.
Charlie Strong and Brian Kelly are both in crucial years at their respective programs.
Strong left Louisville to take over the Longhorns in an attempt to return them to national prominence, and underwhelmed last season finishing 6-7. What’s most alarming about their win-loss record is that the Longhorns lost by an average of 21 points per game last season, including four games by a margin of 24 points.
Kelly might be the one coach in the country that’s deserving of a prime spot on the hot seat, that isn’t mentioned. He’s coming off two consecutive 8-5 campaigns just two years removed from a National Championship game appearance in which his Irish were dominated by Alabama to the tune of 42-14.
Some say Kelly has the best team he’s had since that infamous 2012 season, but the Irish have gotten progressively worst in recruiting, and still have questions at key positions across the roster. Although the Irish are returning 19 starters, and their defense is respectably loaded, KaiVarae Russell, the team’s most talented cornerback hasn’t played in over a year, and quarterback Malik Zaire has thrown less than a game’s worth of passes in his career.
Texas is looking to build a winning program under Strong, who predicates his success as a coach on defense, a mantra he build while at Florida under Urban Meyer. True freshman Malik Jefferson is a budding star, expected to start at middle linebacker, but the Longhorns seem another year or two away from truly contending with the nation’s top talent.
Brian Kelly, as mentioned earlier has immense pressure to succeed after two down years, and this could be the team to take that proverbial monkey off his back.
If Zaire is capable of running Kelly’s offense as expected, the Longhorns’ defense could be in for a long and grueling day.
Notre Dame 38, Texas 14
You can follow Chris on Twitter @warontheweekend where he’ll keep you up to date with all the happenings regarding Notre Dame Football & Recruiting. Chris is also a national recruiting expert for 247sports.com
It’s been almost twenty years since the Longhorns and the Fighting Irish have squared off on the gridiron, with Notre Dame leading the all-time series between the two school 8-2.
The 2015 season is a crucial campaign for both teams, as Notre Dame has Playoff expectations from pundits all across the nation, and Texas is looking to return to the national spotlight in head coach Charlie Strong’s second season at the helm.
No new season comes without question marks, concerns, and optimism. Both schools looking to solidify their quarterback position leaves many fans on both sides gnawing at their fingernails for the Week 1 match up to finally get underway to see what exactly they have in store under center.
Will Brian Kelly and the Irish kickoff their hopeful Playoff run with a dominating victory over Charlie Strong’s improved Longhorns? Or will we be in for a true nail-biter that is sure to take us down to the wire with two inexperienced quarterbacks running for their lives from defenses full of impact players? Only time will tell. Two nationally known programs are set to square off in South Bend, and here’s some matchups to look for in Week 1.
Texas Offensive Line vs. Notre Dame Defensive Line
The Longhorns return their entire starting offensive line from 2014, giving quarterback Tyrone Swoopes an assured comfort in a season-opening road test against a hopeful Playoff contender. Although most schools across the country would say returning all five offensive line starters is a huge bonus, the Longhorns quarterback was sacked 27 times last season, tied for fourth-worst in the Big 12.
The Irish lost starting defensive tackle Jarron Jones to a knee injury during training camp in early August, which puts pressure on star defensive tackle Sheldon Day, who’s sure to be doubled-teamed early and often against the Longhorns.
True freshman Jerry Tillery is expected to get the nod alongside Day, as per Notre Dame’s official depth chart. Tillery is a 6’6’’ 300 lb. former four-star recruit from Louisiana, whom the Longhorns tried desperately to secure during the 2015 recruiting cycle.
The Quarterbacks
Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire heads into the season opener as the unquestioned starter, with Brian Kelly telling ESPN “this is his offense, and we’re going to let him run with it”. Awfully high praise for a player who’s thrown a grand total of 35 passes in his short career.
Zaire has the luxury of having his entire starting skill set return with the likes of Will Fuller and Chris Brown at wide receiver, Taurean Foster at running back, and offensive weapon Amir Carlisle all coming back.
In front of Zaire, he’ll have All-American offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley protecting his blindside, and sees senior center Nick Martin return to lead the offensive line forward against a Longhorns defensive line that lost anchor nose tackle Malcom Brown to the NFL Draft.
Texas Tyrone Swoopes is under immense pressure as the expected starter for week 1, with Jerrod Heard breathing down his neck. Heard could easily take over under center if the Longhorns are trailing at halftime, or struggling mightily to move the ball with Swoopes at quarterback.
Whichever quarterback ends up playing has the aforementioned five returning starters on the offensive line, as well as returning starters at tight end and receiver in M.J. McFarland and Marcus Johnson respectively.
Swoopes threw 11 interceptions last season, including nine of the road, with an embarrassing total QBR of just 56.7, worst in the Big 12. It’s going to be an uphill battle against the Irish as he faces off against KaiVarae Russell, fresh off a season-long 2014 suspension.
Russell is expected to earn All-American honors by season’s end, and Swoopes will be a great “break in” opponent to start his comeback campaign.
Charlie Strong and Brian Kelly are both in crucial years at their respective programs.
Strong left Louisville to take over the Longhorns in an attempt to return them to national prominence, and underwhelmed last season finishing 6-7. What’s most alarming about their win-loss record is that the Longhorns lost by an average of 21 points per game last season, including four games by a margin of 24 points.
Kelly might be the one coach in the country that’s deserving of a prime spot on the hot seat, that isn’t mentioned. He’s coming off two consecutive 8-5 campaigns just two years removed from a National Championship game appearance in which his Irish were dominated by Alabama to the tune of 42-14.
Some say Kelly has the best team he’s had since that infamous 2012 season, but the Irish have gotten progressively worst in recruiting, and still have questions at key positions across the roster. Although the Irish are returning 19 starters, and their defense is respectably loaded, KaiVarae Russell, the team’s most talented cornerback hasn’t played in over a year, and quarterback Malik Zaire has thrown less than a game’s worth of passes in his career.
Texas is looking to build a winning program under Strong, who predicates his success as a coach on defense, a mantra he build while at Florida under Urban Meyer. True freshman Malik Jefferson is a budding star, expected to start at middle linebacker, but the Longhorns seem another year or two away from truly contending with the nation’s top talent.
Brian Kelly, as mentioned earlier has immense pressure to succeed after two down years, and this could be the team to take that proverbial monkey off his back.
If Zaire is capable of running Kelly’s offense as expected, the Longhorns’ defense could be in for a long and grueling day.
Notre Dame 38, Texas 14
You can follow Chris on Twitter @warontheweekend where he’ll keep you up to date with all the happenings regarding Notre Dame Football & Recruiting. Chris is also a national recruiting expert for 247sports.com