It's no secret that Notre Dame fans have long awaited a 'return to glory' from the days where Knute Rockne, Ara Parseghian, Frank Leahy and Lou Holtz were guiding the Blue and Gold to national championships on a yearly basis. Having failed to win a National Championship since Holtz and quarterback Tony Rice brought the title back to South Bend in 1988, the Fighting Irish and their loyal fan base have suffered through 20-plus years of mediocrity. Until last season.
After botched high-profile coach signings of Tyrone Willingham (2002-2004) and Charlie Weis (2005-2009) failed to build on the high expectations handed to each coach, Notre Dame elected to hire Brian Kelly, a man who had previously won 2 Division II National Championship at Grand Valley State while enjoying success at Central Michigan and Cincinnati. Kelly and the Irish battled through back-to-back 8-5 seasons in 2010 and 2011, making progress each year though still unable to attain the lofty goals the University of Notre Dame sets for its football program.
Return To Glory
The 2012 season finally saw the breakthrough Irish fans have been waiting for. Thanks to tremendous play from a stout defensive line and Heisman Trophy candidate Manti Te'o - who anchored the defense from the linebacker position - Notre Dame was able to control games by holding opponents off the scoreboard. Add in the fact that freshman quarterback Everett Golson progressed on a weekly basis while receivers T.J. Jones and tight end Tyler Eifert grew into reliable weapons, the Irish were a true force to be reckoned with.
Premier wins over Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan and USC helped Notre Dame land a spot in the BCS National Championship game for the first time in school history (the BCS system only started in 1998). Taking on an Alabama team that had won 2 of the last 3 championships, Notre Dame's undefeated season came to a crushing end with a 42-14 defeat to Head Coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.
Irish Here To Stay?
Now that Brian Kelly and company know they have the means to play at a high level against the nations best on a consistent basis, the question heading into the 2013 season is simple: can Notre Dame return to the BCS National Championship for the second straight season?
While a tremendous level of talent still remains even though Manti Te'o, Tyler Eifert and a handful of others moved onto the NFL or graduated, Notre Dame's biggest loss may prove to be at the quarterback position.
Everett Golson was poised for a breakout campaign following his overall solid 2012 season but after being expelled for the upcoming semester due to an academic issue, the Irish will be without No. 5 for the duration of the season, forcing former starter and last year's 'closer' Tommy Rees to once again become the every-down signal caller.
Rees was a key component for the Irish last season, coming in on multiple occasions to fill in for either a struggling or injured Golson. The senior was key in victories over Purdue, Michigan, BYU and Stanford, finding the ability to come up with big plays at crucial moments. This year Rees will have the starting job to himself unless he gives it away to either Andrew Hendrix or freshman Malik Zaire with poor play.
Defense Loaded Once Again
Notre Dame will surely miss Manti Te'o, one of the most beloved players in a program history that includes Joe Montana, Tim Brown, Rocket Ismail and a slew of others and even though the tackle machine is now a member of the San Diego Chargers, Notre Dame is still loaded on the defensive side of the ball.
Up front the Irish return All-Americans Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt with defensive end Sheldon Day expected to take on a bigger role. Defensive end Prince Shembo, linebackers Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese and cornerback Bennett Jackson should also contribute on a defense that is once again expected to be among the nation's best.
Constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks along with strong secondary play will surely keep the Irish in every game, something that will also take pressure off Tommy Rees and the Notre Dame offense. With key games against Michigan, Oklahoma, USC and Stanford on the schedule once again, Notre Dame will rely heavily on its defense to come up with big plays once again.
Though few expect the Irish to run the table and return to the title game, strong play from Tommy Rees along with the expected dominance of the defense could very well have the Irish in the hunt toward the end of the regular season.
2013-2014 Notre Dame Schedule
August 31 - vs. Temple, 3:30pm
Sept. 7 - at Michigan, 8:00pm
Sept. 14 - at Purdue, 8:00pm
Sept. 21 - vs. Michigan St., 3:30pm
Sept. 28 - vs. Oklahoma, 3:30pm
October 5 - vs. Arizona St., 7:30pm
October 19 - vs. USC, 7:30pm
October 26 - at Air Force, 5:00pm
November 2 - vs. Navy, 3:30pm
November 9 - at Pittsburgh, TBA
November 23 - vs. BYU, 3:30pm
November 30 - at Stanford, TBA
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