Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2016 Football Team Preview

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2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Preview

Team Strengths:

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has the enviable position of choosing between two very good quarterbacks to start this season.

After Malik Zaire went down with a broken ankle in just the second game of 2015, redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer stepped up to lead the Irish to a 10-3 season. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,884 passing yards with 21 touchdowns. He also added 520 yards on the ground for 10 more TDs.

Whomever Kelly chooses as his starting quarterback is likely to be a top Heisman contender. Kizer, the likely frontrunner for the job, is +2,000 to win the Heisman, while Zaire is priced at +3,000.

The Irish also have a pair of very good running backs to bolster a ground attack which averaged 208 rushing yards per game (27^th in the country) last season.

Tarean Folston, who rushed for 889 yards in 2014, returns after getting injured in last year’s season opener. Meanwhile, sophomore Josh Adams will look to improve upon his 835 yards rushing and a 7.1-yard average, which were both Notre Dame rookie records.

Team Weaknesses:

The run defense was arguably the team’s biggest weak spot last season, and that was with the talented Romeo Okwara, Sheldon Day, and Jaylon Smith still featuring along the front seven. The Irish now lose those top playmakers to the NFL, along with defensive backs Elijah Shumate, Matthias Farley and KeiVarae Russell.

The return of tackle Jarron Jones and safety Drue Tranquill from their respective injuries will be a welcome boost after losing all that talent. But if there’s a reason to be pessimistic about the Irish and their +1,500 title odds, the defense will be the biggest one.

The level of concern shouldn’t be as pressing for the receiving corps and the offensive line. The Irish will still boast a bunch of talent at those positions despite losing first-round NFL studs Will Fuller and Ronnie Stanley. Nevertheless, the relative lack of experience on offense will be something to keep an eye on as the season goes along.

2015 Stats:

Category	Stat (Rank)
Points per game	34.4 (#34)
Passing yards per game	258.5 (#35)
Rushing yards per game	207.92 (#27)
Scoring defense	24.1 (#39)

Writer’s Prediction

Notre Dame once again falls just short of the playoff, but the Irish still go over 9.0 regular wins with a 10-2 mark.

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