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Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2015 spring game: Top Five Storylines to Watch

By David Albiani

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Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jarron Jones (94) and linebacker Jaylon Smith (9) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

5. Will the defense led by Jaylon Smith be up to the challenge?

This story line may be nit-picking, but this defense led by linebacker Jaylon Smith must prove they are able to support the offense. This year Brian VanGorder hopes that his defense will fare a tad bit better than last year when they ranked just 84th in the nation in points allowed per game.

Smith is the key to their defense as a swiss army knife of sorts. Smith can do whatever is asked, whether they need him to cover, rush the passer, call the defense, or stop the run Smith is up to the challenge.

The good news is that the offense this year for Notre Dame should be so good that there isn’t a need for a great defense so their shouldn’t be much pressure on the team defense. This should allow them to go into a bend, but don’t break defense while making the other team earn their points by putting together long drives, while also milking the clock.

This game will be the first step to see how the defense looks as a unit, against an offense that will test them because of their knowledge of the team’s weaknesses.

I do not think this is a great defensive unit, it may not even be more than an average one, but if they can just stop the opposing offense a few times, their offense should score enough to get more than their share of victories, especially if Smith develops into the All-American player he can be.

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