The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were one of the most disappointing stories of 2016, and the narrative could stay the same in 2017.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish faithful were surprised earlier this week when they were not ranked inside the top 25 in the Amway Coaches Poll. Head coach Brian Kelly has another uphill battle in 2017 as he has to break in a new quarterback.
It feels weird to not have much Notre Dame hype entering a college football season. With such a down season in 2016, they might be able to reverse their fortunes with little pressure compared to year’s past.
Yet, there’s hope for this Notre Dame team if they can stay healthy for an entire season and give Kelly a consistent squad to work with. However, injuries have seemingly plagued the Irish for the last two years. Some teams just get bitten by the injury bug every season and Notre Dame has been one of those teams of late.
Most of the 15 ND starters that return in 2017, at least on the offensive side of the ball, are on the offensive line. Notre Dame has four seniors returning on the offensive line. Even their tight end, Durham Smythe, is a redshirt senior.
All things considered, we’re still talking about a team that went 4-8 last year. It would take a miraculous recovery to even reach a solid bowl game in 2017. Yet, Kelly would not have a job by the end of the season if the Irish do not even make one of the lesser bowl games.
Now, let’s take a look at five reasons why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will stink in 2017.
5. No options behind Equanimeous St. Brown
Notre Dame actually has a potent offense in 2017. Yet, the one weak link on the depth chart is at wide receiver. The lone proven option is star junior receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. He also has one of the most unique names in college football.
Torii Hunter Jr. was the best receiver that the Irish had last year alongside St. Brown. But Hunter Jr. is gone now. Sophomore Chase Claypool will be the receiver starting opposite St. Brown. Claypool caught five passes for a total of 81 yards in 2016.
Thankfully for Notre Dame, they rely more on the tight end and running backs than most other teams. They have solid trio returning at tight end and running back with Smythe, and junior RB’s Josh Adams and Dexter Williams.
Not having solid options at receiver just makes it that much easier for opponents to prepare to stop the Irish offense.
4. Inexperienced Secondary
This is a problem that plagued Notre Dame in 2016. They could not stop the passing game of any team they faced. From the start of the season where the Texas Longhorns put up 50 points against Notre Dame to the end of the season where Sam Darnold and the USC Trojans put up 45, the Irish could not slow down many passing attacks consistently.
There were bright spots during the season, like Notre Dame giving up only 10 points to the NC State Wolfpack, 17 points to the Stanford Cardinal, and six points to the Army Black Knights. More than anything, Notre Dame needs to find consistency in their starting defensive backs. The range of points that the Irish gave up week-to-week made it difficult for their offense to adjust.
Notre Dame will rely on junior safety Nick Coleman and junior cornerback Shaun Crawford to lead the secondary this season. Losing former cornerback Cole Luke dealt a big blow to this defense and other players need to step up in his absence. Not to say that the Irish cannot get it together and shut down opposing passing attacks, but it is certainly a question mark for them.
3. Tough schedule/playing down to the competition
Seven of Notre Dame’s eight losses last year came by one possession or less. They had an opportunity to win most of the games they ended up losing. That can sometimes be an encouraging sign or a worrying one, depending on how the following season starts.
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If Kelly continues to lose close games again in 2017, then his job security is going to be called into question big time. It’s just too much for a fan base the size of Notre Dame’s to handle when you consistently lose close games to teams that you have the ability to defeat.
The Irish schedule for 2017 does not get any easier than in previous seasons. Road games against the North Carolina Tar Heels, Michigan State Spartans, Stanford Cardinal, and Miami Hurricanes could all spell trouble if the Irish do not improve soon.
Even home games against the Georgia Bulldogs, USC Trojans, Navy Midshipmen and NC State Wolfpack all pose tough tests.
A few down games could mean another losing record for Notre Dame. It’s just too hard to tell how the Irish will respond after such a disappointing run in 2016.
2. Losing DeShone Kizer
In Notre Dame’s final game of 2016, against USC, we got to see two teams trending in completely opposite directions. The Irish were about to lose their heart and soul in quarterback DeShone Kizer. USC had a rising superstar in the college football world in quarterback Sam Darnold.
However, that was also Kizer’s final game with the Irish before departing for the NFL and getting drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Kizer totaled nearly 3,000 passing yards and 34 total touchdowns with only nine interceptions.
Replacing Kizer is junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush who has little experience in actual game action. Yet, Wimbush was the No. 45 overall recruit in the 2015 class and has the potential to do great things leading the Notre Dame offense this year. But we’re still talking about a QB that has not thrown a single pass in game action yet.
1. Continuing downward spiral from 2016
The most worrying thing that Notre Dame fans should have on their minds entering 2017 is the momentum carried over from 2016. The Irish lost three of their final four games last year. And the one game that they actually won was only a three-point victory against the Miami Hurricanes. That could’ve quickly turned into a loss as well.
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Kelly has a tall task in front of him to get Notre Dame trending in the right direction again. With a new quarterback, injury prone team, and inexperienced receiving corps and secondary, the odds are against Kelly and the Irish.
There’s a good reason for Notre Dame not being ranked inside the first edition of the Amway Coaches Poll. The fact that any teams that had a losing record in 2016 would be ranked inside the top 25 is insane.
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Yet, just a few wins to start off the 2017 season might put Notre Dame back in the top 25. A blue blood program like this does not stay out of the rankings for long if they get back to their winning ways.