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The observer | FRIDAY, september 30, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
Commentary
Recruiting
Kelly deserves your patience Zach Klonsinski Assistant Managing Editor
Everybody calm down. The sky is not falling. Everything is going to be okay. Really — and this is coming from someone who questioned Brian Kelly’s job status before it was the cool thing to do. At the beginning of last season, I wrote a column detailing how the Irish head coach’s job was on the line during the 2015 season. Irish fans had watched Notre Dame fall apart during the second half of 2014 after a mediocre 2013 campaign, 2012’s run to the BCS National Championship game looking more and more like a lucky fluke than sustained growth. So yeah, if Kelly and the Irish managed just an average season in 2015, smoke would have started pouring through the cracks in his seat. I stand behind that claim. Instead, in 2015, Notre Dame was two plays away from a berth in the College Football Playoff. This was despite Kelly “losing his starting quarterback, starting running back … ” and so on and so forth. You’re familiar with the spiel. Two plays. College Football Playoff. Last season. Ten months ago. Irish fans, Brian Kelly has made the program consistently relevant for the first time since the mid-’90s. Yes, the defense has been dreadful to start this season. But the defensive decline has also been a trend that has reared its ugly head ever since Brian VanGorder took over the job. He had plenty of opportunities to show improvement, and he did not. Few, if any, expected VanGorder to be fired this early — after Stanford and before the bye week at the earliest, at season’s end the choice of the majority — so kudos to Kelly for identifying a perceived problem
and having the wherewithal to take care of it this early. I won’t stand on a pedestal proclaiming that firing VanGorder is going to be the magic fix and that Notre Dame will now shutout an up-tempo, talented offense like the one it faces this weekend against Syracuse. No, the problems run deeper than that. There are still going to be painful moments this season. Kelly could whip the defense into shape immediately (unlikely). The Irish could miss the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility (they won’t). And Notre Dame fans could regret acting too rashly calling for Kelly’s head at the end of the season (they would regret it, and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick won’t cave anyway). Kelly is and will forever be an offensively-minded coach. A quick look will tell you an offense putting up more than 37 points per game is not the problem for a team that’s 1-3. Sure, Kelly is also responsible for bringing in people who will do their job well. So far, he’s 1-for-2 on defensive coordinators (remember Bob Diaco, the man who built that 2012 defense?). One bad hire does not constitute a trend and let’s not forget the excitement about bringing in VanGorder and his NFL resume at the time. If the defense doesn’t improve after a season or two with whomever Kelly decides to hand the reins, then maybe Irish fans can start complaining about his inability to hire the right guy for the job. Until then, Brian Kelly has more than earned your patience. Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
VanGorder’s departure should have little impact By MAREK MAZUREK Sports Editor
While most of the talk about Brian VanGorder’s firing this week has focused on its impact for the Notre Dame defense in 2016, its effects on Notre Dame’s recruiting remain to be seen. Blue Gold Illustrated analyst Bryan Driskell said he does not believe the change in direction will have a large impact on Notre Dame’s recruiting, as VanGorder was not highly involved in the recruiting process to begin with. “Honestly, I don’t think the firing of Brian VanGorder really affected the players at all,” Driskell said. “Number one, VanGorder wasn’t overly involved in recruiting period. He talked to some kids and they knew him, but they weren’t invested in him. There’s a couple reasons for that. Number one, obviously [the recruits] have a better relationship with their position coaches and the guys recruiting them. Number two … outside of losing Taylor Decker when Ed Warinner left, Notre Dame has not really suffered losses when they’ve lost assistant coaches. “The big reason for that is, Brian Kelly brought in a new philosophy of recruiting when he came to Notre Dame. He’s not selling Brian Kelly, he’s not selling Tony Alford or Harry Hiestand or those kind of things. He’s selling Notre Dame. And when kids commit to Notre Dame, they’re committed to Notre Dame because of what Notre Dame stands for and who Notre Dame is so to speak.” In fact, Driskell said the promotion of former defensive analyst Greg Hudson to the role of defensive coordinator could actually have a positive impact on recruiting. “If anything, it could have a positive impact because one of the things about Greg Hudson,
when he was at Florida State, he was a great recruiter,” Driskell said. “I was talking to kids Notre Dame was recruiting against Florida State and they very adamant he was a very active recruiter, the kids like him, they like playing for him. If anything, now that he is the full-time coach, he can recruit and I imagine he will be somewhat involved with recruiting. He’s going to be able to put really a positive spin on this.” While VanGorder’s departure may not affect recruits, Driskell did say the 38-35 loss to Duke almost certainly will, as recruits will start to consider if they see Notre Dame as a tier below where the Irish once were. “A game here, a game there doesn’t really impact kids. But when you expect to enter the month of November in contention for a playoff spot and you then go 1-3, that’s going to have a big impact,” Driskell said. “Right now, you’re in that spot where you can recover, kids aren’t jumping ship. But if these losses continue to mount, especially losses to programs like Duke, recruits start to think, ‘Notre Dame’s more like Duke and Syracuse than they are like Stanford or Alabama or Ohio State.’ That’s when you start seeing kids start to reconsider. “They may not lose any current commits, but where it’s going to crush them is their ability to add the kind of impacts players to the class they need in order to really get over this hump.” Notre Dame is looking to right the ship against Syracuse, a game which will be played in Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Driskell said the game in the Meadowlands helps showcase the fact that Notre Dame is unique in its ability to play games all over the country. “I think New Jersey
especially has always been a good place for Notre Dame,” Driskell said. “For example, they have a pair of recruits from 2018 committed from New Jersey — the Ademilola twins [at linebacker and defensive tackle]. … Clearly that’s a state they want to have respect in. They haven’t had quite as much recent success this year. Playing a game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the New York Giants and Jets and those kind of things is certainly going to help your status. … Very few programs can do that. What it does recruiting-wise is not specifically necessarily New England as much as it is just continuing to show that Notre Dame is genuinely a national program.” Driskell also agreed with Kelly’s decision to call out his players’ performance in the loss to Duke, saying it will send a good message to the type of recruit coaches want on their teams. “A kid who’s going to look at what Kelly said after the game and say I don’t want to play for a guy like that, is someone I don’t on my football team. Because I don’t want players who are unwilling to be held accountable privately or publicly on my football team. You don’t win with players like that. We’ve seen Nick Saban, challenge his players. Go back and read what Nick Saban said after they beat Western Kentucky. … Urban Meyer has said things like that before. If you don’t want to be held accountable for not playing with passion — it’s not like they went out there and played their guts out and just lost and then he went in there and just said ‘you guys are the reason we lost — they played with no heart, no sacrifice, no passion.” Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
Alex Carson
Zach Klonsinski
Marek Mazurek
Assistant Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editor
Sports Editor
Notre Dame’s secondary isn’t particularly strong. Nor has the Irish defense shown a particular proficiency for handling teams that play up-tempo football. Syracuse has one of the nation’s best receivers, Amba Etta-Tawo, and has run more plays than everyone in the country, bar California. Oh no. Brian VanGorder’s firing, while wholly necessary, isn’t going to fix these things in the span of a week’s practice. If you’re looking for a marked improvement from this unit — and at some point, you probably should be — I’d suggest being willing to wait until after the bye week. When I looked at the 2016 schedule, I had a feeling this one could be a shootout. There’s been nothing from either team so far to suggest it won’t. And based on our last few data points, I find it hard to trust the Irish defense to get the key stop to win the game. FINAL SCORE: Syracuse 42, Notre Dame 38
The Big Apple is going to lead to big offense this weekend. DeShone Kizer has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country this year, guiding the Notre Dame offense to more than 37 points per game despite the team’s 1-3 start. Syracuse and quarterback Eric Dungey have managed 28 points per game, and the Orange’s high-tempo offense theoretically should give Notre Dame’s defense fits, especially with the events of last weekend. This game is going to come down to how Notre Dame responds: will Kelly’s comments after the loss to Duke spark his players or harm their confidence? If the young guns that helped the Irish secondary appear solid for stretches in the second half last weekend continue to grow, I’ll remain optimistic for one more week. FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 55, Syracuse 31
Notre Dame has now become that friend who asks if he can crash on your couch for a few days. You don’t mind at first, but after three weeks of him not doing anything, someting has to change. Brian Kelly sounded great in his Tuesday press conference. He said the right things and his decision to fire Brian VanGorder will, I believe, pay off sooner rather than later. But the real problem facing the Irish is Syracuse. The Orange have a scary offense. They’re fast and receiver Amba Etta-Tawo is a beast who leads the nation in receiving yards. Stopping Syracuse is a tough ask after firing your defensive coordinator and I don’t think DeShone Kizer will have enough, despite another strong performance. FINAL SCORE: Syracuse 49, Notre Dame 42
Insider
By ALEX CARSON Assistant Managing Editor
As Elijah Shumate sprinted for the end zone at Notre Dame Stadium that September night, everything looked perfect in South Bend. The Irish were set to down Michigan 37-0 in the series finale, handing the Wolverines their first shutout loss in 30 years, at the same time that Irish fans around the country were sharing the .GIF of Brian VanGorder’s emphatic fist pump. While Shumate’s interception return touchdown wouldn’t stand for the 37-0 final — Max Redfield’s blindside hit on Devin Gardner called it back to keep the Irish total at 31 — it didn’t change the key part of the score Sept. 6, 2014: Michigan had 0. In his second game as Irish defensive coordinator, VanGorder gave Irish fans everything — and, quite honestly, more — than they could’ve hoped for. The Wolverines run game was ineffective all night, rushing for just 2.9 yards per carry. Michigan went just 4-for-13 on third-down conversions. Notre Dame’s defense was aggressive all night, pressuring Gardner, the Michigan quarterback, into four turnovers while racking up a sack. Then-Irish defensive lineman Sheldon Day used a good word to describe the performance. “[Brian] VanGorder was speaking all week about domination,” Day said after the win. “We definitely came out on top and performed our best, and we got a good result.” Through the first five games of the 2014 season, Notre Dame’s
ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, september 30, 2016 | The Observer
defense was, as Day asserted Sept. 6, dominant. It held each of its opponents — Rice, Michigan, Purdue, Syracuse and Stanford — to 17 points or less, including holding the Cardinal to just 47 rushing yards in a key 17-14 win to close that window. With quarterback Everett Golson shining in his return and VanGorder’s defense looking strong, Notre Dame had placed itself firmly in the national title picture. But the next week, everything changed: Notre Dame 50, North Carolina 43. It was the highest-scoring game in Notre Dame Stadium history, and one that marked a drastic shift in the success of VanGorder’s defense. The Tar Heels, with their up-tempo offense, had broken the unit. The rest of the way, the Irish — albeit seriously hampered by injuries down the stretch — ceded 31 points to Florida State, 39 to Navy, 55 to Arizona State, 40 in regulation to Northwestern, 31 to Louisville and 49 to USC. Notre Dame had gone from No. 5 in the country in mid-October to unranked in mid-November. From 6-0 and an offensive pass interference penalty from a claim to the No. 1 ranking to 7-5 and stumbling into the Music City Bowl. And while VanGorder’s defense had its moments in 2015 — the 38-3 opener against Texas the biggest one — it never re-discovered that formula that worked so well against the Wolverines in the coordinator’s second game. The pressure disappeared, the defense became known for giving up long touchdown drives and when it mattered most at
Stanford, it couldn’t get off the field and preserve what would have been a 36-35 win to finish a one-loss, playoff-contending season. After the worst start to a season for an Irish defense ever — the unit’s hemorrhaged 134 points through four games, more than any of the previous 127 Notre Dame defenses — and chants of “Fire VanGorder” spreading through the student section, Irish head coach Brian Kelly canned his defensive coordinator Sunday afternoon, just one-third of the way through the season. “Brian is as fine a defensive coach as there is out there,” Kelly said about VanGorder during his Sunday teleconference. “He knows the game. He loves Notre Dame. He wanted to succeed as much as anybody here, but it wasn’t working.” As VanGorder exits, Greg Hudson, who was already on staff as a defensive analyst, will enter into the defensive coordinator role. Hudson, last a defensive coordinator at Purdue, fit what Kelly was looking for more than staff members who were already full-time coaches. “Greg has been empowered to bring the energy, the enthusiasm, the passion, the morale, the camaraderie,” Kelly said at his Tuesday press conference. “I need those things from Greg. That’s what I need. I want our kids to be excited when they step on that field against Syracuse.” Ahead of Saturday’s contest with the Orange, though, a new face at defensive coordinator isn’t going to be the only change. Kelly indicated Tuesday that
Ben Padanilam
Renee Griffin
Associate Sports Editor
Sports Writer
Brian Kelly is probably right: The sky isn’t falling for Notre Dame. But at 1-3 and with the team’s performances trending in the wrong direction, it might start falling soon. That includes Saturday. Firing VanGorder might be a long-term fix for the team’s defensive struggles, but it won’t solve much in the short term. The Irish have developed a habit of disappearing in the second and third quarters of their games, and that won’t cut it against an offense led by the NCAA’s leading receiver. The Irish will score their points, but with added pressure thanks to Kelly’s comments, Kizer will force more than he needs to and make mistakes when it matters most. FINAL SCORE: Syracuse 35, Notre Dame 31
The Notre Dame offense will score plenty, as it has all season. DeShone Kizer might even step up further after Brian Kelly’s criticisms of his play last week. However, while Syracuse might not have the sheer talent of Notre Dame, the Orange boast a high-tempo offense with a top weapon in the receiver corps — a combination that, at this point, seems certain to destroy an Irish defense reeling from the firing of a coordinator and the humiliating defeat against Duke. It will take more than six days for Kelly and Greg Hudson to pull the defense out of the abyss Brian VanGorder dug. So I decided to predict a score almost more reminiscent of basketball than football. It is Syracuse, after all. FINAL SCORE: Syracuse 55, Notre Dame 54
Irish fans can expect to see some new faces work their way into the showdown with Syracuse — but also that we shouldn’t expect players who aren’t getting many snaps to suddenly assume a full starting role. “We have to be careful. You can’t take somebody that’s had no reps and give them 70 on Saturday,” Kelly said. “That’s impossible. But what we can start to do is put a depth chart together that gives a young man a look at saying, ‘I got a shot here; I’m part of the solution.’ I want guys to feel like they’re part of the solution here.” Later in the presser, Kelly pointed to two guys who received no reps against Duke: junior defensive lineman Jay Hayes and sophomore linebacker Asmar Bilal. “It then becomes a one-dimensional football team, the have’s and have not’s and that does not do well with morale,” Kelly said about the lack of rotation. “That does not do well with ownership for everybody and attitude. We’ve got to build a better base there and that starts with me making sure that that happens.” Kelly said he thinks overuse is a key part of why the Irish defense has struggled so much in the opening month of the season. “We’ve got some guys out there that are dog tired trying to do things and they got too many reps, and we got too many good players sitting behind them watching and we’ve gotta get them in the game and we’ve got to trust them and we’ve got to coach them and get them in the
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game, and that’s on me,” Kelly said. For now, Kelly has indicated that Hudson’s involvement in the defense won’t be as much as a typical coordinator — but also that he anticipates that to change moving forward. “I’ll worry about the implementation, the scheme,” Kelly said. “I’ll take care of that for him right now. As he gets more comfortable with what we have and what our system is about, then he will be much more involved in what we do. “But right now, you know, we’ll write the music and he’ll be the lead singer. If that’s a — I don’t know if that’s a great analogy, but if that makes any sense. He’s going to be out front, but he just got here. He’s just — in terms of being, you know, assuming this role, he’s learning everything as well.” Just over two years ago, it looked as if VanGorder was launching a new era in South Bend. His defense was complicated — pro-style, many described it — and was a marked change from the “bend don’t break” scheme of his predecessor, Bob Diaco. This week, with any playoff chances now long gone, Hudson, Kelly and the rest of the Irish coaching staff have another opportunity to start again. What that ultimately develops into — from a scheme, personnel and coaching standpoint — remains to be seen. The Irish hope it’ll go a little better this time around. Contact Alex Carson at acarson1@nd.edu
Follow Observer Sports on Twitter for live updates and analysis during the game this weekend and all season long. @ObserverSports
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The observer | FRIDAY, september 30, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com
Irish prepare for high-octane Orange attack Sports Writer
The Notre Dame defense in the midst of an overhaul will face a unique challenge when Syracuse brings its tempo-driven offense, led by a quarterback on the rise and one of the nation’s top receivers, to MetLife Stadium on Saturday. With 1,387 yards passing already this season, Orange sophomore signal-caller Eric Dungey is No. 6 in the NCAA in that category. His team, in turn, is ranked No. 7 in overall passing offense by managing 371.8 yards per game. While the 1-3 Irish are coming off a crushing loss to Duke, Syracuse (2-2) defeated Connecticut 31-24 last Saturday with production that exceeded their already high numbers. Dungey threw for 407 yards, picking apart the defense of Huskies head coach Bob Diaco,
by first-year Syracuse head coach Dino Babers. Over the first four games of the season, the Orange have averaged 20.5 seconds per play, according to the Syracuse PostStandard. In their 45-20 loss to South Florida on Sept. 17, they matched the ACC record for most plays run in a single game with 105 — though the 20 points Syracuse scored in that game was also its lowest mark of 2016. The loss to South Florida came a week after No. 3 Louisville lit up Syracuse’s defense in a 62-28 victory over the Orange. Babers said the win over Connecticut helped get the team back on track after the two consecutive defeats. “Obviously we’ve had our ups and our downs, and we’re not as consistent as we would like to be,” Babers said. “I think that losing seven starters from the opening lineups … that’s had a
“He’s a really, really good player. Because they play so fast, it’s difficult to run multiple coverages to him. … He can run over the top of you, and he’s also got a great catching radius. “ … I talked to Bob, they had their best corner on him, but he’s 5-9. The kid was in great position, [Etta-Tawo] just went up over him two or three times and took the ball from him.” Kelly also noted the skill of Dungey and his ability to excel within the Orange offensive system. “The quarterback is one that throws out a lot of different arm slots, can get the ball down the field,” Kelly said. “They like to push it vertically. They’ve got a nice, quick game, good screen game, will run the ball effectively if you’re too soft in the run game.” “Quick” may be an understatement in describing the hurry-up offense implemented
the former Irish defensive coordinator who preceded Brian VanGorder and guided the 2012 Notre Dame defense that went undefeated in the regular season. Amba Etta-Tawo, the Orange’s star senior wideout, was on the receiving end of 12 of Dungey’s throws, including two touchdowns. By the end of the day, he had broken a school record with 270 yards, giving him 706 yards on the season — the most by any receiver in the FBS. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said Etta-Tawo will require special attention from the Irish secondary, which is in a state of flux after severe struggles against the Blue Devils. Kelly said he spoke with Diaco after Etta-Tawo burned Connecticut’s best cornerback over and over again. “They keep throwing it to him and throwing it to him and throwing it to him,” Kelly said.
By RENEE GRFFIN
SYRACUSE
lot to do with it, but to see the young men coming to practice every day and giving their all and having the right enthusiasm and putting the right effort into the daily practices to give us an opportunity to win on Saturday, I think they have definitely been doing their part.” Babers said he expects his offense will have to adjust on the fly against the transitioning Irish squad, which he compared to an “angry mama bear that’s been wounded” following the loss last week. Kelly, meanwhile, said Notre Dame is aware that the defense’s ability to limit the production of Syracuse’s up-tempo attack will be key on Saturday. “What we’ve got to do, obviously, it’s pretty clear,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to keep the points down.” Contact Renee Griffin at rgriffi6@nd.edu
Notre Dame
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WR
(R-Sr.) Amba Etta-Tawo 7
(R-Sr.) Alvin Cornelius 82
LT LG C RG RT TE
(So.) Cody Conway 60 (R-Jr.) Jon Burton 73
(R-So.) Aaron Roberts 59 (So.) Dontae
Strickland
4
(Fr) Moe Neal 21
(So) Eric Dungey 2
(Jr.) Zach Mahoney 16
RB QB
(Fr.) Samuel Clausman 61
(R-Sr.) Jason Emerich 78 (R-Fr.) Colin Byrne 64
(R-Sr.) Omari Palmer 57 (R-Fr.) Evan Adams 69
(R-Jr.) Jamar McGloster
65
(R-Sr.) Michael Lasker 67
(Sr.) Cameron MacPherson 90 (Sr.) Kendall Moore 87
(Jr.) Steve Ishmael 8
(Fr.) Devin Butler 13
WR WR
(Jr.) Ervin Philips 3 (Sr.) Brisl Estime
(R-So.) Cordell Hudson 20 (Fr.) Carl Jones 16
(R-So.) Rodney Williams 6
(R-Jr.) Chauncey Scissum 21
S
1
95
(R-So.) Jake Pickard 90
(Jr.) Parris Bennett 30 (R-So.) Marqez Hodge 33
(Jr.) Zaire Franklin 4
(R-Fr.) Troy Henderoson 39
LB LB
(So.) Steven Clark 72 (Fr.) McKinley Williams 98
(Fr.) Kayton Samuels 52 (So.) Anthony Giudice 79
(Fr.) Kendall Coleman
55
(R-Sr.) De’Jon Wilson 93
(So.) Kielan Whitner
25
(So.) Daivon Ellison 19
S
(Jr.) Johnathon Thomas 23 (Sr.) Ted Taylor 37
LB
(R-Jr.) Corey Winfield 11 (R-Fr.) Chrisopher Frederick 28
(Jr.) Cole Murphy 48 (Sr.) Alex Grossman 37
(R-Fr.) Sterling Hofricther 10 (Fr.) Nolan Cooney 92
(Fr.) Sean Riley 10 (Sr.) Brisly Estime
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PK P PR
DE DT DT DE
(R-Fr.) Sterling Hofrichter 10 (Fr.) Sean Riley 10 (So.) Jordan Fredericks 22
(So.) Matt Keller 47
DE DT DT DE
H KR LS
35 Donte Vaughn (Fr.)
CB
RT RG C LG LT TE
H KR LS
Te’von Coney (So.)
4
22 Asmar Bilal (So.)
S
Andrew Trumbetti (Jr.)
98
8
Devin Studstill (Fr.)
21 Jalen Elliot (Fr.)
9 Daelin Hayes (Fr.)
Daniel Cage (Jr.)
75
94 Jarron Jones (Gr.)
Jerry Tillery (So.)
99
MLB
5
Nyles Morgan (Jr.) Greer Martini (Jr.)
93 Jay Hayes (Jr.)
Isaac Rochell (Sr.)
90
S
55 Jonathan Bonner (Jr.)
SAM
WR
CB
Nick Coleman (So.)
24
WILL
WR WR
CB
(R-So.) Chris Slayton
CB
36
17
James Onwualu (Sr.)
23
Drue Tranquill (Jr.)
8 Avery Sebastian (6th)
44 Jamir Jones (Fr.)
Cole Luke (Sr.)
27 Julian Love (Fr.)
Equanimeous St. Brown (So.)
6
81 Miles Boykin (So.)
C.J. Sanders (So.)
3
15 Corey Holmes (Jr.)
Alex Bars (Jr.)
71
78 Tommy Kraemer (Fr.)
Colin McGovern (Sr.)
62
66 Tristen Hoge (So.)
53
Sam Mustipher (Jr.)
75 Mark Harrell (Gr.)
RB QB
33
Josh Adams (So.)
25 Tarean Folston (Sr.)
14
DeShone Kizer (Jr.)
8 Malik Zaire (Sr.)
Quenton Nelson (Jr.)
56
57 Trevor Ruhland (So.)
Mike McGlinchey (Sr.)
68
70 Hunter Bivin (Sr.)
80
Durham Smythe (Sr.)
82 Nic Weishar (Jr.)
16
Torii Hunter Jr. (Sr.)
29 Kevin Stepherson (Fr.)
4
Montgomery VanGorder (Jr.)
14 DeShone Kizer (Jr.)
3
C.J. Sanders (So.)
2 Dexter Williams (So.)
61
Scott Daly (Gr.)
54 John Shannon (Fr.)
PK P PR
19
Justin Yoon (So.)
85 Tyler Newsome (Jr.)
85
Tyler Newsome (Jr.)
42 Jeff Riney (So.)
3
C.J. Sanders (So.)
10 Chris Finke (So.)