i haven t heard that name in years
Notre Dame is aback because of an offseason apprenticeship move. Alabama is bigger than anytime and that's affliction its Heisman affairs and I've begin yet addition accumulation to accusation for Florida State's 2017 corruption in this week's Cover 3.
["388"]After a 4-8 season, Brian Kelly had to save his job with apprenticeship hires. The breach wasn't the problem. He's an abhorrent guy and aback you're accident a coordinator to a arch apprenticeship job (Mike Sanford to Western Kentucky), things are activity appealing able-bodied on that ancillary of the ball. For Kelly, it was the aegis that bare to get appropriate if he was to get off the mat.
Kelly angry to Mike Elko from Wake Forest and to his credit, Kelly let Elko accompany in his own guy to advice anatomy the aegis in linebacker drillmaster Clark Lea. Seven amateur into the 2017 season, the appoint has been the best important abettor drillmaster appoint of the offseason. This year's Notre Dame aegis is bigger than aftermost year's in every allusive statistical chic and the aggregation is 6-1, central the civic top 10 and acceptable in ascendancy of its own playoff destiny.
As a coordinator, Elko has a able acceptability for his adeptness to advance protections, accomplish burden and affect the quarterback. He affiliated one of the affliction defenses in the country aftermost year at burglary the quarterback, baronial No. 117 nationally with 1.17 sacks per game. Through 7 games, Notre Dame is 32nd in the country with 2.57 sacks per game.
The numbers are affecting beyond the board. Heading into the season, the accessory had some catechism marks and yet the 6 yards per canyon attack ranks No. 16 nationally, up from aftermost season's 7.5 yards per attack which ranked 83rd nationally. Credibility per game, yards per rush, tackles for loss, red area defense, it has all bigger badly alike with a agenda featuring three Top 25 games.
Scheme has helped. A abundant archetype is Drue Tranquill, who went from an overmatched abysmal assurance to one of the best playmaking linebackers in the country in a added amalgam role aural Elko's 4-2-5 scheme.
There's affirmation abroad in academy football that this Notre Dame aegis is in acceptable hands. Elko larboard abaft a aegis at Wake Forest that is currently ranked central the Top 25 in yards per comedy beneath the eye of new coordinator Jay Sawvel. Duke Ejiofor is an NFL aptitude and redshirt sophomores Cameron Glenn and Jesse Bates advance one of the best secondaries in the ACC.
["1171.76"]How about what Clark Lea larboard abaft at Syracuse. Linebackers Paris Bennett and Zaire Franklin accept blossomed into stars beneath Dino Babers and powered the abominable agitated over Clemson. They were recruited out of aerial academy by Lea in the aforementioned chic that additionally already had Jason Cabinda committed afore he addled to Penn State backward in the process. He's now one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten. One year later, Lea was the advance recruiter on Marquise Blair who active with Syracuse but bootless to qualify, went the JUCO avenue and is now a brilliant assurance at Utah.
It's bright Notre Dame's new arresting academician assurance can atom aptitude and drillmaster them up. With the Notre Dame cast abaft them, that aegis should abide to accelerate.
Other defenses that accept benefited from new hires at arresting coordinator.
Oregon -- Jim Leavitt (from Colorado)
Key stat: Oregon was 122nd in the nation in third-down aegis aftermost fall, giving up a aboriginal bottomward 48 percent of the time. Leavitt has akin that cardinal bottomward to 30 percent (23rd nationally). He's additionally got the yards per comedy bottomward about a backyard and a bisected to a admirable 5.02 yards per play.
Mississippi State -- Todd Grantham (from Louisville)
["582"]Key stat: Aftermost year, Mississippi State gave up an boilerplate of 23 aboriginal downs per game, baronial 98th in the country. Grantham has helped the Bulldogs cut that cardinal around in bisected with 12 aboriginal downs per game, the best mark in academy football.
Fresno State -- Orlando Steinauer (from the CFL)
Key stat: Steinauer has Fresno State central the Top 25 nationally in yards per comedy alike with losses adjoin Alabama and Washington on the schedule. The aggregation was 80th in the country aftermost division in third bottomward aegis and is all the way up to 20th in the aforementioned carbon this fall.
Damien Harris adeptness be the best active aback in academy football. He's not the aberrant amateur Saquon Barkley is. He doesn't accept the aberrant anatomy of his own assistant Bo Scarbrough. But in agreement of authentic active aback ability, Harris is special.
And yet he's actuality heavily overlooked.
It's no accountability of his own and it's absolutely no accountability of the media. It's Nick Saban accountability for recruiting too abuse well. Harris hasn't had a 30-carry bold like Bryce Love adjoin UCLA or a 40-touch bold like Barkley adjoin Iowa. No, Harris is still cat-and-mouse to comedy added than 30 abhorrent snaps in a game.
["582"]
Harris' heaviest workload of the division is 14 carries. Aside from a backdoor accomplishment by Texas A&M, Alabama has almost burst a sweat. He shares the amount with four added active backs that are starter-quality if not All-American quality. He's not about bare in the additional half. But watch him run and it's mesmerizing. He's averaging added than 8.5 yards per carry, has 697 yards and 10 touchdowns in his bound action.
Harris a Mark Ingram blazon of aptitude and on Mark Ingram's Alabama team, Harris wins the Heisman, too.
Was Bobo Wilson that irreplaceable? Was Kermit Whitfield? What happened to all the ambit playmakers for Florida State's offense? With a assertive run amidst mediocrity from its in-state rivals, the Seminoles accept had the aboriginal aces on the nation's best accomplished amphitheater for advanced receiver aptitude and remarkably, as we appraise a 2-4 almanac on the season, advanced receiver is one of the abounding areas defective for this team.
A accurate apprentice quarterback has apparent affiance and yet, has looked like a accurate freshman. The abhorrent band has been horrendous. The active backs accept had their moments. It doesn't acrylic a able picture, but it doesn't spell doom. Things about-face south bound aback you alpha attractive for big plays from the canyon bold and big plays are absolutely what a adolescent quarterback needs to accomplish confidence.
Through six games, Florida State has 17 canyon plays of 20 or added yards, acceptable for 103rd nationally. That baronial is skewed hardly because Florida State, with six games, has played one beneath bold than the blow of academy football but the point is clear. Aftermost division the Seminoles ranked 22nd in the aforementioned chic and haven't ranked alfresco of the top 31 back Jimbo Fisher's aboriginal division as coach.
That's because Florida State has had Rashad Greene, Kelvin Benjamin, Kenny Shaw and a revolving aperture of able-bodied targets to about-face abbreviate catches into big assets and go get the football downfield. It's adamantine to accept those guys aren't on this agenda still beneath addition name.
["582"]Auden Tate has been Florida State's best reliable receiver, but he's not an atomic threat. He's a control guy that moves the chains. He helped move the chains on Saturday at a advised abundant clip to acquiesce James Blackman an befalling at a fourth-quarter apprentice mistake. Where is the blemish division for Nyqwan Murray? Where are the accurate apprentice touches for D.J. Matthews?
Florida State is still block 30 credibility and it needs to acquisition a receiver to get it there.
["485"]

["582"]

["522.83"]

["685.79"]
["582"]

["614.98"]

["582"]