New Year’s Resolutions For Notre Dame Football
By Andrew Hall
The Notre Dame Football team capped off the 2014 year with an upset victory over LSU, 31-28. However, the 8-5 record overall was not extremely satisfying for Notre Dame fans (and probably the team too). Here are a few things that the Notre Dame football team should resolve to do in 2015:
Brian Kelly: Commit To Running The Football
Notre Dame was successful when Brian Kelly chose to run the football. Against LSU, the Irish ran the ball 51 times for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns. In Notre Dame’s worst defeat of the season, a 49-14 drubbing at the hands of USC, Notre Dame only ran the ball 25 times. With a talented Offensive Line and fantastic duo of Running Backs, Notre Dame should have no issue running the ball in 2015 (and hopefully into 2016). Additionally, running the ball helps protect a weaker defense. The Irish held the ball for 37:00 minutes against LSU, leaving the defense on the field for only 23:00 minutes.
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Everett Golson: Not Turning Over The Ball
Everett Golson turned the ball over 22 times (14 interceptions and 8 fumbles) in the 2014 season. Now, his position on the 2015 Notre Dame Football team is in doubt. If Golson is able to improve and beat out Malik Zaire for the starting position, he must find a way to protect the ball. With Kelly committing to achieving his new resolution of running the ball, Golson may have an easier time with protecting the football. If Kelly manages the game in a similar fashion to the 2012 season, this will help Golson (or Zaire) achieve more success.
Sheldon Day: Stop Suffering Injuries
One of the Notre Dame’s best players on defense is rising-Senior and Captain Sheldon Day. Day collect 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 1 sacks. However, the Defensive Tackle suffered injuries in the last two seasons that caused him to miss four total games. To find their way to one of the New Year’s Six Bowls, the Captain from Indianapolis, Indiana needs to be on the field for all 12 games.