Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

Notre Dame faces a tough test this weekend as it looks to bounce back from its 1-3 start. The Irish defense will square off against a Syracuse offense that ranks 7th nationally in passing offense. Can Notre Dame - with new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder - get back on track? Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down what Notre Dame must do to make that happen? The pair also discusses what it is about the Syracuse offense that makes it so difficult to defend.

Blue Gold Illustrated's Lou Somogyi and Matt Jones debate which area of the defense is most important to improvement: fundamentals or personnel changes.

After Notre Dame's stunning 38-35 loss to Duke - a 21-point underdog - Irish head coach Brian Kelly dismissed embattled defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. The Blue and Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the loss to Duke and then discuss why VanGorder failed to develop good defenses at Notre Dame.

BGI recruiting reporters David McKinney and Corey Bodden make predictions as to where some top visitors from last weekend will end up, and take a look at the prospects coming to South Bend this weekend.

Notre Dame looks to get back on track this Saturday when it hosts the 1-2 Duke Blue Devils. The Irish will square off against former assistant David Cutcliffe, who has done a tremendous job building up the Duke football program. Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the top match ups in this game, and what an impressive win could do for the confidence of the Irish program.

Notre Dame picked up a big commitment on Monday when Beaver Falls (Pa.) four-star defensive lineman Donovan Jeter committed to the Irish. Jeter visited Notre Dame over the weekend and fell in love with what the program had to offer. Football analyst Bryan Driskell and recruiting reporter Corey Bodden discuss how the visit went down, why Jeter decided to end his recruitment and what kind of player Notre Dame is adding to its defensive line.

Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down Notre Dame's 36-28 loss to Michigan State. The staff breaks down both sides of the ball, discusses what this loss means for Notre Dame and gets into what needs to change for the Irish defense to start improving.

Notre Dame has a huge weekend on the field and on the recruiting trail, as the Irish take on Michigan State Saturday night. On hand will be 49 football recruits and three basketball prospects. Notre Dame will host 11 players currently committed to the Irish, and the nine official visitors are must-get players. Football analyst Bryan Driskell discusses the weekend's visitors with recruiting reporters Corey Bodden and David McKinney.

Notre Dame takes on the 12th-ranked Michigan State Spartans this weekend in a matchup that could very well be the biggest game of head coach Brian Kelly's tenure. Michigan State has a dynamic defense and a power run game on offense. Blue Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the areas where Notre Dame has the advantage, and how the Irish can handle the Spartans in areas where they do not hold the advantage.

Notre Dame has an opportunity to beat a highly ranked opponent Saturday night when it takes on the No. 12-ranked Michigan State Spartans. The Irish offense needs to be more consistent, and the Notre Dame defense needs to make more stops. But which unit has to be at its best for the Irish to come out on top? Blue Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell and staff writer Matt Jones debate that topic.