San Diego State Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense
Ryan Lindley threw up 45 passes in his college debut, completing 27 (60%) with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Brandon Sullivan was his team's leading receiver in week one, with nine catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. WR No. 80 Vincent Brown added seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.
No. 20 Matthew Kawulok, at 6'2", is on the shorter side for a tight end, but caught three passes last week. Wide receivers No. 18 Robert Wallace and No. 4 Darren Mougey are big targets for the Aztecs, at 6'4" and 6'6" respectively. TE No. 86 Waika Spencer is also a contributor in the passing game, as SDSU often uses dual tight end sets. Backup tailback Davon Brown had a 36-yard reception against Cal Poly last week.
Notre Dame's secondary is supposed to be the strength of this defense. That secondary will be tested early and often by this San Diego State team. San Diego State likes two tight end sets, and has a young quarterback who will be looking to dump the ball off to his running back often. That puts pressure on the linebackers and safeties.
Safety No. 22 Harrison Smith is slated to play outside linebacker against multiple receiver sets. Will he be called on to cover the larger tight ends? Or will outside linebackers Scott Smith and No. 56 Kerry Neal be trusted to cover them? Or will that task fall to safeties No. 27 David Bruton and No. 28 Kyle McCarthy?
The other position to watch is nickel corner. With Darrin Walls out for the year, No. 8 Raeshon McNeil has moved into the starting lineup. Will his nickel position go to sophomore No. 4 Gary Gray, or freshman No. 12 Robert Blanton? Both have come in highly praised, and surely will be up to the task.
Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. San Diego State Pass Defense
Sophomore No. 7 Jimmy Clausen and his receivers are all a year older and wiser. But the latest depth chart has revealed some surprises. TE Mike Ragone is out for the season, but that wasn't enough for No. 84 Will Yeatman to reacquire his starting job.
Instead, freshman No. 9 Kyle Rudolph has taken that job.
No. 18 Duval Kamara and senior No. 11 David Grimes are the starters at WR, as they were coming out of spring. No. 82 Robby Parris and No. 19 George West, who each started several games last year, were not listed on the latest two-deep. They have been passed by speedster No. 23 Golden Tate and freshman super-talent No. 3 Michael Floyd.
San Diego State gave up a respectable 220 yards passing last week. Corners No. 7 Vonnie Moore and No. 21 Aaron Moore each had three pass breakups, but no Aztec recorded an interception. Defensive tackle Jonathan Soto recorded 1.5 sacks.
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