Notre Dame Football's Midseason Report Card

With a week off after a difficult loss to Florida State, Notre Dame gets an opportunity to catch its breath this week. Sitting at 6-1 and ranked inside the Top 10 of both the AP and Coaches Poll, Brian Kelly's young team is a surprise contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

How they got there is an interesting story. Losing key starters on both sides of the ball courtesy of graduation and the NFL draft, the Irish also opened training camp short three critical starters: wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive end Ishaq Williams.

Five total players were lost for the season after an academic investigation ran into October, just another distraction for a team and coaching staff that has had to deal with off-field surprises seemingly annually.  

But the Irish have avoided any pitfalls during their fast start, thriving through an early season schedule that softened a bit thanks to down years by Michigan and Stanford. Notre Dame showed themselves to be for real last Saturday night, battling the defending champs to the last play and losing on a penalty call that still has people talking. 

With the university on mid-semester break and the football team on bye, let's take a look at the Irish's midseason report card. 

Quarterback

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Everett Golson has lived up to the hype with his return to Notre Dame. The senior quarterback (Golson has a fifth year of eligibility in 2015 as well) is completing 61.9 percent of his throws for 1,996 yards and 19 touchdowns while throwing six interceptions. 

While much has been made of his rash of turnovers the past four weeks, Golson controlled the game against Florida State, only throwing a first-half interception and one on 4th-and-18, though it certainly looks as if the back judge missed the call. 

Golson is Notre Dame's second-leading rusher, averaging 3.5 yards per carry (numbers that are hurt by sack yardage). He's also the team's leader in rushing touchdowns with four. 

After a hot start, Golson's play leveled out before putting together a very nice performance in Tallahassee. With five games to go, Notre Dame's staff still believes Golson's best days are in front of him. 

Midterm Grade: A-

Running Backs

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Notre  Dame's ground game took a surprising step forward last weekend in Tallahassee when Tarean Folston ran for a season-best 120 yards against Florida State's defense. That Folston eclipsed 20 carries and moved to the front of a three-man race seems to be good news for the productivity of this unit. 

It's difficult to grade this group without taking into consideration the play of the offensive line. But while Brian Kelly has preached patience as the front five grows into its new alignment, he also demanded that his running backs run tougher, break tackles and move the chains when they get their opportunities. 

While Cam McDaniel is a captain on the team, he's seen his on-field role diminished, serving mostly as a short-yardage specialist. After a relatively hot start to his season, sophomore Greg Bryant has received only 11 carries in October, with just one opportunity against the Seminoles. McDaniel and Bryant had just two carries while Folston had 21 against Florida State, a telling statistic that means Folston has earned the trust of this coaching staff. 

With Navy and Arizona State up next, the running game has a chance to do serious damage against two defenses that haven't been able to stop the run. That means additional opportunities for Bryant to grow and for Folston to continue his dominance. 

Midterm Grade: B-

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

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The loss of DaVaris Daniels to an academic issue put Notre Dame in the unique situation where only Chris Brown had actually caught a pass from quarterback Everett Golson in a game. But the young receiving corps and tight end Ben Koyack have hit their stride, producing 19 touchdown catches, tied for 11th-best in the country. 

Ascending to the No. 1 job has been Will Fuller. The sophomore's eight touchdown catches is tied for third-best in college football, and his 583 receiving yards projects out to a regular-season total of exactly 1,000 yards.

After a breakout game against Florida State, Corey Robinson is also poised for a big second half of the season. While listed at 6'4", Robinson has grown even taller and presents a clear mismatch on the edge against defensive backs.

While we've seen him get the opportunity to go up top and win a jump ball situation against both Syracuse and Florida State, Robinson continues to get better at the little things, growing into a more complete receiver by the game. 

Junior Chris Brown has actually started more games than Robinson, finding some productivity after a slow start. Slot receivers C.J. Prosise and Amir Carlisle have made big plays as well, as both have received opportunities to run the ball on jet sweeps, adding a new wrinkle to the slot receiver position. 

Koyack is the only player at his position to make a mark on the stat sheet. Sports Illustrated named Koyack their Midseason All-American tight end, likely noticing his game-winning catch against Stanford which has highlighted an impressive stat line of 18 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. 

Midterm Grade: B+

Offensive Line

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After winning their first three games of the season with relative ease, Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand made the decision to reboot the offensive line. Swapping Nick Martin and Matt Hegarty at left guard and center as well as Steve Elmer and Christian Lombard between right guard and right tackle, the Irish had four starters playing new positions, with Ronnie Stanley still learning left tackle after making the move there in the spring. 

The returns weren't immediate. Against Syracuse, the Irish moved the ball well but suffered from some breakdowns, with the Orange's heavy blitz scheme creating some confusion. Against Stanford, there were some clear defeats up front against the Cardinal front seven, but the running game managed to average 4.0 yards per carry. 

While the Irish's 50-point outburst against North Carolina was mostly credited to the Tar Heels' inept defense, the fact that Notre Dame was able to rack up nearly 500 yards of offense against the Seminoles has many believing that the unseen gains along the offensive line that Kelly has continually mentioned were not just coachspeak. 

With the offensive front moving the point of attack against Florida State and springing Tarean Folston to a season-high 120 yards, the running game looks as if it's ready to hit its stride. While some breakdowns had Everett Golson running for his life against the Seminoles, the pass protection held up pretty well, all things considered. 

This group needs to improve over these next five games, but its performance against Florida State was a big step forward. 

Midterm Grade: B-

Defensive Line

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With Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt heading to the NFL, the Irish returned Sheldon Day and a bunch of question marks along the defensive line. The difficulty of running against the Irish's front four is one of the best surprises of the 2014 season. 

Day has been tremendously productive, his 5.5 tackles for loss second on the team to only Jaylon Smith. But Jarron Jones has matched that dominance, taking a huge leap forward against Florida State and providing the Irish with a defensive tackle who can dominate the interior of the line. Jones' 26 tackles mirror Day's total, and his 5.0 tackles for loss included three against Florida State. 

The preseason loss of Ishaq Williams robbed Notre Dame of their one veteran defensive end, and even Williams transitioned to the position during spring ball. But a young rotation filled with Isaac Rochell, Romeo Okwara, Andrew Trumbetti, Grant Blankenship and Kolin Hill have more than held their own. Add in veteran depth from seniors Justin Utupo and Anthony Rabasa, and a collection of unknowns has done an amazing job. 

Midterm Grade: A

Linebackers

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By this point, even most casual college football fans have heard the story of Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt. The former walk-on is Notre Dame's leading tackler. Partnered with Jaylon Smith, he gives the Irish two dynamic athletes on the field every down. 

While most rightfully talk about Smith and his elite athleticism, Schmidt is far from just an overachiever who scrapes by on grit and hard work. After seven games, Schmidt has 57 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles, on pace for a 100-tackle campaign in his first season as a starter. Along with being the man in charge of calling and aligning the defense—no easy task in Brian VanGorder's scheme—Schmidt is the heart of the unit. 

Of course, Smith is a star in the making. A freakish athlete still learning as he transitions from outside linebacker to a job that has him lined up in the middle of the field, Smith leads the Irish in tackles for loss with 6.5 while notching two sacks among his 53 tackles. 

Sharing time in the starting lineup is converted wide receiver James Onwualu. In four starts, he's made just eight tackles, though holding his own in coverage. Senior Ben Councell has played limited minutes after returning from an ACL injury, making this mostly a two-man wrecking crew.

Midterm Grade: B+ 

Secondary

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If there's one position group that's been hit hard by injuries and bad luck this season, it's been the secondary. Kerry Cooks' unit lost safety Austin Collinsworth 48 hours before the season opener with a knee injury, then Collinsworth suffered a dislocated shoulder that even without surgery could end his season.

At cornerback, Notre Dame lost No. 1 cover man and potential star KeiVarae Russell to the academic dishonesty case. Florida transfer and grad student Cody Riggs has capably filled in, with sophomore Cole Luke sliding into the starting lineup.

At safety, sophomore Max Redfield and junior Elijah Shumate are holding down jobs with few other options. After Collinsworth's injury and another season-ending shoulder surgery for Nicky Baratti, the Irish only have freshman Drue Tranquill capable of filling in, with Eilar Hardy returning to practice with the team after being involved in the academic case, though not necessarily eligible to return to the field. 

The Irish's 11 interceptions are good for sixth in the country, already more than the nine regular-season picks the defense produced last season. They've come courtesy of good play by nickelback Matthias Farley, whose position change to cornerback during the spring looks worthy of a crystal ball, knowing what we know now. Sophomore cornerback Devin Butler has an interception as well. 

The secondary struggled to keep Florida State off the scoreboard in the second half, unable to keep Jameis Winston and the Seminoles receivers from completing their comeback. But with a ravaged depth chart, there's little to complain about. 

Midterm Grade: B

Special Teams

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Outside of some serious problems against Stanford, the Irish special teams have been solid. They're anchored by do-everything specialist Kyle Brindza: Notre Dame's senior standout handles kickoff, punt and placekicking duties. 

Brindza's big leg has been a weapon on kickoffs, where his 31 touchbacks on 46 kickoffs give opponents an average starting field position at the Irish's 24-yard line. Facing talented returners including Stanford's Ty Montgomery, the Irish kickoff coverage team has rebounded nicely after a tough 2013 season.

Brindza may only be averaging 41.7 yards per punt but has been incredibly efficient. On his 29 attempts, he's pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line 10 times. With 12 fair catches and five touchbacks, only two punts have been returned against him.

In the return game, Amir Carlisle hasn't matched George Atkinson's explosiveness, with Irish kick returners only breaking one 30-plus yard return. Cody Riggs has been better on punt returns, averaging a respectable 8.6 yards per return, though ball-security issues have made that an adventure sometimes.

Midterm Grade: B- 

Coaching

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It's hard not to consider Brian Kelly one of the early Coach of the Year candidates. Having to replace both his offensive and defensive coordinator after Chuck Martin and Bob Diaco earned head coaching opportunities, Kelly hit a home run hiring Brian VanGorder and has found success calling plays while Mike Denbrock coordinates the offense. 

Not only has Kelly taken an incredibly young team and won with them, but he's done so while dealing with an academic distraction that cost him five players. He's also had to deal with other serious off-field challenges, with Denbrock and GA Kyle McCarthy both battling cancer. 

While an undefeated regular season is no longer a possibility after the loss to Florida State, the future is incredibly bright for the Irish. The travel roster to Tallahassee had 27 of 48 players in their first or second year of eligibility, a sign that bright days are ahead. 

There is still work to be done. The offense needs to find consistency. The defense needs to drastically shift gears, preparing for Navy's option attack before going to Tempe to face one of the best aerial assaults in the country a week later. 

But it's hard to give Kelly and the Irish coaches anything but an A for their efforts this season.

Midterm Grade: A