Notre Dame Football: What the Irish Should Be Thankful for in 2014

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Thanksgiving is mere days away, and Notre Dame football finds itself stumbling down the homestretch of the season.

Currently riding a three-game losing skid, the Irish are 7-4 after a 6-0 start—a peak that seems so long ago. While the current vibe is one full of negativity surrounding this Irish squad, let’s take a look at what Notre Dame should be thankful for in 2014.

Joe Schmidt

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

If you weren’t sold on senior linebacker Joe Schmidt’s value when he was on the field, how about now?

The leading tackler at the time of his fractured and dislocated ankle against Navy, Schmidt also had a massive role as the primary communicator and intermediary of a complex defense run by quite a few youngsters.

In the seven full games in which Schmidt played, Notre Dame’s defense allowed an average of 19.14 points per game. Since then, the Irish have been tagged for an average of 42 points per game.

Now, it’s not that simple, of course. Injuries to defensive linemen Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones and cornerback Cody Riggs don’t help. But Schmidt’s absence has arguably been the key force in the defense’s troubles.

"

ND allowed 25 rushes of 10 yards or more in 30+ quarters w/ Joe Schmidt. Has allowed 31 such carries in 13+ quarters w/o him.

— Irish Illustrated (@NDatRivals) November 23, 2014"

Notre Dame should be thankful for his work in the first seven-plus games of the season and should be counting down the days until his return.

Will Fuller

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It seemed a strong and somewhat surprising start by sophomore receiver Will Fuller was repeatedly downplayed by Irish head coach Brian Kelly during the early weeks of the season. Kelly never seemed ready to anoint Fuller as Notre Dame’s true No. 1 receiver.

Well, it’s pretty obvious now just how invaluable the speedy wideout has been. Fuller has grabbed 66 receptions for 962 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns, the second-most in the nation.

“He's a factor in every game we've played,” Kelly said Sunday. “Louisville had probably two of the better corners in the country and he ran by them at will. We're certainly aware of Will coming into the game. He has, obviously, put himself in a position to be considered one of Notre Dame's finest receivers. And he's done it in very short order.”

Notre Dame entered the season without a proven pass-catcher with DaVaris Daniels in limbo at the time. Fuller has been Everett Golson’s go-to target and has piled up yards and scores.

Michigan and Stanford

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Remember when Notre Dame’s schedule looked so vaunted, an unending gauntlet of high-quality opponents?

To an extent, that has remained the case. Notre Dame has lost to three ranked opponents in Florida State, Arizona State and Louisville. But the Irish should be thankful things weren’t even more difficult at the beginning of the season.

Both Michigan (5-6) and Stanford (6-5) are having down years. Notre Dame was able to pick up wins against the Wolverines and the Cardinal and build momentum and confidence in a young group. The 31-0 shellacking of Michigan showed a potent defense, and the late-game heroics against Stanford displayed Golson’s special ability.

Notre Dame gained much-needed victories against Michigan and Stanford and likely helped a young and inexperienced team with its confidence.

Tarean Folston

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Notre Dame’s rushing attack was somewhat criticized—and rightly so, for the most part—at the start of the season. For whatever reason, the running backs simply couldn’t get a ton going behind an offensive line that eventually needed reshuffling.

But Notre Dame’s three-back approach soon gave way to a heavy dose of sophomore Tarean Folston, and Folston has shined as the top dog. After a three-carry, 14-yard day against Stanford, Folston has turned in five impressive performances over the last six games.

The Florida native racked up 98 yards against North Carolina, 120 against Florida State, 149 against Navy, 106 against Northwestern and 134 on Saturday against the Cardinals.

“What I'm most impressed with is when we challenged him as a complete running back, he took that challenge and he stepped up,” Kelly said of Folston, who struggled in pass protection as recently as the Arizona State game. “As you saw, he was in the game late [against Louisville], and he did an outstanding job of pass protection, and that was the piece that was missing for him. He did a great job.

“Then tough yard running he's just, again, a guy that's developed as a sophomore to the point where he's put himself in a position to get the prime-time carries and be in the game late.”

Cole Luke

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Like Fuller, sophomore cornerback Cole Luke stepped into a vacated position and never looked back. With KeiVarae Russell not playing this season, Luke has been a consistent starting cornerback.

More recently, with Riggs battling a stress reaction in his foot, Luke has handled the top role on the perimeter. The sophomore was dealt the duty of matching up against Louisville star receiver DeVante Parker on Saturday, and Luke took care of business. Kelly said Luke did an “outstanding” job against the Cardinals. Parker did manage one touchdown, but Luke wasn’t covering him.

Notre Dame has enough problems in the secondary with Riggs’ health and the safety shuffle, but Luke has been a constant.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco on Twitter.