Last year Notre Dame was in a tough spot on offense. They knew they weren’t going to have their top running back in the opener, they had just lost Josh Adams, their top two offensive linemen, and their first team running back was a receiver who had never played a college snap. They were about to play the best defense they’d face in the regular season, by far, with a wicked front seven. They had their starter returning at quarterback, but he had issues with confidence and consistency, to say the least. Chip Long had a decision to make.