BN: How do they feel about the recent improvements on defense? Will this close the gap and get them closer to a national championship?
C&CM: At this point, I’m cautiously optimistic. This team appears to be much more physical than it was a year ago, and the guys appear to be more assignment-sound than in years past. However, we saw some pretty solid early-season performances from this squad a year ago -- most notably in a win at Ohio State. So there’s plenty of reason for optimism after shutting out a Lane Kiffin offense for a half, but I’m ready to see how they fare against a better QB or offensive line.