Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1028333
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 24, 2018 25 0-7 All-time record for Vanderbilt against non-conference teams that are ranked in the Associated Press top 10 at the time of the game. Each of the last two defeats have come against Notre Dame, with the previous one dating back to the 1996 opener. 3-0 Start to the 2018 Notre Dame football season. This marks only the sixth time in the 25-year period from 1994-2018 the Fight- ing Irish have reached 3-0 — but fourth in the last seven. The others were in 1996 (8-3), 2002 (10-3), 2012 (12-1), 2014 (8-5) and 2015 (10-3). 5 Straight one-possession games won by Notre Dame after going through a 1-9 stretch in such outcomes from 2015-17. All the scores also are remarkably similar. It began with a 24-17 vic- tory over Navy on Senior Day last November, con- tinued with a 21-17 Citrus Bowl triumph versus LSU in January, and this year commenced with 24-17, 24-16 and 22-17 conquests of Michigan, Ball State and Vanderbilt, respectively. 8 Consecutive wins by Notre Dame at home, the last five from 2017 and the first three this season. That is tied for the third longest winning streak at home since 1990. Tied at No. 1 was 10 straight from 2011-13 and 1997-99. The 1992-93 Irish also won eight in a row in Notre Dame Stadium prior to the 41-39 upset versus Boston College. 24 Points or fewer scored by Notre Dame in its seventh consecutive contest, dating back to the 41-8 loss against Miami last season. Since 1964 — the start of the Ara Parseghian era — there has been only one other time where a Fighting Irish team tallied 24 points or less more than six games in a row: 2006-07 with 10. The 2006 team finished the year with a 44-24 regular-season defeat at USC followed by a 41-14 loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl. The 3-9 team the following year did not eclipse 20 points in any of its first eight games. 31 Career passes broken up by junior cor- nerback Julian Love after tying his career high of four in one game that he set the week prior versus Ball State. That moved him past 2008-11 standout safety and first-round draft pick Harrison Smith for the second most in school history. He is now only one behind Clarence Ellis (1969-71) — another first-round selection — at the top of the all-time Irish chart. For good measure, Love also recovered two fumbles against the Commodores, one in the end zone and the other on a final des- peration play to end the game. 59.6 Yards averaged by fifth-year senior punter Tyler Newsome on his five attempts, shattering the single-game Notre Dame record of 52.4 he set in a 62-27 romp against Mas- sachusetts in 2015. To be a record, a minimum of five punts are required. Two of his punts pinned the Commodores inside their 20-yard line, and two other 60-yard boots became touchbacks. 297 Career points scored by senior kicker Justin Yoon after tallying 10 more versus Vanderbilt on three field goals in four attempts, plus an extra point. He moved past fellow kickers Kyle Brindza (2012-14) and Craig Hentrich (1989-92) for second place on the all- time Fighting Irish scoring chart. He now trails only 1982-85 running back Allen Pinkett, who totaled 320 points on 53 touchdowns and a two- point conversion. BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI 118 Rushing yards by junior TONY JONES JR., which almost doubled his previous career standard of 61, set the previous week against Ball State (his top effort last year was 59 versus Wake Forest). With 174 yards of total offense, Jones also shattered his prior standard of 61 versus Ball State. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL