Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 OCT. 1, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Moving? Let us know! Call 1-800-421-7751 Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Annie Heffernan — Cross Country The senior from Cincinnati picked up her third straight victory in the National Catho- lic Invitational Sept. 14 in South Bend. She completed the five-kilometer course in a time of 17:24.47, edging out teammates Jacqueline Gaughan (17:27.27) and Elena Denner (17:28.54). The Irish women captured the top four spots in the race — Rachel DaDa- mio (17:38.63) was fourth — en route to win- ning the event for the 12th consecutive year. Charley Niego — Volleyball The freshman from Chicago recorded her first career double-double in a 3-1 loss to No. 19 Michigan Sept. 15-16, registering 13 kills, 14 digs and two aces. Niego — a 2017 first-team Under Armour All-America, the 2016 Illinois Volleyball Ga- torade Player of the Year and PrepVolleyball.com's No. 68 overall prospect in the country in her class — ranked second on the team in kills (85), third in digs (84) and tied for third in service aces (eight) through 10 matches. Hunter Ostrom — Golf The junior from Eagle, Idaho, won the indi- vidual championship at the Northern Inter- collegiate Championship Sept. 15-16 in Sugar Grove, Ill. He carded a 6-under-par 210 during the three-round event, helping propel Notre Dame to a second-place team finish. It marked Ostrom's first ca- reer individual win and his 6-under score set a new career best. He is the second individual tournament winner for the Irish since 2014. Kevin Salvano — Cross Country The junior from Arlington Heights, Ill., fin- ished in third place at the National Catholic Invitational Sept. 14 at South Bend. He clocked a time of 24:56.53 in the five-mile race to fin- ish just behind teammate Anthony Williams (24:47.74). The Irish men claimed nine of the top 15 spots in the event on their way to a first-place showing. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE Entering the game at Wake Forest Sept. 22, junior cornerback Julian Love was one pass broken up short of setting a new career Notre Dame record in that category. Love shattered the single-season standard last year with 20, and this year in back-to-back wins over Ball State and Vanderbilt he set per- sonal game highs with four apiece. The current era is much more pass heavy and affords more chances for passes broken up, but especially notable is the elite company that Love is in amongst former Fighting Irish players. Outside of Love, three of the top four were NFL Draft first-round selections, and No. 5 was a consensus All-American in Shane Wal- ton. No. 6 at 22 is second-round pick Dave Waymer, (1976-79) whose 48 career intercep- tions are the most ever by an Irish alumnus in the NFL. No. 7 is Love's position coach Todd Lyght (20.5), a two-time consensus All-Ameri- can, the highest Irish draft pick ever at defen- sive back (No. 5), and a Pro Bowl performer who won a Super Bowl. Here were the top five entering the Wake Forest game: Player (Years) Career Passes Broken Up 1. Clarence Ellis (1969-71) 32 2. Julian Love* (2016-18) 31 3. Harrison Smith (2008-11) 28 4. Luther Bradley (1973-77) 27 5. Shane Walton (1999-02) 25 * Active player Getting To Know … FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR PUNTER TYLER NEWSOME Hometown: "Carrollton, Ga." High School: "Carrollton." Major: "Management consulting." Favorite Food: "I like fried catfish a lot." Favorite Movie: "'The Godfather.'" Favorite Music: "I couldn't give you one. I listen to pretty much everything." Favorite TV Show: "'Trailer Park Boys.'" Favorite Punter: "I liked Pat McAfee when he was still playing for the Colts." Favorite Part About Play- ing For Notre Dame: "Being at Notre Dame is so amaz- ing to me. I get to be at the premier academic institu- tion in the world. I get to go to the school with future CEOs and doctors. I'm sitting in the classroom with kids who are going to be changing the world, and it's mak- ing me a better student." Who's The Best Player You've Ever Lined Up Across From?: "I punted against [former Alabama and current Packers punter] JK Scott in an all-star game in high school." CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME AT HOME VS. TOP-25 OPPONENTS When Stanford — which was ranked No. 7 in the country heading into its game at Oregon Sept. 22 — comes to town Sept. 29, it will mark the 14th time Notre Dame has played a top-25 opponent (Associated Press or Col- lege Football Playoff rankings) in South Bend and the 33rd time overall dur- ing head coach Brian Kelly's tenure. The Fighting Irish are only 15-17 (.469 winning percentage) overall, but 9-4 (.692) in the friendly confines of Notre Dame Stadium. Last year in such games, the Irish fell to No. 15 and eventual national runner-up Georgia (20-19), before bouncing back to rout both No. 11 USC (49-14) and No. 14 NC State (35-14). In Kelly's first top-25 home test in 2010, the Irish were beaten 37-14 by the Cardinal. Notre Dame bounced back to take the next two such match- ups against Stanford, winning 20-13 in overtime in 2012 and 17-14 in 2014. The Cardinal was not ranked in the top 25 for the 2016 meeting in South Bend, but rallied from a 10-0 deficit to win 17-10. BRIAN KELLY VS. TOP-25 TEAMS AT HOME Opponent Score No. 16 Stanford (2010) L, 37-14 No. 15 Utah (2010) W, 28-3 No. 15 Michigan State (2011) W, 31-13 No. 18 Michigan (2012) W, 13-6 No. 17 Stanford (2012) W, 20-13 (OT) No. 14 Oklahoma (2013) L, 35-21 No. 14 Stanford (2014) W, 17-14 No. 14 Georgia Tech (2015) W, 30-22 No. 12 Michigan State (2016) L, 36-28 No. 15 Georgia (2017) L, 20-19 No. 11 USC (2017) W, 49-14 No. 14 NC State (2017) W, 35-14 No. 14 Michigan (2018) W, 24-17 * All rankings are based when the game was played and not the final Associated Press or College Football Playoff listings