Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1037156
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 15, 2018 13 THEY SAID IT "The biggest thing in Notre Dame's favor are the two wins over ranked opponents [Michigan and Stan- ford], and Notre Dame is currently No. 4 in SOR [strength of record]. The average top-25 team would have an 18 percent chance to achieve Notre Dame's 5-0 record against the same schedule. "Notre Dame's remaining SOS [strength of schedule] rank is No. 61, which is why the win over Stanford was so important. Virginia Tech snuck back into the rankings at No. 24 this week, but would the Hokies fall right out again if they lose at home to the Irish on Saturday? Sometimes the value of wins over 'ranked' opponents can be blurry. "Notre Dame hasn't cracked the top 15 in offensive [No. 31] or defensive [No. 19] efficiency yet. Notre Dame is No. 38 in scoring margin at 14 points per game. There are also only two games' worth of statistics with Book as quarterback." — ESPN's Heather Dinich on including Notre Dame as one of nine teams still alive for the College Football Playoff "There should be no sharing going forward. Kelly has found his man. We knew that, on his best day, [se- nior quarterback Brandon] Wimbush was going to have to be nursed along as a passer. On his worst day, well, your starting quarterback shouldn't have to be nursed. "[Junior quarterback Ian] Book has provided a spark that wasn't there offensively. Now, we pause at this point in the season to write the Irish-as-playoff contender story. Book is allowing us to write it." — Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports on Notre Dame quarterback's situation "This Notre Dame team is different. This is the best Notre Dame team —I'm being honest here — I've seen since the Lou Holtz era. They are big and I mean like Alabama big, Georgia big, Oklahoma big up front defensively. They have NFL players, Sunday guys defensively. They rolled Stanford. Stanford is a good team … "They have now put in a new quarterback Ian Book and he's a big-time player. They have solved what was their issue: throwing the ball down the field. This is the best Notre Dame has had, my eyes tell me, in over a decade. "Maybe they aren't as good as Clemson up front defensively. They are every bit as good as the Georgias, Oklahomas and Alabamas … I've been critical of Notre Dame in the past. They are the real deal. This team looks like they can match up with anyone. They may not beat Alabama, but they can match up in the trenches with Alabama." — FOX Sports radio personality Colin Cowherd on Notre Dame OF THE WEEK "THE LAST FIVE WEEKS AND THE WEEKS AHEAD OF US WILL PROVE TO BE IMPORTANT NOT JUST NOW BUT IN OUR LIVES AFTER FOOTBALL. ITS HARD TO CONTINUOUSLY REFOCUS AND PERFORM AT A HIGH LEVEL. IT'S A SKILL THE AVERAGE PERSON CANNOT MASTER. WE ARE NOT AVERAGE. #lovethee." Notre Dame senior defensive lineman Micah Dew Treadway (@_DJMICAHDEW97) Oct. 2 PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL UNDER THE DOME