Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 5, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME JEFF FAINE AND JEROME BETTIS PROVIDE $1.5 MILLION ENDOWMENTS Former Notre Dame standouts and first-round NFL selections Jeff Faine (1999-2002) and Jerome Bettis (1990-92) have committed $1.5 million to endow football grant-in- aid (scholarships) to the positions they played. The gift from Bettis and his wife, Trameka, will establish a fund for a running back scholarship, which will exist in perpetuity. "Trameka and my philanthropic philosophy is to provide back to those who helped us get to where we are," said Bettis, who was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, 2015. "The key is to find a way, once you have had success, to pay it forward. You can do this by making sure someone has an opportunity like I did while at Notre Dame." Earlier this summer, 2002 All-American center Faine and his wife, Brittnie, endowed their scholarship for student-athletes at the center position. "Notre Dame transcends the traditional description of higher education," Faine stated. "The reason for this is because it is not a decision of where you would like to attend college, but a decision of how you will live the rest of your life and the positive impact you will leave on Earth. "It just makes sense to Brittnie and I that if a young person should have a desire and is qualified to attend Notre Dame, monetary requirements should not eliminate Notre Dame from their decision-making process." — Lou Somogyi Notre Dame And Navy To Play In Ireland In 2020 For the third time in their series history, Notre Dame and Navy will play football in Ireland, this time to open the 2020 season Aug. 29. The game had originally been scheduled to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 5, 2020. Consequently, the shift in date and venue will give the Fighting Irish a bye before hosting SEC opponent Arkansas Sept. 12 in the first meeting ever between the two schools. Notre Dame began its 12-0 regular season in 2012 with a 50-10 victory versus Navy in Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, which will be the site again in 2020. The first such overseas excursion for both schools occurred Nov. 2, 1996, when the Irish defeated Navy 54-27 at Dublin's Croke Park. "The University of Notre Dame, our football program, our alumni and fans had such a wonderful experience in 2012," Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick said. "The people of Ireland were incredibly welcoming and made our time on the Emerald Isle unforgettable. … I'm so excited, not only for our student-athletes and those that will travel from the states, but for the people of Ireland and all of those that will make this another experience to cherish." The Navy-Notre Dame rivalry is the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in col- lege football with the two schools having met every year since 1927. — Lou Somogyi PERSONNEL NEWS & NOTES The Oct. 20 bye week that coincided with mid-semester break from Oct. 13-21 provided an opportunity for several players to recuperate and be available for the Navy game Oct. 27: • Sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong, who rushed for 245 yards and a team-high five touchdowns in the first four contests, was sidelined games five through seven while recov- ering from a procedure on an infected knee. How many snaps he could take against Navy remained uncer- tain during the week of preparation, but he was clocked at 19 miles per hour on the GPS testing the Monday before the game. "He usually tops out somewhere in the 20s," head coach Brian Kelly said, expressing optimism about Armstrong providing a lift in November. "We're pretty excited about where he was." • Junior cornerback Troy Pride Jr. took all the first-team reps during preparation for Navy after missing the Oct. 13 Pitt game with a sprained ankle. However, Kelly expressed much confidence in the perfor- mance by 5-10, 170-pound freshman TaRiq Bracy, who took 33 snaps (he had 13 total entering the contest), recorded seven tackles and showed good ball-in-the-air instincts in the 19-14 victory versus the Panthers. Bracy lined up at the field corner (wide side of the field) in place of junior Donte Vaughn, whose skill set is better suited to the boundary side, where classmate and All-America candidate Julian Love excels. "The moment is not too big for him," Kelly said of Bracy. "He's a pretty level-headed young man. He's got some work to do. He recognized some things a little bit quicker. "… There's a big confidence when the ball goes down the field. We like his skill set." • Senior kicker Justin Yoon suffered groin soreness when he added kickoff duties against Pitt after the Panthers' Maurice Ffrench returned sophomore Jonathan Doerer's second-half kickoff for a 99-yard score — the second such tally against the Irish this season. According to Kelly, "technical" issues with Doerer prompted the change to Yoon, but the goal remains to keep Yoon ex- clusively on field goals and extra points to not aggravate any injuries. Through seven games, Doerer has kicked off 41 times, and 20 resulted in touchbacks (48.7 percent), which is right in line with the national average. But with colder days coming up and the ball perhaps not traveling as well, accurately placed directional kickoffs become more emphasized as well. "Our placement has been not where it needs to be," Kelly said. "We're kicking it down the middle of the field. We cer- tainly have to be better in our lane distribution and tackling, but it starts with consistency in kicking." • During the bye week, three freshmen rotated at scout-team quarterback to prepare the Irish defense against Navy's triple option that has had three different quarterbacks this year. Simulating the 5-9, 185-pound Malcolm Perry, who moved back to slot back, was 5-10, 170-pound wideout Lawrence Keys III. Coming in for goal-line situations was the robust 6-2, 212-pound Zach Abey, so 6-4½, 220-pound Irish freshman Phil Jurkovec helped mirror him. Projected as the starter was 6-1, 200-pound Garret Lewis, so 6-2, 205-pound walk-on receiver Leo Albano from Charleston, S.C., was used there after accounting for more than 7,500 total yards during his high school career. — Lou Somogyi The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen will open the 2020 season Aug. 29 in Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, where the two teams played in 2012. PHOTO BY MICHAEL BENNETT