Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1050818
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 19, 2018 13 THEY SAID IT "The 32-year-old is in only his third sea- son with the Irish after spending a couple of years at Bucknell. It's not like the clock is ticking, and Ayers can afford to be picky given his comfort level working at his alma mater and for Mike Brey. But there is little doubt within the program that Ayers is equipped to run his own show, maybe sooner rather than later." The Athletic's Brian Hamilton on naming Irish men's basketball assistant RYAN AYERS as one of 30 up-and-coming coaches to watch "The Fighting Irish won again, a 10-point road victory against a solid Northwestern team. That's good. But like the Pitt game a few weeks back, it took a while for Ian Book to get going (though he finished with a stellar line of 399 yards and three touchdowns), and the ground game amounted to next to nothing (26 carries for 76 yards from the backs). Clearly, the committee was less than impressed with Notre Dame's body of work before the game, and this was another performance that felt mediocre but ended in a win. It shouldn't be so hard to get excited about this team." — ESPN.com's David Hale on Notre Dame "How to get in: The Irish are in if they go unde- feated. What's interesting is what happens if they lose. If they drop a tight one to Syracuse at Yankee Stadium in their most losable remaining game, that loss could be coming against a 10-2 or 9-3 team. How would the committee handle a 12-1 Big Ten champ Michigan with a loss to Notre Dame against an 11–1 Notre Dame? What about a 12–1 Ohio State that also has a win against Michigan but also has a 29-point loss at Purdue? "Most people in the Power Five leagues are root- ing against the Irish because their admission to the playoff would take money out of the pockets of at least two leagues. But if they do get in, it could cause enough crying that certain Power Five leagues might give more serious consideration to an eight-team playoff." — Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples on Notre Dame RYAN AYERS PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA UNDER THE DOME OF THE WEEK "Of the four ranked teams Northwestern has faced in 2018, Notre Dame scored the most points (31), gained the most yards of total of- fense (464) and earned the largest margin of victory (10 points) over the Wildcats..." Notre Dame football director of media relations Michael Bertsch (@NDsidBertschy) Nov. 4 gusfootball.com Notre Dame Legend • Notre Dame's First All-American - 1913 • Team Captain - 1912 • Four Year Starting Quarterback - 1910-1913 • Rockne's Teammate, Roommate and Friend • Forward Pass Pioneer • Gipp's Backfield Coach " ... It is a story researched and told lovingly, one that helps provide immense context and understanding not just of Dorais' life and compe ve fire but of Notre Dame' s rise as a power and the founda on of American football itself… " – Roland Lazenby; Most prolific sports author of our me