Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2019 11 UNDER THE DOME 2 Notre Dame football games during the 2018 calendar year that finished among the top 10 in television ratings, per Sports Media Watch: No. 8 was at USC Nov. 24 with a 4.4 rating and 7.74 million viewers, and No. 10 was the season opener versus Michigan Sept. 1 with a 4.0 rating and 7.09 million viewers. 5 Freshmen who have played for the Notre Dame men's basketball team this year, after center Chris Doherty burned his eligibility in January because junior Juwan Dur- ham's ankle injury sidelined him for a few weeks. It marked the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Fighting Irish men played five freshmen in one season; that was with four scholarship players — starters Luke Harangody and Tory Jackson, plus Jonathan Peoples and Joe Harden — and walk-on Tim Andree. The last time all five scholarship players saw action as fresh- men was 1988-89 with LaPhonso Ellis, Elmer Bennett, Daimon Sweet, Keith Tower and Keith Adkins. Barring any transfers, all 11 scholarship players on this year's roster are slated to return next season. 7 Triple-doubles recorded in the 42-year history of Notre Dame women's basketball when junior guard Jackie Young achieved the feat (16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) during a 77-62 win at Ten- nessee Jan. 24. The first was Mary Gavin in 1987 (versus Marquette), followed by Sara Liebscher (1990 versus Detroit). Skylar Diggins achieved it twice — first in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament ver- sus Maryland in 2012, and then against DePaul in 2013 — followed by Marina Mabrey (2015 versus Valparaiso) and Lindsay Allen (2016 versus Chattanooga). On the men's side, it has been accomplished once, that coming in freshman guard Chris Thomas' debut versus New Hampshire (24 points, 11 assists and 11 steals) on Nov. 16, 2001. 15 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches among 130 who will enter at least their 10th season at their current school in 2019 — with Notre Dame's Brian Kelly the most recent to join the club since his hiring for the 2010 campaign. The group is led by Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, who is now in his 21st season with the Hawkeyes after his debut in 1999. The others are TCU's Gary Patterson (2000); Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Ohio's Frank Solich and Utah's Kyle Whittingham (all hired in 2005); Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald and Middle Tennessee's Rick Stockstill (both in 2006); Air Force's Troy Calhoun, Navy's Ken Niumatalolo, Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Alabama's Nick Saban (all in 2007); Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Duke's David Cutcliffe (both in 2008); and Old Dominion's Bobby Wilder (2009). 16 / 1 Odds placed by BetOnline for Notre Dame senior quarter- back IAN BOOK to win the 2019 Heisman Trophy. Eight players have higher odds: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is at 3/1, while Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is at 4/1 and Oklahoma graduate transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts — at Alabama the past three years — is 9/1. Tied at 12/1 are Clemson running back Travis Etienne, Ohio State transfer quarterback (from Georgia) Justin Fields, Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, Georgia running back D'Andre Swift and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor. Last year Notre Dame's Brandon Wimbush was among the top 18 by Bovada to win the Heis- man, until Book supplanted him from the starting role in game four. +175 Odds Bovada has Clemson at repeating as College Football Playoff national title winners in 2019, followed by Alabama at +250. The Tigers and Crimson Tide have met in the CFP each of the past four seasons while split- ting those national titles. A distant third at +550 is Georgia, who will be visited by Notre Dame Sept. 21. Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Penn State round out the top five at +1200, while a third Big Ten team, Michigan — which will host the Fighting Irish Oct. 26 — is sixth at +1400. Notre Dame is tied for 15th with Florida, Florida State and Texas A&M at +4000. ✦ BY THE NUMBERS PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA