Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 SEPT. 16, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Irish student-athletes past and present excelling on the field and in the classroom Molly Bruggeman — Rowing ('14) The former Irish standout qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 29 as a member of the United States women's "straight four " (no coxswain) which finished third in the A/B semi- final in a time of 6:25.800. Bruggeman has been a member of the U.S. Senior team since 2016 and recently helped them finish fourth at the 2019 World Rowing Cup I and II. Eva Hurm — Soccer The junior from Upper Saddle River, N.J., scored two goals and had an assist in Notre Dame's 4-0 victory over Northwestern Aug 25. A re- turning starter for the Irish, she is one goal and one assist away from tying her career best after just three games. Hurm recorded three goals and two assists for a total of eight points as a sophomore in 2018. Palmer Jackson — Golf The freshman from Murrysville, Pa., just completed the longest run at the U.S. Amateur by a Notre Dame golfer in 69 years, tying Tom Veech's run to the quar- terfinals back in 1950. On his path to the quarter- finals, Jackson defeated Stan- ford national champion and 2018 U.S. Amateur semifinalist Isaiah Salinda two up. He was finally bested by Vanderbilt's John Augenstein three up. Charley Niego — Volleyball The sophomore from Chicago was named an honorable mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as a freshman, and earned a spot on the 2018 All-ACC Freshman Team and All-ACC second team. She tallied 12 of 18 double-doubles in conference play in 2018 and recorded eight double-digit kills in the final eight matches of the season. Niego was recently named as a preseason All-ACC Team member along with classmates Sydney Bent and Zoe Nunez. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE Back in 2006, a Notre Dame offense led by the All-American passing combination of Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija, second-round draft pick John Carlson at tight end, No. 4 all-time leading rusher Darius Walker and a line with three future 10-year NFL players (Ryan Harris, John Sullivan and Sam Young) finished 16th na- tionally in points per game with a 31.0 average. Twelve years later en route to a 2018 College Football Playoff berth, the Fighting Irish aver- aged 31.4 points per game — but this time that was only 41st nationally. Thirty points used to be the benchmark of premier offenses prior to the start of the 2010 decade, but 40 has become the new standard as football has become more quick strike and fast-paced. Here are the top five scoring out- puts in a season by the Fighting Irish: Rk. Season Average National Rank 1. 1968 37.6 4 2. 1992 37.2 4 3. 1996 37.0 T10 4. 2005 36.7 8 5. 1993 36.6 9 Note: The 1992 and 1993 seasons did not include bowl game stats back then. If they had been, then both of those figures would have dropped to 35.6. That would make the 36.2 average by the 1966 national champs that finished first nationally in scoring offense No. 4 on this list. CHARTING THE IRISH THE ODDS ARE IN NOTRE DAME'S FAVOR Even after going undefeated in the regular season in 2018 and making it to the College Football Playoff, the over/under odds for the total number of regular-season wins for Notre Dame this fall sits squarely at nine per BetOnline. While some may see this as a slight against the Fighting Irish, it's actually the second highest figure when compared with the 12 teams on Notre Dame's schedule this season. Every year, the Irish have one of the most — if not the most — eclectic college football schedules in the nation. That also applies to each team's win total odds, which range from three for Bowling Green (Oct. 5) to 10½ for Georgia (Sept. 21). If going by the combined win total odds, Notre Dame's toughest three-game stretch is USC Oct. 12 (seven), Michigan Oct. 26 (nine) and Virginia Tech Nov. 2 (eight). The combined win total odds of every team on the Irish play this season comes out to 76½ — an overall winning record. MOVING? Let us know! Call 1-800-421-7751 Getting To Know … SENIOR DEFENSIVE END KHALID KAREEM Hometown: Detroit High school: Harrison High School Major: Management consulting with a stu- dio art minor Favorite food: Middle Eastern Favorite mov- ies: "Friday Night Lights" and "Inter- stellar" Favorite music: Hip-hop, R&B and pop Favorite musi- cian: Lil Uzi Vert Favorite TV show: "Fixer Upper" Greatest football memory: "Probably my first high school game. It was also my dad's first game as my coach." Who is your idol: "Julius Peppers and Mi- chael Strahan. They always did the right things the right way and played my position." Favorite part about playing for Notre Dame: "The tradition and what it means to represent the [Notre Dame] community." Toughest player you've ever faced: "Isa- iah Wynn during my sophomore year against Georgia." NOTRE DAME AND ITS OPPONENTS' WIN TOTAL ODDS PER BET ONLINE School Win Total Georgia 10½ Notre Dame 9 Michigan 9 Virginia Tech 8 Virginia 7½ USC 7 Stanford 6½ Boston College 6 Duke 5½ Navy 5½ New Mexico 4½ Louisville 3½ Bowling Green 3