Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 SEPT. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Claire Albrecht — Golf The sophomore from Ormond Beach, Fla., tied her career-best round of 72 in the final round of the Minnesota Invitational Sept. 10. Combined with an opening round of 76, she was able to finish tied for 30th in the rain-shortened event. Albrecht carded two birdies on the back nine to help the Irish finish in 10th place in the final team standings. Sammi Fisher — Soccer The junior midfielder from Simi Valley, Calif., had a big game in a 3-2 loss to an undefeated Iowa team Sept. 15. She connected with sophomore Luisa Delgado early in the first half to pick up an assist, and later was tabbed to take a penalty kick and converted. Through eight matches, Fisher was tied for the team lead in assists (three), was second in points (seven) and was tied for third in goals (two). Ben Giacobello — Soccer The sophomore midfielder from San Clem- ente, Calif., accounted for the lone goal in Notre Dame's 1-1 double-overtime draw at No. 4 Indiana Sept. 17. The tally was the first of his career and tem- porarily staked the Fighting Irish to a 1-0 lead against a strong Hoosiers squad. After not seeing the field as a freshman last year, Giacobello played in each of Notre Dame's first four matches this fall. Palmer Jackson — Golf The freshman from Murrysville, Pa., notched a fourth-place finish in the Windon Memorial Classic Sept. 16-17 in Chicago. He carded a 2-under-par 69 in the final round, which in- cluded two birdies on the back nine. His final three- round total of 209 included rounds of 69 in round one and 71 in round two. Jackson's effort aided the Irish to their sec- ond championship title in as many weeks. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame's appearance on ESPN's College GameDay at Georgia Sept. 21 tied it with Mich- igan for the sixth-most (30) since the program originated on Nov. 13, 1993 at Notre Dame when No. 1-ranked Florida State fell 31-24 to the No. 2 Fighting Irish. The Irish haven't fared as well in GameDay matchups since that triumph, posting a 13-16 record (.448 winning percentage) going into the Georgia game. However, of the 19 Football Bowl Subdivision teams to appear at least 15 times on GameDay, it was the Bulldogs' 6-15 (.286) record prior to facing Notre Dame that was the worst. Michigan, which hosts Notre Dame Oct. 26 in Ann Arbor, is 15-15. Prior to the game at Georgia, Notre Dame was 5-6 under head coach Brian Kelly on GameDay, winning at home versus Michigan in 2018 (24-17) most recently. Here are the five teams ahead of Notre Dame and Michigan on ESPN College GameDay appearances. School Appearances Record 1. Alabama 46 30-16 2. Ohio State 44 31-13 3. Florida 39 25-14 4. Oklahoma 36 23-13 5. Florida State 34 17-17 CHARTING THE IRISH LET THE DEBATE BEGIN: BEST COLLEGE CAMPUSES The Irish have five road games this year, two of which they have already played. While away games might take an extra effort for fans to attend, they also provide an opportunity to experience another school's campus and compare and contrast it to Notre Dame's. Niche.com uses analysis and reviews to rank a variety of organizations, and it put together a list of the Best College Campuses in America for 2020. Using data from the U.S. Department of Education, the schools are ranked by their campus resources such as performance venues, housing, food, classrooms and more. Among the 1,417 schools that were ranked in this category, Notre Dame checked in at No. 21. The Irish opponent with the highest-ranked campus is Virginia Tech at No. 3. Of Notre Dame's five away opponents, three have a top-13 college campus, according to Niche.com. Those schools are Georgia at No. 10, Stanford at No. 12 and Michigan at No. 13. The other two road games are Duke at No. 52 and Louisville at No. 341. Behind Virginia Tech, USC has the next high- est-ranked college campus at No. 9. Of course, the Trojans host the Irish every other year. The lowest-ranked campus of all Irish oppo- nents is Navy at No. 477. The only school that Notre Dame plays this year that is not ranked by Niche.com in this category is New Mexico. Getting To Know … FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR CORNERBACK SHAUN CRAWFORD Hometown: Cleveland High school: St. Edward Major: Design Favorite food: "Lobster is by far my favorite food." Favorite movie: "I know it is a little old school, but I love the movie 'Dark Knight.'" Favorite music: Hip-hop Favorite musician: Meek Mill Favorite TV show: "How to Get Away With Murder" Who is your idol: "My parents are definitely my idols and my inspiration." Greatest football memory: "My greatest football memory at Notre Dame has to be the Michigan State game in 2017, where I was able to force a fumble on the goal line and recover it." Favorite part about playing for Notre Dame: "My favorite part about playing at Notre Dame is being part of a rich tradition and playing in front of millions every week, whether we are home or on the road." MOVING? Let our customer ser vice department know your new address! Call us 1-800-421-7751 BEST COLLEGE CAMPUSES IN AMERICA, PER NICHE.COM Team National Rank Virginia Tech 3 USC 9 Georgia 10 Stanford 12 Michigan 13 Notre Dame 21 Duke 52 Virginia 85 Boston College 193 Bowling Green 218 Louisville 341 Navy 477 New Mexico Not Ranked