Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1172238
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 7, 2019 13 UNDER THE DOME THEY SAID IT "They really put up an incredibly chal- lenging and respectful fight. I give them credit for playing games like this because they don't play a conference schedule and they don't play in a conference champion- ship game. That's the good news." ESPN's Paul Finebaum, admitting he was wrong about how the Irish would perform against the Georgia Bulldogs (Birmingham-based 94.5 FM radio station WJOX) "An 11–1 regular season would still be a major accomplishment for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish host Virginia and USC in two of the next three weeks, and road matchups against Michigan and Stanford provide potential pitfalls. Ian Book will need to be spectacular for Notre Dame's season to last into 2020. So where will the Irish and the rest of college football conclude their respective 2019 seasons?" — Michael Shapiro on predicting Notre Dame to play USC in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas (Sports Illustrated) "Congratulations to Coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs on a hard-fought victory. On be- half of the Notre Dame visitors, we want to thank everyone in the Georgia community for being great hosts and for all their wonderful hospitality. It was a very special weekend in Athens. Hope- fully, the results will be different the next time we meet!" — Notre Dame trustee Jimmy Dunne in an ad he placed in the Athens Banner-Herald after the team's trip to Georgia "I'm proud that we've been able to bring Notre Dame back to the level that it should be, and that is competing for championships. I'm proud of the many players that have played for me, the coaches, the staff, the support staff and the support of the admin- istration to be able to do that. Now, it's win a national championship because that's our motto: it's graduate and championships." — Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly on the Fox Sports College Football Show "Keen observers and everyday citizens doubt Notre Dame's capacity to prove itself elite. Others sneer at its bygone presence in last season's College Football Playoff even as a 12-0 team. In a sport in which reputations take their time eroding, everyone has seen 30-3 to Clemson in the 2018 Cotton Bowl national semifinal, 44-28 to Ohio State (and not that close) in the 2015 season's Fiesta Bowl, 42-14 to Alabama in the 2012 season's Bowl Championship Series title game, 41-14 to LSU in the 2006 season's Sugar Bowl and never, ever forget 41-9 to Oregon State in the 2000 season's Fiesta Bowl." — Washing- ton Post reporter Chuck Culpepper on what it means to talk about Notre Dame football "Notre Dame is already in a conference. Sort of. Notre Dame began its relationship with the ACC in 2014, when the Fighting Irish joined the confer- ence in all sports except for football, for which it remains independent. Within that agreement (which in 2017 was extended through the 2037 season), Notre Dame football gets to retain its independence while playing an average of five ACC football games each season. "The ACC gets a boost from Notre Dame road games on their turf, while ND still gets their home slate on NBC. Notre Dame still gets to participate in the ACC's bowl tie-in games and still gets to sched- ule whomever they want outside of the roughly five ACC matchups each season." — Anthony Bel- lino, host of "The Morning Blitz" in Toledo, on if the Irish should join a conference (Toledo Blade) OF THE WEEK ➤ "When no one believed in us, we did. No one knows what we've been through as a team... We're a family and we're just getting started.. #IrishNation♣" From the official account of Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool PAUL FINEBAUM (PHOTO COURTESY ESPN) Blue & Gold Illustrated • PO Box 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 www.BlueGoldOnline.com 800-421-7751 Irish Leather Collection Premium Quality Westbridge Leather With Hand Embossed ND logo Special Note: Duffels appear darker in ad to show detail and embossed ND logo position. Leather varies from piece to piece and will age to a rich patina. Item #6557 Item #6556 Item #6556 Duffel $259 + $20 S&H 17" long x 10" wide x 10" high Item #6557 Large Duffel $319 + $20 S&H 23" long x 8.5" wide x 12" high Duffels are custom made and shipped direct from manufacturer. Please allow up to 10 business days for processing. Please add Sales Tax if shipping to NC (7.5%), MI (6%), or IN (7%) DELIVERY AREA LIMITED TO CONTINENTAL U.S.