Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 OCT. 12, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Felicien Dumas — Soccer The team captain and graduate student from Tokyo, Japan, and Paris, France, came through in the clutch to give Notre Dame a 1-0 victory versus DePaul Oct. 1. He scored on a free kick from just outside the box with only five seconds left on the clock to deliver the win. Through nine matches, Dumas ranked sec- ond on the team in goals (three), assists (two) and points (eight). Abby Heck — Golf The junior from Memphis, Tenn., shot a ca- reer-best 4-under-par 66 in the third and fi- nal round to finish in a tie for seventh at the Schooner Fall Classic Sept. 27-29 in Norman, Okla. Her final round included six birdies, 10 pars and a pair of bogeys as she posted her second career top-10 finish. Heck's other top-10 show- ing came at last season's 2019 Moon Golf Invi- tational, when she placed second. Davis Lamb — Golf The senior from Potomac, Md., carded a 1-over-par 214 to tie for fourth at the Inverness Intercollegiate Sept. 23-24 in Toledo, Ohio. In the process, he helped the Irish to a third- place team finish. The fourth-place showing marks a career best for the senior when competing in a tournament with 10-plus teams in the field. Through three events, he ranked fourth on the team in stroke average (72.56) and had two top-25 finishes. Kiki Van Zanten — Soccer The freshman from Buffalo Grove, Ill., con- tributed a pair of goals in Notre Dame's 4-0 vic- tory over Pittsburgh Sept. 26. She found the back of the next in each half for her first career multi-goal game. Va n Z a nte n , w h o wa s tabbed as a high school All- American by the United Soc- cer Coaches Association last year, was tied for second on the squad with three goals and ranked fourth with six points through 11 contests. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE With his three quarterback sacks — two of which resulted in fumbles, and one getting returned for a touchdown — during Notre Dame's 35-20 victory versus Virginia Sept. 28, senior defensive end Julian Okwara raised his career total to 13.5. That eclipsed the 12.5 sacks that older brother Romeo Okwara, now starring with the Detroit Lions, had with the Fighting Irish from 2012-15. Nine of the elder Okwara's 12.5 career sacks came in his senior year. If Julian also matches that nine as a senior this season, that would give him 19.5 and tie him for sixth on the Notre Dame chart since 1982 — the year sacks were first separated from tackles for loss. We're always sensitive about listing "all- time sack" records at Notre Dame because the greatest of all time was Ross Browner (1973- 77), who was credited with 77 tackles for loss in his career (no one else has more than 44.5), about 50 of which were quarterback sacks. However, since 1982 when sacks were first officially kept as a separate category, here are the top five at Notre Dame in a career: Player (Years) Career Sacks 1. Justin Tuck (2002-04) 24.5 2. Kory Minor (1995-98) 22.5 3t. Victor Abiamiri (2003-06) 21.5 3t. Stephon Tuitt (2011-13) 21.5 5. Mike Gann (1982-84) 21 CHARTING THE IRISH In August, ESPN released its list of the 50 best programs of 150 years of college football. The formula used to determine the rank of each program was based on the number of national championships and winning percentages during certain college football eras, such as post segregation. In the end, Notre Dame was named the second-best college football program in the 150 years of the sport, aided by 13 national championships — per the ESPN article — and several decades of domi- nance. The Irish trail only the Alabama Crimson Tide for the top spot in the history of college football. Ohio State came in just behind the Irish at No. 3. Several 2019 Notre Dame opponents are also on the list: No. 5 USC, No. 6 Michigan, No. 22 Georgia, No. 38 Virginia Tech and No. 43 Stanford. Teams Notre Dame will play next season on the list are No. 24 Clemson, No. 33 Pittsburgh, No. 36 Georgia Tech, No. 44 Arkansas and No. 50 Wisconsin. That means that during a two-year span, Notre Dame will match up with 10 of ESPN's top 50 college football programs of all time. Getting To Know … SENIOR RUNNING BACK TONY JONES JR. Hometown: St. Petersburg, Fla. High school: IMG Academy Major: Film Favorite food: "My fa- vorite food has to be spa- ghetti." Favorite movie: "How can you not love 'Remember the Titans'? Best football movie ever." Favorite music: Hip hop Favorite musician: "That is a tough call for me between Young Thug or T-Pain, so I will go with both." Favorite TV show: "I have a couple shows that I enjoy watching. 'White Collar' or 'Prison Break' have to be my favorites." Greatest football memory: "It has to be making it on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays in high school." Who is your idol: "My mom is my idol for sure." Favorite part about playing for Notre Dame: "The best part has got to be the home games and the atmosphere that surrounds them, plus I love the gold helmets." MOVING? Call us at 1-800-421-7751 Rk. School 1. Alabama 2. Notre Dame 3. Ohio State 4. Oklahoma 5. USC* 6. Michigan* 7. Yale 8. Nebraska 9. Texas Rk. School 10. North Dakota State 22. Georgia* 24. Clemson 33. Pittsburgh 36. Georgia Tech 38. Virginia Tech* 43. Stanford* 44. Arkansas 50. Wisconsin TOP 50 PROGRAMS OF 150 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL Courtesy ESPN * Denotes 2019 Notre Dame opponent