Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 DEC. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Ryan Bischel — Hockey The sophomore from Me- dina, Minn., was named the Big Ten's First Star of the Week after stopping 55 of 58 shots in Notre Dame's road sweep of then-No. 3 Michigan. He had 32 saves in a 3-2 win over the Wolverines Nov. 27 and followed it up the next evening with 23 saves in a 2-1 victory. In his first four games this year, Bischel was 2-1-0 with a 2.72 goals against average, 76 saves and a .907 save percentage. Ian Book — Football The fifth-year senior quarter- back from El Dorado Hills, Calif., was named one of 17 semifinal- ists for the Davey O'Brien Quar- terback Award, one of the Top 10 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and one of 18 for the Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year. During the Irish's 10-0 start, he completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,382 yards with 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The rare two-time captain has the most wins as the starting quarterback (30-3, .909 win per- centage) in team history. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah — Football The senior from Hampton, Va., is one of 16 finalists for the Butkus Award and one of 18 semifinalists (along with Irish safety Kyle Hamilton) for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented to the na- tion's top defender. Through 10 games, Owusu-Koramoah leads the team in total stops (49), tackles for loss (9.0) and forced fumbles (three). Destinee Walker — Basketball The sixth-year senior from Orlando, Fla., scored a team-high 24 points to help Notre Dame win its first game of the season, 88-86 over Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 29. She had three assists, drew seven fouls and shot 2 of 6 from three-point range in the victory. Walker also had 16 points and four assists in Notre Dame's first game, an 86-85 loss at Ohio Nov. 27. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom CHARTING THE IRISH CFP RANKINGS PORTEND A PROMISING FINISH In the initial College Football Playoff rankings, which were released on Nov. 24, Notre Dame debuted at No. 2. This is the highest the Fighting Irish have ever appeared in the rankings. The good news doesn't stop there. In each of the previous four seasons, the No. 2 program in the first CFP rankings of the year has gone on to claim the national championship. Those teams were Clemson twice (2016 and 2018), Alabama (2017) and LSU (2019). In 2016 and 2018, Clemson also entered the CFP at No. 2. In 2017, Ala- bama lost to No. 6 Auburn 26-14, only to squeak into the CFP as the No. 4 seed. The following year, LSU kept winning by large margins and moved to No. 1 by the end of the year, even passing a still undefeated Ohio State squad. In the six-year history of the CFP, which usually releases its first rank- ings of the season in late October or early November, the only team to debut at No. 2 and miss the CFP was LSU in 2015. That sea- son, the Tigers lost three of their final four regular-season g a m e s a n d w e re No. 20 in the final rankings. FINAL RESULTS OF TEAMS RANKED NO. 2 IN INITIAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS Year No. 2 Team Season Results 2014 Florida State Lost in CFP semifinals 2015 LSU Won Texas Bowl 2016 Clemson National champion 2017 Alabama National champion 2018 Clemson National champion 2019 LSU National champion 2020 Notre Dame ??? ✦ GIMME FIVE Entering the Syracuse game Dec. 5, Notre Dame ranked fourth in the country in rushing defense, permitting only 85.3 yards per game. This dominance along the line of scrimmage was highlighted in November, first by limiting Clemson's Travis Etienne, the all-time leading rusher in ACC his- tory, to 28 yards on 18 carries. Then at North Carolina on Nov. 27, the Tar Heels' dynamic tandem of Javonte Williams and Michael Carter that was averaging 209 yards per game on the ground was held to 85. Surprisingly, a Syracuse team that was averaging only 78.3 rushing yards per game put up 229 versus the Irish to raise Notre Dame's run defense average to 99.7 per game. Only four times since 1978 has the Irish defense finished a season under triple digits in rushing yards allowed per game. Since the start of tracking NCAA stats in 1946, here are the five best rushing defenses statisti- cally per game for Notre Dame. Included are bowl games from 1969 through 2001 (bowl stats weren't included previously until 2002). Rushing Yards Rk. Year (Record) Allowed Per Game 1. 1964 (9-1) 68.7 2. 1965 (7-2-1) 75.4 3. 1966 (9-0-1) 79.3 4. 2004 (6-6) 82.5 5. 1946 (8-0-1) 83.7 The Fighting Irish shut down North Carolina's dynamic tandem of Javonte Williams (above) and Michael Carter, limiting them to just 85 rushing yards. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS