Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2021 69 most successful despite not achieving yet the ultimate aspiration of a national title. Other detractors might point out that because of the NCAA's mandate to vacate 21 victories from 2012 (12) and 2013 (nine) due to the inadvertent use of what turned out to be ineligible players, Kelly in reality has 81 career victories at Notre Dame entering the 2021 season. Or in terms of winning percentage, the .881 standard of Rockne still stands as the best all time in the FBS ranks. However one wants to interpret it, Notre Dame has during the past four years become a more consistent top-10 program and bona fide playoff con- tender for the first time since the early 1990s. Sustaining and then expanding on that standard to reach the pinnacle someday again at the end of one of these years remains the goal. Ultimately, the numbers and how they are defined take care of them- selves through the generations. ✦ A look at next fall's slate, with each team's record from last season in parentheses: Sept. 5 — at Florida State (3-6) How the mighty have fallen! The 2013 national champs are 14-20 the past three seasons, allowed 36.0 points per game in 2020 under first-year head coach Mike Norvell and averaged only 25.8 on offense. Six huge transfers, led by former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton (8,638 career passing yards and 1,078 career rushing yards) and South Carolina defensive lineman Keir Thomas are being counted on for a revival. Sept. 11 — Toledo (4-2) The designated Mid-American Conference "W" six days after the Sunday night opener, the Rockets have been a respectable 38-21 under head coach Jason Candle. Sept. 18 — Purdue (2-4) Head coach Jeff Brohm has been a disappointing 12-19 the past three years after a 7-6 start in 2017. The Boilermakers lost the electrifying Rondale Moore to the NFL, but All-America candidate David Bell is back after catching 139 passes his first two seasons. Sept. 25 — vs. Wisconsin (4-3) Paul Chryst is 56-19 (.747) in six seasons at Wisconsin, which has become a consistent top-15 to top-20 program the past 25 years. There will be plenty of intrigue in this matchup at Chicago's Soldier Field with former Badgers starting quarterback Jack Coan likely receiving the nod for Notre Dame against Graham Mertz, a top-50 recruit two years ago. Oct. 2 — Cincinnati (9-1) More intrigue again with former Bearcats defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman going against his former team that he helped to a 31-6 record the past three seasons, notably a No. 8 finish in the Associated Press poll last year, ending with a last-second loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl. AAC Offensive Player of the Year Desmond Ridder returns for his fourth season as starting quarterback after passing for 2,296 yards and rushing for 592 in 2020. Oct. 9 — at Virginia Tech (5-6) After a promising 19-8 mark in head coach Justin Fuente's first two seasons (2016-17), the program has backslid to 19-18 the past three years and did not partake in a bowl this past season for the first time in 27 years. Six players opted to enter the NFL Draft, and quarterback Hendon Hooker transferred to Tennessee. Oct. 23 — USC (5-1) Head coach Clay Helton temporarily got off the hot seat with a quality year and returns third-year starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, who completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,921 yards last season. Wideout Drake London leads a strong receiving corps, and edge rusher Drake Jackson headlines a defense that lost several early defections to the NFL. Oct. 30 — North Carolina (8-4) The Tar Heels' talent level has elevated the past few years under head coach Mack Brown — and ESPN even had them No. 7 nationally in the "way too early" 2021 rankings. The lofty rating is thanks mainly to the return of quarterback Sam Howell, all five offensive line starters and a much more experienced defense. Nov. 6 — Navy (3-7) It's been feast or famine the past three years for the Midshipmen, going from 3-10 in 2018 to 11-2 in 2019, and then falling back to 3-7 last season, with 40-7 and 15-0 defeats to military rivals Air Force and Army, respectively. Nov. 13 — at Virginia (5-5) A poor start was capped by winning four of the last five. Quarterback Bren- nan Armstrong is another good dual threat the Irish defense will face after he passed for 2,117 yards and rushed for 552 last year under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. Nov. 20 — Georgia Tech (3-7) The Yellow Jackets lost five of their last six under second-year head coach Geoff Collins, including 31-13 at home to Notre Dame while heavily relying on true freshmen Jeff Sims and Jahmyr Gibbs at quarterback and running back, respectively. However, the defense especially needs to step it up after permitting a whopping 36.8 points per game. Nov. 27 — at Stanford (4-2) David Shaw has posted a sparkling 90-36 record with the Cardinal, and ended last season with four straight wins following a 4-8 campaign in 2019 and 0-2 start in 2020. Four top players on offense left for the NFL, including quarterback Davis Mills, and the defense allowed 31.7 points per contest. — Lou Somogyi 2021 Notre Dame Schedule Quarterback Graham Mertz, a former top-50 recruit, and the Wisconsin Badgers will provide a formidable challenge for the Fighting Irish at Soldier Field in Chicago Sept. 25. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM