Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 APRIL 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Pat Kavanagh — Lacrosse The sophomore attack from Rockville Centre, N.Y., tied the program record for points (nine) and assists (seven) in a single game in Notre Dame's season-open- ing 19-7 win over Robert Morris Feb. 28. It was the ninth nine-point game in program history and the first since 1995. Kavanagh started all five games of his fresh- man season before it was canceled, and tied for the team lead in both points (16) and goals (10). Jared Miller — Baseball The senior second baseman from Marietta, Ga., went 7 for 13 (.538) in Notre Dame's s e a s o n - o p e n i n g t h r e e - game series at Wake Forest Feb. 27-28. He put together a pair of three-hit games to help the Fighting Irish take two of three from the Demon Deacons. He also drew one walk, had one RBI and scored seven runs. Miller, a four-year starter, is entrenched in the No. 2 spot in the batting order. Landon Slaggert — Hockey The freshman forward from South Bend was named the Hockey Commissioners Asso- ciation's Rookie of the Month for February after posting 11 points in eight games. He closed out the month on a four-game point streak and had five multi-point games in February. Despite missing four contests earlier this sea- son, Slaggert was tied for second on the team in goals (seven), and ranked third in both as- sists (12) and points (19). Abby Sweet — Softball The senior outfielder from Newhall, Calif., earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors for her performance in the Liberty Classic Feb. 26-28. She hit .529 with nine runs scored, seven extra-base hits and two RBI to help the Fighting Irish go 4-1 in the tournament. Through 12 games, Sweet was hitting a team- best .487 (19 for 39) with 14 runs scored, one home run, five RBI and four steals. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom CHARTING THE IRISH DRESSED FOR SUCCESS Even novice college football fans are familiar with Notre Dame's gold helmets, unblemished by a logo or gaudy player achievement stickers (à la Ohio State's buckeye leaf). The team's signature helmets are the main jus- tification for why NBC Sports rated the Fighting Irish uniform as the No. 4 game attire in all of college football. "Notre Dame has altered its jerseys over the years to different iterations of what they've had forever," NBC Sports' Mike Deprisco noted. "But it's really hard to beat the gold helmets. They're unmatched." Oregon topped the rankings, followed by Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and longtime Irish rival Michigan. Several opponents Notre Dame faced in 2020 or will see in 2021 also made NBC Sports' list. Alabama checked in at No. 10, followed by Clemson at No. 11, Florida State at No. 12 and USC at No. 13. In addition, North Caro- lina checked in at No. 20 and Louisville was slotted at No. 23. College Football's Top 25 Team Uniforms Per NBC Sports ✦ GIMME FIVE While winning six national titles the past 12 years, Al- abama also has recorded an NCAA-record 98 consecu- tive victories against unranked teams since 2007. Since the start of the Associated Press poll in 1936, that streak has easily bested the previous standard of 72 shared by Miami (1984-95) and Florida (1989-2000). Meanwhile, Notre Dame set a school record last year by extending its winning streak to 32 straight versus unranked foes, eclipsing the previous standard of 29 under head coach Lou Holtz from 1990-94. Clemson is currently at 34 since losing in 2017 to a 4-8 Syracuse team, but four of those wins have been against non-Football Bowl Subdivision competition, whereas Notre Dame has not had any non-FBS teams on the slate. Although this kind of streak might be taken for granted or even considered a backhanded compliment, it dem- onstrates strong consistency within a program. Last year, 2019 national champion LSU alone lost to three un- ranked teams (Mississippi State, Missouri and Auburn). When the new college football season begins in 2021, here are five of the longest winning streaks versus unranked teams (FBS or FCS). Rk. School Streak 1. Alabama 98 2. Clemson 34 3. Notre Dame 32 4. Cincinnati 20 5. Ohio State 13 Rk. School 1. Oregon 2. Texas 3. Penn State 4. Notre Dame 5. Michigan 6. Oklahoma 7. LSU 8. Ohio State Rk. School 9. Auburn 10. Alabama* 11. Clemson* 12. Florida State* 13. USC* 20. North Carolina* 23. Louisville* * 2020 or 2021 Notre Dame opponent Notre Dame's 45-21 victory versus Syracuse Dec. 5 extended the program's winning streak against unranked foes to 32, easily eclipsing the previous top mark of 29 set dur- ing the Lou Holtz era from 1990-94. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS