Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2021 13 UNDER THE DOME The opener will be the Irish's first visit to Tallahassee since 2014, when they lost to the Seminoles 31-27. They have played twice since then in South Bend, with both games ending in Notre Dame wins. Notre Dame's games at Virginia Tech, Virginia and Stanford are the only ones on the 2021 schedule with- out kickoff times. Notre Dame's other home games against Toledo (2:30 p.m. ET), Purdue (2:30), Cincin- nati (2:30), Navy (3:30) and Georgia Tech (2:30) are during the day. Single-game tickets for those home dates will go on sale Aug. 19, the school announced in July. Entry into Notre Dame Stadium and other ath- letic events will be entirely electronic going forward. The university is switching to mobile ticketing start- ing this fall, with all tickets going to fans' smartphones. — Patrick Engel FUTURE NOTRE DAME SCHEDULES ADJUSTED COVID-19 ended up pushing back Notre Dame's visit to Lambeau Field by six years. The Fighting Irish's first-ever game in one of the NFL's most iconic venues will take place Sept. 5, 2026 against Wis- consin. It's a makeup date of a game initially scheduled for Oct. 3, 2020 that was canceled due to scheduling changes brought on by the pandemic. The makeup game needed to be a down-the-road date because Wiscon- sin's non-conference schedule was filled through 2027, except for one opening in 2026. Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez used it to add a marquee game. Notre Dame's 2026 schedule now has 10 of its 12 regular- season opponents filled. Elsewhere, the wait for Notre Dame and Alabama's monumental home- and-home series will last another year. The two-game set between the Irish and Crimson Tide is moving back one season from its initially agreed-upon dates. Originally set for 2028 and 2029, the games will now be held Sept. 1, 2029 at Notre Dame Sta- dium and Sept. 14, 2030 at Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide's addition of a home-and-home series with Oklahoma State for 2028 and 2029 prompted the move. — Patrick Engel A RECORD 21 ATHLETES WITH NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS WILL TAKE PART IN THE SUMMER OLYMPICS From a veteran athlete such as legendary Notre Dame fencer Mariel Zagunis, who will be appearing in her fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo, to Irish distance track star Yared Nuguse, who will be making his first Olympic appearance there, Notre Dame will be well represented at the Tokyo Games that run from July 23-Aug. 8. Twenty-one current and former Irish student-athletes — the most in school history — made their way to Tokyo to compete for seven different countries in five different events. With 11 athletes and two coaches, the fencers make up the largest contingent of Irish representation, while the two most well-known Irish athletes — basketball stars Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young — will likely grab the most headlines. Following is a composite list of the former and present Irish athletes and coaches competing in Tokyo. Name Country Olympic Sport Event Natalie Achonwa Canada Basketball Tyler Christianson Panama Swimming 200 IM, 200 breaststroke Amita Berthier Singapore Fencing Foil Molly Bruggeman* USA Rowing Skylar Diggins-Smith USA Basketball Sam Grewe^ USA Track & Field High Jump Kaylin Hsieh Hong Kong Fencing Epee Kelley Hurley USA Fencing Epee Courtney Hurley USA Fencing Epee Nick Itkin USA Fencing Foil Lee Kiefer USA Fencing Foil Mike Litzinger# Panama Swimming Jewell Loyd USA Basketball Sabrina Massialas* USA Fencing Foil Gerek Meinhardt USA Fencing Foil Ewa Nelip Poland Fencing Epee Yared Nuguse USA Track & Field 1,500 meters Francesca Russo* USA Fencing Sabre Molly Seidel USA Track & Field Marathon Ilija Tadic Montenegro Swimming 50 Free Jackie Young USA Basketball Mariel Zagunis USA Fencing Sabre * Alternate; ^ participating in the Paralympics; # serving as an assistant coach Former Notre Dame fencer Mariel Zagunis will be appearing in her fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo. She is a two-time individual Olympic gold medalist in the sabre. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS