Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1418303
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 23, 2021 23 2 True freshman offensive linemen have started a game this season for the Fighting Irish. Blake Fisher got the start at left tackle in the season opener at Florida State Sept. 5, and Joe Alt started at left tackle versus Virginia Tech Oct. 9. 2 Career game-winning field goals for graduate student Jonathan Doerer, with both of them coming during the 2021 season. Doerer's 43-yard field goal in overtime gave the Irish a 41-38 win over Florida State Sept. 5, and then he delivered another game-winner against Virginia Tech Oct. 9 when his 48-yarder split the uprights with 17 sec- onds remaining. 7 Different Notre Dame players have recorded an interception this season, with senior cor- nerback TaRiq Bracy joining the fun with his third- quarter pick of Virginia Tech quarterback Braxton Burmeister. 8 Consecutive victories in road games for Notre Dame. The streak started with a 38-7 win at Duke on Nov. 9, 2019, and continued with a 45-24 win at Stanford on Nov. 30, 2019, a 45-3 domination of Pittsburgh on Oct. 24, 2020, a 31-13 triumph at Georgia Tech on Oct. 31, 2020, a 45-31 victory at Boston College on Nov. 14, 2020, a 31-17 win at North Carolina on Nov. 27, 2020, a 41-38 tri- umph over Florida State on Sept. 5, 2021, and the 32-29 escape against Virginia Tech on Oct. 9, 2021. The Fighting Irish's last road loss was a 45-14 setback at Michigan on Oct. 26, 2019. 25-1 Record for Notre Dame against ACC opponents in the regular season since 2017. The Irish have won 21 consecutive regular-season matchups with ACC foes, with the last loss coming at Miami (41-8). 36 Straight wins against unranked opponents for Notre Dame. With Alabama falling at Texas A&M, the Fighting Irish now have the longest active streak in the nation. The last time they lost to an unranked foe was a 34-31 defeat at the hands of the Hokies on Senior Day in South Bend in 2016. 37 Wins in a row for Notre Dame when it scores 30 or more points. The last defeat in such a game also happened to be that 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech on Nov. 19, 2016. Earlier that same year, the Irish lost two other games in which they scored more than 30 points, falling to Duke (38-35) and Texas (50-47 in two overtimes). BY THE NUMBERS BY STEVE DOWNEY 1 True freshman quarterback in Notre Dame his- tory has had a passing and rushing touchdown in the same game — TYLER BUCHNER. The San Diego native notched his first career rushing score from three yards out with 6:51 remaining in the second quarter and then threw an eight-yard touch- down pass to junior running back Kyren Williams with 32 seconds left in the first half that allowed the Irish to take a 14-13 lead into the locker room at the break. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN