Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2022 9 UNDER THE DOME 2 Teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision have averaged more than 30 points per game on offense and given up fewer than 20 points per game on defense each of the last four seasons (2018-21) — Alabama and Notre Dame, per Irish media relations. The Fighting Irish posted averages of 31.4 and 18.2 in 2018, 36.8 and 17.9 in 2019, 33.4 and 19.7 in 2020, and 35.2 and 19.7 in 2021. 3 Power Five women's basketball programs boasted five players averaging double digits in scoring at the end of December, including Notre Dame. Sophomore forward Maddy Westbeld led the way at 14.5 points per game, followed by freshman point guard Olivia Miles (12.6), freshman guard Sonia Citron (11.5), graduate stu- dent forward Maya Dodson (11.1) and senior guard Dara Mabrey (10.2). 9 Fighting Irish football players have the option to return to Notre Dame for an extra season thanks to COVID-19 waiver passed last fall, which gave all 2020 student-athletes an extra year of eligibility. Five of those players — wide receiver Avery Davis, of- fensive tackle Josh Lugg, defensive end Myron Tagovailoa- Amosa, and linebackers Drew White and Isaiah Pryor — have the option to return as sixth-year "super seniors" after being on a college football roster for five seasons because of a red- shirt year. The other four players — defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola, linebacker Bo Bauer, safety Houston Griffith and cornerback TaRiq Bracy — have not taken a redshirt and have the option to be fifth-year "super seniors." As of Jan. 4, four of those players had announced deci- sions. Lugg and Griffith will returning to South Bend, while Tagovailoa-Amosa and White will not. 11 Notre Dame football seniors who took a red- shirt between 2018-21 have two more years of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 waiver, but could choose to move to the professional ranks or use their remaining eligibility elsewhere. Those 11 are running back C'Bo Flemister; wide receivers Kevin Austin Jr., Joe Wilkins Jr. and Braden Lenzy; tight end George Takacs; offensive guard John Dirksen; center Jarrett Patterson; defensive end Justin Ademilola; linebacker Paul Moala; safety DJ Brown; and long snapper Michael Vinson. As of Jan. 4, Austin had elected to enter the NFL Draft, Moala had entered the transfer por- tal, and Lenzy and Vinson had announced that they will return to South Bend in 2022. 16 Sets of brothers have now suited up for the Notre Dame hockey program, including current players Cam Burke (brother Cal graduated in 2020), Graham and Landon Slaggert, Trevor and Justin Janicke, and Brady Bjork (brother Anders played 2014-17). 24 Consecutive losses in NFL games started by a Notre Dame quarterback, per ESPN Stats & Info, after Ian Book lost his first ca- reer start with the New Orleans Saints 20-3 against the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 27. According to Elias Sports, that is the longest losing streak by starting quarterbacks from a par- ticular college since 1950. DeShone Kizer lost 15 straight starts for the 0-16 Cleveland Browns in 2017, and prior to that both Jimmy Clausen and Brady Quinn lost four straight starts. The last win by an Irish starting quarterback in the NFL came when Quinn led the 2-14 Kansas City Chiefs to a 27-21 triumph over the Caro- lina Panthers on Dec. 2, 2012. 66 Notre Dame men's basket- ball players have reached 1,000 points in their Irish career, with senior guard DANE GOODWIN the latest to join the club. Goodwin is the 25th player recruited by current head coach Mike Brey to achieve the feat, doing it with an 18-point effort in an 85-52 win over Western Michigan Dec. 20. He fol- lowed that up with a 21-point perfor- mance in an 83-73 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi two days later en route to ACC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. Heading into January, Goodwin led the team in scoring with an average of 14.9 points per game. He was also averaging 5.6 rebounds per contest, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 49.2 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the free throw line. 91.2 Receiving grade for Notre Dame's Michael Mayer over the final three weeks of the regular season, per Pro Foot- ball Focus — the highest among all tight ends nationally. In those Irish wins over Virginia, Georgia Tech and Stanford, he caught 19 of 20 targets for 275 yards (14.5 yards per reception) and two touchdowns. ✦ BY THE NUMBERS PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS