Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482392
12 OCT. 29, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Jesse Lansdell — Hockey The senior forward from Surrey, British Columbia, tal- lied 1 goal and 2 assists to help the Fighting Irish claim a pair of victories over North- ern Michigan Oct. 14 and 16. In a 3-1 win over the Wild- cats Oct. 14, he assisted on the first goal of game. Two nights later in a high-scoring 5-4 Irish win, the Academic All-Big Ten honoree scored a goal and assisted on another. Phyona Schrader — Volleyball The sophomore setter from Ankeny, Iowa, helped the Irish notch four consecutive ACC wins from Oct. 7-16. She re- corded 155 assists (9.7 per set) and notched an assist percentage of .334. In the thrilling 3-2 win over Wake Forest Oct. 14, she tallied 41 assists, 29 digs and 8 kills. Through 18 matches this season, Schrader led the team with 584 assists and was second with 225 digs. Carter Solomon — Cross Country The sophomore from Canton, Mich., paced a group of 12 Irish runners who all performed well at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison, Wis. He placed ninth individually in the 8K race, while the Irish finished fifth out of 33 teams. Solomon was a two-time All-American and Michigan Gatorade Runner of the Year, and was named Mr. Cross Country in Michigan in 2019. Mackenzie Wood — Soccer The graduate student goalkeeper from Granger, Ind., earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors Oct. 10, after making 5 saves and re- cording 2 shutouts in a pair of Irish victories the week prior. Among the wins was an im- pressive 4-0 triumph over No. 3 Florida State Oct. 9. Wood has recorded 6 shut- outs during Notre Dame's 11-2 start and her 0.375 goals-against average ranked fifth in the country. —Todd D. Burlage TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Raise your hand if you immediately think "Char- lotte" when college football comes to mind. Now put your hand down, liar. Many people's first response might be Notre Dame, just as many people's last response might be Charlotte. Pull up the FBS leaders in passes defended through Week 7, scroll to the bottom — the very bottom — and you'll see the intersection of those first and last responses. Notre Dame defended 1.83 passes per game through its first six games. Charlotte defended 1.29 passes per game through its first seven. Those were the worst two marks in the country at that point in the season. They were also the only two figures in the nation lower than 2.0. The statistic doesn't necessarily mean Notre Dame has a terrible passing defense. The Irish ranked No. 40 nationally in that regard through Week 7 at 210.2 passing yards allowed per game. That was far superior to Charlotte's 276.6 passing yards allowed per game (114th in the country). What the statistic does mean is that Notre Dame's defensive backs and linebackers are not going after the football when it's in the air. The Irish have been content with keeping opposing receivers in front of them then making the tackle. Just one team in the FBS had only intercepted one pass through Week 7: Notre Dame. That lone pick came on a gift from BYU quarter- back Jaren Hall on the first play of the Shamrock Series game. All graduate student cornerback TaRiq Bracy had to do was stand there and make the catch. The Irish have an issue getting to the football in defending the pass. It needs to be addressed in the second half of the season. — Tyler Horka CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME AMONG THE NATION'S LEAST PENALIZED TEAMS Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has taken his lumps in his first year on the job. His Fighting Irish started 3-3 with inexcusable losses to double-digit underdogs Marshall and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium. But even amid all the disappointment, there is one statistic that usually coincides with chaos that Notre Dame has actually been elite with in the first half of the season. The Irish only took 4.33 penalties per contest through their first six games. Through Week 7, just eight teams in the FBS averaged fewer penalties per game than Notre Dame. The Irish took a season-high 8 penalties for 66 yards against California. The Irish escaped at home with a 24-17 win over the Bears. In the three games thereafter, Notre Dame only took 9 penalties combined. That included a season- low 1 infractions against BYU in the Shamrock Series at Allegiant Stadium Oct. 8 in Las Vegas. Notre Dame won that game, 28-20. Irish opponents have averaged 5.2 pen- alties per game. That number was driven up by the 9 North Carolina took in Notre Dame's 45-32 victory in Chapel Hill Sept. 24. Ohio State survived the Irish despite 7 penalties for 75 yards in the season opener, and Marshall won in spite of 6 fouls for 44 yards. Stanford was only penalized twice for 12 yards in the Cardinal's upset win over the Irish. — Tyler Horka FEWEST NUMBER OF PENALTIES PER GAME AMONG FBS TEAMS Through Week 7 Rk. Team Penalties Per Game 1. Minnesota 3.67 2. Air Force 3.71 3. Navy 3.83 Stanford 3.83 5. Georgia 4.00 6. Wyoming 4.14 7. East Carolina 4.29 Tulane 4.29 9. Notre Dame 4.33 SMU 4.33 FEWEST PASSES DEFENDED PER GAME IN THE FBS Through Week 7 Rk. Team Passes Defended 127. West Virginia 2.67 128. Appalachian State 2.33 129. Florida 2.29 130. Notre Dame 1.83 131. Charlotte 1.29 Senior safety Brandon Joseph and the Irish defense have not been successful at getting to the football in the passing game. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER