Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 5, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Lauren Ebo — Basketball The graduate student from Washington, D.C., was re- cently named to the 20-mem- ber preseason watch list for the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award, an honor given annually to the nation's top center. The 6-foot-4 Ebo played two years at Penn State (2018-20) before fin- ishing her undergraduate career with the Long- horns (2020-22). She averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game at Texas last season and notched a team-high four double-doubles. Dane Goodwin — Basketball The graduate student from Upper Arlington, Ohio, was included on the 20-member preseason watch list for the 2023 Jerry West Award, an honor given annually to the best shooting guard in the country. Goodwin was tabbed as a third-team All- ACC honoree last season after averaging 13.6 points per game. He also shot 45.8 percent from 3-point range, which ranked 13th nationally, and averaged 2.0 3-pointers per game. Daniel Russo — Soccer In the best game of his ca- reer, this junior forward from Jackson, N.J., posted a hat trick in a thrilling 3-2 win over Michigan Oct. 25. All three of his goals came in the sec- ond half. After tying the game 1-1 and 2-2 with his first two markers, he delivered the game-winner. Through 15 matches, Russo led the team with 14 points and was tied for first with 5 goals. MacKenzie Wood — Soccer During a six-game stretch from Sept. 29 to Oct. 23, the graduate student goalkeeper from Granger, Ind., didn't al- low a single score. The North- western transfer helped Notre Dame win all six games by a combined 16-0 score. The Irish posted a 10-1 record in Wood's first 11 games in goal through Oct. 23. She has al- lowed just 3 goals in 990 minutes of action, while registering a 0.27 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Junior tight end Michael Mayer isn't the only one re- writing the Fighting Irish football record book. Senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey is etching his name, too. Foskey recorded 3 sacks in a single game for the first time in his career in the Irish's 44-21 win over UNLV Oct. 22. He hadn't recorded a full sack since Sept. 17 against Califor- nia, but he broke out against the Rebels. Now he's back on pace to break Notre Dame's all-time career sacks record (24.5) currently held by Justin Tuck (2002-04). Through Notre Dame's first seven games, Foskey had 21.5 career sacks. That tied him with Stephon Tuitt (2011-13) and Victor Abiamiri (2003-06) for third most in Notre Dame his- tory — behind only Tuck and Kory Minor (22.5 from 1995-98). Last year, the mission was to set the single-season sack re- cord. Tuck had 13.5 sacks in 2003. Foskey came close with 11 in 2021. Through seven games in 2022, Foskey had 6. Another 3-sack game would get Foskey within reach of the milestone. Even if he does not achieve it, Foskey has passed elite company on his way up the all-time list. This season, Foskey moved ahead of Anthony Weaver (17 from 1998-2001), Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bryant Young (18 from 1990-93), Ryan Roberts (19 from 1999-2002), Renaldo Wynn (19.5 from 1993-96), Prince Shembo (19.5 from 2010-13) and Mike Gann (21 from 1981-84) on the all-time career sack list. Sure, coming back for a senior season made it all possible. But it's not like Fos- key's ascent is the result of pure volume. Through Week 8, Foskey ranked fourth all time in sacks per game (.60) over the course of an entire Notre Dame career. He might not leave Notre Dame as the greatest defensive lineman in Irish history, but he's already done enough to be men- tioned at some point in that conversation. — Tyler Horka CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME'S SPECIAL TEAMS UNIT HAS BEEN SUPERB Notre Dame's two blocked punts against UNLV were not an anomaly. They were not the result of a middling team like the 2022 Fighting Irish simply getting lucky by way of being in the right place at the right time. Notre Dame is just actually a very sound special teams program this year. Through Week 8, Notre Dame was ranked as the No. 8 team in the FBS in FootballOutsiders.com's Special Teams Fremeau Efficiency Index Ratings. The metric combines kickoff return, kickoff, punt re- turn, punt and field goal efficiency into one overall rating represented as the team's standard deviation above or below average. Notre Dame's mark of 0.69 was good for eighth nationally through the Irish's first seven games. South Carolina led the country at that time with a figure of 1.49. Notre Dame was only one of four teams in the top 10 of the ratings that did not have a negative mark in any of the aforementioned categories. The others were Michigan, San Diego State and Texas. New Notre Dame special teams coordinator Brian Mason brought a much more aggressive special teams style to South Bend, but it has not sacrificed overall competence for aggression. The Irish aren't allowing mishaps to hamper opportuni- ties to stay in games because they are overly deter- mined to get to the ball in special teams situations. In the kicking game, graduate transfers Jon Sot (punter) and Blake Grupe (placekicker) have helped Notre Dame rate so highly in the STR. Sot ranked No. 11 in the country in punting average (45.28 yards per punt) through seven games. Grupe had connected on 8 of 10 field goal attempts through seven games. Notre Dame ranked tied for third as a team with 4 kicks/punts blocked through Week 8, too. — Tyler Horka FOOTBALLOUTSIDERS.COM'S SPECIAL TEAMS FEI RATINGS Through Week 8 Rk. Team FEI Rating 1. South Carolina 1.49 2. Michigan 1.10 3. San Diego State .93 Arkansas State .93 5. NC State .90 6. Oklahoma State .86 7. Texas .83 8. Notre Dame .69 9. Clemson .67 10. North Carolina .62 NOTRE DAME'S ALL-TIME LEADERS IN SACKS PER GAME Through Week 8 Rk. Player Games Sacks Sacks Per Game 1. Justin Tuck 36 24.5 .68 2. Kory Minor 34 22.5 .66 3. Stephon Tuitt 35 21.5 .61 4. Isaiah Foskey 36 21.5 .60 5. Mike Gann 41 21 .51 Senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey is firmly planting himself as one of the Irish's best defensive linemen of all time. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER