Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1489469
12 FEBRUARY 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Korbin Albert — Soccer The sophomore midfielder from Grayslake, Ill., was named one of three finalists for the 2022 Hermann Trophy — the most prestigious honor in women's college soc- cer — by the United Soccer Coaches Dec. 7. She could become only the fourth Irish player to ever win the Her- mann when it's awarded Jan. 6. Albert led the Irish with 16 goals (fifth most in the nation) and 37 points (ninth) in 2022. Maxim Manyak — Lacrosse The senior midfielder from Sherman Oaks, Ca- lif., is spearheading a philanthropic initiative — featured on CBS Evening News Dec. 17 — that helps connect pediatric cancer patients and other severely ill children with their favorite Fighting Irish athletes. Manyak, a finance and a pre-professional health dual major, is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Pediatric Pep Talk, which connects patients and players to help brighten days and lives. Arike Ogunbowale — Basketball The former Notre Dame and current WNBA all- star was named to the "Forbes 30 Under 30: Sports List" for 2023. This prestigious list hon- ors 30 20-somethings for suc- cess in athletics and beyond. The 25-year-old Ogunbowale is a founding member of LeBron James' "More Than A Vote" or- ganization, which encourages African Americans to exercise their rights to vote. She is also an investor in media startup Just Women's Sports, which aims to increase attention on women's sports. Daniel Knapp — Diving The freshman from Mesa, Ariz., wasted no time making his mark for the Irish. On Dec. 17, he finished 17th among 45 of America's top div- ers in the 3-meter springboard event at the 2022 USA Diving Winter National Champion- ships in Morgantown, W.Va. In an event that compiled scores from six different dives, Knapp scored a 68.00 on his forward 2.5 somersault 2 twist pike, good enough for second place in that discipline. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame's three-headed running back monster of soph- omores Audric Estime and Logan Diggs plus junior Chris Tyree have received much of the praise for the Fighting Irish's strong rushing game, and rightfully so. They combined for 1,980 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground in 12 regular-season games. But what are they without the guys up front blocking for them? Not as good as those rushing statistics. They'd be the first to tell you that. As of Dec. 28, prior to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl versus South Carolina Dec. 30, Notre Dame had the No. 5 Pro Foot- ball Focus run-blocking team grade in the country with a mark of 83.2. At that time, Minnesota held the nation's No. 1 figure in the category at 88.4. Sophomore left tackle Joe Alt ranked No. 1 among FBS tackles with his run-blocking grade of 90.8. Junior tight end Michael Mayer, who declared for the 2023 NFL Draft in early December, helped increase Notre Dame's overall team run- blocking grade with his mark of 82.1. That ranked fifth among all FBS tight ends. Notre Dame still only had the No. 41 rushing offense in the country as of Dec. 28 at 182.8 rushing yards per game, but that took into account a 76-yard per- formance at Ohio State and a 66-yard outing versus Navy. Throw in a 90-yard game against USC, and its season average really took a hit from those three performances. Six times in the regular season, though, Notre Dame ran for at least 220 yards. When the Irish are humming along at peak potential, they can run with anybody. Stout run blocking is a major reason for that. — Tyler Horka CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME AMONG THE MOST EFFICIENT PASS-RUSHING TEAMS IN AMERICA There are 64 teams in the Power Five. None of them were better than Notre Dame at converting pressures into sacks during the 2022 season according to Sports Info Solutions (SIS). Notre Dame had 115 pressures in 12 regular season games per the advanced analytics website. The Fighting Irish had 35 team sacks for a conversion rate of 30.4 percent. Florida State was second with a rate of 29.2 percent. Notre Dame benefitted by boasting one of the best pass rushers in the country. Senior Isaiah Foskey had 11 sacks in 12 games, which was tied for sixth nationally at the time he announced he was opting out of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl to focus on the 2023 NFL Draft. Graduate student defensive linemen Justin and Jayson Ademilola ranked second on the team with 3 sacks apiece. Notre Dame had nine players register at least 2 sacks. The team's 35 sacks put the Irish tied for 21st among the 131 teams in the FBS. They had 41 quar- terback takedowns in 13 games during the 2021 season. Notre Dame did not hit 35 sacks in the first 11 years of the Brian Kelly era. The program has reached that mark in each of the first two seasons defensive coordinator-turned-head coach Marcus Freeman has been on the sideline in South Bend. The only thing missing from Notre Dame's pass rushing in 2022 was volume. The 115 pressures according to SIS was tied with Texas A&M for 53rd in among Power Five teams. Had Notre Dame been tied with Texas for ninth in the Power Five in pressures (166), meanwhile, and retained the same pressure rate of 30.4 percent, the Irish would have had 50 team sacks. — Tyler Horka Sophomore left tackle Joe Alt was the best run blocker in the FBS in 2022 per Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER PRESSURES CONVERTED TO SACKS AMONG POWER FIVE TEAMS Per Sports Info Solutions Rk. School Pressure Rate 1. Notre Dame 30.4% 2. Florida State 29.2% 3. Louisville 28.0% 4. Miami 27.8% 5. Virginia 27.7% 6. Arkansas 26.5% FBS RUN-BLOCKING GRADES Per Pro Football Focus Rk. School Grade 1. Minnesota 88.4 2. UCLA 85.8 3. Ohio State 84.7 4. Air Force 84.2 5. Notre Dame 83.2