Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 27 Here is an early look at next fall's slate, with each team's record from last season in parenthesis: Aug. 26 — vs. Navy (4-8) in Dublin, Ireland The Fighting Irish will play the Midshipmen without the program's 15-year head coaching veteran Ken Niumatalolo on the sideline for the first time since 2001. Niumatalolo was an assistant at Navy for six seasons before tak- ing over as head coach in 2007. The Irish will also play in Ireland for the first time since beating Navy 50-10 in their 2012 season opener. Sept. 2 — Tennessee State (4-7) Notre Dame loses its standing as one of just two FBS programs that has never played against an FCS foe when it takes on Ohio State alum Eddie George's Tigers. That will leave USC as the only team in the country that has never faced an FCS opponent. That said, the matchup pitting an HBCU led by a Black head coach versus Notre Dame led by a Black head coach of its own will be a monumental meeting. Sept. 9 — at North Carolina State (8-5) The Wolfpack replaced quarterback Devin Leary, who is off to Kentucky, with Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong. The former Cavalier was injured when Notre Dame went to UVA in 2021, so the Irish defense will get a look at the signal-caller who put up 4,449 passing yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions that year after all. Armstrong is teaming up with Robert Anae, the same offensive coordinator who was at UVA from 2016-21. Sept. 16 — Central Michigan (4-8) Quarterback Daniel Richardson, who had 39 touchdown passes and 11 in- terceptions in the last two seasons, transferred to Florida Atlantic. The 2022 season was a step back from head coach Jim McElwain. The Chippewas went 20-13 with two bowl game appearances in his first three seasons but lost six games by at least two touchdowns in Year 4. Sept. 23 — Ohio State (11-2) The Buckeyes are coming off their fifth College Football Playoff appearance, which ranks third nationally behind Alabama (seven) and Clemson (six). They also came as close to beating national champion Georgia as anyone; UGA held on to win the Peach Bowl 42-41 when OSU missed a field goal in the final seconds. Ohio State has to replace Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback C.J. Stroud, but the beat probably rolls on regardless for the Buckeyes. Sept. 30 — at Duke (9-4) Rising junior quarterback Riley Leonard is primed to build on a 2022 season in which he threw for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He also ran for 699 yards and 13 scores. Former Notre Dame defensive co- ordinator Mike Elko led Duke to its most wins since 2014 in his first year as the program's head coach. The Blue Devils went 5-18 in the two years before Elko arrived. Oct. 7 — at Louisville (8-5) Former Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm is returning home to his alma mater. The bigger storyline than Notre Dame facing a head coach it just went against two years ago? Facing quarterback Jack Plummer for the third season in a row. Plummer was at Purdue with Brohm before transferring to California for the 2022 season. He's reuniting with his head coach at Louisville as a gradu- ate transfer. He's 0-2 versus the Irish, but could the third time be a charm? Oct. 14 — Southern Cal (11-3) Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams likely has one last run in him as a college QB. For Williams and the Trojans, 2023 will be all about redeeming themselves for losing the Pac-12 Championship Game and then falling apart defensively against Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. Head coach Lincoln Riley is already facing the same question that hit him at Oklahoma: can he field a defense that adequately props up his prolific offense? Oct. 28 — Pittsburgh (9-4) Notre Dame cannot rid itself of the Phil Jurkovec storyline. The former Fight- ing Irish signee who spent two seasons in South Bend before three injury-filled ones at Boston College is looking to finish his career on a high note at Pitt. The Panthers have won 20 games in the last two seasons. They've only lost 7. Head coach Pat Narduzzi has never beaten Notre Dame; he's 0-3 with a 45-3 drilling in the last game on Oct. 24, 2020. Nov. 4 — at Clemson (11-3) Quarterback Cade Klubnik's freshman season was a roller-coaster ride that included one passing attempt that was intercepted versus Notre Dame. He played well in completing 20 of 24 passes for 279 yards with a touchdown and a rushing score in the ACC Championship Game versus North Carolina, but he only completed 55.4 percent of his passes with 0 touchdowns and 2 picks in the Or - ange Bowl against Tennessee. Whether Clemson can get back to being a national power depends on its quarterback play. Nov. 18 — Wake Forest (8-5) Notre Dame's senior day storyline writes itself. Irish quarterback Sam Hartman plays his final game at Notre Dame Stadium and the penultimate regular-season game of his six-year college career against the program at which he spent the first five of those seasons. For half a decade, Hartman embodied everything Demon Deacons football stands for. But in mid-November, his only objective is to defeat the Deacons. That's intrigue at its finest. Nov. 25 — at Stanford (3-9) Stanford football got beyond stale with head coach David Shaw at the helm. He sensed it and stepped down at the end of 2022. He went out with a bang in one regard; the Cardinal's upset of Notre Dame in mid-October last fall gave him a 6-5 record versus the Fighting Irish in his 12-year Stanford head coaching career. This annual rivalry will have a new look to it going forward. — Tyler Horka Notre Dame's 2023 Schedule At A Glance Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams had his Heisman moment versus Notre Dame last November. Will he have another in October? PHOTO BY MEG OLIPHANT