Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 SEPT. 16, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Gabe Hinrichs — Cross Country The sophomore from Omaha, Neb., claimed the individual title in Notre Dame's season-opening meet, the Winrow Valparaiso Open Sept. 1 at Valparaiso, Ind. It marked his first individual title for the Fighting Irish. Hinrichs, who finished in a personal-record-time of 18:10.8 in the 6K race, led a group of three Fighting Irish runners that finished in the top 12 on their way to a runner-up finish in the event behind Purdue. Caroline Lehman — Cross Country The sophomore Bradenton, Fla., claimed the individual title in Notre Dame's season- opening cross country meet, the Winrow Valparaiso Open Sept. 1 at Valparaiso, Ind. It was the first individual crown of her college career. Lehman, who finished the 5K race in 17:51.9, led a group of four Fighting Irish runners who finished in the top six on their way to the team title in the event. Ellie Ospeck — Soccer The senior forward from Danville, Calif., tal- lied 3 points on a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win at Michigan State Sept. 3. She scored her goal in the 10th minute and added her assist in the 51st minute to stake the No. 11-ranked Fighting Irish a 2-0 lead. Ospeck also scored the ty- ing goal in a 2-2 draw versus No. 10 Arkansas Aug. 27. Through five matches, she was tied for the team lead with 6 points. Matthew Roou — Soccer The junior forward from Germantown, Wis., delivered the game-winning goal in No. 20-ranked Notre Dame's 1-0 victory over De- troit Mercy Sept. 5, helping the Irish to their best start (3-0-1) in five years. Roou paced the team in goals (5) and points (11) through four matches. Last year, he had 4 goals and 12 points in 17 contests. His career highs are 7 goals and 17 points, set during his freshman campaign in 2021. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame will have a new sack leader in 2023. The question is, who? Through two games, sophomore vyper Joshua Burn- ham, senior defensive tackle Rylie Mills and senior vyper Jordan Botelho were tied for the team lead with 1 each. Matching last year's sack leader, Isaiah Foskey, will be a difficult task for any of them. Foskey, now looking to make an NFL career for him- self with the New Orleans Saints, led the Irish with 11 sacks in 2021 and did it again in 2022. The eventual second-round pick passed Justin Tuck to become the program's all-time sack leader against Boston College on Nov. 19, 2022, and he finished his Notre Dame career with 26.5. Before Foskey, defensive end Adetokunbo Ogundeji finished first on the team with 7 sacks in 2020. Rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah compiled 8.5 sacks to lead the Irish in 2019. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and defensive end Julian Okwara tied for the team lead with 8 in 2018, rounding out the last five players to lead Notre Dame in sacks. All five of those players are in NFL organizations at the moment. Ogundeji and Okwara will begin their seasons on injured reserve in Atlanta and Detroit, respectively. Foskey is listed as a third-string defensive end with the Saints, but he'll have the opportunity to work his way up. Tillery found a home in Las Vegas, where he will start for the Raiders this season, after the Chargers cut him in 2022. Owusu-Koramoah is a breakout candidate with the Browns entering 2023. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH EFFICIENT ESTIMÉ Notre Dame junior running back Audric Estimé, in a season and change as a feature back in the Irish offense, is on pace to land in the record books when his career in South Bend comes to a close. Entering Week 2 of the 2023 season, Estimé stood sixth on the all-time yards per carry list in Notre Dame football history (minimum 150 rushing attempts). Through Sept. 2, Estimé had 192 carries for 1,191 yards, which averages out to 6.2 yards per attempt, and 13 touchdowns. Through two games, his 2023 season was on pace to be his best yet. Against Navy and Tennessee State, Estimé ran the ball 29 times for 211 yards (7.3 yards per carry). He set his career-long rushing attempt against Tennessee State with a 50-yard run in the second quarter. Reggie Brooks, who played from 1989-92, leads Notre Dame with 7.6 yards per carry on 198 attempts. CJ Prosise (2013-15) is sec- ond at 6.9 on 167. Josh Adams (2015-17), the only player on this list also in the top 10 in rushing attempts in Notre Dame football history, is third with 6.7 on 480. Estimé, despite the presence of four back- ups the Irish are high on in sophomores Gi'Bran Payne and Jadarian Price, graduate student Devyn Ford and freshman Jeremi- yah Love, will pace Notre Dame in carries this season. It won't be close, provided he stays healthy. Estimé will have plenty of chances to add to his counting stats and improve his efficiency in 2023. — Jack Soble THE LAST FIVE PLAYERS TO LEAD NOTRE DAME IN SACKS Player Year Sacks Isaiah Foskey 2022 11 Isaiah Foskey 2021 11 Adetokunbo Ogundeji 2020 7 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah 2019 8.5 Jerry Tillery and Julian Okwara 2018 8 Isaiah Foskey led Notre Dame in sacks each of the past two seasons and finished his career as the school's all-time leader in that category. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER NOTRE DAME CAREER YARDS PER CARRY LEADERS Minimum 150 carries Rk. Player Att. YPC 1. Reggie Brooks 198 7.6 2. CJ Prosise 167 6.9 3. Josh Adams 480 6.7 4. Robert Farmer 178 6.5 5. Dexter Williams 257 6.4 6. Audric Estimé 192 6.2* George Atkinson III 153 6.2 8. Art Best 186 5.9 9. Lee Becton 347 5.8 Jonas Gray 189 5.8 * Through Sept. 2