Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 SEPT. 23, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Sam Hartman wouldn't take the bait. The Notre Dame quarterback was asked about his Heisman Tro- phy candidacy Sept. 12, and in typi- cal Hartman fashion he talked about everyone but himself. And when we say everyone, we mean it — just about everyone else. Even Notre Dame's lead nutritionist and the Notre Dame scout team. Here is everything the Fighting Irish's QB1 said about his Heisman campaign. "I think up front, our guys are playing really well," he said. " The tight ends obviously had a huge day [against NC State]. You got tight ends making plays on the outside. And then obviously Audric [Estimé] kind of opened that game for us. And out- side, receivers made a lot of plays, right? Tobias [Merriweather] had a big catch. [Chris Tyree] had a huge catch. That puts me into those con- versations. "But all of that is all a wash without everyone around me. [Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker] calling the plays. [Notre Dame quar- terbacks] coach Gino [Guidugli] being there on the sideline. [Notre Dame head] coach [Marcus] Free- man giving me the opportunity. "But again, not that I've— I've been in this situ- ation before at Wake and those different things. Yeah, you see it. You hear it. But there is no me in all those conversations without up front, on the outside, those guys in the trenches, those guys going to war for me. And shoot, even the scout team guys. Even [Notre Dame direc- tor of nutrition] Alexa [Appelman]. All those things come into play for me. All those different things are huge for us to make sure I'm healthy and the team has success." According to Caesar's Sportsbook, Hartman had the fourth-best Heis- man Trophy odds in the country through Week 2. His +900 odds were only longer than those of USC quar- terback Caleb Williams (+375), Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (+800) and Florida State quarterback Jordan Tra- vis (+800). Hartman led Notre Dame to a 3-0 record by completing 48 of 64 pass attempts (75.0 percent) for 731 yards with 10 touchdowns and 0 intercep- tions. He also added a rushing touch- down. His passer rating of 222.5 was second in the nation behind Williams' 240.5, and his quarterback rating of 89.5 ranked fifth in the country. Only two quarterbacks in the FBS had double-digit passing touchdowns with no in- terceptions through Week 2: Williams and Hart- man. Williams, of course, is going for a repeat Heis- man Trophy performance. Those two signal-callers will meet at Notre Dame Stadium Oct. 14. — Tyler Horka WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINALIZES NONCONFERENCE SLATE The 2023-24 Notre Dame women's basketball nonconference schedule is set. The Fighting Irish an- nounced they will play Illinois in the second annual Citi Shamrock Classic Nov. 18 at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. Tipoff at the home of the Washington Mystics is set for 1 p.m. ET on NBC. Last year, Notre Dame beat California 90-79 in the inaugural Citi Shamrock Classic in Irish head coach Niele Ivey's hometown of St. Louis. "We are so excited to participate in the second annual Citi Shamrock Classic after last year's great suc- cess," Ivey said in a statement. "Washington, D.C., was and continues to be the starting point of so many initiatives promoting equality across our country. There is no better place to play a game like this — one that is bigger than basketball — and we cannot wait to face Illinois in another historic matchup on NBC and Peacock." The Shamrock Classic is a national attraction that serves to elevate, educate and spotlight women, ac- cording to Notre Dame's press release. Game weekend will feature a women's leadership luncheon, and Gatorade is putting on a community service initiative for both teams to take part in as well. Interim chief marketing officer of Citi, Tina Davis, said Citi is proud to team up with Notre Dame Global Partnerships and NBC "for another groundbreaking basketball event." "Gender equality is a key pillar of Citi's sports sponsorships, and we want to help ensure women and girls have equal opportunities to showcase their talents," Davis added. "We hope events like this help put women's sports in front of a broader audience." The 2022 Shamrock Classic was the first women's basketball game to ever air nationally on NBC. Notre Dame is expecting an even larger audience this year. For diehard Fighting Irish fans, it will serve as the appetizer to Notre Dame's Senior Day football game versus Wake Forest at 3:30 p.m. ET on the same Saturday. "We're looking forward to presenting the Citi Shamrock Classic for a second consecutive year and continuing to showcase the Notre Dame women's basketball program and the excitement of women's sports to a national audience on NBC and Peacock," said Gary Quinn, vice president, programming, NBC Sports. "With Notre Dame football's final home game of the season later that day on NBC and Peacock, NBC Sports will present a must-see day for Notre Dame fans across the country." — Tyler Horka Sam Hartman Remains Coy On Heisman Hopes Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey will lead the Fighting Irish against Illinois in the sec- ond annual Citi Shamrock Classic Nov. 18 in Washington, D.C. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Hartman received a bump in his Heisman Trophy odds after the Irish soundly beat NC State on the road in Week 2. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER