Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 25, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Ryan Bischel — Hockey The graduate student goal- keeper from Medina, Minn., continued his terrific start to this season by helping Notre Dame to a two-game home sweep of Ohio State Nov. 10-11. Bischel made 34 saves in a 4-1 win over the Buckeyes in Game 1, then stopped 26 shots to pick up his nation-leading third shutout of the season — the 10th of his Notre Dame career — in a 3-0 victory in Game 2. Charlie Codd — Soccer The freshman forward from Waco, Texas, picked a great time to enjoy the best game of her young college career when she tal- lied a goal and an assist in a 2-0 home win over Valparaiso in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 11. She as- sisted on Notre Dame's first goal and provided some insurance by scoring the second goal. Through 19 games, Codd had 4 goals and 2 assists for 10 points. Bryan Dowd — Soccer After allowing only 12 goals over 16 matches before the NCAA Tournament — while recording 8 clean slates — the senior goal- keeper from Willow Springs, Ill., was named the 2023 ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Nov. 8. Dowd tallied 12 saves in a 0-0 draw against Akron Sept. 19 — the most stops by any ACC goalie in a game this season and the third most at the Division I level. Olivia Markezich — Cross Country The graduate student from Woodinville, Wash., helped Notre Dame to a team cham- pionship and herself to an individual title at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 11 in Madison, Wis. The team title secured the Fighting Irish an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships Nov. 18 in Charlot- tesville, Va. Markezich covered the 6K course in 19:55.0 and was one of three Irish to finish in the top 10. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE For fans looking to travel to Notre Dame's bowl game this coming season, you might want to prepare for a trip to Florida. In most of the bowl projections Blue & Gold Illustrated found, including the five listed below, the Irish were placed in one of two games: the Pop-Tarts bowl at 5:45 p.m. ET Dec. 28 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., or the ReliaQuest Bowl at 12 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. For those unfamiliar with the Pop-Tarts Bowl, its sponsorship changed this past offseason from the Cheez- It brand to the Pop-Tarts brand. It was the Cheez-It Bowl for three years, but before that, it was the Camping World Bowl. Notre Dame played in the last Camping World Bowl and beat Iowa State 33-9 on Dec. 28, 2019. Most might remember the ReliaQuest Bowl as the Outback Bowl, which was its name from 1996 to 2022. As far as potential opponents, one keeps getting mentioned in the various bowl projections: LSU. The Tigers, of course, are led by former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly. They entered this season with national championship hopes, but those took a big hit with a 45-24 loss to Florida State in Week 1 and died with a 55-49 loss to Ole Miss in Week 5. Other possible Irish bowl opponents include Tennessee, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Each potential matchup for Notre Dame, including LSU, was 7-3 entering Week 12. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME'S SINGLE-SEASON INTERCEPTION LEADERS With his interception of Clemson junior quarterback Cade Klubnik Nov. 4, Notre Dame senior safety Xavier Watts broke onto the leaderboard for most intercep- tions in a single season in program history. Watts had 7 picks heading into the Irish's Week 12 contest versus Wake Forest. That ties him for sixth on the list with linebacker Manti Te'o (2012), and safeties Harrison Smith (2010), Shane Walton (2002), Dave Duer- son (1982), Clarence Ellis (1970) and Tom Schoen (1966). Defensive back Mike Townsend is the all-time single- season program leader in interceptions with 10 in 1972. Defensive back Tom MacDonald is alone in second with 9, while cornerback Todd Lyght (1989), defensive back Tony Carey (1964) and quarterback/defensive back An- gelo Bertelli (1942) each picked off 8 passes. Smith is the only active NFL player on the list, and he's compiled 34 interceptions so far in his 12-year career with the Minnesota Vikings. Through Week 11, Watts' 7 picks also gave him the na- tional lead in 2023 with two regular-season games to go. No other player had more than 5, with Boston College's Elijah Jones, Maryland's Tarheeb Still, Wisconsin's Ricardo Hallman, Kentucky's Maxwell Hair- ston, Iowa State's Jeremiah Cooper, Buffalo's Devin Grant and Liberty's Brylan Green all tied for second. — Jack Soble FIVE EXPERT BOWL PROJECTIONS FOR NOTRE DAME Outlet Expert Bowl Opponent CBS Jerry Palm Pop-Tarts Oklahoma State The Athletic Stewart Mandel ReliaQuest Tennessee ESPN Mark Schlabach Pop-Tarts Kansas State ESPN Kyle Bonagura ReliaQuest LSU Action Network Brett McMurphy ReliaQuest LSU Rk. Player Season Interceptions 1. Mike Townsend 1972 10 2. Tom MacDonald 1962 9 3. Todd Lyght 1989 8 Tony Carey 1964 8 Angelo Bertelli 1942 8 T6. Xavier Watts 2023* 7 * Through 10 games Rk. Player Season Interceptions T6. Manti Te'o 2012 7 Harrison Smith 2010 7 Shane Walton 2002 7 Dave Duerson 1982 7 Clarence Ellis 1970 7 Tom Schoen 1966 7 Senior safety Xavier Watts' 7 intercep- tions through 10 games this season are tied for the sixth most by a Fighting Irish player in a single season. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER NOTRE DAME ALL-TIME SINGLE-SEASON INTERCEPTION LEADERS