Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 21, 2024 9 UNDER THE DOME 0 Passing touchdowns by Notre Dame through two games, making the Irish one of only five programs nationally — Northwestern, Miami (Ohio), Western Michigan and Air Force — yet to produce a touchdown toss. The Irish were also last in 20-yard completions (1) and No. 130 nationally in team pass efficiency (last among Power Four schools). 2 Notre Dame squads appear on ESPN's list of the most influential college football teams of all time: the 1924 and 1947 Fighting Irish. Influential means spurring major innovation and/or defining eras, making an impact through greatness and cultural or social impact, and making an indelible mark on the sport. "Frank Leahy had his own warship model," ESPN's Bill Connelly noted. "His 1947 Fighting Irish roster was overflowing with future pro talent at a level that would even make [Nick] Saban jealous. The 1946 and 1947 Notre Dame rosters featured 43 players who would go on to play professional football — and at a time when there weren't nearly as many professional slots available." Here are the top 12: 5 Victories all time for Mid-American Conference teams against Associated Press top-10 teams: Date Team Opponent Score Sept. 7, 2024 Northern Illinois No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 Sept. 20, 2003 Marshall No. 6 Kansas State 27-20 Sept. 20, 2003 Toledo No. 9 Pitt 35-31 Sept. 20, 1986 Miami (Ohio) No. 8 LSU 21-12 Oct. 13, 1962 Miami (Ohio) No. 9 Purdue 10-7 No. 9 No. 9 Is where ESPN ranked Notre Dame offensive tackle ANTHONIE KNAPP among its top 10 freshmen nationally in college football through Week 2. "Knapp and the Irish came back to reality with a stunning loss to Northern Illinois after a big Week 1 win over Texas A&M in which Knapp allowed only one pressure against the Aggies' elite edge defenders," ESPN Recruiting Nation's Billy Tucker noted. "The former three-star was thrust into ac- tion after injuries depleted Notre Dame's offensive tack- les and was excellent in protecting Riley Leonard and opening holes for the ground game at A&M. He has modest size (6-4, 294 pounds) but is consis- tent in assignments and mixes a good blend of athleticism and strength at left tackle." 34 Percent odds for Notre Dame to make the College Football Playoff after its 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 per The Athletic's projection model, down from 73 percent after it opened the season with a 23-13 win at Texas A&M. According to ESPN's Allstate Playoff Predictor, the Irish entered the NIU game with a 71 percent chance to make the CFP and the loss sank it to 24 percent. "Notre Dame isn't out of the playoff picture with a loss, but it shrinks the margin for error," The Athletic noted. "Will a two-loss résumé be good enough to beat out a three-loss SEC or Big Ten team for an at-large spot? What about the runner-up in the Big 12 or ACC? The Irish may need to win out to keep their hopes alive — and [the loss to NIU] raises some serious questions about their potential to do so." 38 Losses as an Associated Press top-10 team against unranked oppo- nents for Notre Dame — the most by any program in the AP poll era. Current head coach Marcus Freeman is responsible for two of those defeats and is 2-2 in such contests. Freeman's predecessor Brian Kelly was 42-1 — with the lone defeat com- ing in the 2016 season opener at Texas (which finished that season 5-7) — in such games. Prior to Kelly, Charlie Weis went 8-1, Tyrone Willingham went 4-1, Bob Davie went 1-2 and Lou Holtz went 49-6. 618-38 Record (a win percentage of 0.942) for FBS home teams as favorites of 14 points or more since the start of the 2022 season, per ESPN. Notre Dame has suffered three of those 38 losses. Home favorites of 20 or more points are 446-16 (.965). The Fighting Irish have suffered two of those 16 losses. 2002 Was the last time Notre Dame lost as a top-five team against an unranked opponent. That year, the Fighting Irish ascended to No. 4 in the AP poll after an 8-0 start but suffered a 14-7 defeat at the hands of an unranked 4-3 Boston College squad. $1.1 Million Is the On3 NIL Valuation for Notre Dame senior quarter- back Riley Leonard, which ranked No. 18 in college football as of Sept. 11. Leonard has done marketing work with Gillette and EA Sports College Football 25, and inked partnerships with New Era, Hollister and Arthrex. He also signed a season-long agreement with Rhoback valued at $100,000. The only other Fighting Irish player ranked in the On3' top 100 is fresh- man quarterback CJ Carr, who was slotted at No. 100 with an On3 NIL Valuation of $579,000. ✦ BY THE NUMBERS Rk. Year/Team (Record) 1. 1968 Texas (9-1-1) 2. 1924 Notre Dame (10-0) 3. 1925 Alabama (10-0) 4. 1986 Miami (11-1) 5. 2008 Texas Tech (11-2) 6. 1991 Iowa Wesleyan (10-2) Rk. Year/Team (Record) 7. 2019 LSU (15-0) 8. 1967 Grambling (9-1) 9. 1993 Florida (11-2) 10. 1912 Carlisle (12-1-1) 11. 1947 Notre Dame (9-0) 12. 2011 Alabama (12-1) PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS