Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 SEPT. 28, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Ellie Hodsden — Soccer With 2 goals — including the game-tying score late in the second half — the fresh- man forward from Dripping Springs, Texas, lifted Notre Dame to a 2-2 draw at Bos- ton College Sept. 12. With the Irish trailing 2-0 in the first half, Hodsden scored her first goal in the 37th minute to cut the Eagles' lead in half. Then, in dramatic fashion, she scored in the 88th minute to tie the match late in regulation. Jacob Modleski — Golf The sophomore from No- blesville, Ind., helped Notre Dame to a fifth-place finish at the Folds of Honor Collegiate Invitational Sept. 9-11, in Grand Haven, Mich. He com- pleted the three-round event with a fourth-place individual finish after shooting a 6-under-par 207. Modleski carded an even-par 71 in the first round, fired a 4-under 67 in his second round and followed that with a 2-under 69 in the final round. Matthew Roou — Soccer The fine performance for the senior forward from Germantown, Wis., came in No. 8 Notre Dame's 1-0 loss to No. 3 Stanford Sept. 14. Ro o u f i n i s h e d w i t h a game-high 5 shots in the first Irish defeat of the sea- son, including a header early in the first half that bounced off the crossbar. The Irish actu- ally outshot the Cardinal 15-4 in the game but failed to put any in the net. Phyona Schrader — Volleyball The setter from Ankeny, Iowa, continued the torrid start to her senior year with three straight triple-doubles in Irish wins over Mississippi State (Sept. 8), Northwestern (Sept. 12) and Colorado State (Sept. 13). She also set a ca- reer high with 21 kills in a win over Northwestern. Through games of Sept. 15, Schrader's three triple-doubles led the ACC and was tied for second nationally. She also ranked second on the squad with 90 kills in seven matches. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame entered Week 4 as the No. 17 team in the country. If the Irish stay there after their home game against Miami (Ohio), they'll enter Week 5 versus Louisville in the Jeff Brohm danger zone. Brohm has a well-known track record of knocking off higher-ranked opponents, whether he does it as an unranked team or from the back end of the Associated Press Top 25. Louisville is likely to be in the latter position when it travels to South Bend Sept. 28. As of Sept. 18, the Cardinals sat at No. 19 and a win over unranked Georgia Tech was unlikely to raise that standing. His most recent victim: Notre Dame. Brohm and the Cardinals shocked No. 10 Notre Dame on Oct. 7, 2023, by a score of 33-20. The upset ended any chance the Irish had at the College Football Playoff by handing them their second loss. Before taking the Louisville job — where he grew up, played quarterback in college and coached as an as- sistant from 2003-08 — Brohm coached at Purdue, where he became famous for upsetting top teams. And not just beating them, but blowing them out, too. Starting in 2018, the Boilermakers stunned No. 2 Ohio State 49-20 in West Lafayette and killed what was supposed to be a dream season for the Buckeyes. Later that season, they hosted No. 16 Iowa and won 38-36 on a last-second field goal after a furious Hawkeyes comeback effort. Then, in 2021, Brohm's Purdue team trounced No. 2 Iowa 24-7 and No. 3 Michigan State 40-29, nixing CFP hopes for both of them as well. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH FRESHMEN LEAD THE WAY ON SPECIAL TEAMS When Notre Dame made the decision to put 6-foot-7, 258-pound freshman defensive end Bryce Young on its kick- off team, the Irish knew he would make a highlight-reel hit sooner or later. It happened in Week 3, when Young flattened Purdue's lead blocker in the first quarter. The Ross-Ade Stadium crowd in West Lafayette, Ind., let out a collective "Ooh!" as it saw — and heard — the collision. "It is a weapon to have that guy on our kickoff team," Irish special teams coordinator Marty Biagi said Sept. 3. "He is a problem." That play wasn't a one-off. Young was third on the Irish in special teams snaps with 42 through three games, mostly on kickoff coverage, punt return and field goal block. Another fresh- man, cornerback Leonard Moore, was second with 43. And yet another freshman, vyper Loghan Thomas, led the way with 47. "It's really been the Bash Brothers or the Mighty Ducks, between [Loghan] and Bryce coming in together," Biagi said. Thomas, no small individual himself at 6-foot-4, 224 pounds, came close to blocking a punt multiple times against Pur- due. His raw speed and "twitch," as Biagi described it, stood out to Notre Dame right away. Throughout the summer and fall camp, he made it clear that he had to be out there. "He kept putting on weight in the weight room, and it's always the question of, 'Oh, is the weight going to slow him down?'" Biagi said. "And it clearly hasn't." Young's willingness to play special teams speaks to his character, Biagi added. He came to Notre Dame as a five- star prospect per one recruiting service and an extremely high four-star at No. 42 overall by On3. Young is the son of Bryant Young, a former Irish All-American defensive tackle and an NFL Hall of Famer. Anyone in his position could have thumbed his nose at the third phase. Young, how- ever, isn't just anyone. And it's helping the Irish right away. — Jack Soble NOTRE DAME'S LEADERS IN SPECIAL TEAMS SNAPS Through Week 3 Rk. Player, Pos. Snaps 1. Loghan Thomas, DE 47 2. Leonard Moore, CB 43 3. Bryce Young, DE 42 4. Junior Tuihalamaka, DE 40 5. Max Hurleman, CB 36 6. Jaiden Ausberry, LB 35 Jack Kiser, LB 35 Devyn Ford, RB 35 9. Cooper Flanagan, TE 34 Rod Heard II, S 34 JEFF BROHM'S FIVE HEAD-COACHING WINS OVER TOP-17 TEAMS Notre Dame entered Week 4 ranked No. 17 Date Opponent Score Oct. 7, 2023 No. 10 Notre Dame 33-20* Nov. 6, 2021 No. 3 Michigan State 40-29 Oct. 16, 2021 No. 2 Iowa 24-7 Nov. 3, 2018 No. 16 Iowa 38-36 Oct. 20, 2018 No. 2 Ohio State 49-20 * With Louisville; the rest came when with Purdue Through three games, freshman defensive linemen Loghan Thomas (No. 10) and Bryce Young (No. 30) ranked first and third on the team, respectively, in special teams snaps. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER