Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 12, 2024 9 UNDER THE DOME 1st Is where Notre Dame defensive lineman BOUBACAR TRAORE ranked among all FBS freshmen in sacks (3) and sacks per game (0.75) through Week 4. No other FBS freshman has posted 2 or more sacks in a single game this season, which Traore did with a pair against Miami (Ohio) Sept. 21. 4 Members of Notre Dame's 2025 football recruiting class have been in- vited to participate in the All-American Bowl at San Antonio on Jan. 11, 2025, with Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep School linebacker and Notre Dame commit Anthony Sacca being the latest to receive that honor. The other three are Chicago Simeon edge Christopher Burgess, Walling- ford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive tackle Will Black and Lucedale (Miss.) George County quarterback Deuce Knight. No. 13 Overall is where La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere School small for- ward Jalen Haralson was ranked in the class of 2025 On3 Industry Ranking as of late September. If he maintains that lofty ranking and sticks with his pledge, he will become the highest-rated men's basketball recruit to sign with the Fighting Irish in the history of the program. Former Irish guard JJ Starling, who trans- ferred to Syracuse after one season in South Bend, currently holds that honor. He was listed at No. 18 overall in the 2022 On3 Industry Ranking. The next highest was point guard Demetrius Jackson, who was rated No. 24 overall by ESPN and No. 39 in the On3 In- dustry Ranking in the class of 2013. Haralson was rated as high as the nation's No. 10 over- all player (ESPN) and slotted no lower than No. 25 overall (On3) by all the recruiting services. 247Sports had him at No. 14 and Rivals slotted him at No. 17. Haralson represented USA Basketball at the FIBA U17 World Cup this summer, averaging 11.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in seven games to help the team win the gold medal. He also averaged 21.2 points and 7.3 rebounds with the Indy Heat on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring, then fol- lowed it up with 16.6 points per game at the Nike Peach Jam in July, including a 29-point performance against unanimous No. 1 overall 2025 prospect A.J. Dybantsa. 12.5 Percent (3 of 24) on third down for Purdue (1 of 12) and Miami (2 of 12) against Notre Dame on Sept. 14 and Sept. 21, respectively, in its last two games marks the best back-to-back two-game total since 2021, when Cincinnati (2 of 12) and Wisconsin (1 of 14) went a combined 3 of 26 (11.5 percent). Those are the two best back-to-back two-game stretches since data is available starting in 1996, per Notre Dame media relations. 18 Straight opponents had failed to eclipse 400 total yards against Notre Dame's defense, per ESPN, after the Irish limited Miami (Ohio) to 229 in a 28-3 win Sept. 21. That was tied with Michigan and Georgia for the second-longest active streak in FBS. The last time the Irish surrendered 400 or more yards in game came against eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams and Southern Cal, which had 436 total yards in a 38-27 Trojans victory in Los Angeles on Nov. 26, 2022. 20th Biggest riser in On3's NIL Valuation after Week 4 of the college football season was Notre Dame junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison, with an increase of $26,000. Morrison had a $597,000 On3 NIL Valuation and was ranked No. 91 overall among college football players. "Viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in college football, Benjamin Mor- rison has lived up to the hype this season," On3's Pete Nakos noted. "The Notre Dame star has tallied 11 tackles and two pass breakups in four games. He's also allowed only eight catches on 18 targets." 58.4 Passing grade from Pro Football Focus for Notre Dame senior quarterback Riley Leonard through Week 4, which ranked 125th in the FBS. Delving even deeper into the stats revealed that the Fighting Irish had one of the least explosive passing attacks in the nation in their first four games. Leonard also had a 69.5 clean pocket passing grade (tied for 110th), a 58.0 non-play action passing grade (tied for 111th), and a 48.2 10+ yard passing grade (149th). 1979 Was the last time a Notre Dame men's soccer player recorded a pair of hat tricks (3 goals) in the same season, until Matthew Roou did it in back-to-back games this season. The senior forward accomplished the feat in a 6-1 vic- tory over Chicago State Sept. 20 and then a 3-1 win over Detroit Mercy Sept. 24. Kevin Lovejoy, who tallied a program-record 67 goals from 1978-80, recorded three hat tricks for the Irish during the 1979 season. ✦ BY THE NUMBERS PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER