Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 30, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Blake Biondi— Hockey The graduate student for- ward from Hermantown, Minn., scored 1 goal and added 2 as- sists in a tough 4-3 loss to No. 4 Michigan State Nov. 16. He scored his goal in the first period to tie the game 1-1, and then as- sisted on Notre Dame's second and third goals in the defeat at East Lansing, Mich. Through 12 games, Biondi was tied for fourth on the Irish with 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists). Ellie Hodsden — Soccer The freshman forward from Dripping Springs, Texas, recorded 2 assists to help Notre Dame open NCAA Tournament play with a 5-1 win over Milwaukee Nov. 15. She recorded her as- sists on the first Irish goal of the game and on goal No. 4 when the Irish opened up a close game in the second half. These were the first two as- sists of the season for Hodsden, who also had 8 goals in only 13 regular-season games. Eszter Muhari — Fencing Fresh off her bronze medal performance last August in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, the junior from Budapest, Hun- gry, returned to the collegiate level at the Elite Invitational in Philadelphia Nov. 17 and domi- nated. She went 14-0 in her epee bouts, helping the Irish women to a perfect 5-0 record at the event. Notre Dame, one of the favorites to win a na- tional title this season, posted wins over Princ- eton, Air Force, Stanford, Ohio State and Penn in Philly. Carter Solomon — Men's Cross Country The graduate student from Canton, Mich., led Notre Dame to its first title at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional race with his fifth-place individual fin- ish Nov. 15. He covered the 10,000-meter course in 29:22.9 during a balanced team effort that saw six Irish runners break the 30-minute mark and finish in the top 31. This meet served as a qualifying race for the NCAA Championships Nov. 23 at Madison, Wis. — Todd D. Burlage TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Five times since its last national champion- ship (1988), Notre Dame entered its regular- season finale one game away from making the College Football Playoff or, in the pre-CFP era, the national championship. The Irish are 3-2 in those games, but they've won their last three. Most recently, in 2020, the Irish beat Syra- cuse 45-21 to clinch a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game behind 285 passing yards from quarterback Ian Book. They would fall to Clemson a week later, but a 10-0 regular season would be enough to make them the No. 4 seed in the CFP that year. In 2018, one win away from a perfect regular season, Book threw for a then-career-high 352 yards as Notre Dame took down USC 24-17 to secure the No. 3 seed. Six years earlier, also in Los Angeles, the Irish earned a spot in the national championship game with a 22-13 win over the Trojans. In the years following the 1988 title, Notre Dame had two chances to secure a second national championship under head coach Lou Holtz. The Irish lost both, first 27-10 to Miami in 1989 and later 41-39 to Boston College in 1993. If Notre Dame beat Army, then for the first time under third-year head coach Marcus Free- man, the Irish will travel to USC with a chance to earn a spot in the CFP. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH 'NO FLY ZONE' IN SOUTH BEND AGAIN If Notre Dame had a nickel for every time it led the nation in team passing efficiency defense over the past two seasons, it would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's awfully impressive that it happened twice, right? The Irish were No. 1 in the nation last year in the complex but all-encompassing stat that consid- ers completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns and interceptions. Through Week 12 in 2024, defensive coordinator Al Golden's group is ranked No. 1 again. Notre Dame's team passing efficiency defense is 88.89 (lower is better), just ahead of Texas at 91.19. The difference between No. 2 and No. 3 is greater than the difference between No. 3 and No. 7, so the Irish and Longhorns are the clear top two. The biggest difference between Notre Dame and Texas: Completion percentage. The Longhorns have allowed 58.1 percent of their opponents' passes to be completed, while the Irish are ahead of them at an incredible 47.7 percent. Both schools have intercepted 15 passes, although Notre Dame's 25 forced turnovers leads the nation. In their most recent game against Virginia, the Irish unleashed their pass defense fervor on poor Anthony Colandrea. The sophomore quarterback completed only 8 of 21 throws with 3 interceptions, all of which occurred in the last 2:35 of the first half. Beginning with Texas A&M signal-caller Con- ner Weigman's career-worst performance in Week 1, no one has passed on Notre Dame this season. — Jack Soble LAST FIVE NOTRE DAME FINALES WITH THE SEASON ON THE LINE Year Opponent Result 2020 Syracuse W, 45-21 2018 USC W, 24-17 2012 USC W, 22-13 1993 Boston College L, 41-39 1989 Miami L, 27-10 Kyren Williams and the Irish defeated Syracuse 45-21 in the regular-season finale to secure a spot in the 2020 College Football Playoff. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2024 TEAM PASSING EFFICIENCY DEFENSE LEADERS Through Week 12 Rk. School Rating 1. Notre Dame 88.89 2. Texas 91.19 3. BYU 99.04 4. Iowa State 99.11 5. Oregon 102.21 6. James Madison 104.70 7. Washington 105.39 8. Tulane 106.99 9. Miami (Ohio) 108.15 10. Minnesota 108.49