Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2025 11 UNDER THE DOME Irish On Social Media 39 Days was how long Notre Dame men's basketball sophomore point guard Markus Burton was sidelined after suffering a knee injury against Rutgers Nov. 26. The Irish went 3-5 during Burton's eight-game absence, with the wins coming against Syracuse, Dartmouth and Le Moyne. Burton tallied 23 points off the bench in his return against North Carolina Jan. 4 in South Bend, but the Tar Heels prevailed 74-73. Four touchdowns of 98 yards or longer in three games is absurd. But it's only a slight escalation over what the Irish did in the four games before that. They had TD runs of 68 and 58 yards against the Army Black Knights; a 76-yard run against the Virginia Cavaliers; a run of 65 yards and an interception return for 79 yards against the Florida State Seminoles; and a 64-yard run against the Navy Midshipmen. "This team is a big-play machine. And very few of them come via the most conventional method — the passing game, where Notre Dame has had just one completed pass longer than 50 yards and zero longer than 60. "Instead, the Irish hit home runs on the ground, on defense and on special teams — where, in ad- dition to the return TD, they have blocked 6 kicks (tied for the national lead). They are playing not just complementary football, but explosive comple- mentary football." — Pat Forde of Sport Illustrated Marcus Freeman took a job that Brian Kelly ran from and has elevated it above where he found it. Well done, sir! Great leader with an outstanding culture. … "Brian did a phenomenal job at Notre Dame. Many, including me, didn't argue with his premise … Marcus just went to work and built something special." — FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt on X 3-0 Record for Notre Dame women's basketball against top-five oppo- nents during the first five weeks of the season, after the Irish handed No. 2 Connecticut its first defeat of the season with a 79-68 triumph Dec. 12 in South Bend. All other Division I women basketball teams were a combined 3-41 against top-five opponents during that stretch. $14 Million Earned by Notre Dame for advancing to the Col- lege Football Playoff semifinals. Texas, Ohio State, and Penn State also earned that amount, but their dollars will go to the SEC and Big Ten to then be divided among schools as the conferences see fit. The four schools earned $4 million for making the CFP, $4 million for advancing to the quarterfi- nals and $6 million for continuing on to the semi- finals. The two teams that make it to the national title game will earn an additional $6 million. "I got a text from a friend who aptly noted that the 38-year-old Freeman has managed to do something the previous 100 years of Irish coaches could not: Make Notre Dame football likable. … It feels like the hate has been soft- ening ever since the polarizing Kelly bolted to LSU. Sure, the Irish still elicit mockery when they lose to Marshall or NIU. But I'm guessing most neutral fans who tuned in to watch Free- man-led Notre Dame face a perennially hyped SEC opponent found themselves rooting for the Irish." — Stewart Mandel of The Athletic 3 Fighting Irish 2025 football signees were earned player of the year honors in their respective states. Brunswick (Conn.) School quarterback Blake Hebert was named the Con- necticut Gatorade Player of the Year, Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic running back Nolan James Jr. was tabbed the MaxPreps New Jersey Player of the Year and Indianapolis Ben Davis cornerback Mark Zackery was selected as the MaxPreps Indiana Player of the Year. Hebert was also among four 2025 signees who began practicing with this year's Irish team Dec. 23 in preparation for facing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The other three were San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic line- backer Madden Faraimo, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor safety JaDon Blair and Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School safety Ethan Long. 1 College football team ever, per OptaS- TATS, has recorded wins against a team that was ranked in the Associated Press at the time of the game in six different months during the same season: the 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish defeated No. 20 Texas A&M in Au- gust, No. 15 Louisville in September, No. 24 Navy in October, No. 18 Army in November, No. 9 Indiana in December and No. 2 Georgia in January.