Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME 5 Notre Dame senior midfielder Nick Besler 's overall pick — by the Portland Timbers — in the Major League Soccer Draft held Jan. 15. It was the highest a Fighting Irish player was ever selected, with his brother Matt the previous standard at No. 8 in 2009. Matt Besler was a starter for the United States National Team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while Nick helped lead the Irish to the 2013 national title as a junior. 19 Starters returning on offense and defense for Notre Dame in 2015 — the most among the 65 "Power Five" conference schools, according to college football analyst Phil Steele's blog. Tied for second with 18 were California, Tennes- see, UCLA and Vanderbilt. Among the 22 possible starters on offense and defense, the only three the Fighting Irish lose from 2014 are tight end Ben Koyack, right tackle Christian Lombard and cornerback Cody Riggs. Yet sophomore Mike McGlinchey started in place of the injured Lombard in the Music City Bowl victory against LSU, while Riggs' replacement could be KeiVarae Russell, who started all 26 games at cornerback in 2012 and 2013 but was sidelined in 2014 because of academic reasons. 26 Notre Dame's final ranking in the Associated Press football poll with 28 points, finishing 66 points behind No. 25 Memphis. The Fighting Irish were attempting to finish in the AP top 25 a third straight season for the first time since 1991-93 after placing No. 4 in 2012 and No. 20 in 2013. Notre Dame finished 28th in the USA Today coaches' poll. 30 Consecutive road victories by Notre Dame women's basketball — tying Connecticut's NCAA Division I re- cord — until its 78-63 loss at Miami Jan. 8. The streak does not include postseason league or NCAA Tournament outings, most of which are held on neutral courts. 68 Years since the NFL had a rookie offensive lineman make first-team All-Pro — until Notre Dame's Zack Martin achieved the feat this season for the Dallas Cowboys as a guard. The last NFL player to achieve it as a rookie was Pittsburgh Steelers left guard Red Moore (from Penn State) in 1947. BY THE NUMBERS Notre Dame PaNoramic Puzzle Blue & Gold Illustrated P.O. Box 2331 Durham, NC 27702 1-800-421-7751 www.BlueGoldOnline.com Please add Sales Tax if you live in NC (7.5%), MI (6%), or IN (7%) $19.95 +$8.00 S&H* Item #6656 1,000 pieces • Size 39"x13" *Shipping within continental U.S. only 2015 Notre Dame Football Packages Sept. 5 Texas Sept. 19 Georgia Tech Sept. 26 UMass Oct. 10 Navy Oct. 17 USC Nov. 14 Wake Forest A Notre Dame trip makes A GREAT GIFT: Birthday, Father's Day, Graduation, Christmas, Retirement All details at diamondtravel.com or call 602-870-9197 DIAMOND TRAVEL 27 years in business