Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 3, 2016

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 3, 2016 7 UNDER THE DOME 1 Houston Texans rookie Will Fuller, who starred at Notre Dame from 2013‑15, became the first NFL wide receiver chosen in the first round to gain at least 100 yards re‑ ceiving in his first two games (five catches for 107 yards, including a touchdown, in the opening game win versus Chicago and four catches for 104 in the second, a victory over Kansas City). He's also the first rookie wide receiver to gain at least 100 yards in his first two games since DeSean Jackson in 2008. 2 Through the first three games of the 2016 college football season, Notre Dame was one of two teams in the 128‑team Football Bowl Subdivision to have dubious defensive distinctions in two separate defensive categories. It joined Nevada as the only other team in the FBS not to record a quarterback sack, and it also paired with Appalachian State as the only two teams to allow four plays of more than 60 yards, with two of them against the Irish resulting in touchdowns. 15 Notre Dame football teams in history that began the season with a 1‑2 record, not including the only two in 2001 and 2007 to begin 0‑3. Among the previous 14 that began 1‑2, eight finished the year under .500 while five others lost a minimum of five games. The only one to finish ranked was the 1978 unit led by quarterback Joe Montana that finished 9‑3 and No. 7 in the Associated Press poll. That group actually started 0‑2 before winning its next eight contests. 22 Ranking of Notre Dame men's basketball in Lindy's Sports 2016‑17 College Basketball Pre‑ view. The Fighting Irish are the lone men's pro‑ gram to advance to the Elite Eight the past two years. Ranked ahead of them from the Atlantic Coast Conference are Duke (No. 3), North Carolina (No. 7), Virginia (No. 8) and Louisville (No. 15), while Miami (No. 24) and Syracuse (No. 25) are right behind Notre Dame. Wrote Lindy's: "Every fall Notre Dame shows up to start practice and the roster doesn't exactly move the needle. … Here we go again: Steve Vasturia, VJ BEACHEM and Bonzi Colson are the 'stars' of an offense that has finished outside the top 25 adjusted efficiency just four times the past 15 years." 76.0 Percent of opponent red‑zone possessions that have turned into touchdowns against Notre Dame from the 2015 Stanford game to the 2016 Michigan State contest. The opposition scored a remarkable 19 touchdowns on 25 advancements to the Irish 20‑yard line, and it tallied field goals on five other such situations. The Irish were 1‑4 in those five games. The lone non‑score came against Nevada. 178-178 The score of Notre Dame's five games from Stanford 2015 through Michigan State in 2016 while going 1‑4. Both teams averaged 35.6 points per contest. 344 Passing yards, a career‑high, totaled by junior quarterback DeShone Kizer in the 36‑28 loss against Michigan State Sept. 17. Kizer became the 15th Notre Dame regular starting quarterback — that we know of since 1955 — whose career‑high passing yardage so far occurred in a loss. The other 14 were: Paul Hor‑ nung 283 (1955 vs. USC), George Izo 326 (1958 vs. Pitt), Terry Hanratty 366 (1967 vs. Purdue), Joe Theismann 526 (1970 vs. USC), Joe Montana 358 (1978 vs. USC), Blair Kiel 285 (1983 vs. Air Force), Steve Beuerlein 311 (1986 vs. Penn State), Kevin McDougal 261 (1993 vs. Boston College), Ron Powlus 293 (1997 vs. Purdue), Jarious Jackson 317 (1999 Pitt), Brady Quinn 487 (2005 Michigan State), Jimmy Clausen 452 (2009 vs. Navy), Dayne Crist 369 (2010 vs. Michigan State) and Everett Golson 446 (2014 vs. Arizona State). BY THE NUMBERS PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND

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