Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct.10, 2016

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

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14 OCT. 10, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME CHARTING THE IRISH TURNOVER MARGINS UNDER BRIAN KELLY A subpar defense like Notre Dame's needs any help it can get. While getting gashed through the season's first four weeks, creating turnovers and keeping the unit off the field would have assisted. Brian VanGorder, who was relieved of his defensive coordinator duties following the 38-35 loss to Duke Sept. 24, did not lead a unit that created many turnovers. In the 30 games under VanGorder, the Irish defense forced 41 turnovers (12 fumbles and 29 interceptions) for an average of 1.3 per game. Notre Dame has created one turnover in each of the season's first four games: sophomore cornerback Shaun Crawford had an interception against Texas, fifth-year senior defensive tackle Jarron Jones had an interception against Nevada, freshman safety Devin Studstill picked off a pass against Michigan State and freshman corner- back Donte Vaughn had an interception against Duke. Through four games, Notre Dame was one of four teams — along with Miami, Purdue and Northern Illinois — yet to force a fumble this year. On the flip side, Kelly has repeatedly called the Irish a "sloppy" team through the season's first four weeks, par- ticularly after the Michigan State game in which Notre Dame lost two fumbles and junior quarterback DeShone Kizer threw an interception. Against Duke, Notre Dame lost two fumbles and Kizer threw a bad interception late in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead field goal for Duke. The overall Irish turnover margin through the first four games was minus-three. Turnover margin wasn't an emphasis during much of the first four years of Kelly's tenure in South Bend. Most of that had to do with Bob Diaco's bend-but-don't break defensive scheme that did not pressure opponents into turning the ball over. UNDER THE DOME MOVING? Call us at 1-800-421-7751 Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Ben Albin — Golf The sophomore from Santa Fe, N.M., was the top finisher (tied for 40th) for Notre Dame in the Georgia State Maui Jim Invitational Sept. 23-25 at Scottsdale, Ariz. He finished with a 3-over-par 216, and the Irish placed 14th out of 16 teams. Albin, who was second on the team with a 74.13 stroke average as a rookie, recorded five birdies en route to an even-par 71 in the final round. Emma Albrecht — Golf The sophomore from Ormond Beach, Fla., led the way for the Irish in the Schooner Fall Clas- sic Sept. 24-25 in Norman, Okla. She carded a 2-under- par 211 to finish in a tie for 10th while helping Notre Dame to a sixth-place team showing. Albrecht's final round included four birdies and 12 pars. It was her third career top-10 finish, and the 211 total was her best 54-hole score during her Irish career. Katie Higgins — Volleyball The senior middle blocker from Kearney, Neb., was a key component in Notre Dame's 3-0 win at Miami Sept. 25. She re- corded a team-high 10 kills on just 15 swings, and did not have a single error, giv- ing her a hitting percentage of .667. Higgins also led the team in blocks with three and added two digs in the Irish victory. Notre Dame's 11-3 start is its best since 2005. Kaleigh Olmstead — Soccer The Woodland, Texas, native was the top performer in No. 24 Notre Dame's 4-0 win over visiting Pittsburgh Sept. 25. The se- nior forward and team cap- tain led the Irish with three total points, tallying a goal and an assist. The goal was Olmstead's first of the season. She has started 54 of 71 career games through Sept. 25, and has tallied 10 goals and 35 points. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE With its 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28, 2013, coupled with Michigan's 31-14 loss to Kansas State that same night in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Notre Dame nudged ahead of Michigan on the all-time winning percentage chart. The Irish were at .7330 to the Wolverines' .7324. It marked the first time since 2004 Notre Dame was back at the top spot, ahead of Michigan. However, Michigan reclaimed the top spot this Sept. 24 with its 4-0 start while Notre Dame fell to 1-3 after its loss at home to 21-point underdog Duke. Heading into the Oct. 1 games, here were the top five schools in all-time win percentage: School Record Pct. 1. Michigan 929-331-36 .7307 2. Notre Dame 893-316-42 .7306 3. Boise State 420-159-2 .7246 4. Ohio State 878-320-53 .7230 5. Alabama 868-326-43 .7191 Note: Alabama's record includes an adjust- ment by action of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, while Ohio State's was adjusted by action of the institution. Getting To Know … JUNIOR PUNTER TYLER NEWSOME Major: "Marketing with a minor in sustainability." Favorite food: "Fried cat- fish." Favorite movie: "Defi- nitely 'The Godfather.'" Favorite TV show: "I'm not really a big TV guy." Favorite music: "I really like 2000's R&B, and I also like old-school rock and roll. I really like the Weekend, too, and country music. I'm all over the place. It's like asking a mom to pick her favorite kid." Favorite part about playing for Notre Dame: "It's special. Every day we get the opportunity to not only go to school and get a world -class education, but at the same time we have the opportunity to do what millions of people would love to do — play football at Notre Dame." -15 0 8 TURNOVER MARGIN IN THE BRIAN KELLY ERA +1 -15 +8 -6 -3 -3 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 50 119 28 61 84 102 100 National Rank

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