Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 NOV. 14, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Eddy Covalschi — Tennis The senior from Shelby Township, Mich., and his classmate Josh Hagar were selected to participate in the 2016 USTA/ITA National In‑ door Intercollegiate Doubles Championships Nov. 3‑6 in Flushing, N.Y. It marks the 12th straight year that the Irish have had at least one student‑ athlete compete in the ITA grand slam event. Through Oct. 31, Covalschi and Hagar had an 8‑2 record as a doubles team. Jordan Ferreira — Golf The senior from University Place, Wash., was Notre Dame's top finisher at the Landfall Tra‑ dition Oct. 28‑30 in Wilmington, N.C. She shot an 8‑over‑par 224 to tied for 33rd, and the Irish placed 12th out of 18 teams in the event. It marked the third consecu‑ tive tournament this fall that Ferreira was Notre Dame's top finisher. Heading into this sea‑ son, she ranked fifth in school history with a 75.66 career stroke average. Josh Hagar — Tennis The senior from Austin, Texas, and his class‑ mate Covalschi were selected to participate in the 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Dou‑ bles Championships. The duo was an at‑large pick in the 20‑team field. Hagar and Covalschi — who advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Oct. 20‑23 in Columbus, Ohio — will be making their second ITA grand slam event appearance, hav‑ ing also earned an automatic bid following a regional title during their sophomore campaign. Kaitlin Klawunder — Soccer The junior forward from Coto De Caza, Calif., propelled the Irish into the semifinals of the ACC Tourna‑ ment when her only shot of the quarterfinal match with North Carolina State Oct. 30 found the back of the net late in the second half to give Notre Dame the 1‑0 win. The clutch goal came when sophomore de‑ fender Natalie Ward sent a cross into the box and junior forward Karin Muya's attempted header rebounded right to Klawunder. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE Sophomore running back Josh Adams' strong performance in the fourth quarter of the 30‑27 victory versus Miami Oct. 29, highlighted by a 41‑yard touchdown run, had him near teammate Tarean Folston for most career rushing yards at Notre Dame after one's sophomore year. Although he has dealt with injuries this fall that have hampered the explosiveness he dis‑ played last year with a school freshman‑record 835 rushing yards and 7.1 yards per carry, Ad‑ ams still easily paced the Irish in rushing this season during the 3‑5 start with 510 yards and 5.0 yards per carry. He will likely enter his junior season with the fourth most career rushing yards at Notre Dame after a player's freshman and sopho‑ more years. Here are the top five, including his current running backs coach Autry Denson. Player (Years) Rushing Yards 1. Darius Walker (2004‑05) 1,982 2. Allen Pinkett (1982‑83) 1,926 3. Autry Denson (1995‑96) 1,874 4. Tarean Folston (2013‑14) 1,359 5. Josh Adams (2015‑present) 1,345* * Denotes prior to Nov. 5 game versus Navy this season Getting To Know … FRESHMAN CORNERBACK JULIAN LOVE Hometown: Westchester, Ill. High school: Nazareth. Favorite food: "I'm a big food guy. I love all types. My mom is Hispanic, but I'd probably say Italian food." Favorite movie: "'Friday Night Lights.'" Favorite TV show: "'Fresh Prince of Bel‑Air.'" Favorite music: "My favorite rapper is Eminem." Favorite part about playing at Notre Dame: "For me, it's just the people. You meet so many different types of people from all over the coun‑ try, and I really like that. People with different accents, people playing different levels of foot‑ ball, all uniting. I think it's very special here." Toughest player you've ever faced: "Back in high school, it was a receiver named Flynn Nagel. He's at Northwestern now. He was very tough to guard. Here, it was [Stanford wide receiver Trenton] Irwin. He's a competitor, and that's what you love." CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME AND TIME OF POSSESSION Notre Dame's been unable to successfully drain the clock this season and sit on leads, which Irish head coach Brian Kelly blamed on an inconsistent running game. Whether it's in long scoreless droughts — Texas, Michigan State and Duke — or in game's like Miami when the offense can't put away a game, those problems have repeatedly hurt Notre Dame. That could be a factor in Notre Dame's game this week against Army. Against option-based teams like Army, Navy and Georgia Tech, time of possession is crucial. The longer an option team holds the ball, the less it has to put its defense on the field. Army's scheme, specifically, is reliant on limiting possessions. Through eight games, the Black Knights ranked No. 1 in the country in time of pos- session, holding the ball an average of 35 minutes and 53 seconds a game. The last time Army ranked in the top five in time of possession was 2010 (33:14), when it made its last bowl appearance. The Irish don't place a large emphasis on time of possession, typically ranking near the middle of the 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. This year, Notre Dame is holding the ball an average of 28:48. The highest aver- age of the Kelly era was in 2012, when the sophomore quarterback Everett Golson-led offense held the ball for 31:44 a game. THE TIME OF POSSESSION BATTLE ■ Notre Dame ■ Army 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Year 28:48 35:53 29:38 32:15 29:51 31:19 29:06 32:09 31:44 31:56 29:53 33:28 27:55 33:14