Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME 1 BY THE NUMBERS (Sept. 1) and Miami in Chicago (Oct. 6), with a bye a week earlier. The lone "hostile environment" atmosphere from Sept. 1 through Oct. 26 will be at Michigan State (Sept. 15). Game among Notre Dame's first seven this season in which it will play on its op- ponent's true home turf, a unique situation. Notre Dame plays Navy in Ireland 2 1995, when Randy Kinder (809), Marc Edwards (772) and Autry Den- son (762) all did it when including the bowl game, The 160.38-yard rushing average last year was the best by an Irish team since the 188.8 figure in 2001, Bob Davie's final season as head coach. Running backs who eclipsed 700 yards rushing last year — Cierre Wood (1,102) and Jonas Gray (791) — a first at Notre Dame since 5 football polls. The AP featured USC (1), Oklahoma (4), Michigan (8), Michigan State (13) and Stanford (21) — with Notre Dame coming in at No. 26, the first team in the "others receiving votes" category. USA Today's preseason top 25 was similar with USC (3), Okla- homa (4), Michigan (8), Michigan State (13) and Stanford (18). Notre Dame opponents ranked by both the Associated Press and USA Today in its preseason top 25 college champions who finished in the AP top 13: Iowa Pre-Flight (2), Michigan (3), Navy (4), Northwest- ern (9), Army (11) and Georgia Tech (13). 6 those same two years of Theo Riddick (slot), TJ Jones, John Goodman and Robby Toma has combined for 13. 40 Floyd, while joining Tim Brown as the lone Irish wide receivers since 1970 to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The collective returning top four during 21 Touchdown receptions snared in 2010 and 2011 by two-time Team MVP Michael year. That occurred in 1972 when sophomore Tom Clements sup- planted junior Cliff Brown, who started the last six games in 1971 because the NCAA freshman eligibility rule prohibited Clements from playing with the varsity. That streak ends this season with the suspension of 16-game starter Tommy Rees for this year's opener. Years since Notre Dame's returning starting quarterback from the previous year didn't start the opener the following Last year Notre Dame smashed Sept. 1 challenger Navy by 42 (56-14), Sept. 8 foe Purdue by 28 (38-10) and Sept. 15 opponent Michigan State by 18 (31-13). That is the most since 1971, when Notre Dame's first three opponents (Northwestern, Purdue and Michigan State) were defeated by a total of 98 points the previ- ous season. 88 140 10 PRESEASON 2012 Points separating Notre Dame from three opponents it defeated in 2011 that will open the 2012 Irish campaign. Irish opponents defeated by Fighting Irish head coach Frank Leahy's 1943 national Lewis-Moore. He needs 60 this season to become the third Irish lineman since the end of the 1980 season to reach 200. The other two were Trevor Laws (2004-07) with 224 and Chris Zorich (1988-90) with 204. Career tackles recorded by Notre Dame fifth-year se- nior defensive end Kapron BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA