Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/81334
By The Numbers 3 Positions where a freshman has never started an opener at Notre Dame in the 40 years since freshman eligibility has been allowed: quarterback, center and offensive guard. Until KeiVarae Russell was listed as the starter this year against Navy, cornerback had been another position. At quarterback, Jimmy Clausen did start the second game as a freshman in 2007, but not the first. 10 Football scholarship players from Indiana on Notre Dame’s 2012 roster, the largest representation from one state this year for the Irish: Offensive linemen Braxston Cave, Zack Martin and Nick Martin; wide receivers John Goodman and Daniel Smith; tight end Tyler Eifert; quarterback Gunner Kiel; defensive linemen Sheldon Day and Tony Springmann; and safety John Turner. Ohio is second with nine, after the loss of offensive lineman Brad Carrico, whose athletic scholarship was transferred to medical hardship. 12 Times Notre Dame has had four full-time (not just game-day) football captains named in a season: senior tight end Tyler Eifert, senior offensive left tackle Zack Martin, fifth-year senior defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore and senior inside linebacker Manti Te’o. The first time was the 1977 national champs (Ross Browner, Willie Fry, Terry Eurick and Steve Orsini), and the most recent until now had been 2009 (Jimmy Clausen, Eric Olsen, Kyle McCarthy and Scott Smith). The Irish had five captains in 1995 and 2007. 13 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, including Notre Dame, that have allowed less than 21.0 points per game in both 2011 (20.69) and 2010 (20.46). Alabama easily has the lowest average over those two years at 10.85, while LSU is second at 14.63. The Irish have not allowed fewer than 20 points per game in a season since their 8-0 start in 2002, when they finished ninth nationally with an average of 16.7. 67 Consecutive years, and counting, that Notre Dame and Purdue will have faced each other in football when they play Sept. 8. The only three opponents the Irish have faced every year since 1946, or after the World War II years, are the Boilermakers, USC and Navy. The Midshipmen and Notre Dame have met every year since 1927. 118 Point differential in the third quarter between Notre Dame’s and Purdue’s 2011 season. Whereas the Irish were plus-75 by outscoring their 2011 foes 91-16 in the third quarter, Purdue was minus-43 while getting outscored 79-36. Not coincidentally, the Irish won the third quarter last year against Purdue 14-0. 1,306 Days apart that two members of Notre Dame’s “freshman” class this year were born. Safety Chris Badger returned this summer from a two-year Mormon mission and will turn 21 on Nov. 20. Outside linebacker Romeo Okwara, on the other hand, just turned 17 this June 17. 8,178.5 Community service hours performed by Notre Dame student-athletes during the 2011-12 school year, in association with the school’s Student Welfare & Development Office. All the teams participated in the endeavor, and the number of hours is equal to 340 consecutive 24-hour days of service. The total was more than 900 hours more than the previous academic year, and double from two years ago.