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✦ NEWS & NOTES Ultimate THE AT THE OFFICIAL NOTRE DAME HOSPITALITY VILLAGE IRISH TAILGATER Experience the fanfare and tradition of Notre Dame Football with the Ultimate Irish Tailgater at Notre Dame's Official Hospitality Village. Passes are available for each home game of the 2012 football season, and include access to a VIP buffet and open bar, keepsakes, entertainment and more in a 3-hour all-inclusive pre-game event. Packages and passes are available for Notre Dame's neutral site rivalry game against the Miami Hurricanes at Soldier Field in Chicago on 10/6/2012! Freshman Davonte' Neal has returned five punts for 12 yards (2.4-yard average) through two games — an improvement from last year's anemic return game — but needs to work on his decision making. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Freshman punt returner Davonte' Neal has impressed head coach Brian Kelly as defense on and minimal blocking — four times. • The Irish will attempt to snap a school record seven-year losing streak against op- ponents ranked in the Associated Press top 10 at the time of the game (Michigan State is 10th). Notre Dame's last win over a top-10 foe occurred with a 17-10 victory at No. 3 Michigan on Sept 10, 2005. Since then, the Irish are 0-9 versus AP top-10 teams. The Irish also are 0-10 in their last 10 regular-season games on the road and at night against an AP top-10 foe. Their last such victory came on Oct. 8, 1983 at No. 7 South Carolina. • Last year after two games, Notre Dame was dead last nationally in turnovers commit- "gutsy," but will need to make better decisions on some punts after last week. He let one drop in front of him, and another he fielded at the 3-yard line. The circumstances against Purdue led the Irish to call "punt safe" — where it had its ted (10) and turnover ratio (-.3.50 a game) amidst a 0-2 start. This year it has eight fewer turnovers (two) and is No. 8 in the country in turnover ratio per game (plus-2.0, forcing six by the opposition). Michigan State is tied for 58th in the same category, having turned it over five times while also forcing five. • It's been 10 years since Notre Dame began 3-0. Since the end of the Lou Holtz era, the only time it occurred in 15 tries from 1997-2011 was the 8-0 start in 2002 under first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham. • Michigan State has won 15 consecutive home games. That is the fourth-longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision, behind LSU (19), Wisconsin (17) and Northern Illinois (15). ✦ PAGE 12 WWW.UND.COM/STORE/HOSPITALITY Questions: hospitality@ndsportsproperties.com CONTACT: HOSPITALITY@NDSPORTSPROPERTIES.COM 574-631-1573 PRIVATE CORPORATE TENT PACKAGES AVAILABLE WITH TICKETS.