Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 SEPT. 25, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME MOVING? Call us at 1-800-421-7751 Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Ryann DeJarld — Volleyball The junior from Chicago led the way for the Irish in their 3-1 win over visiting No. 24 Ohio State Sept. 10. The victory was Notre Dame's first over a ranked opponent since it beat No. 10 Louisville in 2012. DeJarld posted 28 digs in the triumph, marking the sixth time this season she re- corded more than 20 digs in a single match. During Notre Dame's 7-1 start, she racked up a team-best 191 digs. Natalie Jacobs — Soccer The sophomore from Coto De Caza, Calif., con- tinued to show off her of- fensive firepower in Notre Dame's 4-0 win at Toledo Sept. 10. With Notre Dame up 2-0 in the 64th minute, she found the back of the net for her team-leading fifth goal of the year. Jacobs made the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2015 before taking last season off to com- pete for the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team in the 2016 FIFA Women's World Cup. Jon Gallagher — Soccer The senior from Dundalk, Ireland, was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 11 after recording his first career hat trick Sept. 8 against Boston College. His scores were the only three Irish goals in the game, all coming in the final 40 minutes to give Notre Dame a 3-1 win over the Eagles. Gallagher was also named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week following the performance. Yared Nuguse — Cross Country The freshman from Lou- isville, Ky., was named the ACC Freshman of the Week following his first-place finish in the 6,000-meter race at the Crusader Open Sept. 1 in Valparaiso, Ind. Nuguse, the reigning Kentucky cross country state champion, fin- ished the race with a time of 18:09.3. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE The Notre Dame-Georgia game Sept. 9 might have unofficially set a record for most fans of an opposing team in Notre Dame Stadium, with "guesstimates" in the 30,000 range, after the Bulldogs were originally allotted 8,000 for their visitors share. Some of it is blamed on Notre Dame's 2017 partnership formed with Vivid Seats, now known as the Official Ticket Marketplace of the Fighting Irish. Vivid Seats allows Notre Dame fans to have a safe and secure destination to buy and sell their tickets on the secondary market. And despite Notre Dame's 2016 woes on the football field with a 4-8 record, the visit by Geor- gia fans to Notre Dame Stadium was still viewed as an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which led to the elementary economic principle of supply versus demand. By August, TickPick, a no-fee ticket market- place, listed the Notre Dame-Georgia game as the most expensive college football ticket in the land. Here was its top five: Game Price 1. Notre Dame-Georgia $1,534 2. Alabama-Florida State $1,015 3. Ohio State-Michigan $587 4. Army-Navy $552 5. Florida-Georgia $522 Note: In sixth place was the Oct. 21 clash be- tween Notre Dame and USC ($519), also in Notre Dame Stadium. Getting To Know … SENIOR CORNERBACK NICK WATKINS Hometown: "DeSoto, Texas." High School: "Bishop Dunne." Favorite Movie: "I have three, in no particular order. 'The Dark Knight,' 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Greased Lightning.'" Favorite Food: "Any type of seafood or barbe- cue since I'm a Texas guy." Favorite Place To Eat In South Bend: "Blaze Pizza. That's the spot." Favorite Music: "Rap." Favorite Musician: "Drake." Favorite TV Show: "'Go- tham.'" Favorite Pro Sports Team: "The Dallas Cowboys." Favorite Part About Play- ing For Notre Dame: "Just the people. The people here are nice and they accept you from wherever you came from. They just become family the more you get to know them and the more you're around them. Everybody looks out for you." Who's The Best Player You've Ever Lined Up Across From?: "James Proche at SMU. He's a great guy to watch. We grew up together and have been going at each other since little league. He's definitely a dynamic athlete." CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE Michigan State is one of the more storied rivalries for Notre Dame. This season, the two programs will square off for the 79th time, with the Irish holding a 48-29-1 advantage in the series. The Irish went 15-2 in the first 17 meetings from 1897-1949, but were just 2-12 against the Spartans from 1950-65 before the 10-10 tie in their famous No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle at East Lansing in 1966. Notre Dame went on to win the national title that season, finishing with a 9-0-1 mark. The Irish then dominated the series, going 24-4 from 1967-96, but MSU again turned the tide by taking 10 of the next 14 through the 2010 season. Notre Dame has won three of the last four matchups between the two schools, but fell 36-28 to Michigan State last season in South Bend. Here is how the Irish have fared against the opponents they have played against the most: Team Games Played Record (Pct.) Navy 90 76-13-1 (.850) USC 88 46-37-5 (.551) Purdue 86 58-26-2 (.686) Michigan State 78 48-29-1 (.622) Pittsburgh 70 48-21-1 (.693) Team Games Played Record (Pct.) Army 51 39-8-4 (.804) Northwestern 48 37-9-2 (.792) Michigan 42 17-24-1 (.417) Georgia Tech 35 28-6-1 (.814) Stanford 31 19-12-0 (.613)