Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 15 UNDER THE DOME at home in 1969 and 1970, but in 1969 it had a 14‑14 tie with USC. Among Notre Dame's six home games in 2018, the lone "gimme" is Ball State Sept. 8. The Cardinals rank 124th among 130 Foot‑ ball Bowl Subdivision teams in the 2018 ESPN Football Power Index — Notre Dame is No. 5 with a projected 10‑2 regular‑season finish. Also relatively low among the six home foes are Vanderbilt (No. 76, Sept. 15) and Pitt (No. 57, Oct. 13). Still, an SEC op‑ ponent cannot be taken lightly, while Pitt, although only 13‑12 the past two years, has had a tendency to play up to the level of the opponent. In 2016, the Panthers won at Clemson (43‑42), which went on to win the national title, while last year in the regular‑season finale it toppled unbeaten and No. 2 Miami (24‑14). Meanwhile, the other three Irish home opponents are No. 11 Michigan (Sept. 1), No. 13 Stanford (Sept. 29), which has won three straight in the series, and No. 18 Flor‑ ida State (Nov. 10). All three are scheduled to kick off shortly after 7:30 p.m. — the most night games ever hosted by Notre Dame in one season. Not finishing unbeaten at home doesn't mean the Irish are destined for a bad season. Last year provided such evidence. But an un‑ blemished mark at home usually guarantees a good and perhaps even a great campaign. Pass down the tradition of "The Shirt" and other ND apparel by using them in a quilt! Great for graduations, weddings, birthdays, and even for a new future Notre Dame student. Create a great legacy for alumni or a memorial of a loved one. Each unique quilt is personalized just for you to enjoy your t-shirts without rummaging through a dresser drawer. Please contact Lesa to start a dialogue on your special quilt! Turn Your T-Shirts Into A Notre Dame Memory Quilt! Lesa Quilts 419-239-6732 ■ Lesaquilts7@bex.net ■ Facebook.com/lesaquilts 2 Notre Dame Game Football Weekends Available TWO NIGHTS ON CAMPUS! PRICE INCLUDES: • Game Ticket, Parking for the weekend • Bed at Sacred Heart Parish Hall on campus • Lunch at Legend's Tent prior to game. CHOOSE EITHER: Michigan Aug. 31, Sept. 1 $495 each Stanford Sept. 28, 29 $495 each Proceeds benefit the Student Scholarship Fund, South Jersey Notre Dame Club E-mail bill.burns.68@alumni.nd.edu or call Bill Burns 609-368-1962 Beginner's Luck At Notre Dame Stadium Since the opening of Notre Dame Stadium in 1930, the Fighting Irish have hosted 77 first-time visitors to the edifice, posting a 61-15-1 record against them. In the past decade, though, ND has become too hospitable to opposition mak- ing their debut in South Bend. Six of those 15 losses have occurred since 2009: 2017: Georgia — In game two, the Bulldogs kicked a late 30-yard field goal to move ahead 20-19 and forced an Irish fumble on the final drive. Georgia would go on to play for the na- tional title. 2016: Virginia Tech — The Hokies rallied from an early 17-0 hole and 31-21 fourth-quarter deficit to win 34-31. 2014: Louisville — Freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon (later moved to receiver) led the 31-28 conquest, and the Irish missed a 32- yard field goal in the closing minute. 2011: South Florida — Bulls head coach Skip Holtz's squad, which would finish 5-7, was aided by five Irish turnovers in the 23-20 win. 2010: Tulsa — This stunning 28-27 defeat saw the Irish eschew a field goal and throw an inter- ception into the end zone in the closing minute. 2009: UConn — A 14-0 Irish lead was squan- dered in head coach Charlie Weis' final home game, a 33-30 double-overtime defeat. The other nine losses to first-time visitors were USC (1931), Purdue (1933), Texas (1934), Iowa (1940), Michigan (1942), Missouri (1972), Clemson (1979), Florida State (1981) and Penn State (1982). The lone first-time visitor this year is Ball State, which finished 2-10 last season. Then again, the Cardinals' men's basketball team did win at Notre Dame last December … — Lou Somogyi Georgia and its legion of fans entered Notre Dame Stadium last September and became the sixth different team since 2009 to win in its initial game there. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL