Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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make Notre Dame a consistent College Football Playoff contender. SPECIAL TEAMS: GOOD NEWS • The Fighting Irish were one of 27 teams among 128 not to have a kick blocked. It also was one of 60 to not have one of its punts blocked (national champ Alabama had two). • Justin Yoon earned some Freshman All-America honors by converting 15 of 17 field goals, notably each of his last 12 (long of 52 versus Navy). • Notre Dame and Idaho were the only two schools to have their kicker and punter (sophomore Tyler New- some) rank among the top 15 in field goal percentage and punting average. • The Irish scored four touchdowns on special teams in four different ways (on a fake field goal, on kick and punt returns, and off a blocked punt), a rar- ity for any team. SPECIAL TEAMS: BAD NEWS • The nadir was an abysmal perfor- mance in blocking and coverage in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State. • An Irish fumbled kickoff and 15- yard punt set up two short Clemson touchdown drives in their 24-22 loss Oct. 3. SUMMARY This was Notre Dame's best showing on special teams in Kelly's six years, the Fiesta Bowl notwithstanding. There was more overall emphasis placed on special teams, including a fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown at Virginia, plus a blocked punt for a touchdown versus USC. Both of those scores were huge in hard-fought victo- ries. Conversely, special teams let down the Irish in the 24-22 loss at Clemson and versus Ohio State. In Yoon, Newsome and freshman re- turn man CJ Sanders, the Irish should have one of the nation's better trio of specialists over the next three seasons. Notre Dame made positive strides this year on special teams but still could take it to a higher overall level the way Ohio State and Alabama did in the bowl season. ✦ Freshman CJ Sanders accounted for two of Notre Dame's four special teams touchdowns, scoring on a 93-yard kickoff runback and a 50-yard punt return. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND