Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 DECEMBER 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME MOVING? LET US KNOW! Call 1-800-421-7751 Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Sydney Bent — Volleyball The freshman outside hitter from Coconut Grove, Fla., led the way for Notre Dame in a 3-2 victory over Louisville on Senior Day Nov. 16. She notched a team-leading 19 kills and seven blocks. Through 27 matches, Bent had recorded 256 kills and a hitting percentage of .196. She was one of five Irish players with more than 100 kills in 2018. Cal Burke — Hockey The junior forward from Boxborough, Mass., netted the decisive goal for Notre Dame in a 2-1 win at Michigan State Nov. 17. The goal — which came on a power play at the 14:44 mark of the second period — was his seventh of the season and marked the fifth game-winner of his career. Through 12 contests, Burke also had seven assists and was tied for the team lead with 14 points. Danny Kilrea — Cross Country The Lagrange, Ill., native was the first true freshman and first Notre Dame participant to cross the finish the line at the NCAA Championships Nov. 17 in Madison, Wis. He posted a time of 29:55.2 on the 10-kilometer course to place 33rd out of 252 competitors. With his 33rd-place finish, Kilrea earned the first All-America honors of his young Irish career. Anna Rohrer — Cross Country The senior from Mishawaka, Ind., was the top finisher for Notre Dame in the NCAA Championships Nov. 17 in Madison, Wis. She finished 10th out of 253 participants with a time of 20:32.90 in the six-kilometer race. Rohrer is now a three- time All-American (she also finished sixth in 2015 and third in 2016), the most for any Irish woman since Molly Huddle in 2002, 2003 and 2005. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame won 10 games in a season for the first time in 1922 (10-1), reached 11 vic- tories initially in 1973 (11-0) and attained 12 conquests for the first time in 1988 (12-0). Since then, it also has posted 12 wins in 1989 (12-1) and 2012 (12-1), and was expected to reach that standard this year when it faced 5-6 USC Nov. 24. Lucky No. 13 is the next milestone to reach — and if all goes ideally, 14 would be accomplished as well. Until 1950, nine-game regular seasons were the norm at Notre Dame with exceptions here and there. It didn't return to the bowl scene until 1969 which gave it a potential 11th con- test, and the Fighting Irish didn't begin to play 11-game regular seasons until 1974. Since that 1974 campaign, here are Notre Dame's five best finishes in the Associated Press poll with less than 11 victories: Rk. Year (Record) AP Finish 1. 1992 (10-1-1) No. 4 2. 1990 (9-3) No. 6 3. 1978 (9-3) No. 7 4t. 1980 (9-2-1) No. 9 4t. 2005 (9-3) No. 9 CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME MEN'S BASKETBALL AND OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY Under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame's free-flowing and player- friendly offense has routinely ranked among the nation's best. Basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy, creator of the popular website Ken- Pom.com, ranks each Division I program in terms of adjusted offensive efficiency, which is an estimate of the amount of points a team would have against an average Division I defense over 100 possessions. Over the previ- ous 10 seasons, the Fighting Irish have finished no lower than 50th nation- ally with multiple top-10 rankings in this statistic. Overall, their average finish in adjusted offensive efficiency is 19.7. Following the loss of stars Bonzie Colson and Matt Far- rell and the addition of six new faces, there was some concern the Irish would struggle to maintain that standard. That rang true through the team's first four games. If the Irish stay on their current pace, it would be their lowest overall finish (62nd) and total offensive efficiency mark (107.7) in more than a decade. Getting To Know … FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR LINEBACKER DRUE TRANQUILL Hometown: "Fort Wayne, Ind." High School: "Carroll." Major: "Mechanical engineering." Favorite Food: "Biscuits and gravy." Favorite Place To Eat In South Bend: "Up- town Kitchen." F a v o r i t e M o v i e : "'Shawshank Redemp- tion.'" Favorite Music: "I'm a blended guy. I like all types of music." Favorite Musician: "NF is currently." Favorite TV Show: "'Friday Night Lights.'" Favorite Part About Playing For Notre Dame: " There are so many special things about playing for Notre Dame. The people make it special here. Everyone seems to be striving for excellence. There's a standard of person that comes here, and it's the Notre Dame person that's really made my experi- ence here." Who Is The Best Player You've Ever Lined Up Across From?: "[Stanford running back] Bryce Love is obviously a great back. He's tough to tackle in space. Florida State had some good backs and perimeter players." KENPOM.COM'S ADJUSTED OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY RANKINGS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH SINCE 2008 Adjusted Offensive Season Efficiency (National Ranking) Postseason 2018-19 107.7 (62nd)* ? 2017-18 114.9 (32nd) NIT second round 2016-17 118.1 (18th) NCAA second round 2015-16 120.6 (9th) NCAA Elite Eight 2014-15 125.4 (2nd) NCAA Elite Eight 2013-14 113.5 (40th) None 2012-13 114.6 (17th) NCAA first round 2011-12 110.9 (50th) NCAA first round 2010-11 120.9 (3rd) NCAA second round 2009-10 119.4 (4th) NCAA first round 2008-09 115.0 (22nd) NIT title game * Through the first four games of season