notre dame 42, florida state 26 | monday, october 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Shaking off the dust After two weeks off, Irish defeat Seminoles behind dominant rushing performance
Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton, 14, tries to help tackle the Seminoles ball carrier as other defenders converge during Notre Dame’s 42-26 victory over Florida State on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Hamilton tied for a team-best eight tackles, all of them unassisted, during Saturday’s win, and he also registered a quarterback hit.
Lack of turnovers a worrying trend going forward Aidan Thomas Sports Writer
Leading by 16, Notre Dame’s defense was digging in their heels, hoping for another big red zone stop, one that has become almost expected from their bendbut-don’t-break defense in 2020. Florida State, led by new starting quarterback Jordan Travis, had pushed a fatigued Irish defense all night, to the tune of 26 points — doubling the 13 Notre Dame had allowed in their prior two games combined. On third and goal from the Notre Dame 5-yard line, Travis took the shotgun snap and rolled left, firing a pass that was picked off by Shaun Crawford. The interception lead to a clock-draining, game-icing 6-and-a-half minute drive that sealed Notre Dame’s 42-26 win over the Seminoles. It was a satisfying way to end what had been a relatively long and at times sloppy game in Notre Dame’s return to the gridiron see THOMAS PAGE 2
By AIDAN THOMAS Sports Writer
Sophomore running back Kyren Williams fumbled on the 2nd play from scrimmage, and the rust was real. Then, No. 5 Notre Dame forced a Florida State field goal and scored two touchdowns on a pair of drives that combined for 8 plays and 151 yards, highlighted by two huge runs from Williams. And the rust didn’t seem as real. Then a muffed punt and dropped pass led to 14 straight FSU points, and Notre Dame (3-0, 2-0 ACC) trailed 17-14 at the end of the first quarter. At this point, it was anbyody’s guess what effects the COVID-induced layoff were playing on the Fighting Irish. After a three-week hiatus, Notre Dame returned to the gridiron and took on a generally overmatched Florida State (1-4, 0-3 ACC) squad. A rocky first quarter had everybody guessing as to whether the Irish were ready to return to action. But as Notre Dame cut down on the miscues and got their offense more time on the field, the early-game wrinkles smoothed out, and the Irish gradually pulled
away for a 42-26 victory. Statistically, this one was all about pounding the rock for Notre Dame. After accumulating seven touchdowns on the ground against South Florida, Notre Dame dominated in the run game once again, racking up 353 yards on 8.4 yards per carry. Leading the way was Williams with 185 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while freshman Chris Tyree also excelled, racking up 103 yards and a score on 11 rushes. “They have really good guys blocking for them,” head coach Brian Kelly said regarding the success of his young backfield. “Then they’re making good, decisive cuts, seeing things very well.” Graduate student quarterback Ian Book added 58 yards on the ground, punching one into the end zone with his legs as well. The passing game was a complementary piece, as Book played efficiently and mistake-free, notching a pair of passing touchdowns while throwing for 201 yards on 16 of 25 passing. Book’s clean performance was also assisted by spectacular play on the offensive line, as he was able to deal with a
clean pocket frequently, with many of his rushing yards coming on designed runs. “I’m truly blessed. I really feel like we have the best O-Line in the country,” Book said. “They just lay it all out on the line to protect me and our running backs. They show it day in and day out in practice, and I know they can get it done on Saturday.” Book spread the ball to seven different pass catchers, with five of them notching at least two receptions. The star of the day in the passing attack was graduate student receiver Javon McKinley, who reeled in 5 catches for 107 yards, becoming Book’s most consistent target as the game wore on. Notre Dame entered the game at 2-0 and looking to be one of three ACC teams to end the weekend undefeated on the year, joining No. 5 UNC and No. 1 Clemson. The game also presented an opportunity for Notre Dame to jump into the top-four in the AP Poll as former No. 4 Florida (now No. 10 in the AP Poll) had fallen earlier in the day to No. 11 Texas A&M. Meanwhile, see VICTORY PAGE 3
‘Beast Mentality’: McKinley steps to forefront of WRs By JIMMY WARD Associate Sports Editor
After choking up a quick turnover on their second play from scrimmage, the Irish were able redeem themselves on the offensive side of the ball and find the endzone on six of their next eight drives Saturday night against Florida State. Save that one fumble and Florida State’s goal line stand in the final two minutes of the game, the Irish offense was able to answer any questions anyone may have had about how they have maintained their fitness away from the field for the past three weeks. The Irish were able to establish a strong run game with their No. 1 PFF rated offensive line paving a superhighway for sophomore Kyren Williams and freshman Chris Tyree at running back. They rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns and 103 yards and one touchdown, respectively. But the icing on the cake was that Ian see McKINLEY PAGE 3
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Thomas Continued from page 1
Florida State walked into Notre Dame Stadium sporting an 0-2 record in ACC play, and 1-2 overall, hoping to pick up their first FBS win of the season. The game got off to a wild start, as Williams’ fumble gave FSU the ball at the Irish 32-yard line, but the Seminoles gained just eight yards and settled for a field goal. Notre Dame started their early offensive onslaught on the ensuing drive, as Williams burst through a huge hole on a counter, racing 65 yards to set up first and goal. “He’s a great competitor,” Kelly said of Williams’ big performance after his fumble. “He bounced back. He moved on from a mistake he made, and he showed the kind of athlete that he is.” One play later and Ian Book hit freshman tight end Michael Mayer for the touchdown, giving the Irish a 7-3 lead. After forcing another three-and-out, Notre Dame would extend the lead via a 46-yard scamper by Williams, pushing their advantage to 14-3. Notre Dame would force yet another three-and-out, and this game looked like it could spiral quickly for the Seminoles, but junior receiver Lawrence Keys III muffed the ensuing FSU punt, giving the visitors the ball on the Notre Dame 19-yard line. Quarterback Jordan Travis would run it in from four yards out, cutting into the early Irish advantage. On the next drive for Notre Dame, Book’s third-down pass to junior receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. was dropped as the Irish failed to gain a first down. Florida State went 71 yards in four plays, punctuated by Travis hitting redshirt junior receiver Tamorrion Terry in stride for a 48-yard touchdown, giving the Seminoles a three-point lead heading into the second quarter. Notre Dame put together a much better second quarter as their offense was virtually unstoppable, posting 21 points in the period. Taking the lead for good, Notre Dame strung together an eight-play drive, sparked by Book’s longest completion of the season as he hit Javon McKinley for 36 yards. The Book-McKinley connection was a welcome sight, as for the first time since the departure of 2nd-round NFL draft pick Chase Claypool, the
Irish looked like they had a true No. 1 receiver. McKinley’s big day came at the expense of Florida State junior corner Asante Samuel Jr., who entered the game with three interceptions in three games for the Seminoles. Still, Book had nothing but confidence in targeting McKinley. “We knew that matchup was going to be a good one,” Book said. “Our connection is great, our chemistry is great. I was going [to McKinley] a lot this week, and it was his time to shine.” A 17-yard completion from Book to Mayer set up 1st and goal at the 4, and Williams ran it in one player later from the 1-yard line, pushing the Irish back in front. After punting once, the offense got the ball rolling once more, courtesy of Tyree. The former four-star recruit ran the ball three times on the drive for six, 13 and 45 yards, the latter going for a score and a 28-17 Irish lead. Although the Seminoles were
able to drive down and cut the deficit to eight points on a field goal, the Irish continued to roll offensively, as Notre Dame used 66 of the remaining 77 seconds on the 1st-half clock to punch the ball into the end zone one more time. Senior running back Jafar Armstrong took the kickoff to the 43-yard line and, aided by a FSU personal foul, Book marched the Irish the remaining 57 yards, hitting junior receiver Braden Lenzy from six yards out to account for the 35-20 halftime score. The second half had much less of a boat-race feel as the scoring slowed down considerably. Notre Dame’s defense did not inspire confidence on the opening drive of the half, giving up a 30-yard pass on the first play and allowing the Seminoles to march 75 yards in seven plays. Their two-point conversion attempt failed though, keeping FSU at an arm’s length. Notre Dame then marched
73 yards for another touchdown, notching the game’s final score with 8:40 remaining in the third quarter. The drive included a gutsy fourth and fifth conversion from their own 32-yard line, which Williams narrowly converted. From there, the defense took over. Picked apart by Jordan Travis for a little longer than many Notre Dame fans would have liked to see, the Irish locked it down, holding the Seminoles to 114 total yards on their final 27 offensive plays, covering four drives. The majority of those yards came on a 12-play, 73-yard drive, in which the Seminoles were threatening to close the gap to a single possession. Looking for a momentum swing, the Irish got it as sixthyear defensive back Shaun Crawford stepped in front of a Travis pass and picked it off, giving Notre Dame the ball back with 8:21 remaining. The Irish then milked sixand-a-half minutes of game
time, bringing the ball down to the FSU 2-yard line before being stopped on 4th and Goal. Florida State got the ball to midfield but was sacked on the game’s final play, keeping the final score at 42-26. Kelly acknowledged the inconsistency of the Irish defense. “That was not our ‘A’ game,” he said. “But again, we gave them 10 points [on short drives off 2 ND turnovers]. We keep them to 16, and that’s not playing our best. We can play much better.” If Kelly is correct and that’s about as shaky a performance as fans will see from the Irish defense, then that’s some promising analysis. However, Irish fans will be looking for results next weekend when Notre Dame looks to improve to 4-0 taking on a slumping Louisville team at home. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. on NBC. Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish sophomore running back Kyren Williams sprints down the field during Notre Dame’s 42-26 victory against Florida State on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Two big early runs helped Williams rush for 117 yards in his first five carries, all of them in the first quarter.
Play of the game
player of the game
chris tyree rushes for a 48-yard touchdown
Notre Dame running back kyren williams
Midway through the second quarter, Notre Dame was up 21-17 and looking to expand their lead. In the ensuing drive, freshman running back had two runs to help set the Irish up near midfield. The offensive line opened up a wide hole, and Tyree ran untouched, accelerating past the secondary into the end zone. The 45-yard run gave the Irish a one-touchdown lead that they never relinquished.
Sophomore Kyren Williams has made good use of his first season as the Irish starter at running back. After fumbling on the second play of the game, he recovered and added to his team-best totals in rushes and total rushing yards, running 19 times for 185 yards. His longest was 65 yards, which set up a touchdown that led Notre Dame to retake the lead on their second drive.
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Volume 55, Issue 23 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Community reflects on covered murals ‘There’s still a lot of work to be done’ with the covered Columbus murals and native heritage at ND By ADRIANA PEREZ News Writer
Inside the Main Building, native flora and fauna — vines, rabbits, mice, flowers, turtles and trees — decorate fabric that resembles thick, colorful tapestries. While these coverings are new, the paintings that lie underneath are almost as old as the University itself. The controversy over the Columbus Murals, painted by Luigi Gregori in the early 1880s and located by the undergraduate admissions office in Notre Dame’s Main Building, is not recent either. For years before their covering, calls to either conceal them or leave them uncovered
have resonated throughout the University community.
Looking back During her time at the University, alumna and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones (‘98) protested the murals alongside other students of color. She then wrote a response to a Letter to the Editor that had denounced the protests. The author of the Letter to the Editor had written that “it is Columbus, and the followers of Columbus who, for all their misdeeds along the way, set up the institutions which both bring the Indians back to the natural law and introduce them to the way of salvation… God bless
Columbus and his murals!” “Yes, it was Columbus that set the platforms for these racist American institutions. A devil calling someone a savage is like the pot calling the kettle black,” Hannah-Jones responded, back in 1995. In 2003, an Observer columnist wrote that the murals “celebrated genocide under the Dome.” And in the few years leading up to the historic decision to cover them, the community once again engaged in similar conversation. In 2014, The Observer’s editorial board wrote about the need to acknowledge the history between Notre Dame and Native Americans. After the Native American
Student Association of Notre Dame (NASAND) protested the Columbus murals in Oct. 2017, the topic resurfaced in the campus community, spurring a series of Letters to the Editor and events that culminated in a petition signed by over 300 professors and students, calling for the removal of the murals. Activist group Rising Tide Michiana then unfurled a protest banner in Hesburgh Library.
Where are we now? Then, on Jan. 2019, University President Fr. John Jenkins announced the murals would be covered — a decision that drew both support and criticism from within and outside the
University. Delays in the murals’ covering also caused confusion: it was more than a year after this first announcement that the paintings were finally covered in Sept. 2020. The initial decision had been followed by the selection of a committee on Feb. 14, 2019 that would advise Fr. Jenkins on how to go about fulfilling his proposal. “The committee recommended that the installation of the mural coverings coincide with the installation of a new permanent exhibition regarding the University’s early history,” Ann Firth, vice chair of see MURALS PAGE 2
Research team finds retinal Campus regeneration process Ministry creates positivity board By SERENA ZACHARIAS Notre Dame News Editor
TOMMY FILIP | The Observer
Fr. Pete poses with two students next to the signed Fighting Irish Project positivity board outside of Duncan Student Center. By TOMMY FILIP News Writer
Uncertainty, loneliness, fear, frustration, anxiety, gratitude, hope, love. These were some of the most common emotions Notre Dame students who participated in The Fighting Irish Project said they have been feeling during the fall semester. The Fighting Irish Project was
SCENE PAGE 5
an initiative conceived by Fr. Pete McCormick to connect the community in the time of COVID-19. Last Tuesday, McCormick asked students to fill out a google form naming the most common emotions they have felt throughout the semester. The responses were compiled and organized into an 8x8 ft canvas spelling out the phrase “The Fighting
When professor of biology David Hyde and his lab first discovered that zebrafish could regenerate a part of their eye when damaged in the late 1990s, they sought to discover the mechanisms that govern this process. Twenty-five years later, through a collaboration between researchers at Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University and the University of Florida, Hyde and his team have discovered the gene regulatory networks that control regeneration in the retina of zebrafish. Their study was recently published in Science Mag. Understanding the process of regenerating retinal neurons can have implications for the rest of the central nervous system as well. “If we can figure out how to make [neurons] regenerate in mouse, then we should be able to make them regenerate in other parts of the central nervous system,” Hyde said. The hope is that this will eventually translate to identifying a mechanism to regenerate
human neurons. “The possible effects are pretty far reaching when you start thinking about spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injury and different genetic diseases that affect the brain,” Hyde said. The symptoms of genetic diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease are caused by the death of cells in the brain, and finding a way to regenerate such cells can provide an avenue for possible treatment. The study compared a specific cell type in the retina — Müller glial cells — of zebrafish, chicks and mice. “Using zebrafish as an organism which can regenerate and studying what makes it regenerate is a much easier approach than using mouse which doesn’t regenerate and trying to guess what might allow it to regenerate,” Hyde said. When the retina of a zebrafish is damaged, Müller glial cells undergo gliosis, which changes the gene expression of these cells to prevent other cells in the retina from dying. Then, zebrafish Müller glial cells progress into a progenitor state which allows regeneration to occur.
see POSITIVITY PAGE 3
SCENE PAGE 5
In mice and humans, Müller glial do not progress into this progenitor state. Chicks show a limited regenerative response. “We discovered that there are gene networks in zebrafish that stimulate regeneration and gene networks in mouse that inhibit regeneration,” Hyde said. The team worked to map the gene regulatory networks that govern the response to retinal damage in zebrafish, mice and chick by isolating Müller glial cells from each of the three organisms. They did this by performing a technique called RNA sequencing to see which genes were active in the Müller glial. Fifth year PhD student Patrick Boyd began working on this project when he started his PhD. He spent three years beginning in 2016 gathering and interpreting data for this study. In the beginning, Boyd worked with research assistant professor Manuela Lahne on improving protocols to isolate the Müller glial from other cells present in the retina. “You have specific buffers and solutions to disrupt the cell and to only get the RNA, and you take see RETINA PAGE 3
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Murals Continued from page 1
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the Columbus Murals Committee and chief of staff to Fr. Jenkins, said in an email to The Observer. The initial recommendation and plan was that the permanent exhibition would be installed next to the original murals — which would already be covered — on the second f loor of the Main Building, once the office of undergraduate admissions moved to McKenna Hall by 2022, according to the report. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down this process for at least a year, and perhaps for longer, Firth said. “That reality, coupled with the urgency of the national and campus dialogues on issues of racial justice as Fr. Jenkins referenced in his August 24 letter to the campus community contributed to the decision to install the coverings now, rather than at a date at least 2 years in the future,” Firth said. Because of this delay, the installation of a temporary exhibit with context regarding the murals and the coverings was also planned for Dec. 2020, Firth said. The coverings are removable so
that faculty may request access to the murals for their classes and so that they can be displayed occasionally, according to the Aug. 24 letter. Besides displaying local biodiversity, the design on the coverings’ fabric is meant to “fuse the European aesthetic with that of indigenous peoples,” Firth said. Brian Collier, interim director of Native American Initiatives (NAI) and director of the American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN), pointed out that the turtle is a central part of creation stories for Native Americans, as is the tree of life in Christianity. Both symbols can be seen on many of the coverings. When the initial decision to cover the murals was made in Jan. 2019, many denounced it publicly. Yet other individuals and groups supported it, like the student senate, Student Government, College Democrats, BridgeND’s vice president and the Observer Editorial Board. But some — who appreciated the decision — also expressed that acknowledging Native heritage while aiming toward a more diverse and inclusive Notre Dame required an approach more nuanced than just covering the murals.
“A curtain can be easy and cheap, both intellectually and financially. What a university with real vision, with real character, must do is face the challenge head on, to its core,” Christian Moevs, associate professor of Italian studies, wrote in a Letter to the Editor published Feb. 19, 2019.
Where do we go from here? A similar sentiment to that expressed by Moevs remains even today, as students, faculty and staff ref lect on the recent covering of the Columbus Murals and where the University can go from here. “We did a lot of heav y lifting, and to finally see something come of that — it was good,” senior Marcus Winchester-Jones, treasurer of the Native American Student Association at Notre Dame (NASAND), said of the murals being covered. WinchesterJones is a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. Notre Dame is “heading in the right direction with that move,” he said. “But there’s still a lot of work to be done, for sure.” In their report, the Columbus Murals Committee had offered two additional recommendations see MURALS PAGE 4
News
Positivity Continued from page 1
Irish.” The canvas was displayed between the Duncan Student Center and Debartolo Hall last Friday. “It was an effort to legitimize what folks are feeling in these unprecedented times,” McCormick said. McCormick said he has spoken to students who have felt the challenge of coping with a difficult semester, the anxiety of an uncertain future and the loneliness of being away from their friends. McCormick said the goal of this project was to acknowledge the struggles students have faced this semester while also fostering
Retina Continued from page 1
away all the other components like proteins and DNA that you’re not interested in,” Lahne said regarding the isolation process. Then, they worked to fix the cells in order to send them to other universities to sequence. During the last year of the study, Boyd performed functional tests to see whether the genes they identified actually had an important role in the network. To test this, Boyd said they cause a “knockdown” which decreases the levels of RNA which
ndsmcobserver.com | MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 | The Observer
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hope. Senior Anne Ritten, member of Senior Class Council (SCC), said her team had a similar idea earlier in the week to place positivity boards throughout campus to help improve the emotional wellbeing of the student body. “On Tuesday I got an email from Fr. Pete and he’s like, ‘Hey I’m working on a project called the Fighting Irish Project. It sounds like you have something similar going on,’” Ritten said. SCC partnered with McCormick and Campus Ministry to make this event happen. During the day, students were invited to write phrases of hope around the printed words
on the board in colored sharpie markers. “We wanted to make this an event people are actually a part of,” Ritten said. “They are putting their own mark on the mural.” Senior and member of SCC Connor Bert said he wanted both on-campus and off-campus students to take part in writing words of positivity on the canvas, and they took off-campus students into consideration when they planned the location of the event. “So many students have decided to live off-campus because of the pandemic, but a majority walk through the Duncan Center lot to get to their classes every day,” Bert said.
Bert said he hopes that through this project students understand that they are all in the same struggle together. “You’re not the only one who is afraid of what the pandemic may bring, you’re not the only one who is feeling alone and homesick,” Bert said. As in-person events have been limited this year by the University in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, this event allowed the community to come together while maintaining health and safety protocols, Ritten said. Tami Schmitz, associate director of pastoral care for Campus Ministry, also helped with the planning of this event. She said she wanted to make God known,
loved and served with this project, and she thinks many good conversations have come out of it. The board will be hung up above the entrance to Duncan Student Center near the Haggerty Family Café. Senior Kelly Liang, a member of SCC, stressed the value of hanging the mural within Duncan. “Putting it in Duncan makes it a lasting reminder,” Liang said. “It’s a sign of hope that you get when you walk in the student center, a reminder that people are going through the same thing.”
make specific proteins. “We basically look and see what the Müller glial are doing after we’ve knocked down those genes, whether they still producing the same number of cells that they would normally produce,” Boyd said. While researchers at Notre Dame worked with zebrafish, teams at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine performed RNA sequencing for the project and worked with mice to identify gene networks. Collaborators at Ohio State University performed functional studies on chickens, and
researchers at the University of Florida also worked on mapping the networks. Seth Blackshaw, professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, specifically worked to identify a target set of genes in mice which resulted in regeneration when inactivated. He thinks that this regeneration capability is repressed in mice and other mammals as an evolutionary response. “I frankly suspect that it has a lot to do with resistance to infection,” Blackshaw said. “Cells in the Central nervous system
are more likely to be infected by viruses and bacteria and other parasites and that the last thing you want to do under those circumstances is grow more cells to disperse the pathogen.” In the future, the researchers across the universities will work to identify the key genes within each of these networks that control the process of regeneration. Hyde said they also want to compare acute versus chronic damage in the retina of zebrafish to determine whether similar gene networks are activated in the zebrafish with chronic damage as in mouse retina. His team
also wants to understand how zebrafish age-dependent loss of the ability to regenerate neurons affects the gene networks they identified. Both Hyde and Blackshaw emphasized the importance of the team effort which led to the publishing of this study. “This has been a really enjoyable collaboration,” Blackshaw said. “It’s been really fun to work with David and the other members of the consortium.” embers of the consortium.”
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Murals Continued from page 2
“concerning further actions the University might take to foster continuing conversation, teaching and research about the murals and their various contexts,” per the cover letter. The first additional recommendation was to announce a University-wide observance of Founder’s Day “on the feast day of St. Edward the Confessor (October 13), thus occurring close to but not coinciding with Columbus Day,” according to the committee’s report. A celebration of Founder’s Day would display the murals and invite dialogue about them in connection with a scholarly symposium or teach-in exploring Notre Dame’s early history. The committee also recommended that Native American communities integral to the University’s founding — such as the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi — be concretely and tangibly recognized, with a monumental sculpture, a prominent land acknowledgment or the establishment of more scholarships for Native American students. NASAND has asked the University to officially recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day — a day in which the United States has traditionally observed the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival to the Americas, with Columbus Day. “We’re not asking much,” Winchester-Jones said. He added that the change would be an indication to NASAND that “even though we’re small, we’re mighty. And we can get things done, even though the Native population and those interested in the culture aren’t always large in numbers.” The University has not officially acknowledged Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but it also does not recognize Columbus Day, “given that it is a day of classes and work for our campus community,” Firth said. Students, faculty and staff are expected to continue with their normal daily activities as if it were a normal day, not a federal holiday. As of 2019, “at least ten states now celebrate some version of Indigenous Peoples’ Day… Many college campuses have dumped Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples’ Day as have more than 100 cities, towns and counties across the country,” according to NPR. Some of the colleges that have done so include Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Columbia University. “In the future, if I had to imagine Indigenous Peoples’ Day [at Notre Dame], I think it’d be cool to have a powwow on that day,”
Winchester-Jones said. A pow wow is a traditional celebration of Native American culture with a social gathering for dancing and singing. Winchester-Jones also mentioned other ways in which Notre Dame could honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, such as an email blast acknowledging the celebration or a special dinner at the dining halls. Marisel Moreno, associate professor of Romance languages and literatures and member of the Columbus Murals Committee, told The Observer in an email that “celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day... is about lifting the veil of invisibility that erases them from the present national narrative, relegating them to a distant past.” “In the midst of the social reckoning in which we find ourselves, the fight against racism -- in all its forms — must confront our sanitized views of the past,” she added. Referring to the committees’ additional recommendations, Moreno said celebrating Native American heritage on a particular day would include “close collaboration with Pokagon and Potawatomi communities to plan public celebrations as well as talks and panels centering them.” While the pandemic has put some of these plans on hold, she said, “Notre Dame is committed to recognize and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Recognition of Native heritage and the University’s presence on Native land need not be confined to a single day, either. There are other tangible and symbolic ways of celebrating the contributions of Native Americans to the University, similar to those recommended by the Columbus Murals Committee.
“Some universities provide free tuition to tribal peoples [whose] lands they inhabit,” Collier, NAI’s director, told The Observer. These universities including Miami University of Ohio and Florida State University. Collier also talked about the possibility of carrying out land acknowledgements at University-sponsored events such as football games.
“Welcome to Notre Dame Stadium. You are in the traditional homeland of the Pokagon Potawatomi people and the home of the Fighting Irish,” he said, changing his voice to briefly adopt the role of broadcaster. About the stadium, Winchester-Jones said he thinks “it’d be cool if they had a Pokagon flag up there.” These acknowledgements would bring more business Paid Advertisement
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to the Pokagon Band’s Four Winds casino, Collier added, “because all of that money that they get from the casino pays for healthcare, food and housing for Pokagon people.” “We may be on the nicest piece of land in the entire Midwest,” Collier said. “So, there should be somebody that we’re thanking for that.” Contact Adriana Perez at aperez8@nd.edu
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The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
By SOPHIA MICHETTI Scene Writer
After watching Netflix’s new show “Emily in Paris,” I feel like changing my entire career path, learning French and moving to Paris. Created by Darren Star, the same man who created “Sex and the City” 20 years ago, “Emily in Paris” is the story of Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), a high-spirited employee of a Chicago marketing firm who gets the chance to be the American point-of-view in a newly acquired Parisian luxury marketing firm. Filmed in Paris, the show’s first season arrived earlier this month with ten episodes lasting around thirty minutes each. While the show may not be completely realistic as to what it’s like living in Paris, it’s still a fun show celebrating those who take bold risks in life. “Emily in Paris” follows Emily as she meets potential clients who are the heads of luxury brands in Paris. In every encounter with a client, Emily either explains to them the potential social media has to make luxury accessible to everyone or creates content for her own growing Instagram page, @emilyinparis. Each episode visits a new breathtaking site in Paris, and there are always new, crazy characters to meet. An eccentric fashion designer, an arrogant philosophy professor and a creepy perfumer are only a few examples of the characters found in the show. The plot of the first season is structured like a
By DASHA KUDRIAVTSEVA Scene Writer
After hearing from my mother and a few friends that I have to watch the documentary “The Social Dilemma,” it did not take me too long to plan a movie night over the weekend, and the fact I’m increasingly bothered by my phone only accelerated my growing interest in this film. I am probably not the first person to ask you to think about how much time you spend on your phone — I bet your parents have already asked. But think about how much of your time is productive, and by productive, I do not mean spent exclusively on studying. It could be anything that is fulfilling for you. It’s easy to say that you don’t have enough time for reading or any other activity that you could enjoy but didn’t, but I know I could write a long list of all the things I missed out on just because I opened Instagram “for just five minutes” and spent a good 40 minutes on it instead. If you can relate, you should find “The Social Dilemma” a film worth watching, and even if you can’t relate, the documentary is still an interesting look at the dangers of social media. “The Social Dilemma” was released on Netflix in September and is a popular film among the platform’s viewers. The documentary-drama explores the adverse effects of social media that have become normalized in modern society, such as its addictive qualities, impact on mental and physical health, polarization of society, use in politics and role in spreading conspiracy theories.
true adventure with multiple places to visit and people to meet. There’s even a love triangle that could continue into the next season. “He married his schoolteacher,” whispered Emily’s boss while talking about French President Macron, one of the first lines of the first episode of the show. “Emily in Paris” can be considered iconic for a few reasons — the fashion, the setting, the unbelievably high number of attractive Frenchmen Emily encounters — but the entire cast of characters is what makes the show. Some of the most comedic moments come from their interactions. Emily is the eternal optimist who always looks on the bright side, and her best friend Mindy encourages her optimism and pushes her to have fun while she’s living in Europe, but marketing colleagues Luc and Julien hilariously educate Emily on the “French way” of living. This is one of the main questions of the show: How do you reconcile the differences between two different cultures to make something new? Emily’s boss, Sylvie, is not often willing to answer the question, as she is the one who abruptly reminds Emily that change does not come without compromise or understanding the old before transitioning to the new. “Emily in Paris” is by no means a perfect show. There are many critics who say that the plot is too unrealistic; Paris is not without its flaws — it is a city just like any other and there are positives and negatives to living there;
the French people are not as mean to Americans who do not adapt to the local culture as the show portrays them to be. In many ways, “Emily in Paris” is an exaggeration of what we in the United States would dream of Paris to be. In an ideal world, Paris has the potential to a romantic oasis, so that is the world Darren Star creates for us. “Emily in Paris” is an escape that we all need right now, an unrealistic show that we can let ourselves enjoy for a while. It’s our generation’s “Sex and the City,” and its ridiculous opulence and bold moves make the plot exciting. The show is a comedy, not a documentary, so have some fun watching it.
The documentary combines the viewpoints of people who directly supervised social media’s development with the dramatic telling of a story about teenagers’ addiction to social media. Some of the notable interview subjects include former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris, his fellow Center for Humane Technology cofounder Aza Raskin, Facebook “like” button co-creator Justin Rosenstein, Stanford University Addiction Medicine Fellowship program director Anna Lembke and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier. The interviews are mixed with the art scenes starring Skyler Gisondo as Ben, Kara Hayward as Cassandra and Sophia Hammons as Isla. The film’s dramatic story focuses on three siblings, Ben, Cassandra and Isla, who represent three different types of teenagers. Ben is a high school student who cannot imagine his life without a phone. When he makes a deal with his mother to not use his phone for a week, he finds himself in a state of boredom that he cannot control. As sad as it sounds, he is desperate as he does not know what else to do besides surf the internet. His state resembles that of a drug addict who is ready to do anything to get the next dose. An irresistible impulse leads him to break his deal and “overdose” with social media content until the following day. Ben’s older sister Сassandra represents the type of teenager who is lucky enough to maintain her mindfulness and not fall into the social media trap. When comparing her to other people her age, she might come off
as an odd sheep, which is precisely how the other two siblings see her. However, in this story it will play in her favor in the long run. In contrast to Cassandra, Isla, the youngest of three, portrays the generation of young girls who are incredibly concerned about their looks — constantly asking herself if she she’s skinny, tall, tan, beautiful, etc., enough. All these concerns are influenced by social media, which can lead to anxiety, depression and sometimes even suicide. “The Social Dilemma” addresses one of the biggest problems of our century. “If we go down the current status quo for, let’s say, another 20 years, we probably don’t survive,” says Lanier, the founding father of virtual reality. It may come across as an overreaction, but would you want to risk your future in favor of the Instagram and Facebook likes? If not, watch “The Social Dilemma.”
Contact Sophia Michetti at smichett@nd.edu
“Emily in Paris” Season 1 Starring: Lily Collins, Lucas Bravo, Ashley Park Favorite episodes: “Let There Be Peace,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” Where to watch: Netflix
Contact Dasha Kudriavtseva at dkudriav@nd.edu
“The Social Dilemma” Director: Jeff Orlowski Genre: Documentary, drama Where to watch: Netflix
LIYA BLITZER | The Observer
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The observer | monday, October 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Inside Column
In defense of Indiana
Nations united: The United Nations at 75 Trevor Lwere On the Other Hand
Alysa Guffey News Writer
Ah yes, the Notre Dame introduction: Hi! My name is Alysa. I am studying history, and I am from Indianapolis, Ind. Then comes the question: “What is there to even do in Indianapolis?” Usually, I pivot quickly to attending the Indianapolis 500, the most well-known fact about my city and an event that brings thousands of people to Indianapolis every year. Yet, I have never been to the Indy 500, and if I am being honest, I have no burning desire to attend. As a result, this response feels impersonal to me. What feels like a genuine response is going to football games on a chilly Friday night or Saturday afternoon, calling up a friend to grab coffee or going on a drive while listening to music. While mundane, these things-to-do feel special when you find the right people to do them with. I realize that I cannot sit here and convince you to love every person from Indianapolis that I know. However, I would like to bring to your attention other factors of Indianapolis — and the state of Indiana as a whole — that you should know about if you are skeptical, not a race fan or still believe that Indiana is only cornfields. Let’s get it out of the way and talk about location. I found myself in this exact conversation a few weeks ago with a friend from Boston and a friend from Philadelphia. Both of them boasted of their close proximity to the ocean. I will admit that I love the ocean, and I felt myself losing in the conversation. However, going to the coast once every couple of years can give you a greater appreciation for it, and you are only a plane ticket away from tanning on your favorite beach. Meanwhile, you can grow to appreciate a different type of water found in the Midwest. Living in Indiana means looking forward to summer days where you jump in the car with family or friends and travel to the lake. You know, the same one you’ve been swimming in your whole life. Plus, you can live year-round on a lake in Indiana if a waterside estate is your thing. For the sports fans out there, Indiana is the perfect place for you. Besides the obvious answer of the home of Notre Dame football, Indiana hosts the annual Big Ten football championship and the NCAA Final Four (which I attended in 2015) on a regular basis. If you are an avid NBA fan like my 13-year-old brother, Indianapolis is hosting the 2021 NBA All-Star game in February so mark your calendars for a quick trip. If you went to high school in Indiana, you understand the magic of Friday night lights. If you are not from Indiana, I am sorry you have not experienced this. There is always the option to live in Indiana when you have kids and live vicariously through them. Your choice. It is October and if you love fall, you have a myriad of places to go and things to do here. You can venture farther south to Brown County and hike in the Hoosier National Forest. You can drive to the nearest pumpkin patch and enjoy a delicious apple cider donut. You can turn on your Christmas music and wait for it to snow because yes, it does snow here, and yes, Indiana weather is unpredictable. At the end of the day, a city or state is only as good as the people in it. I love Indiana because it’s where my family lives, where I grew up and where all my favorite memories happened. I lived in Indianapolis my whole life prior to moving to South Bend last year for college, so I am a lifelong Indiana resident. And if you chose to attend Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s or Holy Cross, you live in Indiana now, too. If no one has said this to you yet, I will: Welcome to Indiana. We’re glad to have you. You can contact Alysa at aguffey@nd.edu The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Exactly 75 years ago, as World War II raged on, leaders of the Allied Powers and their allies met in San Francisco to design a post-war world order. The United Nations (U.N.) was, thus, born with the primary aim of maintaining international peace and stability. In the 75 years since its founding, there has not been a global conflict on the scale of either of the two world wars, so once can say that the United Nations has achieved its primary aim, so far at least. Yet, as time has evolved, the U.N. system has been challenged and called upon to respond to new challenges that require cooperation amongst the world’s states. With modest effort, the United Nations has attempted to respond to challenges from expanding access to basic services like health care and education to fighting disease and climate change. As the U.N. celebrates 75 years of existence this year, the question of concern to our generation should be defining the challenges of our time and mobilizing the vehicle of the United Nations to best respond to those challenges that require collective action of all the world’s states. As we reflect on the role of the U.N. in delivering on our generational mission, we ought to be concerned with its very nature and structure. Yet, I believe, in its current form, the system of the United Nations is ill-suited to respond to the challenges of our time, particularly the existential threats whose resolution requires global cooperation. At its core, the U.N. is not an organization for all, and this stems from its very foundation. The U.N. system is riddled with power imbalances. Chapter I of the U.N. Charter states that “the Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.” Yet, the U.N. is anything but an organization of sovereign equals. The Organization neither hides nor makes apologies about the fact that it is captured by — and primarily serves the interests of — the world’s military superpowers. The most vivid example of this is the current structure of the U.N. Security Council, which has five permanent members each with veto power. These power asymmetries in the U.N. system were prompted as much by strategic considerations as by attitudes of superiority. As a strategic consideration, it is possible that, at the time the U.N. was founded, such an arrangement of the Security Council was necessary to pacify the conflicting parties who were the largest threats to world peace. Beyond strategic considerations, however, the U.N. system was shaped by attitudes of superiority that view the rest of the world as inferior to the allied powers. When the U.N. was founded, one-third of the world’s population was still under colonial rule. Moreover, key founding members of the U.N. held colonies at the time the U.N. charter was signed. Yet, these founding members would decree in the preamble of the U.N. Charter that they “re-affirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of
nations large and small.” The irony. Either these founding members did not consider the people of their colonies to be full human beings — and, therefore, did not see the U.N. Charter as applicable — or the Charter is merely aspirational. In either view, the Charter is eerily similar to the U.S. Constitution, which proclaimed the equality of all men, while really only referring to white men. Whichever way one reads the U.N. Charter, the bigger point is that this attitude of the superiority was carried forward to today as it now pervades the entire U.N. system. Whatever the pragmatic or strategic considerations behind this asymmetrical power system, the fact that the Organization was founded as — and remains — a winners’ club undermines its effectiveness in responding to international challenges. As a generation, we ought to be concerned about this particularly because the existential threats we face require a formula different from the peace and security imperative of 1945. Climate change is an existential threat. Racism is an existential threat. Poverty, hunger and disease are existential threats. Imperialism is an existential threat. Nuclear proliferation is an existential threat. It is not possible to address these challenges effectively under a system of supposed international cooperation that is, in truth, riddled by power asymmetries. When some nations, relying on military might, think of themselves as superior to others and therefore act according to their own interests, we are all threatened. This is the attitude the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council on the questions of disarmament and nuclear weapons. As a result, while there has not been a true world war since the inception of the U.N., we constantly live under the threat of war as countries stockpile nuclear weapons. The failure of the current U.N. system must teach us that nations can only truly unite on the basis of equality. Therefore, as we reflect on the mission of our generation, and the role of the U.N. in achieving that mission, we must reject the attitudes of superiority pervading through the current U.N. system. This is our only chance at advancing our human fraternity. Our role as a generation is to take the U.N. beyond its current place by not only achieving the concrete goals of the Organization but also by radically reimagining its structure. We must return to the Declaration of St. James Palace which, preceding the U.N charter, states that “the only true basis of enduring peace is the willing cooperation of free peoples in a world in which, relieved of the menace of aggression, all may enjoy economic and social security.” As a generation that knows better and wants better, we must rid the U.N. of its explicit bias against the majority of the world’s people. Trevor Lwere is a junior at Notre Dame majoring in economics with a philosophy, politics and economics minor. He hails from Kampala, Uganda and lives off campus. He is a dee-jay in his other life and can be reached at tlwere@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
KERRY SCHNEEMAN | The Observer
The observer | monday, October 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
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Why college?: The question high-achieving students don’t ask themselves Renee Yaseen Outside the Lines
Despite being an exam so quirk y and interesting that many people actually love taking it, the LSAT is not the kind of exam for which a t y pica l education directly prepares you for. W hile ta k ing an LSAT practice test back in May, a friend and I began to discuss how our respective high schools prepared us for college and for this exam. Even though both of our high schools strongly encouraged students to attend college, he and I both k new plent y of people from our high schools who never ended up at a four-year universit y and never wanted to. This led us to a broader question: “How many people do you think have a college education in this countr y? 50, 60%? ” I asked him. He shrugged. We Googled it. I was shocked to read that just 33.4% of A mericans over age 25 had four-year college degrees in 2017. W hy were my expectations so off ? Perhaps because, like many Notre Dame students, I was priv ileged to grow up in the kind of env ironment where going to college seems to be an expected milestone in one’s life. My parents are highly educated, and they encouraged me to attain good grades and higher education, too. The formula of K-12 success to college success to career success was probably fed to me w ith my baby food. W hen I began thinking about college, my parents and I saw the American universit y education system from different angles. My search was their first encounter w ith American undergraduate education, and their first encounter w ith five-digit tuition fees (public higher education in Sy ria, their countr y of origin, is free). I remember my dad urging me, in the 10th grade, to pursue online degree programs. He earnestly claimed, “It’s the same information, w ith none of the extra stuff you don’t need.”
“Dad,” I protested, confusedly. “You’d really want me to go to an online school instead of Har vard, or Notre Dame, or Yale? ” As if ! But as we learned more and more, both my parents and I discovered that the “extra stuff” — things like name recognition, a robust alumni net work and scenic, amenit y-filled campuses — do more than just inf late tuition. Of course, in the age of COV ID-19, tuition hikes and online classes challenge the value of a prestigious college degree in new ways, though some scholars have always cast doubt on the value of a diploma. Behav ioral economist Br yan Caplan, author of the controversial book, “The Case Against Education,” w rites this about diploma signaling in the Los Angeles Times: “If a student wants to study at Princeton, he doesn’t really need to apply or pay tuition. He can simply show up and start taking classes. As a professor, I assure you that we make near-zero effort to stop unofficial education ... At the end of four years at Princeton, though, the guerrilla student would lack one precious thing: a diploma. The fact that almost no one tries this route — sav ing hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way — is a strong sign that students understand the value of certification over actua l learning.” Caplan has become know n for his polemic against the compulsion to attend expensive colleges for the “signaling power” of their issued certificates. Much like Caplan argues here, some people suggest that college is an overpriced waste of time unless you are majoring in STEM or receiv ing some kind of technical or industr yspecific education. But before I lose the humanities majors and my ow n place in the class of 2022, be assured my v iew is much less extreme. I think a universit y education is one of the most wonderful things in the world, my ow n Notre Dame experience included. But I’ll also say that the in-person classroom is certainly not the only
way, let a lone the best way, for ever y student to learn, grow or get their tuition money’s worth. A nd though I’m a good student, I might include myself in the latter categor y at times, especia lly in light of my current gap semester. I promised in August I would w rite more about how my gap semester has a ltered the course of my education. People often asked me what I planned to do w ith a ll of this time. W hy would anyone in their early t wenties w illingly agree to spend 11 straight months at home w ith their parents and t wo mischievous brothers? But in the past five months or so, I have been busier and work ing harder than I ever did in school. My gap semester gave me an important second chance to reeva luate why I started college in the first place. So far, I’ve worked on ever y thing from founding a tech startup, to volunteering, to getting more of my w riting published, to k nitting severa l wool scar ves. The college lifest yle is wonderful, but when we let our classes, club meetings and socia l events form such rigid boundaries on our time, we may not be using our resources to ser ve ends that are genuinely important to us. I think ever y college student, no matter their year, can benefit from seriously pondering the question: “W hy am I in college? ” In Februar y, like 9 out of 10 students who ta ke gap years, I’ll return to school again. W hile I’m ver y excited to return, I’ll miss the trimmeddow n simplicit y of the past few months: just me, my laptop and the boundless possibilities I can see from my bedroom w indow. Renee Yaseen is a junior who majors in international economics and Arabic. She’s currently on a gap semester doing lots of creative stuff and lots of un-creative stuff. She can be reached via the chat on a shared Google Doc at 3 a.m., on Twitter @ReneeYaseen or by email at ryaseen@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day We, the Native American Student Association of Notre Dame, would like to extend an invitation to the University and its students to join us in celebration of Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 12, 2020. We ask the University and its students to honor its self-proclaimed commitment to “respect the dignity of every person,” “build a Notre Dame community in which all flourish” and “live in solidarity with all,
particularly the most vulnerable” by showing solidarity with the Indigenous people attending Notre Dame. In these difficult times, Indigenous communities are some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Indigenous students at Notre Dame not only face the normal difficulties of attending our University, but also worry for their friends and family
back home in their communities. We hope that the University of Notre Dame and its students will join NASAND in celebrating Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 12, 2020.
Follow us on Twitter: @ObserverViewpnt
Native American Student Association of Notre Dame Oct. 9
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DAILY
The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Crossword | WILl shortz
Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: Do your homework, look at every angle and make changes that will encourage you to spend less and save more. You’ll have added discipline and stamina to do what’s right and best for you. How you handle your financial, contractual and medical issues will set the standard you live and thrive in. Make this a year of insight and prosperity. Your numbers are 6, 18, 22, 28, 30, 34, 41. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Think twice before you react. Mull over what’s happened, and consider your motives and the part you played in what has transpired. Keep the peace, be positive and nurture a meaningful relationship before it’s too late. Romance is encouraged. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An emotional incident will leave you questioning your domestic situation. Consider your options, look at the pros and cons, and decide based on practicality, not stubbornness. Be willing to compromise. Do something thoughtful for someone you love. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Find out where you stand with someone who has been sending you mixed signals. Be direct, ask questions and consider what you can do to make amends. Honesty is the best policy when uncertainty prevails. Clear the air. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Make changes at home that will add to your comfort and convenience and bring you closer to the people you love most. A change of plans will turn out to be more fun and beneficial than anticipated. Romance will enhance your love life. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Emotions will be difficult to control. Before you lecture someone, consider the consequences. An unexpected change will take you by surprise. Don’t start a fight that you aren’t likely to win. Ulterior motives are apparent. Keep the peace. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Spend more time expanding your mind, interests and relationships with people who share your beliefs and opinions. A chance to experience something unique will encourage personal growth. Love and romance will lead to increased stability. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Refuse to let your livelihood play havoc with your personal life. Nurture your relationships with friends and family. How reliable your connections are in the future depends on you. Don’t take the chance of losing someone you love due to neglect. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t let an emotional situation fester. Use your imagination, and you’ll come up with a plan that will please everyone. Concentrate on what, and who, is important to you, and do your best to strengthen the situation. Romance is favored. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Go over important papers, review your financial situation and consider what you can do personally to make your life and home more comfortable. Take on a challenge that will require you to direct your energy into something constructive. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): An emotional situation will mount if you cannot agree with someone close to you. Before you make a fuss or give someone the chance to complain, offer a solution that will help keep the peace and encourage cooperation. Make love, not war. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll face uncertainty. Before you make a move, find out what’s involved and consider what’s doable. Don’t feel you have to change or agree to something that isn’t in your best interest. Time is on your side. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be creative with your money, and you’ll come up with a way to change your financial status. Helping others is admirable, but don’t let anyone take advantage of you or talk you into making a donation you cannot afford. Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, precise and intelligent. You are inventive and persistent.
Sudoku | The Mepham Group
Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek
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Previewing 2020 NLCS and ALCS Andrew McGuinness Sports Writer
While this may be the longest postseason ever in terms of games played, the time has flown by since the MLB postseason began two weeks ago. We’ve made our way from sixteen teams, six more than any postseason field ever, down to the final four, with those teams just four wins away from earning the right to compete for baseball’s ultimate prize. There will even be a limited number of fans to cheer them on, marking the first baseball games with noncardboard fans in 2020. Who are the contenders to advance to this year’s Fall Classic?
NLCS: No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (43-17) vs. No. 2 Atlanta Braves (35-25) The Road Here: The Dodgers are a perfect 5-0 in this postseason, outscoring the dead in the water Brewers 7-2 and the young gun Padres 23-9 in two- and three-game sweeps, respectively. Atlanta also enters this series undefeated, not allowing a single run in the Wild Card round against the Reds and giving the Marlins the standard “learning experience” in the NLDS. The matchup: This series will likely come down to pitching. Both teams have outstanding bats: for Atlanta, Ronald Acuña, Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies; and for the Dodgers, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Mookie Betts and more should all rake. Atlanta’s biggest weakness on paper and in the regular season was their starting pitching, but it’s been all but dynamite all Postseason. They’ll need that to hold strong, especially with there being no off-days in this series, making long starts even more important than ever. Los Angeles’ pitching staff looks dominant on paper… All they need to do is avoid another patented Clayton Kershaw Postseason collapse, and they should be set. The Pick: Like the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, it feels like the Dodgers are destined to gain revenge from last year’s embarrassing round one defeat and snatch the championship that they’ve been all around for almost a decade. Dodgers in 5.
ALCS: No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays (40-20) vs. No. 6 Houston Astros (29-31) The Road Here: Tampa
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Bay may be the No. 1-seed in the American League, but they’re just now starting to get the respect they deserve. The Rays are the only team in either league championship series with multiple losses to their name, but after winning a dramatic Game 5 for the ages against the Yankees in the ALDS, they enter this series with a ton of momentum. For Houston, it’s the same “us against the world” mentality they’ve had all season after the trash can scandal, handling the Twins and A’s with relative ease in the first two rounds. The Matchup: Though many of Houston’s key hitters like Carlos Correra, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman had somewhat underwhelming regular seasons, almost all of them have bounced back in the Postseason. Correa in particular has been a monster in this postseason, batting .500 with 3 home runs. George Springer has been a monster at the plate all season, leading the team in home runs during the regular season, and hasn’t missed a beat since. They will need more out of Zach Greinke, who hasn’t made it out of the 5th inning in either of his two Postseason starts. As for the Rays, Randy Arozarena was among several revelations for Tampa Bay this year, slugging seven homers in just 76 regular season plate appearances, and he’s already launched three in the Postseason. Tampa Bay has a very balanced hitting core; you never know who’s going to come through for them on any given night (case in point: Game 5 hero Mike Brosseau signed with the Rays as an undrafted free agent and has less than 300 MLB atbats in). Their bullpen is absolutely loaded, however, and the rotation isn’t too shabby itself. The Pick: This Rays team feels eerily similar to the 2008 club that everyone doubted despite them being the No. 1 seed that beat the defending AL champions in seven games in the ALCS to advance to their only World Series appearance. Well, their only World Series appearance until after this series ends, at least in my world. The baseball world will be rooting for you, Tampa. Rays in 7. Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Jimmy Butler deserves to be Finals MVP Thomas A. Zwiller Sports Writer
At the start of the series, the sports world had pretty much given up on the Miami Heat. Draft Kings had the Lakers winning the series 4-2 at around 24%, winning 4-1 at 27% and sweeping the Heat out of the finals at 19%. The Heat’s best shot of winning was going 4-3 in the series, and that was a dismal 13%. The over/under on games played was set at 6.5 and the under was considered the strong favorite at 89%. LeBron James was expected to win Finals MVP, with his odds looking like 80%. The second closest to Lebron was Jimmy Butler at 14%. Why is that? It makes a lot of sense considering LeBron is a great player, possibly the greatest. But Jimmy Butler is a great player in his own right. Why were his odds so low? Let me explain it to you. Traditionally, the Finals MVP is bestowed to the best player on the winning team (it is voted on by the sportswriters in the two cities in which the Finals are being played). It’s given to a player whose performance was the difference in the series, who had a legacy moment, a herculean effort, who impacted the outcome of the series all by themselves. Currently looking at the series, this makes sense for Jimmy Butler. He has had two great games keeping the series at a close 3-2. What’s holding back his ability to claim Finals MVP is that while he may be having a series to remember, his team is most likely going to lose the Finals. Only once has the award gone to the member of the losing team. That sole occasion was the first time the award was ever given out, and it went to Jerry West in the 1969 NBA Finals. Should the Heat win, they would without question give Finals MVP to Jimmy Butler. He is the reason the Heat have stayed in this series. Should the Heat lose, well, that makes things more complicated. In order to see if Butler should win MVP despite losing the series, he needs to be compared to the performance of the only other player to have done it first. In his MVP winning series, Jerry West had per game averages of 43.9 minutes, 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists. His closest teammate, Elgin Baylor, averaged 36.6 minutes per game
but only 18.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The closest player on the series-winning Celtics, John Havlicek, went the distance at 48 minutes per game while averaging 28.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Jerry West was simply, hands down, the best player on that court. He shot well from the field at 49.0%, he scored the most points and only the aforementioned John Havlicek outplayed him by 29 minutes in a 7-game series. The Lakers just simply lost close games, dropping games 4 and 7 by a combined 3 points. The criteria for winning Finals MVP while losing the series: be the best player on your team, be one of the best when compared to the other team and help to keep the series competitive despite losing.
The Best on Your Team Back in the 2020 Finals, Jimmy Butler has averaged 42.7 minutes per game, 29.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists, as well as 2.6 steals and nearly a block per contest. While he is short of Jerry West by about nine points, he is a lot closer to averaging a triple-double than Jerry West was (short only about a rebound). The only other person who is somewhere in the same stratosphere as Butler is Tyler Herro, who has played an average of 35.5 minutes and in doing so has generated 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.4 steals. Jimmy is without question the best on his team.
One of the Best on the Court Butlers’ numbers are impressive when compared to those of his own team, but how do they hold up when compared to the Lakers? Lebron has played on average 39.1 minutes and in doing so has scored 30.2 points, grabbed 11.4 rebounds, dished 8.2 assists plus a steal and block per game. That stat line is incredibly similar to Butler’s — just one point and two rebounds better — in about four minutes less time. Butler on the other hand is averaging two more assists and two more steals. Since the two are fairly even, I think it is important to look at the supporting cast of both. Anthony Davis is the Laker’s second-best player, and in his 38.9 minutes per game he averages 26.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.0 blocks. The Heat have also been
missing two key components of their team, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic; the former had missed two games and the latter will most likely miss the series. With AD being better than Tyler Herro as well as the fact that Lebron and co. aren’t missing anyone, I think that Butler is the best on the court.
Keeping the Series Competitive If you need an example of keeping a series competitive look no further than Butler’s efforts. In Game 3, Butler played 45 minutes, had a 70.0% shooting percentage, scored 40 points and had an impressive triple-double. This truly was a herculean effort as well as a historical one. Butler is only the third player in Finals history to put up a 40-point triple-double, joining Lebron and, wait for it… Jerry West. Even better, in what Finals did Jerry West do so? The 1969 finals, in which he lost the series, but won MVP. Butler is the first player to ever outscore, out rebound and out assist LeBron in a single Finals game. Butler scored or assisted on 73 points, second only to Walt Frazier in an NBA Finals game (who was responsible for 74 points). Butler is the only player to score 40+ without taking a three-point shot since Shaq in 2002. Game 5 was an elimination game, and while Butler didn’t score 40 points, he was close with 35. The most impressive stat to me is that Butler played for 47 minutes and 12 seconds. Butler did not play for a mere 48 seconds of Game 5. Butler has kept the Heat in the series, and without those game 3 and game 5 performances, the Heat would have had no shot to beat the Lakers. In conclusion, Butler deserves the MVP. He is easily the best player on his own team and seems to be the best player on the court. He has kept his team in the Finals with historical, herculean performances, when he simply put the team on his back and made wins happen. Though he would be only the second first person to lose the Finals while winning the MVP it seems to me that Butler should win the MVP; he has been the most valuable player. Contact Thomas A. Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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M Soccer Continued from page 12
goal in the second period to come away with a 1-0 win. The win keeps the Irish in the thick of the hunt for one of eight coveted spots in the ACC tournament later this season, four per conference division. Riley thinks this game helps put his team in a good spot to build on success. “With a limited schedule, obviously every game takes a little bit greater
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importance, and it’s all about trying to build on all the good things,” he said. “I think we’re in a good spot now after being a little unfortunate. With that first win, it’s all about building on that performance going into Virginia Tech” The Irish will look to build on this win on the road against Virginia Tech. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18 in Blacksburg, VA. Contact Jack Davies at jdavies2@nd.edu
junya kanemitsu | The Observer
Former Irish midfielder Jack Casey dribbles during Notre Dame’s 4-2 victory over Seattle on Sept. 6, 2019 at Alumni Stadium.
Adams Continued from page 12
beaten the horse to death on this, but it is a somewhat understandable reality given the freaky offseason and ensuing lack of time to gel with receivers. Then he didn’t really need to do anything to beat USF. But Saturday night, that original Ian Book — who won over the coaching staff and Notre Dame fans — seemed to wake up from the coma he’s been in since suffering a rib injury against Northwestern in 2018. A 16-25 performance for just over 200 yards isn’t outstanding, but you can discount a dropped pass by junior receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. and a couple more by sophomore running back Kyren Williams. Plus, while only one of three deep shots from Book connected, he wouldn’t have taken those chances in 2018, and as he continues to build a rapport with receivers, I don’t think I’m overly optimistic in saying we’re seeing some growth. Coincidentally, that injury against the Wildcats kept Book out of the following week’s game against none other than Florida State, as Wimbush got the chance to show out on senior night. Nothing would be more poetic than for this to have been one long — excruciatingly long — extended break where the Northwestern blow jarred an alternate personality of Ian Book loose and it took a three-week, COVID-induced break for him to do some soul searching and reawaken his old self. Talk about an epic origin story for the ultimate 2020 revenge tour leading up to Nov. 7.
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2. What do turnovers and Denzel Washington have in common? They’re the great equalizer. Get it? I’m not going to delve to greatly into this. For further reading on the subject of how important turnovers are, I refer you to sportswriter Aidan Thomas’ post-FSU column on the matter. My point is that it is evident that while Notre Dame sits a rung above all non-Clemson ACC teams on the conference ladder, they are still not on the Tigers’ level until they show it. That said, they have the best shot of any team on Clemson’s slate to fell Dabo Swinney and Co. so long as they play to their strengths, namely their offensive line and tight ends. However, they’re probably going to need help from what’s been one of strengths against meandering competition: forcing turnovers. The Irish were third nationally in turnover margin last year, and that’s because the defense and special teams make plays on the ball — especially senior linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and graduate student defensive end Ade Ogundeji — and Kyle Hamilton’s got magic hands. But the issue is that the turnover margin, much like last year’s school record points per game average, was built against subpar competition. In the year they made the Playoff, Notre Dame managed to intercept and strip-sack Shea Patterson and Michigan — quality competition. The only reason Notre Dame was in the game against Georgia last season, despite two turnovers from Book, was Chase Claypool recovering a muffed punt. The only reason Miami was within 25 points of Clemson last night is because
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they blocked a kick and returned it for a touchdown. The Irish got their first interception of the year Saturday night, which says something considering the golden opportunities graduate transfer cornerback Nick McCloud and a couple of other players have had. They need to make those plays against their lesser opponents to at least make Clemson think that the defense has turnover potential, and then they have to make at least one and idea`lly two of those plays on Nov. 7. And while we’re on the topic of ACC competition…
3. Notre Dame’s schedule is still meh, but slightly more interesting A few of Notre Dame’s opponents went against each other this Saturday. Georgia Tech wrecked Louisville with help from a few Cardinal turnovers and a defense you can put in the same category as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy: non-existent. Boston College’s offensive line may be trying to get former Notre Dame quarterback Phil Jurkovec killed, but he found a way to will the Eagles to a win over Pittsburgh. Hopefully, he can survive to face the man he failed to usurp on Nov. 14. The Panthers have now dropped two in a row. Their defense remains pretty stout but gives up the occasional big play (a bit of a boom or bust defense), and their offense remains as meandering as their quarterback. Duke got their first win of the season over Syracuse as the Orange continue to struggle ever since reaching No. 15 in the polls before a 36-3 loss to Notre Dame in Yankee Stadium in 2018. I already mentioned Clemson beating Miami with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne doing what they do. And finally, North Carolina’s offense was on steroids against Virginia Tech. That last game is probably the most interesting given that North Carolina looked like what people thought Louisville would look like this season, plus a slightly more competent defense. It’ll be interesting to see if the Tar Heels end up fulfilling the hype a lot of people threw on the Hurricanes ahead of that Clemson matchup. And thus comes the end of another edition of this now weekly endeavor. Hope you enjoyed the break from Kentucky football. We’ll see how long it will last. Contact Hayden Adams at hadams3@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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The observer | MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
nd men’s soccer | nd 1, syracuse 0
Irish get first ACC win in shutout of Orange By JACK DAVIES Sports Writer
An early goal and some tremendous saves propelled Notre Dame over the Syracuse Orange at Alumni Field this Sunday. Coming off a two-game losing streak, the Fighting Irish (2-2, 1-1 ACC) met the Orange (0-2, 0-2 ACC) for their first home conference game that would count toward postseason standings. Head coach Chad Riley was pleased about the team’s performance. “I thought it was a good performance,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a difficult game from a physical and combative element. I thought the team did a great job standing up to that. The team did a great job shifting mindsets and doing what we needed to do.” The Irish came out strong to start the match. An early goal in the sixth minute by junior forward Jack Lynn gave Notre Dame control of the game early. The goal was serviced off of a corner
kick from freshman defender Paddy Burns, giving Lynn his second goal of the season. Burns, who made his first career start, also earned the first point of his collegiate career off of the assist. When asked about decisive players, Coach Riley complimented Lynn and the four starting defenders. “The back four, along with [senior goalkeeper] Keqgan [McLaughlin] and [junior midfielder] Mohamed Omar, did a great job with the direct play from Syracuse all game,” said Riley. “That part of the team did really well.” McLaughlin was certainly a deciding defensive factor, logging four saves on the game. A powerful shot from Syracuse junior midfielder Hilli Goldhar in the 43rd minute threatened the Irish lead, but McLaughlin’s save kept Notre Dame’s 1-0 lead intact. The Irish defense managed to keep the Orange from making meaningful shots on see M SOCCER PAGE 11
junya kanemitsu | The Observer
Irish senior midfielder Aiden McFadden vies for the ball during a 4-2 Notre Dame win against Seattle at Alumni Stadium on Sept. 6, 2019. McFadden has three of the five Irish assists so far this season.
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Even more ND takeaways after CFB weekend Hayden Adams Sports Editor
This is becoming a weekly tradition at this point, but what the heck? I get to write about, and you get to read about, college football. Take that, COVID. And no, there will not be any Kentucky football discussion. I’ll give everyone a respite for at least a week. So let’s get to it.
1. Is it just me, or was that 2018 Ian Book on the field against Florida State?
ERIN FENNESSY | The Observer
Irish graduate student quarterback Ian Book pitches the ball during Notre Dame’s 30-27 win against USC on Oct. 12, 2019, at Notre Dame Stadium. Book is averaging over 200 passing yards per game this season.
Book’s career arc at Notre Dame, much like the majority of quarterbacks during Brian Kelly’s Irish tenure, has been interesting, to say the least. Book took over for Brandon Wimbush in 2018 because, to be blunt, he could actually complete a pass. Wimbush was an elite athlete, and he threw a decent deep ball, but he was hopeless in the short-to-intermediate. Enter Ian Book, who completed over 70% of his passes in his first five starts of 2018,
including two games over 80%. Then, he trailed off at the end of the season. He posted two performances just above 60%, a 56.4% showing on the road at USC and a 50% disappointment vs. Clemson in the Cotton Bowl. It makes one wonder what happened to that early version of Ian Book. Where did he disappear to? 2018 Book was the best Book, regardless of what his inf lated late-2019 stats may have suggested. Having a competent run game helped, but Book kept defenses on their toes. Sure, he was finally completing deep passes with efficiency at the end of last season, but by that point, I think he probably realized a) he had nothing to lose and b) no one could guard Chase Claypool. Also, he regressed greatly in that short-to-intermediate game that led him to becoming the starting quarterback at Notre Dame. Book looked rougher than he ever had against Duke to start this season. We’ve see ADAMS PAGE 11
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McKinley Continued from page 1
Book finally seemed to establish a good connection between himself and his receivers, especially graduate student Javon McKinley. It is a connection that seemingly surprised McKinley, but plenty of others, including his head coach Brian Kelly, could have told you it was just a matter of time until McKinley stepped up and really started playing a role in this offense at some point in the season. Kelly said that the only setback McKinley has is not thinking of himself highly enough. “He’s coming on. I mean he’s— it’s just one of those things where sometimes it just takes longer,” Kelly said as he looked at McKinley from across the media room. “He is a beast and he just needs to think that way more often. I think he’s starting to think that way. I mean I think he is, isn’t he? Aren’t you?” McKinley could be heard in the background of the postgame
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after a three-week layoff. It was also *checks notes* Notre Dame’s first interception of the year? We’re talking about the vaunted Irish defense, which had given up just 13 points in two games and been the major reason Notre Dame escaped a week 1 challenge against Duke. But yet, no turnovers. This lack of turnovers has not hurt the Irish tremendously yet. But, to be fair, they’ve played Duke, South Florida and Florida State, three squads which have combined for a 3-10 record so far this season. It hasn’t exactly been a Murderer’s Row of Offenses that Notre Dame has faced, yet they’ve struggled to get off the field. In two of three contests, the Irish have actually lost the time of possession battle, and against the Seminoles on Saturday, the Irish also lost the turnover battle. Traditionally, these are two facets of the game you need to win, but Notre Dame has escaped, largely due to a strong offense and weak opponents. That will need to change soon. The road to an undefeated clash with Clemson looks a lot clearer now for the Irish. Louisville has been horrible, as has Georgia Tech, and Pitt’s two-game losing streak has the Panthers looking a lot less intimidating. Escape those three opponents, and the Irish will welcome Clemson to South Bend, for what could be a top-3 matchup (given that Alabama and Georgia play next week). And if Clemson comes to Notre Dame and wins the turnover battle and is on the field for 32 minutes — like Florida State was tonight — the Irish will be lucky to stay within two possessions. For those who missed
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Zoom conference responding, “Yeah, yeah.” The conversation of the chemistry between Ian Book and his receiving corp has been a hot storyline this season. McKinley was able to apply what he and Book have been working on in practice and showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. McKinley tallied up 107 receiving yards on his five targets, more than half of Ian Book’s 201 pass yards and the most yards recorded in a single game by any receiver this season. “[McKinley]’s starting to think that way. He can’t be defended. There is nobody, I don’t think, in college football that can defend that kid,” Kelly said. McKinley was also at the receiving end of Ian Book’s longest completed pass through the air this season with a 36-yarder. Additionally, his 107 receiving yards just barely tops his season high last year when he hauled down five passes for 104 yards against Bowling Green. McKinley is no stranger to adversity either, though. In his freshman season he played in six games and his team finished 4-8
on the year. Near the end of his freshman season he broke his leg, which would subsequently force him to sit out his entire sophomore year. Through all his ups and downs, it seems that McKinley has found his role on this Irish depth chart and it is coming at a very opportune time for Ian Book, who is dealing with turnover within the receiving corp. McKinley has the hot hand in that room for the time being and there is plenty of opportunity for this group if McKinley can lead by example and set a fire beneath them. One way to that? Play like a beast. McKinley said that being a beast requires a certain kind of mentality. “It’s a mindset, it’s natural,” he said. “It comes natural to me in the terms of the way you want to play on the field, in being in a dominant mindset and beating the opponent across from you every single play that comes with that beast mentality. And I think I put that on a little bit today.”
it, Clemson manhandled No. 7 Miami Saturday night 42-17, and they haven’t given up more than 23 points to an ACC team since 2017. Notre Dame has set up a sustainable approach on offense, but they aren’t going to drop 42 points on Clemson, and they absolutely have to start creating turnovers. To be fair, circumstances have been extremely strange. The game against Duke was the opener, and rust was inevitable. USF presented a run-heavy approach and Notre Dame played solid defense against the pass, just not perfect. And today, after a three week layoff, Notre Dame was still playing guys out of position — like Crawford remanning a corner spot — with other matchup guys like Nick McCloud questionable up until game time. Brian Kelly even admitted that the defense on Saturday showed some fatigue, given the quick ramp-up to gameday readiness, as the Irish regained their players from quarantine and isolation. “Look, we had to push them hard this week. It wasn’t ideal in terms of optimal game readiness,” Kelly noted. “We were a little tired. But we had to do it to get them game ready. You could see there was a little bit of fatigue defensively; we were falling off some tackles” But regardless of the situation, a national championship remains the goal, and such extenuating circumstances will exist all season. The excuses can always be around, but for the Irish, they need their consistent execution to be a constant as well. Tonight, as Kelly said, they didn’t have it, and they learned how to win with their ‘B or C’ game. That’s all great when you’re playing a miserable Florida State team that is 1-3 on the year, but B and C won’t be enough against Clemson.
And after watching UNC slap 56 points on Virginia Tech Saturday, it might not be enough against the Tar Heels either. Notre Dame has some work to do if they want to secure a berth in the ACC Championship. For me, the adjustment period has to be over. Against Louisville next week, Notre Dame’s offense should have no issue putting up points against a Cardinals’ defense that has about as much resistance as soft cheese to a knife. Notre Dame needs to make a statement however. They may be able to win another 42-26 type of game, but this is a game they need to win 42-7 or 42-10. They need to prove they can keep Louisville off the field, and give Irish fans a little more hope on the defensive side of the ball. Between the massive hits of JOK in the backfield, to the spectacular coverage work by McCloud, Kyle Hamilton, Crawford and others, this defense has absurd potential, but it appears to be relatively untapped through three games. So the mission for Notre Dame? Do not let a strong offense set the bar for what the defense needs to do. Against an offense like Florida State, the Irish shouldn’t let up more than 13-14 points. Clemson hasn’t allowed more than 23 points in a conference game since 2017, and that consistency has enabled their massive regular season winning streak. Their duel with the Tigers is fast approaching, and if Notre Dame can’t figure out how to force turnovers and get off the field, they could be in for a long November night in Notre Dame Stadium.
Scoring Summary 1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Total
17
3
6
0
26
14
21
7
0
42
florida state 3, notre dame 0 Ryan Fitzgerald 42-yard field goal
12:03
remaining Drive: Four plays, eight yards, 2:07 elapsed
NOTRE DAME 7, florida state 3
Michael Mayer 8-yard pass from Ian Book (Jonathan Doerer kick)
10:43
remaining Drive: Three plays, 75 yards, 1:20 elapsed
Notre Dame 14, florida state 3
Kyren Williams 46-yard run (Doerer kick)
6:10
remaining Drive: Five plays, 76 yards, 2:19 elapsed
Notre dame 14, florida state 10
Jordan Travis 4-yard run (Fitzgerald kick)
2:51
remaining Drive: Three plays, 19 yards, 1:13 elapsed
Contact Jimmy Ward at wward@hcc-nd.edu
florida state 17, notre dame 14
Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Tamorrion Terry 48-yard pass from Jordan Travis (Fitzgerald kick)
0:38
remaining Drive: Four plays, 71 yards, 1:13 elapsed
2
Notre Dame 21, florida state 17 Williams 1-yard run (Doerer kick)
12:27
remaining Drive: Eight plays, 75 yards, 3:11 elapsed
Notre dame 28, florida state 17 Chris Tyree 45-yard run (Doerer kick)
5:25
remaining Drive: Four plays, 81 yards, 1:50 elapsed
NOTRE DAME 28, florida state 20 Fitzgerald 26-yard field goal
1:17
remaining Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards, 4:08 elapsed
NOTRE DAME 35, florida state 20
Braden Lenzy 6-yard pass from Book (Doerer kick)
0:11
remaining Drive: Eight plays, 57 yards, 0:58 elapsed
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NOTRE DAME 35, florida state 26
La’Damian Webb 7-yard run (two-point conversion failed)
12:25
remaining Drive: Seven plays, 75 yards, 2:35 elapsed
NOTRE DAME 42, florida state 26 Book 3-yard run (Doerer kick)
8:40
remaining Drive: Eight plays, 73 yards, 3:29 elapsed
statistics total yards 405 554
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Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish graduate student defensive lineman Daelin Hayes and junior linebacker Shayne Simon help make a tackle during Notre Dame’s 42-26 win against the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. Hayes, a captain for the Irish, had two tackles and a quarterback hit during the game, and Simon had three tackles.
taking care of business
Notre Dame got off to a slow start against Florida State, as a pair of turnovers kept the Seminoles in the game. However, the Irish slowly worked their way to a sizeable lead, behind strong performances from running backs sophomore Kyren Williams and freshman Chris Tyree. The home team kept up the lead in the second half, aided by their first interception of the season.
Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish sophomore running back Kyren Williams takes a handoff during the 42-26 victory.
Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Graduate student quarterback Ian Book winds up to pass during the Florida State game, where he completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts.
Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish graduate student cornerback Shaun Crawford chases after a Seminole wide receiver.
Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
Irish freshman tight end Michael Mayer dives into the end zone during Notre Dame’s 42-26 win against Florida State on Saturday at home. Mayer has six receptions for 68 yards so far in his first season.