Print Edition for The Observer for Monday Sept. 12, 2022

The independent

To uncover

newspaper serving

the truth

Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s

and report

and holy cross

it accurately

Volume 57, Issue 9 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Community mourns death of grad student Bella Tyler, a graduate student pursuing her doctoral degree in biological sciences, died on Sept. 4

By BELLA LAUFENBERG Associate News Editor

“She got a license plate that said ‘GED to Ph.D.,’” Jon Tyler said of his late wife Bella. “[The phrase] would remind her to get that Ph.D., and that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Gabriella (Bella) Tyler, a graduate student in David Hyde’s lab, died on Sept. 4, 2022. Bella, 33, was in her third year of a Ph.D. program in the department of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame.

Bella was an untraditional student in every sense of the word, Jon said. He explained that Bella was homeless at 15 and that she worked

hard for everything she achieved.

“Nothing was handed to her, nothing. She fought, scrapped, and clawed. She tried to excel in everything she put her mind to,” Jon said.

“She tried to light up every room she was in because she knew how it was when someone didn’t pay attention to her or underestimated her.”

After getting her GED in 2012, Bella pursued an undergraduate degree at Georgia Gwinnett College where she lived in Lawrenceville, Georgia, with her husband.

Jon explained that Bella knew she would pursue a career in the sciences after going to just one biology class at Gwinnett.

Junior hosts walks with 500 students

“She came back home [after class] and told me ‘I found out what I want to do.’ And I said, ‘What are you talking about? Nobody finds out what they want to do this young,” he said. “She said ‘I haven’t decided what I wanted to do yet, but I know it is going to be science.’”

Bella and Jon had a successful marriage of more than eight years after meeting through an online dating platform, Jon said.

“Believe it or not, the first 30 days didn’t go so well. She ghosted me,” Jon said jokingly. “I still kept on pursuing her and trying to get to know her, and after about six months of see TYLER PAGE 3

News Writer

On July 1, 2021, the University of Notre Dame announced that the bookstore’s management was going to be changed from Follett to Barnes & Noble College (BNC), a transition that has been in progress over the past 14 months.

“The renovation was completed in August 2022, and the newly remodeled Hammes Bookstore is open and serving guests,” BNC Regional Manager Derek Holbert wrote in an email.

Junior Lane Obringer hopes to walk 500 miles with her classmates by the end of her time as a Notre Dame undergraduate student.

By CLAIRE REID Associate News Editor

When junior Lane Obringer transferred to Notre Dame from Saint Mary’s College last year, the self-described extrovert from Charlotte, North Carolina, was eager to make new friends.

“It was difficult to meet new people. You felt like you were living your freshman year all over again while being a sophomore, and COVID probably made things difficult as well,” Obringer recalled.

“It takes a lot of extraversion to hop right into meeting new people all

brendan boyle PAGE 4

over again … and I am a very extroverted person, but I wanted to create a platform to streamline the process rather than attending a million club meetings.”

Obringer said she wanted to create a way to meet lots of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives in an environment where they could have real and honest conversations.

This became the inspiration behind the Instagram account she founded last semester, @ lanewalksnd.

Bella and Jon Tyler were married for 8 years. The pair was like “fire and ice,” Jon said. They recently had a daughter, Matilda Tyler.

BNC bookstore renovation completed

By JENNA ABU-LUGHOD

CLARE REID | The Observer

Courtesy of Jon Tyler | The Observer

The University decided to undertake this project with the goal of improving the experiences of students, faculty and visitors at the bookstore.

“We sought an elevated experience for faculty and students regarding course materials, and BNC answered this need,” vice president for University enterprises and events, Anne Griffith, wrote in an email.

Notre Dame’s partnership with BNC has paved the way for further networking, giving the University an opportunity to collaborate

with Fanatics, Champions, Under Armour and many more.

“Through its strategic alliance with sports merchandise leaders Fanatics and Lids, BNC will help deliver an elevated retail experience for students, faculty and the Notre Dame community,” Holbert wrote. “Customers can discover expanded brands from Champion and Under Armour, to Johnnie-O, Peter Millar, Vineyard Vines, Dooney and Burke and femalefounded jewelry line, Kyle Kavan.” see BOOKSTORE PAGE 3

NDIAS announces Thom Browne as faculty fellow

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK News Writer

see WALKS PAGE 4

The Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDAIS) announced that Thom Browne ‘88, a former GQ Designer of the Year and three-time winner of the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award, is this year’s artist-in-residence.

Browne graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in business

barbarian PAGE 5

football game PAGE 7

in 1988, and he launched his fashion company in 2001. His designs have been featured in museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. He is known for his reconceptualization of the suit, and he has dressed celebrities like LeBron James, Michelle Obama and Cardi B. Each year, NDAIS gathers a group of faculty fellows, graduate students and undergraduate

scholars to address a central research theme, which for 2022-2023 academic year, is “The Public.”

Thom Browne joins nine other faculty fellows, including three Notre Dame professors, a writer from the New York Times, and faculty from universities across the country.

Meghan Sullivan, director of NDAIS, Wilsey Family

ND volleyball PAGE 10

football PAGE 12

see BROWNE PAGE 3

2

TODAY

The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Question of the Day: ndsmcobserver.com

Have a question you want answered?

Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com

What’s your go-to snack?

P.O. Box 779, Notre Dame, IN 46556 024 South Dining Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Ian Baker

Ryan Murphy

senior off-campus

first-year Fisher Hall

“Sun chips.”

“Goldfish.”

Ryan Campbell

Osman Heredia

senior off-campus

first-year Keenan Hall

“Beef wellington.”

“Pistachios.”

(574) 631-6900 ads@ndsmcobserver.com

Sam Kaczor

John Clingen

Editor-in-Chief

sophomore Dillon Hall

sophomore Dillon Hall

“Beans.”

“Mixed nuts.”

Editor-in-Chief Alysa Guffey Managing Editor Aidan O’Malley Asst. Managing Editor: Mannion McGinley Asst. Managing Editor: Genevieve Coleman Asst. Managing Editor: Maggie Eastland Notre Dame News Editor: Ryan Peters Saint Mary’s News Editor: Meghan Lange Viewpoint Editor: Hannah Hebda Sports Editor: Aidan Thomas Scene Editor: Willoughby Thom Photo Editor: Ryan Vigilante Graphics Editor: Maggie Klaers Social Media Editor: Anna Hurt Advertising Manager: Emili Garcia Casas Ad Design Manager: Christina Sayut Systems Administrator: Rachel Johnson Talent & Inclusion Manager: Angela Mathew Office Manager & General Info

Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927 Advertising

(574) 631-4542 aguffey@nd.edu Managing Editor

(574) 631-4542 aomalle2@nd.edu Assistant Managing Editors

(574) 631-4541 mmcginl3@nd.edu, gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu, meastlan@nd.edu Business Office

(574) 631-5313 Notre Dame News Desk

(574) 631-5323 news@ndsmcobserver.com Saint Mary’s News Desk

(574) 631-5323 smcnews@ndsmcobserver.com Viewpoint Desk

(574) 631-5303 viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.om Sports Desk

(574) 631-4543 sports@ndsmcobserver.com Scene Desk

(574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com Photo Desk

(574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com Systems & Web Administrators

webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com Policies The Observer is the independent, daily newspaper published in print and online by the students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College. Editorial content, including advertisements, is not governed by policies of the administration of any institution. The Observer reserves the right to refuse advertisements based on content.

The news is reported as accurately and objectively as possible. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors and department editors.

Commentaries, letters and columns present the views of the authors and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Viewpoint space is available to all readers. The free expression of all opinions through letters is encouraged.

Letters to the Editor must be signed and must include contact information.

Questions regarding Observer policies should be directed to Editor-in-Chief Alysa Guffey.

Post Office Information The Observer (USPS 599 2-4000) is published Monday through Friday except during exam and vacation periods.

A subscription to The Observer is $130 for one academic year; $75 for one semester.

The Observer is published at: 024 South Dining Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-0779 Periodical postage paid at Notre Dame and additional mailing offices POSTMASTER Send address corrections to: The Observer P.O. Box 779 024 South Dining hall Notre Dame, IN 46556-077

Today’s Staff News

Sports

Claire Reid Kathryn Muchnick Matthew Broder

Emily DeFazio

Graphics Christina Sayut

Photo

Scene

MAX PETROSKY | The Observer

Students piled into Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday to watch the No. 8 Fighting Irish take on the Marshall Thundering Herd. In a huge upset, the Thundering Herd came away with a five-point victory. The Irish will play California at home on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The next Five days:

Want your event included here?

Email news@ndsmcobserver.com

Willoughby Thom

Viewpoint Madeline Law Hannah Hebda

Ryan Vigilante

Corrections The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Nuclear Physics Seminar 127 Nieuwland Science Hall 3:30 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.

By Michael Wiescher.

“Changing the Means But Not the Ends” Decio Theatre 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Lecture on ethics and public policy.

South Asia Group Fall Semester Kickoff 2148 Jenkins Nanovic Halls 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Free chai and samosa.

IDEA Center Open House Innovation Park Room 109 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

For first year students.

Football Fridays at the Eck Eck Visitors Center 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Enjoy live music and tailgate food.

AAHD Gallery Exhibition 214 Riley Hall 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

On democracy and the Mueller report.

Social Media Workshop Bond Hall 334 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Information on the Meta Business Suite.

War in Ukraine Lecture B101 Jenkins Nanovic Halls 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.

By Michael Kofman.

Brazilian Election Lecture online 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

On COVID and religion in Brazil’s future.

Lecture: “University Research on Racism” online 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Hosted by the Klau Institute.

News

Tyler Continued from page 1

talking, we ended up going on our first date.”

Jon described the moment Bella got into Notre Dame’s graduate program as surreal and explained that she applied on a whim because of an application waiver she had received.

“She was a little hesitant on putting in her application because, you know, Notre Dame is a prestigious school, but she did it,” he said. “She was floored that the University of Notre Dame would consider her.”

Jon said he had never doubted what his wife was capable of.

“I was so happy for her, and I’ve always believed that she could do it,” he said. “No doubt in my mind that she could reach this, and she did.”

At Notre Dame, Bella was a brilliant student and researcher, David Hyde said. Hyde, a professor of biological sciences, runs the lab where Bella was working on her Ph.D.

Bookstore Continued from page 1

Griffith added that students, faculty and visitors all seem to be thrilled and impressed with the changes to the bookstore.

“We’ve heard great feedback on new features and renovations, such as the bright and upscale décor, Hat Zone, Custom Zone, The Gilded Bean and fast-moving check out,” Griffith wrote.

First-year student Martha Cleary, who has lived in South Bend for four years, offered insight into the positive differences she has noticed since the renovation.

“One thing I noticed is the carpet used to be a much darker color than it is now,” Cleary said. “I feel like they really opened up the space and

Browne Continued from page 1

College Professor of Philosophy and author of “The Good Life Method,” explained the key questions guiding the theme.

“What’s great about public life, wwhat’s challenging about public life? What do we want public life to be like in the future? Where did our ideas of the public-private distinction come from? How does public life matter to us?” Sullivan said.

NDAIS staff and a faculty advisory board announce the theme a year in advance, and it usually involves a “big, ethical question,” Sullivan said.

“Go back in your mental time machine to January 2021, December 2020. It was peak pandemic, social distancing was everywhere,” Sullivan said. “And I think something that was very much on the minds of all the Notre Dame folks that we were talking to is ‘we want public life to come back, we want to be able to be in public spaces again, but we have no idea what that’s gonna look like.’”

NDAIS seeks to recruit a non-professor who is involved in the theme

ndsmcobserver.com | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | The ObserveR

3

project.

Hyde said Bella’s project was aiming to look at the degenerative nature of Parkinson’s disease. Her project specifically looked at dopaminergic neurons — cells designed to respond to and send dopamine in the brain — in a zebrafish model of the disease. “[She] developed this project on her own to look at Parkinson’s disease and look at the regeneration of a specific type of neuron, dopaminergic neurons,” he explained.

“She loved the project because it had a clear application to human disease.”

Hyde said he loved working with Bella because of her mature mindset, perseverance in the lab and clear goals. “Bella was loved by everybody in the lab,” he said.

Hyde said he mourns the loss of such a talented scientist and mentor, especially for the students who didn’t know her yet. He explained that Bella wanted to use her Ph.D. to teach other nontraditional students and to show that everyone belongs in science.

“She [wanted to] go to a school where she could impact nontraditional students,” he said. “All those students are now going to have this void that they don’t know that it’s a void, but they would have had an opportunity to be inspired by somebody who’s really talented and very passionate.”

Bella and Jon recently welcomed a new addition to their lives: a daughter Matilda Tyler. Jon said Matilda, now five months old, was the missing piece in Bella’s life.

“She always wanted to be a mother,” he said. “We always talked about how she wanted her babies to grow up and love science just as much as she did. She couldn’t wait to take our little baby to school.”

Hyde said he noticed a change in Bella’s demeanor when she became a mother.

“Being a parent just changes 99% of the people in a very positive way. I mean, their whole demeanor on life improves,” he explained.

“There’s a lot of responsibility going on, and she just embraced all of it in a positive way.”

Jon said he hoped his daughter will know her mother’s kindness.

“She did [everything] with kindness. She never treated anybody different,” he said. “Even when other people seem ugly, she always saw the best in everybody.”

Another recent event in Bella’s life was her recent award from the Pat Tillman Foundation, a scholarship fund for veterans and spouses of veterans who have displayed impactful leadership ability in their fields. Bella was a part of the 2022 class of scholars, which was announced in June 2022.

As part of her award, Bella and her family, including new daughter Matilda, traveled to Chicago in July to take part in a national leadership conference. Pat Tillman CEO, Dan Futrell, was part of the team that welcomed her into the program.

Futrell said he and Bella bonded over their shared backgrounds at the conference, and he got to know her generous nature.

“In July, she and I connected over a brief conversation about foster care as part of our lives and how we

can grow from that and continue to serve others who are still in that system and try to also provide a positive example,” Futrell said.

Futrell expressed his deepest sympathies for the loss of Bella and said he hoped to honor her in small part by being a part of her daughter’s education in the future.

In Bella’s memory, Jon said he hopes people will learn her story and take inspiration from it.

“What she would want in her honor is for me to continue to touch people the way she did. Life is too short to be negative and mean,” he said. “We always had the philosophy, treat the janitor the same way you treat the principal.”

When asked what he will remember most about Bella, Jon laughed.

“Her spirit,” he said. “You could never, ever catch her on a bad time, especially with her mind. She was so smart, beautiful and was passionate about everything.”

made it much more welcoming.”

Cleary also noted the change in the distribution of apparel on the two floors of the bookstore.

“There didn’t used to be any women’s items on the first floor, which meant women had to go upstairs to shop. The new layout, which has both men’s and women’s clothing on the first floor, is far more inclusive and convenient,” she said.

Another change Holbert expects to be beneficial to Notre Dame students and faculty is the addition of social spaces.

“The social spaces placed throughout the bookstore provide intimate spaces for community gatherings,” Holbert wrote.

Holbert said another prominent student-specific renovation is the introduction of new course materials and resources that are accessible

to all.

“BNC offers students access to course materials across multiple formats to meet any student’s needs or budget, which we believe will benefit our students greatly,” he wrote. “This includes more than one million digital titles, a flexible rental program with the most expansive title list in the industry and access to the nation’s largest used textbook exchange.”

Similarly, BNC’s “Adoption and Insights Portal” is a new resource intended to specifically benefit faculty. It will allow faculty to “easily research and choose affordable course materials,” Holbert wrote.

More new features intended to improve fan and visitor experiences include convenient delivery options, the Custom Zone — which allows fans to customize one-of-a-kind

hats, easy self and mobile checkout technology, and digital and analog wayfinding signs.

“With new self and mobile check-out technology, customers can check out via their phones on the sales floor, making it easier than ever to bring home the best of Notre Dame books, gifts and apparel,” Holbert wrote. “New delivery options allow customers to purchase in-store and have their items shipped home, picked up after a game or delivered to their hotel.

This offers Fighting Irish fans the convenience of purchasing products without needing to carry them around during games.”

Griffith and Holbert both emphasized that the management transition not only involved major changes to Notre Dame’s five bookstore retail properties but also

to its online order fulfillment center.

“With BNC’s strategic omnichannel merchandising partnership with Fanatics and Lids, Notre Dame will have the most innovative merchandise and apparel programs available in the college market, as well as cutting-edge online and mobile accessibility,” Holbert wrote.

However, according to Holbert, one of the most beautiful changes is in the actual design of the bookstore.

“Inspired by Notre Dame’s historic campus architecture, specific design elements were added to pay tribute to the look and feel of other campus landmarks including gold metal finishes that mimic the design of the University’s Basilica,” he wrote.

to be a faculty fellow each year. They were inspired by the connection between Browne’s designs — which often involve suits and formal event wear — and the idea of a person’s public appearance. “[Browne] is the top designer in men’s fashion for sure right now,” Sullivan said. “When it comes to top fashion designers who engage athletes and celebrities, he’s everywhere. And his work is weird and cool. You can’t look at that picture of Oscar Isaac in a skirt and not start doing philosophy.”

Sullivan said that she has a few goals for Browne’s engagement with Notre Dame this year.

“One, ​​ I want the Notre Dame community to realize that top fashion designers, like Thom, say and make interesting arguments about public life and what it means to us in ways that other people cannot,” she said. “Second, we want for Thom’s engagements to elevate conversation and attention about how seriously Notre Dame takes art and design.”

Sullivan also wants to give Notre Dame students a chance to “peek behind the curtain” of a business and fashion empire.

Browne will visit campus each

semester, and both visits will include public-facing events.

On Oct. 25, Browne and Notre Dame alumnus Michael Hainey, former editor of GQ magazine, will sit down to discuss how fashion influences public life.

During his spring visit, Browne will engage with a one-credit course titled “Strong Suits: The Art, Philosophy, and Business of Thom Browne,” which is co-taught by Sullivan and Michael Schreffler, associate dean for the arts and associate professor in the Department of Art, Art History and Design. The course will meet each Friday for six weeks, and class discussions and guest speakers will revolve around academic perspectives on the Thom Browne company. The course will culminate in lunch with Thom Browne where students are encouraged to ask the designer questions, Sullivan said. The application for the class is due on Monday, Oct. 3.

Finally, Browne will host his annual touch football game/fashion show at Notre Dame this fall.

The football game usually takes place in Central Park and is attended by models, actors, fashion editors, photographers, dancers and other artists. Every “player” wears

Contact Bella Laufenberg at ilaufenb@nd.edu

Contact Jenna Abu-Lughod at jabulugh@nd.edu

Courtesy of Kristian Olsen | The Observer

The ND Institute for Advanced Study will host designer Thom Browne as artist-in-residence. He will host a touch football game on campus.

the latest Thom Browne designs.

“It’s really meant to kind of celebrate touch football as a family activity for a lot of Americans on Thanksgiving and to celebrate the connection of his brand with this piece of Americana and American culture which he obviously came to love when he was a student at Notre Dame,” Sullivan said.

This year, 30 students can volunteer to be fitted in Thom Browne designs and participate in the football game. Students can apply to be in the football “draft” before Sept. 25.

“It’s kind of a fashion show for

him. It’s kind of a public art piece.

It’s kind of marketing. It’s a bunch of things all at once,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said she is very excited to invite a distinguished Notre Dame alumnus back as an artist-in-residence.

“To realize that, just in our own backyard, we have this depth of talent to pull from and engage, I think it shows that Notre Dame is the best in the world when it comes to this kind of work,” she said.

Contact Kathryn Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu

4

NEWS

The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Walks Continued from page 1

In the account’s bio, a link leads to a Google Calendar where any Notre Dame student can sign up for a 20-minute, one-mile walk around Saint Mary’s Lake with Obringer. As of Sunday, she has walked with 73 students and is almost 15% of the way to her goal of walking with 500 students before she graduates in spring of 2024.

Her thoughtfully-designed Instagram feed features photos of each student she’s walked with, decorated with their names and facts about them in Obringer’s flowy and often colorful calligraphy.

Obringer started @lanewalksnd last semester and, when she began the project, she said she was

certain only her close friends were going to sign up for walks.

“I thought … I wouldn’t really meet other people, and my first four walks on the very first day were all people that I had literally never seen in my entire life,” she said.

That very first day was Easter Monday this past spring. Soon, Obringer was going on four walks every day last semester, including Saturdays and Sundays.

This semester, she said she’s limited her schedule to three walks per day so that she can “be more present” with every walker.

“The benefits of doing this project are definitely meeting other people,” she said. “That sounds kind of surface level, but there’s something to be said about walking around campus and seeing a friendly face or recognizing

someone’s name.”

Obringer added the walks have allowed her to connect with many people outside of her typical social circle. Furthermore, the @ lanewalksnd project relates to Obringer’s future career goals.

A psychology major with minors in innovation and entrepreneurship and gender studies, Obringer hopes to pursue a career in organizational health, which she describes as “fun HR.” “It’s understanding how people and teams work; how to make you like your job,” she explained.

In her studies, Obringer said she finds it interesting that 97% of psychological studies focus on the clinical or abnormal, while only 3% of studies focus on positive psychology. She tries to incorporate positive psychology into her walks and the interactions she has with

each walker.

On every walk, she said she takes into account this question: “How do you make someone feel like a valued member of a community?”

“So that’s what taking their photo at the end of the walk and posting it on the Instagram is about … because you feel like, even though it’s very, very small, you’re part of something larger and, ultimately, that’s what I think a lot of Notre Dame students strive for,” she said.

For the duration of each walk, Obringer said she tries to give walkers space to talk about whatever they want.

Junior Drew Braaten, a business analytics major with an interest in filmmaking, walked with Obringer at the beginning of this semester.

He called the walk a “15-minute, new friend appointment.”

“It was a beautiful Friday

afternoon,” he recalled. “I was super interested in hearing about the project and asked her questions about how she keeps up all the walks. Lane was interested in my video-making. We finished the conversation with the wholesome story of the last time she cried.”

Sarah Mahoney, a sophomore environmental science and premed student who walked with Obringer in April, said “there was never a gap” in their conversation.

“Sharing a personal experience and conversation is a truly impactful way to get to know another person on a deeper level,” Mahoney said. “[Lane’s project] is such an inspiring project and a great way to unite students in the ND community.”

Contact Claire Reid at creid6@nd.edu

Rep. Brendan Boyle, ‘99, discusses career

By ISA SHEIKH Associate News Editor

On Friday morning, Rep. Brendan Boyle, ‘99, spoke to a group of students about his career path, pursuing opportunities in politics and current legislative priorities.

Boyle, a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania’s second district serving his fourth term, is an alumnus of Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Program in Public Service and the inaugural semester in the Washington program.

Friday, he opened with brief introductory remarks and then fielded questions from students invited from various majors, minors and political clubs.

Ricardo Ramirez, director of the Hesburgh Program and an associate professor of political science and Latino studies, introduced Boyle.

“Congressman Boyle has served as a champion for the working and middle-class families, particularly on issues related

to social and economic justice.

He, himself, is the first in his family to attend college, and he’s the son of a janitor and a school crossing guard,” Ramirez said.

In his introductory remarks, Boyle discussed his work across policy issues in the House of Representatives, identifying himself as a “generalist.”

“On any given day, I could be voting on energy policy, and then, next, voting on tax policy, and then voting on NATO, and then next voting on a welfare issue and next voting on a defense issue,” he said.

Boyle, who serves on the influential Ways and Means Committee, recounted key experiences as a lawmaker.

Boyle was in Brussels days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, to which he’s a delegate.

“At our opening dinner, the vast majority of parliamentarians from the UK, France, Germany … did not believe there

would be a war and did not believe there would be an invasion,” he recalled.

He tied the issue to political practice, saying he’s been especially active on the issue because of a large Ukrainian presence in his district in and around Philadelphia.

Boyle said that this combination of constituent services and policy encapsulates the job of a congressman.

“There’s in the district and there’s in the Capitol. The time that I’m back home is not time off … So in some ways, it’s almost a hybrid of two different positions combined into one,” he said.

Many of the students identified themselves as residents of a particular representative’s district.

Boyle interjected when a senior from Sarasota, Florida, mentioned he was from Republican representative Vern Buchanan’s district.

“I’m friendly with Vern, too.

That should reassure people that people on both sides of the aisle

Paid Advertisement

actually are much more friendly with one another than cable TV would have you believe,” he said.

In response to a question about America’s role on the global stage, Boyle emphasized two priorities after reflecting on the Arab Spring and other events from the past twenty years.

“Two goals immediately come to mind, and they’re sometimes in conflict. One would be to promote democracy and human rights as much as we can around the world. And then the second is stability,” he said. “We can not retreat from the world.”

He also talked about recent legislative action. Boyle, who made history as the first House member to cast a proxy vote on behalf of a colleague amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, discussed being in committee hearings and voting during a trip to Notre Dame a year ago.

“In this very building a few floors up while my wife and daughter were enjoying campus all that Friday, I was up there

casting votes and participating in hearings. So literally at Notre Dame, congressional votes have been cast, and I was casting my votes for our amendments, defeating the other side’s amendments for the Build Back Better Act, which ultimately did pass out of the Ways and Means Committee,” Boyle recalled.

He discussed the upcoming midterms and said that while “bread and butter issues” and contrasting the Republicans’ agenda with that of the Democrats under Biden, maintaining a big tent party is key.

“You have to tailor it to your district. The message I would have in northeast Philadelphia would be different than I would have in suburban Philadelphia,” he said.

Boyle also discussed moments when he had to make tough decisions in politics. Sitting on the foreign affairs committee, he opposed the Iran Nuclear Deal and remained steadfast despite pleas to support it from powerful places.

“President Obama lobbied me on Air Force One. Fortunately, it turns out the flight from D.C. to Philadelphia is a very short flight,” he said. “And I was never invited back.”

Throughout his remarks, Boyle emphasized the importance of getting involved in politics.

He pointed out that people in high positions of power within congressional offices are often young and can make a significant impact.

“If you walk around Capitol Hill and you walk into congressional offices, you see just how young the individuals are who have a great deal of responsibility,” he said. “And I can tell you from the perspective of wanting to hire good people, we’re constantly looking, and the best thing you can do is be the person who, on a campaign, shows up, volunteers for things, is on time and has a great attitude.”

Contact Isa Sheikh at isheikh@nd.edu

5

The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

By J.P. SPOONMORE Scene Writer

Editor’s note: This review includes mentions of sexual assault.

“Barbarian” is a genre-tw isting horror film prey ing on the fears of dark basements, “nice guy” strangers and rust-belt neighborhoods.

W hat seems like a simple, entertaining premise quick ly transforms into a lurking exploration of a horror found in real life. Unfortunately, its thematic myster y falls apart under its ow n hy pocrisy.

I first need to give credit to w riter-director Zach Cregger for the adrenaline rush that is his first horror feature. The constant character reveals and genre-sw itching works ever y time in escalating the real tension of the stor y. The v isuals are the impressive highlight, emphasizing how clever each character is — or the lack thereof — in silently creative ways. Some choices the characters make pull genuine laughs out of the audience, while others are jaw-dropping in shock value.

This emphasis on surprise is the film’s strongest feature. It does not last the entire runtime, but it keeps you guessing on the edge of your seat.

The stor y branches itself into three characters that play off different genres to clash against the scares. W hat starts as a stranger-danger thriller suddenly cuts to a horror-comedy w ith delicious parallels, before once again cutting to a period horror w ith 80s-era serial killer stereot y pes. Yes,

By ROSE ANDROWICH Scene Writer

On Wed nesday, Sept. 7, t he f i rst t h ree episodes of t he new Hu lu ser ies “Tel l Me L ies” wa s relea sed. W h i le t he f i rst episode beg i ns i n t he present, t he d i rector ta kes us back to Luc y ’s f i rst yea r of col lege.

T he d i rector’s choice for br idg i ng t he pa st a nd present nat u ra l ly presented spoi lers. Even t houg h t hese foreshadow i ng deta i ls somewhat piqued my i nterest, t he decision to i ntent iona l ly show t he f ut u re u n fold i ng d id n’t fa re wel l.

Instead, it si mply felt u n necessa r y. For i nsta nce, t he t rag ic deat h of Luc y ’s room mate Mac y (L i ly McIner ny) lacked t he shock va lue it deser ved.

Episode one shou ld’ve been st ronger, but t he fol low i ng t wo episodes ma naged to create complex cha racters t hat were not on ly i nterest i ng to watch but you a lso fou nd you rsel f despisi ng t hem. Stephen ( Jack son W h ite) wa s a m isleadi ng i mage ; he fou nd h i msel f i n a d ra mat ic love t r ia ng le w it h h is ex-g i rl f r iend Dia na a nd Luc y.

the stereot y pes are rampant throughout, but they are oftentimes used to double dow n on each genre in intriguing ways. Sadly, this sw itching of genreplay only happens in the first half of the film and disappears before reaching its full potential.

Once the stor y merges into one lane, it leaves a collection of questions to be discarded and the remaining conf lict to fizzle out in the end.

Now to where this film truly fails: what the characters stand for. One is a blank v ictim that ex ists only to be the “final girl” and the other is a predator that never realizes that his excuses are fantasies. The former is supposed to be the central character, but the camera and theme only seem to care about the latter. This is because “Barbarian” secretly revolves around men in denial for being the monsters we read about in accusations. It’s an intriguing premise that is clouded in execution.

The worst part is that this underly ing realit y of sexual assault gets painted over when the predator y man ser ves as the comedic relief while the female v ictim gets no characterization at all.

The hardest scenes to watch are intentional.

Much of the male character’s past is hard to watch in his self-excusing negligence and false promises, while his actions show his true nature. The female character, on the other hand, doesn’t have a past. She has no inner conf lict, f law or even a purpose to be involved. She’s just stuck there. The comparisons to A lex Garland’s “Men” (criticized for a male w riter’s use of a blank female character

for a t wo-dimensional-anti-male, feminist horror film) are so laughable that it sinks this film into ruin.

“Barbarian” is a fun watch in the beginning that accidentally drops all promises by the halfway point. W hat is left is its broken theme that wants to speak truths too little too late in the runtime w ith no explanation as to why. It is too busy prioritizing the schock value of genre clash and horror set pieces to effectively present its actual purpose. There’s not enough time w ith the isolated characters to f lesh out their struggles, and the actual, sub-textual horror behind the scares is left off screen. The film’s cracks in the foundation are inv isible yet deep, causing the whole stor y to crumble under the quickest scrutiny. In the end, the risk of tack ling guilt y men’s response to sexual assault was too catastrophic in the name drops alone; it needed time to grow and be part of the film’s message, but it had no energ y or depth to explore correctly.

A s t he episodes proceed, we lea r n t hat Luc y wa nt s more t ha n a ca sua l relat ionsh ip wh i le Dia na is hesita nt to ta ke h i m back. In t he end, Stephen ef fect ively conv i nces t hem to stay w it h h i m.

It is d i f f icu lt to k now how much what he says is t r ue, a nd h is f r iends fa i l to prov ide i nsig ht i nto h is t r ue i ntent ions. Even t houg h he may be a fa sci nat i ng cha racter, he is a tox ic i nd iv idua l.

For ex a mple, one of t he most d i f f icu lt scenes to watch wa s when Stephen’s f r iend Wr ig ley (Spencer House) a sk s for help when st udy i ng for h is econom ics ex a m. Eva n (Bra nden Cook) apolog i zes prof usely for not bei ng able to help h i m wh i le Stephen says he doesn’t have enoug h t i me. In ma ny ways, I w ish Wr ig ley ’s stor yl i ne wa s h ig h l ig hted.

In t he scene where Luc y w r ites a non f ict ion piece for her f ict ion cla ss, she feels persona l ly at tacked by t hei r ha rsh cr it icisms of t he ma i n cha racter. I fou nd t h is scene to be f u n ny because it made me quest ion whet her or not I shou ld’ve sy mpat h i zed, a nd it opened my eyes

to t he por t raya l of Luc y a s a n emot ion less cha racter. She brea k s up w it h her boy f r iend t he mor n i ng before leav i ng for col lege a nd a l l of her act ions were not ex pla i ned. T here is no backstor y, i nstead t he d i rector a l ludes to t he d i f f icu lt ies w it h her mot her. Her st r ug g les shou ld have been ex plored i n a deeper way i n order to en ha nce Luc y ’s cha racter a rc. Her cha racter is ver y u n l i kable.

Even a s t he ser ies cont i nues to prog ress I st i l l cou ld n’t help but t h i n k t hat t here shou ld’ve been a d i f ferent focus. However, despite bei ng a t ra i n w reck, it is ha rd to stop watch i ng.

Contact J.P. Spoonmore at jspoonmo@nd.edu

“Barbarian” Starring: Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, Bill Skarsgard Director: Zach Cregger If you like: “Men,” “Disturbia”

Contact Rose Androwich at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu

“Tell Me Lies” Starring: Grace Van Patten, Jackson White Where to watch: Hulu If you like: “A Teacher

CRISTINA SAYUT | The Observer

6

The observer | Monday, September 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Christ alone

Inside Column

Everything I know about love in college Carolina Andrea Jiminez Viewpoint Copyeditor

Recently, I read “Ever y thing I Know About Love” by Dolly A lderton, which I highly recommend reading before entering your twenties. I can’t say I have many experiences dabbling w ith love; however, I’ve always had this idea that I’ll meet this boy who would fix ever y thing. It felt like finding this love would make life brighter. Romantic love seemed like the most exciting and worthwhile thing on this earth.

However, the realit y of dating in college is that you are on a completely different page than boys, and let me tell you that it is heartbreaking when you become aware of this.

Some of us are born w ith the idea that true love ex ists. It’s a belief system that keeps us locked up in a fantasy, turning real life into a disappointment over and over again. The realit y is that love isn’t meant to be this fantasy of pure happiness, and looking for this fantasy is ex hausting. At the end of the day all this deters you from noticing the real love you found at college. Those late nights running back from Main Circle to the dorm w ith your best friends.

Those Oliv ia Rodrigo concerts in your room after a breakup, singing until your throats feel dr y. The Huddle Mart runs after ever y place closed at 9 and your stomachs are grumbling. The nights where they hold onto you until you can finally breathe again from all the cr y ing.

The thing is you have found true love (hopefully). You’ve know n each other for many months and in all that time, you’ve never gotten bored of them.

You fall more and more in love w ith them the older you get and the more experiences you share. You have an abundance of love already in your life.

Sure, it’s not the love that kisses you by the Dome or proposes marriage at the Grotto. But, I know it w ill listen when you cr y, it w ill celebrate your highs, promise to beat him up when he’s being mean, be first row at your wedding and grow along w ith you. And, honestly, there’s an eternal peace know ing you w ill always have someone in your corner who accepts you for all f laws. This t y pe of love is forever. So, keep it as close to you as you can.

And like Dolly said, “Anyone can be [...] fancied. It is a far greater thing to be truly loved.”

You can contact Carolina Andrea at cjimene4@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Andrew Sveda Church and State

In his first letter, the apostle John makes a startling remark: “I w rite these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13 ESV ).

John is say ing that we can know that we are saved, that we have been regenerated by the Spirit, that all our sins have been forgiven, and that, when we die, we w ill pass through Heaven’s gates. How can a Christian make such an audacious claim and not be arrogant and self-righteous? After all, those of other religions would blush to make such a boastful proclamation. The answer: because Christianit y is utterly unique from ever y other religion. A ll other religions say your righteousness — your good works, your piet y, the deepness of your spiritualit y — is what saves you. Sure, God is gracious, but if you do not do enough, pray enough, read enough or participate in spiritual activ ities enough, there is no hope for you. Christianit y, on the other hand, says that we are not saved by our works at all but wholly of grace.

Let us examine what this means. The Bible teaches that just one sin, one white lie, one lustful thought, one arrogant remark is deser v ing of an eternit y in Hell (Romans 5:12, 6:23). “[A]ll who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is w ritten, ‘Cursed be ever yone who does not abide by all things w ritten in the Book of the Law, and do them’” (Galatians 3:10). “[W ]hoever,” James w rites, “keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilt y of all of it” (James 2:10). On the basis of your works, you stand guilt y and deser v ing of God’s w rath. Nothing you can do can “make up” for your sins. Can a criminal tell a judge, “I know I’m a murderer, but my x hours of communit y ser v ice make up for it” ? In the same way, your good deeds can’t cleanse you of your sin. More than that, you have no good works before God to begin w ith because man’s heart is not naturally good but ev il and w icked (John 3:19-20 ; Romans 1:29-32; Genesis 8:21). Thus, it is said: “‘None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. A ll have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one’” (Romans 3:10-12). Even our best actions are “like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64: 6) to God and even they, if we were to be judged only on them, call out for our condemnation. This is not to say that all sins are equal but that all our actions are corrupt and dark because they f low from an impure and depraved heart. See, then, how helpless your endless striv ings and “good works” are before God. A ll your works condemn you. By your works, you cannot be justified.

Yet, amidst our deprav it y and sin, we read this: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love w ith which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together w ith

Christ — by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5). “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly …while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5: 6,8).

W hat does it mean that Jesus “bore our sins” (1 Peter 2:24) and “died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3)? It means that, on the Cross, He suffered the punishment and w rath our sins deser ved in our place. He took upon Himself the condemnation we deser ved, which He could do as He was both God, whom our sins are against (Psalm 51:4) and who is infinite (making Him able to bear the punishment of our sins), and man, allow ing Him to act on our behalf as our mediator and great high priest (cf.

Hebrews 2:14-17).

Know, too, that this atoning sacrifice was not made for mostly good people or only a portion of our sins. It is a wholly sufficient and finished sacrifice made for the ungodly, for God’s enemies (Romans 5:8,10), for those who are “by nature children of w rath” (Ephesians 2:3) and “children of the dev il” (1 John 3:10). These are those He saved, and saves completely, cleansing them from all sin (Colossians 1:13-14; 1 John 1:7). Our hearts, too, are regenerated by the Spirit at conversion, transforming the heart that once hated God into one that loves Him, desires Him and w ishes to ser ve Him (Romans 6:17-18). Salvation is all of grace, and it is secure because it rests on the finished work of Another.

Since Jesus paid it all and accomplished for us “an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12), nothing can be added to it. No offering for sin remains (Hebrews 10 :18) because we have been reconciled wholly through Christ’s atoning death, a propitiation “to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). We are not, therefore, saved by faith plus works but only by faith alone in Christ and His work alone. To suggest our works play a part in sav ing us and reconciling us to God is to deny the finished nature of the Atonement. For Paul, this meant to depart from the gospel and to tr y to be justified by works all over again (Galatians 5:2-4).

Some may be angered by this, but we should rather rejoice that by Christ alone we have been given a salvation that is sufficient, secured, and settled in Heaven. If it were not so, if Jesus died even for all but one of our sins, we would have no hope. If He did not pay it all on the Cross, we could still expect nothing but God’s w rath and judgment. But He did pay it all, and thus it can be w ritten: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace w ith God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Praise be to God for truly ama zing grace ! A ll glor y be to Him !

Andrew Sveda is a senior at Notre Dame from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majoring in political science and theology. In his free time, he enjoys writing (obviously), reading and playing the piano. He can be reached at asveda@nd.edu or @SvedaAndrew on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Interested in Viewpoint?

Contact us at viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

7

The observer | Monday, September 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

You’ve never been to a football game?

Gabriel B. Ibarra In Swift We Trust

As the school year is quick ly ramping up, so is the Fighting Irish football season. However, one thing that is painful to admit to many of my friends this weekend, and now to you, the reader of this column, is that I have never been to a Notre Dame football game before. I know, I know. How does a super-senior manage to never have gone to a football game, especially being just across the street from Notre Dame? The answer: I just wasn’t ever able to. I am a student who has at least two jobs at a time when on campus, way too many friends to keep track of and assignments that f lood way over my head.

So, excuse me if I haven’t car ved out some time for game days before. The thing is, I knew that this year was going to be different. I am still unsure of how much time I have left here as a student in the 46556 ZIP code, so it was important for me to jump on any opportunit y this year to be able to see a bunch of sweat y young adults revel in the magic that Notre Dame Stadium has to offer. But, to begin such a massive undertaking, there had to be a plan, and like most of my plans it did not go all too well.

The night before the game, I wanted to go to Drummer’s Circle, a spectacle I have been luck y enough to w itness before. Of course, I was unable to go because by the time I realized it was happening, it was one in the morning. So, we’re not at a great start for the weekend. Then, while walking past Siegfried Dining Hall on Holy Cross campus, I confirm w ith my friends that we are meeting at 11:30 a.m. for brunch; but come 11 a.m., all of us are running late. I have no eyebrows on yet, one friend already left w ithout us, my other friend is on hour four of tailgating and we still have to buy snacks. I wanted to chug

a Red Bull and f ly, and I should’ve. Instead I sped through a blue-and-gold appropriate makeup look, ate a full plate of brunch and managed to remember to drink water, all in the span of 30 minutes. Impressive, I know, but I wanted to set myself up for success this game day.

Mov ing along in this stor y, I met w ith one of my original group members, and then I joined a new group of girls. This was my best case-scenario. I was wearing The Shirt along w ith a denim mini-skirt and my “going out” trashed white Vans. I was hopeful that being w ith a group of girls would boost my confidence because being a 6’1 tall male-presenting person in a denim miniskirt in God Countr y, Notre Dame is still ner ve-w racking. Nonetheless, we ventured into Domer territor y and made a couple of stops along the way. We passed by a tailgate where I ended up w ith a free shirt, we watched the Band Concert at Bond Hall and went for a bathroom break at South Dining Hall. Things were looking up for sure. We saw classmates, professors and successfully evaded embarrassing exes along the way.

It was 30 minutes until game time and we made our way to Notre Dame Stadium when the an x iet y started settling in. I wasn’t sitting in the student section of this game so I found myself looking for another friend of mine that graduated last year. We hugged at Librar y Law n and found our way to the gate closest to our section. I walked slowly in anticipation. My shirt is a darker color by this point so I knew worr y ing about my outfit was a lost cause, but I worried about getting in. It was the same t y pe of an x iet y you get when going through TSA: I had no malicious intent in going to the game, but I felt guilt y somehow. We got in, smiled at the event staff, w ished them a good day and I was in. I almost cried. I still don’t know why I almost cried then, or when the band played, or when we got

a touchdow n, or when I saw our new head coach on my souvenir cup, but I tell you, dear reader, I almost cried.

That is the thing about this football culture, specifically as a Holy Cross student going to a Notre Dame home game. It can often make students like myself, especially students of color, feel like outsiders or not part of the crowd. There was a moment when I thought to myself, “This is why people can’t believe I’ve never been to a game before.” But, I look back at yesterday’s game and, despite losing, I think about all the w ins I had. I had great seats (Section 10, Row 32, Seat 6), I had one of my best friends next to me, I had The Shirt and I had a culture of tradition and pride around me. The energ y was addicting and inv igorating all at the same time.

Now I wonder if I’ll ever find myself in a position to go back to w itness the Fighting Irish on their home turf, but I know that I can cross this sequence of events off my bucket list. In the future I know three things to do: one, get a clear fanny pack; t wo, bring more sunscreen; three, sit in the student section for sure.

So, to close, it only feels right to make a Taylor Sw ift reference: Today was a fair y tale.”

Gabriel B. Ibarra is a Chicago native currently attending Holy Cross College; majoring in Visual Arts - Studio Track with a minor in Elementary Education. If not crying to any of Taylor Swift’s rerecordings, you can find them somewhere in the tricampus causing chaos with laughs, pointed jokes, and one of many emotional support water bottles in hand, or leading Holy Cross College’s First Generation Club as the vice-president. Learning to write for a newspaper is harder than expected, so they can be contacted on Twitter @gbenito11 or via email at gibarra@hcc-nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Pick up a newspaper Even though I’m from the Class of 2020, I’m going to propose something to you that’s so oldfashioned and outlandish that you might mistake me for a member of the Class of 1920. You should read a physical newspaper.

I have no special vendetta against trees and I have, in fact, heard of this new fad that they call the World Wide Web. Instead, I believe print news offers three distinct advantages: it is better for accountabilit y, it is immune to some troubling new advancements in information warfare and it even helps make you smarter.

First, accountabilit y. Did a politician really use that dreadful slur? Did a media outlet actually make a slanderous accusation? W hile it’s possible to update a website or delete a tweet before screenshots can record it, good luck tr y ing to round up all the printed ev idence.

Second, print newspapers can never

microtarget content w ith the same precision of online algorithms. Your v irtual news feed can be curated to exactly match your v iews, leading to each person consuming content in their ow n highly personalized echo chamber. Yes, I’m aware that print newspapers can still attract distinct populations and w rite w ith bias. Tr y reading about the same topic in both the Irish Rover and the Obser ver! But a print newspaper can’t disseminate disinformation w ith the same surgical intentionalit y of a Russian-made fake v ideo of the Ukrainian president surrendering, distributed to only the people most likely to be conv inced by it and nobody else. Yes, that really happened.

Lastly, dealing in paper and ink actually makes you smarter. A 2018 study published in the Educational Research Rev iew found that “paperbased reading y ields better comprehension

outcomes than digital-based reading.” Your brain can better recall what it read by remembering tactile cues (the feel and weight and even smell of the pages f lipped) and where on a printed page it saw something. In contrast, v irtual reading has fewer cues and more distractions like app notifications or pop-up ads.

Should you never scroll through the Obser ver’s website ever again? Of course not. But the next time you head to the dining hall, consider grabbing a print copy instead. If nothing else, you’ll find the results to be much less catastrophic when you spill your cereal on that old-fashioned version.

Submit a Letter to the Editor: viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.com

Andrew C. Jarocki Class of 2020 Sept. 7

8

Sports

The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND MEN’s Soccer

Sports Authority

Squad drops season’s first ACC match

Zwiller: Addressing ZeLO’s flaws and potential

By J.J. POST Sports Writer

Saturday afternoon, Notre Dame men’s soccer dropped their first ACC game of the season, falling 1-0 on the road to Sy racuse.

It was the Orange who controlled the game off the bat, and the home side capitalized early. Giona Leibold fired home the opener, and what would prove to be the game w inner, 22 minutes into the match.

The Sy racuse dominance would continue throughout the first half, as the Orange racked up 14 shots in the first 45 minutes.

Junior keeper Br yan Dowd held firm, however, and the Irish were able to enter the break trailing by just one.

In the second half, Notre Dame improved considerably. Sy racuse still got their chances in the form of eight shots, but the Irish showed some fight back and got a few looks on goal of their ow n.

The best of those looks came w ith just a minute to go, when a Notre Dame corner kick generated a big chance on goal in a scramble in the six yard box. But the Orange stood strong, clearing the ball off the line and sav ing the v ictor y.

After the game, head coach Chad Riley lamented the result but saw some silver lining in an improved second half performance: “Credit to Sy racuse, they were excellent today,” Riley said. “We were not at our best in the first half but managed to be dow n by one. I loved the team’s response in the second half and while we weren’t at our best they had to clear one off the line in the last minute.

We w ill grow from it and be ready for [Virginia].”

Friday’s clash w ith the Cavaliers in Charlottesv ille

could prove an important barometer of where the Irish stand w ith reference to the rest of the ACC. Virginia has had a turbulent start to the season, getting blow n out by No. 9 Mar yland but also earning an impressive 4-2 w in against in-state and in-conference rivals Virginia Tech.

Last year’s game against Virginia proved to be an important turning point in the Irish season. Notre Dame entered the game w ith a solid but uninspiring 4-4-1 record, show ing f lashes of promise but little consistency. After the Irish dispatched the Cavaliers 1-0 at A lumni Stadium, the team would rip off a five game unbeaten run that stretched nearly the entire month of October.

That five game unbeaten run would be part of a longer final stretch of the season in which the Irish won eleven of thirteen games, capturing a first-ever ACC championship and advancing to a second-ever College Cup in the process.

Notre Dame enters this year’s clash w ith Virginia in a similar spot. A 3-2 w in over Michigan State showed the Irish have the potential to once again contend in the ACC. But Saturday’s loss to Sy racuse and a season opening defeat to Seattle have show n the team still needs to develop in key areas.

Coach Chad Riley and company w ill hope a matchup against the Cavaliers w ill once again be the catalyst of consistency the team needs heading into the back half of the season. Notre Dame w ill take on U VA 7 p.m. Friday night in Charlottesv ille, Virginia. The match w ill be broadcasted on the ACC Network.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

Write Sports.

Email Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu

By TOM ZWILLER Sports Writer

Earlier this week, when I wrote the “ZeLO Picks: Week 2 column,” I mentioned that despite only being Week 2 (or 3, if you count the ever-annoying Week 0), ZeLO had some problems and shortcomings.

And that is entirely true.

As good as a 77.3% pick percentage might sound, even when compared to ESPN’s FPI of 84%, there is an enormous chasm between those numbers that go beyond the 6.7% difference. I hope to address some of those problems and then offer a few different solutions.

First things first, I track both ZeLOs and FPI’s performances in more ways than just their win-loss record. While that is a strong indicator of your correctness, there is a difference between me giving someone a 51% chance of winning vs. me giving someone a 90% chance of winning.

If I am repeatedly more confident (and correct) about a result, I am making a better forecast about the given outcome.

Well, the same is valid with FPI and ZeLO. While ZeLO has agreed with FPI on a vast majority of the games the two models have picked, FPI tends to be more confident in the teams it picks to win.

Take, for example, the Week 2 matchup of Marhsall vs. Norfolk State. FPI gave Marshall a 99.3% chance of victory, while ZeLO only gave Marshall an 85.5% chance.

Both models got the pick right, but on the sliding scale of correctness, FPI was “more right.” And there are a lot of instances where that is the case; both models get it right, but ZeLO is a lot less confident in its pick.

There is a mathematical way to measure this, called a Brier Score or Net Brier Points.

Essentially, Brier Points are scored by taking the prediction you made and running it through the following formula: 2 5 - ( ( P r e d i c t e d Outcome-100)^2/100) = Brier Score.

So, for example, using our Marshall outcome, since the Thundering Herd won the game, FPI would have scored 24.9951 Brier Points, while ZeLO would have scored just 22.8975. That difference might not seem like a lot, given that it is not even a total three points

difference, but through the first Week of College football, the difference in Brier points is almost 285 points.

FPI is just a lot more confident in its picks that it will rack up a large total. I expect FPI’s confidence to lessen as teams like Alabama stop playing Utah State and start playing games where the outcome is more questionable. Still, I think the Brier Point bridge is not going anywhere soon.

This does help ZeLO a little bit; when the two models have both been wrong, ZeLO does take less of a blow (the Brier Score formula I am using is 538’s, which tends to punish overconfidence).

Had Marshall been upset, ESPN would have lost 74.986 points while ZeLO would have only lost 74.7 (not a huge difference, but you get the idea).

There are two fixes that I currently see. The first is also a separate minor issue: FCS teams. I think I scored FCS teams a little bit too strongly, and as a result, ZeLO has much less confidence in picking against them than FPI. That is an easy enough fix and something I plan to incorporate next off-season.

The second issue is that I think I weighted a lot of the raw statistics too lightly, so there is not enough separation between Alabama and Utah State. That fix is a bit more complicated, but I plan to adjust that too.

ZeLO’s lack of confidence rolls right into the second glaring issue I observe from the Week 0 and Week 1 data.

The second method I use to track ZeLOs stats is just by categorizing picks into four categories and seeing how ZeLO’s win-loss is doing in each of those categories.

The first category is TossUp (50%-59%), Lean (60-74%, Likely (75%-94%), and Solid (95%+).

Currently, ZeLO is .523 in the Toss-up category, .686 in the Lean bucket, .950 in the Likely grouping, and 100% for the Solid category.

At first, the issue might seem like it is the Toss-up category, which is underperforming at 12-12, and while I would like to see the performance rise to around 55%, a 50% performance is okay.

No, the main problem is how the Likely category is at 97% when realistically, it should be a lot closer to 85%.

This suggests that ZeLO has a classification problem,

which is just a symptom of the confidence problem that ZeLO has. Instead of having 44 games classified as likely outcomes, ZeLO should have interpreted some of these matchups to be more solids than they were. I think the fixes for this problem are the same as before, change FCS teams and statistical weighting.

The third problem I have already talked about in other columns is the fondness ZeLO seems to have for Group 5 teams when they match up against Power 5 teams.

Because ZeLO is working off of stats, and because Group 5 teams perform against each other as Power 5 teams do, the difference between them is somewhat hidden, so when they faceoff ZeLO acts like it is two peers playing one another. The solution is to tweak the recruiting numbers to either recognize the quality of players Power 5 teams are getting or the quantity they are getting.

Another solution is to be a bit more aggressive with the strength of the schedule component and add a distinction between playing Power 5 teams and Group 5 teams.

The fourth and final issue is how ZeLO plays against the spread. ZeLo is 33.6% against the spread, which is an atrocious mark.

In part, I think ZeLO’s performance against the spread will improve when the lines are not Minnesota -36. ZeLO is not built to work against those kinds of spreads; a significant percentage of ZeLO’s losses against the spread come from ZeLO covering on spreads that are 25+ points.

In fact I am already seeing some levels of improvement. In Week 0, ZeLO went 5-6 against the spread (.454), then 28-54 in Week 1 (.342) and this weekend 31-50 (.383).

The difference could just be a bit of a random sample, but I do think ZeLO’s performance against the spread will improve.

And, of course, by addressing the other issues I have mentioned, I think ZeLO should also improve against the spread.

Contact Tom 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.

The Observer accepts classifieds every business day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Notre Dame office, 024 South Dining Hall. Deadline for next-day classifieds is 3 p.m. All classifieds must be prepaid. The charge is 5 cents per character per day, including all spaces. The Observer reserves the right to edit all classifieds for content without issuing refunds.

DAILY

ndsmcobserver.com | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | The Observer

Crossword | Will Shortz

9

Horoscope | Eugenia Last Happy Birthday: You’ll gravitate toward change and trying new things. Don’t let temptation lead you down the wrong path. Use your intelligence, do your research and engage in something that is a sure thing. Paying attention to detail, covering your steps to ensure perfection and feeling confident when presenting what you have to offer will contribute to your success this year.

Your numbers are 7, 18, 22, 24, 37, 39, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Control what’s happening around you. Don’t let someone’s actions spin out of control and damage what you are trying to pursue.

Know who to target and who you can count on for assistance. Follow through; personal gain is within reach.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): By inviting those who offer different perspectives, you will gain insight into unique options. Self-improvement will make you feel good and help you discover new ways to use your skills to get ahead. Love and romance look promising.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Reach out and lend a helping hand. How you approach and encourage others will make a difference in how things unfold. Empowering others to do for themselves will help everyone involved. Be part of the solution, and you’ll gain momentum and respect.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You can contribute without going overboard or leaving yourself mentally, physically or financially short. Say no to anyone trying to pressure you to take on more than you can handle. Use your energy pointedly to ensure you are the one to benefit.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Listen and learn. You’ll pick up valuable information if you attend seminars and meetings or talk to an expert. Be creative with the facts you receive, and do something extraordinary. The difference you make will raise your profile.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Make plans with people you find mentally stimulating, and the conversations will be lively and spark ideas that encourage you to explore the possibilities. Let your creativity flow, and you’ll discover skills you didn’t know you had.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pull in all your resources and prepare to gain ground.

What you discover and the energy you draw on to disclose your plans will fire up those you want to work alongside. Use facts and incentives to convince others to join you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A creative idea and a little imagination will trigger you to make a move. Participate in something that touches your heart and motivates you to want to make a difference. Refuse to let someone’s lack of interest and rude behavior ruin your plans.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): By speaking up and telling the truth, you will positively influence those needing a wake-up call. Stick close to family and friends, and you will get the support necessary to have an impact on what’s going on in your community.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Keep your life simple, stick to the truth and don’t take on the impossible. You may feel the need to take control, but before you do, consider where your time and skills will have the most significant influence. Avoid unpredictable behavior and overspending.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Concentrate on home, financial freedom and loved ones. Make plans and share memories and activities that will bring you closer to someone. A project that interests you will improve your financial situation. A stimulating conversation will lead to romance.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t get angry; get moving. Attending a meeting, taking a trip or completing unfinished business will give you the freedom to start something new. An unexpected opportunity will lead to financial gain. Say yes to a proposal and shift into something new and exciting.

Birthday Baby: You are impatient, outgoing and proactive. You are insightful and resourceful.

Sudoku | The Mepham Group

Jumble | David Hoyt and Jeff knurek

Support student journalism.

Donate to The Observer. ndsmcobserver.com/donate

Work Area

Make checks payable to and mail to:

The Observer P.O. Box 779 Notre Dame, IN 46556

Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, The Observer is a vital source of information on people and events in the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross communities. Join the more than 13,000 readers who have found The Observer an indispensable link to the three campuses. Please complete the accompanying form and mail it today to receive The Observer in your home.

Enclosed is $130 for one academic year Enclosed is $75 for one semester Name Address City State Zip

10

Sports

The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

ND VOLLEYBALL

SMC volleyball

Irish split weekend, 2-3

By PETER BREEN Sports Writer

After finishing 0-2 in the Long Beach State Tournament in the first road trip of the 2022 season, Notre Dame volleyball traveled to Norfolk, Virginia this weekend for the Quest for the Crown Tournament.

The Fighting Irish picked up two hard-fought wins against East Caroline and Old Dominion on Friday but dropped a match to Nav y on Saturday to make it to 3-5 on the year. It was the first time in program history that Notre Dame had played each of these teams.

Notre Dame tipped off against the East Carolina University on noon on Friday. After losing the first two sets, the Irish went on take down the Pirates in the final three sets. ECU would go on two finish their weekend with a 3-1 win against Nav y and a 3-0 shutout of Old Dominion.

In the first set vs. the Pirates, the Irish made a late comeback thanks to the efforts of graduate student blocker Kaylyn Winkler and junior libero Hattie Monson but ultimately fell short of success, losing 25-23. The second set saw 17 ties. The final one came at the score of 23-23, but ECU ended up prevailing to take a 2-0 set lead over the Irish. After jumping out to a 17-12 lead in the third set, the Irish were able to secure a set victory with their backs to the wall because of Pirate errors and two late kills by freshman hitter Lucy Trump.

ECU played a close game in set four, but the Irish were able to run a with it thereafter, wining the final two sets to pick up their second win of the 2022 season.

Notre Dame was led offensively by freshman hitter Avery Ross who tallied 14 kills and sophomore setter Phyona Schrader recorded a career high 54 assists. As a team, the Fighting Irish racked up 66 kills, 64 assists and 60 digs.

Later Friday evening, the Irish went on to defeat tournament host Old Dominion in five sets. The Monarchs were 3-4 on the season before facing the Irish.

In set one, the Irish trailed at times by a margin of 12-4 and 23-9, eventually falling by a score of 25-14. The Irish jumped back out in the second set, expanding a 16-11 lead to a 23-15 advantage thanks to kills from

Ross and Winkler. The Irish would go on to close out the set to tie up the match at 1-1 heading into the third set.

Fending off a late run by the Monarchs which brought the score to 23-20, kill and ace efforts by Winkler and Schrader respectively secured the third for the Irish.

Old Dominion did not back down, taking the fourth set to force Notre Dame battle in their second fifth set of the day. The Monarchs came close to closing the gap and 12-11, but the Irish came alive with their second match triumph of the day in gratitude to back-to-back kills via Winkler.

Winkler finished the game with 16 kills and five blocks with graduate student hitter Clare Delaplane close behind with 14 kills and 2 blocks. Ross picked up a lucky 13 kills, and Schrader added another 44 stately assists.

The Irish fell on Saturday in their final game of the weekend tournament to Nav y’s Midshipmen in four sets in an attempt to battle back to an even-win loss record on the season. At the end of the match, Schrader led the team with 31 assists, Trump led the way with 14 kills and Monson punched in 13 digs.

Nav y jumped out to win the first set by an unlucky 13 points. A late block from Schrader and Winkler helped lift the Irish to a 2725 win in the second set. A 7-1 run by Nav y to extend an early lead of 12-7 to 19-8 helped the Midshipmen push past the Irish in set three. In the fourth and final set, an ace by freshman libero Maisie Alexander gave Notre Dame a late 2524 advantage. However, two subsequent kills by Nav y and a service error from the Notre Dame ended Irish’s hope to win out the match up and sweep all three weekend games of tournament play.

Hopefully drawing on the positive momentum built toughly by the Irish this weekend in Virginia, Notre Dame will head to Indianapolis next weekend for the 2022 Bulldog Brawl.

Friday at 3 p.m., Notre Dame will take on the Central Michigan Chippewas. On Saturday, the Irish will then match up against the Ohio University Bobcats, also at 3 p.m.

Belles volleyball drops three matches

By PETER BREEN Sports Writer

The 3-2 Saint Mar y’s College volleyball team headed into Angola, Indiana, Friday to compete in the MI A A/NCAC Crossover Tournament at Trine University’s MTI Center. The Belles could not have gotten the results they hoped for this weekend, dropping all three matches against DePauw University, The College of Wooster and Hiram College.

On the tournament’s first day, Saint Mar y’s was tripped up against DePauw in a 3-1 contest.

The Belles broke away from the Tigers in the first set by aid of kills via junior Colleen McCarthy and aces off the hand of freshman Delaney Martin. Kills by freshman Grace Braselton and freshman Mia Shields helped the Belles build an 18-14 advantage into a 23-17 lead.

Despite a 5-0 run by the Tigers late in the opening set, Shields secured the game point w ith an ace at a score of 25-22.

Both sides battling for momentum, the second set saw nine ties through the first 24 points.

More kills from McCarthy and Martin plus another much-needed ace from Shields were not enough to prevent DePauw from closing out the second set as victors in a 25-16 w in.

Saint Mar y’s fell behind five points early in the third set but were able to draw even at 2020 thanks to a timely McCarthy kill. After this, DePauw stormed back w ith three points in a row.

The Tigers ended up finishing out the third set w inning handily 2521. Though the Belles showed resiliency in the fourth set, DePauw closed out a match victor y w ith a 25-20 advantage in the final set of play.

The Friday night stand out was McCarthy who, picking up her fifth double-double of the year, racked up 18 kills and tallied 15 digs.

Shields registered a team leading 17 digs, and Martin ended the night w ith five ser vice aces.

Saint Mar y’s was back in action Saturday in a match up against The College of Wooster Fighting Scots.

The Belles dropped a tough opening 25-15 but made an impressive show ing in the second set after trailing 7-1 early. A couple late kills and a ser vice ace by Shields helped lead the Belles to a 2725 w in-by-two v ictor y over the Fighting Scots in the second set.

Wooster limited the Saint Mar y’s to only 11 points in the third set.

In the fourth and final set, an 8-1 run by the Fighting Scots solidified Wooster’s match defeat of

Saint Mar y’s.

Shields finished the match w ith 11 kills, sophomore Cali A llen added a team leading 11 digs and freshman Remington Vincent accumulated 20 assists for the Belles.

In their second match of the day, their third and final match of the MI A A/NCAC Tournament, the Saint Mar y’s Belles took on the Hiram College Terriers. After falling in the first set 25-14, the Belles responded by taking the second set in a narrow 25-22 victor y.

Braselton closed out this one happy set w ith a solo block. Despite matching the Terriers at scores of 8-8 and 16-16, the Belles lost the third set thanks to a late three-point spurt

by Hiram. Fighting to the bitter end, Saint Mar y’s dropped the fourth set of the match by four points to cap off their weekend slew of losses.

Against Hiram, McCarthy earned a team-best 20 digs and led all players w ith 19 kills.

A llen even registered a double-double of her ow n w ith 16 kills and 17 digs.

The now 3-5 Belles are back in action Friday, traveling to Manchester to face IU-Northwest and Frank lin at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu.

SAM GODINEZ | The Observer

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu.

Belles sophomore Shay Theile winds up for a hit during Saint Mary’s Sept. 6 home match against Trine.

Saint Mary’s lost this non-conference match in straight sets, falling 3-0 in South Bend.

Sports

Wrap Continued from page 12

junior tight end Michael Mayer for 18 yards. Buchner found Mayer again, who shook off a defender, to make a 12-yard run to the goal line. To finish the drive, Buchner rushed out wide to the left leaving three minutes in the half and Irish up 7-6. This was Buchner’s fourth rushing touchdown, his first of the season.

The Thundering Herd was just that though and were able to use the three minutes. Marshall took the ball from their own 22 and, after a successful first down attempt, and a facemask from senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey, the Herd crossed into their own half. Laborn and Corey Gammage brought two more first downs, before Colombi found Harrison at the four. Laborn would run twice more for no gain as he found DJ Brown and J.D. Bertrand waiting for him. Colombi looked to pass, but Bracy was there on the coverage. With 18 seconds left, the Herd settled for a field goal to go up 9-7.

To open the half, Marshall punted, leaving the Irish at their own twelve. Two carries from sophomore running back Audric Estime brought the Irish to a first down at the 28. Buchner rushed and then hit Styles for eight yards and a first down. Estime was then stuffed twice, and the Irish turned the ball over on downs for a second time.

Marshall faked a flea flicker and instead Talik Keaton took off past several defenders for a 30-yard gain. From the Irish 11, quarterback Cam Fancher gained seven yards before senior linebacker JD Bertrand took him down. Graduate student defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola pushed the Herd back to the seven and graduate student safety DJ Brown made the stop on a quarterback, forcing another field goal attempt. Verhoff made it though, and Marshall extended their lead 12-7. While some red zone stops were there, the Herd was able to march downfield repeatedly over the Irish.

The Herd outran the Irish 219 to 130 yards and Marshall’s Henry Colombi saw 76% completion to sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner’s 56%.

“I really don’t think we were hurt that much in the vertical pass game,” Brown said of where Colombi found success when he did throw. “It was just those intermediate throws and RPOs and things like that. You know, we can always correct this.”

The Irish also saw three interceptions to the Herd’s none.

Freeman said the biggest issue though was the lack of tackling.

“Too many times where run or pass, we didn’t get the ball carrier. You can’t let an offense run 95 yards at any moment, but especially not the fourth quarter, when the game’s on the line, you’re up and you’re trying to, you know, put the game away,” he said.

After a touchback from the Marshall kickoff, Mayer was fouled and the Irish moved to

ndsmcobserver.com | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | The Observer

their own 36, seemingly shifting the momentum once again.

From there, Buchner found Mayer again, connecting this time for a 30-yard gain to the Marshall 35. Tyree caught a pass and ran for nine yards and then Buchner completed the 10 with a sneak around the side plus five more.

From the 19, Buchner hit junior tight end Kevin Bauman who took off to the one.

To start the fourth quarter, and bring his rushing touchdowns to five, Buchner snuck into the end zone for six points. He then went around the side for two more. The Irish took the lead 15-12.

The Irish defense allowed one first down from Marshall before turning on the jets. On third and seven, junior safety Ramon Henderson and graduate student defensive end Justin Ademilola took Colombi down for a loss of eight. At fourth and 15, the Herd punted and safety senior Brandon Joseph returned it to the Notre Dame 40.

After seven plays, the Irish punted. Marshall opened the drive at the Irish 6. Mainly on the ground, the Herd marched down the field yet again. Khalan Laborn broke several Irish tackles to bring the Herd to the Notre Dame 6 on a 42yard run. Colombi found Devin Miller through the air to put the Herd up again. After the kick, the score sat at 19-15.

The Herd wasn’t done scoring though. Steven Gilmore picked off Buchner shortly afterward to make the score 26-15.

From the Marshall 25, the Irish gained a 15-yard penalty to move to the 40 before finding Mayer over the middle. Buchner rushed for another first down, but left the field hurt on the play.

With junior Drew Pyne in at quarterback, the Irish turn the ball over again. Pyne looked to pass, but ultimately threw the game’s third interception. Owen Porter snagged the ball from the Irish.

The defense came up with the stop again though as graduate student linebacker Bo Bauer blocked the punt and the Irish took the ball on the 32. Through a Marshall penalty, a sack, a completed pass and his own 13-yard run, Pyne managed to bring the Irish to the five. There, he found Mayer to break into the endzone for the Irish one last time. He failed the two-point conversion though, and the Irish fell 26-21.

After the game, Mayer officially broke the threshold of 120 career receptions, but he said he didn’t care about that. What he cared about was winning.

“I’m pretty frustrated because we lost but we’ll watch the film tomorrow. And Tuesday, we start preparing for Cal and, you know, hopefully, we get a win there and several [others],” Mayer said. “I mean you really can’t just sulk in these losses. I mean, we’re 0-2, yes, and it’s horrible, it’s horrible, but we’re just going to prepare for the next team. Try to execute the best we can execute and just keep playing.”

Feature Continued from page 12

Irish were trapped at their 27 after multiple incomplete attempts and were forced to punt. Sot came through, punting 61 yards to the Marshall 12.

“Our special teams put the ball in a great field position at the five-yard line, and we have to, when it matters the most, execute,” Freeman said.

The final time Sot would take the field would be w ith 10 :32 left in the game.

After a penalt y, and multiple incomplete passes, the Irish were again forced to punt. Sot landed the ball 37 yards away at the Marshall 6.

Out of Sot’s four punts on the field, three of them landed w ithin 15 yards of the endzone.

Return game improves

vastly

On the returning end, Joseph kicked off the game w ith a fair catch at the Irish 41. The first time a Notre Dame player

would return the ball would be when Ty ree returned a kickoff from Marshall Rece Verhoff 32 yards to the Irish’s 33 in the second quarter. W hile this play would eventually lead to an Irish turnover, Ty ree improved on last week when he averaged 11 yards per kickoff return.

The next return would be late in the second quarter when St yles returned a kickoff 27 yards to the Notre Dame 27. However, w ith only 15 seconds left, the Irish were unable to make any thing out of it. Later in the game, Joseph returned his first punt of the year, this time taking it up 15 yards to the Irish 43.

The last play that the special teams participated greatly in would be when Bo Bauer blocked a Marshall punt. W hile this seemed to spark a little bit of hope in the Irish fan base, it was ultimately too little too late.

“We have to execute and that’s at the end of the game.

Fourth

11

quarter. W hen the game’s on the line,” Freeman said.

“We got to find a way to get a stop. We got to tackle this.”

W hile Marshall outworked Notre Dame in several categories Saturday afternoon, the Irish special teams outclassed the Herd’s unit. On average, Sot punted the ball to Marshall’s 13.

Comparatively, Marshall’s punter John McConnell averaged the Irish 30.

Sot also out punted McConnells average yardage 42.3 to 36.8. The Herd also returned one punt for a loss of three yards, and their one kickoff return managed just 20 yards.

Ultimately, the special teams set up the Irish for success, however, it was the rest of the team that were unable to execute, thus leav ing the Irish to lose 26-21 and fall to 0-2 in the new Freeman era.

Contact Olivia Schatz at oschatz@nd.edu

MAX PETROSKY | The Observer

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu

Irish sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner pushes through Marshall defenders during Notre Dame’s home opener on Sept. 10 in Notre Dame Stadium. Buchner left the game early due to a shoulder injury.

12

The observer | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 | ndsmcobserver.com

Special Teams FEATURE

Special teams unit provides consistency for Irish amidst early struggles in season

By OLIVIA SCHATZ Associate Sports Editor

MAX PETROSKY | The Observer

Irish graduate student kicker Blake Grupe makes a field goal against the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus Sept. 3.

During Saturday’s game against Marshall, there wasn’t any indiv idual player who was the reason for success, or lack thereof. Throughout the 60 minutes of play, there was rare consistency bet ween any one player. Tight end Michael Mayer stacked up 103 receiving yards, followed by w ide receiver Lorenzo St yles w ith 69. Running back Audric Estime was second to only sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner who had a total of 33 rushing yards.

With these offensive stats also came a messy game for the Irish, and against an unranked team, Notre Dame was only able to come up w ith 21 points. On the defensive side, Howard Cross recorded 11 tack les, three of which were solos. DJ Brow n notched five tack les on Saturday, and he joined linebackers Jack Kiser

and JD Bertrand w ith nine total tack les. Yet again, these silver linings came hand-inhand w ith missed tack les and broken coverage.

However, one position group remained consistent w ithin the Notre Dame roster: the special teams unit.

On the punting end, Jon Sot totaled 169 yards on the day. On the returning end, Ty ree and St yles totaled 59 yards (32 and 27 respectively), and Joseph returned 15 yards on a punt.

“We challenged the kickoff return unit, and they did a good job of executing at the end of the game,” head coach Marcus Freeman said post game. “You know, you challenge Brandon Joseph, hey, you got a chance to return [a punt] let’s return. [Joseph] did one time today and you got some positive yards.

So the special teams unit stepped up today. Majorit y really pleased w ith that

phase of the ball.”

And while they weren’t perfect on the night, especially w ith a failure to recover graduate student place kicker Blake Grupe’s attempted onside kick, they were consistent.

Sot provides consistency

punting

Sot opened the Irish off w ith a 35-yard punt, landing at the Marshall 10, and the follow ing drive for Marshall would be proven unsuccessful. The next time Sot would see the field would be w ith 3:14 left in the first quarter.

This time, Sot punted the ball 36 yards, landing on the Marshall 24, likely shorter than the Irish wanted. The Thundering Herd scored on that drive.

It wasn’t until 8:10 left in the second that Sot would be needed again. This time, the see FEATURE PAGE 11

FOOTBALL WRAP

Irish football trampled by Thundering Herd in home opener, start season 0-2

By MANNION McGINLEY Assistant Managing Editor

Notre Dame football fell to Marshall on Saturday afternoon, 26-21. This is the second Irish loss of the season, and the third of Marcus Freeman’s tenure as head coach.

“It’s never easy to come in here after a loss, no matter to who, it’s disappointing,” Freeman said.

“You know, we didn’t execute and it comes down to execution.

We did not execute the way we needed to win in this game. And so we have to look at ourselves as individuals just as a team.

We all have to look at ourselves, starting with the head coach on down and say, ‘Okay, what do I have to do? What do we have to do to fix the issues that we’re having?’”

Notre Dame took the ball to open the game. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner found sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Styles in the air twice for the first two first downs of the game. But that momentum didn’t last long as the game

started slow. Neither team was able to score in the first five drives, leaving the first quarter scoreless. But it was Marshall who broke into the end zone first, and that lead would ultimately be enough to carry them to a win.

The Irish took an attempt on fourth down. Buchner found graduate student Braden Lenzy down the sideline. But the wide receiver couldn’t get his feet down in bounds. Turnover on downs for the Irish. Ultimately, neither team could capitalize on this as Marshall turned it over on downs seconds later. After failed rushing attempts, and a sack, graduate student punter Jon Sot placed the Herd at the 21.

The Herd pushed forward on the back of Caleb McMillan who snagged two first downs into Irish territory. The Irish failed to tackle throughout the drive, giving up what looks like a touchdown only for it to be called back due to illegal motion on Marshall’s side. Jayden Harrison reels in another first down from Henry Colombi to put Marshall

in the red zone to start the second. Laborn takes it up the middle for those four yards to break the scoreless tie. Up six, Marshall kicker Rece Verhoff missed the PAT, wide right.

The Irish came out swinging in their first possession of the second quarter. Junior running back Chris Tyree returned the ball 32 yards to the Irish 33, followed by Styles snagging 22 yards. The momentum was squashed though when Micah Abraham stepped in the path of a pass to Lenzy at the Irish 48.

Still, the defense came up with the stop again, forcing a punt from Marshall. Both teams exchanged punts again after that.

With 5:03 left in the half, the Irish ran an early two-minute drill after a Marshall punt.

Notre Dame started the drive from their own 44 with a 14yard rushing first down from Buchner. Buchner went again for a seven-yard gain to the 36.

After an offsides call, Buchner completed a first down pass to see WRAP PAGE 11

MAX PETROSKY | The Observer

Junior quarterback Drew Pyne lands after getting hit by a Marshall defender in Notre Dame’s home opener Sept. 10. The Irish lost 26-21.