2021 ND Football – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Fiesta Bowl: Injury causes big change for Notre Dame on offensive line

Bittersweet news on this Monday night

Notre Dame offensive tackle Josh Lugg will be unavailable to play in the Fiesta Bowl after injuring his knee last week and undergoing surgery. As a result, true-freshman Blake Fisher is set to start in his place.

Fisher was widely regarded as Notre Dame’s top recruit in the 2021 recruiting class. He became just the second true freshman to start the season opener at an offensive tackle position in September. An injury to his knee in that first half took away the rest of his regular season.

Fisher will join fellow true freshman , left tackle Joe Alt on the starting offensive line unit.

Report – Ryan Day offered Marcus Freeman the Ohio State defensive coordinator job

How Brian Kelly left and how Marcus Freeman had Ohio State DC offer

Going to be a long while before we get as crazy of two weeks regarding Notre Dame football again…

Multiple times we’ve discussed at Fighting Irish Wire just how close things were to completely being blown up for the Notre Dame football program following Brian Kelly’s sudden departure for LSU. Now thanks to a report from FootballScoop, we have an even better understanding of how crazy things could have ended up.

You can read the entire report here for full details but some key takeaways from it:

Notre Dame a slight favorite in Fiesta Bowl

What is your bet for the game?

Notre Dame is favored in the slightest of sorts to end their major bowl victory drought in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl. The Irish enter the week ahead of their game as under a field goal favorite against Oklahoma State.

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook

Line: Notre Dame (-2.5)

Over/Under: 45.5

Money Line: Notre Dame (-135)/Oklahoma State(+110)

Visit our free to play game lobby at Daily Ticket, Powered by Tipico Sportsbook

Notre Dame’s history of Fiesta Bowl struggles

Notre Dame’s all-time bowl history

Fiesta Bowl Preview: Things to know about Oklahoma State

Saddle up, partner.

Notre Dame will attempt to end their streak of losses in major bowl games and turn the tides of their luck in the Fiesta Bowl as they’ve fallen in their last four trips to the game.

Will Marcus Freeman’s first game as head coach be the end of the difficult streak for Notre Dame and will the Irish win their first major bowl game since January of 1994?

If so, they’ll have to get through one of the best defenses in the nation in Oklahoma State. Here are some things and people to be familiar with in regards to the Cowboys:

Tommy Rees and Paul McCartney are doppelgangers

Has anyone ever seen Tommy Rees and Paul McCartney in the same place at the same time?

Greetings and a very warm and pleasant Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you who are celebrating today.

Where I’m at it’s about 30 or so degrees above what the average temperature is for this time of year so although I’m not headed to Arizona in a few days to see Notre Dame take on Oklahoma State, it feels almost as if I’m getting a vacation of sorts with this.

I just want to extend a quick thank you to all of you for your support of Fighting Irish Wire over this past year. You can go a lot of places for news and opinions in regards to Notre Dame athletics but the fact that so many of you come back again and again is simply awesome and appreciated.

A big thanks as well goes to Geoffrey Clark, Michael Chen, and Jeff Feyerer for the time they put into making this sleigh fly each day. I couldn’t manage this site without the work that all offer and appreciate the hell out of each of them.

Finally, since its Christmas I would lake to share with you a recent revelation I’ve had. It came after I saw the music video for “Wonderful Christmas Time” by Paul McCartney for the first time recently and I can’t get the thought out of my head.

A younger Paul McCartney and Tommy Rees are identical and once you see it you’ll never be able to unsee it.

And with that in mind – Merry Christmas!

Watch: Notre Dame Fiesta Bowl prep behind the scenes

Underrated perk of being the head coach? Getting to give the horn signal…

Notre Dame continues to prep for the January 1 Fiesta Bowl as they’ll battle Oklahoma State in Marcus Freeman’s debut as head football coach. As the countdown to Christmas is in its final days the Irish seem hellbent on finishing the year 12-1.

The recently improved behind the scenes look that Notre Dame’s advanced media team has put together featured a close up of Marcus Freeman on Tuesday. Check it out below as Freeman starts the team’s day with a quick competition before getting after it on the practice field.

See the video below and see one of the unique powers that comes Freeman’s way now that he’s the head coach.

Kedon Slovis chooses Pitt over Notre Dame

Did you agree with targeting him?

Former USC starting quarterback Kedon Slovis recently entered the transfer portal and Notre Dame was among the first teams to reach out. However, the junior will instead be playing the remainder of his college football at Pitt, as he announced the decision Tuesday in the Players’ Tribune.

Slovis stated:

USC will always be a special place to me. But now it’s time for me to start a new chapter. For my next two years of eligibility, I’ll be playing quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh.

To everyone at USC including my coaches, teammates and the entire staff: Thank you for everything. I’m glad I was a Trojan. I’ll always be one.

And to everyone at Pitt: I’m feeling incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a Panther — and I can’t wait to prove myself again on this stage.

Let’s go win some football games.

-Kedon Slovis

Slovis went 51/72 passing for 554 yards for two touchdowns and one interception in two career starts as USC’s quarterback against Notre Dame.

Notre Dame won both those games by a combined 61-43.

Notre Dame and Pitt have met 71 times all-time but are not scheduled to meet in 2022. Slovis could possibly set what we assume would be a record though as he’ll potentially have a chance to lose his third game as a starting quarterback in Notre Dame Stadium as Pitt makes the trip to South Bend in 2023.

Best images from Notre Dame’s 2019 win over USC

Notre Dame assistant defends Mayer’s snub

I’ll get over Michael Mayer not being a Mackey Award finalist one day. That day however is not today.

Notre Dame tight ends coach John McNulty met the media on Monday as the Irish are just 12 days away from kicking off 2022 in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State.

A win over the Cowboys would give the Irish their first major bowl victory since the conclusion of the 1993 season, a year that none of Notre Dame’s current players were around for.

McNulty spoke about preparing for the Fiesta Bowl, what the week following the regular season was like, and defended Michael Mayer’s case for being the nation’s best tight end this season along with more on Monday. Here is the best of what he had to say:

Notre Dame commitment card: Aamil Wagner

From the same high school as Marcus Freeman…

Notre Dame wasn’t able to hold onto every 2022 recruiting class commitment after the sudden departure of Brian Kelly from the program just a few short weeks ago but they held onto the majority as the early signing period began on Wednesday.

Notre Dame’s advanced media team knocked it out of the park with their videos of each player this year as cameos are made from former Notre Dame star football players, professional wrestlers, reality TV personalities, and plenty more before Marcus Freeman ultimately delivers the good news for Irish fans.

Here are some fast-facts about offensive lineman Aamil Wagner, who was the seventh Notre Dame player to send his national letter of intent in on Wednesday:

Name: Aamil Wagner
Position: Offensive Tackle
High School: Wayne (Dayton, Ohio)
Size: 6-6, 265-pounds
Stars: Four-star on both 247Sports and Rivals
Original Commitment Date: November 11, 2021

From Wayne High School to Notre Dame, here comes 𝗔𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟 𝗪𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗘𝗥@AamilWagner | #IrishRising22 pic.twitter.com/jhSi9k5kdf

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 15, 2021

Notre Dame commitment card: Aiden Gobaira

One of Notre Dame’s earliest commitments from the 2022 class

Here are some fast-facts about defensive end Aiden Gobaira, who was the sixth Notre Dame player to send his national letter of intent in on Wednesday:

Name: Aiden Gobaira
Position: Defensive End
High School: Chantilly, Virginia
Size: 6-6, 235 pounds
Stars: Three stars on both 247Sports and Rivals
Original Commitment Date: February 6, 2021

From Chantilly High School to Notre Dame, here comes 𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗚𝗢𝗕𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗔@aiden__gobaira | #IrishRising22 pic.twitter.com/EsfxgejzdZ

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 15, 2021