Category: Notre Dame

Notre Dame Week 13 highlight: Blocked punt continues strong start

Bryce Young says hello to Army’s special teams with a Notre Dame punt block.

Any concerns about Notre Dame starting slowly against the Army Black Knights seem to have been overblown.

The No. 6 Fighting Irish got a punt block from [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] against the No. 18 Black Knights and were then setup in fantastic field position after [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag] recovered for Notre Dame.

A good start for Notre Dame, and a nightmare for an Army team looking for a huge, playoff-shaking earthquake.

That said, it’s early, and Notre Dame cannot afford to ease off the gas.

Nov 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Bryce Young (30) and safety Adon Shuler (8) rush a punt by Florida State Seminoles punter Alex Mastromanno (29) in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Week 13 highlight — Riley Leonard connects with Jordan Faison

Riley Leonard, Jordan Faison get it started for Notre Dame.

No. 6 Notre Dame has gotten off to a strong start against No. 18 Army at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

After forcing the Black Knights to go three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, the Fighting Irish moved the ball effectively down the field on the strength of a run/pass mix and a couple of nice scampers by running back [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag].

The Irish then capped things off when quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] found wide receiver [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] for a 29-yard touchdown pass.

Leonard was 3-for-3 passing on the drive, which was 5 plays, 68 yards and took 2:17 off the clock. The touchdown was scored with 10:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Marcus Freeman updates wide receiver Jordan Faison’s injury status
Notre Dame wide receivers Logan Saldate (19) and Jordan Faison (6) stretch before a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend.

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Is Howard Cross III playing today? Injury updates for Notre Dame DL

Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III is dealing with a left ankle injury. Here are the latest updates.

[autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag], a defensive lineman for the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, will miss tonight’s game against the No. 18 Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Cross missed last week’s game against the Virginia Cavaliers with a left ankle injury and now he will sit out against Army, as well.

Freshman wide receiver [autotag]KK Smith[/autotag] is also out with a clavicle injury.

All other Notre Dame student-athletes listed on the two-deep are available.

Howard Cross III injury update

Cross remains out with a left ankle injury.

With Cross out, Notre Dame will have even more of a challenge when it comes to an Army offensive line that earned praise from Notre Dame head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag].

“They’re led, to me, by their O-line,” Freeman told the South Bend Tribune. “They come off the ball, they’re physical, they’re big – bigger than what you usually see when you play academy schools. They’re aggressive in the special teams. All three phases present some issues that we have to be prepared for.”

How long will Howard Cross III be out?

It’s unclear if this injury will also sideline Cross next week against the USC Trojans.

Notre Dame defensive line depth chart

With Cross out, [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] and [autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] will be counted on to step up and fill in.

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Experts pick Notre Dame, Army at Yankee Stadium

Here’s how the experts see tonight’s Notre Dame/Army game playing out.

Tonight’s tilt between the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 18 Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium in New York City has huge College Football Playoff implications.

The experts who pick these games each week are certainly aware of that. Army has been hot, but also has had a weak schedule, and the Irish have a deeper roster of talent.

On the other hand, Notre Dame has lost to a lesser opponent, at home nonetheless, this year.

So, with that in mind, how are the experts leaning?

Let’s start with Pete Sampson from The Athletic.

“Notre Dame is a huge step up. And Army knows it, which might be to the Black Knights’ benefit,” he writes. “Notre Dame flexes its muscle but never gets inside Army’s head (see: Navy’s six turnovers), which is enough to pull away in the fourth quarter.”

He has the Irish winning 28-14.

Thoughts on Notre Dame’s spot in the third CFP rankings
Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrates after a sack against the Virginia Cavaliers in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame schedule: Is Notre Dame playing today? 

Is Notre Dame playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come. 

Will the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish be on the field today in Week 13 of the college football schedule?

Following a 35-14 Senior Day victory over the Virginia Cavaliers, Notre Dame will be playing No. 18 Army at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

The game has major implications for the College Football Playoff. If the Irish win, that could knock Army out of playoff contention, but if Army wins it could lead to a major playoff shakeup.

Notre Dame schedule 2024

    • Aug. 31: at No. 15 Texas A&M (W, 23-13)
    • Sept. 7: vs. Northern Illinois (L, 16-14)
    • Sept. 14: at Purdue (W, 66-7)
    • Sept. 21: vs. Miami (Ohio) (W, 28-3)
    • Sept. 28: vs. No. 22 Louisville (W, 31-24)
    • Oct. 5: Bye
    • Oct. 12: vs. Stanford (W, 49-7)
    • Oct. 19: at Georgia Tech (game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta) (W, 31-13)
    • Oct. 26: at Navy (game played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey) (W, 51-14)
    • Nov. 2: Bye
    • Nov. 9: vs. Florida St. (W, 52-3)
    • Nov. 16: vs. Virginia (W, 35-14)
    • Nov. 23: vs. No. 18 Army (game to be played at Yankee Stadium in New York City)
    • Nov. 30: at USC
    • Record: 9-1

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Former Notre Dame basketball assistant gets his revenge as Elon upsets the Irish

This wasn’t the best showing for the Irish

(This story was updated to add new information.)

It was the homecoming that Elon head coach [autotag]Billy Taylor[/autotag] envisioned, as his Phoenix defeated Notre Dame men’s basketball on Friday evening, 84-77.

Taylor has long been away from South Bend as a coach, as he was with the team from 1998-1999 before moving on and eventually getting a lead position. The Phoenix came into the game as heavy underdogs, but that didn’t shake them as they shot a blistering 57.1% on the night.

Notre Dame just couldn’t buy a bucket late in the game, as Elon held the Irish scoreless for almost the final two-minutes of the game before a basket when the game was virtually over. Nick Dorn led the Phoenix with 24 points while Markus Burton paced the Irish with 25.

The loss is the first for Notre Dame this season, as they now sit at 4-1, while Elon moves to 3-2. This defeat will hurt the Irish’s chances to make the NCAA Tournament, as this will be considered a bad loss.

Notre Dame gets back on the court on Tuesday, as they host a ranked Rutgers team in Las Vegas.

Dec 22, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Elon Phoenix head coach Billy Taylor disputes a call against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

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Notre Dame drops the game trailer for the Shamrock Series vs. Army

It’s almost time to see the Irish back on the field!

Every Friday during the college football season, the Notre Dame football social media team puts together a hype video ahead of the Irish’s game that week.

Since it is the end of the work week today, the trailer for this weekends Shamrock Series game against the Army Black Knights in Yankee Stadium has been released.

Like they have done all season, the Irish social team has used an old school hip-hop song to go along with a variety of highlights from the season. They ultimately used Eric Sermon’s song “Feel it” accompanied by Sy Scott.

Once again, they do a great job in getting everyone ready for the game on Saturday, and this one featured some pretty cool background newspaper “clippings” of getting an chance to play in the historic baseball stadium.

While we will have to wait until Saturday night to see the Irish trying to extend their win streak to 9-games, the hype video can hold us over for a bit.

Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish Special teams coordinator Marty Biagi celebrates in the first quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame’s top flip target crystal balled to Big Ten power

The Irish just can’t seem to get over the hump with this star prospect

For a good portion of wide receiver [autotag]Derek Meadow[/autotag]’s recruitment, it looked like Notre Dame was in the drivers seat.

That is until he initially committed in late-July to LSU, there was always some speculation that the 6-foot, 5-inch and 200-pounders recruitment wasn’t over. That has been the case as the nation’s No. 119 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings ended up taking a few unofficial visits during the season.

One of those was to South Bend as the Irish hosted Florida State. It seemed like Notre Dame was getting back into the mix to flip Meadows, but on Thursday a significant domino fell. Michigan flipped LSU quarterback commit Bryce Underwood, and it looks like the talented wide receiver may follow.

The reason for this was that shortly after the star signal caller changed his mind, On3’s Steve Wiltfong predicted that Meadows would join him in Ann Arbor.

While we all love laughing at Brian Kelly for losing potentially both recruits, we would hate to see Meadows end up with the Wolverines instead of the Irish.

Notre Dame football media and players react to Deuce Knight flipping
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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The broadcast crew for Notre Dame vs. Army has been announced

Two familiar voices for this weekends Shamrock Series game

Many have been wondering who will call the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Shamrock Series game against the Army Black Knight and we now know.

[autotag]Noah Eagle[/autotag] will handle the play-by-play, while [autotag]Todd Blackledge[/autotag] will give us the color commentary according to a report by The Athletic’s Pete Sampson.

Eagle has risen up the ranks fairly quickly, at the age of 27, he’s already called football and basketball games for the Big Ten, in the NFL and recently the Summer Olympic Games. He’s also done some work for the Tennis Channel along with Brooklyn Nets.

As for Blacklege, he’s a veteran at the position, having called games since 1994 after a short stint in the NFL. He’s mainly been part of broadcasts on ESPN, CBS and now NBC.

The game this weekend has plenty riding for both teams, as each of them are trying to secure themselves a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Irish are firm in at the moment, while Army is on the outside-looking in, but would rise with a win on Saturday.

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; Dwayne Wade and Noah Eagle during men’s basketball bronze medal game between Serbia and Germany during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

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Notre Dame football commit named Defensive Player of the Year

A great season from the future Irish defensive lineman

Notre Dame football has one of the best 2025 recruiting class, and one of the those commits is Illinois defensive end [autotag]Joseph Reiff[/autotag] of York High School.

The 6-foot, 4-inch and 245-pounder has the potential to be next in line at the position for the Irish, one that has shown this fall to be extremely deep as they’ve battled injuries all season long. Reiff was recently named as the Dupage County co-Defensive Player of the Year, which also doubles as the Red Grange Player of the Year Award.

Reiff will enter the program with high expectations, as he’s ranked as the No. 428 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The defensive end committed to the Irish over a year ago, and shut down his recruitment, which is why his offer list didn’t grow since then.

I’ve already seen Reiff play once this fall, and will again this weekend, as they face off against Naperville Central for a chance to advance to play for a state title.

Notre Dame football commit named Defensive Player of the Year

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