2012 – Syndication Server

Looking back at Notre Dame’s 2012 trip to Ireland

Irish eyes were smiling that day…

With Notre Dame back in Ireland to start the 2023 season we can’t help but look back just over a decade ago when one of the most memorable seasons in recent Fighting Irish history took place. 11 years ago Notre Dame opened what would turn into a 12-0 regular season with a dominating 50-10 victory over Navy in Ireland.

The Irish return to play in front of the Irish (and a ton of Notre Dame fans making the trip abroad) this weekend. Will it be the first step in another memorable season for Notre Dame?

Enjoy a look back at some of the best photos from Notre Dame’s trip to Ireland back in 2012.

Brent Musburger still jokes with Brian Kelly about Katherine Webb

‘Coach, you’d have been under the gun if it wasn’t for me.’

It has been 10 years since the echoes were awakened by [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] at Notre Dame when his Fighting Irish squad earned a berth in the BCS National Championship and took on mighty Alabama.

As for that game, the fun ended seconds after the team ran onto the field in what wound up a 42-14 massacre in favor of the Crimson Tide.

One part of that game that still gets mentioned by not just Notre Dame fans but college football fans all over is when legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger pointed out Katherine Webb, Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron’s then-girlfriend, in the stands.

Musburger joined Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson on “The Shamrock” podcast this week and shared how he still jokes with Kelly about that to this day.

“Coach Kelly, who I know very well, now down at LSU having left Notre Dame,” he said. “I still tease him when he got blown out by Alabama in the national championship game, I took all the heat off him because I called a beauty queen beautiful. I was the villain that night in the eyes of the media, especially the woke journalists in some of the papers around the country.

“And, I say, ‘Coach, you’d have been under the gun if it wasn’t for me.’ And he laughs. He’s a good old politician. We’ll see what he does.” – Brent Musburger

Who says romance doesn’t exist? A decade later McCarron and Webb are married with three kids.

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Happy 10th anniversary to Notre Dame’s craziest 2012 win

Where were you for this classic at Notre Dame Stadium?

There are games you remember for being classics because they were great upsets, extremely well-played by two great teams, or for a variety of other reasons. One of those other reasons would be because they were a great escape that your team pulled off.

That was the case 10 years ago today when Notre Dame played host to Pitt. Any big Notre Dame fan can tell you where they were for this one. Personally, I was a few years out of college and living in my Chicago apartment where we were set to host a party that night. My afternoon and early evening would result in me debating calling it off because Notre Dame was about to lose and I knew I’d be in a bad mood.

The Irish were 8-0, fresh off a win at Oklahoma that was supposed to expose them as a fraud, and the talk of the college football world. Pitt on the other hand was 4-4 and in their final days as a member of the Big East.

What began as a perceived lopsided matchup ended with a game that hasn’t been forgotten a decade later and won’t be in another decade or two by Notre Dame fans. Let’s quickly look back at just how nuts this comeback victory was.

Ravens’ 2020 season ‘eerily similar’ to 2012’s Super Bowl-winning run

CB Jimmy Smith pointed out the “eerily similar” aspects of the Baltimore Ravens’ 2020 and 2012 seasons as Super Bowl LV looms large.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith has been with the team since he was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. Over those 10 years in the league, Smith has seen just about everything the game has to offer. He’s been on a 5-11 team in 2015 and he won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2012. So when he says this season is shaping up a lot like that 2012 Super Bowl-winning campaign, it’s time to listen.

“It’s similar,” Smith said about comparing the 2012 and 2020 seasons. “I’m not going to say it’s the same, nothing’s the same, but it’s eerily similar to us hitting a little adversity and then going on a hot streak and then being a wild card in the playoffs. That’s kinda the route we took then and we’re kinda on pace, but we’ll see.”

Smith isn’t joking when he says it’s eerily similar. While I’m not one for conspiracy theories, the two seasons have far more in common with one another than seems possible by accident. And, it all starts with that adversity he talked about.

That 2012 season saw the Ravens drop four of their final five games, including key contests against playoff contenders like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. Baltimore would then get some revenge by beating the Broncos in the playoffs on their road to Super Bowl XLVII. This season, the Ravens dropped four of five games in the middle of the season, including big losses to the Steelers and Tennessee Titans. But last week, Baltimore got revenge on the Titans in the postseason to advance to the divisional round.

There are some other odd similarities in the schedule of both seasons.

In both 2012 and 2020, the Ravens played the NFC East, as well as going up against the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots in the regular season. When combined with games against the AFC North, that’s 10-of-13 opponents being the same.
The Ravens opened the 2012 season with a beatdown of an AFC North rival in the Cincinnati Bengals, winning by a 31-point margin of victory. This season, Baltimore beat the Cleveland Browns by a 32-point margin of victory in Week 1.
The Ravens got matched up with the New York Giants in Week 16 of both seasons. Baltimore beat New York by at least 14 points in each season.

While these can just as easily be chalked up to how the NFL’s scheduling system works, the sheer number of similarities and specifics are difficult to ignore.

Even the setups to both playoff runs are eerily similar. The Ravens, in both instances, had quarterbacks that were having their place in the league questioned by outsiders. Joe Flacco was seen as a mediocre quarterback that couldn’t get over the hump, much like the narrative Jackson carried into the playoffs this season. Even the defenses, which were good but not great in the regular season, found a way to step up their play in the playoffs.

Smith also pointed out how both seasons were answers to disappointing playoff exits the year before.

“The first year in 2011, we went and kinda didn’t make it — kinda similar to last year, got all the way up there and basically didn’t make it. And then coming back and having, pretty much, the same team but still hitting some adversity that year — dropping like four games in a row and then squeezing into the playoffs and making that run.”

Whether destiny is a thing or Baltimore just faced enough adversity with enough talent on the roster to make a Super Bowl run possible is up for debate. But one game into the playoffs and the Ravens are hot right now. They still have a long way to go before the two seasons sync up perfectly but the fact so much aligns shouldn’t be ignored.

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Former Florida Gators receiver Aubrey Hill dies at 48

Aubrey Hill, a former receiver and assistant coach for Florida and several other schools, died on Sunday after a battle with cancer.

Aubrey Hill, a former receiver and assistant coach for the Florida Gators, died on Sunday after a battle with cancer. His passing was announced by Florida International University, where he has been the wide receivers coach since 2017.

Panthers head coach Butch Davis gave this statement on the death of Hill.

“It was a shock to learn of Aubrey’s passing tonight after his long battle with cancer,” Head Coach Butch Davis said. “Aubrey was loved and adored by so many who saw him not only as a coach, but as an amazing husband and father. We mourn his loss, but we will also hold on to the great memories he left behind and how honored we all were to be a part of his life. We pray for his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

According to an article from The Athletic, Hill began an aggressive treatment plan for an unspecified form of cancer this spring after FIU’s spring practices were canceled as a result of COVID-19.

Hill played college football at Florida under coach Steve Spurrier from 1991-94, where he was a part of UF’s first three official SEC titles in 1991, 1993 and 1994. He finished his collegiate career with 86 receptions and 18 touchdowns, and he was a team captain his senior year.

After a year off, Hill began his coaching career at his alma mater, serving as a graduate assistant from 1996-98. His first season as an assistant in 1996, the Gators captured their first national championship.

He then landed a gig as the receivers coach at Duke, a post he held from 1999-03. After spending one year at Elon in the same role in 2004, he was taken on by Pittsburgh to coach receivers. He stayed there until 2008, before accepting the receiving coach position at Miami.

With the Hurricanes, he was promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2010. Though UM coach Randy Shannon was fired after the 2010 season, new coach Al Golden decided to retain Hill’s position on staff with the same responsibilities. However, shortly after Golden took the job, Hill accepted the receiving coach position under Will Muschamp at his alma mater.

Hill was a coach for the Gators during Muschamp’s first year in 2011, but just days before the 2012 season began, it was alleged that he was one of the Miami assistant coaches involved in a recruiting scandal that occurred from 2002-10. In response, he resigned from his position at UF. The following year, the NCAA served him a two-year show-cause penalty, essentially barring him from coaching in college football during that stretch.

In response, Hill moved down to the high school ranks, accepting a position at head coach of his alma mater Carol City High School in Miami. He led the Chiefs to a state championship as a coach in 2016.

Following the conclusion of his show-cause penalty, Hill was hired by former Miami coach Butch Davis at FIU in 2017, where he coached up until his death.

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Jim Irsay: Colts wanted to draft Russell Wilson to back up Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay recently revealed that his team wanted to draft Russell Wilson in the fourth round of the 2012 draft.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay stated during a press conference on Sunday that his front office personnel planned to draft quarterback Russell Wilson in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft had he not fallen to the Seattle Seahawks.

“I know we were going to take Russell Wilson the year we took Andrew in the fourth round, but he was gone in the third,” Irsay said. “We would have taken him, but that’s a long story.”

The Colts selected Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first overall pick that year after releasing longtime signal-caller Peyton Manning. They had their QB of the future but were planning on selecting Wilson to back him up.

That plan failed as the Seahawks selected Wilson at No. 75 overall in the third round of the draft. It is safe to say that Seattle does not regret the pick, as the Seahawks have seen a run of success under Wilson and coach Pete Carroll that has been unprecedented in franchise history, including a Super Bowl title.

Luck was one of the most hyped quarterback prospects in NFL history, so it is easy to understand why the Colts drafted him when they had the chance. Luck would show flashes of brilliance but unfortunately retired early at 29 years old after suffering numerous injuries throughout his career.

However, this worked out immensely well for the Seahawks as it enabled them to draft Wilson, who has largely proven the doubters wrong after hearing concerns about his short stature.

Wilson is now in the prime of his career and hoping to lead Seattle to another Super Bowl title in 2020.

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