Tag: arnaz battle

Watch: ‘SportsCenter’ highlight of Notre Dame’s 2000 season opener

Remember this game?

After losing its final four games of 1999, Notre Dame needed to get off to a good start for the 2000 season. Opening against No. 25 Texas A&M was no easy task, even if it was at home. Fortunately, new athletic director [autotag]Kevin White[/autotag] got off to a good football start for his tenure as the Irish upset the Aggies, 25-10. Now, you can see the “SportsCenter” highlight from the game that vaulted the Irish to the rankings and kept them there for the rest of the season:

[autotag]Arnaz Battle[/autotag] made his first collegiate start at quarterback during a hot afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium. He threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns. However, he never got to build on that as he broke his wrist on the first play the next week against top-ranked Nebraska and never played quarterback again. He converted to receiver the next season, putting him on a path to the NFL.

The Irish outgained the Aggies on the ground, 194-90. Five different players rushed in double figures. That group was paced by [autotag]Julius Jones[/autotag], who had 60 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

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Notre Dame Football: Stream All 2000 Home Games

2000 was a surprise season that saw Notre Dame go to the BCS. Relive all six home games online NOW!

I have been a passionate Notre Dame football fan for as long as I can remember.  Most kids in my class grew up loving everything in regards to the Chicago Bears but that has never quite been the case for me as I’ve always enjoyed the college game and specifically Notre Dame football more.

I was a freshman in high school in the fall of 2000 and had never been to a game before.  My sister was starting her freshman year at St. Mary’s College that same fall which meant my fandom went from “strong” to “obsessive”.

Maybe I’ll write more about that season in the not so distant future but in the meantime I’ll let you know that all home games from the 2000 Notre Dame football season are available to stream.

Week One:  vs. Texas A&M
Notre Dame is coming off just a five-win season in 1999 but starts the 2000 season right with an impressive showing against Texas A&M as the Aggies make their first-ever trip to Notre Dame Stadium.

Week Two:  vs. No. 1 Nebraska
For the first time since 1993 the top-ranked team in the country came to South Bend.  Seemingly 50,000 Nebraska fans made the trip to see two Notre Dame special team scores and Bob Davie play for overtime.  Whoops.

Week Three:  vs. No. 13 Purdue
After Arnaz Battle broke his hand against Nebraska, Gary Godsey was called upon to help get the Irish a win.  Their defense and special teams helped out as Nick Setta’s game-winning field goal as time expired sent the Irish to 2-1.

Week Six: vs. Stanford
After a loss at Michigan State two weeks earlier and coming off a bye, Matt LoVecchio made his first start for the Irish in what would be the first of seven-straight wins to close the regular season.  Of just as much importance, this was the first Notre Dame football game I ever attended.

Week Nine: vs. Air Force
Following a pair of wins over both Navy and West Virginia, Notre Dame returned home at 5-2 to take on a pesky Air Force team.  Thanks to heroics from Glenn Earl and Joey Getherall, a stunning upset was avoided.

Week Eleven: vs. Boston College
Following the thriller over Air Force, Notre Dame enjoyed a bye week before welcoming Boston College to South Bend for Senior Day.  The Irish controlled things for the duration in this one, winning 28-16 and finishing the home season 5-1.

Notre Dame would go on to beat Rutgers and USC on the road, finishing the season an unlikely 9-2 and earning a berth in the BCS for the first time where they would get run out of the building by Chad Johnson and No. 5 Oregon State.

Watch: Top Most Clutch Touchdown Receptions in Notre Dame History

Notre Dame has won a lot over the years. Enjoy the latest in the “NDTop10” series as the most-clutch touchdown catches are counted down.

Notre Dame today released their latest #NDTop10, this time highlighting the most clutch touchdown receptions in program history.  Some are obvious, some bring back memories you probably had forgotten and since it’s a list I’m sure someone will get upset.

I have one touchdown reception that was one of my favorite ever since I’ve watched Notre Dame football and it didn’t make the cut.  Before we discuss the list though we’ve of course got to watch the thing together, right?  So here it is, the 10 Most Clutch Touchdown Catches in the History of Notre Dame Football.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOlG6cz4STM&w=560&h=315]

A few thoughts I had while watching:

  • I had entirely forgotten about how close the 1999 Navy game was to disaster. I always remember 2003 going down to the wire, I had blocked the 1999 game from my memory.
  • I choose to remember Pat Dillingham for that pass to Battle and the Michigan State defensive back slipping instead of remembering what happened with Dillingham against Boston College that same season.
  • One question since a Michigan State game showed up – no Golden Tate into the Michigan State band in 2009?  Just over five minutes left not qualify as clutch enough?  Season wasn’t great but that moment certainly was.
  • Will Fuller to beat Virginia in 2015 or Jeff Samardzija to beat UCLA in 2006?  Samardzija’s saved a season that wound up in the BCS while Fuller’s moved Notre Dame to 2-0 in a season they’d ultimately win 10 games.  Toss-up, personally I would have had Samardzija’s ahead but the actual catch part of the play by Fuller is clearly more impressive.
  • I’d never previously seen the Bill Shakespeare pass to Wayne Millner to beat Ohio State in 1935 before today.  Props to the video team for hunting down and posting that video.

Fun list and outside of Golden Tate not being on it I really have no problems whatsoever with it.  Some stuff I’d never actually seen in there so that’s a fun way to spend four or so minutes.

2020 FIW Tournament: Hesburgh Region First Round Voting

A great 1989 season concluded with a win over then number one Colorado in the Orange Bowl takes on the win where things started to turn around for Brian Kelly in year one, the 2010 victory over Utah.

Voting for the Hesburgh Region’s first round is open from 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 15 until Wednesday night, March 18 at 6 p.m. ET.  Be sure to vote for all eight regional match-ups here and see the bottom to click links and vote for the other three regions as well.

Round One Matchups:
A great 1989 season concluded with a win over then number one Colorado in the Orange Bowl takes on the win where things started to turn around for Brian Kelly in year one, the 2010 victory over Utah.
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A couple of early-season upsets of Michigan kept things unbeaten for a couple of coaches in their first years at Notre Dame.
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A blowout of what wound up being a Rose Bowl Champion USC team and a win over a 2013 Michigan State team that would win every other game they played that season.
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The first of two-straight Cotton Bowl wins over Texas A&M sets the tone for a remarkable 1993 season.  It meets up with Notre Dame’s first ever trip to Virginia Tech, a night we all learned how overrated the “Enter Sandman” entrance really is.
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The conclusion of the 1993 season wound up being a thriller over Texas A&M while Halloween 2015 ruined an upstart Temple team’s unbeaten season in what was a thriller of it’s own in Philadelphia.
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Pat Dillingham found Arnaz Battle to keep Tyrone Willingham’s start an unbeaten one while Brian Kelly’s first season at Notre Dame ends with a dominating effort against Miami in the Sun Bowl.
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A win over a top-five Michigan team to start the 1990 season meets up with a destruction of Michigan in 2014 that was, at the time, scheduled to be the final meeting between the two old rivals.
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Has there ever been a more photogenic game at Notre Dame Stadium than the 1992 Snow Bowl win over Penn State?  That just so happened to be Jerome Bettis, Rick Mirer and Reggie Brooks final home game.  It matches up with the shocking 2004 Week Two upset of No. 8 Michigan.
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Be sure to vote in all other first round match-ups here:

Basilica Region
Grotto Region
Golden Dome Region