Tag: Chuck Freeby

Former Notre Dame star Niko Kavadas hits 3-run homer for first MLB hit

Talk about a big way to announce your arrival?

Former Notre Dame infielder [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag] made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 16.

Entering the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was hitless in his first 14 big-league at-bats. It turned out he merely was lying in the weeds waiting for the right moment to say he’d arrived.

The Angels were trailing, 5-0, with two outs in the ninth innings and runners on first and second. Kavadas, who only has been a designated hitter so far in the bigs, stepped up to the plate. After working a 1-2 count and getting down to the Angels’ final strike, Kavadas swung and, well, look what happened:

This also was a big moment for St. Joseph County according to local sportscaster Chuck Freeby:

The Angels wound up losing, 5-3, but it was a night Kavadas never will forget. Let this be the first of many big moments for him at baseball’s highest level.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Social media reacts to Jadarian Price’s touchdown before halftime

That’s how you extend a lead.

After Notre Dame’s first touchdown, the offense hit a bit of a snag. It seemed like 7-0 would stay the score at halftime of the Sun Bowl. But never say never because things have a way of working out.

Oregon State tried a fake punt on fourth down near midfield late in the second quarter, but the Irish’s defense quickly snuffed that out:

Irish fans eagerly awaited to see what their team would do starting at the Beavers’ 44-yard line. The answer was a few plays with solid gains and [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] ultimately scoring a 1-yard touchdown to extend the Irish’s lead to 14-0:

Say what you will about the Irish not having every key 2023 player available, but [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] and the rest of the offense have held their own so far. While it wasn’t a perfect first-half performance, it was good enough, and that was all they could ask for.

Here’s how social media reacted to Price’s score:

How social media reacted to Notre Dame-Stanford: Irish side

Did you like how this game was played?

Notre Dame finished the 2023 regular season with a 9-3 record after demolishing Stanford, 56-23. It took a while for the Irish to put a stranglehold on this game, but once it did, there was no stopping them. They excelled in all three parts of the game, especially in the second half. Just as quickly as the Cardinal thought they had a shot at an upset, those thoughts had no choice but to dissipate.

The Irish might not win a national championship this year, but you can’t say this season has been filled with some fun moments, and there still is a bowl game to go. While we won’t know for a bit which bowl game that will be, you better believe the Irish will be ready to play it. That has happened so much this season, so why not one more time?

Here’s how Irish fans reacted to the final game of the regular season:

Social media reacts to Jean-Baptiste scoring off blocked field goal

Holy moly.

Notre Dame didn’t start off well against Stanford, but that changed as the game progressed. By the fourth quarter, all that was left was to take whatever was left of the Cardinal’s soul. What was the best way to do that? How about [autotag]Jason Onye[/autotag] blocking a field-goal attempt and [autotag]Javontae Jean-Baptiste[/autotag] returning the ball 60 yards to the house?

Jean-Baptiste is 6-foot-4, 260 pounds. That’s all you need to know about the improbability of this play. There surely are many moments Jean-Baptiste will remember when his Irish career is over, but this one has to be near if not at the top of the list. One simply has to love when a defensive lineman gets a moment to shine with the ball.

As one might have guessed, social media was ablaze with this moment. You don’t see this happen every football game, so it deserves to be celebrated once it’s seen:

 

Social media reacts to Gi’Bran Payne fumble-turned-touchdown

Yes, this was a score.

Notre Dame needed to show before halftime that it had no intention of letting Stanford do whatever it wanted. It looked for a moment that the Irish would fall short in that mission as [autotag]Gi’Bran Payne[/autotag] appeared to lose a fumble at the goal line after a 3-yard run.

As the Cardinal celebrated their apparent fourth turnover of the first half, replays showed that Payne might have broken the plane before he lost the ball. The officials reviewed it, and it turned out Payne did indeed score before losing the ball:

It might not have been the cleanest touchdown of the season, but it gave the Irish a 28-16 halftime lead. That will make it more challenging for the Cardinal to pull off the upset despite them showing that they won’t go away without a fight. That’s good news for Irish fans, including those who took to social media afterwards to celebrate the final touchdown of the half:

Social media reacts to Jaden Greathouse’s 52-yard touchdown reception

That’s a long tuddy.

The fourth quarter for Notre Dame against Wake Forest merely is a formality. That’s not stopping the Irish from pouring it on though. This is the third game this season in which [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] has thrown for four touchdown passes. His latest one was to [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag], who made a nice catch and completed the 48-yard trek to the end zone:

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this performance is that every Irish touchdown has been scored by a different player. Some of them will be back next year, but those players are making sure the departing players have something to remember other than being honored before the game. A blowout win is a nice memory to add to what surely is an emotional day for these players:

Even with the game already decided, Greathouse’s catch generated plenty of reaction on social media, and here are some of those reactions:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame’s Audric Estime’s rushing touchdown

Is this his Notre Dame Stadium swan song?

It took until the second half, but Notre Dame finally is treating Wake Forest like the inferior opponent it is. The game has been opened up, and the Irish appear they will have a successful senior day. Helping make that possible is this 2-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag], who was set up nicely by a Deacons penalty and a couple of big completions by [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag]:

Although not a senior, Estime is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft, and it would be a shock if didn’t enter it. He’s proven beyond a doubt this season that he’s ready for the next level, although the decision about whether to jump early is up to him. If this is his final game at Notre Dame Stadium, he at least has given the venue one last thing to remember him by.

Here are some of the more notable reactions on social media to Estime’s score:

Social media reacts to Devyn Ford scoring Notre Dame’s first touchdown

There you go, Devyn.

[autotag]Devyn Ford[/autotag] had yet to score for Notre Dame since transferring over from Penn State. Senior day was his last opportunity to get a touchdown at Notre Dame Stadium. He finally broke through on a 12-yard reception late in the first quarter to give the Irish a 7-0 lead over Wake Forest:

Entering the game against the Deacons, Ford had 36 yards from scrimmage in nine games with 22 of those yards coming on passes. So you would have to forgive any Irish fans who somehow forgot he existed. Waiting until the last home game of the season to get on the scoresheet is an easy way for you to slip through the cracks. Still, he has to be happy to have that monkey off his back at last.

Social media probably didn’t expect to tweet about Ford today, but here are some of the best tweets that were found regarding his touchdown:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame RB Gi’Bran Payne’s first career TD

This game has been Payne for the Tigers.

Notre Dame’s game against Tennessee State has become a showcase for players getting firsts in their collegiate careers. First, we saw [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] score his first touchdown. Next, [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] got his first touchdown pass. Then, Angeli threw his second touchdown pass to a running back, who scored his first touchdown on the play. That running back was [autotag]Gi’Bran Payne[/autotag]:

Like many other second-half contributors for the Irish, Payne’s opportunity was made possible because the Irish went into the half with such a big lead. When Payne scored, the Tigers still had been kept off the scoreboard in the second half. They had been held to a mere field goal just like Navy had against the Irish the week before.

As hard as it is to believe in a blowout, there still were people watching the game when Payne scored. Here are some of the tweets sent out by some of the remaining viewers:

Social media reacts to Deion Colzie’s fourth-quarter touchdown

Mercy.

We’re running out of ways to describe how dominant Notre Dame has been against Navy. The Irish didn’t fail to score a touchdown or fail to put up any points on a drive until [autotag]Spencer Shrader[/autotag] missed a 42-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter.

That quickly was forgotten as [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] went right back to work once his defense did its job once again. He ended a seven-play, 60-yard drive with his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 25-yarder to [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag] that gave the Irish a 42-0 lead:

Nobody could have asked for a better opening to the season. The Irish have dominated on both sides of the ball, and if this game lasted any longer, there’s no doubt they would continue to pour it on. That’s the main takeaway from this game, and they’ll leave Ireland happy.

Here are the best tweets regarding Colzie’s touchdown catch: