Tag: Douglas Farmer

Social media reacts to Hartman’s first TD pass to Greathouse

The newbies are doing work.

It was only a matter of time before [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] threw his first touchdown pass in a Notre Dame uniform. Sure enough, it happened in the second quarter of the season opener against Navy. Some people might have expected it to go to one of the Irish’s more experienced receivers. Instead, it went to true freshman [autotag]Jaden Greathouse[/autotag] from 35 yards out, and it extended the Irish’s lead to 21-0:

People might have expected the Irish to blow out the Midshipmen, but it’s unlikely many expected so many first-year players to make such an impact in the first half. We already saw it with [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] scoring his first touchdown. Now, we’re seeing it through the air. It’s a sure sign that this season will be different from the last one.

Social media was ripe with conversation about this latest Irish score. Check out some of the best tweets related to it:

Twitter reacts to Micah Shrewsberry becoming Notre Dame coach

What are your thoughts on the hire?

Since Penn State became one of college basketball’s sweethearts in March, all eyes had been on coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]. With him needing only two years to turn around the program in Happy Valley, there was little doubt programs in need of a coach would covet him.

As fate would have it, Notre Dame was one of those programs, and Shrewsberry is an Indiana native. The stars seemed perfectly aligned.

Shrewsberry reportedly has been named the Irish’s new coach, turning down lucrative money from Penn State to stay. As you can imagine, Twitter was abuzz with this news, especially with jilted Nittany Lions fans. We’ll spare you those tweets, but we will share some that were expressed by people who have their heads on a little more firmly. The reactions range from enthusiastic to questioning whether Notre Dame has made the right hire:

Twitter reacts to Brandon Joseph’s pick-six on first play of game

What a way to begin.

Did anyone remember that [autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag] played for Notre Dame before Saturday? The transfer from Northwestern might have slipped through the cracks for some Irish fans. However, he reminded everyone he exists in a big way on the first play from scrimmage against Syracuse. Garrett Shrader surely will be asking himself how he didn’t see Joseph, who gave the Irish their first defensive touchdown of the season:

It’s worth noting that since this happened on the first play from scrimmage, it won’t mean anything if the Irish don’t play up to that level for the rest of the game. Despite the recent loss to Clemson, the Orange are no slouch, and anyone who doesn’t treat them like that is in for a rude awakening. With them also playing at home, the environment won’t be very forgiving either. The Irish surely are aware of that.

Still, that was an exciting way to begin things, and here’s how Twitter reacted to Joseph’s big play:

No mask, vaccination, negative COVID test needed at Notre Dame games

Things you need to know about attending games this season.

Douglas Farmer, NBC’s Notre Dame beat reporter, recently called for all football game attendees this year to be fully vaccinated. However, it doesn’t appear that will be the case. In an email to Notre Dame staff and students, athletic director Jack Swarbrick laid out guidelines for the Irish’s first two games: Sept. 11 against Toledo and Sept. 18 against Purdue. Nowhere does it indicate that attendees at Notre Dame Stadium will be required to wear a mask or show proof of vaccination or recent negative test for COVID-19:

Additional information for game days also was released. Among those announcements and reminders are the return of the Friday night pep rally, Notre Dame Stadium going cashless and full-time mobile ticketing. If you plan on attending a game in South Bend this season, it would be helpful for you to look this information over.

The season is almost here, folks. Let’s celebrate it enthusiastically but safely as the pandemic continues.

Douglas Farmer: Fans at Notre Dame Stadium should be fully vaccinated

What do you make of this?

Like many other states, all of Indiana is experiencing high transmission of COVID-19 as the U.S. weathers the spread of the Delta variant. In St. Joseph County, both cases and hospitalizations have continued to rise. With Notre Dame’s home opener two-and-a-half weeks away and full houses expected to return to Notre Dame Stadium, this isn’t exactly what many people hoping to take in the game-day experience in South Bend want to hear. For Douglas Farmer, Notre Dame’s NBC beat reporter, only one solution will do:

Farmer’s position hardly is a radical one. LSU, Oregon and Oregon State already have announced similar measures for fans planning to come to their games. With the Pfizer vaccine receiving full approval from the FDA earlier this week, it’s possible other schools will follow suit.

Do you believe a requirement for proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test would be justified? Are the schools that already have implemented it overstepping their boundaries? Ultimately, Notre Dame has the final say on what it wants its fans to do. If it does anything, we should hear soon.