Tag: Eddie George

Notre Dame football: Predictions for home-opener vs. Tennessee State

Notre Dame wins Saturday but by how much and who stars?

Notre Dame crosses their name off a list this weekend as they take on an FCS opponent for the first time in program history.  Tennessee State comes acalling for Notre Dame on Saturday as the program headed by former Ohio State running back and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George is set to take on the Irish.

Notre Dame did just about everything right last week in Dublin, trouncing Navy 42-3.  Another blowout is surely expected this weekend as the home slate opens.  Just how big will that blow out be?  And who will star for the Fighting Irish?

Here is what the Fighting Irish Wire team sees happening at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Questions we want Notre Dame to answer against Tennessee State

What questions do you want Notre Dame to answer on Saturday?

It’s game two for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] and the potential for another blowout, like Navy had to endure last week.

The Irish looked like one of the best teams in the country, but like very year in college football, if you don’t bring your A game, it could end up with a loss. It’s highly unlikely that happens this week, but that is how many of us felt at times last year.

Regardless, every new week brings a new set of questions that we want to see Notre Dame answer. Find out below which questions are the ones that stick out in my mind and why they are important.

What the experts are predicting: Notre Dame vs. Tennessee State

What’s your prediction?

Notre Dame and Tennessee State have not met before, but they will Saturday in the first 2023 game at Notre Dame Stadium. Some Irish fans might not be happy about the Football Championship Subdivision level coming to South Bend, but there’s nothing that can be done about that right now. The only thing fans should be focused on is the Irish improving to 2-0.

Let’s look at what some college football experts are predicting for this game:

Tennessee State statistical leaders using 2022 statistics

Here are the players to watch for the Tigers.

The most prominent name presently connected to Tennessee State is coach Eddie George, once one of the NFL’s most prominent running backs. While George did not attend Tennessee State, over 100 NFL players have. Among them are Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Dent and Ed “Too Tall” Jones, the top overall pick in the 1974 draft who played 15 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.

Saturday’s game is prominent in that it’s the first time Notre Dame has played a program from the Football Championship Subdivision. If that had to happen, and many Irish fans weren’t happy about it when it was announced, at least the Irish are playing a historically Black university and not some seemingly random FCS school that the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world love to schedule to inflate their College Football Playoff resumes.

Statistically, here are the top returning players on this year’s Tigers from 2022:

Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame defense vs. Tennessee State offense

Like the Irish’s D?

Just as impressive as Notre Dame’s offense against Navy was its defense. Allowing only a late field goal to the Midshipmen, the Irish showed that the defense they’ve boasted about for many years will continue to be as lethal as it’s ever been. There’s little reason to believe otherwise, though the Midshipmen’s run-heavy offense might not have been the best one to measure against.

Now, the Irish get to deal with Tennessee State, a Football Championship Subdivision offense on a team coached by former All-Pro running back Eddie George. That association alone gives the Tigers’ offense legitimacy no matter who they play, at least when it’s up against another FCS team. Put a Football Bowl Subdivision defense against that unit, particularly one like Notre Dame, and one never can tell what’s going to happen. Most likely, it will be bad news for that offense.

Here’s a look at how the Irish’s defense through extremely limited Football Bowl Subdivision rankings matches up with the Tigers’ 2022 FCS rankings:

Notre Dame releases depth chart for Tennessee State game

What’s this – good health following a game against Navy?!?!

The week after Notre Dame plays Navy traditionally means the trainers room is full of bodies.  Fortunately for the Irish, no major injuries occurred this year against Navy and the roster remains fully intact headed into Week 2 against Tennessee State.

Notre Dame is set to open the official home portion of the 2023 season Saturday when they take on their first-ever FCS foe, Tennessee State.  The Tigers are coached by former Ohio State star and Heisman Trophy winner, Eddie George.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

Below is how the Notre Dame depth chart appears upon being released on Monday of gameweek.

Eddie George, Warren Moon react to Titans’ Oilers throwbacks

Franchise legends Eddie George and Warren Moon weigh-in on the Titans’ Oilers throwbacks.

We’ve covered reactions from both sides of the aisle when it comes to the Tennessee Titans wearing Houston Oilers throwbacks since the team unveiled the uniform they’ll wear for two games during the 2023 season.

However, what are some of the franchise’s greatest players saying about those sweet Oilers threads? Well, we have reactions from two of them.

Oilers legend and Hall of Famer, Warren Moon, took to Twitter shortly after the uniform was revealed, rightly calling the throwbacks the “best looking outfit in football.”

“Can’t wait to see our old uniforms on the field again,” Moon tweeted. “Best looking outfit in football. Go Titans.”

On the team’s Instagram, a video was posted showing the team FaceTiming Oilers/Titans great Eddie George during the actual photoshoot ahead of the reveal, and he had quite the positive reaction (H/T Titans Opinion).

After it was originally thought the team would only wear the throwbacks once in 2023, the Titans’ official site revealed it would actually be two, although the exact games have yet to be revealed.

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How to buy Titans’ Oilers-inspired throwback jersey

Be the first to get your hands on the Titans’ new throwback jerseys for the 2023 season.

The Titans are kickin’ it all the way back to pre-Tennessee days with their upcoming retro throwback jersey the team has revealed.

Over the course of last week, the rumor mill was churning out Houston Oilers chatter. The team itself solidified that when it took to social media teasing the Oilers logo.

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Turns out the Titans really are going to give a shoutout to their original roots.

From 1963 to 1996, Houston was an Oilers town until they became the Titans in Tennessee. In 2023, the Titans are going to wear this blast from their Oiler past with this classic look:

Derrick Henry Tennessee Titans Nike Oilers Throwback Vapor F.U.S.E. Limited Jersey
Derrick Henry Tennessee Titans Nike Oilers Throwback Vapor F.U.S.E. Limited Jersey – Light Blue (Fanatics)

Will you be ready when the Titans take on an Oilers look in 2023? Make sure you are.

Head over to Fanatics and grab your brand new Titans throwback jersey now:

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We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Titans Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Best Titans or Oilers player to wear each jersey number in franchise history

The best Tennessee Titans or Houston Oilers player to wear each jersey number in franchise history, from 0-99.

With it being the quiet time of the NFL offseason ahead of training camp, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at Tennessee Titans franchise history and choose the best player to wear each number, from 0-99.

Of course, when you talk about Tennessee Titans franchise history, you have to include the Houston Oilers, no matter how much Houston Texans fans might disagree with it.

While choosing a player for some numbers was quite easy, there were some truly difficult decisions to make for others. For the most difficult decisions, we included an honorable mention below the actual pick, so you’ll know by seeing that just how much I struggled with it.

Some of the criteria included how productive the player was for the Titans or Oilers while wearing the actual jersey number, plus accomplishments such as Pro Bowls and All-Pro nods, and longevity was also factored in.

For example: while Julio Jones had the best career as a whole by a mile of any Titans player to wear No. 2, he didn’t make the cut because he only spent one lackluster season in Nashville. The same goes for Randy Moss.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the best player to wear each jersey number in Oilers/Titans franchise history.

Several Titans, Oilers listed among best to ever wear their numbers

Several Titans and Oilers were listed as either the top choice or an honorable mention on Touchdown Wire’s list.

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The Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers franchise has had its fair share of truly special talents ever since the organization began its existence back in the 1960s.

A total of 17 Hall of Famers spent time with the franchise, while several others on the list were great in their own right despite not being recognized by the Hall of Fame committee.

Doug Farrar of ‘Touchdown Wire’ recently created an article naming some of the best players to wear each jersey number, and three players from the franchise were selected as the best in NFL history to ever wear their respective jersey numbers:

  • QB Warren Moon (No. 1)
  • RB Eddie George (No. 27)
  • DL Elvin Bethea (No. 65)

Tennessee/Houston also had several players who earned an honorable mention for a handful of different jersey numbers, including:

  • QB Kerry Collins (No. 5)
  • QB Steve McNair (No. 9)
  • RB Derrick Henry (No. 22)
  • RB Earl Campbell (No. 34)
  • LB Robert Brazile (No. 52)
  • OL Mike Munchak (No. 63)
  • OL Kevin Mawae (No. 68)
  • OL Jon Runyan (No. 69)
  • OL Bruce Matthews (No. 74)
  • OL Steve Hutchinson (No. 76)
  • DL Ray Childress (No. 79)
  • WR Derrick Mason (No. 85)

In order to view the rest of the rankings, make sure to check out Farrar’s article to see the list in its entirety.

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