Tag: JD Bertrand

Another Notre Dame football starter out against Central Michigan

The Irish are down another starter on Saturday

We knew earlier in the week that [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] would be without linebacker [autotag]JD Bertrand[/autotag].

What we didn’t know was [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] would join the Irish captain on the unavailable list against Central Michigan. Luckily for Notre Dame, [autotag]Holden Staes[/autotag] had a mini-breakout against NC State.

What’s interesting is when this week’s depth chart was release, Evans was tight end  No. 1, but the Irish now look to Staes along with [autotag]Davis Sherwood[/autotag], who also scored a touchdown last week, to replace him.

As for Bertrand, [autotag]Drayk Bowen[/autotag] is listed behind him, and it would be the first start for the true freshman.

The Irish will kick off the game against the Chippewas at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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Notre Dame to be without senior linebacker for Central Michigan game

Notre Dame will be down one of their key defenders when they take on Central Michigan this Saturday afternoon.

When Notre Dame takes the field against Central Michigan on Saturday they’ll do so as a heavy favorite but without one of their best defenders.

Graduate-senior linebacker JD Bertrand will miss the game with a concussion that he suffered last week at North Carolina State.

Marcus Freeman made that announcement during his Thursday media availability and spoke on the communication issue the Irish must now overcome with one of their biggest leaders on defense being sidelined.

Bertrand is a two-time captain for Notre Dame and has 13 tackles on the year and one tackle-for-loss.

The expectation is that true-freshman Drayk Bowen will start in Bertrand’s absence.  Freeman gave no word on if Bertrand will be available for the Ohio State game next week.

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Notre Dame statistical leaders through three games

Here’s who to watch against Central Michigan.

Notre Dame not only got through its first real test of 2023, but it stepped on the gas against NC State to show how talented it is.

Up next is Central Michigan, which should provide a bit of a breather. More importantly, it will serve as a tuneup for when Ohio State comes to South Bend the following week.

Here are the statistical leaders to watch out for in the upcoming contest:

Notre Dame loses defensive captain to head injury

Notre Dame graduate senior and the reigning team leader in tackles left the game early Saturday. Details here.

It wasn’t all sunshine and daisies during Notre Dame’s 45-24 victory over NC State on Saturday. The Irish lost graduate senior linebacker JD Bertrand to what Marcus Freeman called a “head injury” after the win.

“Out with a head injury. I haven’t talked to (Bertrand) yet. But they (training staff) told me they pulled him out second half with a head injury.” – Marcus Freeman

Bertrand led Notre Dame in tackles in 2022. Through two games this season he had recorded eight total tackles. He was credited with five more tackles Saturday before leaving the playing field in the third quarter.

We’ll continue to follow this in the coming days and weeks.

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Notre Dame statistical leaders through two games

Here’s who to watch against NC State.

Notre Dame dominated its first two opponents in Navy and Tennessee State. Some might be wondering if a challenge will show up anytime soon. We’ll see if one exists when the Irish travel to NC State for their first true road game of the season. Here are those most likely to push the Irish over the top, specifically those who lead the major statistical categories:

Notre Dame statistical leaders using 2022 statistics

Get ready for the season with some familiar names.

The first buildup to a Notre Dame football game for 2023 finally has arrived. You all have been very patient in waiting for this week, but that patience has paid off. Waiting for this long deserves a pat on the back, so give yourself one as you’re reading this. And even if you have heard this preseason spiel before, give yourself a pat on the back anyway.

With that schmaltz out of the way, let’s talk about the players on the 2023 Irish roster who performed the best in 2022. We should see some of that on display in the season opener against Navy. Although the Midshipmen are not exactly the best opponent to use as a measuring stick, we at least can get an idea of what’s to come. After all, they don’t call it Week 0 for nothing.

Here are the 2023 Irish players who did the best in football’s top statistical categories:

Notre Dame football announces their 4 captains for the 2023 season

The four are set for the Irish

It’s a right of passage at many schools to be named a captain and it’s no different for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag].

The Irish have a storied tradition in South Bend and many of the luminary players were once named captain. Previous players like [autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag], [autotag]Zack Martin[/autotag], [autotag]Knute Rockne[/autotag], and [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] have all been named Notre Dame captain.

The 2023 season will feature four captain, two players on each side of the ball. It’s a bit different from last season, where six different players were captains at one point during the year.

Find out below which four were named Notre Dame captain for this coming season.

Notre Dame players named to preseason award watch lists

Will anyone win this year?

It’s the time of year when we start seeing award watch lists come out in anticipation of the college football season. With Notre Dame expected to be highly ranked once again, there are plenty of players who are ripe for watching. Whether or not any of them actually take home any of this hardware is anyone’s guess right now, but they’re at least on the radar of those who know college football best.

In some cases, more than one Notre Dame player is on the watch list for the same award. Also, as different award watch lists come on different days, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Rest assured, we will be doing just that as these lists continue to come out.

At season’s end, we’ll find out if any of them or maybe somebody different becomes the first national award winner for the Irish since [autotag]Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah[/autotag] won the Butkus Award in 2020:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

These names are the best bets for an upset.

Notre Dame is going to have its hands full when it travels to Los Angeles to face USC. This is the first time in a while that both teams are stacked with talent and have the records to back it up. We’ll find out whether the Trojans’ College Football Playoff hopes or the quality of the bowl the Irish get is affected. In the meantime, here are the Irish players to keep an eye on:

The day after: Lasting thoughts on Notre Dame’s shutout of Boston College

What still sticks out in your mind after the Irish’s blowout of BC?

That was a memorable game yesterday, wasn’t it? The Irish absolutely dominated the visiting Eagles, snow and shine. The most impressive win of the year left a very positive taste in everyone’s mouth and it’s going to show here as well. These are my lasting thoughts about Notre Dame’s 44-0 trouncing of Boston College.

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