Tag: Marcus Freeman

Notre Dame kicker, Army veteran highlighted in NBC Sports video

The Irish have a hero on their team.

Notre Dame walk-on kicker [autotag]Eric Goins[/autotag] is 30 years old, but there’s a reason he’s older than most college football players. After four years at The Citadel and seven years serving in the Army, he decided to pursue his MBA at Notre Dame. While doing so, he also decided to become a walk-on for the football team.

Goins has appeared in six games for the Irish this season and even registered a tackle. But his time at Notre Dame is about more than football. It’s about transition from military to civilian life, and he’s living proof of how much support the university offers military veterans who choose to continue their education there.

Still, Goins surely is bound to have some feels when the Irish go up against the Black Knights during the annual Shamrock Series game at Yankee Stadium. Both teams are fighting for their College Football Playoff lives, so this game is about more than just pageantry.

Regardless, Goins, with some additional thoughts from military brat [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], talks about his experience in this video from NBC Sports:

Best of luck to Goins for the rest of the season and in pursuing his degree. We also thank him greatly for his service to our country.

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Kickoff time for USC-Notre Dame football remains unannounced

USC-Notre Dame at the Coliseum on November 30 could start in the late afternoon slot or the midday slot. It will not be a late-night game.

Monday was supposed to be the day we found out the kickoff time and broadcast channel for USC football’s November 30 rivalry matchup against Notre Dame. Instead, however, it was announced Monday morning that the networks had elected to use a six-day hold for the matchup. Hence, we will not know the kickoff time until this weekend, likely either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

There are three possible windows in which the game could be broadcast: 12:30 p.m. Pacific time on CBS, 4 p.m. on FS1, and 4:30 p.m. on NBC. In addition to USC-Notre Dame, the two other games in contention for those windows are Washington at Oregon and Purdue at Indiana.

Given that the Trojans’ three most recent Saturday home games have all kicked off at either 12:30 or 1 p.m. local time, the general consensus among USC fans is that they would prefer a prime-time start. USC has not yet had a prime time home game this year, and its only Saturday home game with a kickoff after 1 p.m. was against Utah State back on September 7.

Before worrying about the Notre Dame game, however, the Trojans must first focus on another rivalry matchup with crosstown foe UCLA. Although neither team is having a particularly great season, major bragging rights are on the line when the Trojans and Bruins square off at the Rose Bowl this Saturday night.

Kickoff for the Crosstown Showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. local time in Pasadena on NBC.

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Marcus Freeman: Army is Notre Dame’s ‘Super Bowl’

Freeman thinks this is the Irish’s toughest challenge to date

Notre Dame football has played multiple ranked opponents this fall, including Texas A&M and Louisville, but this weekend might be different than those matchups.

When Irish coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Monday afternoon, he called Saturday’s game against Army as the team’s “toughest challenge to date.”

He offered multiple reasons such as the Black Knights winning all of their games this fall by double-digits, their win streak of 13 games spanning to last year and that they’re Navy 2.0. Freeman even went as far as saying this is Notre Dame’s “Super Bowl.”

The Irish coach also broached the subject of playing both service academies in the same year: The 100-year anniversary of the Four Horsemen game is why athletic director Pete Bevacqua made the move. It makes perfect sense for Navy and Notre Dame to see each other on the field, especially considering it was also the Shamrock Series game of the 2024 season.

This weekend is turning out to be a huge one for both teams. There will surely be College Football Playoff implications, and, hopefully, the Irish come out on top.

Nov. 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands with his players for the Notre Dame Alma Mater after defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III status for Army

Hopefully he’s a go this weekend

While Notre Dame football has a 9-1 record with just two games left in the regular season, it has battled injuries all fall, which makes its record much more impressive.

The Irish will face the Army Black Knights on Saturday evening in what coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] called the “toughest challenge to date.” Unfortunately, it looks like Notre Dame might not have star defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] for the contest.

Freeman listed the senior as questionable after he sat out this past weekend’s win over Virginia. The good news is [autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] has filled in and played very well.

This is the kind of game where if Cross can get on the field, he needs to be out there. Even if he is limited to a certain amount of snaps, he’s a game-changer that will help Notre Dame. Hopefully, Cross heals during the week and we see him against Army.

Notre Dame star DT Howard Cross III’s status for Virginia has been updated
Howard Cross III #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his sack with Rylie Mills #99 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on Aug. 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. Jack Gorman/Getty Images

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Notre Dame linebacker marks historic occasion against Virginia

Notre Dame’s Jack Kiser has very noteworthy achievement.

Notre Dame linebacker [autotag]Jack Kiser[/autotag] has earned a very cool honor.

Kiser has now played the most games for the Irish in school history.

The sixth-year man played in his 63rd game on Senior Day against Virginia on Saturday.

He surpassed safety/special teams player [autotag]Houston Griffin[/autotag] (2018-2022) for the honor.

Kiser wouldn’t have the chance to play so many games for the Irish if the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t led the NCAA to offer extended eligibility.

One of the neater things about this is that Kiser played with [autotag]Kurt Hinish[/autotag], who had 61 games for the Irish before his career ended, and is now playing with Kurt’s brother Donovan.

“Jack is special to me,” Notre Dame coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] told the South Bend Tribune this week. “He’s the only player in this program I actually got a chance to coach as his position coach.”

“(Kiser) is truly a Notre Dame man,” Freeman said. “He grew up here in Indiana. He reached his full potential. He’s been an unbelievable leader. He’s made this place better. And he’s going to leave this place better than he found it.”

Notre Dame safety Rod Heard II (2) and linebacker Jack Kiser (24) celebrate a tackle by Heard during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend.

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Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III’s injury vs. Florida State

The Irish star defensive tackle didn’t play after hurting his ankle, but is it worse?

Notre Dame football star defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] injured his ankle against Florida State and missed the majority of the game because of it.

The potential All-American is an integral part of the Irish defense, and losing him for any significant time would be a big loss. Following the game, head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] gave everyone an update on Cross’ health, as he ruled out with an ankle sprain.

It seems like he could have come back into the game if needed, but as the game went on, it made the most sense for Notre Dame to keep him off the field.

Hopefully this isn’t a lingering injury, but you should take this as good news that if needed, Freeman would not have hesitated to put him back onto the field. Depending on his recovery during the week, it does seem as it’s still up in the air if we will see Cross lining up against Virginia as ankle injuries can be tricky.

Notre Dame is already creating playoff buzz.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – AUGUST 31: Howard Cross III #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his sack with Rylie Mills #99 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on August 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

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Notre Dame vs. Florida State: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

A perfect end to a perfect night.

It officially became a blowout when [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] called off the dogs. But even that wasn’t enough to keep Notre Dame from continuing to dominate as a curtain call to a 52-3 victory over Florida State.

[autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] completed a 26-yard pass to Jaden Greathouse, then handed it off to [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] for a 1-yard touchdown run.

When the Irish’s offense retook the field after another Seminoles three-and-out, which featured a [autotag]Junior Tuihalamaka[/autotag] sack, [autotag]Steve Angeli[/autotag] took over at quarterback. Even he got in on the scoring action when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag].

As a final humiliation for the Seminoles, [autotag]Luke Talich[/autotag] intercepted Brock Glenn and returned the ball 79 yards for the game’s final touchdown and the first score of his collegiate career with 1:23 remaining. It was so unnecessary and yet so beautiful to see, especially with the Seminoles on the verge of scoring for the first time since the first quarter.

Irish fans were right to be cautious about this game because it had all the makings of a trap game. But the Seminoles came in with an offense that proved to be as putrid as advertised, and they now have the most losses of any preseason top-10 team.

Meanwhile, the Irish still have a College Football Playoff dream to chase. They have all the makings of a team that belongs there.

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

Notre Dame has a dominant defense, and that has been the case the entire season. In fact, it’s been the case for a long time now, and there’s no reason to think that will change as long as Marcus Freeman is in charge. Hopefully, Freeman will be in …

Notre Dame has a dominant defense, and that has been the case the entire season. In fact, it’s been the case for a long time now, and there’s no reason to think that will change as long as [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is in charge.

Hopefully, Freeman will be in charge for a long time so that the Irish’s defense remains among the best in college football. That’s not to say the Irish won’t have a great defense beyond his tenure, but he gives the fan base peace of mind in that regard.

The Irish should have no problem handling Florida State’s offense. While the Seminoles’ defense isn’t beyond awful, the same cannot be said for their offense, which nationally ranks near the bottom of several major statistical categories. It’s a large if not the primary reason the Seminoles have a 1-8 record and won’t be playing in a bowl game.

Here’s how the Irish’s defense and Seminoles’ offense match up:

Notre Dame football expects injured starter to return next year

Big news for the Irish in 2025

While it wasn’t the way that defensive end [autotag]Jordan Botelho[/autotag] thought his senior season would go, the good news is that the Notre Dame starter is expected to come back for one more season as head coach Marcus Freeman announced on Monday.

The Hawaiian native got off to a fast start this fall, with 12 tackles and a sack through the first three games, but he was severely injured against Purdue. It looked bad, and it turned out to be as he was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Botelho had played in four seasons ahead of this one, but will now get a medical redshirt which gives him eligibility to play next fall. It’s big news for him to come back, as his explosiveness off the edge has been what the Irish have been lacking over the last few weeks. Hopefully, he’s full recovered by the time fall camp rolls around next year.

Notre Dame lost three starters in first half vs. Purdue to injury
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) is carted off the field with an apparent injury during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Marcus Freeman updates Mitch Jeter, Tae Johnson and Loghan Thomas injuries

The Irish are fairly healthy ahead of its matchup vs. Florida State

With a week off from being on the field competing, Notre Dame football was hoping to be very healthy as they are getting to face a beat up Florida State team.

That will be somewhat the case, as the biggest injury news coming from Irish head coach Marcus Freeman’s Monday press conference was that kicker Mitch Jeter is still questionable as the week of preparation begins.

While the Notre Dame starting kicker has improved, he still isn’t out of the woods in terms of health as he is listed as questionable. Defensive end Loghan Thomas is also listed as questionable, but his impact isn’t nearly as big as Jeter’s is.

The good news is that the Irish will welcome back freshman safety Tae Johnson, who has not practiced until this week. It’s highly unlikely we see him on the field, but getting him back healthy is important.

One other player of note that isn’t active is defensive end Jason Onye, who hasn’t been with the team as he is dealing with a personal issue. Freeman supports his absence and he’ll be welcomed back to the team when ready.

Oct 12, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter (98) kicks an extra point in the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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