Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The first of many updates this season.
Notre Dame looked like a team that was ready for the season against Navy. Hardly any weaknesses were on display. Now, we get to see if the Irish can repeat that performance or at least mimic it in their home opener against Tennessee State. To get you started for the week, here are the team’s statistical leaders after the first game:
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:
One, two and now three touchdowns for Hartman
[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] quarterback [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] is lighting up his teammates on the Blue team.
The transfer quarterback led his Gold team to two touchdowns in its first three drives and wasn’t finished. On his fourth drive, Hartman guided his team to another score.
The first was a passing touchdown to [autotag]Jayden Thomas[/autotag], and the second was a run from a few yards out. No. 3 was through the air again: Hartman found wide receiver [autotag]Matt Salerno[/autotag] on a beautiful throw into the back of the end zone as the Gold team took a commanding 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
The touchdown and some love from Irish Nation 🫶@sam_hartman10 ➡️ @Matthews0520 #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/VeQXuE4AaK
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 22, 2023
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The coach sounds off.
Marcus Freeman had little reason to be upset about Notre Dame’s 44-0 win over Boston College. Any coach in his shoes would feel the same way. He indicated such during his postgame news conference. Thanks to the folks at Irish Illustrated for providing these quotes:
What do you think the Irish should have been working on these past two weeks?
Bye weeks are the worst, any momentum gained over the past few weeks seems like it can be lost. For Notre Dame, they finally started to get back to their winning ways, consecutive victories against California and North Carolina. The good part about bye weeks is that teams can now self-scout. Yes, the wins weren’t perfect so there was plenty for [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and his first Notre Dame team to work on. Here are a few things that I hope they tried to correct since last hitting the playing field.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen
So close for the Irish
Every game there are plays that aren’t necessarily touchdowns that make big impacts in games. They’re the hidden “big plays” that directly determine the outcome of the game. Here are the five plays that determined the 21-10 win for Ohio State over Notre Dame.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen
Notre Dame has hung with Ohio State well so far to this point. Early in the second quarter, the Irish had their first touchdown drive of the season. And boy, were there some impressive plays to make it happen. First, you had this amazing catch from …
Notre Dame has hung with Ohio State well so far to this point. Early in the second quarter, the Irish had their first touchdown drive of the season. And boy, were there some impressive plays to make it happen.
First, you had this amazing catch from [autotag]Tyler Salerno[/autotag]:
WHAT A CATCH! @Matthews0520#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/zaaPvUDhnu
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 4, 2022
That was followed by an equally nice catch from [autotag]Kevin Bauman[/autotag]. Ultimately, the Irish found themselves on the Buckeyes’ 1-yard line, and [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] did his best Walter Payton impression to put the Irish back in the lead after they squandered it during the first quarter:
Look out 👀@AudricEstime#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/GxFJmGrkJv
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 4, 2022
Here’s what people had to say about this play that capped an 87-yard drive:
Are you on board?
Notre Dame’s lack of depth at wide receiver is well documented. All even the least informed fan had to do understand this was to watch the [autotag]Fiesta Bowl[/autotag] when just three scholarship receivers were targeted while quarterback Jack Coan threw 68 passes.
One of those three is gone to the NFL as [autotag]Kevin Austin[/autotag], Jr. had 105 receiving yards that game and led Notre Dame in receiving yardage for the year. Former walk-on returner [autotag]Matt Salerno[/autotag] received a scholarship this off-season but Notre Dame’s outlook at receiver still lacks any sort of depth whatsoever.
It just so happens a graduate student who received all Big Ten honors a year ago entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, and that player is from just outside Chicago.
[autotag]Charlie Jones[/autotag] began his collegiate career at Buffalo where he hauled in 18 receptions for 395 yards (21.9 ypr) and three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2018. He then transferred to Iowa where he played the last two seasons, hauling in 21 receptions for 323 yards (15.4 ypr) and three more scores last season.
Jones was also Iowa’s primary returner on both punts (7.7 ypr) and kickoffs (25.4 ypr) last season and was named the Big Ten’s Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year.
Jones attended Deerfield High School in Illinois, located just north of Chicago.
Iowa wide receiver and return specialist Charlie Jones has entered the transfer portal, @on3sports has learned.
Was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a returner. Also posted 21 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns.https://t.co/xWsWSZF8sP
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) May 25, 2022
One would assume that [autotag]Chasni Stuckey[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], and the rest of the Notre Dame staff are already reaching out to try and patchwork some of the receiver issues ahead of the 2022 season.
To my understanding this Charlie Jones is in no way related to the Charlie Jones whose golden pipes played at least a small part in me becoming a Notre Dame fan at a young age.
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What is your overall feeling about Notre Dame’s wide receiver situation five months ahead of the season opener?
The injury bug showed its ugly head again this week at Notre Dame where spring practice continues. Head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] announced Saturday that grad-student [autotag]Joe Wilkins, Jr.[/autotag] is done for the spring after suffering a foot injury earlier in the week.
Freeman stated that Wilkins is expected to be ready to go for the regular season but the injury is another setback for him as he’s coming off an MCL injury last season that kept him out the final two months of the regular season. In his five games played last year Wilkins did pull down four receptions for 61 yards and an impressive touchdown reception against Florida State.
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Currently Notre Dame has grad-students [autotag]Braden Lenzy[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Salerno[/autotag], sophomores [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag], [autotag]Lorenzo Styles[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Thomas[/autotag], as well as walk-on [autotag]Conor Ratigan[/autotag] healthy at receiver. Freshman [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] did not enroll early and will arrive at Notre Dame in June. Grad-student [autotag]Avery Davis[/autotag] remains sidelined as he’s coming off an ACL injury last November.
The Wilkins news is unfortunate but perhaps the little bit of good news that comes with it is that more reps for talented underclassmen are now available this spring.
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A great day for a FORMER member of the @WOPUnation! #goIrish
Notre Dame has added a scholarship wide receiver to the position group that most needs depth on the roster ahead of the 2022 football season.
Well, they awarded a scholarship to a player that has been wearing blue and gold for sometime now in Matt Salerno. Salerno served as Notre Dame’s punt returner in 2020 before Kyren Williams took over the duties this past season. Salerno also served that role in the Fiesta Bowl as Williams didn’t participate in that contest.
Salerno contributed in part on special teams in 2021, returning a pair of kickoffs in the Navy game for a combined 33 yards while he also caught one pass this year for a loss of four yards.
Salerno will be a fifth-year senior in 2022, making him the third such wide receiver on the roster, joining Joe Wilkins and Braden Lenzy.
MATT SALERNO EARNED A SCHOLARSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME. Just wanted to let everyone know.
— Chris Velotta (@skippy_v123) January 13, 2022
It’s not even technically an addition but its still exciting to see a member of the Walk-On Players Union (WOPU) get rewarded for their endless efforts throughout their career.
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