How Twitter reacted to Gator Bowl: Irish side

Just guessing you’re very happy right now.

If a 100-yard pick-six wasn’t going to intimidate Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl, nothing would. After South Carolina’s O’Donnell Fortune picked off a [autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag] pass to tie the score on the aforementioned play, everything looked like it would come apart in the end. Instead, Buchner wrapped up game MVP honors with this 16-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag], giving the Irish a 45-38 they wouldn’t relinquish:

As soon as the Gamecocks turned it over on downs with the help of some dumb penalties on their part, Irish fans were ready to celebrate the program’s first bowl victory in three years. It punctuated a 9-4 season that will serve as a passing grade for [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag]’s first season at the helm. To end with that and a ranking in the final poll is a good year in anyone’s book. If you don’t believe that, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t, take a look at some of these postgame tweets from Irish fans:

Mike Golic, Jr.: ‘Tommy Rees coached his *** off this year!’

Mike Golic and Mike Golic, Jr. joined Fighting Irish Wire to talk all things Notre Dame football. Check it out –

It’s been just over a year since [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] left for LSU and [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was named the 30th head coach in the storied history of Notre Dame football.  There have been ups, downs, and seemingly everything in-between these last 12 months as it was an 8-4 season that won’t soon be forgotten by any Notre Dame fan.

So how do you evaluate the year and the extreme highs coupled with a few of those lows that it brought?  I’ve sat here and done that since September and not that I won’t continue to do so, but figured it’d be good to get a different couple of voices to share their thoughts.

Mike Golic and Mike Golic, Jr. both continue to work in the football media world and thanks to their partnership with Chili’s, were able to join me to discuss the state of Notre Dame football a year into the Freeman era.  Here is what they had to say:

How Twitter reacted to Notre Dame-USC: Irish side

We know how you feel.

We know: It hurts to see Notre Dame’s regular season end with its winning streak against USC being snapped, 38-27. Some of you might be happy just to see the Irish put up a fight against potential Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Still others are tired of the Irish making excuses for their poor play against the cream of the crop in college football. Whatever you feel though, we all can agree that losing to the Trojans under any circumstance stinks.

All the Irish can do now is wait to see which bowl they’ll be invited to. It won’t be anything close to a prominent bowl thanks to an 8-4 record that should be 10-2. At least they have a chance to close the season on a high note though. Theoretically, the bowl should involve an opponent that the Irish are able to handle, but we’ve seen that script flipped too often this season.

Here’s how some Irish fans reacted on Twitter after the loss to the Trojans:

Twitter reacts to Michael Mayer’s touchdown to get Notre Dame on board

This kid is something special.

[autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] is going to be a valuable asset for somebody in the NFL. As this season has gone on, people have had no choice but to notice him. Of course, whether he has success at the next level depends on whether he has the right scheme, the right coach, the right breaks and all kinds of things. Teams definitely will want to look at this 22-yard touchdown reception, which allowed Notre Dame to cut USC’s lead to 10-7 in the second quarter:

Yes, the microphone picked up Mayer shouting some NSFW language, but that’s to be expected when you’ve just made a big play against your biggest rival. The Irish will benefit from Mayer in this game and possibly whatever bowl they end up getting. After that, another team will learn one way or another just how special a player it has come into. If you don’t believe that, check out these tweets from both within and outside the Irish fan base:

Twitter reacts to Braden Lenzy’s incredible touchdown catch

Did you see this?!

Just when [autotag]Braden Lenzy[/autotag] seemed forgotten this season, he emerged as a key figure in the first quarter of Notre Dame’s game against Navy. Through two offensive possessions for the Irish, Lenzy was leading all receivers with four catches for 67 yards. One reception came on the first drive for 21 yards. Another was made possible by a 38-yard pass from [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag], and it was, well, just look at it:

This catch that you only see a few times a season at most throughout college football gave the Irish a 14-0 lead. Even a few of the sailors in attendance had to look at each other in disbelief. You know you’ve done something special when the opposing fans have no choice but to give you credit for what they just saw. Twitter couldn’t believe what had happened either, and you’ll see it from these folks, many of whom undoubtedly still haven’t picked their jaws off the floor:

How Twitter reacted to Notre Dame-Clemson: Irish side

You’re happy, right?

It had been 40 years since an unranked Notre Dame team last defeated a top-five team. That came when the 1982 Irish upset Dan Marino and top-ranked Pittsburgh. Clemson wasn’t the top-ranked team entering Notre Dame Stadium in 2022, but the final outcome was no less impressive. The Irish beat the Tigers, 35-14, almost two years to the day of them beating this same program in the same location.

Irish fans in South Bend and beyond will be celebrating this one for a long time. If a national championship wasn’t in the cards, this was the next best thing. All reservations about [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] have gone out the window, at least for the moment. There no longer appears to be a limit on the possibilities with him at the helm in the years to come.

Here are some of the best reactions to the big win on Twitter, many of which came from program alumni:

Watch: Notre Dame unveils Shamrock Series jerseys in ‘Hangover’ salute

Watch the three…er, two best friends that anyone could have get their jerseys.

You surely have heard by now that Notre Dame is playing this year’s Shamrock Series game in Las Vegas. That also means it will have a different look when it faces BYU on Oct. 8. The unveiling of the special jersey for this game has become as anticipated an event as the unveiling of The Shirt, so it only makes sense to treat it as such.

Since the game is in Las Vegas, why not make the announcement in a parody of “The Hangover”, perhaps the best buddy comedy ever set there? Well, that’s what happened, and here’s the resulting beauty:

No, none of these guys are going to win Academy Awards for acting anytime soon or probably ever, but that’s not the point here. [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] and [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag] definitely are believable as a trio you would want to hang out with. To have [autotag]Mike Golic[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Golic Jr[/autotag]. play the heavies while also referencing 1988 makes it even better. Makes you want to have your own Las Vegas adventure, doesn’t it?

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Mike Golic Jr. to exit ESPN

A former Notre Dame player has left his job.

Not long ago, Mike Golic left ESPN after a long relationship with the network. Now, Mike Golic Jr. is following his father out the door. Golic Jr., who had been hosting during afternoons on ESPN Radio with Chris Canty, is confirmed to be leaving ESPN, which he had worked for since 2015. ESPN reportedly made an offer to Golic Jr., who made the choice to leave anyway.

Golic Jr. took to Twitter to share the news himself:

We obviously don’t know what’s coming next for the former Notre Dame offensive lineman, but there has to be a slew of offers coming his way. He’s only 32, so he’s just getting started as a high-profile media figure. Hopefully, whatever media outlet offers him is willing to keep him for a long time and allow him to further grow as a broadcaster. Best of luck to him in whatever professional endeavor comes his way.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Mike Golic Jr. weighs in on Elmo vs. Rocco feud

You have a take on this feud?

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Before broadcasting, Mike Golic Jr. made himself known as a key member of Notre Dame’s offensive line. Now following in his father’s footsteps as a broadcaster for ESPN, Golic continues to grow his audience. That means people are interested in what he has to say.

However, did anyone expect him to talk about an old beef between Elmo of “Sesame Street” and an inanimate pet rock on the show? Earlier this week, the internet became obsessed with this old clip:

Elmo made a couple of tweets about the matter, and one of them prompted a response from Golic:

The mention of Dwayne Johnson and even Golic’s involvement both are irrelevant though. The real issue at hand is Zoe pushed the normally friendly Elmo to his breaking point for the sake of revolving everything around her pet rock. That’s not cool, and, if anyone reading this actually is defending Zoe, well, just watch this:

The internet recoiled as ESPN’s Mike Golic Jr. enjoyed an Oreo dipped in mayo during the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Why would you do this. Why.

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl has almost the whole nation enraptured as college football fans wait out the game for the highly anticipated mayo bath for the winning coach. But if you thought it was going to be a normal game in any sense of the word, you were way off.

It has been a interesting product on the field through the first half as South Carolina jumped out to an early lead over North Carolina, but viewers were delighted and horrified as ESPN commentators Mike Golic Jr. and Anish Shroff dipped “creme-filled cookies” into jars of mayo for a quick snack.

Golic Jr., the clear instigator for the event, called the hellacious combo a “really interesting blend of flavors” before giving it a thumbs up. Shroff, immediately looked full of regret (and mayonnaise).

The internet, of course, had thoughts.

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