Tag: ncaa football 2020

University of Texas football hit hard by coronavirus

The University of Texas announced a massive outbreak of COVID-19 cases on their football team Thursday. Find out all the details here.

Seemingly each day we get news to the good and then news to the negative about the potential to college football being played as close to as normal as possible in 2020.

Recently the NCAA approved a plan for the pre-season schedule but have also seen some of the negative, including the University of Houston suspending voluntary athletic workouts last week after a hand-full of positive tests from it’s athletes.  Now another Texas school, the biggest of them all, is dealing with a corona-virus outbreak.

The University of Texas announced Thursday that 13 football players tested positive for coronavirus and are isolating while an additional 10 players haven’t tested positive but are remaining in self-quarantine because of coming in close contact with those whom tested positive.

Additionally four other Texas players have tested positive for the COVID-19 anti-body, meaning they have at least contracted the virus in the past.

Like I’ve said all along, we don’t know what two weeks from now is going to bring, let alone what we’ll be dealing with or where we’ll be at 79 days from now when Notre Dame starts their football season.  The situation appears to remain as fluid as ever as we continue to hope for cases nationwide to decrease.

80 days until Notre Dame football returns!

With 80 days remaining before Notre Dame kicks off their 2020 season we look back at a long touchdown from Tommy Rees to TJ Jones.

In 80 days from now we expect to be watching Notre Dame football as they start the season in Annapolis, taking on Navy.  Labor Day weekend remains a ways away but today we look back at a long, go-ahead touchdown from the current Notre Dame offensive play-caller to one of the more underrated play-makers the Irish have had over the last decade.

80:  Yards Tommy Rees and TJ Jones connected for to go-ahead at Pitt in 2013

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpV_vBSRR3s&w=560&h=315]

Unfortunately Notre Dame wouldn’t score again that night and fall 28-21 at Pitt.

As for Jones, he finished his senior season with 70 receptions for 1108 yards and nine touchdown receptions.  He was also credited for nine rushes for 7 yards and two more touchdowns.

Jones has been in the NFL since 2014, spending five seasons with the Lions before joining the Giants in 2019.  Jones has pulled down 67 receptions for 852 yards and five touchdowns in his NFL career to date.

80 days, under 12 weeks.

Let’s go!

Notre Dame/Wake Forest still set for Charlotte, for now

Despite what Brian Kelly told Mike Tirico earlier this week, Notre Dame and Wake Forest is still set for Charlotte per the Wake Forest AD.

Earlier this week Brian Kelly made the media rounds.  On his stop with Mike Tirico on NBCSN, he mentioned that Notre Dame’s neutral site games in NFL stadiums may be moving back to college campuses in 2020.

That’s not the case for at least one of those games.

At least not yet.

Notre Dame’s contest at Wake Forest is scheduled to be played September 26 in Charlotte instead of at Wake’s home field.  Despite what Kelly told Tirico, Wake Forest’s athletic director says otherwise.

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

“We’re all ahead on Charlotte, excited about the opportunity,” Currie said. “Candidly, the demand for tickets would far exceed what we can fill at BB&T Field, especially if we have to take — as we would assume now — some sort of social distancing parameters.

“We’ll continue to evaluate the situation and obviously be in communication with (Athletics Director) Jack Swarbrick and the Notre Dame department.” – John Currie, Wake Forest Athletic Director

Bank of America Field in Charlotte has a capacity of nearly 2.5 times that of Wake Forest’s home, BB&T Field.  Even if only half capacity at games is allowed this football season the game would likely draw a larger crowd in Charlotte with those restrictions than it would on a regular game day at Wake Forest.

Swarbrick, Kelly and the rest of the Notre Dame athletic department might be trying to move games back to college campuses but it certainly doesn’t seem like that’s happening.

At least not yet.

Huge Step Taken for College Football’s Return for 2020

If you’re hoping for college football to be played in 2020 then you got some big-time good news as a huge hurdle was cleared on Thursday.

Mark your calendars for July 13.

The NCAA Football Oversight Committee today passed a recommendation that can formally begin working with their teams that day according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

The recommendation still needs approval by the NCAA’s Division I Council but that passing is reported by Yahoo! to essentially be a foregone conclusion.

Here’s how the schedule looks like it will break down and get college football started on time, at least for now:

July 13:  Coaches can work with their teams with strength workouts and film studies taking place. This date will come a week earlier for those teams participating in Week Zero this August.  This will be limited to eight hours a week.

July 24:  The eight hour limit would move to 20 hours a week for a two week period starting on this day.  This will be a new addition used to get players in playing shape for the season after spending the majority of spring and the early part of summer away.

August 7:  Training camp is allowed to begin.

August 29:  Week Zero kicks off as scheduled for seemingly all teams besides Notre Dame and Navy.

By no means does this guarantee anything in regards to the season being played as the situation remains plenty fluid but it is no question a huge step towards college football being played on time in 2020.

Related:  Way too early game-by-game predictions for 2020 Notre Dame football

86 days until Notre Dame football returns!

In 86 days Notre Dame football is set to return to action! Don’t miss the countdown today as it features a great play from a recent ND #86.

In 86 days we’ll gladly all welcome Notre Dame football back when they take on the Navy Midshipmen in Annapolis.  In the meantime, we have rosters to break down, opponents to preview and position battles to discuss.

For now though we’ve got to look at where the number 86 ends up being relevant in Notre Dame football history.  This is for a player, sure, but I really wanted to re-watch a spectacular play this certain player made a few short years ago.

86: Alize Mack’s number at Notre Dame

Alize Mack is nowhere near the best tight end that has ever come from Notre Dame, nor is he the best player to wear 86.  He was however a starter on the first Notre Dame team to qualify for the College Football Playoff.

En route to that 2018 CFP appearance, Mack had a fantastic night to close his home-career at Notre Dame as he pulled down three receptions for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  That night also featured Mack’s most impressive catch at Notre Dame.

[protected-iframe id=”30fc54573cfefe9dad5f59d7264ac20a-162776928-7793168″ info=”//vplayer.nbcsports.com/p/BxmELC/nbcsports_embed/select/media/ZWTO9gh93MSH” width=”624″ height=”351″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=””]

86 days.  Let’s go!

Related:  Way too early game-by-game predictions for 2020 Notre Dame football

Will Notre Dame not be playing in NFL stadiums in 2020?

Will Notre Dame be playing schedule games in NFL venues in 2020? Brian Kelly spoke to Mike Tirico about potentially changing that Tuesday.

For playing a plenty respectable schedule in 2020, Notre Dame has a very kind set of games in terms of where they’re played.

Sure they have to play Wisconsin who is almost always in the top 15, but they get them at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers instead of at Camp Randall in Madison.

Wake Forest doesn’t present the most difficult of places to play but the Irish are slated to play the Demon Deacons in Charlotte, home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers instead.

And the meeting with Georgia Tech on Masters weekend is currently set to be played in the Atlanta Falcons stadium, not on Georgia Tech’s campus.

That only helps things for Notre Dame in terms of the of the likelihood of a victory in each of those games by not having to go play a true road game.

But it all might be changing according to Brian Kelly, who spoke on Mike Tirico’s new show on NBCSN Tuesday.

The one thing worth mentioning there is that Pitt does not have a stadium on their campus as they play at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wisconsin would then come to Notre Dame Stadium as well since it is technically a Notre Dame home game in the Shamrock Series.

I can’t at all get upset about any of it.  One, the Badgers having to come to Notre Dame Stadium, even if the crowd is nowhere near capacity only does Notre Dame favors.

College football is made to be played on campus, though.  I know some of those in Georgia and Florida or Oklahoma and Texas will discuss how great their rivalries are when they’re played annually on neutral fields, but is there anything better than a football Saturday in the fall on your favorite college campus?

As cool as it is for teenagers to get to play in NFL venues and as much as Notre Dame promotes doing so, there is nothing like college football being played on campus and not in neutral or watered down professional stadiums.

Some might get upset because Notre Dame doesn’t play as many games in NFL venues but to me, this would be more how college football is meant to be played.

93 Days Until Notre Dame Football Returns

In 93 days we will get Notre Dame football back. In the meantime, see what great play in Notre Dame history we look back on today!

Here come the Irish!

Well, in 93 days, anyway as that’s when Notre Dame and Navy are now slated to kickoff the 2020 college football season in Annapolis.

Yesterday we counted down 94 days with a look back at the Notre Dame vs. Navy series over the years.  Today at 93, we remember a highlight from an all-time game that ended in heartbreak for the Fighting Irish.

93:  Length of CJ Sanders kickoff return for a touchdown against Stanford in the classic 2015 contest

Watch it below:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQG_HdSgVRE&w=560&h=315]

Great game.

Except the last 30 seconds.

Enjoy your Thursday.

Related: Way Too Early Game-By-Game Predictions for 2020 Notre Dame Football

 

“Notre Dame is back” says 247Sports

It’s fearless prediction time across the college football world and Notre Dame found mad-praise from one respected outlet recently.

If you recall the thrilling but heartbreaking finish to Notre Dame’s season opening loss in 2016 at Texas you may remember the television call that went, “Texas is back, folks!”

Well, 247Sports made 20 bold predictions for the 2020 college football season and in them discredit Texas a bit but think very highly of Notre Dame’s chances in the upcoming season.

From Brandon Marcello of 247Sports: