Tag: Nd Football

Notre Dame vs. Clemson: Who Wins Simulated Contest

Find out how the Irish fare, in now what will be their biggest contest of the 2020 season.

We all know that one of the Irish’s biggest games of the 2020 season has already been canceled, the trip to Lambeau Field to face the Wisconsin Badgers. With ACC still not making a decision for their non-conference schedule, the contest against Clemson is still on the table.

Although 247Sports started their simulations of their top 20 contests for the upcoming season prior to the Big Ten and PAC-12’s decisions to only play a conference schedule, it’s still is worth a look at how these big games will play out. Plenty of upsets have happened in these simulations from Michigan finally beating Ohio State, Oklahoma State outlasting Texas in 4 overtimes, and USC blasting Alabama.

Honestly, I didn’t expect this outcome to happen, as the 247Sports simulation had the Irish beating the Tigers in resounding fashion. The final score was 44-25, in favor of the good guys, and a bit of a shocker if you ask me. I don’t feel like the Irish are over-matched, but the last time the Tigers lost a game by that margin in a non-playoff game was in 2014 when it happened twice, against Georgia Tech and Georgia.

A more realistic outcome would be the Irish edging Clemson in a tight game, getting some home field magic to knock off one of the best programs in the country. That isn’t how the simulation saw it, so let’s enjoy this big time W against Clemson as we await the real results in about four months.

Another Honor for Irish Commit

The hype continues for the highest rated commit in the 2021 Notre Dame Football recruiting class.

The anticipation for Notre Dame quarterback commit Tyler Bucher’s senior season continues to build. After performing well during the Elite 11 QB camp, he has now been named as a MaxPreps preseason high school 1st team All-American as an all-purpose player.

There has been some conversation as to whether high school football will actually be played this fall, as Virginia has canceled their season, Arizona has delayed their start and California, where Bucher is from, will make their decision on their season public on Monday the 20th.

Back to what MaxPrep’s had to say about the future Irish signal-caller as Buchner “put up video game numbers as a junior at Bishops’s (La Jolla, Calif.). The 2021 Notre Dame commit accounted for 6,084 yards of total offense (4,474 passing, 1,610 rushing) and 81 touchdowns (53 passing, 28, rushing).” Those numbers are truly amazing, La Jolla played 13 games last year, so Buchner accounted for almost 35 points a game.

The top-rated player in Brian Kelly’s 2021 recruiting class will have plenty on his shoulders when he arrives on campus next year. The starting spot will be vacant after Ian Book graduates, so Buchner will have a shot at starting as a true freshman. That may not happen, but he should see some time, even if it’s mop up duty. If Buchner lives up to the hype, he’s rated as the 42nd overall prospect in the ’21 class by the 247Sports composite, all of Blue and Gold Nation will be proud.

How will not having a packed Notre Dame Stadium effect games?

Will it hurt or help the Irish this season without full crowds in Notre Dame Stadium?

At this current moment, it is hard to imagine the possibility of any collegiate football game having a packed house. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many states limiting large group gatherings which means having 80,000 Fighting Irish friends on a Saturday in South Bend very unlikely.

With that in mind, 247Sports took a look at which teams are helped and hurt by not having full crowds in stadiums this coming season. Chris Hummer named Clemson as a school that it helps, as if the Tigers needed any extra help anyways. The key games Hummer points out for the Dabo Swinney led team are at Florida State and then when they would visit South Bend.

A team that returns stars like quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Jamie Skalski will be a tough game for anyone, but not having a raucous Irish crowd definitely won’t help the cause. The college game relies much more on home field advantage than the NFL, it would be fantastic to see the fans making a difference by potentially rattling the Tigers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like it will be the case this fall and the Irish will have to battle Clemson without the help of a packed Notre Dame Stadium.

Fighting Irish Football returns to the practice field

The Notre Dame Football team returned to the practice field in preparation for the 2020 season yesterday.

Since Notre Dame has announced that none of their players tested positive for COVID-19, it seemed safe to be able to get back onto the practice field but with precautions. That’s exactly what happened yesterday as Brian Kelly led his team back to work.

The hype video showed the team in three different areas: in their outside field, in the weight room and in the new indoor facilities as well. It looks like masks were worn only inside the weight room, a practice the Irish football players should get used to.

It’s great to see the football team get back in action, but with much consternation about what will happen in the 2020 season. At the current moment only the PAC12 and B1G have announced conference-only schedules, with the SEC, ACC and Big XII still yet to make a decision. This obviously looms large, as the Irish await what the rest of the college football world does. At least we have the return of the Irish to the practice field.

Two Irish Defenders named to Bednarik Watch List

Two breakout performers from Notre Dame’s defense last year are among the 90 players included on the Bednarik Watch List.

In what was viewed as breakout seasons for two Notre Dame defenders last year, safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the hype continues over into the 2020 season as both of them have been named on the Chuck Bednarik Award preseason watch list.

The watch list consists of 90 of the best collegiate defenders in the nation, so there will surely be still competition for both Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah if they want to bring award back to South Bend. The award began in 1995, with linebacker Manti Te’o as the only Notre Dame defender to win the award in 2012.

As a freshman, Hamilton put up impressive numbers in limited playing time, recording 41 tackles, grabbing 4 interceptions while taking one back for a touchdown with 6 passes defended. The Atlanta native sure showed some impressive ability for such a young player, and the expectations for bigger number this year is valid. Hamilton is expected to start in the defensive backfield.

Owusu-Koramoah was a bit of a different story than Hamilton, as he had to work his way into playing time as a junior. The wait was well worth it as the linebacker exploded on the scene with 80 tackles, 5.5 sacks along with 2 forced fumbles and two recoveries. If the rising senior continues his progression, a huge season is in line for JOK.

Both of them are seen as impact players on Clark Lea’s defense and keys to the upcoming 2020 season. With the offense having to replace all the starters from the skill positions, the defense will need to step up early to give that side of the ball a cushion while they figure things out.

Notre Dame: This Week in Twitter

Another week of Notre Dame centric tweets can be seen right here.

Let’s take a look back at this week’s action on Notre Dame Twitter:

 

Happy Birthday transfer safety Nick McCloud

Happy Birthday to incoming freshman tight end Michael Mayer

Head Football Coach Brian Kelly changes his profile pic

Notre Dame Football account does the same

Kelly has been impressive during his tenure with the Irish

Head Baseball Coach Link Jarrett hired a year ago Sunday

Former Notre Dame basketball star John Paxson on his time in South Bend

Lou Holtz sticking up for the Fighting Irish nickname

ESPN: How does the Big Ten’s decision impact Notre Dame

A look at what could be ahead for Notre Dame in the 2020 season after the Big Ten decided to play a conference only schedule.

After yesterday’s huge news that the Big Ten will only play conference games in the 2020 season and the potential for other conferences to follow is something worth tracking for Notre Dame faithful. ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Mark Schlabach looked into the conundrum the Irish could be facing in this season.

With just one game schedule against the Big Ten this year, against Wisconsin, this may not seem like a massive deal, but it is. Dinich and Schlabach view it like this, “For the independent outlier, this is a predicament, but there is a solution. First, losing the Wisconsin game is significant, but the Fighting Irish could overcome that alone. The problem comes if the Pac-12 does follow suit, because then Notre Dame would lose two additional games, in Stanford and USC. The most likely and expected scenario there would be for Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and ACC commissioner John Swofford to extend their partnership and have the Irish fill the rest of their schedule with ACC games.”

This does seem like the most logical solution, already half of the Irish’s previously scheduled opponents reside in the ACC. Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Louisville would most likely stay on the docket, but who would the Irish add? It completely depends on what Swofford and other AD’s decide to do. There are rumors the Big Ten could play 10 conference games, but at the moment nothing is set in stone. If the ACC goes to conference only and plays 8 games, I would love to see the Irish add NC State, Florida State, North Carolina or Boston College. If the Irish join the ACC for the 2020 season, which opponents would you like to see them face?

Is Notre Dame a Contender for 4-Star Offensive Tackle Rucci?

Rivals projects who is leading for Nolan Rucci, the offensive tackle from Pennsylvania in the 2021 recruiting class.

The Irish just picked up a commitment from Minnesota offensive tackle Joe Alt on Monday, and instate Blake Fisher already in the fold make a solid tandem for the 2021 recruiting class. Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Jeff Quinn are still looking for another player at the position, as his philosophy is go hard after tackles and they can move down to guard if need be later.

With that in mind, Pennsylvania 4-Star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci is still trying to make a decision on where he will attend school. Rivals took a look at where his recruitment stands and it looks like Kelly and Quinn should continue to look at other prospects. Adam Friedman, a recruiting analyst with Rivals, doesn’t see this one trending in the Irish’s way.

The Irish ranked 6th for Rucci’s services, not a particularly encouraging spot going forward. They have a lot of other schools the Irish will have to jump in order to get Rucci in the Blue and Gold. His recruitment has been trending away from the Irish so Kelly will most likely have to look in another direction. When looking at the 16 tackles offered, only five remain uncommitted and none of them are trending the Irish’s direction. They most likely will have to find another diamond in the rough like Alt to round out the position in 2021 recruiting.

How would B1G going to a conference only schedule in ’20 effect Notre Dame?

Would there be a domino effect if the Big Ten decided to only play conference games in 2020?

There are rumors that the Big Ten could potentially cut out all of their out of conference games this season and play a 10-game conference schedule. Obviously this effects the Irish, as they are schedule to play Wisconsin in Lambeau Field, their only Big Ten opponent this year.

Yes, this is just a rumor at the current moment but with Ohio State being the first Big Ten school to suspend voluntary team activities after teams like North Carolina, Boise State and Kansas have done the same. The Buckeyes were one of the few schools that didn’t disclose their testing results, but it must be concerning if they opted to shut things down for at least a week.

If the Big Ten were to just go to a conference only schedule, the Irish would not face the Badgers this year, who knows if the game would be rescheduled in the future. It would be just one game, but the bigger issue would be if other conferences followed the Big Ten.

With no conference affiliation in football for the Irish, they could be put in a very awkward situation. Would Notre Dame join a conference for a season, and if so who would they join? The ACC seems like the most logical destination, but the hypothetical addition of the Irish would put the conference at 15 teams. Would the Atlantic and Coastal divisions be absolved for the year?

There would be so many questions going forward. It would make sense for the Irish to join the ACC for the season, getting a taste of conference football. Everything would go back to normal in 2021 hopefully, but regardless of what happens, the entire year of 2020 will always have an asterisk next to it.

College Football Jobs Ranked, Notre Dame highly coveted

The Irish head coaching job has been and will continue to be one of the best jobs in all of college football.

Coaching the fabled Notre Dame program has always been a high-profile job, expectations for every coach that lead the football program will always be sky high. Although the Irish have not won a title since 1988, the job is still held in high regards as 247Sport named the position as the 9th most coveted head coaching job in the country.

Brad Crawford, who ranked the jobs for 247Sports, sees that “there might not be a brand stronger than Notre Dame in college football. Touchdown Jesus, South Bend, the gold helmets … you get it.” It very hard to argue against that, there are not many schools with the same tradition that Notre Dame sports.

The explanation of the ranking is something that we all know, but Crawford points out two reasons why the Notre Dame job gets the 9th spot. The “drawbacks here that other programs don’t have in the Top 10 is location and academics. The standards at Notre Dame are higher than most and Indiana isn’t exactly pumping out elite athletes annually. That’s why Brian Kelly has taken a nationwide approach to recruiting during his tenure.”

The national approach has worked, but not quite as well as Kelly would like. In the last 5 recruiting cycles, including the current one, the Irish will have signed just 2 instate players. Kelly has said the recruiting needs to go to another level to compete with the teams they need to beat to be among the best in the nation.

The Notre Dame head coaching job will always be one that comes with gigantic expectations and lots of scrutiny. It is not cut out for every coach, some of them just can’t handle what it means to be the Irish’s lead man. Kelly’s been at the helm for 10 years now and he’s helped bring back some respectability after the Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis eras.