Tag: Nd Football

Notre Dame vs Clemson: Palpable Disappointment

Maddening. Frustrating. Angering. What else?

For the most part, people were fairly understanding of Notre Dame’s struggles last year. Marcus Freeman was new on the job, there were many moving pieces on and off the field, the roster was in major flux, the schedule was challenging, etc. This year was going to be different though. Everyone was more settled in, the roster felt deeper and let’s not forget that the Irish would be led by the best transfer quarterback available this year as well.

The ultimate goal of course was to make the College Football Playoff and win games. At a minimum be in playoff contention throughout the year. But that dream perished the first weekend of October after the Irish lost Louisville’s Super Bowl at their place. If Notre Dame could run the table from there, they could at least possibly make a New Years Six game and win it. Then Clemson happened. Be honest with yourself. What big-picture goals are left to attain? There are none. That makes this year a disappointment.

Let’s examine exactly what I mean and how Notre Dame can grow from this frustrating experience moving forward.

Pro Football Focus confirms that Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt is elite

Yup, Alt is ELITE

Many of us knew this already, but now there is some data behind the claim that [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] offensive tackle [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag] is the best as his position in the country.

When you look at mock NFL drafts, typically you’ll see Alt’s name among the top players, not just offensive tackles. The junior does have a decision to make at the end of the year, so he very well could be off to the next level after the campaign ends.

[autotag]Pro Football Focus[/autotag] has enough data on the season to make claims about the best players and Alt graded out as it’s top offensive lineman in the nation.

Even though there is hope that Alt stays for another season, we are most likely seeing the final games of his Irish career over the next few weeks.

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

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame vs Clemson: Confidences & Concerns

What to like and not like about Notre Dame’s trip to Clemson…

In an ideal world, Notre Dame versus Clemson in November would be a game with playoff implications, not only for both teams involved but for the country as well. As it turns out, that won’t be the case as these two squads will meet with a total of six losses on their combined ledger. But that doesn’t mean the game isn’t important or doesn’t matter.

This will be Notre Dame’s toughest remaining game. If they can manage to notch a victory in Death Valley, the path to 10-2 looks very promising with games against Wake and Stanford remaining. Let’s examine some confidences and concerns Irish fans may have entering this matchup between two teams that had playoff aspirations that won’t be fulfilled regardless of the outcome.

Clemson Is Down, Can The Irish Put Them Out?

Not your typical Clemson game…

Due to the bizarre nature of Notre Dame’s schedule this year, the final 1/3 block of games set up for the Irish very well. After the bye the Irish hosted Pitt. They then travel to Death Valley to face Clemson before having another break before rounding out the year against Wake Forest at home and then a trip to Palo Alto. Notre Dame must have a clean sweep of four wins in this stretch to possibly reach an New Years Six bowl game, the biggest remaining attainable big-picture goal for the year.

Up next for the Irish is their trip to Death Valley. One that has been circled on the calendar forever. It’s the final of the “big 3” matchups this year and is a huge measuring stick game. But this Clemson team isn’t what we are used to seeing from Dabo Swinney. His Tigers are 4-4 and are truly struggling.

Let’s examine the opportunity that lies ahead for the Irish this week.

Watch: Every interception by Notre Dame football against Pittsburgh

Relive each Notre Dame interception against PItt right here

This past weekend was a fun one for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag], they routed Pittsburgh to a tune of 58-7.

It wasn’t just the Irish offense that made its mark, it was defensively as well. Notre Dame’s defense all day was a ball hawking, forcing five turnovers, with four interceptions on the day. Three Irish defenders got a pick, [autotag]Jaden Mickey[/autotag]’s went back to the house, [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag] and [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag], twice, joined in on the action as well.

Fortunately for us, NBC Sports X account, the website formerly known as Twitter, shared a short clip of all four of the interceptions for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

That was fun, wasn’t it?

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

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Notre Dame Crushes Narduzzi & Pitt

Just a reminder – Notre Dame beat the daylights out of Pitt on Saturday.

The big question exiting the bye for Notre Dame was could the Irish manhandle an inferior opponent at home or would this turn into an all-afternoon ugly Pitt slugfest, the kind Notre Dame fans are quite familiar with when it comes to playing Pitt? The answer was quite emphatic as Notre Dame destroyed the Panthers to the tune of a 58-7 blowout.

For the Irish to hope for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game of note, they must end the year at 10-2 and go 4-0 in this final 1/3 portion of the season. Certainly, Pitt is a bad football team this year. The Irish have faced many of these over the years and struggled to dismantle them. Not this afternoon. Notre Dame dominated.

Let’s examine some particular notes of interest from this lopsided Narduzzi meltdown-inducing game.

Notre Dame football makes another move up the latest US LBM Coaches Poll

The Irish move up again

When you have a statement win like [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] had against Pittsburgh, it typically reflects in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

That’s exactly what happened after Week 9’s action, the Irish benefitting from teams ahead of them ([autotag]Oregon State[/autotag], and [autotag]Utah[/autotag]) losing on Saturday. No surprise in college football, every weekend seems to bring at least a few upsets.

Although the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] is a long-shot, making a New Year’s Six bowl game is still within the realm of possibilities, the chances seem to be increasing with every win Notre Dame racks up.

Find out below where the Irish landed on the most recent update of the coaches poll below.

The day after: Lasting thoughts on Notre Dame’s win over Pittsburgh

What still sticks out in your mind Irish fans?

That was a fun game to watch for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] fans, the Irish routing visiting [autotag]Pittsburgh[/autotag] to a tune of 58-7.

The second 50 point scoring output of the year, with four others in the 40 point range, which is the kind of point totals that will win a lot of games. All three phases were clicking, Notre Dame scoring on special teams and defense in addition to its offensive contributions.

It was a great day for the Irish and that will reflect in this. Take a look below at what Notre Dame thoughts have stayed with me after its impressive win over Pitt.

Hidden plays that helped Notre Dame’s win at home against Pittsburgh

Which non-scoring plays stood out to you Irish fans?

[autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] routed [autotag]Pittsburgh[/autotag] 58-7 at home on Saturday afternoon, getting a win following a bye week.

The win improves the Irish’s record to 7-2 in the second year of the [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] era, and should make a move north in the next rankings.

It wasn’t a trap game, as it could have been, the Irish taking care of business, scoring the most points on the year. It’s a game that many of us will go back and watch again, multiple highlight plays for Notre Dame.

There were other plays, that we might not remember, but still made a difference in this game. Here are those plays.

5 stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s win over Pittsburgh

Who played well? Who didn’t for the Irish against Pitt?

This was the kind of game [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] needed, as they blew out [autotag]Pittsburgh[/autotag] at home 58-7.

Coming off a bye, the Irish started a bit slow, but finished with a fury scoring in the second half from all three units: offense, defense, and special teams. It was a true team win for Notre Dame who now improved to 7-2 on the year.

There was mostly good play from this team, so there were some much higher grades than normal here. There was one aspect of this game that didn’t sit well with me. So, here are the best, 5-stars, and worst, 1-star, performance’s from Notre Dame in its win over Pitt.