Tag: ND

Notre Dame football: Oregon State down two quarterbacks for Sun Bowl

Don’t expect a shootout in El Paso…

Notre Dame finishes the 2023 season as for the second time in program history they’ll head to the Sun Bowl.  There they’ll play Oregon State, a team they’ve met twice all-time, losing both games.

This game seems to set up a bit better for Notre Dame, however.  At least at the quarterback position.

Beavers starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei had already announced that he was entering the transfer portal, making him unavailable for the bowl game.  Now Oregon State’s second-string quarterback, Aidan Chiles, is entering the portal as well.

So Oregon State will be playing with their third string quarterback seemingly while Notre Dame may have to take guys off the street to dress at wide receiver.

By all accounts, Sam Hartman is expected to play for the Irish.

Stay tuned and get in on the under early!

Notre Dame Football – As Season Ends, Questions Begin

Time for the Irish to get back to work…

It feels like just yesterday we were grinding through the dog days of summer begging for college football to start back up again. Just as fast as it all started, it’s now over, and Notre Dame has finished their regular season at 9-3 with more ups and downs than the newest roller coaster at your local Six Flags.

With the season complete, Irish fans are now asking what comes next. This applies to both bowl season this year and into next year as well. There are a lot of moving parts and I suspect more to come. This year featured lots of things to really appreciate and enjoy, it’s just unfortunate that in the big picture, the deficiencies that led to the 3 losses on the ledger weigh down the positivity, justifiably so.

Let’s examine the three big questions Irish fans have now that the regular season has concluded.

Notre Dame Football: Irish Down the Tree to Finish 9-3

What do we make of Notre Dame’s dominating end to the 2023 regular season?

After overcoming a bit of a slow start on the road, which was a worrisome trend all year, Notre Dame ended up doing just as they should and downed Stanford 56-23 in sleepy Palo Alto. The presentation of the game felt odd as it was occurring during the Pac 12 Network’s 3-hour funeral eulogy.

With the feeling of finality in the air and literally on it as well, Notre Dame fans were in their thoughts late last night as evidenced by the calls I took on the post-game show. Things quickly turned from Stanford to the big picture with Irish fans pondering where exactly the team finished, how they arrived there, and what comes next. All fair thoughts given a frustrating up-and-down year.

Let’s take a look at three major takeaways from the last game Notre Dame will likely ever play against a Pac 12 opponent.

Lots To Be Thankful For In Irish Nation

It doesn’t always feel like it but there is a lot for Notre Dame fans to be thankful for this year

I always like to think of Thanksgiving as a time for reflection. One for taking some time to ponder the blessings each of us have in our lives even amid our unique struggles in an increasingly seemingly busier world than ever before. This concept also applies to football fandom as well, a big part of many of our lives.

Certainly, this year didn’t turn out as well as Notre Dame fans had hoped it would, but I’ve still found plenty to be thankful for from my unique position as an Irish voice in print and video this season. Here are 3 specific items of note that jump out to me.

Notre Dame player shares details on mental health battle

Props to him for getting the help he needed…

Notre Dame spent a large part of the 2023 season without linebacker Nolan Ziegler.

Ziegler has been out as he’s been having some battles with mental health.  Marcus Freeman briefly mentioned as much back in September, but on Thanksgiving day, Ziegler took to social media to detail what he’s been going through a bit more.

For the past 6 months I had a really bad infection after my surgery. This led to a severe depression. I’m getting the help I needed, I came back letting my ego think it was me and my TMS treatment that saved me. But I have now realized it is God, Treatment, Doctors, Family, Coaches, Teammates, and friends that have gotten me out of the evil zone I was in. I am so thankful to be here and I can’t wait for Gods plan to help me stay in the No Evil Zone, help others, and be a warrior on the field.

– Nolan Ziegler

Props to Ziegler for being open to getting help and then using the proper channels to go and get it.  It’s not an easy thing to do and I’m guessing it’s only that more difficult when you’re a football player at a big-time college program.

Hopefully not only does he find the peace he clearly craves, hopefully his message reaches someone else that needs to hear it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Notre Dame assistant a possibility for Syracuse head coach opening?

A Notre Dame assistant coach is rumored to be in the running for the Syracuse opening. Here is what he said about that possibility Monday.

The college football coaching carousel is starting to really get moving.  Although the regular season didn’t see many coaches lose jobs early on, the firings have become more regular in recent days.

One job that will be open in a matter of days is the Syracuse football head coach job.  Dino Babers has held that post since 2016 and has finished with a winning record just twice during his run.

The 5-6 Orange will be moving on from him following their regular season finale against Wake Forest on Saturday.  Could the opening be one that pulls a prominent Notre Dame assistant coach away from South Bend?

Defensive coordinator Al Golden has had success on the east coast, specifically at Temple, where he put life into what had been a dead program.  Success there led him to getting the Miami job starting in 2011.  Could Golden be headed back to the ACC?

He was asked about it Monday by Tyler Horka of Blue-Gold Illustrated.  Here is what Golden said:

If you’re looking for a hard no, that response certainly doesn’t give it.

I have no idea if Golden is going to get offered the job, if he’s seriously interested in it, or what is going to happen.

What I do know is that when you have success as a unit then services are wanted by other programs.  I do appreciate Golden not coming out in full denial and then leaving a few weeks down the road, although I wouldn’t be surprised if he did ultimately go.

Notre Dame PLOWS Their Way Out of South Bend

ND Plows Way To L.A.

What a fun senior day it was in South Bend. Wild weather, great individual performances, record-setting stats, and most notably a dominant blowout win against a heated rival. This victory puts Notre Dame in a prime position to potentially end the year at 9-3 after a trip to Los Angeles next week. Quite the accomplishment after suffering three losses by October 15th.

Notre Dame has been very unpredictable at home and has played its’ worst football against bad teams. Boston College certainly earned that description throughout the year and most certainly did today as well. A dominant win such as this was the perfect way to send the Seniors off with a memorable win, comfort the chilly Irish faithful at home, and turn all focus to sunny Southern California. 

Let’s take a look at 10 aspects of this performance that the Irish can use to power them into LA next week to face the Trojans with major momentum. 

Analyzing Notre Dame’s Dominating Senior Day Send-Off

Nice win but a bit of a “too little, too late” feel, Irish fans?

There was nothing that could be done to erase the three losses that besmirched Notre Dame’s record entering Saturday’s game against Wake Forest. The best thing the Irish could do, the only thing they could do was to beat the Demon Deacons badly. They did exactly that to the tune of a 45-7 win on a send-off on senior day.

The Irish are now through 11/12 games on the schedule and will look to get in the clubhouse at 9-3 in their finale against Stanford in Palo Alto. There was a lot to like today about the Irish, but underpinning it is the frustrating thought of “too little too late” when thinking about the year in totality. Let’s take a look at some things that stand out about the last home game for the Irish in 2023.

Notre Dame routs Wake Forest 45-7: Immediate Takeaways

Dominating Senior Day win for the Irish

Notre Dame didn’t have the fastest of starts on their 2023 senior day but at the end of the afternoon it was enough for a 45-7 victory over Wake Forest to move to 8-3 on the season.

All that remains for Notre Dame this regular season is a trip west to Stanford next weekend to close the year and hopefully secure their ninth win of the season for the second-straight year.

What went well in Notre Dame’s blowout victory of Wake Forest on Saturday?

And what didn’t exactly click for the Fighting Irish?

Here are our instant takeaways from the senior day victory.

Notre Dame’s Quarterback Conundrum Must Be Solved

Solving Notre Dame’s quarterback conundrum

If you are a football fan to any degree, you know the following statement to be true. Quarterback is the single most important position in the sport. Coincidentally, this position has been a frustration for Notre Dame fans for well over a decade.

Sure, there have been some standouts. [autotag]Deshone Kizer[/autotag] comes to mind, [autotag]Ian Book[/autotag] in recent vintage as well in terms of quarterbacks who made it to the NFL after their Notre Dame careers ended. But even when including these players, the Irish haven’t had a signal caller they win their biggest games because of. Not with, but because of.

This needs to change for Notre Dame moving forward and with the rumor mill ablaze regarding quarterback recruits and the Irish, let’s take a look at five things to consider about the current quarterback dynamic.