Tag: Northern Illinois

Notre Dame vs. Virginia: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

This quarter was uneventful, but that’s OK with the win.

Notre Dame didn’t need to do anything fancy to close out Virginia. Never mind that it failed to score on fourth-and-goal to cap a lengthy drive that began in the third quarter. It already had done enough to secure a 35-14 victory, which featured Tony Muskett running for a garbage-time touchdown.

Even though [autotag]Zac Yoakum[/autotag] capped another long drive by missing a 36-yard field goal, hardly anybody at Notre Dame Stadium cared at that point. The Irish were going to cap their home season with another victory. At least for the moment, the loss to Northern Illinois that happened there in September felt like a distant memory.

Obviously, Irish fans aren’t going to forget about that defeat to the Huskies entirely because it still threatens to derail their team’s chances at the College Football Playoff.

The focus now was on the seniors playing perhaps their final game in South Bend. It never is easy for Irish fans to say goodbye to those players, but all good things must end. If this is it for them at home, it was a nice way to go out.

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Notre Dame projected as College Football Playoff quarterfinalist

Minds are starting to change about the Irish.

For much of the time after Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy was not empathetic. He consistently had the Irish in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, thus rendering their first season in the expanded College Football Playoff era a failure.

McMurphy has changed his tune about the Irish however. A week ago, he projected the Irish as the No. 10 seed in the playoff. While he had them losing to Penn State, it still was a sign of progress.

Now, McMurphy has flipped the seeds for the Irish and Nittany Lions, meaning the Irish now would host the first-round game. What’s more, he has the Irish winning the game, which would give them a New Year’s Day date with Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. Regrettably, that’s where he has the Irish’s run ending, but this still is a nice projection.

A lot has to go right for the Irish to get as far as McMurphy thinks they will, but that he even made this projection shows how much the narrative surrounding the Irish has changed for the better.

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Tim Brown: Notre Dame’s biggest concern is repeating loss to NIU

Can the Irish follow the former Heisman winner’s advice?

As Notre Dame’s most recent Heisman Trophy winner, [autotag]Tim Brown[/autotag] is one the most respected living former Irish players. When he talks about the program that helped develop him into a Pro Football Hall of Famer, people listen.

To that end, Brown made an appearance on “The Big College Football Show” on the Chicago Sports Network. During his interview, he was asked what his biggest concerns about the remainder of the Irish’s season.

Brown’s answer was simple in that the Irish need to avoid the letdown they suffered against Northern Illinois, and he isn’t wrong. That loss has hung over them like a storm cloud ever since it happened. Many believe it will cost them a College Football Playoff spot even if they run table for the rest of the regular season.

Only time will tell how damaging that loss will be in the end, but for now, Brown’s advice to the Irish is simple:

For now, the Irish simply need to play like their fate entirely is in their hands still. It’s the least they can do.

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Brett McMurphy projects Notre Dame out of playoff, in Pop-Tarts Bowl

Maybe start booking your trips to Orlando now?

Let’s get one thing straight: Notre Dame will aim for the College Football Playoff as long as it has a chance. At this point, the best thing it can do is run the table for the rest of the regular season. But there always is a chance that that won’t happen, and the Irish thus will be on the outside looking in.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network has released his weekly bowl projections, and he has the Irish out of the playoff. Instead, he projects that the Irish will face TCU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

It’s worth noting that McMurphy has had the Irish in this particular game ever since they lost to Northern Illinois. The only thing that occasionally has changed during that time is the opponent. So in his view, the Irish have not beaten anybody of high-enough quality since that loss to prove they belong in the playoff.

While it would be fun to see the Irish end their season eating their bowl game’s mascot, it’s not the end goal. Hopefully, they can make it so that it won’t have to be.

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Todd Blackledge: Notre Dame must win out for College Football Playoff

Will the Irish do it?

As the color analyst for NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night coverage, Todd Blackledge doesn’t get to call Notre Dame games. But that doesn’t mean he’s not keeping tabs on the Irish. After all, he wouldn’t have the gig he has if he wasn’t paying attention to all of college football.

In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show”, Blackedge was asked by the host about the Irish’s chances at making the College Football Playoff. Blackedge made it clear that the Irish’s remaining schedule is a detriment in that there aren’t a lot of big games left if any at all.

With Florida State at 1-5 and USC below .500 in Big Ten play, Blackege said the Irish don’t have a lot of margin for error. That means they’ll have to win out in order to have even a shot at the playoff. It’s further proof that the loss to Northern Illinois continues to hang over the team like a cloud.

We’ll continue to have this debate for the rest of the season or at least until the Irish lose another game. Better get used to it if you aren’t already, Irish fans.

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On3 projects Notre Dame as 11th seed in College Football Playoff

How encouraged are you by this?

Notre Dame has played only five games so far, and the way the season has played out has complicated its College Football Playoff prospects. That loss to Northern Illinois will hang over the team as long as it remains in contention. But the important thing is the Irish do remain in contention.

On3 is among those outlets that has the Irish in the playoff. In this projection, the Irish are the 11th seed, visiting Georgia in the first round. Ari Wasserman, who built the projection, explains why the Irish are among the last four major teams in:

“The loss to Northern Illinois is still fresh on everybody’s mind because that was such a shocking loss, but Notre Dame took care of business against Louisville on Saturday. Remember, many thought Louisville would be one of the toughest tests on the Irish’s schedule. Notre Dame has to travel to USC in its season-finale, but it’ll likely be favored for the rest of its games leading into that trip to Los Angeles on Nov. 30. Notre Dame’s schedule is really manageable.”

We’ll find out how much this hold up or if it even improves as the season goes on. For now though, the Irish are in with at lest one projection.

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On3 names Notre Dame linebacker true freshman standout for Week 3

Hopefully, this is the start of a nice career for the Irish.

It’s way too early to tell how much linebacker [autotag]Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa[/autotag] will contribute to Notre Dame. If the true freshman consistently plays like he did against Purdue though, we could be looking at someone who racks up more than a few accolades in an Irish uniform.

Viliamu-Asa’s three tackles in the win over the Boilermakers were a drop from the seven he had in the loss to Northern Illinois. However, he also was credited with half a sack, half a tackle for loss and the first interception of his collegiate career, which he returned for four yards.

Viliamu-Asa’s game was enough for Charles Power of On3 to rank it eighth on his list of true freshman standout performances for Week 3. You can read the entire list here if you’re about all things college football, but you might just want to read what was written about Viliamu-Asa if you only care about the Irish. Here’s that excerpt:

“Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa turned in one of the better true freshman performances along the defensive side of the ball in week three. The inside linebacker was credited with three assists, one sack and interception in Notre Dame’s route of Purdue. Viliamu-Asa’s interception came in the fourth quarter off of a tipped pass. The On3 Preseason True Freshman All-American has already flashed on multiple occasions for the Irish this season, showing the instincts and propensity for being around the football that made him a four-star prospect.”

Here’s hoping there are many more big performances from Viliamu-Asa in the future.

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Notre Dame D-lineman Joshua Burnham out with ankle injury vs. Purdue

Tough break for him.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Notre Dame’s offense hasn’t lived up to expectations, but the defense mostly has held up its end of the bargain. It would help to not give up big plays though, and the unit has been prone to them at times. Having as many available players as possible will go a long way with that.

The Irish’s defense took a hit shortly before it was set to take the field against Purdue. Junior defensive end [autotag]Joshua Burnham[/autotag] will miss the game with an ankle injury. The good news is there are no other pregame injuries to report:


Burnham previously was listed behind [autotag]RJ Oben[/autotag] on the depth chart at defensive end. That spot now will be occupied by freshman [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag].

Burnham played in both of the Irish’s previous games. While he was kept off the stats sheet at Texas A&M, he was credited with four tackles and one tackle for loss against Northern Illinois.

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Northern Illinois officially adds Notre Dame to famous ‘boneyard’

The Irish will just have to wear this.

Before Northern Illinois upset Notre Dame, it’s unlikely most people other than the Huskies and their fans had heard of the “boneyard”. Even if other people had heard of it before, they probably had forgotten about it or at least pushed it into the backs of their minds.

Now, every college football fan knows of the “boneyard”, and it earned its fame this past week from the Huskies earning their biggest win in program history. It took less than a week for them to make their latest addition to the wall reflecting every win the Huskies have had against Power Four opponents:

https://twitter.com/NIU_Football/status/1834369905145123078

It’s not a distinction the Irish wanted, but they’ll have to live with it from now on. And if they don’t want to lose to anymore Group of Five programs, they’ll need to change their approach to playing those programs. Otherwise, they better get used to continue being a national punchline.

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Joel Klatt: Notre Dame can’t lose anymore for College Football Playoff

Even with no more losses, do the Irish get in?

The story for Notre Dame has been repeated so many times over the past few days. A team that essentially was a lock for the College Football Playoff after beating Texas A&M now is projected to miss it after losing its home opener to Northern Illinois. It’s hard to argue against it.

Among the many who have lost faith in the Irish is Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt. In talking about them on his show, he indicated that the Irish pretty much have to run the table from here on in order to make the playoff. However, he doesn’t seem very confident in their ability to bounce back from a humiliating defeat:

https://twitter.com/JoelKlattShow/status/1833628131942666515

Before the season, some figured a 10-2 record still could get the Irish into the playoff. But few if any figured a loss would come to the Huskies. So the narrative has changed, and the Irish now must figure out how to change it.

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