Tag: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Irish in the NFL: Quenton Nelson named to ESPN’s 25 under 25

Former Notre Dame Irish guard Quenton Nelson was named to ESPN’s all 25-under-25 team.

Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson was the only offensive lineman named to ESPN writer Mike Clay’s 25 under 25 team – a list of the 25 best players in the league who are age 25 or younger.

Nelson has had an incredible start to his NFL career as the starting left guard for the Indianapolis Colts, where he was drafted sixth overall in the 2018 draft.

Nelson immediately took over as a starter for the Colts, and has played all but one offensive snap in the last two years.

He was a Pro Bowler and a first team All-Pro in his rookie season, but amazingly he’s playing even better in year two.

Here’s an excerpt from Clay’s article, where Nelson came in at No. 5.

The lone offensive lineman on our list, Nelson has been the driving force for the emergence of the Colts’ line as one of the league’s best units. The Notre Dame product has been on the field for all but one of Indianapolis’ offensive snaps since he was selected with the sixth pick of the 2018 draft. His 94.1% pass block win rate ranked 11th among guards during his rookie season and sits at 93.7% (11th best) this season.

Nelson was named to the Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro during an outstanding rookie season, and he’s on track for significantly more award recognition over the next decade.

Nelson starred at Notre Dame from 2014-2017, and was named an All-American in his final season with the Irish. He has a chance to be one of the best offensive linemen in the league, and perhaps of all-time, if he keeps this pace up.

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Notre Dame Football: Hamilton Earns National Honors Again

Another week has come and gone and more hardware is headed towards freshman safety Kyle Hamilton.

Another week has come and gone and more hardware is headed towards freshman safety Kyle Hamilton.

After recording his fourth interception of the season and three tackles versus Boston College, Hamilton was named to the Pro Football Focus College Football Week 13 Eckrich Team of the Week.

Pro Football Focus summed up Hamilton’s week with the following:

The Fighting Irish have a bright future with Hamilton roaming the backend of their defense. He recorded four total tackles against bost College and saw three passes come his way as the primary coverage defender. Allowing just one reception for seven yards, Hamilton broke up another and intercepted the third pass his way to see just a 2.8 passer rating into his coverage.

Hamilton’s four interceptions are tied for the most by any freshman in the nation, unfortunately that target he allowed after his interception evened up his totals for the year between personal interceptions and receptions allowed – an absurd stat to consider.

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With Isaiah Pryor committed to play in the secondary next year you can’t help but feel good about the future of Notre Dame’s secondary as Hamilton appears to be one of the schools all-time greats in the making.

Notre Dame/Stanford Kickoff Time Announced

Notre Dame vs Stanford kickoff time announced

The 2019 regular season finale for Notre Dame will take place Saturday afternoon at Stanford.

The game will be played on FOX and kickoff at 4 pm E.T.

Stanford has been a big disappointment this year as they’re just 4-7 after losing last night against rival Cal.

If the dominos fall correctly Notre Dame could be playing in the Cotton Bowl for a second year in a row, assuming a win over Stanford on Saturday.

The Irish will be looking for their first win at Stanford since 2007 while Brian Kelly is seeking his first victory in Northern California.

No. 16 Notre Dame Blasts Boston College: A Few Good Numbers

Kmet’s sixth touchdown reception of the year also joined him with Ken MacAfee for the school record for most in a single season by a tight end.

40-7 has a good ring to it as Notre Dame routed Boston College and moved to 9-2 on the year. In our Five Instant Thoughts piece after the game we discussed some of the bizarreness in terms of Notre Dame’s incredibly evenly disturbed offensive production.

What other numbers are worth taking a second look at after the blowout victory.

Cole Kmet:

Became the tenth tight end in Notre Dame history with 400 or more receiving yards in a single season and the first to do so since Troy Niklas in 2013.

Kmet’s sixth touchdown reception of the year also joined him with Ken MacAfee for the school record for most in a single season by a tight end.

Chase Claypool:

Claypool’s touchdown reception against Boston College was his tenth of the season and sixteenth for his career. No player has reached the 10-plus touchdown reception mark since Will Fuller in 2015, while his latest touchdown reception tied him with Jim Seymour for the tenth-most by a receiver in Notre Dame history.

Going Streaking:

In completing their second-straight undefeated home season the Irish are now winners of their last 18 home contests. It marks the first time since the 1988-89 seasons that Notre Dame went unbeaten at home in consecutive seasons.

With Saturday’s 40-7 win over Boston College the Irish won their third straight game by 30 or more points for the first time since 1989 when they beat up Pitt, Navy and SMU in consecutive games.

No. 16 Notre Dame/Boston College: Keys & Predictions

Notre Dame lost four times alone on their home field in 2016. Since then they’ve lost only six times total and only once one their home field, that coming against eventual national runner-up Georgia in 2017.

No. 16 Notre Dame welcomes Boston College this weekend as Senior Day is upon us. It’s not a perfect formula seeing as plenty from the 2016 recruiting class have a year of eligibility remaining and will be back next season but take this into consideration as many will play their final game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday:

Notre Dame lost four times alone on their home field in 2016. Since then they’ve lost only six times total and only once one their home field, that coming against eventual national runner-up Georgia in 2017.

I know that ultimate goal of another appearance in the College Football Playoff isn’t attainable but an unbeaten November for a program that has had their issues late in seasons to play hard and play well through the end is worthy of some praise, although not everything.

So how do the Irish avoid coming out flat in their final home game of 2019 and walk out victorious while preferably not hopefully not having things get overly interesting late?

Keys:

Offense:

Jeff:

Things probably aren’t going to come as easy as they did last week but I thought the diversity of the play calling last week from Chip Long was on point. Continue to use the skill sets of these young receivers like Keys and Lenzy and build their confidence. If all else fails, throw it to Claypool 🙂

Nick:

Boston College gets thrown all over all the time. Ian Book has looked very good since the last two drives against Virginia Tech, keep that rolling today and hang a big number.

Defense:

Jeff:

Stop AJ Dillon. Make BC work through the air. It’s really that simple to me. Dillon is one of the toughest players in the country to bring down and there’s no doubt the Irish have struggled against running games that can at least throw the ball a little. I’m looking at you Navy. 

Nick:

Contain the running game. AJ Dillion is great and he’s a threat in their pass game as well but David Bailey is solid too, assuming he ends up playing Saturday. Michigan made you look a fool while you went and just did the same to Navy – now take care of business against BC’s rushing attacking.

Predictions:

Jeff: Notre Dame 38, Boston College 17

Nick: Notre Dame 34, Boston College 20

Irish in the NFL: Will Fuller excels in return for Texans

Former Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller excelled in his return from a lengthy absence with the Houston Texans, hauling in seven catches.

Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish receiver Will Fuller returned to the field for the Houston Texans after missing about a month with a hamstring injury, and the speedy deep threat picked up right where he left off.

Fuller hauled in seven receptions (on 11 targets) for 140 yards, including a 51-yard gain, helping lead the Texans to a narrow 20-17 victory over the Colts on Thursday Night Football.

The 51-yard gain travelled 59.4 yards in the air, the third-longest throw by air yards of the NFL season, according to Next Gen Stats

Fuller now has 41 receptions for 590 yards and three touchdowns through eight games this season, and has proven himself a crucial piece of Houston’s offense.

In fact, quarterback Deshaun Watson is much more dangerous with Fuller in the mix. He averages 62.5 more passing yards per game and 1.1 more passing touchdowns per game when Fuller is healthy and on the field.

Fuller was a beast at Notre Dame, hauling in 144 receptions for 2,512 yards and 30 touchdowns in three seasons before Houston made him a first round pick in 2016.

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Boston College at Notre Dame odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Fighting Irish sports betting odds and lines, with college football picks and tips

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) and Boston College Eagles (5-5) play Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, at 2:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Boston College-Notre Dame odds and betting lines while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Boston Collge at Notre Dame: Three things you need to know

1. Notre Dame played against Navy in the way most wish they had against Michigan several weeks earlier. The passing offense was nearly perfect and the Irish piled up 38 first-half points. One slight flaw was the running game which ran for just 105 yards on 3.4 yards per carry.

2. Boston College has two weapons in A.J. Dillon and David Bailey. If they are slowed down in any way, the Fighting Irish will win in a rout.

3. If QB Ian Book does not run well, Notre Dame has problems; however, attacking through the air is the way to go for the Fighting Irish.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.

Boston College at Notre Dame: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Notre Dame 41, Boston College 17

Moneyline (ML)

Notre Dame is laying -1000 on the moneyline. The Fighting Irish are averaging only 168 yards per game on the ground.

Boston College (+590) must run and run often to keep Notre Dame off the field, and the Fighting Irish’s main weakness has been stopping the run, and the Eagles are rushing at 282.2 yards per contest. That being said, Notre Dame has too much firepower not to win here. The odds are just too chalky with a $10 bet fetching a profit of only $1. PASS.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Notre Dame is just 6-4 against the spread overall and 4-2 ATS at home, coming in just under five points per game above the cover projections. Boston College is 3-1 ATS on the road and exceeds the cover by a solid 6.4 points per contest.

Back the FIGHTING IRISH (-20.5, -110). Irish QB Ian Book looked great against Navy as the best player on the field.

Over/Under (O/U)

The projected total is 63.5. This will be close but it is hard to trust Boston College’s offense enough in this game. Taking a small wager with the UNDER (-110) is our pick.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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How Do You Build the All-Time Greatest Notre Dame Receiver?

I’ve only been contributing to the Irish Wire for a short time, but in that time, I feel like I’ve used it as a forum to serve as President of Chase Claypool’s fan club. And guess what? I’m ok with that! But during the course of our frequent …

I’ve only been contributing to the Irish Wire for a short time, but in that time, I feel like I’ve used it as a forum to serve as President of Chase Claypool’s fan club. And guess what? I’m ok with that!

But during the course of our frequent exchange of e-mails and direct messages, Irish Wire Grand Poobah Nick Shepkowski brought up the idea for the following: How would you build your perfect Notre Dame wide receiver?  He says it was because of something Golden Tate tweeted in regards to Claypool earlier this week.

Me, being the sucker for any article idea with historical context, started mapping out my ultimate pass-catcher. A few rules before we get started on my list. First, each player can only be used once for the various characteristics. Of course some of these guys could be on there for various things, but we’re trying to spread the love. Next, my own historical reference dates back to right around 1990. Sorry Tim Brown, Tom Gatewood and Jack Snow fans. Finally, this is my list. I’m not going to pretend like I know everything. I welcome the debate. Now, on with the construction.

We start with my most important trait for a wide receiver. 

First up: Best Hands

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13

Must-Watch: Ruhland on Injured Line-Mates

Imagine being in your last year of eligibility and not getting to play the game you love, or at least not getting playing time because your buddies have beaten you out for the job.

Imagine being in your last year of eligibility and not getting to play the game you love, or at least not getting playing time because your buddies have beaten you out for the job.

Then suddenly a couple of your buddies get hurt and you’re called upon to fill in as they’re done for the season.

Are you happy for the opportunity or sad for your friends being hurt?

It’s easy to think in hypotheticals but what if you’re actually living that very situation?

That is indeed the case for Trevor Ruhland, a fifth-year, enjoying his final few weeks in the blue and gold. Now how does the Notre Dame veteran offensive lineman feel about getting playing time because of injuries to his teammates?

As former NFL executive Phil Emery used to call it – “great teammateship” was shown here by the Cary, Illinois product.

CFP Rankings: Notre Dame Done No Favors by Committee

Auburn clearly has a better win to its name than Notre Dame has as the Tigers knocked off now No. 6 Oregon way back on opening weekend.

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The latest College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night with little actual movement at the top as Nos. 1-6 all remained the exact same as a week ago.

What will perhaps anger some Notre Dame fans however is what happened to the Irish after dismantling previously No. 23 Navy:

The Irish remained at 16 with three-loss Auburn coming in a spot above them at 15.

Auburn clearly has a better win to its name than Notre Dame has as the Tigers knocked off now No. 6 Oregon way back on opening weekend.

The Irish have one win over a top-25 team, that being in mid-October over No. 23 USC. They also knocked Navy out of the top-25 last week while Virginia Tech is knocking on the door to enter the rankings.

Is it frustrating that you see three losses next to Auburn’s name and two next to Notre Dame’s yet see the Tigers ranked ahead?

Absolutely.

But the problem here isn’t an Auburn/Notre Dame problem, it’s a Notre Dame/Michigan problem.

If Notre Dame shows up for that game and simply doesn’t get routed they’re not sitting at 16 right now, they’re a couple spots higher and the path to a Cotton Bowl is much easier to figure out.

But get blown out in a game where a 45-14 was somehow worse than the score even indicated.

I wish I could work up the energy to be upset but it’s as simple as that late-October date in Ann Arbor will probably cost the Irish a New Year’s Six date, which sucks for Irish fans but is plenty deserved.