Tag: Notre Dame football

Kickoff time for USC-Notre Dame football remains unannounced

USC-Notre Dame at the Coliseum on November 30 could start in the late afternoon slot or the midday slot. It will not be a late-night game.

Monday was supposed to be the day we found out the kickoff time and broadcast channel for USC football’s November 30 rivalry matchup against Notre Dame. Instead, however, it was announced Monday morning that the networks had elected to use a six-day hold for the matchup. Hence, we will not know the kickoff time until this weekend, likely either Saturday night or Sunday morning.

There are three possible windows in which the game could be broadcast: 12:30 p.m. Pacific time on CBS, 4 p.m. on FS1, and 4:30 p.m. on NBC. In addition to USC-Notre Dame, the two other games in contention for those windows are Washington at Oregon and Purdue at Indiana.

Given that the Trojans’ three most recent Saturday home games have all kicked off at either 12:30 or 1 p.m. local time, the general consensus among USC fans is that they would prefer a prime-time start. USC has not yet had a prime time home game this year, and its only Saturday home game with a kickoff after 1 p.m. was against Utah State back on September 7.

Before worrying about the Notre Dame game, however, the Trojans must first focus on another rivalry matchup with crosstown foe UCLA. Although neither team is having a particularly great season, major bragging rights are on the line when the Trojans and Bruins square off at the Rose Bowl this Saturday night.

Kickoff for the Crosstown Showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. local time in Pasadena on NBC.

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Notre Dame football leads the nation in this important defensive stat

This could lead to big things for the Irish

Many of know that Notre Dame football has one of the best defenses in the country, but its not only pass the look test, its passing the advanced metrics test as well.

Max Olson of ESPN recently posted the top-12 schools in stop rate percentage, and the Irish are the best team in the country at preventing points. The data is accumulated by which defense is the best at forcing punts, creating turnovers or getting stops on 4th down tries.

Notre Dame has a 81.7% stop rate, top in the country, while allowing just 0.96 points-per-drive, which isn’t the best, but is just a few spots away from being No. 1 also.

Olson points out that last year’s national champion, the Michigan Wolverines, finished at the top of this metric as well. This is a good omen for Notre Dame, as defense typically travels well, and the Irish have one of the best this fall.

Nov 16, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Adon Shuler (8) intercepts a pass intended for Virginia Cavaliers tight end Tyler Neville (16) in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Former Notre Dame football commits flips again, lands in the SEC

Not surprising given his flip history

It has been quite the wild recruiting ride for safety [autotag]Ivan Taylor[/autotag], who at one point was committed to Notre Dame.

Following the summer, the 6-foot, 170-pounder decided that South Bend wasn’t the place for him, and proceeded to flip to the Michigan Wolverines. The Big Ten team held Taylor’s commitment for just four months, as he once again flipped, this time to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The son of former NFL cornerback Ike Taylor has obviously had multiple changes of heart, and at this point, its hard to discount the possibility that he might end up flipping once more.

As the nation’s No. 59 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, it was clear that many teams were fighting for Taylor’s commitment. With the early signing period coming up next month, we will see if he actually sticks with his third commitment.

West Orange High School Warriors’ Ivan Taylor watches from the sidelines at the Florida High School 7v7 Association state championship in The Villages on Friday, June 24, 2022. [PAUL RYAN / CORRESPONDENT]

Florida High School 7v7 Association State Championship

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Marcus Freeman: Army is Notre Dame’s ‘Super Bowl’

Freeman thinks this is the Irish’s toughest challenge to date

Notre Dame football has played multiple ranked opponents this fall, including Texas A&M and Louisville, but this weekend might be different than those matchups.

When Irish coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Monday afternoon, he called Saturday’s game against Army as the team’s “toughest challenge to date.”

He offered multiple reasons such as the Black Knights winning all of their games this fall by double-digits, their win streak of 13 games spanning to last year and that they’re Navy 2.0. Freeman even went as far as saying this is Notre Dame’s “Super Bowl.”

The Irish coach also broached the subject of playing both service academies in the same year: The 100-year anniversary of the Four Horsemen game is why athletic director Pete Bevacqua made the move. It makes perfect sense for Navy and Notre Dame to see each other on the field, especially considering it was also the Shamrock Series game of the 2024 season.

This weekend is turning out to be a huge one for both teams. There will surely be College Football Playoff implications, and, hopefully, the Irish come out on top.

Nov. 9, 2024; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman stands with his players for the Notre Dame Alma Mater after defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Stadium. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame DT Howard Cross III status for Army

Hopefully he’s a go this weekend

While Notre Dame football has a 9-1 record with just two games left in the regular season, it has battled injuries all fall, which makes its record much more impressive.

The Irish will face the Army Black Knights on Saturday evening in what coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] called the “toughest challenge to date.” Unfortunately, it looks like Notre Dame might not have star defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] for the contest.

Freeman listed the senior as questionable after he sat out this past weekend’s win over Virginia. The good news is [autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] has filled in and played very well.

This is the kind of game where if Cross can get on the field, he needs to be out there. Even if he is limited to a certain amount of snaps, he’s a game-changer that will help Notre Dame. Hopefully, Cross heals during the week and we see him against Army.

Notre Dame star DT Howard Cross III’s status for Virginia has been updated
Howard Cross III #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates his sack with Rylie Mills #99 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on Aug. 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. Jack Gorman/Getty Images

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Notre Dame football loses 2025 commit, flips to Kansas Jayhawks

A not so happy Monday for the Irish

It wasn’t the news many wanted to hear on Monday morning. Now former Notre Dame football commit [autotag]Justin Thurman[/autotag] flipped to the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Florida running back had been committed to the Irish since early August of last year, but he decided South Bend wasn’t the place for him. As the nation’s No. 477 overall prospect on the 247Sports composite, this is clearly a loss for Notre Dame.

This could be a consequence of the Irish adding another back to the class. Nolan James committed a week ago after being in the Boston College’s 2025 recruiting class.

Thurman seemed firm with his pledge to Notre Dame, but now they must continue looking for another running back in the class. It has been fairly common for the Irish to take two in each cycle, so expect another flip in the near future.

Recruit Justin Thurman Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the annual Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.

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Notre Dame football impresses in Senior Day win over Virginia

A Senior Day win for the Irish

(This story was updated to add new information.)

It was the final home game of the regular season, and on Senior Day the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 35-14.

The Irish scored on their first “possession”, then traded punts with the Cavaliers for the next 9 possessions. A Virginia fumble led to a second Notre Dame touchdown, and the rout was on from there.

Notre Dame would force another turnover, and a play later they’d score again to up its lead to 21-0. That would start three straight drives that ended with the Irish picking off a pass, as the lead ballooned to 28-0 going into the half.

While there wasn’t as much action in the third quarter, the lead didn’t change as both teams found the end zone as the score went to 35-7. The Irish wouldn’t score again, while the Cavaliers managed a garbage-time touchdown.

The win improves Notre Dame’s record to 9-1 as they continue to march towards a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates a turnover during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend.

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SEC analyst is high on Notre Dame chances to win the College Football Playoff

High praise for the Irish, hopefully he’s right

It’s a big odd when an SEC analyst has high praise for a Notre Dame football team, but that is exactly what happened on Thursday.

Former Alabama quarterback [autotag]Greg McElroy[/autotag] was asked by former Georgia defensive end David Pollack if the Irish had a legit chance to win the College Football Playoff, and the answer was a resounding yes.

McElroy went over some of his criteria he’s looking for in a championship contender, which includes a quarterback that has experience, a take-over-the-game defensive line, and enough good skill position players.

While he’d rather have the skill players as wide receivers, McElroy believes the pair of backs in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price make up for the lack of explosiveness on the outside.

Also mentioned was the fact that tight end Mitchell Evans is coming on, and the young offensive line has made improvements over the course of the season. McElroy didn’t shy away from liking Notre Dame’s chances, which should give the Irish hope that they can make a run in the CFP.

Jan 6, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; ESPN analyst Greg McElroy talks to the media during media day before the College Football Playoff national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at George R Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Notre Dame football drops its game trailer for ahead of game vs. the Virginia Cavaliers

Time to get hyped

It’s that time of week again, as every Friday during the Notre Dame football season the social media team gets up hyped up for Saturday’s game.

The Irish will face off against Virginia as their final home game of the 2024 season. They’ll be on the road against Army and USC to finish off what hopes to be resulting in a College Football Playoff berth.

Notre Dame is on a 7-game win streak, while the Cavaliers are coming off an upset over Pittsburgh last weekend. It’s an important game for both teams, although the goals are significantly different.

Like they have done all year, the Irish have used an old school hip-hop song along with some season highlights in each of the game trailers. This time they used Def Squad’s “The Game (Freestyle)” as the soundtrack, another great choice. Check out the video here.

Notre Dame safety Jordan Clark (1) celebrates his interception during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.

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Son of Georgia football legend commits to Notre Dame

Four-star linebacker recruit, son of former All-SEC Georgia Bulldogs safety commits to Notre Dame

Thomas Davis Jr., who is the son of former Georgia Bulldogs safety Thomas Davis Sr., committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Davis Jr. is a four-star linebacker recruit in the class of 2026.

Davis Jr. plays for Weddington High School, which is located in Matthews, North Carolina. Davis Jr. is the No. 164 recruit in the class of 2026. He is the No. 10 linebacker in the country and the No. 11 prospect in North Carolina.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker announced his commitment to Notre Dame via social media.

Davis Jr. appears to be taking a different path from his father, who played at Georgia in the early 2000s. However, there is still plenty of time left for Georgia to recruit Davis Jr.

Thomas Davis Sr. was selected to the All-SEC first team in 2003 and 2004 and earned a consensus All-American selection in 2004. Davis Sr. was a first-round NFL draft pick and had a long career in the NFL primarily with the Carolina Panthers. Davis Sr. made three Pro Bowls and earned the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2014.