Tag: Ramon Henderson

Who is missing from Notre Dame in Sun Bowl via opt-out?

These names could be in the Sun Bowl, but they won’t be.

It’s become increasingly common for college football players to opt out of inconsequential bowl games for one reason or another. With the College Football Playoff field tripling in size next year, that could solve the problem a bit, at least as far as the number of team this practice impacts. This is the future of college football, even if you don’t agree with it.

With Notre Dame facing Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, several Irish players are missing, either having entered the transfer portal or choosing to focus on preparing for the NFL draft. That means many of the Irish’s leaders in each major statistical category will be absent, so it’s not worth listing a bunch of names that won’t play.

Instead, we’re going to list the percentage of each major statistic that will be missing from the Irish during the final game of the season because of opt-outs. Hopefully, this won’t discourage you from watching the game too much:

Social media reacts to Jaden Mickey interception return for touchdown

Only one in a series of big plays for the Irish.

This listicle began as one where social media reacted to [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag]’s touchdown to open Notre Dame’s third-quarter scoring. Here’s the play just so we have it on the site:

But just as work was beginning on the price listicle, a little-known Irish cornerback named [autotag]Jaden Mickey[/autotag] picked off Christian Veilleux for the first interception of his collegiate career. He also turned that interception into points, returning it 43 yards to the end zone, adding onto the Irish’s growing lead over Pittsburgh:

You always have to love when the players who aren’t as known get to shine in the spotlight. Even if Mickey doesn’t become a star, he’ll at least have plays like this to look back on.

Oh, and while this was being written, [autotag]Ramon Henderson[/autotag] recovered a muffed punt in the end zone for another Irish touchdown:

We could recap all of this right now, but for our purposes, we’ll focus on the play that got most people out of their seats, and that’s the Mickey pick to the house. Here’s how social media reacted to it:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through eight games

In case you forgot after the week off.

Notre Dame has had an extra week to enjoy the blow it dealt to USC’s season. Now, it’s back to business with Pittsburgh coming to South Bend. With the gauntlet portion of the schedule behind the Irish, this hopefully will be the easiest game they’ve had to look forward to in a month.

For those who need refreshing after the week off, here are the Irish’s major statistical leaders:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through seven games

Having lost two of its past three, Notre Dame officially has little left to play for. Before it can enjoy its first of two bye weeks, it must first deal with yet another ranked undefeated in USC. This could get worse before it gets better. Alas, the …

Having lost two of its past three, Notre Dame officially has little left to play for. Before it can enjoy its first of two bye weeks, it must first deal with yet another ranked undefeated in USC. This could get worse before it gets better. Alas, the Irish must carry on because the schedule dictates such.

Here’s who leads the major statistical categories for the Irish:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through six games

Who’s most likely to help defeat the Cardinals?

Notre Dame is getting ready to face another surging program, this time in Louisville. It probably would prefer to have an easier time than it did against Duke, which it barely escaped against. The road atmosphere the Cardinals fans will provide unlikely will be anymore forgiving though. That’s why the Irish must prepare for any and all possibilities.

Here are the statistical leaders for the Irish at the midway point of the season:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through five games

Who can get the Irish back on track after their heartbreaking loss?

Notre Dame doesn’t have time to think about what could have been against Ohio State. Its focus now must shift to a resurgent Duke team. Wins continue to be necessary because you never know what can happen over the next two months. The College Football Playoff might still remain in play.

Here are the Irish’s statistical leaders to watch for against the Blue Devils:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through four games

Here are the players most equipped to take down the Buckeyes.

Notre Dame got through its four games unscathed, and now it’s time for the really big test. Ohio State is coming to South Bend, and this could more or less decide the Irish’s fate for 2023.

It will be tough, but they’ve shown they have the personnel to meet the challenge.

Here are the statistical leaders to watch out for in the upcoming contest:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through three games

Here’s who to watch against Central Michigan.

Notre Dame not only got through its first real test of 2023, but it stepped on the gas against NC State to show how talented it is.

Up next is Central Michigan, which should provide a bit of a breather. More importantly, it will serve as a tuneup for when Ohio State comes to South Bend the following week.

Here are the statistical leaders to watch out for in the upcoming contest:

Notre Dame statistical leaders through two games

Here’s who to watch against NC State.

Notre Dame dominated its first two opponents in Navy and Tennessee State. Some might be wondering if a challenge will show up anytime soon. We’ll see if one exists when the Irish travel to NC State for their first true road game of the season. Here are those most likely to push the Irish over the top, specifically those who lead the major statistical categories:

Social media reacts to Sam Hartman’s running, passing touchdowns

This dude is good.

A 7-3 Irish lead nearly became 7-6 but for a blocked field goal by [autotag]Jason Onye[/autotag] on a short field set up by a questionable no-call for targeting after [autotag]Devyn Ford[/autotag] was hit hard and lost the ball on a kick return. That no-call should spark some debate among college football fans.

Regardless of whether targeting should have been called, [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] led the Irish’s offense back onto the field and did some work. A 50-yard run by [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] ultimately set up a Hartman keeper that required only 5 yards to reach the end zone:

How many of you knew Hartman could leap into the end zone like Walter Payton if need be? Whether you knew that or not, it impressed all Irish fans. And if that wasn’t enough, he was able to get back to work quickly after [autotag]Ramon Henderson[/autotag]’s interception on the second play of the Tigers’ ensuing drive. He needed only four plays to hit [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] for a 24-yard touchdown, extending the Irish’s lead to 21-3:

Let’s see what social media has to say about all of this: