Tag: TCU

Notre Dame women’s basketball drops to No. 3 seed in ESPN bracketology

The Irish’s perception continues to suffer.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team lost both games it played in the Cayman Islands Classic to TCU and Utah. In doing so, it seriously hurt its perception among those who follow women’s basketball for a living.

Not only did the Irish drop seven spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll from third to 10th, further than any other team, but they fell in Charlie Creme’s latest bracketology for ESPN. After a road win over USC allowed them to ascend to a No. 1 seed, they have fallen to a No. 3 seed.

What’s more, the Irish are in the quadrant featuring UConn, the top overall seed in this bracketology. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs have been bumped up to a No. 2 seed.

While the Irish remain highly ranked, this past week has led many to believe they aren’t as good as previously thought. The good news is it’s early in the season still, and there’s plenty of time to convince people to come back around on them. But it might become harder if they don’t beat at least one of Texas or the Huskies in two of their next three games.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball drops seven spots in latest AP Top 25

The Irish have a storm to navigate.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team had a very damaging Thanksgiving weekend. After getting swept in the Cayman Islands Classic by TCU and Utah, the voters in the first AP Top 25 Poll of December were not sympathetic.

The Irish dropped seven spots in the latest poll from No. 3 to No. 10. That was the biggest fall of any team from the previous poll. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs had the biggest jump of any team from that poll, ascending from No. 17 to just past the Irish at No. 9. The Utes didn’t crack the poll but received five votes after not accumulating any in the previous week.

Just when the Irish were riding high after beating USC on the road, reality has hit them hard. It’s a reminder that this season might not be as smooth a ride as many thought it would be. The test for them now is responding well to this setback beginning with their game against No. 5 Texas in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball swept during Cayman Islands Classic

Well, this certainly isn’t a pleasant way to get your first two losses.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team got a rude awakening during the Cayman Islands Classic over Thanksgiving weekend. It’s hard to know if the tropical setting affected the Irish, but what is known is that the Irish won’t just cruise to a national championship.

One day after the Irish suffered their first loss of the season, a 76-68 decision to a ranked and undefeated TCU team, they lost, 78-67, to a Utah team that wasn’t even receiving votes in the latest poll. That drops the Irish to 5-2 on the season, and they most definitely will drop from their No. 3 ranking in the latest poll.

It was a real disappointment for the Irish after defeating USC in its own building, and the schedule won’t get any easier. They next face Texas in the ACC/SEC Challenge, which will come ahead of their ACC opener against Syracuse and then a game against fellow blue blood UConn.

This is a true test for the Irish, and how they tackle it will say a lot about them.

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Chargers highlight: Quentin Johnston outruns Kenneth Murray for touchdown

Kenneth Murray’s return to SoFi Stadium has not gone the way he hoped.

Kenneth Murray’s return to SoFi Stadium has not gone the way he hoped.

After signing with the Titans this offseason, Murray was juked by Justin Herbert on a first half scramble up the middle and has struggled to contend with tight end Will Dissly in coverage. With the Chargers up 13-10 in the third quarter, Los Angeles lined up with 3rd and 8 from the Titans 16 yard line.

Herbert dropped back to pass with a solid pocket, waiting for a receiver to come open. Quentin Johnston ran a crossing route that was not picked up until Murray drifted back outside the right hash, chasing after Johnston as they entered the end zone.

Murray was a couple steps too slow, however, and Herbert hit Johnston in stride for a 16 yard touchdown to extend the lead to 20-10.

The drive was set up by a 56 yard kickoff return by Derius Davis that put the Chargers on the Titans 43. A 15 yard pass to Ladd McConkey and 9 yard run by Gus Edwards to open the drive brought the Chargers within striking distance of the end zone.

https://x.com/chargers/status/1855746898885488747

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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Notre Dame will face TCU, Utah during Cayman Islands Classic

The Irish have some business to do Thanksgiving weekend.

The only part of Notre Dame’s schedule that wasn’t know before Tuesday was its opponents for the Cayman Island Classic. We knew this tournament meant the Irish would spend Thanksgiving weekend together, but we didn’t know which other teams lined up would face them. Wonder no longer.

The Irish will face TCU on Nov. 29, then have a meeting with Utah on Nov. 30. Both teams previously have played the Irish three times in the history and lost every single time. The Horned Frogs last lost to the Irish in 2016, while the Utes were knocked out of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Among the notable storylines here is that the Irish will face Frogs transfer Hailey Van Lith, a two-time First Team All-ACC selection during her days at Louisville, where she went 5-2 against the Irish. She played last season with defending champion LSU, which fell to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight.

Let’s hope the Irish will be ready for some fun in the sun over the holiday. More importantly, let’s hope that fun includes a couple of wins.

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Chargers WR Quentin Johnston has breakout performance

Quentin Johnston’s career day against the Panthers was a long time coming.

Quentin Johnston’s career day against the Panthers was a long time coming.

Johnston, the Chargers’ first-round pick last year, struggled in Year 1. His rookie campaign was littered with dropped passes and separation struggles.

After showing signs of improvement in the spring and summer, it carried over to live-game action.

Johnston had two touchdown catches, tying the amount he had in 2023.

His first score went for 29 yards on Los Angeles’ opening drive. With Jaycee Horn in coverage, Johnston made a great adjustment to the football, reaching out to reel it in.

In the second quarter, Johnston was left wide open in the back of the end zone in a busted coverage by Carolina.

Johnston finished the game as the leader in receptions and receiving yards with five catches for 51 yards.

After the game, Jim Harbaugh heaped high praise on Johnston.

“Maybe nobody more excited for than Quentin Johnston,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody on the team really likes Q, loves him, respects him. Probably most of all because he’s kind of been picked on by a lot of people.

“It doesn’t faze him, he just keeps doing him and he works on stuff he needs to get better at,” Harbaugh added. “Most important part, he doesn’t ever get the big head. Just keep doing you Q.”

For his performance, Johnston received a game ball from Harbaugh in the locker room.

“That’s a great feeling,” Johnston said about receiving the game ball. “At this level it’s an achievement, it’s not always easy having big games like that.

“I just have to take that into account, be proud of it for this moment and keep moving forward and take that on for the rest of the season,” Johnston added.

How Chargers rookies fared in preseason debut

Evaluating Los Angeles Chargers rookies after first week of 2024 NFL preseason.

The preseason is meant to evaluate players, and for a handful of them, this past week marked their first time playing in an NFL game. This included the Chargers’ draft picks in their loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.

Los Angeles was headlined by first-round pick offensive tackle Joe Alt, who had a solid performance. Alt played 21 snaps and only allowed one quarterback pressure. He showed good finesse in pass protection and power and movement skills in the run game to clear some lanes.

“It felt great,” Alt said, per the team’s official website. “It’s always good to get your first live play under your belt with the group you have the most experience with. It was good to be out there will all of them.”

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey and linebacker Junior Colson did not play as they’ve been working through some injuries.

Defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe played 30 snaps. Eboigbe didn’t have much of an impact, logging just one assisted tackle. The rookie out of Alabama has flashed at training camp, however, especially against the run.

Cornerback Tarheeb Still, who has been a summer standout, continued to make his case for the starting nickel spot. Still posted two pass breakups. But along with his cover skills, he flashed as a blitzer.

CB Cam Hart did not play.

Running back Kimani Vidal was in uniform for warmups, but was not suited up for the game.

Wide receiver Brenden Rice played the second-most snaps. He was targeted three times but failed to record a reception. A large part of that was due to inefficient quarterback play. There were many instances of Rice running great routes and being open. He had an aDOT (average depth of target) of 15.3.

WR Cornelius Johnson was on the field for just eight snaps.

Elite name alert: Chiefs to sign talented TE Geor’Quarius Spivey

According to a report, Kansas City #Chiefs signed tight end Geor’Quarius Spivey on Thursday.

According to a report from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, Texas the Kansas City Chiefs signed tight end Geor’Quarius Spivey on Thursday after he worked out with the team earlier in the offseason.

Spivey, a product of Mississippi State and TCU, will add to Kansas City’s depth behind Travis Kelce in a group of tight ends that already includes Noah Gray, Irv Smith Jr., and rookie Jared Wiley.

Though he had a productive career as a collegian, Spivey didn’t appear in any games for the Bulldogs last season after the NCAA denied him a transfer waiver following the Horned Frogs’ 2022 campaign.

It is unclear if Spivey will be able to push Gray, Smith, or Wiley for a second or third-string spot on Kansas City’s depth chart but, with some luck, the six-foot-five tight end could catch on with the Chiefs’ practice squad with an outstanding performance in the preseason.

Countdown to Kickoff: Millard Bradford is the Saints Player of Day 38

Countdown to Kickoff: Millard Bradford is the Saints Player of Day 38. What must the safety from TCU do to make the team?

We’re continuing our countdown tot he New Orleans Saints’ season opener by highlighting Millard Bradford, the rookie safety from TCU and the current owner of the No. 38 jersey. With 38 days left until kickoff with the  Carolina Panthers, that makes Bradford our Saints Player of the Day:

  • Name (Age): Millard Bradford (24)
  • Position: Safety
  • Height, weight: 5-foot-10, 191 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 7.69
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $798,333
  • College: TCU
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Bradford signed a standard three-year undrafted free agent contract with the Saint that included $60,000 in guarantees, which is nothing to overlook even if it isn’t on the higher end of the scale for rookies. That suggests they believed he could at least compete for a spot on their practice squad. And the early returns justified that — Millard had several interceptions at rookie minicamp and OTAs this spring, picking off Spencer Rattler twice in one afternoon of work.

He just needs to keep making plays. The more Bradford can do not just defensively but on special teams, the stronger his case becomes. He needs to prove to the Saints that they don’t need to splurge on a free agent safety like Justin Simmons. But with guys well ahead of him on the depth chart like Tyrann Mathieu, J.T. Gray, Johnathan Abram and Jordan Howden, there’s something of a ceiling to how high Bradford could climb. He started his summer strong. He just needs to keep it up now that padded practices have started and with preseason games coming up fast.

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