Tag: Tyler Horka

Social media reacts to Tobias Merriweather’s 35-yard touchdown catch

Nice catch.

Notre Dame is finding itself in a fight it likely didn’t anticipate having against Wake Forest. The Deacons are proving to be a formidable opponent for the Irish, and they’ll have to make sure that changes in the second half. For now though, there are some good things about the first half to talk about. Specifically, there’s this 35-yard touchdown pass from [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] to [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] to put the Irish up, 14-7:

This is Merriweather’s second touchdown of the season and his first since scoring against Central Michigan two months ago. He has played in every game this season but has found limited success. This touchdown has to feel like a relief for the sophomore receiver, who hopefully will have more opportunities to succeed in the future.

Social media reacted to Merriweather’s touchdown and probably didn’t anticipate that he would be the one to catch a pass like that coming in:

Social media reacts to Xavier Watts interception to set up touchdown

There we go.

Notre Dame was looking for a spark against Clemson. It finally came in the form of a [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] interception on the first possession of the second half. Watts snagged a deflected pass out of the air and returned it 33 yards to the Tigers’ 2-yard line. [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] promptly ran into the end zone to cut the Tigers’ lead to 24-16:

Watts’ interception was his seventh of the season, the most of anyone in the country. Unfortunately, the momentum gained from the aforementioned sequence didn’t last. When the Tigers took the ball back, they moved it as well as they did for most of the first half. They ultimately got those surrendered points back on a touchdown from Phil Mafah, making the score 31-16.

Despite the disappointment that followed, fans still were excited to see Watts come up with the football yet again. Here’s how social media reacted to his latest big play:

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:

Social media reacts to Xavier Watts’ two first-half interceptions

That’s six picks for him this season.

Christian Veilleux had to know [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] would be one of his biggest challenges when he led Pittsburgh’s offense against Notre Dame. He most certainly did not have two first-half interceptions by Watts in mind. Yet that’s exactly what happened, and they both set up all 14 points scored by the Irish’s offense in the half. The Irish led, 17-0, at the break.

Watts’ first pick set up the touchdown by [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag]:

This one set up a chip-shot field goal for [autotag]Spencer Shrader[/autotag] right before halftime:

You have to give Watts mad props for emerging as perhaps the one Irish defender you absolutely do not want to mess around with. If you don’t have a half-decent offense, which is the case for the Panthers, players like Watts will make you pay. Watts has done just that, and he’s going to be a major reason the ride back to the Steel City will be a long one.

Here is what social media is saying about Watts:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame walk-on scoring game-tying touchdown

Bet you didn’t have him scoring.

As far as Notre Dame walk-ons go, it’s gonna be tough to top [autotag]Rudy Ruettiger[/autotag] in terms of notoriety. But it’s a lot easier to pass Ruettiger in on-field performance if you have a chance to play. [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] got that chance in the second quarter against Louisville, and he came up at a big time. Two plays after making his first collegiate catch, he caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] to tie the game:

Whatever happens the rest of this game, Faison will have this moment forever. Not everyone in his position has this particular opportunity, and he made the most of his. If he has a few more plays like this, he’ll be listed on the depth chart every week. Not bad for someone whose main sport is lacrosse.

While Faison is waiting, he can read these and other reactions that were posted to social media after his touchdown:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame touchdown after fake punt

Nice sequence of events.

Notre Dame knew it needed to open its road contest against Duke with a bang. It appeared that wouldn’t be the case when the Irish were faced with a fourth-and-4 at the Blue Devils’ 47-yard line. Instead, the Irish successfully executed a fake punt as [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] ran for 34 yards:

Two plays later, [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] was in the end zone on a 7-yard run, giving the Irish an early 7-0 lead:

One of the criticisms of the Irish during their loss to Ohio State is that they got too cute at times instead of doing what had been working. That criticism probably wouldn’t have happened so often if those cute plays had worked. They did this time, and that put an early damper on the festivities in Durham.

We’ll see how this game plays out, but in the meantime, here are some  the best reactions on social media to the Estime touchdown:

 

How social media reacted to Notre Dame-Central Michigan: Irish side

We know you enjoyed the outcome.

Notre Dame’s game against Central Michigan was an appetizer for the one against Ohio State, and everyone knew it. There wasn’t a lot of overall interest in this game, and the fact that it was streamed on Peacock instead of broadcast on NBC is evidence of that. Still, ghe Irish will be happy with the 41-17 victory. At 4-0, they now have all the momentum they need ahead of welcoming the Buckeyes to South Bend.

Irish fans might not have been entirely happy with how their team played the Chippewas. The lead at halftime was only seven with two touchdowns having been allowed. Still, the fact that the Irish allowed only a field goal in the second half showed their ability to regroup when things got tough. They also did this in the win over NC State.

The win brought out the reaction tweets, and here are some of the best ones:

Social media reacts to Holden Staes’ fourth-quarter touchdown

Exclamation point.

Even with the outcome most likely decided, Notre Dame continued to press against Central Michigan. [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] had hit a lot of receivers over the course of the game, but one he hadn’t was tight end [autotag]Holden Staes[/autotag]. That changed in the fourth quarter. Hartman hit Staes for a 4-yard touchdown, his first reception of the game, and any remaining doubts that the Irish would win were gone:

Not only did the touchdown extend the Irish’s lead further, but it set a program record. Dating to last season’s Gator Bowl, the Irish now have scored at least 40 points in five straight games. That’s the first such streak in 136 years of Notre Dame football. Everyone who has made this possible should feel very proud.

We will have more about the Irish’s 41-17 victory in other posts, but for our purposes here, let’s purely focus on social media reactions to Staes’ late touchdown:

Social media reacts to Sam Hartman’s 76-yard TD pass to Chris Tyree

What a throw.

Full confession: I thought that [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] had scored the game’s first touchdown. In fact, it was [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag]. However, it didn’t matter because it took only one quarter for Tyree to receiver a similarly long touchdown pass from [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag]. In fact, it was a full yard longer than Merriweather’s reception:

You have to love how well Tyree has played in the first part of this season in his new position. You never would have known he was a running back a year ago if you had just started following the Irish this season. That’s how effective he’s been.

The question is whether Tyree will be able to sustain this for the full season. We’ll find an answer to that question in the coming weeks, but one could make similar arguments for many players on this roster that have gotten off to hot starts. Until then, here are some tweets reacting to Tyree:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame’s Holden Staes’ touchdown

Nice score by the tight end.

Notre Dame definitely has had a tougher time with NC State than it did against Navy or Tennessee State. Much of that has been self-inflicted with an uncharacteristic amount of penalties that have aid the Wolfpack’s scoring. But [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] has shown capable of fending off whatever adversity that comes the Irish’s win. Fresh off a Wolfpack field goal, Hartman completed a pass to [autotag]Holden Staes[/autotag], who was off to the races with a 40-yard touchdown:

This is the second touchdown for Staes in as many games and the second of his career. The fact that he’s starting to show what he can do after barely getting that opportunity a year ago shows how many players are benefiting from Hartman’s presence. It was hyped up a lot before the season, but now, we’re getting to see it for ourselves. That includes folks on social media as evidenced by these tweets: