Tag: Tyler Horka

Watch: Mark Packer vents during Ivey Coach of the Year announcement

Take our advice and don’t be like Mark Packer.

If you don’t agree with Notre Dame’s [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] being named the ACC Coach of the Year, that’s fine. Like anyone else, you’re entitled to your opinion. But that opinion should wait until after the award winner has been announced, not during. This piece of advice was either lost on or ignored by the ACC Network’s Mark Packer as Ivey’s honor was announced on live TV, and thanks to Blue and Gold’s Tyler Horka, his bitterness now is on Twitter for all to see:

Look, you definitely can make a case for Duke’s Kara Lawson to have won the award. After all, her Blue Devils proved a formidable foe for the Irish all the way to the end, even winning at Purcell Pavilion. But again, why does this have to happen during the moment of truth?

This reflects poorly on Packer and doesn’t help the notion of ESPN’s alleged bias towards all things Duke. If he’s going to throw a tantrum while the ACC awards are being announced, someone else needs to emcee this show in the future. You cannot and should not display this egregious lack of professionalism at the wrong time. All young broadcasters should note this is what not to do during an awards show.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

[lawrence-related id=70051]

 

Notre Dame punter uses memory of brother to push forward

A sad but touching story as we begin to enter the holiday season.

I’ve never met Blue and Gold Illustrated beat writer Tyler Horka but he seems like more than just “An outstanding young reporter” like [autotag]Paul Finebaum[/autotag] once called him (according to Horka’s Twitter profile).  Horka seems like he’s going to one day be playing the role of Jen Lada or Tom Rinaldi on College Gameday by making your eyes water on fall Saturday mornings.

Horka has shared a number of stories that pull at the heartstrings this year that include Notre Dame super-recruit [autotag]CJ Carr[/autotag]’s love for his late brother, how linebacker Prince Kollie saved his high school football coach’s life, and how Dabo Swinney helped Notre Dame wide receivers coach Chasni Stuckey get his start in coaching.

Horka knows how to make a room suddenly get a bit dusty and did it again this week.  He spoke with Notre Dame punter Jon Sot and some of those closest to him about the untimely death of his older brother.  I don’t want to steal clicks from Horka’s piece but instead, want to push more viewers to it.  Whether you’re a Notre Dame fan or just a college football fan that visits us regularly, go check it out.

“Sometimes I look back like, ‘How am I here right now?” Sot said. “It doesn’t feel like I should be here with some of the things that have happened. But I always push through it.”

–Jon Sot to Tyler Horka of Blue Gold Illustrated

Be sure to check it out in full as it helps get your mind right entering the holiday season.

Oh, and hey Horka:  keep up the great work.

[listicle id=64709]

Twitter reacts to Chris Tyree’s receiving touchdown

Another running back scores on a pass.

While [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] has had a fine season for Notre Dame, he hasn’t been its leading rusher like most people predicted. That distinction has gone to [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag], who proved against Navy he’s capable of scoring off passes, too. Well, Tyree showed he’s just as capable of find the end zone in that fashion. This 5-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to extend the Irish’s lead to 21-6 was his second of the season:

While it’s probably too late for Tyree to catch Estime on the stats sheet, it’s unlikely he will dwell on it, certainly not this late in the season. This game against Navy and the next one against Boston College should provide him with plenty of opportunities to open his game up. That’s not to say he won’t do anything when the Irish visit USC, but he might as well take advantage of his opportunities against inferior opponents. Irish fans on Twitter are happy he’s doing it regardless:

Twitter reacts to Brandon Joseph’s pick-six on first play of game

What a way to begin.

Did anyone remember that [autotag]Brandon Joseph[/autotag] played for Notre Dame before Saturday? The transfer from Northwestern might have slipped through the cracks for some Irish fans. However, he reminded everyone he exists in a big way on the first play from scrimmage against Syracuse. Garrett Shrader surely will be asking himself how he didn’t see Joseph, who gave the Irish their first defensive touchdown of the season:

It’s worth noting that since this happened on the first play from scrimmage, it won’t mean anything if the Irish don’t play up to that level for the rest of the game. Despite the recent loss to Clemson, the Orange are no slouch, and anyone who doesn’t treat them like that is in for a rude awakening. With them also playing at home, the environment won’t be very forgiving either. The Irish surely are aware of that.

Still, that was an exciting way to begin things, and here’s how Twitter reacted to Joseph’s big play:

Twitter reacts to Notre Dame’s Chris Tyree’s fourth-quarter touchdown

Nice score.

Notre Dame probably needed one more score to make it incredibly difficult for UNLV to come back. The Irish had given up a touchdown, making the score 30-14. Then, they had a run-heavy drive that began in the third quarter and ended in the fourth. [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] did most of the carrying, but it was [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] who ran for an 8-yard touchdown to put the Irish up, 37-14:

It’s nice to see Tyree make a difference on the scoreboard during a season when he is becoming more and more forgotten with the emergence of [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag]. Even if this touchdown served as little more than insurance for the Irish, the fact that he’s made a difference in the score at all has to be fulfilling for him. Maybe this is the motivation he needs to have an amazing rest of the year. For now, he surely will be happy to read tweets like these:

Twitter reacts to Audric Estime touchdown to get Notre Dame on board

The Irish have life.

Notre Dame has been waiting forever to get on the board against Stanford. It got to a point where some were questioning if it would happen at all. Finally, it happened in the third quarter:

[autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] capped a six-play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to cut Stanford’s lead to 13-7. [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] played a big part in setting it up with receptions of 12 and 21 yards. Coming before any of those big plays was one by [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], who ran for 26 yards on the first play of the drive.

The Irish really are going to have to work hard to avoid an embarrassing home loss to their one-win annual rival. While Irish fans surely were happy about the touchdown, there’s little doubt they all still are a little nervous. Whatever they’re feeling on the inside, we know about a few of those outside feelings because that’s what Twitter makes possible:

Twitter reacts to Michael Mayer scoring Notre Dame’s first touchdown

Is this dude good or what?

Everyone knew going into the season that [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] was the one Notre Dame offensive skills player you couldn’t sleep on. To this point, Mayer mostly has lived up to that reputation. However, he has been announcing his presence early and often in the first half against BYU. He had one big catch on third down, and he ended that drive by doing this:

As you can see from the tweet, that touchdown did more than only give the Irish the lead. That tight end receptions record previously was held by [autotag]Tyler Eifert[/autotag]. It’s probable Eifert knew his record was in danger for some time now, but records are made to be broken.

Irish fans and scribes undoubtedly remember Eifert well, but Mayer is in the here and now, and some of them took to Twitter to express their appreciation for this special kid. Here are a few of the things they had to say:

Watch: Manti Te’o makes pregame speech to Notre Dame faithful

Tie to get fired up.

It’s hard to believe it already has been 10 years since Manti Te’o was a Heisman Trophy finalist. That means it’s been almost as long since the world learned of the embarrassing catfishing saga he found himself tied up in. However, all Notre Dame fans saw when he appeared before them and the current Irish was a program legend who would run through a brick wall for his alma mater. You couldn’t come to any other conclusion after hearing this speech, which was recorded by Tyler Horka of Blue and Gold:

Te’o’s prediction of an “all-ager rager” at Notre Dame Stadium might be the first of its kind to be on the record. Like every other Irish supporter, he knows that the team needs all the motivation it can get as it prepares to host California. If the Irish win and Te’o chooses to take credit for it, is anyone really going to complain? That’s how desperate everyone is for good news.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89