Members of the Notre Dame athletics department will be giving back over $1.5 million in salary for the 2020-21 sports season.
While members of the Notre Dame athletics department will be giving back over $1.5 million in salary for the 2020-21 sports season, that hasn’t completely shed fears on how things will look once the worst of COVID-19 has passed. It’s fair to wonder how many of the university’s 20 varsity sports will remain. After all, Old Dominion has eliminated wrestling, and Cincinnati no longer has men’s soccer.
During his Zoom conference with national media Tuesday, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he doesn’t “anticipate that happening during the course of this.” He further said he’s prepared “to look at every element of our budget, both the revenue side and the expense side.” That could include eliminating the football program’s game against Western Michigan, which is scheduled to make $1.2 million just for showing up. That alone likely wouldn’t keep the athletics department out of the red.
Swarbrick has sensed in his regular talks with conference commissioners that sports best known to the public during the Olympics (swimming and diving, fencing, track and field, etc.) could be affected. That would be include more regional schedules, shorter road trips involving multiple conference members in one location and cuts to scholarship totals.
With the future of sports across the board as unpredictable as ever, it’s understandable to be apprehensive. Even though most of Notre Dame’s sports don’t have nearly the amount of public interest as football and basketball, that doesn’t make them any less important. This is the only way many can earn scholarships, and if they have less of a chance at those, everyone loses. Here’s hoping Swarbrick and the rest of the athletics department is spared having to make some of the most difficult decisions anyone with their positions can.
Schrauth checks in at a massive 6-5, 265 pounds and has the biggest powerhouses in the mid-west in pursuit of his talent. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Western Michigan and Wisconsin have already extended offers and you’d assume with a list like that, more blue-bloods won’t be too far behind.
As the watch continues as to where the nation’s best high school football talents in the 2021 recruiting class will commit the push is already well-underway for the 2022 classes as well. Today Notre Dame made an offer to a big-time ’22 prospect from the mid-west.
Billy Schrauth of St. Mary’s Springs in Fon Du Lac, Wisconsin is rated as the sixth best defensive tackle prospect in the nation from the early rankings 247Sports has given. Their composite rankings grade him as a four-star talent early on.
Schrauth checks in at a massive 6-5, 265 pounds and has the biggest powerhouses in the mid-west in pursuit of his talent. Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Western Michigan and Wisconsin have already extended offers and you’d assume with a list like that, more blue-bloods won’t be too far behind.
Enjoy his sophomore year highlight tape below. He’s being recruited nationally as a defensive tackle and you can see why but some of the most fun on his tape is him mauling young men as an offensive guard.
The only real double take upon seeing the release for me is that Stanford remains a night game.
Notre Dame’s home schedule for the 2020 season has long been known but kickoff times however were not. At least not until Friday when the team and NBC Sports announced the kickoff times for all seven home games this season.
Of those seven, six will be played at Notre Dame Stadium while the Shamrock Series makes a return at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, when Notre Dame takes on Wisconsin this October.
Here’s how the scheduled home slate looks time wise:
Sept. 12 – Arkansas, 2:30 ET
Sept. 19 – Western Michigan, 2:30 ET
Oct. 3 – Wisconsin (Shamrock Series, Green Bay, WI), 7:30 ET
Oct. 10 – Stanford, 7:30 ET
Oct. 31 – Duke, 3:30 ET
Nov. 7 – Clemson, 7:30 ET
Nov. 21 – Louisville, 2:30 ET
As expected the matchups with Wisconsin and Clemson will both be in primetime. The Shamrock Series game has always been a primetime affair while Clemson being far and away the biggest of home opponents for Notre Dame this season gets the evening kickoff.
The only real double take upon seeing the release for me is that Stanford remains a night game. I know there have been some classics in this matchup but with the Cardinal seemingly on the decline I’m surprised to see NBC having interest putting this game in primetime. Why it may make sense though is that the slate of national games for that October 10 day doesn’t appear great at night, meaning ratings could benefit despite a not great matchup:
Texas/Oklahoma is always a noon ET kickoff while Clemson/Florida State, Ohio State/Iowa, and Michigan/Michigan State all appear to be lopsided matchups from this far out.
The SEC has a couple big games that week with Auburn and Georgia doing battle and LSU taking on Florida but it is hard to imagine CBS not choosing its one primetime SEC game for the year to not include Alabama or LSU for a second consecutive season as that honor went to Notre Dame and Georgia in 2019.
Cale Morris’ stellar play in Notre Dame’s two games against Western Michigan (one win and one tie) earned him Big Ten First Star of the Week honors. The senior goaltender and alternate captain made 42 and 40 saves, respectively, in the Irish’s …
Cale Morris’ stellar play in Notre Dame’s two games against Western Michigan (one win and one tie) earned him Big Ten First Star of the Week honors. The senior goaltender and alternate captain made 42 and 40 saves, respectively, in the Irish’s matchups with the Broncos.
Minnesota goaltender Jack LaFontaine was the conference’s Second Star of the Week, and Ohio State forward Tanner Laczynski was named the Third Star.
This is the third time this season Morris has been named a Big Ten Star of the Week and second time he’s been named the First Star. Other Notre Dame players who have been part of the conference’s weekly honor this season are Mike O’Leary, Cal Burke, Matt Hellickson and Cam Morrison.
Morris has been the First Star of the Week eight times in his career and the Second and Third Star of the Week three times apiece.
Morris and the Irish, ranked 14th in the latest poll, return to the ice Friday and Saturday against Michigan.
Looking for a spark after Friday’s tie with No. 19 Western Michigan, No. 15 Notre Dame got it with a big second period on the road Sunday and won the rematch with the Broncos, 4-1. Alex Steeves led the charge by having a hand in each Irish goal, all …
Looking for a spark after Friday’s tie with No. 19 Western Michigan, No. 15 Notre Dame got it with a big second period on the road Sunday and won the rematch with the Broncos, 4-1.
Alex Steeves led the charge by having a hand in each Irish goal, all of which were scored in the second period. Steeves’ four points, including two goals, were a career high. Cam Morrison was part of three of the goals for the Irish (10-7-3), one of which he scored himself. Matt Hellickson got the game’s first tally.
Cale Morris continued his hot streak in the net with 40 saves. In the two games against the Broncos (7-8-3), he stopped 82 of 84 shots. For the second straight contest, Morris stopped a penalty shot, this one from Ethen Frank. Morris has made 119 saves out of a possible 121 going back to Dec. 14 against Penn State.
From here, the Irish will stick to the Big Ten schedule, beginning with two home games against Michigan State on Jan. 10 and 11.
Highlights from Friday night’s 1-1 tie with Western Michigan. Recap: https://t.co/p3eCs6qgy2 #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/POIM11mjb3 – Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) January 4, 2020 No. 15 Notre Dame needed each of Cale Morris’ season-high 42 saves to …
🎥 Highlights from Friday night's 1-1 tie with Western Michigan.
No. 15 Notre Dame needed each of Cale Morris’ season-high 42 saves to begin the 2020 part of its schedule with a 1-1 tie against No. 19 Western Michigan. That included a first-period penalty shot from Jason Polin with the Irish already on the penalty kill. The save halted the Broncos’ momentum and their best chance to hold a lead in regulation.
The Irish (9-7-3) got its lone tally midway through the second period when Cam Morrison had to fight traffic in front of the net to put the puck past Brandon Bussi off a rebound for his fifth goal of the season. The lead last last all of 53 seconds before Luke Bafia scored to pull the Broncos (7-7-3) back even, and that’s where the score would stay.
The Broncos nearly won it in overtime, but an apparent goal by Paul Washe was wiped out both in real time and by video review after he was ruled to have run into Morris during the play.
After nearly three weeks away from game action, No. 15 Notre Dame (9-7-2) will return to the ice Friday and Sunday for a home-and-home series against No. 19 Western Michigan (7-7-2). Though the Irish won their last game Dec. 14 over Penn State, it …
After nearly three weeks away from game action, No. 15 Notre Dame (9-7-2) will return to the ice Friday and Sunday for a home-and-home series against No. 19 Western Michigan (7-7-2). Though the Irish won their last game Dec. 14 over Penn State, it came on the heels of a seven-game winless streak, including six consecutive losses. These next two games will be the final tuneups before finishing the regular season with the remainder of their Big Ten schedule.
Despite the long layoff, Michael Graham, Matt Hellickson and Alex Steeves will look to continue their point streaks of three, two and three games, respectively. They’ll have to do it in Notre Dame’s seventh consecutive game against a ranked opponent Friday, one it has a long history with. The Irish and Broncos used to be rivals in the CCHA, and Western Michigan leads the all-time series, 43-37-11.
The Irish will be without center Jake Pivonka and defenseman Spencer Stastney. Both sophomores are members of Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic.
Previewing Monday’s SERVPRO First Responder Bowl betting odds and lines between Western Michigan Broncos and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers with betting picks, tips and bets.
The Western Michigan Broncos (7-5) and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-4) meet up in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas 12:30 p.m. ET Monday. We analyze the Western Michigan-Western Kentucky odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.
Western Michigan vs. Western Kentucky: Three things you need to know
1. The Broncos head into this game with a 1-8 straight-up (SU) career record in bowl games, while the Hilltoppers have won three of their five all-time appearances.
2. Western Michigan ranked 23rd in the nation with 457.3 total yards per game and are 24th in the country with 212.7 yards per game on the ground, while posting 34.2 points per game to check in 25th.
3. Western Kentucky covered in seven of its final nine games despite the fact it ranked just 87th in the country with 380.0 total yards per game on offense. The defense is rather stout, however, allowing just 20.1 PPG to rank 21st.
WESTERN KENTUCKY (-164) is a moderate favorite. Playing the moneyline isn’t a bad bet since the Hilltoppers are laying 3.5 points. Anything less and the play is to just look to the spread.
New to sports betting? Every $1.64 wagered on the Western Kentucky ML will profit $1 if the Broncos win.
AVOID. Western Kentucky (-3.5, -106) is laying three and a hook, and I expect this to be a one-possession game. I’d rather play the moneyline and cheer for a straight-up win. Western Michigan (+3.5, -115) could easily cover the line and still lose this game, which should be a close, defensive slog.
UNDER 54.5 (-106) is the way to go, as Western Kentucky’s defense has been stout this season. Western Michigan can sling it, but expect the Broncos to struggle finding as many open spaces as they’re used to in MAC play.
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It was reported that Mike Yurchich is the favorite for the OC position. Minnesota OC Kirk Ciarrocca could be another possibility for Texas.
Brett McMurphy reported on Sunday that Ohio State’s Mike Yurchich is the leading candidate for the offensive coordinator position. He also reported that current Minnesota offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca could be another possibility for the job.
Currently in this third season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gophers, the Minnesota offense has progressively gotten better in all three years that Ciarrocca has been there. The Minnesota offense is better than it ever has been, as quarterback Tanner Morgan has already set the Gopher single-season passing yard record with 2,975 yards.
Ohio State passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich is leading candidate to become new OC at Texas, sources told @Stadium. If Yurcich is hired at Texas, he would remain with Buckeyes thru @CFBPlayoff. Minnesota OC Kirk Ciarrocca also possibility for UT OC job, source said
Following Head Coach PJ Fleck from Western Michigan, Ciarrocca has also worked for Rutgers under Greg Schiano as a co-offensive coordinator. If there is one thing he can do, it is turn a stale offense into an explosive one. The Gophers averaged 357 yards per game in 2016, the season before he arrived. In 2019, they are above 400 yards a game, averaging 426 yards per game.
You can watch Ciarrocca and the Minnesota offense on New Year’s Day against Auburn in the Outback Bowl. With the official hiring of the offensive coordinator not expected to be announced until after bowl season, Texas will have the opportunity to weigh all of their options.
Recalling the 2017 Cotton Bowl (January, not December) between Paul Chryst’s Wisconsin Badgers and P.J. Fleck’s Western Michigan Broncos.
The Cotton Bowl had two games in 2017: One was played in late December, when Ohio State defeated USC. The other one was played on January 2 of that year, when the Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Western Michigan Broncos, 24-16. Western Michigan was the Mid-American Conference champion, the first (and still only, to date) MAC champion to win the Group of Five championship and play in a New Year’s Six bowl. The coaching quality of PJ Fleck emerged that season, when WMU went unbeaten in the regular season and earned its big date with Paul Chryst and Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas.
This was the first really big game between Fleck and Chryst. Their second really big encounter is this Saturday, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers try to win the Big Ten West for the first time and deny the Wisconsin Badgers a rematch with the Ohio State Buckeyes in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Last year’s Fleck-versus-Chryst game didn’t sizzle. I say that not because Wisconsin was on the short end, but because Wisconsin didn’t have a very good team. Minnesota was also trying to find its bearings under Fleck and gain an identity as a program. This 2019 meeting, on the other hand, is a clash of quality teams and a battle for a division championship, maybe even a ticket to the Rose Bowl (with Penn State being in the mix for that latter prize as well). It is worth looking back on the first especially significant encounter between Fleck and Chryst on a national stage.
One key note to make about that (January) 2017 Cotton Bowl was that Chryst went into battle against Fleck and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca (who accompanied Fleck in moving from Western Michigan to Minnesota) with Justin Wilcox as his defensive coordinator. The Western Michigan-Wisconsin Cotton Bowl is therefore not a renewal of the assistant coach battle (and Broyles Award semifinalist showdown) between Ciarrocca and current UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Yet, even though so many faces were different — Wisconsin had T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel on defense, Corey Clement and Troy Fumagalli on offense — a few details of this game are certainly worth noting in connection to what we will see this upcoming Saturday in Minneapolis.
Jan 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) and head coach Paul Chryst and tight end Troy Fumagalli (81) celebrate the win over the Western Michigan Broncos in the 2017 Cotton Bowl game at AT&T Stadium. The Badgers defeat the Broncos 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The third-down conversion rates for both teams were impressive. Western Michigan was 5 of 11, Wisconsin 7 of 11. The Badgers won this battle, and it certainly mattered in propelling them to victory. However, Western Michigan’s ability to convert a reasonable percentage of third downs enabled the Broncos to stay close. Time of possession in this game was a virtual tie: 30:05 for Wisconsin, 29:55 for Western Michigan. The Broncos kept the ball from the Badgers long enough to keep the game close. Western Michigan did cover the 8.5-point Wisconsin betting line. However, Western Michigan — with receiver Corey Davis on its roster — needed to hit the home-run pass to beat Wisconsin, and that did not happen against Wisconsin and Wilcox’s defense.
Davis had six catches for only 73 yards — 12 per catch — and was outgained by Wisconsin’s best offensive player that day. Fumagalli made sensational grabs in that contest, accumulating 83 receiving yards and powering the Badgers’ offense on a day when Clement was held to 71 yards by Western Michigan’s resolute defense.
I don’t need to tell anyone that Minnesota is more physical and skilled than that 2016 Western Michigan team. The Gophers are a much more formidable version of Fleck’s first great team in his coaching career. Nevertheless, the game flow Wisconsin established that day against Western Michigan is something Chryst and his staff will certainly want to replicate against Minnesota. If you offered Chryst a deal in which his team would get a 14-0 first-quarter lead, and get an 11-of-12 passing line for 159 yards — as Bart Houston delivered on that day — from Jack Coan, he will take it. He would sign on the dotted line. Sure, he wouldn’t like the part of the deal in which his lead running back gains only 71 yards, but the 7 of 11 number on third downs would likely lead him to accept this larger package of circumstances.
Strong third-down conversion rates, supremely efficient situational passing, and a two-touchdown first-quarter lead — with the opposing offense, coached by Fleck and Ciarrocca, not hitting a long downfield pass play — give Wisconsin and Paul Chryst a roadmap for how to play this game Saturday. The biggest concern and question mark: Can Jim Leonhard get a Fleck-busting defensive performance which was every bit as impressive as Justin Wilcox in the 2017 Cotton Bowl? More precisely, can Wisconsin’s back seven defend the RPOs and other delights the Fleck-Ciarrocca brain trust has in store for the Badgers in Minneapolis?
