Tag: Xavier Watts

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts becomes two-time consensus All-American

The Irish will miss him after this season.

Notre Dame safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] has a bright future in football. The NFL is calling him, and he hopefully will have a nice career there. For now though, he continues to rack up accolades as part of the Irish.

Watts has repeated as a consensus All-American, becoming the first Irish player to do so since [autotag]Aaron Taylor[/autotag] in 1993 and the first Irish defensive back to achieve it since [autotag]Todd Lyght[/autotag] in 1990.

When the Irish face Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Watts will have chance to add onto his five interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, nine passes defended and 49 tackles. He has earned one honor after another this season, and a college football team usually can’t get far without a player of his caliber.

Hopefully, Watts enjoys what will be his final game at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday win or lose. And if you’re interested in his thoughts about these honors, here’s what he recently said on WNDU-TV:

The Irish are lucky to have him for sure.

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Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts repeats as AP First Team All-American

This kid is good.

If anyone needed a clear-cut example of who the leader of Notre Dame’s vaunted defense is, they have it now. For the second consecutive season, safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] has been named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press. He and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado are the only holdovers from the previous season’s first team.

Although Watts’ five interceptions this season are fewer than the seven he had in 2023, he still leads all safeties in that category. The 12 he has in his collegiate career are the most for any Irish player since 1996.

He also has one fumble recovery this season, making him responsible for six of the 28 Irish takeaways that the lead the country. None were more explosive than the first 100-yard interception return in Irish history that might have been the most memorable touchdown of the victory over USC, and there were quite a few scores in that game:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3nlB9YIJFAI

Congratulations to Watts on this honor, and best of luck to him on the rest of the season.

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Notre Dame star named as a first-team All-American by CBS Sports

Is this the beginning of another big award season for the Irish star?

While it looks like Notre Dame football star safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] might not bring home an individual national award like he did last fall, that doesn’t mean he’s not getting recognized for his elite play this season.

CBS Sports announced its All-American team on Wednesday, with Watts making the first-team after a season where he had 50 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered one with 5 interceptions, one of them being taken back for a score.

It’s a great honor for Watts, who was named as a Unanimous All-American last fall, and could very well be on his way to the same honor this season.

While the individual accolades are impressive, you can be assured that Watts only goal right now is to bring home a championship to South Bend. They’ll have that opportunity in a little over a week, as they begin the College Football Playoff by hosting Indiana, in what we hope is a long run with the new 12-team format.

Day after: Final thoughts on Notre Dame’s top-25 win over Louisville
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) celebrates after an interception against the Louisville Cardinals in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

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USC continued to find new ways to lose football games in 2024

USC was consistent in 2024 — consistent at finding different ways of allowing close games to slip away from its grasp.

Not much has gone according to plan for the 2024 USC football team. However, there is one thing that this year’s Trojans have actually been quite good at.

The 2024 USC Trojans are quite good at finding new ways to lose football games.

There was allowing a two-minute drill touchdown to a Michigan team with a running back at QB. There was the clock mismanagement at the end of regulation against Penn State and subsequently falling in overtime. There having a field goal that would have iced the game against Maryland blocked and the Terrapins instead driving down for the game-winning touchdown. There was the horrendous play calling on the goal line against Washington with a chance to take a late lead.

Saturday, there was throwing two pick sixes of 99 yards or more.

No, that is not a typo. With the Trojans trailing archrival Notre Dame by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Jayden Maiava was driving USC down the field for a potential tying score. However, a bad decision by Maiava led to his pass being picked off by Notre Dame’s Christian Gray, who ran it back 99 yards to give the Irish a 14-point lead.

With the Trojans in desperation mode, USC got the ball back, and Maiava drove them down the field once again. But the quarterback was pressured and forced into heaving up a bad throw, which was intercepted in the end zone by noted Trojan killer Xavier Watts. Sure enough, Watts ran the ball back more than 100 yards, icing a Notre Dame win and sending the Irish to the College Football Playoff.

For the Trojans, it was more of the same. Just when it was starting to look like USC might finally come through in a big moment, they found a new excruciating way to lose a football game.

The number of different ways that USC found to lose winnable games this season truly was remarkable. In an extremely disappointing season, you at least have to give the Trojans credit for that.

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Notre Dame defensive back is Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week

It’s pretty clear which play made him stand out.

As of this writing, Notre Dame defensive back [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] is not on the list of accepted invites to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] is there, but there at least is hope now that Watts will join him in that game.

The Senior Bowl has named Watts its Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Irish’s win over USC. He culminated a terrific regular season for him by recording nine tackles, breaking up one pass, registering one quarterback hit and picking off a pass that returned for a program record-tying 100 yards to score.

Watts leads the Irish with nine passes defended and five interceptions this season. The pick against the Trojans put him in the lead for interception return yards with 136.

Watts became the sixth Irish defensive player to score a touchdown this season and the fifth to do so via interception. The fourth player was [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag], who did it on the possession before Watts’ score:

The Irish will need Watts if they want to make a run during the College Football Playoff. It seems like only a matter of time before he makes a big play during that, too.

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Two Notre Dame cornerbacks run length of field for touchdowns

Lighting strikes twice for the Irish.

When Notre Dame was trying to hold off a pesky USC team, it needed something to make the job a lot easier with the Trojans driving. With only one touchdown separating the teams, a key defensive stop was a must.

The Irish found it when [autotag]Christian Gray[/autotag] picked off a Jayden Maiava pass just short of the goal line and got enough blocks in front of him to complete a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Although the game essentially was decided on that play, the Irish decided they weren’t finished with their defensive fireworks. On the very next possession, [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] intercepted another Maiava pass. This time, it was in the end zone, but the result was exactly the same as Watts returned the ball 100 yards for another pick-6, tying a program record.

The Irish are going to the College Football Playoff after defeating the Trojans, and you can see both of the aforementioned pick-6s here as part of the game highlights from ESPN:

Times are good for the Irish, and this is proof.

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Notre Dame Week 14 highlight: Xavier Watts seals the deal at USC with record-setting pick-six

Notre Dame seals the win thanks to Xavier Watts going 100 yards.

Although [autotag]Christian Gray’s[/autotag] 99-yard pick-six appeared to seal the deal for No. 5 Notre Dame against the USC Trojans, there was still enough time left that it was possible, if not likely, that the Trojans could get two scores and tie the ball game.

Fighting Irish safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] said “nah” to all that.

Watts stepped in front of a [autotag]Jayden Maiava[/autotag] pass in the end zone and took it the entire 100 yards for a pick-six touchdown — the second one of that length in Notre Dame history.

It was one drive after Gray’s 99-yard pick-six.

Notre Dame will likely be headed to the College Football Playoff after the second pick-six all but snuffed out a USC comeback.

The Irish did concede another USC touchdown by playing soft in the final minute, but USC didn’t have enough time to get another two scores — which it would need just to tie.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (0) celebrates picking up a Virginia fumble during a NCAA college football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend.

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Notre Dame statistical leaders through 11 games

Who leads the Irish heading into the final regular-season contest?

Notre Dame has its fate in its own hands for the College Football Playoff. All it needs to do is defeat USC, and a first-round game at Notre Dame Stadium appears to be a certainty. Who would have thought the Irish would be in such a good position after the loss to Northern Illinois threatened to derail their season early?

The Irish can’t afford to get complacent though. The Trojans have not had a great season, but dealing the Irish a loss that could threaten their playoff chances would make up for everything that has gone wrong for them. That’s why the Irish will need to prepare for them like they would for any ranked team, and the talent they have should allow them to emerge victorious.

Here are the major statistical leaders the Irish are taking into their regular-season finale. Not all of them will be available, but they’re fun to see nonetheless:

Notre Dame Week 12 highlight: Xavier Watts picks it off

Xavier Watts had a big pick just before halftime.

He already had a fumble recovery today, and now safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] had an interception for the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the Virginia Cavaliers.

Watts picked off an Anthony Colandrea pass shortly before halftime. The Irish didn’t cash a turnover in for points this time — the Irish instead missed a field-goal attempt badly.

Still, Watts’ pick put a stamp on a dominant first half for the Irish – especially the Irish defense.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (0) waits for the snao during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in South Bend.

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Notre Dame vs. Virginia: Second-Quarter Analysis

This quarter lasted over an hour and was quite crazy.

If you were hoping for more action between Notre Dame and Virginia in the second quarter, you would have gotten some. In a quarter that lasted over an hour in real time, the Irish had one crazy moment after another, and it ended with them holding a 28-0 halftime lead.

Both teams continued to struggle offensively for the first few minutes. After [autotag]Max Hurleman[/autotag] muffed a punt and the Cavaliers recovered, the Irish’s 7-0 lead appeared to be in jeopardy. But the Irish took the ball right back a few plays later when [autotag]Rod Heard II[/autotag] forced a Kobe Pace fumble that was recovered by [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag].

The difference between the two turnovers is that the Irish took advantage. Their offense had its most productive drive of the day, and it culminated when [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] hit [autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] for an 8-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, Leonard fired another apparent touchdown pass to Harrison from 78 yards out, but it was wiped out when [autotag]Pat Coogan[/autotag] was penalized for illegal hands to the face.

Another apparent touchdown then was wiped out after a very confusing sequence. Faced with fourth-and-11, the Irish opted to fake a punt and try a fumblerooski, and [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] ran the ball 73 yards to the house. However, the officials called it back for illegal formation, much to the chagrin of the Notre Dame Stadium fans and the NBC announcers.

But that touchdown was dying to be scored, and it finally was after [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] returned an interception 46 yards and Leonard immediately faked a handoff before firing to an open [autotag]Cooper Flanagan[/autotag] in the end zone from 2 yards out.

The Irish weren’t finished though. Anthony Colandrea threw another interception, this one to [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag]. On the final of three subsequent passes, [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] had a 16-yard touchdown.

Colandrea kept feeling generous though because Watts picked off another one of his passes in the waning seconds of the quarter. Although [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] missed a 54-yard field goal as time expired, the Irish still deserved a rest in the locker room after everything that had just happened.

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