Photo Courtesy of Fighting Irish Media. Notre Dame fans are never short on a good debate: Which is better for a post game celebratory beer: Corby's or The Backer? Which has the more authentic cuisine: Rocco’s or Parisi’s. Or the ever popular, should Notre Dame join a conference? Unfortunately for Irish fans, a new debate topic has entered the equation: Which is better, for Notre Dame to get destroyed in a playoff or NY6 bowl game (see Cotton Bowl 2018 vs Clemson or any of the Alabama games) or to completely dominate a “lesser” opponent in a mid-tier level bowl game (see Camping World Bowl 2019 vs Iowa State.) Notre Dame’s last major bowl victory came nearly 30 years ago. In dramatic fashion, the Irish defeated Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl on a Kevin Pendergast 31 yard field goal and a late fumble recovery by All-American Jeff Burris. I was a senior in high school then. Had I known that would have been Notre Dame’s last major bowl victory, or that it was going to be my last summer before my hairline started to recede, I certainly would have enjoyed both a lot more than I did. College Football Hall of Famer and Irish Legend, Chris Zorich knows a thing or two about playing in big bowl games. Zorich played in the Orange Bowl twice, the Fiesta Bowl, where the Irish won their last national championship, and although he didn’t see any action on the field, the Cotton Bowl where his post game locker room disappointment caught the attention of then head coach Lou Holtz. Zorich made it clear which side of the, lose in a big bowl or win a mid-tier bowl, debate he stands on. “I’m of the theory that you play the best team you possibly can, and you give 100%. If you don’t win, you learn from that, and if it’s a blowout then you have a lot to learn. And hopefully the coach is of a mindset where he takes the blowout score, and where the huge interlocking ‘ND’ is in the locker room, he paints the score of the ball game over that so your team looks at that ever single day as they lift as a way to get motivated,” said Zorich. Gabino Pena has been a Notre Dame fan since 1990. He knows the long depressing walk back to his car after a humiliating bowl loss first hand, as Pena was at the 30-3 loss to Clemson in the 2018 Cotton Bowl. He sees things a little differently than Zorich. “I prefer to see them win vs a lesser team in a mid-level bowl. Notre Dame has not won a big name bowl game since the 90’s, until Notre Dame builds a true competitive championship team, a mid-level win is best for the program as it establishes a winning culture,” said Pena. Photo Courtesy of Tim Warner/Getty Images. Tommy Meaney from New York has been a fan of the Irish his whole life. Although he has yet to attend his first Notre Dame bowl game, he would rather see his team risk it all against an elite team in a bigger bowl game. “I understand the narrative around Irish football, that they can’t win the big game, but that will change. Every year you should strive to make the playoffs and get a chance to win the national championship, that’s the goal. Going to a mid-level bowl is fun, but getting to the dance is what I would want every year, even if they get blown out,” said Meaney. The Notre Dame bowl debate exists even north of the border as Marc Gagnon, from Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, who has been cheering for the Irish since their 1988 national championship year, believes it is most important to end the season on a high note. “To me, I want to win and dominating a lesser team is more important. Getting humiliated is not good for the program. The team has to end the season on a positive note. That gives the momentum for recruiting,” said Gagnon. Gagnon does bring up an interesting point: What does it do to recruiting after a humiliating bowl loss? Would it be more beneficial in terms of recruiting for Notre Dame to just win their bowl game even if it means beating a “lesser” team? Zorich is of the mind set that in order to attract elite players to Notre Dame, the Irish must continue to play elite teams, even if it means potentially risking embarrassment. “You have to right your own ship. If you are worried about recruiting when you are choosing your bowl game, you better be ranked number one or two, because if you are worried about, this would look good for recruits if we beat Akron, and it wouldn’t look good for recruits if we’re playing Alabama and we get blown out, well I wouldn’t want to be on a team that chooses Akron, because at the end of the day you probably won’t win those big games,” said Zorich. Photo Courtesy of Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images. To date, the Irish have the second ranked 2023 recruiting class according to ESPN. Despite some tough losses in some very prominent bowls, Zorich believes you still have to play the best team you can play. “If you are doing this for recruiting and not thinking about your current team, even if you play UAB and you win, is a 5 star going to want to come to Notre Dame because you beat UAB? I would have a better chance to recruit if I was in a kid’s living room as a head coach and say, ‘We want to compete against Alabama, you saw that we didn’t have the proper depth. We think that you can come in, add to that depth, you aren’t going to start right away, but you are going to get a hell of a lot of playing time, and you may even take over someone’s position,'” said Zorich. Zorich shares in the fan’s frustration over these agonizing bowl losses, however he maintains that even a loss in a big bowl game is still better than a win against an average team in an average bowl. “I’m tired of Notre Dame going to these big bowls, playing good opponents, and getting their ass kicked, I’m tired of that. But that’s the coaches responsibility to get a team together that will have success against those teams. You could play a lesser team in a bowl game, but what does that mean? What’s that going to do for you in the upcoming months to improve as a team? The idea should be that you want to play the best opponent you can, that’s offered,” said Zorich. The best team that was offered to the Irish for their bowl game this year was the 20th ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on December 30th. Although it isn’t a playoff or NY6 bowl game, Irish fans will undoubtedly have plenty to debate about as the, who should be the starting quarterback debates, have already caught fire on social media. Whoever the starter will be, Irish fans hope he will get the bowl win, and I hope he enjoys his healthy hair follicles while he still can.

by Murray O'Connell Photo Courtesy of Sportswire, Getty Drew Pyne ruined my week. No this doesn’t have anything to do with his play on the field or any tough loss this season. You see, after workshopping my idea with my editor, I was all prepared to write a piece on why I think Drew Pyne should be named the starter for the Irish next season. I know, I know, for some that would have been a difficult thought to imagine, myself included, but that was kind of the point. However, with Pyne announcing last week that he would be leaving Notre Dame and entering the transfer portal, well now I got nothing to give my editor, and you see how Drew Pyne has ruined my work week. My plan was to impress readers with some research and stats that Pyne attributed last season while starting for Notre Dame. For example, Pyne finished with a 64.6% completion record, throwing for 2,021 yards, 22 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions, and finished with a passing rating of 155.3 To compare that to some Notre Dame quarterbacks of the past (with a minimum of 254 passes attempted) Pyne sits at the top of some very successful quarterbacks. Brady Quinn 134.4 Ian Book 147.0 Jimmy Clausen 137.2 DeShone Kizer 147.7 Tommy Rees 133.5 Nationally speaking, with his 155.3 passing rate, he leads some prominent names as well. Stetson Bennent, Georgia 154.6 DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson 135.3 Spencer Rattler, South Carolina 141.4 When he was on, Pyne was a precision passer. Against Boston College on this particular play, Pyne does an exceptional job. He has great pocket presence, keeps his eyes downfield despite the pressure, and has good accuracy on the run, putting the ball exactly where it needed to be. Video Courtesy of NBC Sports Against USC, Pyne again shows great footwork during play-action, he’s able to thrust his arm forward into oncoming pressure, and threads the needle to Michael Mayer for a big gain. Video Courtesy of ESPN Admittedly, it took a while for the team to finally click like it needed to this year. Blame should be shared equally amongst a first year head coach, an inability to adapt to second half changes from the opposition, second half defense collapses, an offensive line that took a few games to find solid footing, and poor play by Pyne. It perhaps started the second half against Cal, but the Irish managed to find their identity, peaking with games against North Carolina, BYU, and the epic slaughtering of Clemson. Were there still some obvious issues that needed to be addressed along the way? Of course, even Georgia has some hedges that need to be trimmed. However, when this team was clicking, it was doing so in part to Pyne’s play. Photo Courtesy of Matt Cashore, 247Sports Pyne’s leadership, his billionaire-strut swagger, and the intangibles he creates cannot be denied and deserve credit for a lot of the success the Irish had this year. Led by Pyne this team actually became a force, doing things that have not been seen in South Bend in a very long time. Twice, with insurmountable odds stacked against him, Pyne has been asked to save a season. Against Wisconsin in 2021, the Irish found themselves tied late in the third with starter Jack Coan suffering an injury and injured backup Tyler Buchner unavailable on the sidelines. Pyne delivered, sealing the 41-13 victory and keeping the Irish playoff hopes alive. After suffering a season ending shoulder injury from Tyler Buchner in the second game of the 2022 season, Pyne was again asked to step in, and for the remainder of the season he not only kept the Irish competitive, but at times, dominant. The Irish would finish 8-4 and a Gator Bowl birth, after what seemed like a hopeless and lost season back in September. Photo Courtesy of Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire, Getty However, with every precision pass to Mayer, there were batted down passes at the line of scrimmage, missed open receivers, the late interception against Marshall, and the second half fumble against USC while the Irish had momentum in their favor. The USC game also probably best illuminated the sentiment behind why more than a few Irish fans were happy to see Pyne go. He was no Caleb Williams, he was not an elite quarterback. When you size Pyne up to the nation’s best passers and examine their passing rate, there is quite a gap between them and Pyne. Drew Pyne, Notre Dame 155.3 Hendon Hooker, Tennessee 175.5 Caelb Williams, Southern Cal 167.9 Max Duggan, TCU 165.5 This is ultimately what I believe made Pyne so hard to cheer for by some fans. His only crime was that as of last season, he was not elite. Here lies my point, yes Pyne certainly suffered through some growing pains. Yes there were passes he would love to take back. Yes he probably locked onto Mayer too often. But what if this was his growing pains season? What if, just like Freeman, this was the season he needed to fail at a little, to help him grow better for next season. Irish fans are willing to give Freeman a pass after year one, why not to Pyne? Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill This was a team willing to play for Pyne. Other than his offensive coordinator, never did you see anybody on this team even give him a side-eye glare. Pyne was their leader. With him leaving, that sense of cohesiveness they worked so hard to complete throughout the season is now gone forever. Irish fans need not forget, Pyne was a 4 star recruit in high school. He was recruited by Alabama. He received an offer from Alabama when he was in the 8th grade. Nick Saban watched, who knows how many hours of film on him, and wanted Pyne to play for him at Alabama. Nick Saban, 7 national championships, THAT Nick Saban wanted Drew Pyne to play quarterback for him at Alabama. Photo Courtesy of @QBCountry What if some experience, some time working with a proper quarterbacks coach, and his natural maturation was what Pyne needed to become elite next year? Truth be told, he already has significantly more experience leading the Irish than Buchner, and can also boast that he has played more playoff teams, Alabama in 2021 and Ohio State in 2022. Buchner can’t claim that. I’m sure Tyler Buchner is a classy kid and a great representative of Notre Dame, but when was the last time he finished a complete season? His senior year in high school was eliminated due to Covid. In his two seasons at Notre Dame he has completed less than 50 passes. He was used very sparingly his freshman year and lost his sophomore season due to injury. Will Irish fans have to suffer through his growing pains next year? Will whatever transfer portal quarterback the Irish bring in hit the ground running, or will it take time to adapt? How much time: the off season, one game, several games? Are Irish fans patient enough to let next year’s quarterback actually have time to figure things out? Can anybody with 100% certainty say that Buchner or the transfer quarterback will be ahead of Drew Pyne 2.0? No. Which is why Pyne should have been QB1 in 2023. Marcus Freeman had the wrong conversation with the wrong quarterback. In my opinion, he should have told Pyne, we will bring in a transfer to challenge you, you will get first crack at the job, you’ve earned it, but I’m going to play the man that gives us the best chance at winning a national championship whether that be you or another quarterback. Photo Courtesy of Michael Reaves/Getty Images Whether loved or hated, Irish fans must agree that Pyne led this team with class and was a great ambassador for the university. Even though 4 games didn’t end the way Notre Dame fans wanted, never once did anybody see Pyne quit. He laid his body on the line time after time for his team. He did his f#?$ing job, and he deserves our respect for that. Pyne’s only crime is that he is not Caleb Williams. After seeing the infamous message he wrote on his fingernails for the Notre Dame game, I’m more than ok with that. What I’m not ok with is Pyne ruining my work week. Thanks for nothing Drew!

Photo Credit: Irish Tribune Marcus Freeman was hired one year ago today. Personally, I’ve never been so invested in a college football coaching hire in all my life. I’m a fan of “firing season” as much as I am a fan of the sport itself. It’s a time of renewal and hope, especially for the downtrodden fans who had to endure a losing season if not multiple losing seasons before their head coach was finally shown the door. In the case of Notre Dame, the situation was different. No coach in the history of Notre Dame had ever left to accept another job, let alone their all time winning coach. You don’t leave Notre Dame they said, well, apparently now you do. Welcome to the show Irish fans. I became obsessed with it. Was Freeman following Kelly to LSU? Was he going to be hired as the head coach? Was the process going to take too long and Freeman was going to get hired by someone else? What’s the deal?! I’m pretty certain I wasn’t alone in this thinking. Most Irish fans felt jilted, almost like a girlfriend who tells you it’s over and then leaves the party with someone else. Where did that come from? How did this happen? Are we losing our relevance? When you’ve suffered through the Davie, Willingham and Weis years, these are all commonplace reactions. No Irish fans want to go back to that dark place, we’ve been there and done that, we’re good to stay relevant thank you very much. The difference between winning a Citrus Bowl, albeit somewhat disappointing, and losing to Northwestern in their opener while finishing 4-8 like once mighty Nebraska has just done, is quite vast. We wanted, no, needed to steer clear of these shoals, and Marcus Freeman was the guy to do it. Why? Why did so many Notre Dame fans want Marcus Freeman? I think I can answer that by using one turn of phrase, he was refreshing. Seriously, that’s it. Rather than lobbying like a politician or bending the truth to fit some kind of narrative like Brian Kelly used to do, everything we had seen of Marcus Freeman showed the opposite. He was approachable, in a way that no other head coach for Notre Dame had been in my lifetime. His mannerisms, love for his players and ability to connect with recruits was something we had never seen before. Kelly was aloof, sure, he was winning the games he was supposed to win and everyone was fine with him, but we didn’t love him. He didn’t let you love him, he didn’t let you in, it was all very guarded and standoffish. Whereas Freeman wanted nothing more than to let you in, to tell you his life story about his military dad and waking up at 5am to workout, his mom who worked 3 jobs and his time at Ohio State under Jim Tressel. Wow, this guy actually wants to connect with us, the lowly fans! So, here we are, one year removed from his hiring and what have we learned? He is who we thought he was. He’s a great family man who isn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and tell the truth to the media (and us fans), he takes accountability for his mistakes and doesn’t throw his players or coaches under the bus and he's a great recruiter. Let’s stay on this one a minute. According to 24/7 sports, Notre Dame has the #3 rated class in the 2023 composite class rankings. This is a higher rated class than any Kelly had ever had during his time at Notre Dame. Many say Kelly was a lazy recruiter, I’m not sure he was lazy as much as he didn’t live it and breathe it. Marcus Freeman lives it, breathes it and eats it for breakfast when he wakes up in the morning. This is what you have to do to build a championship caliber football team and build your brand in the marketplace. Not a team who can simply make the playoffs, but a team who can win in the playoffs and beyond. Freeman is who we thought he was as a recruiter, that’s a good thing. Not so good is his lack of head coaching experience. We also knew this coming into the season, but knowing it and living it are two very different things. A loss to Marshall after Ohio State was perhaps predictable in hindsight given all that went into the game against the Buckeyes. But, you still have to figure out a way to win those games, regardless of how down the team may be. Losing to Stanford on the other hand was rough. David Shaw was at his best in this game in many ways. I have no idea why Stanford is now terrible compared to when Shaw got there and had it rolling. Since this isn’t a Stanford site, I won’t opine on the reasons, but the guy can still coach. He certainly out coached Freeman and Rees in this particular game, this was a chance we knew we needed to take. Freeman and the team paid us back with perhaps the biggest win since 2012 in the defeat of Clemson at home. The win was so significant given the brand recognition of Clemson, the proximity in the South and the fact the Irish used a ground game to pulverize their opponent into submission. This was a Holtzian effort and one that was much needed to turn the tide of the season and avoid a 7-5 or 6-6 finish. Bowl game in Detroit anyone? Photo Credit: Irish Tribune The Marcus Freeman Era has had its ups and downs, but in the end, the ups (recruiting uptick, Clemson win, growth of the brand) far outweigh the negatives (tough to swallow losses to Marshall and Stanford, not fun losses to Ohio State and USC). Notre Dame is not USC, they’re not going to build a roster with 30+ transfers and a QB who writes “F ND” on his fingernails. I’m perfectly fine with this and Marcus Freeman is too. He wants men of higher character to represent him and ultimately the university in a more dignified manner, except on Saturdays, when the opponent will be throttled with no mercy. Freeman is a coach learning on the job and the Irish finished 8-4 with a backup QB and players he (for the most part) didn’t recruit. I had the thought that this team, in the not so distant future, should recreate his hiring video after they win the National Championship. That’d be a great way to bring it all full circle. That, and Marcus Freeman painting “SC who?” on his fingernails.

By Michael Blough – Writer Photo Credit: Roger Steinman / Associated Press The Rose Bowl and the College Football Playoff finally came to an agreement that would allow for the College Football Playoff to be expanded to twelve teams in the years 2024 and 2025, instead of in 2026. According to espn.com, those are the last two years in the current contract between parties for their bowl game arrangements. With the name and history that the Rose Bowl rightfully owns, I think they were hesitant to allow some tradition to slip in order for some much-needed change in the playoff landscape. For the sport as a whole, I think this was the best decision that could have been made. Pushing the playoff to 12 teams and even allowing first round games to be played at home for the better seeds is a huge win for College Football. With that being said, what are the pros/cons of this change, and how does it affect Notre Dame, and programs around the country? Undoubtedly, this is a huge win for both the Notre Dame program and the fans. Since the inception of the playoffs, Notre Dame has made the playoffs twice (2018, 2020) and lost in the first round both times. In the new landscape, they would have been in two other times, in 2015 and 2021 where they finished the year at #8 and #5 respectively in the last edition of the rankings. Two other times, in 2017 and 2019, they would have been just left out of the playoffs, coming in at #14 and #15 respectively. So, what can Notre Dame take away from this expansion? It means that this program will find themselves in the playoffs a whole lot more often, and the benefits of this are not to be underestimated. Because of Notre Dame’s conference alignment as an Independent, this will give them infinitely more opportunities to get into the playoff. This will happen because the Committee is going to have to change the way they view certain teams, and not solely focus on conference champions. Notre Dame’s schedule in the coming years is more than respectable, especially with the uprising of several programs on their schedule, most notably USC. So, how can the Irish miss the playoffs come 2024? Well, in my opinion the Irish will have to lose three games to be counted out, and with recruiting on the rise, I don’t anticipate seeing that happen. Also, whether the Irish find themselves inside the top 4 becomes sort of a negligible topic because if they get in, they will find themselves playing in a huge game, with a lot of eyes watching, and a chance to flex their muscles and showcase their brand in front of both the fans and recruits. Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports So, how does this affect College Football as a whole? Well, simply put, it changes everything. No longer will a one loss power five team be kept out of the playoff. Just as we saw this past weekend with Ohio State losing for the second year in a row to Michigan (in what is essentially the Big Ten Championship Game), they will be kept out unless chaos ensues during Conference Championship weekend. Under the new structure, Ohio State would certainly be a “lock” to make it in somewhere between #5 and #9. Now, I know what you (and many others) are thinking. Some people think this is going to devalue the importance of regular season games, especially those happening within conference play. I am here to tell you that will not be the case, as the benefits of being the higher seed are more than worthy of playing for. Also, do we really think that collegiate athletes and coaches will be okay with dropping a game to a rival and hoping to make the playoff? No, I think these games will continue to hold value and create amazing regular season match-ups as they always have. Pushing the playoffs to include 12 teams will not only add program diversity to the coveted playoff, but it will also create match-ups between programs that we have never seen. Schools like Utah, Pitt, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State that have never made a College Football Playoff will have as good access as anyone to lock down those last six or so spots. We could even see some more G5 teams make it in, like Tulane this year who is creeping awfully close to being 11-2 and is currently sitting at #18 in the 2022 rankings. To me, this means more exciting games among those trying to grab the later spots in the playoffs and more excitement around programs that have never had the spotlight before. As a College Football fan in general, I would love to see a more rounded-out playoff capturing teams from all over the country. The last aspect of this I find interesting is how these teams will treat the playoff. With more games at the end of the year (when a team should be playing its best ball), a team can certainly make a Cinderella run in the playoff and knock off higher ranked teams. I envision this as almost a “new season”, a way for programs that dropped a bad loss during the regular season to come back and show what they can do in the spotlight. Here is an image depicting what a 12-team playoff bracket in 2021 would have looked like. Photo Credit: 247Sports One more thing I’d like to point out is the structure of these games. As reported when the expansion was first announced, the top four seeds will get a first-round bye. This leaves the other 8 teams to play in a first-round game, which as previously stated, will reside at the better seeds’ home field. According to BleacherReport.com, the four winners will then be playing in the rotating New Years Six bowls, which include the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl . These bowls will rotate between hosting a quarterfinal game and a semifinal game. What we do not know yet it the scheduling dates for these games. I am interested to see if the expanded structure still allows for a week off in between games. Nonetheless, getting a first-round bye will be very important, so look for teams to play their tails off to achieve that. If you read this and haven’t noticed, I am very excited for the playoff to expand and to see “new blood” in the spotlight!

By Mike Stacey - Writer Credit: GIPHY Admittedly, its been a long week for me. Between the holiday hangover, work, and the normal day to day life stuff I have been pretty run down as of late. Which is why I had to ask myself, did I really see what I just saw? Did the same Notre Dame team who got knocked around like a punching bag by the St. Bonaventure Bonnies just rag doll Michigan State? After several blinks and a quick pinch, I can confirm. Notre Dame came into last nights contest in desperate need of changing the narrative. Up to this point in the season their one loss record was anything but impressive. Seemingly every game against what should be inferior opponents have proven to be a bigger challenge than expected. As I wrote in my previous article, the Irish defense has been the main culprit during this run. Each game the opposing team seems to get whatever they want whenever they want it (However, their last game proved the the offense is also capable of taking a night off). They needed Wednesday night in the Purcell Center to change the narrative, to prove they are not simply... Credit: GIPHY and they did just that.... The Irish started off the game with an intensity that we have not yet seen this season. Maybe it was because it was their first game against a ranked opponent, maybe it was finally having a raucous home crowd, maybe Mike Brey turned into Bobby Knight this week at practice. Whatever it was, it worked. With 10:51 remaining in the first half the Irish had already jumped out to a double digit lead in a game where the Irish would never trail again after beginning the contest down 2-0. Everything, and I mean everything the Irish did worked in the first half. Their offense continued to play Mike Brey ball. Continuous motion and ball movement made it nearly impossible for Michigan State to keep up and no matter who took the open shot, they shot it well as the Irish were 58% from the field in the first half. Cormac Ryan lead the offense after going on an absolute shooting clinic going for 20 points on 7 for 7 shooting with 5 three pointers, one of those from Curry Range. What I also found impressive was the play of freshman point guard JJ Starling. After an initial brick for three, J-Star, as Jordan Cornette called him, settled in and played more like a senior than true freshman in his first big game. He took what the defense gave him, attacked when needed, and allowed a fluent offense filled with seniors to do what it's capable of doing, score. But enough about the offense, we already knew what they can do. What I am most excited about was the defense. It was quick, aggressive, and played with a toughness that was lacking all season. I was expecting Michigan State to be able to pound the Irish down low, but in the first half they did no such thing. Notre Dame did not give up any easy buckets, forcing Michigan State to take contested shots almost every possession. When MSU did try to go to the post, the Irish brought a quick double and forced a pass. Unlike in past games, the Irish rotation was up to the task and quickly recovered, forcing Michigan State to either reset the offense or force a bad shot. Most important of all, the Irish limited second chances. Sparty only had 2 offensive rebounds in the first half (3 total) with Nate playing every bit of his 6'10 stature and the guards doing their part to crash down low and help the lone big man out. It was as perfect a first half as any Notre Dame fan could have hoped for. What a time to be alive! The beginning of the second half, however, brought back some old familiarities. The Spartans came out in attack mode and decided to play some bully ball. MSU made it clear they were going to use their size and physicality to get to the hoop and into the Irish bodies. Not only was MSU getting better shots, but they were starting to get the Irish into foul trouble, drawing 4 fouls in the first 5 minutes. The Irish simply looked outmatched on the defensive side of the ball and with their lead down to 15 with 16 minutes left, an old feeling was beginning to take over me. Panic. Credit: GIPHY However, it never got any better for MSU from there. The Irish subbed in Ven Allen Lubin for some extra beef down low and the Irish quickly got back on track. The game continued at an even pace for most of the second half, Notre Dame wasn't shooting as well as they did in the first half after the Spartans stepped up their defensive efforts, but they continued to grind. After a lot of back and forth between the two teams the Irish had two big back to back moments. A great Dane Goodwin defensive possession that ended with a block and a Nate Lazszewski dagger three at the other end assisted by Trey Wertz with 7:41 left, which officially put this game on ice. Any attempt at a run after that by MSU was quickly answered, usually by a phenomenal JJ Starling drive. JJ did a great job of letting his teammates flourish on offense all night, but when the offense stalled in the second half, he did it himself. The Irish had played a complete game. They held Michigan State to 52 points, outrebounded them 30-29, limited them to shooting 38% from the field while shooting 50% themselves, and they finished with only 6 turnovers which felt like they all came in the final 3 minutes of the first half. All of the angst and concern going into this game about whether this team was capable enough to compete defensively was officially put to bed. Now, does this mean Notre Dame will not have any struggles defensively moving forward? God no. But at least now we know what they are capable of. We know that they have the ability to stick with their man, to get tough down low, to rotate on defense and to rebound as a team against a quality opponent. Going into this game, none of those things were a certainty. Most importantly? THEY now know they are capable of this level of play. I am not saying they weren't confident they could do it, but there's a big difference between believing and actually seeing the fruits of your labor. Now, to be fair, Michigan State came into this game down a couple key guys. This was also their 4th game in a week's time so we shouldn't be crowning Notre Dame ACC champs just yet. However, this was still a Tom Izzo lead team who has already beaten Kentucky and nearly took down Gonzaga. Although this doesn't guarantee success moving forward, it should certainly inspire it. If Notre Dame had any self doubt about whether they can play with the big boys last night's 70-52 victory should quickly put that to bed. This team, when playing to their potential, can flat out play and beat anyone. Up next for the Irish will be another home game on December 3rd against a struggling Syracuse team who fell to 3-4 after a 29 points loss at Illinois. Nonetheless, this is their first ACC game of the year and against an opponent with another hall of fame coach and a team who always play them tough. This game too will be a test, but different from last nights. Last night proved the Irish can win against a top opponent, Saturday will be an opportunity to show they are mature enough to take care of business against a spiraling one. Go Irish. BOX SCORE: Starters: C. Ryan - 23 points, 3 rebounds N. Laszewski - 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists T. Wertz - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists D. Goodwin - 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist J. Starling- 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists (And one unreal block) Bench: V. Lubin - 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Notre Dame wrapped up an incredibly inconsistent regular season this passed Saturday with a disappointing road loss to USC, and will likely receive a middle of the road bowl bid before the conclusion of the 2022 college football season. If you're like me, you can't help but look ahead to a more optimistic future, which as of right now, is marred with question marks. Notre Dame recently had one big question answered in the secondary, as it was announced that corner Cam Hart would return for a fifth season. There is, however, one large question mark looming over the heads of Irish fans: Who will be under center next fall? The Irish have a plethora of options within the program, as well as some in the portal. Let's evaluate some of these options and form a realistic prediction Photo by NBC Sports Tyler Buchner - Irish fans have been chomping at the bit to see the true potential of a once top-100 recruit in Tyler Buchner. Unfortunately, for the third straight season, Buchner's development was put on pause. He missed his senior year of highschool due to covid, and we only saw glimpses in his freshman season, but the results were promising. The start of his 2022 campaign was underwhelming to say the least, and then a shoulder injury sidelined the young quarterback for the remainder of the season. Buchner struggled early, only passing for 378 yards in his first two starts, with zero touchdowns to two interceptions. I don't think Buchner is entirely to blame for the lackluster offensive output, as the offensive line and playcalling certainly weren't doing him any favors early in the season. I think if Buchner didn't get injured, he could have easily surpassed the production that Drew Pyne was able to produce in relief of him. Whether or not we will witness the "high-ceiling" of his abilities remains to be seen, but barring a major transfer this offseason, I'd say he's most likely to win the starting role next season. Drew Pyne - Thrust into the starting role, Pyne proved himself to be a serviceable option for the Irish this season. Unfortunately, I don't believe that Drew Pyne has the tools to be anything other than "serviceable", as it was evident that his physical abilities were limited. Lots of batted passes at the line of scrimmage, ill-timed turnovers, and questionable pocket awareness at times were enough for the majority of Irish fans to write off Drew Pyne. What can't be overlooked is his record as a starter. Pyne put up impressive numbers against decent opponents, and was also quite efficient when given some freedom. Unfortunately, Pyne won't have Michael Mayer to inflate some of his counting stats next season, so putting up a similar stat line may prove to be difficult for Pyne. I like Pyne to maintain a backup role this coming season, and at the very least, provide some experienced depth at the position. Steve Angeli/Kenny Minchey - The awkward start from Buchner and Pyne had many fans screaming for Angeli from the rooftops - and although the freshman had yet to see any game action at that point, an impressive performance in the blue/gold game raised plenty of eyebrows. Angeli has a great frame, but most likely needed more time to mature into the program. With a season now under his belt, I can't say I would be surprised to see him shoot up the depth chart, especially with the inconsistencies that are present in both Buchner and Pyne. Angeli will undoubtedly see some playing time next season, the question is to what degree? On a similar note, Notre Dame scratched and clawed it's way back into quarterback recruiting for the 2023 class, and was able to flip Kenny Minchey from Pitt. Minchey looks to be primed to make an impact on the Irish roster, as he possess the skills to push the ball downfield with elite accuracy. Although I don't think he'll be nearly ready to take on a starting role as a true freshman, there is definitely the possibility for him to see playing time - and sooner rather than later. I think we can all agree that it's time for Tommy Rees to get more of a head start in the development of the younger quarterbacks. Transfer Options - Gauging the fanbase, its almost an even split on whether or not pursuing a transfer at the position is necessary. There are a few names in the portal that are viable options, such as former Michigan Wolverine Cade McNamara, and Georgia Tech veteran Jeff Sims. Sims possess a dual threat option that was sorrowfully missed in the absence of Buchner this season - but with Buchner presumed to be healthy, why take the risk of bringing in another option? Both of these quarterbacks have big question marks next to their names, as McNamara is coming off a serious injury and Sims saw a major production dip this passed season. Right now, unless more intriguing options enter the portal, I wouldn't see Notre Dame pursuing a transfer. It is worth noting that this would more than likely lead to some transfers out of the program as well. All in all, I don't expect any major shift from the initial depth chart to start the season. It will be interesting to see how things play out in the offseason, and if Tyler Buchner can avoid any more road blocks in his development. I'd like to see the other quarterbacks on the roster at least make it difficult for the staff to name a starter, and competition within the room should be encouraged in every facet. Those are my thoughts, what are yours?

By: Liam Farrell via 247sports The 5-1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the #20 Michigan State Spartans at Purcell Pavilion this Wednesday. Notre Dame, coming off its first loss of the season to the hands of St. Bonaventure, is looking to bounce back against the battle tested Spartans. Michigan State is sitting at 5-2 in this young season with respectable losses to then #18 Alabama and then #2 Gonzaga. Tom Izzo’s club already has their signature win of the season with a big victory over then #4 Kentucky. This matchup is a part of the yearly ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Irish are 4-5 all time in these Power 5 conference matchups, with the most recent game being a 10-point loss to Illinois last year. Michigan State is 9-12 in this series but is coming off a 9-point victory against Louisville last year, which helped the Big Ten hold control over the ACC: boasting 8 victories in 14 games. Keys to the Game The Battle of Experience. Both teams in this game are led by upperclassmen. Notre Dame’s head coach, Mike Brey, has stressed the importance of senior leadership within this Irish team. Senior Nate Laszewski is currently leading Notre Dame with 18.2 pts per game and 8.7 rebounds per game; while seniors Dane Goodwin, Trey Wertz, and Cormac Ryan are providing the Irish with steady guard play. On the other side of the court, the Spartans are led by the senior duo of Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser. Walker and Hauser provide a large chunk of Michigan State’s scoring by averaging 15.6 pts and 13.9 pts, respectively. Ultimately, the workhorses for these teams have plenty of collegian basketball under their belt, which should prove vital in a presumably tight game. via @NDmbb on Twitter The Integration of Young Athleticism. To play off the talented upperclassmen, both teams utilize some underclassman within their rotations to provide a spark of energy. Highly touted freshmen J.J. Starling and Ven-Allen Lubin have provided the Irish with plenty of minutes this season. Starling, the number 21 overall prospect in the class of 2022 rankings according to 247 Composite Rankings, has shined so far for the Irish. Starling’s breakout game this season occurred against Bowling Green when the freshman star dazzled with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Brey’s use of Starling this season is very reminiscent to how he utilized freshman Blake Wesley last year. Hopefully Starling can follow in the footsteps of Wesley, who was drafted with the 25th overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft. For Michigan State, not many freshmen have seen the floor due to the high leverage of some of these season opening games. However, Jaxon Kohler, the number 59 overall prospect via 247 Composite Rankings, has seen the most action due to rather thin position depth at center. Along with Kohler, sophomore guard Pierre Brooks is also an up-and-comer for the Spartans, as he's started the past three games and provided MSU with a potent three-point threat. via YardBarker.com The Coaching Duel. Mike Brey versus Tom Izzo. It’s simple. It’s a battle between two of the best coaches left within the sport of college basketball. Brey, entering his 23rd year with Notre Dame, will look for better fortune facing off against Izzo, going into year 27. Michigan State has won four out of the five last meetings between these two programs but hasn’t played in Purcell Pavilion since a 79-78 Irish overtime victory in 2014. Michigan State and the Irish faced off early in the season two-years ago as well, as it saw the Spartans managing to fend off the Irish in a 10-point victory. (AP Photo/Al Goldis) Prediction Brey and his Irish will have to be ready from the jump against this experienced Spartan team. In years past, Notre Dame lives and dies with the triple. This Irish team will do much of the same, besides the fact that they don’t have the low post presence that was Paul Atkinson Jr. last year. Dane Goodwin and Cormac Ryan will have to have career days to keep up with this high-powered, well-coached Michigan State team. In the end, Michigan State’s tests early on this season may outweigh Notre Dame’s overall experience. This game should be a close one till the end but expect a rowdy crowd at the Pavilion to motivate the Irish past Sparty.

Photo Credit: NBC Sports What was once a nice pickup to help augment the quarterback room and provide mop up duty potential for Malik Zaire, Brandon Wimbush and/or Deshon Kizer, Ian Book instead became a quarterback with the most wins in Notre Dame history. I can discuss the reasons for this (and there are plenty, many of which rest on ACC scheduling and a lack of great teams outside Clemson) but any Irish fan would be remiss if you didn't give Book credit for being a solid college quarterback. Solid is great if you want to win the Citrus Bowl and escape Vanderbilt at home, but it doesn't win you national championships. This, more than any other, is Notre Dame's biggest failure in recruiting over the past 25 years. Funny enough, it's not as though there aren't "great" quarterbacks that have been recruited over the years; however, a majority of them simply haven't panned out for a multitude of reasons. Let's go as far back as Jimmy Clausen, since he was supposed to be the savior of Notre Dame football and view all quarterbacks recruited between now and then. I've also provided 24/7 Sports recruiting rankings and my ranking for each (Generational/Above Average, Average, Below Average, N/A if they transferred or didn't play): 2007 - Jimmy Clausen/#1 Pro QB/Above Average 2008 - Dayne Crist/#1 Pro QB/Average to Below Average 2010 - Andrew Hendrix/#11 Pro QB/Below Average 2011 - Everett Golson/#5 Pro QB/Above Average 2012 - Gunner Kiel/#1 Pro QB/N/A 2013 - Malik Zaire/#3 Dual/N/A 2014 - DeShone Kizer/#14 Pro/Above Average 2015 - Brandon Wimbush/#3 Pro/Average 2016 - Ian Book/#20 Pro/Above Average 2017 - Avery Davis/#8 Dual/N/A 2018 - Phil Jurkovec/#4 Dual/N/A 2019 - Brendan Clark/#21 Pro/N/A 2020 - Drew Pyne/#8 Pro/Average 2021 - Tyler Buckner/#11 Dual/N/A 2022 - Steve Angeli/#21 Pro/N/A If you're following along, I listed 4 quarterbacks in a 15 year span as being above average (Clausen, Golson, Kizer and Book). You can argue with me about Golson given his propensity to throw picks at the tail end of his career; however, when he was great, he had a cannon for an arm (remember the throw to John Goodson on the roll out in the Michigan State game)? He also captained the 2012 team to the National Championship game as a freshman, I liken his career to Maurice Clarett in many ways, great as a freshman then a train wreck after. Note how none of the QBs listed received the "Generational" tag. If you're wondering, Clemson had two of them back to back (Watson & Lawrence), LSU had one (Joe Burrow) and Alabama has had one (Tua). There are others of course but these are the obvious ones that come to mind. There's a reason they're defined as "Generational" because they're hard to come by and you'll most likely only see them once in your lifetime. I don't believe Notre Dame needs a generational quarterback to win the national championship, but, they need more than 1 above average quarterback on the roster who can be counted on to come in and win a game. Look at the list again. Notre Dame had the two best quarterback recruits in the country in Clausen and Crist, on their team, at the same time. That's Alabama or Georgia level recruiting right there. Clausen is beloved by most Notre Dame fans but, if we're being honest with ourselves, his best game in an Irish uniform was against a 6-7 Hawaii team in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl (still a favorite of mine given Clausen's bravado during the game). Crist showed signs of being the next guy to step in but will be forever remembered for his fumble on the goal line against Southern Cal for a 99 yard scoop and score. My point is, there are no sure things when it comes to the quarterback position but 3-9, 6-6, 6-6 for Clausen and an eventual transfer to Kansas for Crist should be considered epic failures for different reasons. Gunner Kiel transferred after one year and had modest success at Cincinnati before being benched. Andrew Hendrix played sparingly and apparently had no idea how to pass, as many of his throws went directly into the turf no matter the distance. He had better success at Miami (OH) after he transferred. Malik Zaire was otherworldly against Texas then looked beatable against Virginia before being hurt and losing his starting job to DeShone Kizer, never to regain it before transferring to Florida. Kizer was good to great at times, but lost two of the biggest games of his career at Clemson and against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. He also quarterbacked the 4-8 2016 team so that has to be factored in. Wimbush has incredible athleticism and a great arm, but his accuracy and decision making became a big issue, making way for Ian Book. Ian Book, what to do with him? All the guy did was win games and played very consistent football during his time in an Irish uniform. Trouble is, he could never "win the big game" or propel Notre Dame to a victory in a playoff game. Although he had great decision making and provided sneaky mobility to the position, the difference between him and Trevor Lawrence when they matched up against one another was cavernous. Is this his fault? Of course not. The guy played well above his weight class and, arguably, shouldn't have been the starter in the first place. But the starter he was and no matter how much fans clamored for Wimbush or Jurkovec, he outlasted them both and etched his name in the Notre Dame record books, although not enough to have a statue outside the stadium, more like a figurine inside the bookstore. Photo Credit: The Herald Journal How about Drew Pyne, our current starting quarterback? Whether it be due to transfer (Clark & Jurkovec), injury (Buckner) or a decision to not bring in a grad transfer this season, he became the guy off the bench. A four star recruit, he matches up pretty well with the other names on this list (on paper at least). It's interesting because he can make many of the throws you don't think are possible (the Jayden Thomas sideline throw against Clemson comes to mind) but then he doesn't appear to have the ability to throw more than 30-40 yards downfield, which is an obvious issue. I watch him play and think to myself, "how is this guy the starting quarterback for Notre Dame?" This is not what you want to be thinking as a fan. But, there's also a reason the guy was a backup and played sparingly until he was needed to come off the bench. We need only look to this past weekend with Caleb Williams and his theatrics to see what a game changer at quarterback can do to elevate the overall play of a team. All things considered, we should all be thankful Pyne didn't throw more interceptions and was able to move the ball down the field, resulting in an 8-4 season that could've been much worse. As I've already established, generational quarterbacks are hard to come by, hence the name. Notre Dame can and will continue to recruit average to above average quarterbacks, as do most teams. The key is, will one of these guys be "the guy" who can bring them over the top and also help to recruit difference makers at the wide receiver position. If a national championship is ever going to happen again, this is essential. Although the annual trips to Orlando as of late are a welcome change to Clausen trash talking on Christmas Eve to Hawaii, I'd much rather have CJ Carr smiling ear to ear while drinking a Dr Pepper as he hoists the national championship trophy.

Written by: Murray O'Connell Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Like most Notre Dame fans, I was first introduced to the university and its football team by a parent. In my particular case it was my mom, Maggie. My mom was a huge fan and even threatened to leave me out of her will if I did not take her to the Notre Dame vs Navy game in Dublin, Ireland in 2012. Four days after her 75th birthday my mom passed away from cancer. One of the last songs she ever heard was the Notre Dame fight song. Even though she was unable to speak, I know that brought her a few moments of peace. My mom spent her life in education. She started as a Special Education teacher and worked her way up the ranks becoming the principal of her own school. After she passed my family would find out from her old secretary that she often would buy shoes with her own money for her students that didn’t have the financial means to. My mom never told anybody, and wanted no credit, she just didn’t want her students to go without. In 2004 I became a teacher. Often I would ask my mom for advice. There were two lessons my mom shared that still stand out to me. First, always make friends with the lunch ladies in the cafeteria. This has proven more than beneficial to me as every Wednesday at my school cafeteria I get free lukewarm, and oddly always moist, tater tots. The next and perhaps more important lesson my mom shared with me was that there would always be that one kid that is loud, obnoxious, and a handful to deal with. He will never admit it, but that’s the student that will need your help the most. He just doesn’t know how to ask for it. Marcus Freeman, after Saturday’s 38-27 loss to Southern Cal, I believe we have found the kids that need your help the most. If Notre Dame fans are correct, and Freeman is as smart as they hope, this was a season filled with lessons for the first year head coach to learn. True, some were learned the hard way, but in a season where it was obvious after week 2 this wouldn’t be a playoff team, maybe this was the best year to get some of those growing pains out of the way. Lesson 1: With all due respect to Drew Pyne, who seems like a classy kid both on and off the field and a great ambassador for the University, Saturday’s loss should have shown Freeman the need to find an elite quarterback that can single handedly put a team on their back and lead them to victory. Pyne, while statistically effective against the Trojans, is not that guy. Irish fans hope Freeman has found that guy in either Kenny Minchey or CJ Carr. However, it would be enormously challenging to ask a true freshman quarterback to lead Notre Dame to victories over Clemson in Death Valley or over Ohio State next year in South Bend. Do Irish fans trust Tommy Rees enough to develop Tyler Buchner, who missed his senior season in high school due to Covid, played sparingly as a freshman only attempting 35 passes, and missed all but two games his sophomore season after suffering a season ending shoulder injury? While Rees’ past quarterbacks have statistically been impressive, did Irish fans actually see any growth from them after their first year behind the center? I believe most would say no. What we learned : Whether internally or with the help of a graduate transfer, Freeman must insist on more competition and elite talent from the quarterback position. Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Lesson 2: Most of social media has been trying to downplay Southern Cal’s turnaround this season, they won only 4 games in 2021, by referring to the Trojans and head coach Lincoln Riley as “hired guns” after signing 26 players from the transfer portal this year. Most traditional Irish fans see this approach as cheap and maybe even a little unfair, but the realities are college football has changed and Notre Dame, more specifically the higher ups at Notre Dame, need to realize this and start allowing their coaches to make better use of the transfer portal. Do Irish fans want to see 26 new faces next year? Probably not, Notre Dame is built on tradition, so that would not sit well with most, however Saturday’s loss is a sign that Notre Dame has failed to keep up with where the trend is headed. Yes Notre Dame has taken a grad transfer here and there, but they need to do a better job of using this resource. In 1986 Notre Dame took a chance on a Proposition 48 student athlete, Tony Rice. Rice did not meet the entrance requirements for Notre Dame and in essence was put on probation for a year, not allowed to even practice with the team, to ensure he could handle the rigors of a Notre Dame education. The stories of Rice’s work ethic in the classroom that year proved admirable and earned him a place on the team, resulting in a national championship in 1988. Photo courtesy of John Cordes/Icon Sportswire Is there some worry that Freeman could inadvertently create a toxic environment by taking chances on athletes that wouldn’t be a good fit for Notre Dame? Athletes that want to write, debatably, obscene messages on their fingernails while playing on national TV? Of course, but the transfer portal is too important a tool to dismiss so easily. What we learned : Freeman and the university's higher ups need to stay ahead of the curve and take a few chances on players, and that means using the transfer portal to their advantage. College football is changing, Notre Dame needs to as well. Lesson 3: Most Irish fans were expecting the secondary to be tested by Heisman hopeful Caleb Williams. When news broke at the start of the game that Notre Dame would be missing two cornerbacks due to injury, I expected LAX to have to reroute flights due to the number of dimes that would be dropped on that LA Coliseum field. However, for the most part, the secondary did their job including creating two coverage sacks for the defensive line. The damage to the Notre Dame defense was done, surprisingly, by the Southern Cal running game, including some video game type escapes by Williams. Brace yourself, Patrick Mahomes comparisons for Williams are coming. Defensively the Irish seemed always just a step behind, specifically at the linebacker position, and the only thing more aggravating than watching all the missed tackles on Saturday night for Irish fans was having to hear Chris Fowler point them out. JD Bertrand and Xavier Watts would lead the team in tackles with nine a piece, and both also seem like classy kids on and off the field, but the Irish need a beast with speed at that position. Too often Williams was able to elude Notre Dame's linebackers. Too often Irish linebackers were allowing themselves to get held up at the line of scrimmage. Too often the Trojans' "hired guns" had their way. Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Irish fans hope the answer to this issue will be solved with incoming freshmen and 5 star recruits Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed. However, do Notre Dame fans want to base yet another season on hope? It seems like they’ve been doing so since 1988 and something of more substance needs to be done. What we learned : Again, whether internally or through the transfer portal, Freeman must find some beasts with elite speed on arguably the most important position on defense, linebacker. Final Grade: I’m not sure what grade Freeman deserves on his report card after his first year as coach. An “A” is out of the question after losing to Marshall. A “B” would be tough after the Stanford loss. Considering how doomed the program looked after the first 3 games of the season, the epic victory over Clemson, and his aggressive recruiting, Freeman does deserve a lot of credit. Most Irish fans would probably settle on a “C” which, all things considered for a first year head coach, might be fair. At the very least though, even after Saturday’s loss, Irish fans can take comfort knowing Brian Kelly’s new team won’t be making it to the playoffs this season either. I'm sure my Mom would've gotten a big kick out of that one. *For information on how you can help provide new shoes to students in need, please click on the Maggie Sole’s Mission link to learn how you can help out. https://maggiessolemission.org/

By Mike Stacey Credit: Notre Dame Men's Basketball Twitter So far Notre Dame basketball has started the season out to a precarious 4-0 record which improved to 5- 0 after anothe r odd victory over Bowling Green this evening at Purcell Pavillion. (In front of dozens of fans :eye roll:) Going into this game, Notre Dame had 5 players averaging double digits in points led by Super Senior Nate Laszewski with 19.0 Points Per Game. In their first 4 games, the Fighting Irish have scored 79, 88, 82, and 66 respectively. Their offense has picked up where it left off at the end of last season. A season which saw them pull off two wins in the big dance including a notable upset over Alabama. (I would love to say that just once in football, but I digress...) This team, which returns the above pictured and mentioned Nate Laszewski, in addition to Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan, and Trey Wertz has all of the makings of a Mike Brey dynamic offense. They move the ball effortlessly with incredible selflessness and discipline. Each possession looks like it was stolen straight out of a 1980's "How to play offense" training video. The only difference is stand out freshmen JJ Starling and Ven-Allen Lubin add some style points. I watch this offense and I can't help to think to myself, "Wow, this is the kind of offense that can do some real damage in the tournament." Then, I watch the defense...In true Shakespearian fashion the defense has been nothing short of a tragedy to begin this season. Where the offense is a training video of what to do, the defense has been a video of what not to do. To compare to the offense, the defense has given up 76, 81, 70, and 65 points going into this evenings contest. Also, Notre Dame has yet to play a ranked opponent. Let me rephrase that. Notre Dame has yet to play an ACC opponent. Let me rephrase that one more time. Notre Dame has yet to play a power 5 opponent! Yes, those gaudy numbers are being put up by the likes of Radford, Youngstown State, a directional Indiana school and the Lipscomb Bison which could be from any of the 50 states as far as I know. Needless to say, the defense has not exactly complimented the offense very well. Tonight's game was eerily similar to the previous four. Once again, the offense looked fantastic. They had four players score in double figures, shot 55% from the field, 81% from the line, and had 16 assists compared to only 4 turnovers. On defense? Well, at least in the first half it was more of the same, with their man to man and zone defense equally looking like Swiss Cheese. At times it looked as though the Irish thought they were in a pick up game and not a D-1 college contest. Bowling Green basically got whatever they want, particularly in the paint, where Rashaun Agee looked like a man playing amongst boys. At half, Bowling Green had 40 points and the Irish were in route to another nail biting game that would likely come down to a final possession finish. But it didn't. The Irish did enough in the second half to hold the Falcons to 26 points. Thanks to this, the Irish were able to pull away late and make what was mostly a close game turned into a 16 point win. Now, I understand that holding a struggling Bowling Green offense to 26 points in a half at home is hardly something to celebrate, but I will anyway. The Irish need to build off something, and right now they have back to back games where they have held their opponents to 66 and 65 points. Aside from having some faith in Brey and his group of super seniors to get it figured out, the Irish will also get some depth in the near future. Transfer guard Marcus Hammond will hopefully be back with the team sometime next week. Right now, the Irish are playing a mostly 6 man rotation. Adding another key contributor to their lineup should help freshen the Irish legs and give them some more durability on the defensive side of the ball. Not to mention, Hammond was the leading scorer for his team at Niagra last year. Adding another offensive weapon can only help defeat their opponents spirit which in turn can lead to some mistakes on the offensive end. (Saying confidently to convince myself) Up next for the Irish are the now 3-2 St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Really mailed in that nickname) who have scored at least 80 points in their previous two games. After that, the real test comes when they face the 12th ranked Michigan State Spartans (Much better nickname). The Spartans have owned Notre Dame in recent matchups, winning 4 of the previous 5 which includes last year's 10 point victory for Sparty. This game should give us a much better idea of where the Irish are as a unit. Can their offense continue to put up big numbers against a premier opponent? Will their defense rise to the occasion? If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Mike Brey getting the job done. But only time will tell.

By Mike Stacey Photo Credit: Fan Attic Sports Network Now that the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pies and adult beverages have digested and our glucose levels are beginning to level out, It is time to talk about ND vs USC. The game tomorrow night at 7:30pm in LA at the Coliseum will mark the 93rd time these two programs have faced off in this storied rivalry. Notre Dame holds the edge with a 48-36-5 record against the Trojans and a current 4 game winning streak. However, USC comes into this year's matchup as a -4.5 favorite as of the time of this article. USC will enter this contest with a 10-1 record and ranked 6th in the country according to the playoff committee rankings. For USC, this game is more than just a rivalry for the coveted Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy, it is also a must win to continue their journey to the College Playoff. USC is searching for their first playoff appearance since it's birth in 2014. (Notre Dame has 2 appearances, no big deal).This game also has significant implications for the Fighting Irish who aside from trying to play spoiler and win their biggest rivalry game of the year, is still fighting for a possible New Year's 6 bowl appearance in Marcus Freeman's first year as head coach. The Irish enter this game ranked 15th in the country with an 8-3 record. Needless to say, this is a huge game that will have a major ripple effect across the college football landscape. Even with Notre Dame being out of the playoff hunt, they are still a major player, with their performance and the result of this game effecting so many teams playoff fate. Teams like Ohio State and Clemson will be as big of Notre Dame fans tomorrow night as the rest of us. Not only to knock USC out of the hunt, but to also improve their strength of schedule as they make their own bids for a playoff berth. So, as the title asks, who you got? We would love to see everyone's predictions in the comment section! But first, let's take a look at what the Irish Tribune team thinks: Luciano Antonini - Founder and CEO Notre Dame will put on a similar show against USC as they did against Clemson...kind of. The Irish jump to a 2-3 possession lead at the half. USC will make a good effort to come back, but will run out of time doing so via a Benjamin Morrison interception that seals the deal, it’s bound to happen. USC has not faced a defense as good as Notre Dame’s, and that will show on Saturday. I’ll also predict some form of a Brian Mason special; maybe a muffed punt, exceptional kickoff coverage, or our favorite…a blocked punt. Final Prediction: Notre Dame- 34 USC- 24 Nicholas Kremer- Editor The greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. The battle for the Jewelled Shillelagh. Notre Dame vs USC. This is what college football is all about. Both the Irish and the Trojans are coming into the game with a lot of momentum, and a lot at stake. USC will be playing for a playoff spot, and the Irish will be playing to cap off the first season under Marcus Freeman.This is set up to be a classic in Southern California. For Notre Dame to win this game, the Irish have to avoid getting behind early and avoid a shootout type of game. On offense, the Notre Dame running game has to be firing on all cylinders. Our Offensive Line against their DLine is a mismatch, so I look for a heavy dose of Estime and Diggs throughout this game. Pyne needs to play game manager; make smart decisions with the football, and attack downfield 2-3 times. On defense, I expect Al Golden to bring a variety of blitz concepts and stunts to make Caleb Williams uncomfortable. This will be the best pass defense that USC and Caleb Williams have faced all year, and I expect them to play very well, even without Cam Hart. Finally, the Irish have to find 1-2 momentum changing plays in the form of special teams, turnovers, or a chunk play on offense. Overall, if Notre Dame can control the clock, play ball-control to keep the USC offense off the field, make Caleb Williams uncomfortable, and get one or two momentum-changing plays, the Irish will come out on top. Final Prediction: Notre Dame - 34 USC - 31 Mike Stacey-Writer As has been the case with many games this year, I find myself struggling to come up with a prediction. If the ND team who lost to Stanford and Marshall shows up on Saturday then USC will win this game in a route. If the ND team that played Clemson and North Carolina shows up, ND will win this game rather easily. This whole season has been tough to predict with seemingly two different ND squads playing throughout it. That being said, as of lately Notre Dame has shown MUCH more consistency and promise. I think Notre Dame should and will dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage. I think our running game will continue to put up big numbers with our 3 headed monster and our defensive line will harass Caleb Williams to the point of a couple turnovers. Ultimately, Notre Dame's physicality will be the difference. (So I pray) Final Prediction: Notre Dame- 38 USC- 27 Murray O'Connell- Writer As much as I want to say Notre Dame will win, I think the quarterback play will ultimately be the deciding factor. As strong as Drew Pyne has looked, at times, throughout the season, I’m not convinced he will be able to consistently out duel Heisman hopeful Caleb Williams. Southern Cal has not defeated the Irish since 2016 and they just feel due to me. However, fear not Irish fans, every game I’ve predicted this season has gone 180 degrees completely in the opposite direction. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if this streak continues. Final Prediction: USC- 30 Notre Dame- 24 Chris Studer- Writer Look for the Irish to run with our three headed monster in the backfield. Audric needs to have 10 plus touches in this game. Tommy Rees and Drew Pyne should look to have long sustained drives against this USC defense. The Irish need to keep Caleb Williams and Co on the sideline. Especially the talented Addison. Look for Morrison and his ball hawking skills to snag a timely INT. Mayer gets a TD in what could be his final game in an Irish jersey. Final Prediction: Notre Dame-31 USC-27 Liam Farrell- Writer The contest between the Trojans and the Irish will be won in the battle between Notre Dame’s defensive line going up against the Trojans’ offensive line. In past years, USC has combatted the dominance of the Irish’s front 7 by throwing short, quick passes to halt the threat of Notre Dame’s pass rush. The play of Notre Dame’s linebackers will also be vital by being able to decipher the RPOs that the Trojans’ offense so heavily relies on. On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame needs to run the ball at will. USC’s defense has been gashed in the second half of the season, so the three-headed monster of Diggs, Tyree, and Estime must continue this trend. I see this game being close all the way through, but a special teams spark play, whether it be a big return by the Irish or a missed field goal by the Trojans, will shift the momentum in the way of the good guys. Notre Dame plays spoiler to USC’s championship hopes as the Irish come to Los Angeles and snag a 14-point victory. Final Prediction: Notre Dame- 38 USC- 24 Donnie Shapaka- Writer The Irish will run early and often, controlling the line of scrimmage. I believe Rees will incorporate the passing game out of a two or three tight end set. I think the Irish will have success throwing the football against a USC defense that is weak. Finale Prediction: Notre Dame- 42 USC- 28

The #13 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-3) will host the #5 ranked USC Trojans (10-1) on Saturday, as Notre Dame looks to keep their winning streak alive. The Irish are coming off their most impressive win of the season, defeating Boston College 44-0. The Irish will need to play at that level or higher this coming week as USC presents a more challenging opponent. Coach Freeman had this to say on Wednesday about facing USC… “It’s a rivalry for us and what a huge rivalry. I’m still learning. I think last year, my first year here, I knew it was a rivalry. It was during the middle of the season, but now it’s the last game of the year. Me being the head coach, you really try to study up on the history. It’s a long-lasting rivalry that has gone back to the 1920s and has been played over 90 times. I want our plays to know about and understand the rivalry. You don’t have to turn on the film to realize it’s a great opponent we’re going to play on Saturday.” Game Details Date: Saturday, November 26 Time: 7:30 PM ET Where to Watch: ABC Limited Series History Notre Dame Leads Overall 50-37-5 2021- Irish 31-16 2019- Irish 30-27 2018- Irish 24-17 2017- Irish 49-14 2016- Trojans 45-27 2015- Irish 41-31 2014- Trojans 49-14 2013- Irish 14-10 2012- Irish 22-13 2011- Trojans 31-17 2010- Irish 20-16 2009- Trojans 34-27 2008- Trojans 38-3 2007- Trojans 38-0 2006- Trojans 44-24 2005- Trojans 34-31 2004- Trojans 41-10 2003- Trojans 45-14 2002- Trojans 44-13 2001- Irish 27-16 2000- Irish 38-21 Breaking Down USC USC is led by first-year head coach Lincoln Riley, who owns a 10-1 record and ranks first in nearly every category in the PAC 12. Coming from Oklahoma, Riley is known for his high-scoring offenses and for getting the most out of his offensive talent. Along with several other transfers, this is one of the reasons Caleb Williams followed him to USC after playing with him last season at Oklahoma. After a rough season a year ago, Lincoln has quickly returned this team to its winning ways. Stacking Up Notre Dame vs USC Offensive Players to Know Caleb Williams— QB #13 2022 Stats: 3480 passing yards, 33 TD; 316 rushing yards, 7 TD Coach Freeman had this to say about facing Caleb Williams… “He’s special. He is a rare talent. The things he does with the ball in his hands, the decisions he makes, the ability to put the ball into tight spaces, and his ability to make plays with his legs. He’s so hard to bring down. We have a challenge in front of us.” Austin Jones— RB #6 2022 Stats: 455 rushing yards, 5 TD; 191 receiving yards, 1 TD Jordan Addison— WR #3 2022 Stats: 765 receiving yards, 8 TD Thaj Washington— WR #16 2022 Stats: 549 receiving yards, 4 TD Mario Williams— WR #4 2022 Stats: 508 receiving yards, 4 TD Defensive Players to Know Tuli Tuipulotu— DL #49 2022 Stats: 38 tackles, 3 passes defended, 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles Shane Lee— LB #53 2022 Stats: 65 tackles, 1 pass defended, 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 TD Eric Gentry— LB #18 2022 Stats: 52 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception Mekhi Blackmon— DB #6 2022 Stats: 49 tackles, 11 passes defended, 3 interceptions Max Williams— DB #4 2022 Stats: 60 tackles, 5 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions 📷 credit: @usc.fb on Instagram Keys to Victory 1. Force Turnovers Despite Caleb Williams being highly efficient with the football, he has yet to face a defense like Notre Dame. The Irish bring a physicality that USC has not seen up to this point. This defense must take advantage of every opportunity that is afforded them to win this game. 2. Establish the Run Even though USC knows that Notre Dame likes to run the ball, the Irish must look to get the rushing attack established in order to set the tone of the game. Whether it be Diggs, Estime, or Tyree, Notre Dame must establish a solid rushing attack in order to control the clock and open up opportunities for the passing game to be efficient. This may also be a great opportunity for the Irish to throw a few slant routes to running backs as well and let them make USC’s defense pay. Final Take This game presents Notre Dame with an incredible opportunity to make a name for itself going into next season. It also presents the Irish with keeping USC out of the college football playoffs. Either way, Marcus Freeman and his staff need to have a great game plan going into this game in order to come out on top. Some of Notre Dame’s most memorable moments came against USC and this game will hopefully be no different. When asked about what Notre Dame was playing for against USC, Coach Freeman had this to say… “Our motivation is understanding the rivalry and the opportunity to be called a winner. That’s something I believe in. The chance to be called a winner is the greatest achievement there is. That is our motivation. It’s the opportunity to play against a great opponent and the chance to be called a winner. That’s all the motivation we need.” Go Irish! 📷 credit: @ndfootball on Instagram Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Follow “God Country Irish” on Twitter Contact God Country Irish