Written by Liam Gaudet, Senior Editor Photo By Fox News I am officially at my wits end with the offensive production at the hands of Tommy Rees. Although there are many issues with this team right now, no other is greater than the lack of results being produced by the supposed offensive guru. After two solid weeks of production, the offense took all of the built up momentum and threw it directly into the trash can. Poor play? Yes. Poor scheming? You bet. Lets unmask the ugly truth and get to the root of the problem together. Here's a statistic that's awfully puzzling. Notre Dame's offensive line outweighs Stanford's defensive line by an average factor of 1.2. That means the average Notre Dame offensive lineman weighs about 315 pounds, while in comparison, the average weight of a Stanford defensive lineman is 260 pounds. Nevermind the supposed talent gap which heavily favors Notre Dame, you would figure that statistic alone should give Notre Dame a substantial advantage in the trenches. In theory, this would be absolutely correct. In practice, however, Notre Dame was flat out humiliated up front once again, with a pitiful first half performance which saw the offense muster barely 100 total yards and zero points. So with all the up-front advantages pointed toward Notre Dame, how is it possible that they couldn't move the ball on the ground? Maybe it's because this offense is so predictable, a monkey could decipher the play calls coming on first and second down. Tommy Rees believes in beating a dead horse to establish a running game that is clearly dead in the water. The pre-snap motions weren't fooling anybody, let alone the Stanford defense. 90% of the time on first down, it was a run up the middle for minimal gain, if any at all. Instead of realizing that this clearly wasn't working, Rees continually decided to try and establish this despite it failing time and time again. So the first issue without a shadow of a doubt was the sheer lack of creativity and willingness to change and adapt to what was going on. If you're so insistent on playing smash-mouth football, maybe you would consider using your smash-mouth, hard running back for the majority of those runs to give you a physical advantage and wear down the opposing defense? No, because that would make too much sense. Audric Estime saw only two carries in the first half, with one of them being a hard fought run on a fourth down. Instead, Rees opted to use Chris Tyree, a speed back, for the majority of inside run attempts. That makes absolutely no sense. If you want to run an offensive scheme from 1920, at least have the right personnel in the game to give it a fighting chance. Speaking of having the right personnel, Tobias Merriweather earned himself some playing time this week, and took full advantage by getting open deep twice in the second half. The first time, Pyne overthrew an easy touchdown, and the second, Merriweather hauled in his first career catch and subsequent touchdown of his Notre Dame career. It has been blatantly obvious that he is a dynamic playmaker, but the staff opted to give him zero snaps, let alone targets after his touchdown in the third quarter. Why? Only Tommy Rees has the answer to that question, though I have little to no faith that it was the right decision. In no world does Merriweather deserve less playing time than Braden Lenzy or Matt Salerno. No slight to any of the student athletes, but they just aren't cutting it, plain and simple. It's a travesty to the brand that Rees hasn't been able to recognize this, despite outcry from the fanbase for weeks on end. On the off chance that we do decide to adapt to the modern, fancy idea of throwing a forward pass, it too, is entirely too predictable. Any opposing coach for the rest of the season knows that if you cover Michael Mayer, the Notre Dame passing attack is irrelevant. Time and time again, after being forced into third and long situations thanks to the telegraphed first and second down runs, Michael Mayer is targeted on third and long to no avail in double coverage. Some of the blame goes to Drew Pyne here, but Rees is the one calling plays where Mayer is the primary target. Don't you think the other team will catch on at some point? If the fanbase can see it, there's no way professional football coaches making millions of dollars won't. Why is it so hard to scheme plays with the receivers being the primary targets? Why can't we adapt to what isn't working? My faith in the play calling was hanging by a thread heading into this week, but now it's unsalvageable. I wince every time the ball is snapped because my fear of predicting the play is often correct. My hopes had risen only to be sent plummeting back to reality last night. As far as I'm concerned, Tommy Rees is now calling plays to save his job. Forget leaving for the NFL, how about you breathe some life back into an offense that is too predictable, out of date, and can't score on one of the worst ranked defenses in the country. Even if we have a bounce back game against UNLV, it won't be because of adaptation. Rees has had years to evolve into a new scheme and has proven that he's stuck in his ways. I fear more losses are on the horizon unless a drastic change is made on that side of the football.

Per: NBCSports Written by IrishTrending   We are five weeks into the Freeman Era, and Notre Dame fans and college football fans in general are beginning to believe Marcus Freeman is catching on to being a head football coach after a tumultuous start. Here is an overview of every game so far this season, and where Marcus Freeman currently stands in regards to his coaching stature.   Oklahoma State:  Marcus Freeman started off his career at Notre Dame in a New Year's Six bowl against a very good Oklahoma State team. In that game, Notre Dame took an early lead and looked to have this game under control. However, in the second half, it was all Oklahoma State, Marcus Freeman looked very lost at times, even though it was expected. This was still a sour loss after the big blown lead.    Ohio State:  Marcus Freeman had a full off season to really get things going his way in preparation for a top-five matchup against Ohio State. This game would be Freeman’s second top 10 opponent of his career, and it being in Columbus didn’t help. Just like the game before Notre Dame started off better than the opponent, leading at half and playing elite defense. Unfortunately, once the second half came, Notre Dame was stagnant offensively and the defense got tired. Failing to do anything in the second half led to a lot of fans thinking Freeman falters in second halves of games. Even though Notre Dame lost, it was still a great game against arguably the best team in the country.    Marshall: The following week Notre Dame hosts Marshall in a game the vast majority thought would be all Notre Dame. The spread was a huge favorite toward Notre Dame, and Notre Dame clearly had the talent advantage. Early on, however, we realized Notre Dame is not nearly as good as we would’ve hoped. Notre Dame was out coached, out executed, and flat out embarrassed at home against a motivated but inferior Marshall team. The loss of Tyler Buchner late didn’t help much and seeing that the offense was the main problem was pretty easy. This led to even more questions from Notre Dame fans regarding if Freeman is really the guy to get it done at Notre Dame, and what to think about OC Tommy Rees.    California: Freeman gets another opportunity in a home game against a team that is not nearly as talented as Notre Dame. Notre Dame, just like the week prior, came out flat on both sides of the ball. Mainly offensively, which may be due to Drew Pyne’s first career start. Notre Dame fans were in disbelief at how this team was performing, and were hoping to get out with a win. Cal took the game to the last play and definitely could have won. Even though it was another ugly game, it would go down as the first win in the Freeman era.   North Carolina: Notre Dame would then go on the road to take on a skillful North Carolina team with a high powered offense, led by a young star in Drake Maye. Even though North Carolina was at home, Notre Dame took care of them having a huge day offensively, largely in the run game. Freeman looked a lot more aware of what he was doing and the execution was a lot better.    BYU:  Notre Dame would then go on a bye week before a neutral site matchup against a ranked BYU team. Similar to games prior, Notre Dame came out strong and went a little flat in the second half, but this was a bit different. It was more the execution and not the scheming or playing calling. The second half flatline let BYU make it a little more competitive of a game. Notre Dame struggled to score in plus territory, and the defense let up another big play on a blown coverage, similar to the two from the North Carolina game. This would go down as Freeman’s first ranked win.   My Overall Thoughts: Watching Freeman on the sidelines, he seems a lot more confident and in tune with the game over the weeks and since the Cal game, which is great to see. Notre Dame hosts Stanford this evening in a game many think (including myself) should be a big blowout. Freeman will be put to the test again to see how he coaches a game pretty similar to the Marshall game. Freeman seems to be taking big strides through the year, and I ultimately think he is really starting to get a grip on things. This Stanford game could be a big indicator of that. Keep an eye on in-game adjustments, and how Freeman looks on the sidelines throughout the game.

Notre Dame vs. Stanford Rivalry History Written by Drew Eger Notre Dame and Stanford have been a consistent rivalry for the last 24 years, only missing 2020 because of COVID. The Irish lead the all-time series 22-13. Notre Dame has dominated the last 3 years winning by scores of 38-17, 45-24, and 45-14. Stanford had Notre Dame’s number before that, winning 7 out of the last 9 match-ups from 2009-2017. Now, let’s take a look back at some of the most notable match-ups in this rivalry’s history. 1925 - Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10 - In the first match-up of this rivalry, Notre Dame and Stanford met in the Rose Bowl. In this game, Stanford turned the ball over 8 different times and Notre Dame capitalized on those mistakes. This game also marked the end for the Irish’s Four Horsemen: Jim Crowley, Elmer Layden, Don Miller, and Harry Stuhldreher. 1990 - #1 Notre Dame 31, Stanford 36 - Stanford took down #1 Notre Dame in Notre Dame Stadium two years after the Irish got their 11th National Championship. Notre Dame looked like they were on their way to another national championship, but Stanford spoiled that hope by going into South Bend and upsetting the first ranked Irish. 2003 - Notre Dame 57, Stanford 7 - This game was the largest margin of victory for Notre Dame in the rivalry’s history. Notre Dame started the game off hot in Palo Alto with a 34-0 lead going into halftime. Stanford scored their only touchdown of the game early into the 3rd quarter. Notre Dame had their highest scoring quarter in the 3rd putting up 23. 2012 - #7 Notre Dame 20, #17 Stanford 13 - This game is known as the best game in the rivalry. A game that went into overtime at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish made the famous goal line stand in overtime stopping Stephon Taylor 4 times on the goal line. Manti Te'o helped lead the stop at the goal line and helped lead the Irish to the national championship. 2018 - #8 Notre Dame 38, #7 Stanford 17 - The highest ranked match-up in this rivalry featured a one sided game in South Bend. One of the only games played where both teams were ranked, the Irish dominated for all 4 quarters. Ian Book threw for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns in Notre Dame’s 21-point win. For the 36th time, Notre Dame (3-2) and Stanford (1-4) will meet in South Bend, IN at Notre Dame Stadium. They will face off at 7:30 PM EST under the lights on NBC. The Irish have won 3 straight games and look to win the 4th in a row Saturday night. The Irish are 17-point favorites and look to continue their offensive domination they have displayed the past 2 games. If you like reading these, check out other articles on the Irish Tribune. Go Irish, Beat Stanford The Irish Tribune Photo from USA Today

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-2) will host the Stanford Cardinals (1-4) on Saturday, as Notre Dame seeks to continue their winning streak. Despite winning the last three games against Stanford, this is a rivalry game for both programs. Notre Dame won last year’s game 45-14, behind an impressive performance from Jack Coan and Kyren Williams. Those players are no longer with the program, so Notre Dame looks for Drew Pyne to lead this team to victory once more. Coach Freeman had this to say on Thursday… “Drew has never lacked confidence. Now that you're adding the execution with it, that confidence can be infectious to the whole team. You know what, it's even more infectious when things go bad and things aren't going your way. The confident quarterback that everyone believes in is now the one saying everything is going to be OK. When you do have success, he's the one saying pile it on and this is the way we play. It's really good to see. You now have some of the execution and production to go along with the confidence Drew Pyne has always had. That's what you want out of your quarterback." Series History 1925- Notre Dame 27-10 1942- Notre Dame 27-0 1963- Stanford 24-14 1964- Notre Dame 28-6 1988- Notre Dame 42-14 1989- Notre Dame 27-17 1990- Stanford 36-31 1991- Notre Dame 42-26 1992- Stanford 33-16 1993- Notre Dame 48-20 1994- Notre Dame 34-15 1997- Stanford 33-15 1998- Notre Dame 35-17 1999- Stanford 40-37 2000- Notre Dame 20-14 2001- Stanford 17-13 2002- Notre Dame 31-7 2003- Notre Dame 57-7 2004- Notre Dame 23-15 2005- Notre Dame 38-31 2006- Notre Dame 31-10 2007- Notre Dame 21-14 2008- Notre Dame 28-21 2009- Stanford 45-38 2010- Stanford 37-14 2011- Stanford 28-14 2012- Notre Dame 20-13 2013- Stanford 27-20 2014- Notre Dame 17-14 2015- Stanford 38-36 2016- Stanford 17-10 2017- Stanford 38-20 2018- Notre Dame 38-17 2019- Notre Dame 45-24 2021- Notre Dame 45-14 Notre Dame 22 ~ Stanford 13 Game Details Date: Saturday, October 15 Time: 7:30 PM ET Where to Watch: NBC/Peacock Breaking Down Stanford The Cardinals are led by head coach David Shaw, who owns a 94-49 overall record, and is 5-5 versus the Irish. After dominating his opponents the first couple of seasons of his tenure, David Shaw’s football program has struggled in recent seasons to maintain that level of success. Despite this recent down-turn in the program, Stanford has a history of producing NFL talent: Ed McCaffrey (Broncos), John Lynch (Buccaneers and Broncos), John Elway (Broncos), Andrew Luck (Colts), Richard Sherman (Seahawks), Christian McCaffrey (Panthers), and David DeCastro (Steelers). Needless to say, the Cardinals should not be overlooked going into this game on Saturday, but it is a game the Irish should win. Stacking Up Notre Dame vs North Carolina 3 Offensive Players to Know Tanner McKee— QB #18 2022 Stats: 1249 passing yards, 10 touchdowns; -56 rushing yards; 1 touchdown Benjamin Yurosek — TE #84 2022 Stats: 134 receiving yards Michael Wilson— WR #4 2022 Stats: 352 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns; 40 rushing yards 3 Defensive Players to Know Levani Damuni— LB #3 2022 Stats: 34 tackles, 2 passes defended Patrick Fields — S #24 2022 Stats: 27 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 passes defended Kyu Blu Kelly — CB #17 2022 Stats: 12 tackles, 1 passes defended 📷 credit: @stanfordfball on Instagram Final Take If Notre Dame is going to beat Stanford this Saturday, they must score often, pressure the quarterback, and take away the 50-50 balls thrown to the Cardinal's tall receivers. This will be a difficult task, especially as the Irish lost Bo Bauer for the season during practice this week. Coach Freeman had this to say… “Bo will be out for the year. Sustained a knee injury in practice on Tuesday, which is devastating just because he’s a captain and he provides so much more than just production. Just the energy, the ability to motivate our players, it’ll be a tremendous loss for us.” Coach Freeman mentioned a few names that might fill the hole left by Bauer… “I would think for sure you will see more Prince Kollie, who played really well last game. Junior, I think we'll see more of Junior too. I think we'll see him play in a couple of different packages and increase his role. As far as Jaylen, it's still to be determined. He's continued to get better. I don't see him being a part of the defensive package for this game, but he's going to have the opportunity as the year goes on to try to play some more.” Irish fans wish Bo a speedy recovery and good luck as he now prepares for next year’s NFL draft. Despite this loss, it is time for new leaders to step up and provide the emotional fire that fans loved about Bo. If the Irish can overcome yet another lost captain on Saturday, they should be able to come out victoriously. Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Follow “God Country Irish” on Twitter Contact God Country Irish

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels last Saturday with a dominating performance. After giving up a touchdown to North Carolina on the opening drive, Notre Dame’s defense responded by forcing three straight punts. The Irish offense found its groove during the second quarter and put up points on the following six drives. They later added three more scores to win the game 45-32. Coach Marcus Freeman had this to say following the game… “Well, obviously, extremely happy for our group of guys and our coaching staff to go out and play the entirety of a game and they played really, really well. We played really well. And the beauty of it is there's always room to get better. We can go and we can learn from a lot of situations that happened in the game. They're playing better, they're practicing better. And that's the challenge. Continue to get better. And it was good to see the performance today.” Even though North Carolina’s defense was not very good, Irish fans should walk away from this game encouraged by the identity this offense is starting to show on Saturdays. Quarterback Drew Pyne appears to have found his role in this offense and was the clear leader of this team last Saturday. This football team has to feel good about a 2-2 record going into the bye week. Players of the Game Michael Mayer Michael Mayer is Drew Pyne’s favorite target as he caught seven passes for eighty-eight yards and a touchdown. After failing to score in the first quarter, Mayer provided the spark that this team needed to get this offense going. Coach Freeman had this to say about his All-American tight end… “He's a beast, man. 87 is a heck of a football player. And you're a fool if you don't find ways to get the ball in his hands, and we found unique ways. I think we ran him on a jet sweep today. And you wouldn't think 87's getting the ball on a jet sweep. It's going to make a DB think twice about coming in there and tackling him. But he's a guy that can do so many different things for you. He sets the standard for how we prepare. He's a captain. He's a leader who raises the play of those guys in his room. That's why what you'll see is you'll see those young guys step up because Michael Mayer is the one making sure that you know everybody's going to perform to a standard. Everybody's got a standard and everybody's going to have to learn. And so, this is good to see his leadership capabilities.” Running Backs Christ Tyree, Audric Estime, and Logan Diggs formed a three-headed running back monster last Saturday against the Tar Heels. Memory suggests that Notre Dame has not had a running back trio this talented since Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood, and Josh Adams played several years ago. All three running backs bring unique skills to the offense and it showed against North Carolina. Even though Michael Mayer provided the spark, Tyree (104 yards), Estime (134 yards), and Diggs (115 yards) fueled the offensive production last Saturday. Both Tyree and Diggs had one touchdown and Estime contributed two more scores on the ground, despite a late-game fumble at the goal line. After the game, Coach Freeman had this to say about the running backs… “I think more so (it was) the rhythm of the game, and it was good to have Logan (Diggs) back. He had a good week of practice, but your ability to use those three in different ways. Listen, when we lost Kevin (Bauman) this week, we knew we were going to have to be kind of strategic in terms of what personnel we were going to use. And to have a guy like Chris Tyree that you can use in the backfield, use in the slot, do some different things with, it really opens up things for our offense. And so, again, they were just going on a roll. You know, credit to coach (Deland) McCullough who's done a great job with that group, the unselfishness of that group, it was really good to see today.” 📷 Credit: @ndfootball on Instagram Final Take The game against North Carolina showed that this team is starting to buy into Marcus Freeman’s vision for this football team. Irish fans must hope that the coaching staff will use this during the bye week to correct areas of concern and continue this winning momentum moving forward. If so, this team has the potential to be a matchup nightmare for the remainder of the college football season. Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

Notre Dame is on the brink of its best two-year recruiting stretch since Lou Holtz was coach. It’s not just the top-level talent Marcus Freeman is bringing to Notre Dame, it’s the overall depth of this class that makes it unique. Yes, the Irish staff needs to find a quarterback after missing out on Dante Moore, but this staff is proving they have a knack for identifying talent. The most recent recruits prove this to be the case. Brian Kelly was responsible for sending several Irish players to the NFL, but many fans believe he could have done better on the recruiting trail. Marcus Freeman is proving this to be true with his most recent recruiting success. We remember Charlie Weiss for his top recruiting classes and being able to land top-rated players. Yet, he seemed to not be able to round out his classes with lower-rated recruits that added quality depth. Marcus Freeman appears to be doing both with the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes. Most Recent Commitments Jaiden Ausberry 2023 Linebacker — 6’1, 210 lbs University Lab High School (Baton Rouge, LA) Rivals- 4 star; ESPN- 4 star; 247 Sports- 4 star; On3- 4 star Hudl Film Despite being slightly undersized, Jaiden is the type of linebacker that Marcus Freeman loves. He has a nose for the football, tackles well, and has that “it” factor that you desire in a recruit. After watching the film, his instincts and tackling angles appear to be advanced for his age. He may need a year or two in the strength and conditioning program, but when his time comes, Jaiden is going to shine. Ben Minich 2023 Safety — 5’11, 185 lbs Lakota West High School (West Chester, OH) Rivals- 3 star; ESPN- 4 star; 247 Sports- 4 star; On3- 3 star Hudl Film Ben has a knack for showing up around the football. He lacks the ideal size you would like to see in a current college safety, but he makes up for that with good ball skills and a high football I.Q. He is an ideal special teams player and should have an opportunity to play at some point in his career. He will need a couple of years in the strength and conditioning program to add much-needed muscle, but that should not be a problem under Matt Balis. Dylan Edwards 2023 Athlete — 5’9, 165 lbs Derby High School (Derby, KS) Rivals- 4 star; ESPN- 4 star; 247 Sports- 4 star; On3- 4 star Hudl Film There is only one word that comes to mind when you think about Dylan: Speed. Dylan is a very fast player and that stands out immediately. His change of direction and natural feel for running lanes makes him a threat to score every time he touches the football. He will need to add muscle and weight, but he should be able to make an impact on special teams when he steps on campus. Peter Jones 2024 Offensive Lineman — 6’5, 289 lbs Malvern Preparatory School (Malvern, PA) Rivals- 4 star; ESPN- 4 star; 247 Sports- 4 star; On3- 4 star Hudl Film Peter plays with advanced technique and power. It is not surprising that Harry Hiestand identified and wanted him in this class. Peter projects to play tackle or guard at Notre Dame. He has the frame to add ideal weight and muscle to play the position in college. Peter should be a two to three-year starter at Notre Dame and be a reliable part of the offensive line for CJ Carr. Photo Credit: @ndfootball on Instagram Final Take With the help of his staff, Marcus Freeman has put together a 2023 recruiting class filled with starters, potential starters, and overall quality depth. Even though Peter Jones is the first offensive lineman commit in the 2024 class, Freeman and company are off to a quick start with the number one class in the nation. Again, we have seen great players come through Notre Dame, but with this 2023 and 2024 class, we are beginning to see something truly special. It is yet to be known if Marcus Freeman can lead Notre Dame to a championship, but these recruiting classes are how a team gets there. It is truly a new era under Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

Even though the 2023 recruiting has not signed yet, the 2024 class is off to an amazing start. Now that coach Marcus Freeman has placed a priority on recruiting, this coaching staff is putting in the work to bring in the type of recruits that will bring Notre Dame another Championship. Will it be easy? Absolutely not, but this staff is proving that they are willing to at least take a shot on highly ranked recruits. This is something Notre Dame fans have been begging for in recent seasons. Under Brian Kelly, Notre Dame brought in their fair share of good recruits, including but not limited to: Jaylon Smith, Aaron Lynch, Ishaq Williams, Max Redfield, Gunner Kiel, Tommy Kraemer, Michael Mayer, Stephon Tuitt, and Jordan Johnson. Not all of these players panned out, but they were ranked incredibly high according to multiple recruiting services. Despite these highly ranked recruits, Irish fans have been begging for more. In order to change the narrative, Marcus Freeman and his coaching staff must make this 2024 class a great one. For now, Notre Dame fans should be encouraged because of the players they have already landed. Brandon Davis-Swain DL — 6’4, 240 lbs West Bloomfield High School (West Bloomfield, MI) Consensus: 4 Star Hudl Film Owen Wafle DL — 6’3, 270 lbs Hun School (Princeton, NJ) Consensus: 4 Star Hudl Film C.J. Carr QB — 6’2.5, 195 lbs Saline High School (Saline, MI) Consensus: 4 Star Hudl Film Jack Larsen TE — 6’3, 220 lbs Charlotte Catholic High School (Charlotte, NC) Consensus: 4 Star Hudl Film Cam Williams WR — 6’2, 185 lbs Glenbard South High School (Glen Ellyn, IL) Consensus: 4 Star Hudl Film Peter Jones OL — 6’5, 289 lbs Malvern Preparatory School (Malvern, PA) Consensus: 4 Star Hudl Film Final Take- With the recent success of recruiting on defense, the 2024 class is catching up on offense. C.J. Carr looks like the type of quarterback who could lead Notre Dame to a championship. As Notre Dame continues to add more players to this recruiting class, time will tell if they can get Notre Dame over that playoff hump. This group of recruits has the potential to do just that, but this group of coaches must continue to find and land great players to accomplish that goal. Marcus Freeman is slowly changing the narrative at Notre Dame and fans should be excited to see who commits next. Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish Photo Credit: @ndfootball on Instagram

Notre Dame will host BYU on Saturday, as Notre Dame seeks to build off of its two-game winning streak before the bye week. Notre Dame is coming off its best offensive performance of the season against North Carolina. The bye week gave this coaching staff a much-needed break for self-evaluation. Coach Freeman had this to say about evaluating his team over the bye week… “I think as a leader, you got to start by looking at yourself. So all of the sudden, you sit here and you talk about finishing, but then you go back and evaluate and there's plays in the first quarter that we weren't executing the way we were supposed to. That's kind of where me as the leader said, hold on, take all the emphasis off of finishing and really look at every play of the game and focus on execution and execution in our preparation and really take a deep dive into the way we prepare and the point of emphasis in being are we executing in practice the way we need to to help us execute in the game. I kind of just took the focus and it's not about finishing, it’s about finishing every play. You got to make sure you execute on play one, no matter if you're up or down, as you do in the fourth quarter. I wanted to make sure that our focus is on every play of this game and not just finishing in fourth." Will the defense finish games by eliminating late-game touchdowns? Can Notre Dame build off that momentum moving forward? Irish fans will get an opportunity to find out on Saturday for the annual Shamrock Series game. As most Irish fans know, the Shamrock Series began in 2009 as a recruiting tool for Notre Dame, but it has evolved into playing at unique locations and wearing alternative jerseys. Even though some of the games have come down to the wire, the Irish have never lost a Shamrock Series game to date. Coach Freeman has this to say in preparation for Saturday’s matchup… “Obviously, coming off the bye week and hope everybody is feeling refreshed. I think our players, our coaches are, we're ready to roll. We know we have an extremely difficult opponent coming up and we're looking forward to it. Obviously, the Shamrock series is what makes Notre Dame unique. It's one of our distinctions and the chance to go and play a home game in Las Vegas is an extremely exciting opportunity vs. a really good opponent. We're looking forward to it.” 📷 Credit: @ndfootball and @byufootball on Instagram Game Details Date: Saturday, October 8 Time: 7:30 PM ET Where to Watch: NBC/Peacock Breaking Down BYU The Cougars (4-1) are led by head coach Kilani Sitake, who finds himself in his seventh season at BYU. Sitake is very familiar with the BYU program as he played for the Cougars back in the 1990s as well. After a few rough years, Kilani has this football program rolling and should be a tough matchup for the Irish. Stacking Up Notre Dame vs North Carolina 3 Offensive Players to Know Jaren Hall— QB #3 2022 Stats: 1438 passing yards, 12 touchdowns; 64 rushing yards; 28 receiving yards, 1 touchdown Christopher Brooks — RB #2 2022 Stats: 294 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns; 46 receiving yards Keanu Hill— WR #1 2022 Stats: 329 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns; 1 punt return touchdown 3 Defensive Players to Know Ben Bywater — LB #2 2022 Stats: 37 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions Max Tooley — LB #31 2022 Stats: 29 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 touchdowns John Nelson — DL #94 2022 Stats: 13 tackles, 2 sacks 📷 Credit: @byufootball on Instagram Final Take If the Fighting Irish is to win their third game of the season this coming Saturday, they must continue to dominate both lines and put together more scoring drives likes they did against North Carolina. Coach Freeman had this to say in preparation for Saturday’s Shamrock Series game… “Well, I think for me probably more than anything I was looking back at last year's Shamrock Series game vs. Wisconsin. At a neutral site but it's technically a home game for us in Vegas, but I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of BYU fans there too. Enjoy the experience. That's what makes Notre Dame unique. It's the distinction that we have a home game in Las Vegas, but don't distract from what it takes to get the desired outcome. I'll say it again, it's just your preparation and the execution. The approach is still the same and the preparation and taking that field and taking it all in. Just focus on the things that really matter and that's the execution.” Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

Written by Nick Kremer, Editor for the Irish Tribune Notre Dame traveled to Las Vegas to take on BYU for it's annual Shamrock Series game. The game had everything you would imagine for a game in Las Vegas; new uniforms, a nightclub in the end zone, green Vegas sign, an incredible stadium and a game that came down to the very end. In the city of lights, Notre Dame shined bright on Saturday beating BYU 28-20. ☘️ Stock Up 📈 Drew Pyne/Michael Mayer Pyne continues to build on his confidence from the previous game against UNC. Pyne finished 22 of 28 for 262 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. His connection with Michael Mayer continues to grow, as Mayer finished the day catching half of Pyne's completions. "Drew Pyne has found a special connection with tight end Michael Mayer. Mayer continues the tradition that Notre Dame is Tight End U." (God Country Irish) Pyne is starting to get that swagger back that he had last year when he came in the game against Wisconsin, and when Pyne has that swagger, look out. The accuracy, decision making, and leadership that he showed against BYU was a game changer. Drew Pyne seems to have "it" when he is playing with confidence, so look for his game to continue to get better and better. OL The legend of Harry Hiestand continues at Notre Dame. After a slow start to the season, the Irish offensive line has continued to improve each week. The Irish were able to rush for 234 yards and pass for 262 yards behind the Oline. Pass protection was elite as Pyne had all day to make his reads. Atmosphere/Vegas As I walked down the strip of Las Vegas the day before the game, I swear it seemed like every other person was wearing their Notre Dame gear and hitting me with a "go Irish" as they walked by. There was a different energy in the air in the desert this weekend as Notre Dame nation seemed to take over the town. This game set the college football attendance record at Allegiant Stadium with a sellout attendance of 62,742; the previous record at 56,511 for the 2021 Pac 12 championship game. I have been in quite a few venues for football games through the years, and this was the loudest I have ever heard a crowd. Luciano Antonini, the creator of The Irish Tribune, got to experience the game on the sidelines, and here is what he had to say about the atmosphere at Allegiant Stadium. "I've never felt so immersed in a game before. You could hear fans pounding on the cushioned walls behind you, chants roaring across the stadium. I've never seen so many fans screaming at the top of their lungs before. We had communication set up between me and the guys in the press box, and we struggled to hear each other the entire time; headphones in, covering our ears to block out the sound, but it was just too loud. My apple watch kept buzzing me, warning me about the noise level. My watch said the noise level peaked at 105 decibels at one point, and consistently stayed between the high 90's and 100's the entire game." ☘️ Stock Down📉 Tackling Watching the game from the press box, and then re-watching the game, one major concern for me is our tackling on defense. The Irish defense is littered with veterans, but missed tackles continue to be a problem. The main example is when the Irish had BYU at 3rd and long, missed tackles allowed them to rush for the first down. If this team wants to continue to improve and be an elite defense, their tackling has to improve across the board. Brandon Joseph led the team in tackles with 6, followed by Justin Ademiola and JD Bertrand with 5. Big Plays The Irish defense continue to give up big plays at inopportune times. We saw another busted coverage where Jaden Mickey was expecting help over the top that was not there, resulting in a big pass play for a touchdown for the Cougars. The bigger concern for me was the BYU running game. Multiple times throughout the game BYU showed the ability to run the ball almost at will. It is a relief that BYU did not stick to that run game even more in the second half because it could have ended negatively for the Irish. Linebackers Unfortunately, this has become a trend from week to week. What was expected to be a strength for this team has turned into one of its biggest weaknesses. The veterans who have played well in years past seem to be regressing. God Country Irish, a writer for the Irish Tribune, had this to say about the linebacker play. "Despite the defense playing better this year, linebacker play has not been a bright spot. Specifically, Bertrand and Kiser have been liabilities and it might be time for some younger players to get some playing time." I would add Marist Liufau in their as well as he seems lost at times with his reads. It is clear that the linebacker play has to improve, and it would not surprise me if we start to see some younger players getting involved over Bertrand, Kiser, and Liufau. ☘️ All in all, the Irish came into the city of bright lights and shined. Marcus Freeman got his first win over a ranked opponent, and got his third win in a row since the disaster against Marshall. The Irish cashed out in Vegas, and look to continue their winning trend as they head back to South Bend to take on Stanford.

Written By Liam Gaudet, Senior Editor I let out quite the sigh of relief from the press box at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, as Notre Dame held on late to take care of business against the BYU Cougars 28-20. There was plenty to love about this game, and on the other hand, plenty to be desired. With that said, let's not waste any more time and take a look at what we learned about this Irish team on Saturday. First, lets talk about the emergence of some of the younger players. Ben Morrison got his first start at corner this weekend after jumping Clarence Lewis on the depth chart. Personally, I thought Morrison had a terrific game, as he wasn't picked on very much which is always a great sign for a defensive back. I expect Morrison to be the anchor of an emerging secondary for years to come. Jaden Mickey also saw the field at points, but a miscommunication appeared to have him torched on a long BYU passing touchdown in the later stages of the game. Nevertheless, I still have the utmost confidence in the future of our secondary, and I don't think it's necessarily fair to say that Mickey isn't ready to play. Secondly, how about Jayden Thomas? I mean wow. The emergence from a young wide receiver was desperately needed, and almost felt like a defibrillator shot to a wide receiver room on life support. Thomas hauled in three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown on a catch that would have made Randy Moss raise his eyebrows. Look for Thomas to play a bigger role in the games to come, especially heading toward the easier end of the schedule. Eli Raridon and Holden Staes also saw snaps on Saturday, with Staes recording his first Notre Dame reception on a crucial third down. It is becoming more obvious that Marcus Freeman is looking for diamonds in the rough by letting younger guys see the field more often, which is something that is definitely welcomed. What can be said about Michael Mayer that hasn't already been said. His beaming grin during the press conference was all I needed to see to know how he felt about holding the Notre Dame all time record for career receptions. Mayer caught 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, and made it look incredibly easy. His absurd catch radius is something that really stood out to me, and if you run back the tape on both of his touchdowns, it doesn't take much to understand why. Although he may have missed a block or two, it's negligible when comparing the absurd statistics he put up. Not to mention that 11 receptions is the most by an FBS tight end this season. I would not be able to forgive myself if I didn't mention the tremendous growth that Drew Pyne has shown under center. He has shown terrific upside, and has seemed to increase in confidence and comfortability through each of his three starts this season. Credit to the offensive line for protecting Pyne all game long, as this is another positional group that has shown exponential growth since the beginning of the season. Pyne was extremely efficient outside of an interception that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. With the way his play has been trending, there is reason to believe that the best is yet to come for the signal caller. All in all, I was impressed with the resolve of the team, despite making the game a lot closer than it needed to be toward the end. Lots of questions fans had about this offense after the first two weeks are slowly being answered, and it will be fun to see how open the playbook becomes now that a lot of fundamentals are being done correctly. This is a young team in a lot of areas, but the main thing to notice is the positive trend in all aspects of play. More takeaways are being forced from the defense, and the offense is looking more capable of maintaining drives on a consistent basis. I'm starting to believe that we are seeing the true potential that this team possesses, and it is genuinely exciting.

Notre Dame defeated BYU last Saturday for the annual Shamrock Series game in Las Vegas. After a dominating first half by the Irish, BYU took advantage and narrowed the lead early in the second half. Despite a valiant effort, the Irish came away victorious with a final score of 28-0. Coach Freeman had this to say after the game on Saturday… “As I told our program, that's what makes us special and that's what makes this place unique. Special shout out to our fans that showed up there and that unbelievable stadium. That was really, really cool. It's obviously even better to come out with a win." By no means did Notre Dame play a perfect game, but they did what they needed to do to come away with the win. This also marks the first time Marcus Freeman’s team has beaten a ranked opponent, but Irish fans hope it’s not the last. Coach Marcus Freeman had this to say at his press conference on Monday… “It was a great experience. You almost had a bowl game feel, but it was a majority home crowd. It was a home environment and a home game but at a neutral sight. It was a great stadium. Again, I was honored to be the head coach of the shamrock series game versus a great opponent and came out with a great victory." 📷 Credit: @ndfootball on Instagram Players of the Game Michael Mayer Michael Mayer had an amazing game last Saturday against BYU. In addition to ending the night with 11 receptions for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns, he also broke Notre Dame’s record for most receptions by a tight end. Coach Freeman had this to say about his All-American tight end… “He's a great practice player. He's got God-given ability. That's where it starts. He's been blessed with unbelievable talent. But he's a great practice player that wants coach Parker and coach Rees to make him improve. Coach Parker told me last night, Michael Mayer texted him early in the morning, I'm sure when he woke up, saying, ‘hey, what points do you have from the game that I need to improve at?’ Not saying, ‘Hey, coach, I broke the record, did you see this catch?’ But rather where can I get better at? The great ones do that. The great ones want to be told how to get better. Michael Mayer is a great example of that.” Drew Pyne After a rough start to him being named the starting quarterback, Drew Pyne has quickly become one of the clear leaders of this team. Pyne finished the night going 22/28 with 262 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, as he led this Irish team to victory. Coach Freeman had this to say about his quarterback… “He's starting to make some plays where he's improvising a little bit. I know the one where he's falling down and throws the ball to Audric, we kind of were like, 'Whoa, okay.' That is one we thought he was probably gonna take a sack. But that comes with confidence. I think when you start making the right decisions, you take care of the football, now you're seeing him start to make plays.” Jayden Thomas After a lackluster start to the season, Jayden Thomas finished the night with an impressive performance. Despite finishing with only 3 receptions for 74 yards and 1 touchdown, Thomas proved to be clutch during key moments of the game. Irish fans hope he can continue this trend for the rest of the season. Coach Freemans said this about Thomas… "He is probably one of our best route runners and can be one of our best receivers and playmakers on offense. We just got to continue to improve. But he's got to continue to do it in a game because he's practicing at a high level. He's one of those guys that are practicing at a high level. When you see a guy that's playing a lot, maybe doesn't have a production in the games, but is still playing a lot, that means he's earning that trust in practice. Jayden has been a guy that's practicing at a high level. I think what you're seeing now is the results of that in the game." Areas of Concern Linebacker Play Despite returning two starters and a plethora of talent, Notre Dame’s defense has left a lot to be desired this season. The linebackers appear to continually fill the wrong gap, play timidly, and fail to finish plays. As a causal onlooker, it’s difficult to determine whether or not this is a scheme problem or if the coaches are asking their players to do too much problem. If Marist, JD, and Jack can not play at a higher level then it may be time to get younger players on the field. One of those players who has impressed is Prince Kollie. Coach Freeman had this to say about Prince… “I challenged him last week: “Prince, you continue to build trust in practice. There is no such thing as a gamer. Your team needs you to be a great practice player.” That's my challenge to Prince and that's my challenge to many other players in our football program. For Prince to go and make a big play like that man, it was good to see. He's a talented football player. He had a really good week of practice. He played more this past game than he probably ever has. Continue to put the work in during practice to gain the confidence of your coaches to make you a better football player. I think he can be really special.” Final Take Notre Dame learned some things about themselves and the leadership that this team continues to show on Saturdays. Hopefully, the Irish can continue to build on their offensive momentum and clean up their deficiencies on defense. Despite coming away with an incredible victory last Saturday, all eyes are now on their rival: Stanford. Coach Freeman had this to say about facing the Cardinals… “Going into this week and moving forward, it's a rivalry game. It's going to be a talented football team that is going to come in here and present a huge challenge for our football team. As I told the guys, enjoy the win for a day and we have to move forward. Today we'll practice. We didn't practice yesterday because of the late arrival. But today we'll meet, put the BYU game to rest and we gotta get ready for Stanford.” Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

Written by Irish Trending Photo by NBC Sports Notre Dame is four games into the 2022 season, and there are still a lot of questions and concerns about this offense. Notre Dame’s offense was extremely underwhelming in their first three matchups, only amassing a total of 55 points combined against Ohio State, Marshall, and Cal. However, week 4 was a different story, as the Irish were able to muster 576 total yards of offense (289 passing and 287 rushing) totalling 45 points, leaving a lot of Irish fans in a much better mood going into the bye week. Many Irish fans are questioning how much of that offensive success was on North Carolina’s poor defense, and how much of it was on the offense turning things around. Now, I personally believe the offensive play calling and the execution did improve, not 45 points per game improved, but improved nonetheless from the Cal to the North Carolina game. I really enjoyed seeing the running backs average nearly 6 yards per carry on North Carolina's home turf, seeing Drew Pyne’s increased confidence through the game, the OL creating big holes for the RBs and giving Pyne more time, and the different ways we got our players involved. BYU should answer a lot of still lingering questions about this offense and what to expect moving forward, but I expect 30-40 points scored by Notre Dame this weekend in Vegas.