The Notre Dame football team earned their first win of the season last Saturday, defeating the California Golden Bears. This was not a dominating performance, but the team came out in the second half with the intensity and enthusiasm fans have been waiting for under Coach Marcus Freeman. Hopefully, this can be something the team builds on moving forward. Coach Marcus Freeman had this to say at his Monday press conference: “It's really good to see, not just the overall outcome of being victorious, but guys that are graded out at winning performances. We got to continue to focus on execution, we got to continue to practice better, continue to clean up the mistakes, and build off of the momentum after one game. We have to build off of this.” During the first half of Saturday’s game, fans witnessed what they have seen all season: poor execution, foolish penalties, and a lackluster offense. Drew Pyne, the wide receivers, and the offensive line were not getting the job done during the first half of the game. However, after halftime, this team came out with the energy, enthusiasm, and competitive spirit needed to win football games. The offensive line, Pyne, and the running backs looked to get something going on offense, and they did. As a fan, it was exciting to see the offensive line push the defensive players backward as they sought to establish a running game. This offense appears to be showing glimpses of what it can be moving forward. Players of the Game Jacob Lacey Lacey played his best football in a Notre Dame uniform last Saturday. He was responsible for 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and 5 tackles for loss, and sparked the Irish defense in the second half. Lacey has earned more playing time moving forward and fans hope the defensive line can build off this performance. Chris Tyree Last week, fans and the media were wanting to see Tyree have more of an impact on the game, and he delivered against the Golden Bears. Tyree ended with 17 carries for 64yards, 5 receptions for 44 yards and 1 touchdown, 2 kick returns for 34 yards, and gave this Irish offense a spark when they needed it most. Tyree must be a central part of this offense moving forward. Audric Estime Like his counterpart, Estime provided the Irish offense with the perfect “bulldozing” complement to the “speedy” Chris Tyree. Estime ended the day with 18 carries for 76 yards and 1 touchdown, 3 receptions for 43 yards, and was able to drain the clock to close out the fourth quarter on Saturday. Estime and Tyree gave this Irish offense an identity they can build off of moving forward. Areas of Concern Wide Receivers For the third week in a row, the wide receivers did not play well on Saturday. They did not appear to block well, fight for the catch, or play with any sense of urgency that fans desperately want to see. It also appears that offensive coordinator Tommy Rees may be asking some of the receivers to play positions that they are not best suited for. The logical answer would be to get some of your taller and younger receivers more playing time. When asked about this, Coach Freeman had this to say at his Monday press conference: "Deion Colzie is still fighting his way back from the injury. I would foresee him getting more and more opportunities. Tobias Merriweather was a guy that we wanted to play even more than we did. All of a sudden, when the game is as close and the game's on the line, you're gonna play the people right now you trust the most. What does that mean? Guess what, our coaches have to earn more trust in Tobias. We got to be better coaches so that we can have more trust in Tobias and Tobias has to meet the coaches halfway and make sure he's doing the exact things he needs to do in practice, there is a trust factor that we know Tobias is in there and he's gonna get the job done. He's playing some plays and I know he'll continue to play more and more. But I think both sets of coaches and players have to find a way to continue to gain trust in each other." Linebackers For whatever reason, the linebacker play has been less than ideal for Notre Dame through the first three weeks of the season. It is possible that fans put too high of pressure on this group going into the season, but it is puzzling as to why experienced veterans are not playing well. In particular, Jack Kizer and JD Bertrand both played much better last season, so why are they showing signs of regression? Is it possible that they are being asked to do too much? Are they not allowed to just go play? Fans are left wondering and the call for younger players to see playing time is already happening. In response, Coach Freeman had this to say about his young linebackers: "Sneed and Ziegler are probably still a little bit away right now. Junior played a little bit on Saturday. I can see him getting more and more reps. Prince Kollie is another guy that will continue to get more and more reps as we move forward. Those opportunities come from practice. That's been my challenge to those guys that might not be playing as much as they want. What are you doing in practice? Those guys have to continue to gain that trust in practice. They're extremely talented players that I know will help us. How soon? We'll see.” Final Take Notre Dame fans can take a sigh of relief as the Irish captured their first victory last week, but a lot of work is needed to make this a better football program. Let us hope that the coaches will take these issues seriously and address them in the coming weeks. Despite these issues, perhaps Irish players have found that competitiveness and identity that has been missing, and we will see this team keep battling and improving for the rest of the season. I would like to end with something that continues to come up and readers might find interesting. In response to a question about making it easier for students to transfer to Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman said: "It's a process that we're in constant communication with our admissions, faculty here at Notre Dame, and with multiple head coaches of athletic programs. It's not just football. Right now, it's a period in college sports where transfers and transfer portals are a big part of roster enhancements. Our people here at Notre Dame want us to be in a position to be successful, but at the same time, we want to make sure we protect the integrity of the education here at our university. Nobody is going to just win this. We have to work together to do what's best for both parties. It's a process that we continue to have discussions about and look to enhance it." Go Irish! Photo Credit: @ndfootball on Instagram Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

Tommy Cullen - 9/3/2022 Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer adjusts his helmet during the Notre Dame Spring game. Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images As we inch closer and closer to kickoff the anticipation grows and grows. This is the match up every single College Football fan has waited for. It is not often that we are gifted with a week 1 top 5 game. This is the case this year as number 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and number 2 The Ohio State Buckeyes face off at 7:30 PM at "The Shoe" in Columbus, Ohio. Traveling to Ohio State will obviously be a challenge for the Irish. Notre Dame opens has 17.5 point underdogs. The question is, are they being disrespected. The Irish will be starting Sophomore Tyler Buchner at quarterback. Many are saying the Irish can exploit Ohio States run defense in maybe a triple option type offense. It will all come down to the performance on the field tonight. Notre Dame Prime - ND 36, OSU 34 I think the reason we’re going to win is mentality, and it may sound corny but I believe we have the advantage over OSU. Freeman has brought in a new culture, attitude, and mindset to this program that we didn’t have under Kelly. We have a top 10, even top 5 coaching staff in my opinion. I think our O-line is going to play like the number 1 O-line in the country, our running backs are going to keep hitting their defense in the mouth. Tyler Buchner will over perform. And Lorenzo Styles and Mayer are going to ball out as well. Haven’t even talked about the defense yet. Our biggest question is going to be at cornerback but I think we will not be giving up huge plays as we have an elite safety run lead by Brandon Joseph, we didn’t downgrade at safety. I think we may give up a lot of 10+ yard catches but I don’t think we’re giving up bigger plays. Our D-line is going to overpower OSU’s O-line and I think we minimize their run. Irish HQ - ND 31, OSU 41 I think it’ll be close throughout but I think Ohio State will have the lead for most of the game. Ohio State has the huge weapon in C.J. Stroud who will have late game heroics with deep passes to Smith-Njigba. Notre Dame's defense will be able to stop the OSU run game and TreyVeyon Henderson. It just all comes down to the late game plays. ND Insider - ND 34, OSU 45 lets keep is short and sweet; I think it’ll be a close game going into the 4th quarter but OSU’s offensive firepower will just be too much in the final 15 mins God, Country, Irish - ND 38, OSU 45 As much as I believe Marcus Freeman has this Notre Dame program on the right path moving forward, this is a tall task for a first time head coach. Could they win? Sure, but Ryan Day has more experience playing in these types of games and it is at Ohio State. If Notre Dame is going to win this game, 1. Tyler Buchner has to be the dynamic playmaker we think he can be; 2. The Defense has to get pressure on CJ Stroud; 3. The Offensive Line has to control the line of scrimmage and assert its dominance over Ohio State. They will be the tone setters for this game. Either way, I think we are going to see a much more dynamic Irish offense and it will be fun to watch this team grow this year. Go Irish! Irish Culture - ND 38, Osu 31 I'm not going to bore you with stats explaining why Notre Dame will have the upper hand, I'm going to keep this short. Marcus Freeman. Go Irish!

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, as Notre Dame seeks its second victory of the 2022 college football season. Notre Dame is coming off a rough game against Cal, but many believe that game provided the launch pad for the Irish to find their identity and desire to win. The defense will need to be prepared for North Carolina’s high-powered offense this coming Saturday and the Irish offense will need to find ways to score more points if it hopes to compete with the Tar Heels. Game Details Date: Saturday, September 24 Time: 3:30 PM ET Where to Watch: ABC Breaking Down North Carolina The Tar Heels (3-0) are led by hall of fame head coach Mack Brown, who previously coached at Tulane, Texas, and North Carolina. With quarterback Vince Young, Brown defeated USC in 2005, for one of the most memorable national championships at Texas. After retiring in 2013, Brown returned to coach the Tar Heels in 2019 and has led them to a bowl game each season. Coach Marcus Freeman had this to say about Brown at his press conference on Monday: “As we prepare for North Carolina, I have the utmost respect for coach Brown, who I've gone against as a player three times and then last year was my first time going against him as a coach. Always respected the way his teams have played and I know this North Carolina team will be no different." Later, he commented: “I don't know if I can make up for that lack of experience. But again, coach Brown has been through a lot of different scenarios and situations that I haven't been through or are just starting to go through. I really just got to focus on our team and the preparation in terms of trying to give our team a chance to have success. But you're gonna go against a well-coached team.” North Carolina has produced many NFL players through the years, including Natrone Means (Chargers), Dre Bly (Rams/Lions/Broncos/49ers), Jeff Saturday (Colts), Julius Peppers (Panthers/Bears), and Lawrence Taylor (Giants). The Tar Heels continue to produce NFL-caliber talent and have multiple players drafted every year. After watching this team play, North Carolina is very talented on offense but needs a lot of work on defense. The Tar Heels can score a lot of points, but also give up a lot of points. They rank at the top of every offensive category in the ACC but rank at the bottom defensively. Stacking Up Notre Dame vs North Carolina Offensive Players to Know Drake Maye— QB #10 2022 Stats: 930 passing yards, 11 touchdowns; 146 rushing yards, 1 touchdown Omarion Hampton — RB #28 2022 Stats: 228 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns Josh Downs— WR #11 2022 Stats: 78 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns Defensive Players to Know Cedric Gray — LB #33 2022 Stats: 33 tackles, 1 interception Myles Murphy — DT #8 2022 Stats: 9 tackles Cam’Ron Kelly — S #9 2022 Stats: 14 tackles Photo Credit: @uncfootball on Instagram Keys to an Irish Victory 1. The defensive line must dominate Irish fans saw major improvements from the defensive line on Saturday against Cal. They will need to continue dominating in the trenches if they hope to be effective against a high-powered North Carolina offense. The best way to disrupt an effective offense is to pressure, sack, and make the opposing quarterback uncomfortable. If the Irish defense is successful at making Drake Maye uncomfortable on Saturday, they will put the Notre Dame offense in a position to win the game. 2. The offense needs to score quickly The Irish offense has looked appalling at times in the first half of the first three games, and last week was no different. They must find ways to generate points quickly and often if they are going to keep up with the Tar Heel’s offense. One bright spot from last week was how this offense seems to be finding an identity under quarterback Drew Pyne. Pyne did not play well in the first half, but found a rhythm in the second half and played much better. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had this to say about his quarterback: “I think Drew is motivated. He didn't get off to the start he wanted. It was probably not how he envisioned it starting. He certainly rallied and bounced back. There are a lot of areas he wants to improve on and he's got the right demeanor." 3. The wide receivers must play better Despite coming into the season with high expectations, the wide receivers have not played well through the first three games of the season. Many appear to be playing at positions they should not be playing, but others do not seem to be playing with the effort, intensity, or competitive drive that is required to play wide receiver at Notre Dame. This is one area that must improve against North Carolina this week and must improve quickly. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had this to say: “We're gonna continue to try to put our players in the right spot and try to give them opportunities. But we have a very selfless group right now, very motivated group, that they understand through shared success we have the ability to create plays on offense. Yeah, Chris Tyree scored on the seam route, but if JT is not doing his job to the field and the other back's not doing his job then the play doesn't happen. We preach shared success to make sure those guys buy in as one of 11 and continue to own their role." Final Take If the Fighting Irish are to win their second game of the season this coming Saturday, they must dominate on the defensive line, score quickly, and the wide receivers must play better. Irish fans should expect this to be a very competitive game, but hopefully, Notre Dame will come out on top. It is time for this football team to build on last week’s performance and go to battle against the Tar Heels on Saturday. Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

ND Legends: A Series by Chris Studer Photo Credit: und.com As Notre Dame fans we should consider our fan base one of the luckiest. The heroes and legends that have graced the sideline and the field for the Fighting Irish are not lacking in quantity and quality. Maybe since I grew up reading and watching everything Notre Dame, the list is longer than I can easily recite. With that being said I wanted to take a deeper dive into some of these individuals and honor each of them with their own Tribune article. The first legend I thought that need to be covered is Knute Rockne. Not only was he a player and a coach at the University he is also one of the earliest legends that the school has. Growing up I watched the Hollywood rendition of his life titled Knute Rockne, All American, numerous times. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend the film. While it is an older film it and might be hard to find, I feel it captures the story of the Irish legend very well. From his early years as a young immigrant from Norway growing up in Chicago, all the way up to his final days, we get to know Knute on many levels. But I do not want to bore you with my movie reviews. Knute Rockne and the Fighting Irish are typically given credit for popularizing the forward pass, it was legal in football since 1906 but had not been widely adopted. Versus a heavily favored Army in 1913 Gus Dorais and Rockne led the Irish to upset victory over the cadets by deploying the strategy to great effect. This alone would have been enough to enshrine Rockne as a Notre Dame Legend. He was just getting started though. Following his graduation in 1914, Rockne taught chemistry and served as assistant football coach at Notre Dame under Jess Harper, until becoming the head coach in 1918. Rockne's first team went 3-1-2 in a season shortened by World War I, and he began upgrading the schedule and roster the next year. The following two year the Irish went undefeated, being led by George Gipp, an Irish legend who was an electric all-purpose back; to be featured later in our series. Rockne then began to garner national attention and pursued opportunities that would put the Irish in the spotlight from week to week. He knew that Notre Dame had the potential to become a real powerhouse in college football. But at the time Notre Dame played its home games at Cartier Field which only held 3,000 fans, this would not suffice. With higher aspirations, he worked to create bigger and better brand for the University. He wanted his team to play anyone, anywhere. Traveling across the country to play the stalwarts of thee day, Nebraska, Army, Georgia Tech and Princeton. In 1924 The Fighting Irish would deploy a new shift on offense, its key elements were none other than "The Four Horseman." More specifically Jim Crowley, Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller and Elmer Layden. These four were unstoppable force tearing through opposing defenses and drawing more and more fans to games. The dynamic backfield was supported by a offensive line dubbed “The Seven Mules.” Behind this new look team Notre Dame won its first national championship that season, capped by a 27-10 victory over Stanford in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Photo Credit: und.com While the origins of the new shift have been discussed and disputed, it is widely believed to have come from a football team visit to the Rockettes in New York City, where Rockne drew inspiration from their dance routine to later implement his own version on the gridiron. All the while Rockne continued to grind out success on and off the field for Notre Dame. On the heels of second national title in 1929 the University would break ground on what is today one of the cathedrals of college football:Notre Dame Stadium. It would be completed the next year with a capacity for over 50,000 fans. For the stadium to stay packed Rockne knew that the Irish had to deliver on the football field. He was constantly working in the off season to schedule the best opponents and fine tune his offensive schemes to make sure the team was ready for the upcoming season. In the late 1920's Rockne was able to secure a match up against one of the west coast powers, USC. That game allowed the Irish to play their last game of the season in a warmer climate and also in one of the biggest markets of the day, Los Angeles. This rivalry has continued till today, to the benefit of both schools and with the Irish leading the series 48-36-5. During his Notre Dame Rockne would go on to win 105 games, with only 12 losses and 5 ties. Though there were seasons that were tougher than others the coach never stop working. The Irish claimed three national titles during Rockne's tenure; 1924 and 1929 and another in 1930. Unfortunately, the legendary coach would meet an untimely end. While traveling to Los Angeles on March 31, 1931, he was killed when his plane crashed in a pasture near Bazaar, Kan. Knute Rockne was only 43 years old. In an era when teams are now playing a minimum of 12 games a season and coaches stay on the sidelines well into their 70’s we can only wonder what might have been if Knute Rockne had been able to grace the sideline for several more years. What we do know is that this man worked tirelessly to create a winning program and program that had a national identity. The Irish have gone on to win hundreds of more games, recruit top talent, and continue to build brand, but this was all grounded in the work done by Knute Rockne. Notre Dame Stadium is often called “The House That Rockne Built” and he rightly deserves that credit, but this University owes more than just the stadium to Rocke. He placed Notre Dame on the front page of college football for more than decade with exciting players, big time games, and innovative football, here’s to the current Irish coach doing the same. Go Irish!

Written by Nick Kremer, Editor for The Irish Tribune ☘️ Marcus Freeman was able to secure his first victory as the head coach of Notre Dame. The Irish defeated Cal on Saturday 24-17, and were finally able to exhale as they got their first win of the season. It was an ugly game, but there are plenty who improved their stock, and some that had their stock drop. Photo from uhnd.com Stock Up 📈 Offensive Line Harry Hiestand knows that his unit has been struggling to start the year. He heard the message loud and clear, and we saw a big difference this week up front. The OLine finally looked as advertised in this game, looking excellent in pass protection, and getting movement in the run game. Part of this success seemed to be from the emphasis on gap-scheme running plays called by Tommy Rees. This unit still has a lot to improve on to fully live up to where they should be, but this was a big step in their development as a unit. If Notre Dame is going to turn this season around, it is all going to start up front with the offensive line. Tyree/Estime/Lacy Notre Dame fans have been wondering where the touches for Chris Tyree have been over the first two weeks of the season. Tyree got his chance, and he did not disappoint. Tyree rushed for 64 yards on 17 attempts, and also added 5 catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. Look for Tyree to be a huge part of the game plan going forward. Audric Estime continues to impress out of the backfield for Notre Dame. Audric had 76 rushing yards on 18 attempts with a touchdown, and added 3 receptions for 43 yards. You can see a 1-2 punch developing in the Notre Dame backfield; a thunder and lightning combo. Jacob Lacey had himself A DAY. Lacey had 3 tackles, 2 assists, and 2 sacks in the game. He was the player of the game on defense in my opinion. Green Jerseys I LOVE the green jerseys and the idea of the fans wearing green. The green sticks out in the crowd, and it follows the Irish theme. However, the blue numbers on the green jerseys are so hard to see, and it just doesn’t look great. If Under Armour were to make the numbers white or gold, then these jerseys would be perfect. Manti Teo It was great to see Manti Teo come home to South Bend for the game. He got a huge round of applause more than once when he was shown on the video board. Let's hope Manti makes it back to campus again soon. Photo from cbssports.com Stock Down 📉 Linebackers It is hard to understand how a veteran group that has been a strength the last couple of years has somehow regressed this much. The linebackers do NOT trigger and attack. They seem hesitant, and catch ball carriers instead of being the aggressor. With the head coach being a former linebacker, Al Golden, and James Laurinitis all having an influence on this group, it is inexcusable that they are playing this way. Pass Game Yes, it was Drew Pyne’s first career start. Yes, we have limited numbers at the WR position. Yes, we have a brand new WR coach. This performance though? At the University of Notre Dame? Absolutely unacceptable. Easy passes dropped at crucial times. Jogging off the line. Average to below average effort on blocking. This unit has been VERY underwhelming so far this year, even with the low expectations. I’m not sure if some receivers have given up or what, but the performance of this group is not acceptable at this level. Discipline 8 penalties for 66 yards. 3 false starts on 3rd and short. Bobbled snaps. Careless penalties on defense. The discipline on this team seems to be lacking. Most of these errors seem to come at crucial times for this team. I don’t know if the team is playing tight and scared to make a mistake, or if these mistakes are just piling on at inopportune times, but they need to be fixed and fixed soon. ☘️

When talking about Notre Dame's strengths heading into the season the offensive and defensive lines were the groups expected to lead this team in overall production. With an experienced crew leading the charge on the and longtime coach and former Irish talent builder Harry Hiestand returning to coach the o-line, it seemed in order for both sides of the line to build off of a successful second half of the season. It seemed like nearly a given that the running attack would be the driving force of this offense because of the production up front and the defensive front would be the tone setters on an equally dominant defense. So far from what we've seen, that's been far from the case. Offensive Line Harry Hiestand's guys haven't exactly lived up to the high expectations held throughout the offseason. Since Matt Salerno's circus catch in the second quarter we really haven't seen much firepower from the offense and a lot of that falls on the offensive line. With a depleted wide receiver group, the running attack was going to have to be the leading part of this offense but instead has been rendered useless by the ineffectiveness from the offensive line. Taking a look at the Ohio State game, Notre Dame had a total of 30 rushing attempts from four different guys (Buchner 11, Estime 9, Tyree 6, Diggs 4) with only 76 yards to show from it. On average that's 2.5 yards per rush. Now plenty of this comes at the blame of Tommy Rees, whose play calling has proven to be very questionable, but there's clearly some disconnect here that just hasn't been fixed. Moving onto Week 2 against Marshall, Captain Jarrett Patterson returned to the line where the Irish only mustered 130 yards on 37 carries against a Marshall team that finished 105th in rushing defense last year. Sure the offensive line took a little while to get up to speed but with the returning production along with Hiestand it's simply puzzling to watch. Cal's front has looked relatively average against the run thus far. Let's see how things play out this week in terms of performance on the run. I feel that I don't know what my Keys to the Game can be anymore after I emphasized heavily on the run game before the Ohio State game. Defensive Line The other side of the line has been one that's struggled as the game progresses. Well, apart from last week I guess. During the first 3 quarters of the Ohio State game the middle of the line was able to make CJ Stroud uncomfortable which forced him to make some difficult throws in tough situations. But that final drive against the Buckeyes still looms. 95 yards that took off a massive chunk of time and what sealed it for Ohio State. It’s tough to blame the defense for that after not being able to get off the field all game, but they haven’t seemed right since. The following week against Marshall saw the Irish giving up 163 yards to one man (Rasheen Ali) and over 200 rushing overall. There was a lot left to be desired after that game for both sides but the defensive line’s ability to make that initial stop at the line proved to be costly in the late stretch of the game. People may forget as it was overshadowed by the pick six, but Marshall marched right down the field after starting with the ball inside their own 10 to take the lead. Maybe the defensive line isn’t the biggest issue out there right now(because it isn’t). But it’s worth noting these inconsistencies. Any improvement can always go a long way-especially with this talent.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the California Golden Bears on Saturday, as Notre Dame seeks its first victory of the 2022 college football season. The Irish have an opportunity to silence all of the well-deserved critics on Saturday as they face Cal. This is an opportunity for coach Marcus Freeman to prove that he belongs as the head football coach of Notre Dame and start moving things in the right direction. He must lead this team to fulfill the “Golden Standard” he spoke of at his introductory press conference: Challenge everything: a mentality to find a better way; Unit Strength: what turns players into a team; Competitive Spirit: creating a winner’s mindset.” Regarding this standard, Freeman said: “This standard will be unwavering, and this is the standard that will drive this football program to its twelfth national championship.” Notre Dame fans are waiting to see if Coach Freeman can make good on that standard and truly lead this team to victory. The first test standing in the way of accomplishing that goal is the Golden Bears. Game Details Date: Saturday, September 17 Time: 2:30 PM ET Where to Watch: NBC and/or Peacock Breaking Down Cal The Golden Bears are coming off an impressive start (2-0) under head coach Justin Wilcox. Even though most fans will not recognize many players for Cal, excluding Jack Plummer who transferred from Purdue last year, the Golden Bears have produced many NFL players like DeSean Jackson (Eagles), Jahvid Best (Lions), Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders/Eagles), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), and Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs). Even though they play in the PAC-12, this football team can cause problems for Notre Dame. They bring a solid running threat and an experienced quarterback that may cause problems for the Irish defense on Saturday. Despite the fact they do not possess highly regarded recruits, this is a team that plays with purpose, passion, and competitiveness that the Irish could learn from. Stacking Up Notre Dame vs Cal 3 Offensive Players to Know Jack Plummer — QB #13 2022 Stats: 546 passing yards, 4 touchdowns; 2 Interceptions Jaydn Ott — RB #6 2022 Stats: 156 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 42 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns Jeremiah Hunter— WR #3 2022 Stats: 157 receiving yards, 1 touchdown 3 Defensive Players to Know Jackson Sirmon — LB #8 2022 Stats: 17 tackles, 1 pass deflected, 1 forced fumble Daniel Scott — S #32 2022 Stats: 9 tackles, 1 pass deflected Xavier Carlton — DE #44 2022 Stats: 6 tackles, 2.5 sacks Photo Credit: @CalFootball via Twitter 3 Keys to an Irish Victory 1. Play to Win the Game It does not take a genius to figure out that this Irish team has played with a lack of passion and urgency over the last two weeks. The team appears to be going through the motions on offense and many players are playing with a lack of enthusiasm. Do they know what it takes to win? Are they not being taught the little things that go into preparing for a game? Fans do not know the answers to these questions, but this coaching staff must figure it out if they hope to finish this football season on a positive note. Both coaches and players must step up and find a way to win football games again. 2. Play Chris Tyree More Chris Tyree’s snaps have been severely limited during the season's first two games. Despite injury concerns, limiting one of the fastest players in the nation is unacceptable for any coach. Notre Dame must find ways to get the ball in Tyree’s hands more often if this offense is serious about winning football games. Because Chris Tyree possesses the ability to spark this offense at any moment, quarterback Drew Pyne must get him the football and see what he can do with it against Cal. Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees had this to say last Tuesday: “Chris is somebody that we explicitly trust. He’s been through this with us for three years. He’s a guy we’ve counted on through a lot of really good wins and a lot of big moments. I have nothing but trust in Chris Tyree. We have to find a way to highlight his ability.” 3. The Defensive Line Must Dominate Entering the 2022 season, the defensive line was expected to be one of the strengths of this Irish football team. After two games, the line has performed well below the expectations that were placed on them. If the defense wants to reach its lofty expectations, this unit has to play better moving forward. Defensive Coordinator Al Golden had this to say last Tuesday: “We just have to keep going. Maybe we left a couple sacks out there the last two weeks. We’re getting some pressures, but we have to get a little bit more. We just have to move forward and keep getting better. We’re all disappointed with the results. It has to be better. We have to do what we have to do on defense.” Final Take Notre Dame should not have any issues beating Cal, but fans should remain skeptical until they prove they can win. If Notre Dame plays with an urgency to win, puts the ball in Chris Tyree’s hands more, and the defensive line dominates, then this team should come away with their first win of the season. It is time for Coach Freeman and this Fighting Irish football team to step up and earn respect again. This team needs another speech like the one Lou Holtz gave in 1986: “In the football game, we want to keep our poise. Poise is just having confidence in yourself and what you're doing. We are not going to mouth off, push or shove, ever at Notre Dame. We're going to wait until that ball is snapped, we're going to put a Riddell [helmet] on somebody, and we're going to be the most physical football team in the country until the whistle blows. We want to win for one thing and it's the first thing we ever had. We said we were going to bring respect. Don't talk about it. There is only one way you get respect and that's by looking someone in the eye for sixty minutes, go out there and hitch up your trousers and say, "Hey baby, here I am now. Let me see you run through me now. Let me see you show some disrespect for me when I'm nose on your nose. Let me see what you think of me now that my face is to you." We talk about respect. We talk about respect around the country. It's a game of who's going to flinch first. Who's going to give up first. We know that isn't going to be Notre Dame. Notre Dame football is nothing more than toughness, togetherness, intensity, intelligence and competitiveness.” Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

Written by Nick Kremer, Editor for The Irish Tribune Photo from Yahoo! Sports Notre Dame took on Marshall this past Saturday for Marcus Freeman’s home opener as the Irish Head Coach. Marshall was able to leave South Bend with a win, dropping the Irish to 0-2 to start the season. It’s never as good, or as bad as it seems. Let's take a look at 3 areas with stock up, and 3 areas with stock down after this past Saturday. Stock Up 📈 Special Teams - What was originally considered one of the most worried about areas of the team coming into the season, the special teams has been one of the biggest surprises through two games. Writer for The Irish Tribune, God Country Irish had this to say about Special Teams: “Jon Sot. Whether it is pinning the other team deep, or punting as far as he can kick, Jon has been an impressive transfer this season. Brian Mason has also been impressive. After a sub-par showing from the special teams unit during week 1, Mason had his Special Teams units playing much better against Marshall.” The Special Teams have made a difference in games in flipping the field and winning the field position battle. Let's hope this unit’s stock can continue to rise. Mayer, Tyree, Styles - It was hard to find many positives on the offensive side of the ball for this game. Michael Mayer was the biggest bright spot for the offense against Marshall. He had over 100 yards receiving in this game and was playing with purpose for 4 quarters. Chris Tyree was a bright spot on the offensive side of the ball, even though he only got a few touches. Tyree looked great on kick returns, and showed a different burst when he got carries out the backfield. I look (and HOPE) we see a lot more of Tyree going forward. Lorenzo Styles seems to be the only play-maker that we have in the WR room. Styles showed good speed, route running, and hands in this game. I hope he is involved even more going forward. Howard Cross and Tariq Bracy - Howard Cross is slowly becoming my favorite player on this football team. He is undersized for his position, but he plays like the biggest man on the field. His motor, aggression, and attitude needs to rub off on some of the other defensive players. Tariq Bracy has played lights-out throughout the first two games. He has been phenomenal in coverage, the run game, and tackling. Stock is way up for Bracy. Stock Down 📉 Coaching - From running backs missing blitz pickups, to lineman whiffing on blocks, to WR’s not competing for the ball, and linebackers catching the ball carrier instead of attacking. Every position group looked poorly coached. This has to be fixed and fixed NOW. Tommy Rees has been at Notre Dame since 2017, and has been Offensive Coordinator since 2020. The quarterbacks on the roster were recruited and developed by him. Some of his playcalls are questionable at best, and they do not look well prepared. God Country Irish had this to say about Rees: “With a lack of identity, consistency, and unawareness of his players strengths, Rees has been a huge disappointment as the Offensive Coordinator so far this season.” Offensive Line - I didn’t think I would see a Notre Dame Offensive Line play this bad. They do not fire off the ball, they stop their feet, they miss assignments, and do not play with any intensity. Harry Heistand needs to get these guys going, and quickly. This is what God Country Irish had to say about starting Center Zeke Correll: “Between poor communication, poor technique, and poor execution, Correll’s position should not be secure at this time.” I have been disappointed with everyone on the OL. Blake Fisher and Joe Alt, both supposed to be our best Lineman, whiffed on blocks, missed assignments, and got beat by Marshall’s DL at times. The entire OL could not get a push and could rarely come off a double-team to pick up a linebacker. Yes, teams are stacking the box against Notre Dame, but the lack of basic fundamentals and technique are a huge concern going forward. Effort/Passion/Heart/Leadership - This is the biggest concern for me. I don’t know if the team used it all in their game against OSU, or what, but the lack of effort, passion, and heart was disappointing. These guys need to get excited when they make a big play, and get pissed off when something goes wrong. This is FOOTBALL. It is an emotional game. Half the time these guys act like they’re just going through the motions, and don’t really even want to be out there. Leadership is missing on this team. When your CAPTAIN, 5th year Offensive Lineman throws his shoulder pads and helmet down, then tries to skip the Alma mater, there are issues. Mistakes are expected, but when they are coming from your leaders on a consistent basis, that's a bad sign. This one, more than any other, I hope is on my stock up list after next week. ☘️

Most Irish fans find themselves disappointed with last Saturday’s loss to Marshall, but we must look ahead. Because Irish fans have grown accustomed to winning these types of games, a loss to a Sun Belt team is extra frustrating and unacceptable. Marshall played with more energy, passion, and competitiveness than Notre Dame last Saturday, so they came away with a win. As the losing team, we must give the appropriate accolades to Marshall that they deserve, because they executed their game plan to perfection and came away with a well-deserved win. So what is going on with the Irish? Most analysts are left dumbfounded by what Notre Dame is trying to do on offense. There seems to be no identity, rhythm, or flow to what they are trying to accomplish. On Saturday, you could see the offense begin to find a groove with Tyler Buchner running, but the offense would go away from it on the next drive. To the average viewer, it appears as though Tommy Rees does not know what to call or how to establish an identity with this team. With Marcus Freeman’s self-admitted lack of offensive knowledge, it is uncertain if he can set Tommy on the right path with this team. To top it off, Notre Dame will be without quarterback Tyler Buchner for the reminder of the season. He suffered a shoulder sprain during last Saturday’s game that will require surgery. Freeman had this to say about his team during Monday’s press conference: “The last 36 hours has been a reality check for all of us, from the head coach to assistant coach to players in a deep evaluation of everything we’re doing to really try to figure out what our issues are.” It is time for Notre Dame to self-evaluate and make the changes necessary to becoming a competitive football team again. Recruiting will help in the future, but this team should be better than the product they are putting on the field. Notre Dame must improve and they must do so quickly. 5 Questions for the Offense Moving Forward 1. Why is Chris Tyree not seeing the field more? Many Irish fans were probably thinking the same thing on Saturday: “Tyree looks like the hardest working running back on the field, so why is he not playing more?” Coach Freeman had this to say when asked about Tyree getting more playing time: “We have to try to find ways to get the ball in his hands. With Chris, it’s unique because he played more plays than the other running backs, but you’re using him at so many different positions – at wideout, at slot, at running back. He’s a guy we know has to be on the field. We have to find ways to get the ball in his hands, because he’s a playmaker.” We know there is an injury history with Tyree, but it still does not make any sense why he is not seeing more playing time. He possesses the type of speed, athleticism, and experience that could provide this team with the offensive spark they have been desperately missing. Chris Tyree needs to become a major part of the game plan immediately. 2. Why is the offensive line playing so poorly? Outside of Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, this offensive line has been pretty bad to watch. They appear to be set on playing Patterson, Correll, and Lugg, but this is part of the problem. These multi-year players are not communicating very well and are giving up a lot of pressure from the defense. In particular, Correll and Lugg stop moving their feet on the majority of snaps and do not appear to be able to move the defensive line back. On top of that, they do not recognize blitz packages from the defense very easily. The answer may be as simple as moving Patterson back to center and developing younger players for the future. Either way, this is the one area that could allow the Notre Dame offense to find a rhythm that they are desperately missing. Coach Freeman had this to say about his offensive line: “You have to look at the big picture of, ‘What’s the best five?’ That’s something we’ve looked at, we’ve talked about and we feel really strongly about the five we have out there. The offensive line position, you have to understand exactly what you’re supposed to do, but it’s the true fundamentals of where your hat placement goes, your footwork. That’s where we have to get better, the consistency of doing those fundamentals. But it’s a process to get to that point.” 3. Why are more wide receivers not playing? Before the start of the season, it was implied that we would see more of a rotation at wide receiver, but this has yet to be the case. Styles, Lenzy, Thomas, and Salerno appear to be taking most of the snaps, with guys like Merriweather and Colzie on the sideline. There were numerous times during last Saturday’s game where outside fade throws were being utilized, but the personnel was not ideal for that play call. It would appear that two receivers standing at 6’4 and 6’5 would be better suited for those play calls. So, why are they not seeing the field? Is the playbook too complicated? Are they truly not ready? At this point, you have nothing to lose in getting these two players more playing time and developing them for future seasons. 4. Why do many of the players appear to not be playing with more urgency? One of the biggest complaints heard under former coach Brian Kelly, was that his team often played with a lack of urgency. It is possible that this mindset is so ingrained in this program that it will take future recruiting classes to change this, but Marcus Freeman needs to address this problem right away. The offense does not play with any type of enthusiasm or energy and it appears lackluster at best. If Coach Freeman can figure out how to ignite a fire in these players on Saturday, fans will not see another embarrassing loss like they witnessed against Marshall. 5. Will Drew Pyne be able to lead this offense? Up to this point, Drew Pyne has been underwhelming with his performances, but this could change very quickly. Drew Pyne has the leadership characteristics every coach wants in the quarterback position, but he lacks many of the natural abilities to make him your ideal quarterback. Yet, this team appears to respect Pyne and many believe he will be able to lead this team. Can he do it? We do not know yet, but this Saturday will be Drew’s first opportunity to show why he can lead the Fighting Irish to victory. Final Take If Notre Dame continues to play like it did last Saturday, then this will be a very long year for Notre Dame fans. However, if Notre Dame can find answers to many of the problems listed above, this team will begin turning the corner and finishing out the season on a high note. Drew Pyne must become the leader that this team needs and lead them to their first victory of the season. If Notre Dame can establish an offensive identity, dominate on the offensive line, and get the ball into their playmakers’ hands, then Irish fans will be more encouraged about what this season should look like moving forward. Coach Freeman said this about his players: “Nobody around the football program is going to be extremely happy about losing a game. You have a bunch of guys who are angry but also motivated to fix the issues.” We shall see if this anger turns into better play this Saturday, but it is past time to show the nation the fight that makes them the Fighting Irish once again. Go Irish! Follow “God Country Irish” on Instagram Contact God Country Irish

If you haven’t heard yet, Tyler Buchner is set to have surgery on his shoulder tomorrow, which means he will likely be out for the rest of the season. Marcus Freeman named Drew Pyne the starter for Saturday and Steve Angeli the backup. Let’s get into detail about all 3 of these guys. Tyler Buchner - Buchner left in the 4th quarter of Saturday’s game against Marshall after taking a big hit. He left the game completing 18 of his 33 passes for 201 yards and 2 interceptions. He ran 13 times for 44 yards and 2 touchdowns. Buchner has thrown for 378 yards and 0 touchdowns in the 2 games he has started this year. He has ran for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 2 games combined. Buchner hasn’t really been able to get it going through the air, and received some boos early into the Marshall game as the Irish offense couldn’t do anything. Drew Pyne - Drew Pyne entered the game late into the game after Buchner suffered his injury and had 2 drives. He finished completing 3 of his 6 passes for 20 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. This was Pyne’s only action all season, but last year he did appear in some games when Jack Coan wasn’t performing. In the 2021 season, Pyne completed 15 of his 30 passes for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. Drew Pyne has shown in spurts that he can be very electrifying if he gets that opportunity, and going forward he will have that chance as he is now the starting quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Steve Angeli - Angeli is just a true freshman from Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey. Angeli has not played a snap for Notre Dame yet but has a chance to appear if Drew Pyne doesn’t perform well. In his senior season, Angeli threw for 1,717 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He only appeared in 6 games and put those numbers up. I am very high on Angeli, and think if given the right opportunity, he can be a very good QB. I would love to see Angeli get some playing time this Saturday, especially if it is not a close game. Drew Pyne will start the game this Saturday, but if he doesn’t perform well, I would love to see Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees pull the trigger early and give the freshman a shot. If you enjoyed reading this, subscribe to the Irish Tribune. Go Irish, Beat Cal

Written by Liam Gaudet, Senior Editor Notre Dame Football has reached Defcon 1. After the events of Saturday, it's hard to say that we aren’t looking at the worst case scenario as a program, and I’d be lying to you if I were to say otherwise. The “Freeman Era” is quite literally off to the worst possible start as Notre Dame drops a game at home to Marshall 26-21. This snaps a win streak of 42 straight wins over unranked teams, and is also the most embarrassing home loss we’ve seen in quite a long time. The question at this point is not what has gone wrong, but what has gone right, and spoiler alert, literally nothing is the answer. So together, let's swallow our pride and put the program under the microscope for a closer look. Photo by Slap The Sign Offense. Garbage. Plain and simple, one of the worst displays of offense I’ve ever seen from an Irish team, and it spans from the coordinators downward. Firstly, let's discuss the offensive line play. When you have high four star talent at every position, and you’re bigger and stronger than the opponent, there really isn’t a reason to be averaging less than 3 and a half yards per carry against an average Sun Belt school. Harry Hiestand was supposed to be the chosen one in shaping these young men into the top 10 draft picks they supposedly have the potential to be. They were beaten off the line virtually every snap, and gave almost no chance for the backs to even fall forward. I’m not here to slander the student athletes at Notre Dame, and I think with proper coaching this unit has the potential to be in the upper echelon of college football, so I’m holding Hiestand and Rees accountable for the proverbial pylon “blocking”. Wide Receivers. I get it, we currently have five scholarship receivers on the roster. That is a problem that pre-dates the Marcus Freeman regime, but one that could have been addressed in the offseason. Why didn’t we address this issue in the transfer portal? Even if we couldn’t pull a diamond out of the portal we could have at least settled for more depth. No separation was seen anywhere, and again, I tend to blame Tommy Rees for not seeing this issue and at least attempting to scheme players open. My sincerest apologies to Michael Mayer for having to suffer through this offense, by the way. It’s like that meme of the Bugatti that's parked in the driveway of a crackhouse for God’s sake. Find more ways to get our playmakers the ball in space. If your plan isn’t working, re-evaluate and take what they give you. That clearly didn’t happen. Quarterback. We don’t know the extent of Tyler Buchner’s injury, and I really hope he’s okay. It’s hard to place too much blame on him when the line is collapsing and the receivers aren’t getting open. It’s even harder for him considering we have a coordinator who thinks you can sleepwalk through play calling and expect us to win. What is extremely evident is the fact that we don’t have a quarterback who is ready right now. I said this in the offseason, but I was never sold on Buchner being the savior. He was too indecisive with his throws and that cost us big time. I’m not convinced he can properly read a defense, and it's also clear that we don’t have a single quarterback who can. I gave Buchner the pass in the Ohio State game because he took care of the football and was efficient for the most part. There are no excuses for the interceptions thrown during the Marshall game at all. Pyne came in and looked lost. Buchner looked shaky at best. Our best weapon was Buchner on the run and Rees obviously didn’t see that. Whoever is under center next week gives me absolutely zero confidence we can score points, plain and simple. Defense. Six and seven yards per carry on first down against a group of five school is pitiful, especially considering we’re supposed to have a top 10 defensive line in the country. Outside of the sacks, which were few and far between, the line got pushed around at will. Al Golden didn’t do a very good job at all this week, which is extremely concerning because he did an excellent job at Ohio State. The inconsistencies were apparent almost everywhere on the field. It was harrowing to watch the supposed strength of our program get throttled by a team with inferior skill, but much superior heart. That probably says a lot more about our coaching staff than anything else. The secondary played average at best, and the linebackers were missing tackles left and right. That is pure and utter failure on the coach's part. Coaching. Tommy Rees has been calling a completely uninspired offense, and refuses to make adjustments not only on the fly, but at halftime as well. Instead of realizing that our line cannot get a push, Rees was insistent on running the ball up the middle directly into a wall of defenders forcing the offense into second and third and long situations. We showed little to no effort in trying to attack the perimeter, and our offense was completely one dimensional and predictable as a result. Tommy Rees needs to improvise and realize that adapting your plan is a big part of the game. I’ve almost seen enough miserable play calling for him to be put on thin ice. Coach Freeman. I knew that there was risk involved in this hire, particularly considering the fact that Marcus Freeman has never been a head coach before. I’m not saying that this hire will necessarily turn out to be a failure, but the inexperience and risk factors have been prevalent early on. I am optimistic that Coach Freeman will be able to right the ship, but for now, this was a reality we were willing to accept when we brought on a new coach. The players need his leadership now more than ever in order to salvage a season that is very clearly on life support. It starts this week against Cal. I trust Marcus Freeman, and now is the time for him to prove me right.

Written by Nick Kremer, Editor for the Irish Tribune Photo from On3.com Marcus Freeman has been relentless on the recruiting trail while he has been the Head Coach of Notre Dame. He has received commitments from an abundance of top targets, but the most important of them all may have been recruiting Al Golden to join his staff as the Defensive Coordinator. In the 2021-2022 season, Ohio State was the clear leader in points per game averaging 45.7. Ohio State came into this game as having the best offense in the nation, and the Buckeyes had not scored less than 30 points in a game since 2018; the entire Ryan Day era. Day is credited as one of the nation's best play-callers with one of the nations best QB's, WR's, and RB's; a tough debut for the Irish DC, but one he was ready for. Al Golden's defense stepped up to the nation's top offense, and stood toe to toe. The Irish held OSU to under 6 yards per play, and only one play of 30 yards or more. Notre Dame made CJ Stroud uncomfortable for most of the night, and it paid off. Stroud and the explosive OSU offense passed for 223 yards, and only 6.6 yards per attempt. For reference, Smith-Njigba had 346 yards receiving by himself in the Rose Bowl. Major credit needs to be given to Coach O'Leary and Coach Mickens. The secondary was considered a weak point headed in to this season, and they absolutely showed out in this game. Tariq Bracy, Senior, played the best game of his career at nickel, and corner during the game. He was an absolute difference maker. Brandon Joseph showed All-American type ability, and Clarence Lewis bounced back in a big way from his disappointing bowl game performance. We can't forget the freshman. The future is BRIGHT in the secondary, showcased by Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey. Both players showed that they are headed for stardom in their near future; this is huge for Golden's defense going forward. The front 7 of the defense had some amazing moments, and some moments that left a bit to be desired. Touted Senior DE Isaiah Foskey came in with high expectations, but was unable to make any major impact in the game. Jayson Ademilola, another returning starter with big expectations, did not have his best game. To be fair, it was clear that the OSU offensive line was MUCH improved. JD Bertrand and the linebackers had a solid night. Bertrand did what he usually does; plays disciplined, triggers quick, and plays aggressive. Bertrand had some missed tackles, but that is to be expected against the athleticism and speed of OSU. Liufau had a solid game, but was still out of position at times. His athleticism and explosiveness still make him a key piece to this defense. Howard Cross was the player of the game on defense (in my opinion). Although undersized, Cross continues to show an elite first step, phenomenal hands, and exceptional quickness for an inside defensive lineman. What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in other areas. Rylie Mills was another player that stood out on the defensive line, and he will only continue to get better as he gets more reps. All together, the outcome of the game was not what Irish Nation wanted, but there are still a lot of positives to take away from the game. The biggest positive was the Notre Dame defense. If Al Golden can continue to game plan his defense to perform like this, there will be a new defensive attitude in South Bend. A GOLDEN standard for the Irish defense; a defense that can win championships.