Author: Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh

“No. 7 Notre Dame will kick off its home schedule when it hosts New Mexico on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind. That figures to be good news for the Fighting Irish (1-0), who had last week off after a season-opening victory on the road against Louisville. Notre Dame went undefeated at home last season and has won its last

“A pair of season-opening wins for New Mexico and Notre Dame set up an intriguing Week 3 matchup in South Bend after both teams enjoyed a bye in Week 2. The Lobos and Irish will meet for the first time when Brian Kelly squares off with Saga Tuitele on Saturday afternoon. … following a health scare that will keep Davie

“In some instances, it was the quarterback – pre- and post-snap. In others, it was the offensive line in accordance with the running backs failing to create the space and/or creasing that space to pick up the necessary yardage for a first down. Chase Claypool admitted Tuesday that he missed at least one “signal” during the Louisville game. …”

Irish Illustrated Staff Picks: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. New Mexico

Date Saturday, September 14, 2019 Time 2:42 p.m. ET Site: Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN • Capacity 77,622 (FieldTurf)

Army takes Michigan into double-overtime … and other scores ….

“University of New Mexico football head coach Bob Davie, a former Notre Dame head coach, will not make the trip with the Lobos to South Bend, Ind., for their Sept. 14 game, he said in a statement provided by the school on Thursday morning. Offensive line coach Saga Tuitele will serve as the acting head coach for that game. Davie

“No. 9-ranked Notre Dame opened its 2019 season with a 35-17 victory versus Louisville on Monday night in Cardinal Stadium, which drew a record crowd of 58,187. The Fighting Irish offense racked up 423 yards total offense (230 rushing, 193 passing) while the defense allowed only three points over the final 49:08 after falling behind 14-7 in the first quarter

“After losing two starters — tight end Cole Kmet and wide receiver Michael Young — to collarbone surgery during August camp, Notre Dame’s offense has suffered another setback with the temporary shelving of a third junior starter, running back Jafar Armstrong. Multiple sources confirmed to Blueandgold.com’s Bryan Driskell on Wednesday that Armstrong could “miss at least a month” following a

“Ian Book ran for one touchdown and threw for another, Jahmir Smith rushed for two scores and No. 9 Notre Dame beat Louisville 35-17 on Monday night. …”

Notre Dame vs. Louisville Live Stats/Box Score from ESPN

Brian Kelly press conference heading into Louisville game

Notre Dame pep video heading into Notre Dame vs. Louisville

“… fresh off a summer as the undisputed starter and armed with confidence gained from the Manning Passing Academy and head coach Brian Kelly naming him a captain, Book is set to pilot this Notre Dame offense to new heights. Trailing only Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa among returning Power 5 quarterbacks in 2018 completion percentage, Book will have a plethora of

GAME 1 – LOUISVILLE Date: Monday, September 2 Time: 8:06 p.m. ET Site: Cardinal Stadium • Louisville, KY• Capacity 61,000 (FieldTurf ) TV: ESPN (national) | ESPN app • Chris Fowler (play-by-play) • Kirk Herbstreit (analysis) • Maria Taylor (sideline) Radio: JMI/Legends (54 affiliates) • SiriusXM (Channel 129) • 96.1 FM, 101.5 FM & 960 AM (South Bend) ….

“Cardinal Stadium has a seating capacity of 60,800. Many, if not all, of those seats will be full when Louisville opens its season against Notre Dame on Monday at 8 p.m. According to the team spokesperson, the Cardinals are approaching a sellout and as of Friday morning had only 1,500 tickets left available. The most expensive ticket available is $85,

“… Notre Dame begins its quest for another berth in the College Football Playoff after losing last season to eventual national champion Clemson. The Fighting Irish also aim to even the series after losing 31-28 to the Cardinals in South Bend, Indiana, on Nov. 22, 2014. Louisville begins the uphill climb from its worst finish since 1997 under first-year coach

“… Notre Dame is favored to win their opener by about 20 points. Louisville suffered through a 2-10 season in 2019, leading the school to fire coach Bobby Petrino. But Brian Kelly hasn’t been getting his guys ready to face a bottom-feeder. Instead, when he spoke with us today, he chose to focus on the caliber of program Louisville’s had

“… Notre Dame returns 14 starters from a 2018 team that went 12-0 during the regular season before being blasted 30-3 by Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Meanwhile, Monday’s game will be the first in the Scott Satterfield era at Louisville. Satterfield went 51-24 in six seasons as the coach at Appalachian State before taking over the Cardinals

“… Irish head coach Brian Kelly mentioned last week that he still doesn’t know what type of team he’ll see come Monday. A team’s identity usually shows some of itself the opening game, then takes shape over the opening month. ….”

“… The most glaring flaw eventual national champion Clemson exposed during Notre Dame’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance … was the Irish not having an able cornerback to pair with Troy Pride Jr. when All-American Julian Love had to leave the game for a long stretch of the first half with an injury. … Love left the roster for good

“… Tom Loy: I expect Notre Dame to make a major statement in the win over Louisville. Sure, the Cardinals are going to be hyped up for this Labor Day matchup, the new coaching staff, and the new direction of the program, but this Fighting Irish football team is legit. I’m expecting a stellar performance from quarterback Ian Book, a

“Even for a cornerback as adept at his craft as Troy Pride Jr., the daily matchup with senior W receiver Chase Claypool is one-sided at the least and frequently more of a full-blown nightmare. … When it’s a jump-ball situation, the 6-foot-4 3/8, 229-pounder Claypool out of British Columbia, Canada uses his length, athleticism and high-pointing ability to wear out

“Following New Mexico’s win over Sam Houston State on Saturday night, Lobos head coach Bob Davie was taken to the hospital for what Steve Virgen of The Albuquerque Journal called ‘heart trouble.’ … It was a very serious situation for the New Mexico head coach, but it looks like he will end up being okay. … On Sunday, Kelly released

“To get a read on what the Cardinals bring to the table … film of the 2018 Appalachian State scheme and film of Louisville from last season to see what kind of talent the Cardinals are bringing to the table. …”

“… It’s not that he doesn’t believe the Fighting Irish can continue excelling as a College Football Playoff-caliber program after producing a 22-4 mark the past two seasons and finishing No. 11 (2017) and No. 5 (2018) in the final Associated Press poll. Those have been the best consecutive campaigns by Notre Dame since 1992-93. More pertinent is how they

“Notre Dame had a calm offseason, a blessing when dealing with a physical sport played by 18- to 22-year-olds. Despite the recent attrition in the receiving corps — headlined by Monday’s reports of a season-long suspension for Irish sophomore receiver Kevin Austin — the drama, concern and unknown has not exceeded its normal level. …”

“This space has admittedly been harsh in its assessments of No. 9 Notre Dame’s season-opening opponent. In an attempt to be fair to Louisville, let’s pepper Mark Ennis with some questions. Mark serves as the publisher at CardinalSports.com. …”

NCAAF Scoreboard

Date: Monday, September 2 Time: 8:06 p.m. ET Site: Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY 61,000 (Field Turf) TV: ESPN (National) | ESPN App • Chris Fowler (play-by-play) • Kirk Herbstreit (analysis) • Maria Taylor (sideline) Radio: JMI/Legends (54 Affiliates) SiriusXM (Channel 129) 96.1 FM, 101.5 FM & 960 AM (South Bend) Tickets: Notre Dame Ticket Exchange powered by VividSeats.com

Louisville Cardinals Football vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football, Mon • Sep 02 • 8:00 PM, Cardinal Stadium (University of Louisville), Louisville, KY

“… For those who want to believe the Fighting Irish are all hype and not close to joining Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State atop the sport’s hierarchy: The two times Notre Dame got itself to the big stage, it was humiliated — 42-14 by Alabama in the 2013 BCS title game and 30-3 by Clemson in last year’s CFP semifinal

“… Remember when Kelly’s face turned purple as he undressed a quarterback after a foolish turnover? He wants Book to be more willing to roll the dice with downfield flings. …”

“… The Fighting Irish are 22-4 in the past two seasons, aided by a 12-1 record last season. Their .846 winning percentage is greater than Georgia’s in that span. Notre Dame is 81-35 in Kelly’s nine seasons as head coach. The blight on his record is a 4-8 mark three years ago. …”

“Notre Dame football single-game tickets, a mini-plan, and parking for most 2019 Irish home games go on sale exclusively online (UND.com/BuyTickets) at 6 p.m. ET July 25. The following day, beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET July 26, tickets and parking can be purchased in person at the Murnane Family Ticket Office (Gate 9 of Purcell Pavilion on the south side

“… The Associate Director of Compliance will be responsible for monitoring University compliance with NCAA rules governing time/schedule management, playing seasons, CARA/RARA, foreign tours, sport participation and roster management, Notification of Transfer, and Personnel …..”

“Live feed from WVFI (the Voice of the Fighting Irish), Notre Dame student radio … if you tune in Saturday, April 13, 2019, after 12:30pm ET, you can get their play-by-play coverage of the Blue-Gold Game …”

“For those who have the NBC Sports Channel as part of their cable package, or who can get a brief promotional peek for several minutes ….”

… OTHER RULES Quarterbacks in red jerseys will not be live Each possession will begin on the 25-yard line Offense can place the ball on either hash or the middle of the field There will not be any kickoffs All punts will be fair caught No rush permitted on punts, PATs and field goals No fakes on punts, PATs and

“Parking Free on a first come, first served basis All lots and White Field open at 7 a.m. ET Shuttles will be available from White Field and Bulla (accessible) lot Tailgating is permitted; check policies prior to your visit here …”

“For the seventh time in program history, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team will compete for the NCAA Championship title. The No. 1 Irish rallied down nine points in the fourth to vanquish rival No. 2 Connecticut, 81-76, on Friday night inside a jam-packed Amalie Arena. … All-in-all, the Irish thriller featured 26 lead changes and nine ties. Notre Dame

“Down nine with under eight minutes remaining in the game and possibly the dream season? Not a problem for Notre Dame. The Irish erased that deficit, got some breathing room down the stretch and coasted to an 81-76 victory over Connecticut late Friday in front of 20,062 at Amalie Arena. Notre Dame (35-3) meets Baylor (38-1) on Sunday for the

Brian Kelly at Cotton Bowl Media Day

Brian Kelly joint press conference with Clemson coach as Irish ready for Cotton Bowl

Brian Kelly, Jack Nolan and others take a look at Notre Dame Football as the Irish ready for Clemson and the Cotton Bowl