Author: Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh

“Last year … Jaylon Smith and … Will Fuller … opt[ed] to skip … senior year[] and head to the NFL draft. One key player that could do that this year, is quarterback DeShone Kizer. … one of the top NFL prospects since the start of the season … Brian Kelly conceded that there is a real possibility that Saturday

“Normalcy should return to the athletic life of Notre Dame freshman Julian Love this week. But that doesn’t mean that the Fighting Irish coaches don’t have an appreciation for the young athlete’s versatility, football intellect, and willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team win. … Virginia Tech will play a traditional offense against the Irish, so that

“This will be Virginia Tech’s first football meeting against Notre Dame. The Hokies also will be the 74th different opponent that the Fighting Irish will face in Notre Dame Stadium, which opened in 1930 in what would be head coach Knute Rockne’s final season before losing his life in a plane crash. …”

“Notre Dame came two weeks later to my school, and they told me I shouldn’t come visit and they wouldn’t accept my commitment due to the uncertainty in my knee,” said Ekanem, who will lead Tech’s defense Saturday when it travels to Notre Dame (4-6) for the first meeting of the programs. “I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ They were like,

“Finishing the season with two wins and qualifying for a bowl game is important to Notre Dame junior quarterback DeShone Kizer. It would show that the program is heading in the right direction. …”

“The University of Miami finished a brutal month of October with a fourth straight loss Saturday, a 30-27 defeat at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This classic rivalry featured a wild fourth quarter that finished with Notre Dame sacking Canes quarterback Brad Kaaya on the final play of the game. ….”