by Leprechaun Express & Steve Welsh
“‘I want to take full responsibility for my actions on Saturday. I am truly sorry. I acted in a way that was out of character for me. What I displayed in those two instances were completely unbecoming and not indicative of the kind of player or person I am. My actions in those two instances do not represent what my
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“Notre Dame finished this season with a 4-8 record, its worst mark since 2007, leaving head coach Brian Kelly’s future with the program up in the air. ….”
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“A lot of things have to go wrong for a preseason 10th-ranked team to fall to 4-8 at season’s end. Notre Dame’s 12th losing season in a century, and fourth this millennium, featured breakdowns on multiple levels. Here are 10 reasons to help explain what went wrong ….”
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“Inside the Notre Dame football locker room, on what became a dark and drippy Saturday in Los Angeles, Irish coach Brian Kelly — very late in his postgame remarks to his squad — allowed a thought about what’s ahead: ‘We’ve got guys that care, guys with big hearts that will do whatever is necessary to win football games here. That’s
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“Just a year ago, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly nearly made the college football playoff. However, he sits in a much different position currently, after a disappointing 4-8 season. While The Fighting Irish were still reeling from a 45-27 loss at USC, it was reported first by Yahoo, and later by ESPN, that Kelly’s representatives were exploring options for
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“After an unexpected 4-8 season – the second worst in program history in over five decades – Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick faces a crossroads project with far more long-term implications than the $400 million renovation project of Notre Dame Stadium with the same name. Whatever direction Notre Dame takes over the next several weeks there is one thing
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“… Notre Dame’s first sack didn’t come until junior linebacker Nyles Morgan got one in game four versus Duke Sept. 24. …”
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“[Notre Dame] finished their worst season since 2007 with their largest margin of defeat this year. It all appears to be sending coach Brian Kelly into the job market. According to multiple reports, Kelly’s representatives are looking into coaching opportunities at other schools. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has said that Kelly’s job is safe. Yahoo! Sports was first
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“Adoree’ Jackson returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns and also scored on a TD pass, and Southern Cal’s aggressive defense had some success as the No. 12 Trojans (9-3) were dominant in the season finale Saturday, sending the Notre Dame (4-8) to a 45-27 defeat.”
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“… This will be the fourth of Kelly’s seven seasons that the Irish finish outside of the AP Top 25. The negative energy burdening some of those teams has been palpable, and an obvious problem. …”
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“#NotreDame football coach #BrianKelly is exploring options through his representatives to possibly leave the Fighting Irish program, a source said Saturday. Kelly’s representatives have had contact with other universities, a source told ESPN. Yahoo! Sports first reported Kelly’s interest in the possibility of leaving Notre Dame. ….”
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“….. A season coach #BrianKelly described as a ‘nightmare’ ended unmercifully in the shadows of the Hollywood hills with a 45-27 loss to USC. ….”
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“By The Numbers … 2 Losing seasons suffered by Brian Kelly in his 26 years as a college head coach. His first year at Central Michigan in 2004 produced a 4-7 mark, and his seventh at Notre Dame resulted in a worse 4-8. … 3 Teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, since the divisions were established in 1978, that still
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“… #NotreDame (4-8) … struggled to keep up with No. 12 USC (9-3), dropping its season finale, 45-27, on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Notre Dame held a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, but USC quickly regained a 10-7 lead and did not trail for the remaining three-plus quarters. The Irish were within 10 points in the
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“Irish Head West For 88th Meeting With USC; 3:30 p.m. ET; Saturday, Nov. 26; Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (93,607); TV: ABC national telecast … RADIO: IMG College Sports is the exclusive national rights-holder for Irish football radio broadcasts … to 117 affiliates …. This broadcast can be heard live on SiriusXM Satellite Radio (channel 129). The broadcast will be preceded
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“Notre Dame will be forced to vacate victories in the 2012 and 2013 football season due to NCAA violations by a student-trainer. The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions panel ruled the trainer violated ethical conduct rules when she committed academic misconduct for two football players by completing their coursework. The two players and another also committed individual academic misconduct,
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“A former University of #NotreDame student athletic trainer violated #NCAA ethical conduct rules when she committed academic misconduct for two football student-athletes and provided six other #football student-athletes with impermissible academic extra benefits, according to a Division I Committee on Infractions panel. One additional football student-athlete committed academic misconduct on his own. The panel prescribed one year of probation, a
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“The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions (COI) is an independent administrative body of the NCAA comprised of individuals from the Division I membership and the public. The committee decides infractions cases involving member institutions and their staffs.1 This case involved academic violations in the football program at the University of Notre Dame. A panel of the committee considered this
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“… Twice … Saturday, Notre Dame led Virginia Tech by 17 points. Once again … the Irish couldn’t hang on … in what ended in a 34-31 loss …. The defeat most likely spelled the end of any hopes the Irish (4-7) had of a bowl bid in what has been season stuffed with ‘what ifs’ and seven losses by
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“Notre Dame … (4-7) could not hold off a second half Virginia Tech (8-3) comeback, as the Hokies escaped with a 34-31 win …. The Irish led by as many as 17 points in the first half but Virginia Tech managed to score 27 of the game’s final 34 points to earn the victory in the first matchup between the
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“The Irish are on the brink of bowl elimination …. Notre Dame may have the two toughest games of their season left. 3. Can the Notre Dame defense stop Jerod Evans? … 2. Watch the run game … 1. Will DeShone Kizer keep Notre Dame alive? …”
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“In the four games against modern offenses since defensive analyst Greg Hudson took over coordinator duties once Brian VanGorder was fired, Notre Dame has displayed steady defensive improvement. The defensive line is more active and applying more pressure, while the youth injected into the secondary has limited the frequent big plays through the air. …”
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“… This was a team in the Top 10 to start the year and one that won 10 games and played in the Fiesta Bowl just last season. How the heck do the Fighting Irish have a 4-6 record? ….”
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“In the nine seasons from 2007-15, Notre Dame has consistently gone through what has been referred to as ‘The Navy Hangover.’ …”
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“On the whole, #NotreDame hasn’t gotten the job done on the field this season. But the Irish’s 4-6 record doesn’t mean coach Brian Kelly will be without one once the season ends. … Nonetheless, barring a sweep of the final two games — Saturday against Virginia Tech and Nov. 26 at USC — this will be the first season Kelly
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Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech: Senior Day Marks First-Ever Meeting With Hokies; Kickoff set for 3:40 p.m. ET on NBC ….
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“… After Sanders completed his 92-yard dash in 12 seconds, the Irish were off running to a 44-6 victory over Army in a Shamrock Series game. ….”
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“C.J. Sanders 92-yard kickoff return to open the game set the tone in Notre Dame’s 44-6 win versus Army West Point. …”
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“… That feeling of respect could be felt everywhere in the stadium. Patriotism buzzed around the building on this Veteran’s Day weekend, creating an inclusive atmosphere. The Notre Dame band performed the hymns of all five branches of the military, marching in the formation of each branch’s abbreviation during halftime. The show ended with a spectacular arrangement of the outline
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“Remember the Alamo for the experience, not necessarily the football. The Irish were good. Effective. Efficient. Army just happened to be the worst team on Notre Dame’s schedule. The Black Knights have feasted on the likes of Rice, UTEP, Lafayette and North Texas, and will become bowl eligible by beating Morgan State next week. …”
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“The Shamrock Series was a snoozer. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t refreshing. After all, that’s what a good nap does. Recharge the batteries, unplug for a moment, and wake-up refreshed and ready to tackle what’s ahead. … “
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“… 8 Players in Notre Dame history who have returned two kickoff returns for a touchdown in the same season, with sophomore C.J. Sanders the most recent after his 92-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff. The others were: Paul Castner (1922), John Lattner (1953), Nick Eddy (1966), Tim Brown (1986), Raghib “Rocket” Ismail (1988 and 1989), Allen Rossum (1997)
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“… Notre Dame’s 32-point halftime lead was its largest lead at intermission since the Irish led Stanford 34-0 on November 29, 2003 … Notre Dame had 11 different players register a catch, a team season high. …”
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“Notre Dame … improved to 4-6 … with a 44-6 victory over Army (5-5) in a Shamrock Series game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday afternoon. The Irish utilized a balanced attack to take down the Black Knights, rushing for 261 yards while passing for an additional 215 yards. DeShone Kizer threw three touchdowns in the contest
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“… In commemorating Notre Dame’s 125 years of football history in 2012, Blue & Gold Illustrated’s Football Preview that summer compiled a top 50 countdown of the most iconic moments in Fighting Irish football lore. ….”
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“According to Edgar Allen Poe — the wide receiver from Tucson, not the macabre poet — a much brighter aura surrounds the Army football team this season, and not just because the Black Knights are finally winning more games than they lose.”
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “…. ‘I talk mostly about Notre Dame, and where does he want to be as it relates to the Notre Dame quarterbacks?’ Kelly said. ‘Most quarterbacks are judged by not their numbers, but by their wins. And we’re all, right now, 3-6.’ ….”
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “… Junior linebacker Greer Martini is a player that is suited to play against the triple option. He thrived in last week’s game against Navy, and should again play a major role this week against Army. ….”
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“The mission is clear, and it is critical. Win a football game, or stare a school record for futility straight in the eyes.”
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “… 5 Brian Kelly – Notre Dame: The Irish will have a hard time finishing this season with four wins. Kelly might have received a vote of confidence from his athletic director, but coaches in good standing don’t need that. It’s awfully hard to justify three wins…
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “… when it comes to having profound and lasting impact on an entire sport, it’s tough to argue that any rivalry matched the Notre Dame-Army rivalry of the 20th century. The two teams met for the first time 103 years ago, when the upstart Notre Dame team traveled east to play the powerful Cadets at West Point. To
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “Notre Dame is hoping that its second game against the triple option goes better than its first. The Irish are coming off a 28-27 loss to Navy, but Army has put up better numbers on both sides of the ball than has their arch-rivals at Navy.”
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: The Fighting Irish return to the field with a matchup against the Army Black Knights. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. (ET) in San Antonio, Texas.
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: It was 1958 when Notre Dame lost most recently to the Army West Point Black Knights in football, a 14‑2 setback. That was the final season Army had under coaching legend Earl “Red” Blaik, who led the Cadets to an 8‑0‑1 record and a No. 3 finish in the Associated Press poll, with Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: Notre Dame vs. Army, 3:30 p.m. ET; Saturday, Nov. 12; Alamodome (72,000); San Antonio, Texas.
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “Whenever Navy’s football team needed a big play, quarterback Will Worth made it happen one way or another. Worth rushed for more than 170 yards and two touchdowns, then also orchestrated a triple-option offense that gained more than 320 yards on the ground, to lead the Midshipmen (6-2) to a 28-27 victory over Notre Dame (3-6), Saturday at
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “There isn’t a more entertaining whirl of dysfunction than Notre Dame this season. Actually, the Fighting Irish might be the most engaging team in the nation at 3-6. Between the quarterback switches and Brian Kelly post-game press conferences, there’s so much to take in week to week with Notre Dame. But nothing supersedes the way the Fighting Irish
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “Navy, with the second-most inexperienced offensive line in the 128-team FBS and with a quarterback in Will Worth originally scripted to be an understudy to injured QB Tago Smith, surged and domineered an Irish defensive front on a fourth-and-1 play to perpetuate a drive that led to the eventual go-ahead score.”
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “My first year was a big transition for me, a guy coming from central Texas up to northern Indiana, away from my family and then just jumping into college,” Smythe says. “I think at first I was in shock because of the academic load and the athletic load and the time management required for all those things. I
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “It would be hard for things to get much lower for the Notre Dame program right about now, following last Saturday’s one point loss to Navy, although losing to Army this week would definitely represent the bottoming out of the Irish market. And the question that has befuddled fans for a little over a month now has been
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: Another Look: “Irish coach Brian Kelly deserved some of the blame for this one. Trailing 28-24 with a little more than 7 minutes to go, Kelly opted for a 31-yard field goal instead of trying to convert a fourth-and-4 play at the 14. He made the call even though his defense hadn’t forced a punt all afternoon. …”
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Navy vs. #NotreDame presented by Navy Federal and Navy Mutual … Please Note: Navy is the home team and will be on the West sideline. … Game time is now 11:30am …. Venue EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
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Irish, Mids Meet For 90th Straight Season – Notre Dame vs. Navy – 11:30 a.m. ET Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. — Tickets are still available through the Jacksonville Sports Council — CBS national television broadcast — IMG Notre Dame Football radio network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (channel 129)
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“By The Numbers … 1-9 Record by Miami in Notre Dame Stadium, with the first visit by the Hurricanes coming back in 1972. Their lone victory occurred in 1984 (31-13), the season after winning their first of five national titles from 1983-2001. … 4 Straight victories by the Fighting Irish against Miami, dating back to 1990, and thereby extending their
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“They’re historic rivals that have struggled in recent years. … Saturday, though, the Hurricanes and Irish showed that whenever they meet, emotions will run high and there will, more than often, be more than a little drama. This time, the drama in the Irish’s 30-27 victory included a 20-point comeback effort, a stunning special teams touchdown, a kicker who connected
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… Notre Dame sophomore receiver C.J. Sanders fumbled a Miami punt with 6:49 left, and the Hurricanes recovered for a touchdown. Notre Dame then responded with a quick 75-yard drive, capped by a 41-yard TD run by Adams. ….
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“Justin Yoon connected on a 24-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the game to end the #NotreDame football team’s (3-5) … frustration on the final drive. Yoon’s kick gave the Irish a 30-27 victory over Miami (4-4), which suffered its fourth straight loss. Before the game-winning boot, the Irish came close to a grave mistake. …”
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The University of Notre Dame football team (3-5) responded to adversity in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to earn a 30-27 come-from-behind victory over Miami (4-4) in front of 80,795 spectators at Notre Dame Stadium. Justin Yoon’s 23-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner, following Josh Adams 41-yard rushing touchdown at 5:53
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“Quarterback Bad Kaaya and his Miami Hurricanes found their offense in the second half Saturday against #NotreDame. But the Fighting Irish had one last answer. …”
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“Catholics vs. Convicts: It was only a game, except it was so much more. The antagonism transcended #football. The two universities were symbols of a schism in society. … The contrast, the stage, the personalities and the compelling plots of the games made Hurricanes vs. Fighting Irish one of the greatest rivalries in sports for an intense six-year stretch ….”
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#NotreDame began the season with College #Football Playoff aspirations. Now the Irish just hope to qualify for any bowl game. Arguably the most disappointing team in the country, Notre Dame (2-5) needs to win four of its final five games to become bowl eligible.
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Some of what we’re hearing inside the UM football program: There’s not great optimism about this offensive line improving dramatically because they’re not athletic enough against athletic defensive fronts that can run around them and not strong maulers against big teams that can wear them down… Even beyond the porous protection, receivers aren’t getting open enough and the skill position
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“How desperate are things at Notre Dame? Apparently to the point that coach Brian Kelly pulled DeShone Kizer for Malik Zaire in the second half of Notre Dame’s implosion of a 17-10 loss to Stanford Saturday night. The Irish are 2-5 and enter the bye week with uncertainty at the one position that hasn’t had it since the second half
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“… Notre Dame … dropped to 2-5 on the season with a 17-10 loss to Stanford (4-2) …. The Irish led 10-0 at halftime, but Stanford posted an interception return for touchdown, safety, long touchdown drive and two-point conversion in the game’s final 30 minutes …. Notre Dame was able to mount a desperate drive in the final minutes …
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“All Peter wanted to do was stand on the sideline. When the Make-A-Wish foundation first approached the Zinsli family, that was the idea that popped into his head. The 18-year-old cancer-free high school senior wanted to attend a Notre Dame football game and experience it from a different angle. And if he was allowed to shake head coach Brian Kelly’s
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“… After the game, head coach Brian Kelly was highly critical of his junior center. ‘I’m just extremely disappointed in the offensive execution and lack of ability to manage the snapping of the football,’ Kelly said, ‘which was atrocious.’”
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“The University of Notre Dame football team (2-4) lost 10-3 to NC State (4-1) at a water-logged Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The game was held in nearly unplayable conditions directly in the path of Hurricane Matthew, leading to 10 total fumbles and only 311 total yards of offense combined by both teams.”
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“The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have dropped three of their last four games following Saturday’s 10-3 loss to North Carolina State, and head coach Brian Kelly had mixed feelings regarding his team’s performance. Speaking to reporters following a loss that came in a steady downpour facilitated by Hurricane Matthew, Kelly lamented his team’s inability to make positive gains against N.C.
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“… 1,196 Junior QB DeShone Kizer has thrown for 1,196 yards over the last three games, second-most in school history over any three-game stretch. 471 Junior QB DeShone Kizer threw for 471 yards vs. Syracuse, the most ever by a Notre Dame quarterback in a victory. 18 The Irish scored the first points of the game vs. Syracuse in just
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“NC STATE, NOTRE DAME TIES – There are several individuals who have played big roles in the history of the NC State and Notre Dame football programs. The most obvious is Lou Holtz, who led both programs to great heights. Holtz coached the Pack to a 33-12-3 record between 1972-75, with NC State finshing in the top 20 in three
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“… Hudson … gained control of the Fighting Irish defense when Brian VanGorder was fired Sept. 25 after a 1-3 start. And while the only tangible evidence of Hudson’s impact to the outside world has been a 50-33 win over Syracuse in his debut, he has certainly carried a presence about himself inside the Irish football complex. …”
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“The worst is behind Notre Dame … Notre Dame didn’t do everything it wanted defensively, but it was clearly improved. … The wide receiver position is going to be strong for years to come …. Kizer is pretty incredible, but not perfect …. Young guys played well …”
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“The Notre Dame offense did struggle on third down, which sounds strange considering that their first effort here resulted in a 67-yard touchdown pass. The problem was that after that, they managed to move the chains just two of the 11 remaining times. Plus, their one fourth down effort near the goal line failed. The worst effort in this category
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“It should be little surprise that quarterback DeShone Kizer is the Notre Dame player whose name appears near the top of most NCAA offensive statistical leader lists. Kizer’s had a hand in 20 of ND’s 25 touchdowns this season and leads an offense that has averaged nearly 40 points and 495 yards of offense through five games this season.”
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Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer reacts to the team’s 50-33 win over Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.
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“Notre Dame got back on the win column Saturday with a 50-33 victory over the Orange from Syracuse. It wasn’t always pretty and the Irish were still sloppy in some areas, but after the loss to Duke, any win feels great. The Irish now sit at 2-3 and for at least a week, Rome isn’t burning.”
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“The 6-4, 230-pounder has all the physical tools NFL teams salivate over when it comes to quarterback prospects.”
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“Eighteen-year-old leukemia survivor Peter Zinsli has been a Notre Dame Football fan all is his life. In partnering with the Make-A-Wish foundation, Peter’s wish was to meet the team and attend one of their games. The Irish had much bigger plans ….”
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“… We’ve just got to get back out there. We’ve got a lot of things to work on from this weekend. Obviously we’ve got to get the points down. It’s too many points we left this weekend. From my standpoint, we’ve got to be a little bit more effective in our four-minute offense and running the football.”
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“… Notre Dame had its first win since Sept. 10 against Nevada. … Kizer finished … with a career-high 456 yards on 23 of 35 passing for three TDs and one interception. He also ran for a touchdown. Both teams were inefficient on third down — Notre Dame was 3-for-13 and Syracuse was 3-for-14. Notre Dame ran 78 plays for
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Notre Dame Passing C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT QBR DeShone Kizer 23/35 471 13.5 3 1 76.3 Notre Dame Rushing CAR YDS AVG TD LONG Josh Adams 20 102 5.1 0 28 Dexter Williams 8 80 10.0 1 59 DeShone Kizer 9 1 0.1 1 8 TEAM 37 183 4.9 2 59
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The University of Notre Dame football team (2-3) blew by Syracuse (2-3) with 657 yards of offense in a 50-33 victory in front of 62,794 spectators at MetLife Stadium 62,794 in East Rutherford, N.J. … Junior DeShone Kizer completed 23 of 35 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns to key the Irish offense, while the defense steadied the ship
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… 42YD PUNT Down & Distance: 1st & 10 Ball On: Syr 1YD Tyler Newsome punt 42 yards to the Syr1. …
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Notre Dame Passing C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT DeShone Kizer 4/4 170 42.5 2 0 TEAM 4/4 170 42.5 2 0 Syracuse Passing C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT Eric Dungey 7/9 127 14.1 1 0 TEAM 7/9 127 14.1 1 0 Notre Dame Rushing CAR YDS AVG TD LONG Josh Adams 6 28 4.7 0 11 TEAM 6 28 4.7
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