IRISH NEWSLINK: “Notre Dame’s Drue Tranquill is excited to play under the lights this Saturday night” – DieHards

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IRISH NEWSLINK: “Notre Dame’s Nyles Morgan senses ‘clock ticking’ entering final season” – Chicago Tribune

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Nyles Morgan didn’t like what he was seeing out of Notre Dame’s defense during practice. …

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IRISH NEWSLINK Goshen News/Batesville Herald Tribune: “Kelly, Irish readjusting to traditional offenses” ….. #NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL

"We're # 1" Moses Sculpture at Notre Dame

“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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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “No big changes coming to struggling Irish” – Fort Wayne News-Sentinel

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“… immersed in … the worst of his 27 seasons as a … head coach, it would be easy for … Brian Kelly to make wholesale changes within his program. He did so last month by firing … Brian VanGorder, but from a personnel standpoint, Kelly has decided to stay the course even after losing for the sixth time in

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Double vision for Notre Dame’s defense?” – South Bend Tribune

File Photo of Word of Life Stone Mural Mosaic, Featuring Christ with Arms Upraised, On the Hesburgh Memorial Library at Notre Dame

#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “The vision Brian Kelly is selling to recruits of how Notre Dame’s defense will evolve … ‘Quite frankly, we’re going to be in both (3-4 and 4-3 fronts), because I’m not going anywhere,’ he said. ‘So it’s going to be a three-down, four-down defense, and they’re going to have to be somebody that can do both.’ They are

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IRISH NEWSLINK ESPN: “Greg Hudson making presence felt as Notre Dame defensive coordinator”

"We're # 1" Moses Sculpture at Notre Dame

“… 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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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Sunday Brunch: Kelly Demands a Little Fun—and Gets It” – und.com/John Heisler

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As much as tackling and coverage and pass rush all played key roles, Irish coach Brian Kelly had maybe more interest in ensuring his players enjoyed themselves. … That’s what comes from a 50-33 triumph over Syracuse in East Rutherford, New Jersey. … inside the locker room, there was hooting … hollering … dancing. … shouting and laughing. If Kelly

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Notre Dame’s re-energized defense holds off Syracuse” – South Bend Tribune

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… Notre Dame defensive players, bullied on the field and bashed off it for the first four weeks of the season, single-mindedly pushed for new defensive coordinator Greg Hudson to sing the Fight Song in the jubilant postgame aftermath of Saturday’s 50-33 subduing of Syracuse …. ‘He brought an energy to the team, a new type of leadership,’ Notre Dame

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Notre Dame finds a fix in week of chaos” – South Bend Tribune ND Insider

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…. A firing. A defensive overhaul. A 1-3 record. A crisis of confidence and execution. … the Irish persevered. … As the top executive in the Notre Dame athletic department, athletic director Jack Swarbrick had a vested stake in the upheaval. Kelly said he came to Swarbrick with his decision to fire VanGorder …. ‘My message, publicly and privately, is

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Notre Dame Bounces Back” – Blue and Gold Illustrated

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Blue and Gold Illustrated reports on Notre Dame’s defensive improvement against Syracuse, following a change in defensive coordinators. … though the 50-33 #NotreDame win over Syracuse … featured plenty of room for improvement on defense, it was a step in the right direction. Syracuse’s high-powered offense started fast …. But some halftime adjustments proved crucial, and the Irish limited the

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Notre Dame trying to simplify its defense” – Chicago Tribune

File Photo of Word of Life Stone Mural Mosaic, Featuring Christ with Arms Upraised, On the Hesburgh Memorial Library at Notre Dame

… Brian Kelly somewhat simplif[ied] Notre Dame’s defense since he dismissed defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder … [he also played] a lot of freshmen. … Troy Pride Jr. became the 13th freshman to play for Notre Dame this season, a high for Kelly since he joined the Irish in 2010. Pride was one of four freshmen in Notre Dame’s secondary at

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Notre Dame-Syracuse 2016: Yet Another Challenge for Irish Defense” – und.com/John Heisler

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… the fast-paced Orange offense ranks seventh nationally (and leads the Atlantic Coast Conference) in averaging 371.8 passing yards per game (and also averages 496.5 yards in total offense per week). … [the] new Irish defensive coordinator is Greg Hudson. … Bank on plenty of eyeballs being affixed to the action at MetLife when the Irish defense takes the field.

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Requirements for Notre Dame’s Next Defensive Coordinator” – UHND

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Brian Kelly will be forced to make the most important hire of his Notre Dame tenure in the near future as he looks to find a permanent replacement to former defensive coordinator Brian Vangorder.  … here’s a run down of the requirements …. Defensive Coordinator Experience …. Big Program Experience …. NFL Assistant Need Not Apply …. Relentless Recruiting Acumen

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Beyond the spin cycle of Notre Dame’s defensive woes” – South Bend Tribune NDInsider

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… Michigan State … gashed the Irish for 260 rushing yards and 501 yards in total offense. … The statistical snapshot, one fourth of the way into the regular season, features a high-water mark of 89th nationally out of 128 in any significant defensive category. … 103rd in pass-efficiency defense, 102nd in total defense, 94th in scoring defense, 100th in

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IRISH NEWSWATCH: “Brian Kelly defends Brian VanGorder, says staffer liked tweet by mistake” – ESPN

Golden Dome in Bright Sunlight

As for whether he is confident in VanGorder, whose unit ranks 104th in total defense through three games — after finishing 37th and 69th in 2015 and 2014, respectively — Kelly is standing behind his [Defensive Coordinator]. … ‘Oh, absolutely. Yeah, without question. That’s not even part of the conversation’ …. ‘It’s really about the fundamentals of defense. … I

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