by Leprechaun Express & Steve Welsh
“Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says he is ”fully committed” to staying at the school after the Fighting Irish finished with their second-worst record in five decades. An embarrassing 45-27 loss to USC left Notre Dame with a 4-8 mark. Kelly stated his intentions in a statement released by the school early Sunday ….”
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“Notre Dame has a young team, and a talented team. We found out this year that both sides of the ball simply just don’t quite know how to win, but this team can be turned around. New faces will be plentiful next season, and I believe that to be a good thing. Despite Deshone Kizer, the quarterback and arguably team
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“Inside Notre Dame Football” with Brian Kelly, Jack Nolan and Notre Dame players, after the conclusion of Notre Dame’s 2016 campaign.
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“‘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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Brian Kelly met with reporters after Notre Dame’s season-ending game against Southern Cal in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
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Video highlights from Notre Dame’s season-ending game against Southern Cal in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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“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. …”
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“… The list of breakdowns is long. The fixes are necessary. And a failure in the finale felt like par for the course. 4-8. No explanation necessary.”
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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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“… Items: Notre Dame’s Chris Finke caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kizer on the opening drive of the second half to cut the USC lead to 24-14. On the ensuing drive, Jackson took a Darnold pass 52 yards for a TD. With 1:01 left in the quarter, ND’s Kevin Stepherson caught a 29-yard touchdown. ….”
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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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In Lou Holtz’s first year at #NotreDame, when current Notre Dame assistant coach Greg Hudson was an underclassman player, the Irish had close games all year against elite opponents, only to take a 4-6 record into their finale against a top-20 #SouthernCal in the Coliseum. After falling behind, and still trailing 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Irish staged
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As of late Tuesday night, tickets are still available for Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal in the Los Angeles Coliseum, Saturday afternoon of Thanksgiving Weekend. Kick-off is at 12:30 p.m. PT/local time (3:30 p.m. ET). Click here for USC online ticket sales, Notre Dame vs. Southern California, Saturday, Nov. 26 in the L.A. Coliseum … [or click here for alternative
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Partly sunny and a chance of rain, with a high of 65, is predicted for the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend, when Notre Dame takes on Southern Cal at 12:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 p.m. ET. Below are links to L.A. Coliseum weather and full-sized embedded Accuweather widgets for 90037 (the widgets might take longer to load). (And
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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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BrianKelly meets with reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, as Notre Dame prepares for their road game at Southern Cal. Notre Dame also is reacting to the NCAA’s announcement of wide-ranging sanctions against Notre Dame in connection with an academic cheating scandal. If the sanctions hold, Notre Dame will vacate their wins from their 2012 run to the BCS title
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“Brian Kelly’s worst season at Notre Dame took an embarrassing turn … the NCAA announced that academic misconduct orchestrated by a student athletic trainer will cost the storied program all 21 victories from the 2012-13 seasons, including the 12-0 run that vaulted the Fighting Irish into the national championship game against Alabama. … just the fourth time the NCAA has
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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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“… The loss clinched a losing season for the Irish, just the 14th time in 128 seasons of playing football and the first since going 3-9 in 2007. They also failed to win back-to-back games for the first time since 1960. …”
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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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DeShone Kizer and the Irish look to continue their late push to become bowl eligible at home against the Hokies
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Virginia Tech Hokies, Saturday Nov. 19 at 3:30 pm ET in The House That Rockne Built, televised nationally on NBC.
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Brian Kelly hosts his radio show heading into Notre Dame’s match-up with Virginia Tech, featuring Brian Kelly, Jack Nolan and Notre Dame players.
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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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Brian Kelly talks to reporters after Thursday practice heading into Notre Dame’s game against Virginia Tech.
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“After two weeks away from home … Notre Dame … returns to Notre Dame Stadium … for its final home game of the year against Virginia Tech. … the last of five Atlantic Coast clashes … the last of six home contests … the first time the Hokies and Irish have met. … five things to watch … 1. The
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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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“In previewing Virginia Tech, we spoke with Tim Sullivan of HokieHaven.com and Mike Barber, who covers the Hokies for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.”
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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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“… while Brian Kelly will greet and appreciate 28 seniors who’ll run out of the tunnel in the season’s final home game, he’s hopeful that this won’t be goodbye for most. … while Jarron Jones, James Onwualu, Isaac Rochell, Cole Luke, Mark Harrell, Scott Daly and Avery Sebastian are saying goodbye, there’s plenty of eligibility remaining. … ‘We don’t have
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“… just eight ND players who will run out of the tunnel … are exhausting their eligibility …. Only six of them came to Notre Dame as recruited high school prospects. … Increasingly, a share of the elite seniors on a five-year track and true juniors are going to cannonball into the NFL Draft pool early. … of the 13
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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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“THREE KEYS TO VICTORY FOR VIRGINIA TECH 1 Get going early … easy for outsiders to say this game means nothing. … a nonconference game … next week, Tech takes on its rival, Virginia, with a chance to clinch the ACC’s Coastal Division …. The Hokies say they’re focused on this game, but minds will wander if Notre Dame jumps
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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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“Today, Notre Dame is 4-6 — and yet there were inquiries during head coach Brian Kelly’s weekly press conference about whether the team would be receptive to going to a bowl game, even with a possible 5-7 record. … ‘I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest with you,’ replied Kelly when asked if the school would play in
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Inside #NotreDame #Football covers some of the latest news, featuring Brian Kelly, Jack Nolan and some Notre Dame players, including a Notre Dame vs. Army recap and Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech preview.
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“Virginia Tech has a very good football team. Justin Fuente, head football coach and Bud Foster, the defensive coordinator, put together a very good year, some really good wins; North Carolina I really thought probably as complete a game as they played all year. Turned the ball over a few times, but a really good football team. Defensively it’s what
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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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#NotreDame and Army met in the latest Shamrock Series outing Saturday in San Antonio—with the Irish roaring to a 38-6 halftime lead on their way to a 44-6 victory. … 1.The Irish have regained some confidence. … 2. There has been measurable progress on defense. … 3. The Irish had a great day on offense. … 4. Freshman wide receiver
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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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ND’s 44-6 victory over Army on Saturday … broadcast in the 3:30 p.m. ET time slot, earned a 1.0 overnight rating, according to SportsMediaWatch.com. That’s lower than last year’s Shamrock Series game (1.3) on NBCSN that ended in a sloppy 19-16 ND win over Boston College and aired on [cable’s] NBCSN in primetime. Two late November games broadcast on NBC
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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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“Someone forgot to tell all these folks Notre Dame’s football team is struggling …. More than 45,000 fans amped up the energy of the Alamodome – and the rest of the city of San Antonio … – as the Irish (4-6) celebrated their Shamrock Series event Texas style, with a bigger-than-life 44-6 victory over Army (5-5) …. The Irish exploded
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Brian Kelly meets with reporters after Notre Dame’s 44-6 victory over Army in San Antonio.
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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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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “… Army and Notre Dame have at least one thing in common this season: Each has had trouble against option attacks. When they meet on Saturday in San Antonio at the Alamodome, Army (5-4) just might have a small edge. The Black Knights use the clock-chewing triple option, and the Irish (3-6) are reeling from a one-point loss
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1. Notre Dame Defensive Adjustments to Defend the Option … 2. Army Pass Defense vs. DeShone Kizer and the Notre Dame Receivers … 3. Waiting for the Notre Dame Special Teams Mistake … This season has a chance to be one to remember for Army and already is a season to forget for Notre Dame. But there is still a
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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: Brian Kelly talks with Jack Nolan and Notre Dame players, and covers the latest in Notre Dame football as the Irish prepared for West Point.
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“Notre Dame heads to San Antonio, needing a win …. in the Black Knights, the Irish have a foe that’s fitting—a double-digit underdog, but one who presents some of the same challenges that made Navy so difficult. Jeff Monken’s third Army team has shown considerable improvements. They’ve won big games, beating Wake Forest and Temple while hanging tight with Duke.
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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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“… 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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#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 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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#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 #NotreDamevsArmy: 1. Expect minimal possessions (again). … 2. Quarterback play will be critical. … 3. Another Notre Dame-Army connection. … 4. Notre Dame might be one of the better opponents Army has faced. … 5. Check out the military angles. Anytime Notre Dame plays one of the service academies, the military connections are front and center … Joining
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#NOTREDAME #FOOTBALL: “When Army battles Notre Dame on Saturday, Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken will be looking across the field at a head coach he knew a long time ago. And it can’t help but trigger a trip down Memory Lane.”
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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: The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel’s Tom Davis comments: “Notre Dame is a bad football team. That is the problem. Poor coaching, poor coaching decisions, and poor execution by its players (which is certainly related to the poor coaching) are merely the symptoms. ‘I love the way we compete and play hard,’ Kelly said. ‘We’ve lost six close games that
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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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