Analysis
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(Not So) Immediate Overreactions: Marcus Freeman Delivers Notre Dame The Kind of Win They’ve Been Lacking
Notre Dame handed Clemson a good old-fashioned butt-whooping on Saturday night, the likes of which neither program has seen in some time. The Tigers are not used to getting blown…
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Time for Belief and a Signature Win for Notre Dame Football
Notre Dame has beaten one top 5 team in the last ten seasons: a 2020 covid-year victory against #1 Clemson at Notre Dame Stadium in double overtime. The Irish won…
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Urgency and Progress Spurs Notre Dame Towards Two Ranked Opponents
Every time the Irish come out of the Notre Dame Stadium home locker room, they are reminded to play like a champion. Playing like a champion requires attention to detail…
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(Not So) Immediate Overreactions: Brian Mason Trending Way Up for Notre Dame After UNLV Win
Notre Dame finally got off to a fast start on Saturday in their 44-21 win over UNLV, but it wasn’t due to the offense, but instead their defense and special…
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Notre Dame Football: Tradition v. Modern – Grass or Turf – the Debate Rages On
Remember playing backyard football and heading inside for refreshments, grass stains everywhere? Or playing in high school in the rain, with mud and grass and water flying everywhere? Those were…
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Jekyll and Hyde Notre Dame Leaves Coaches Flustered, Fans Upset
The view from the stands showed a flat, unenthusiastic Irish for much of Saturday’s loss to woeful Stanford – slow to the ball on defense, uninspired on offense. Notre Dame…
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Immediate Overreactions: Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman Suffer Another Inexcuseable Loss
Just as things looked like they were turned around and trending in the right direction for first-year head coach Marcus Freeman, everything came crashing down in one of the worst…
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Youth Movement and Growing Comfort Lead to Three Game Irish Win Streak
Irish Head Coach Marcus Freeman noted the electric atmosphere at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium last Saturday for the Notre Dame-BYU game. The Irish faithful were so loud, he said, “It…
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(Not So) Immediate Overreactions: Notre Dame Takes Control of Season Back
I am really taking some liberties with the name of this column this week, but hey, sometimes life has a way of getting in the way of hobbies. Still, Notre…
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By the Bye: Priorities for Notre Dame Football That Need Addressing
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish enter their bye week having gotten back to the .500 mark with two consecutive wins. Those victories have cooled off some of the criticism being…
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Can Notre Dame Football Beat Bye Week
It’s often said in jest when a team faces one of its subtly, trickiest calendar dates in the football season. Can the Irish beat bye week? The key to that,…
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5 Things I Liked: Notre Dame’s Offense Had UNC Defense on Its Heels
There’s always going to be a lot to like in a win like Notre Dame’s 45-32 road victory over North Carolina, and this one was no different. Notre Dame’s offense…
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Immediate Overreactions: Notre Dame’s Offense Explodes Against Hapless UNC Defense
Notre Dame left Chapel Hill after their best offensive performance of the season and heads into the bye-week with an even record and some momentum. Powered by its run game,…
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On a Quick Learning Curve, Notre Dame and Their Young Head Coach Desire One Thing: Consistency
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown has walked the football sidelines longer than Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has walked the Earth. The Tar Heels enter Saturday’s 3:30 pm EST…
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5 Things Liked: Notre Dame Pass Rush Awakens, and Chris Tyree Gets the Ball in Win Over Cal
Notre Dame won their first game of the season on Saturday, giving head coach Marcus Freeman the first win of his head coaching career. The win was far from a…
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Immediate Overreactions: Notre Dame Shows Signs of Life Amid Concerns in Win Over Cal
Notre Dame finally won its first game under new head coach Marcus Freeman on Saturday, besting Cal 24-17 despite their best efforts to let the Bears tie the game in…
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5 Things I Liked: Struggling to Find Positives in An Inexplicable Notre Dame Loss
I hate writing this column after games like this. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so late this week, but I do try to do it after every game,…
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Where Does Notre Dame Go From Here? 3 Keys to Keeping Season, Culture Intact
Coach Marcus Freeman is off to the worst start of any head coach in Notre Dame history – 0-3. The Irish lost to a Sun Belt team against whom they…
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Immediate Overreactions: Honeymoon Over After Notre Dame Upset by Marshall in Freeman’s Home-Opener
A loss in the Fiesta Bowl to a top-5 foe after being named head coach three weeks prior wasn’t great but was explainable. A loss to another top-5 opponent on…
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Jarrett Patterson Expected to Play: Notre Dame OL Could be at Full Strength vs. Marshall
Notre Dame fought tooth and nail in a defensive battle last week against the previous #2 team in the country (current #3), Ohio State. They did so despite the Irish…
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5 Things I Liked: Notre Dame Does A lot Right In Loss to Ohio State
No loss is fun to write about, but too many big game losses for Notre Dame over the last 20 years have ended in Notre Dame playing like they didn’t…
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Why Notre Dame Football’s Close Loss Isn’t Cause for Alarm But Reason for Hope
Let’s take a closer look at the Irish loss to Ohio State on Saturday. Notre Dame led for most of the game – even holding a 10-7 lead until 13…
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(Not So) Immediate Overreactions: Opportunity Lost for Notre Dame Against Ohio State
Notre Dame went into Columbus on Saturday night, and for 45 minutes, it looked like the Irish might just pull off a massive upset. But instead, the 2nd ranked Buckeyes…
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Notre Dame ATH Xavier Watts: Hard-working. Violent. Aggressive. Play-making.
Hard-working. Violent. Aggressive. Play-making. That’s how junior Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts describes himself. Watts’ explanation of his characteristics in the August 22 media session aptly combines adjectives that fit…
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Blake Fisher Ready to Shine for Notre Dame Football
Notre Dame Football wants to compete for the Joe Moore Award and have one of the best offensive lines in the country. Everyone returning has experience, size, and physicality that…
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