For the first time in over 27 years, Notre Dame football defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the nation with a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Clemson Tigers.
The coronavirus pandemic has made scouting and player evaluations even more difficult this year than in years past, so the upcoming NFL Draft will be filled with heightened uncertainty. After a second trip in three years to the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish will graduate a large swath of the talent that has sustained their success over the past few seasons. Many of those graduating are hoping to hear their names called this spring at the NFL Draft.…
The 2020 football season was one of unprecedented changes for top programs across the country, including the Fighting Irish. The season marked the beginning of Tommy Rees’ tenure as offensive coordinator as well as the departure of Clark Lea, the defensive coordinator, after Notre Dame’s Rose Bowl defeat.…
Notre Dame finished the season at 10-2, marking its fourth straight season with 10 wins and its second trip to the College Football Playoff in three years. To add to that, the Irish haven’t lost at home since September 2017, yet we enter 2021 with an uncertainty of where the program will go from here. The Irish closed the season with back-to-back losses by three possessions to two of the best programs in the last decade. They also have to replace the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history, the team’s best defensive coordinator in recent history and four of five starters on the offensive line. That’s the bad news, but there is also much to look forward to.…
If there was a search for an image to encapsulate the talent gap between Alabama and Notre Dame, it would end with the picture of Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris hurdling cornerback Nick McCloud.
After the 31-14 loss in the relocated Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, head coach Brian Kelly was adamant that the final score wasn’t an issue of talent but an issue of making plays — or failing to do so.…
Given the circumstances: a new offensive coordinator, brand new offensive skill position starters across the board, and limited offseason practices, it was unrealistic to expect the Irish offense to come out firing on all cylinders in their first game. With that being said, as No. 7 Notre Dame prepared for another home contest against the University of South Florida, there were still plenty of questions to be answered.
After cruising through the first three games, No. 4 Notre Dame hit its first major roadblock of the season versus Louisville. Against the backdrop of future foe Clemson’s 73-7 rout of Georgia Tech, the Irish (4-0, 3-0) survived against the Cardinals (1-4, 0-4) 12-7. The team extended the FBS-longest active winning streak to 10 games, but with a matchup against No. 1 Clemson looming on the horizon, the win was anything but far-reaching.
A month and a half after their first game, with a season-threatening COVID-19 outbreak in between, the undefeated No. 3 Fighting Irish were finally forced to leave the friendly confines of Notre Dame Stadium and go on the road to face the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Facing a mediocre 2-5 team with the Clemson matchup on the horizon, No. 4 Notre Dame’s game against Georgia Tech had the markings of a trap game. But in order to stay on track for a playoff berth, the Fighting Irish needed to handle business in Atlanta on Halloween.
Notre Dame’s 42-14 loss to Alabama in the 2013 national championship game marked the nascence of murmurs that, maybe, the Irish weren’t cut out for the big games. Those murmurs began to crescendo over the years as Notre Dame lost top-10 matchups against Florida State (2014), Ohio State (2015), Miami (2017) and Clemson (2018). Add in two close losses to Georgia (2017, 2019), two last second losses to Stanford (2015) and Clemson (2015) along the way and by the time No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 1 Clemson met inside Notre Dame Stadium in 2020 the roars were loud and clear: “Notre Dame can’t win a big game,” “Notre Dame doesn’t belong with college football’s elite.”
There were many factors to consider before Notre Dame’s game against Boston College: it was only Notre Dame’s third away game of the season, it was quarterback Phil Jurkovec’s opportunity for revenge against his former school, and it took place a week after Notre Dame’s thrilling double-overtime win against No. 1 Clemson. The setting felt eerily similar to the 1993 Boston College upset against the Fighting Irish only a week after Notre Dame’s win in the “Game of the Century” against No. 1 Florida State. Despite Notre Dame being projected as a 13-point favorite, these factors combined to make many Irish fans feel nervous before kickoff.
After a well-deserved bye week, the No. 2 Irish (8-0) traveled down to Chapel Hill for a Friday afternoon game against the No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels (6-2). Notre Dame came into the game off of two of their best wins of the year but also had given up 71 points in those two games, which was more than they had allowed in the first six games. This could’ve been a major problem, as the Tar Heels touted a strong offense led by their two star running backs: Javonte Williams and Michael Carter.
It was a matchup that was supposed to happen on Sept. 26 at Wake Forest, but because of COVID-19, the game was rescheduled to Dec. 12. Unfortunately, seven Notre Dame football players tested positive for the virus several days before the originally scheduled game, which resulted in the isolation of 13 players. Furthermore, the Notre Dame football program wanted to ensure the safety of the rest of its players, so it paused all football-related activities for several days. Head coach Brian Kelly stated that “with student-athlete health and safety our primary focus, we will continue to follow our prevention protocols and ongoing testing procedures.” In the meantime, it was time for the team to redirect its attention to the upcoming game against Florida State.
On Dec. 19, the undefeated Fighting Irish arrived at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., marking the beginning of the playoff season for the team. The ACC Championship set the stage for the highly anticipated Notre Dame-Clemson rematch, after the No. 4 Irish defeated the then-No. 1 Tigers during their regular season matchup in South Bend.
Kyren Williams’ journey to being named the ACC Rookie of the Year didn’t come easily. Redshirted as a freshman and facing a pandemic as a sophomore made his position within the running back room an uncertainty at the start of the season.
This time last year, during my senior year at Notre Dame, I typed away on this same keyboard following Notre Dame’s 11-2 season. I made the argument that Notre Dame fans needed to recognize the elite position the program was in and that the team could win a national championship in the next two seasons.
Notre Dame football has a long, proud history. The Fighting Irish are a national brand, attracting fans from all corners of both the United States and the globe. They regularly sell out Notre Dame Stadium, and often contend for major bowls and national championships. What’s also impressive about all this is that Notre Dame is the only significant football program to do this without joining a conference of other collegiate teams.
In a season like no other, Notre Dame proved that it is among the best programs in college football. But once again, the elites of college football distanced themselves from the rest of the pack and illustrated that Notre Dame remains strides behind, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
A usually raucous stadium atmosphere was muted this year, as 11,000 fans sought to simulate the energy of 80,000. The limited capacity was one of many restrictions brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions that went far beyond the stands and permeated classrooms, dorms and locker rooms.
With everything that is different about this season for Notre Dame women’s basketball –– a new head coach, new teammates, new protocols, and a uniquely designed schedule –– the team’s steadfast commitment to causes bigger than themselves and to helping others remains unchanged.
The coronavirus has radically transformed the landscape of college sports, and after initial worries, Notre Dame fans are fortunate to still enjoy a 2020-21 season. Student attendance at games, even in a limited capacity, has helped to elevate the atmosphere and maintain the feeling of excitement despite coronavirus-related adjustments.
With an impressive 6-1 record at the conclusion of the fall ACC volleyball schedule, Notre Dame is ranked No. 5 heading into their spring schedule, which will allow them to compete for a national championship.
Despite COVID-19 disrupting countless aspects of a normal season, all of the pieces appear to be falling into place for the Notre Dame football team as they approach the season’s marquee matchup against Clemson.
This weekend, South Bend will host an undefeated matchup between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame.
With everything that was different about this off-season for third-year Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea, the need to replace last season’s graduated talent remained unchanged.
A graduate defensive end, Daelin Hayes has played a significant role on the stout Notre Dame defense throughout his collegiate career. Hayes was a top-300 recruit coming out of high school from Bellville, Mich., and in his freshman year, he played in all 12 games.
100 — The percentage of Notre Dame football players who have registered to vote. One way to make change is through voting, and the Irish football players are leading by example at the moment.