Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman waited for NC State’s band to finish playing the Wolfpack’s alma mater before pumping up Fighting Irish fans on his way off the field.
Pure class from QB1.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman says the Irish will reintroduce game-day Mass.
“It’s what I remember from my recruiting trip — watching the players walk out of the Basilica on the way to the stadium. I was a little caught by surprise when we didn’t do it last year.”
Sam Hartman on Notre Dame football: “I hope the culture never changes. If I have kids, I hope I can bring them back here to experience it… I freaking love the Irish.”
Whoa. Brock Bowers of Georgia wins the Mackey Award over Michael Mayer of Notre Dame.
Bowers: 52 catches, 726 yards, 6 TDs
Mayer: 67 catches 809 yards, 9 TDs
Mayer was the No. 1 tight end in the country per
@PFF
. Bowers was 7th. This feels like an absolute snub.
Notre Dame sophomore cornerback Jaden Mickey lost his mother, Nilka, to colon cancer overnight.
He’s still suited up and ready to play in the Sun Bowl.
Ohio State at Notre Dame was NBC’s most watched regular season college football game in the last 30 years with an average of 10.5 million viewers.
The Fighting Irish still move the needle.
This is as classy as it gets from Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, not leaving the field until he wishes Duke’s Riley Leonard well.
Every other Notre Dame player and coach had already headed for the locker room. Hartman was the very last one out there.
Mike Brey has not turned away one conversation or photo opportunity at The Linebacker tonight. He’s initiating some of the convos himself. Total class and nothing but gratitude from the 23-year Notre Dame head coach.
Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt said on the Wake Up The Echoes podcast he didn't go to bed until 5 a.m. after the Ohio State game. He watched the film three times.
"Postgame, I'm not going to lie. I felt like I was going to throw up. That one hurt so bad."
Locker room guy.
The Doak Walker Award is a sham.
One of the best running backs in America plays for the University of Notre Dame. His name is Audric Estimé, and he has 25 carries for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns vs. Stanford tonight.
Less than two hours after the start of his introductory press conference, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman boards a private jet with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to hit the recruiting trail.
This Fighting Irish coaching staff is all business. No time to waste.
When Chloe Bibby cried out in pain, Vic Schaefer was there to hold her hand.
When Bibby needed help walking off the court, Schaefer let her lean on him. Then he took his coat off and continued coaching with a heavy heart.
It’s hard to find coaches like Schaefer. One of a kind
Noted Notre Dame fan and one-time Fighting Irish football player (Jamie O’Hara in ‘Rudy,’ 1993) Vince Vaughn is this week’s celebrity guest picker on
@CollegeGameDay
on Saturday in South Bend.
Notre Dame at Ohio State averaged 10.5 million TV viewers, the most for a college football game on an ESPN network since 2017.
It was the second largest Week 1 Saturday audience on any network ever, per
@ESPNPR
.
-8-2 as a starter
-22 passing TDs / 6 INTs
-155.3 passer rating (20th nationally)
-64.6% completion percentage
-88.5% single-game completion percentage vs. USC (second best in Notre Dame history)
Drew Pyne faced the fury of a passionate fan base in 2022. He gave it his all.
Mike Denbrock on Brian Kelly's reaction to him leaving LSU to become the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame...
"I don't know that he was real happy with my decision, but I think he understood it. And he knows the reasons why."
So, why?
"It's Notre Dame... I love this place."
Any time you get a kid to commit to your program over Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama and LSU like Christopher Burgess just did, you’re doing something right.
Notre Dame is doing something right.
Audric Estimé's mindset when he showed up at Notre Dame in 2021...
"I'm going to give them something to remember. I'm going to do something legendary."
•2,321 career rushing yards (11th at ND)
•1,341 rushing yards in 2023 (5th)
•18 rushing TDs in 2023 (1st)
He delivered.
Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame: "This place weeds non-resilient people out."
"If you're not a tough-minded person, this probably won't be the place for you."
Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer on playing at Ohio State’s Horseshoe in Week 1: “I don’t think it’s any different than the other stadiums we’re going to be playing in this year. To me, it’s like, ‘home game, away game, just go play football.’ I’m not worried about it.”
10 days.
Notre Dame LB commit Drayk Bowen just won the Butkus Award as the best high school linebacker in the country.
It's the fourth time a player headed to Notre Dame has won the award since its inception in 2008.
Bowen joins:
Manti Te'o ('08)
Jaylon Smith ('12)
Prince Kollie ('20)
Notre Dame quarterbacks Sam Hartman, Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey are at Purcell Pavilion supporting the Fighting Irish women’s basketball team tonight.
If Ryan Day was seriously that affected by what 86-year-old Lou Holtz said the Friday before kickoff on a platform as silly as The Pat McAfee Show then he has some reassessing to do.
Ohio State was one play away from taking an L, man. And you didn’t win the Super Bowl. Sheesh.
Per
@NDFootballPR
, Chris Tyree joins Julius Jones, Rocket Ismail and Tim Brown as the only Notre Dame players to ever score a touchdown on a punt return, kick return, rush attempt and reception.
Good company.
Marcus Freeman is calling on Fighting Irish fans to make Notre Dame Stadium a true home field advantage for the Ohio State game.
"We want to make sure there are as many Notre Dame fans as we can... Make sure you guys are here and we get as much green in the stadium as we can."
In his first four Notre Dame starts, QB Sam Hartman…
-64-of-90 (71.1%)
-265.3 passing yards per game
-13 TDs, 0 INTs
-2 rushing TDs
His passer rating of 217.81 is No. 3 in the country. His 11.8 yards per attempt is tied for No. 4. His QBR of 89.4 is No. 6.
Truly elite.
His one year at Notre Dame wasn't everything everyone ever wanted in terms of results, & he'd be the first to say that, but Sam Hartman is one of a kind. The Irish are lucky to have had him.
Hartman dishes on everything from marshmallow tosses to Father John to custodians here.
Notre Dame graduate senior offensive guard Jarrett Patterson said there was no thought of opting out of the Gator Bowl to focus on the NFL Draft despite his history of injuries.
"The injuries come and go, but the memories, those last forever."
This guy is 33-of-40 (82.5%) for 445 yards with 6 TDs and 0 INTs in his first two games at Notre Dame. He has a rushing score too.
He didn’t play a down in the second half today. Didn’t need to.
Sam Hartman is one humble dude. He answers every question, even if it’s about himself, by giving nods to others.
He just thanked the Notre Dame SIDs, administration and Aer Lingus for making the game in Ireland happen.
He’s everything a team wants in QB1, and then some.
Stanford head coach David Esquer on the Jack Eagan situation: "At that point, it's not Mississippi State versus Stanford. It's about everybody coming together and praying for the best for a young ballplayer."
We grew up yelling “Kobe!” when shooting anything from paper balls into trash cans to actual basketballs into hoops. Kobe Bryant was the most iconic player in the game during my childhood. He’s one of the most iconic players of all time, period.
He inspired so many. RIP, Mamba.
Notre Dame product Drue Tranquill will play in the Super Bowl in his first year with Kansas City.
He led the Chiefs with 8 total tackles in the AFC Championship Game.
Notre Dame corner Jaden Mickey said his first career INT (and pick six) was for his mother, Nilka, who is home in California battling cancer.
"I was just picturing my mom and my dad in the living room yelling. I said, 'My mom has got to see this.' I'm happy it happened today."
Notre Dame defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola on the Fighting Irish defensive line: “We feel like we’re the strongest, most badass mother f*ckers in the country.”
Yeah, he went there.
And yeah, it’s Ohio State game week.
Marcus Freeman says he went right back to the office late Saturday night after Notre Dame beat Clemson.
He told his wife, "Put the kids to bed. I got film to watch."
Vic Schaefer said he was up all night after the thrilling win over Georgia. I asked him why.
I wasn’t expecting his response, which is included in its entirety below. If you ever wonder how Schaefer was able to build the MSU program into what it is, it’s because he truly cares.
If you’re someone who’s publicly shaming DJ Brown for whatever happened on Ohio State’s final drive … stop.
Brown was as emotionally distraught as any Irish player or coach I saw walk off the field last night. He’s had an excellent season for Notre Dame too.
It’s a team sport.
The clock has struck midnight on my time covering Mississippi State.
Again, I want to thank everyone who has followed my work over the last three years. Ups and downs. Lots of both. Many of y’all stuck around through it all.
I wouldn’t trade one single day. I love this place.
Notre Dame OC Gerad Parker said QB Steve Angeli made a check at the line on his TD pass to Jordan Faison.
Parker: "I didn't call that play. We had a different set on. He checked to the play because he saw man coverage and they brought 'Saw 0.'"
Do not sleep on Steve Angeli.
Mike Denbrock worked with Brian Kelly for 9 seasons. LSU won national titles with its last 3 coaches prior to Kelly.
Baton Rouge was a perfect spot for an OC turning 60 in January. And yet, Marcus Freeman lured him back to Notre Dame.
Astonishing heist.
This was exactly two years ago after Auburn vs. Mississippi State. Dec. 12, 2020.
I asked Mike Leach if his offense took a step back in a 24-10 loss. He turned to quiz me on if my writing had gotten a little flat. He said he’d like to see for himself...
Good to see Nolan Ziegler, who has been away from Notre Dame to attend to mental health issues, back with his Fighting Irish teammates and in good spirits.
Sam Hartman’s 14 touchdowns without throwing an interception represent the most TDs a Notre Dame quarterback has ever thrown without tossing an INT to start a season, per
@NDFootballPR
.
The Irish started playing football in 1887. No ND QB has ever done what Hartman has.
Logan Diggs is from Metairie, Louisiana. He said it was shocking to see Brian Kelly leave for LSU. But the Notre Dame RB won’t follow him home.
“It’s not tempting at all. I’m happy where I’m at now. The door is open for me here. I feel like I can have a lot of success here.”
The "Notre Dame doesn't play anybody" narrative? Not true in 2022.
The Fighting Irish currently have the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country according to Sports Reference.
Mike Leach was asked why the targeting call on Auburn was overturned in the first half.
Leach: "If you give me $10,000 I'll give you the best explanation you've ever had in your entire life."
Larry Fitzgerald tells the Notre Dame Fighting Irish they’re “playing for a tradition that’s unmatched and unquestionably the greatest in college football history.”
Marcus Freeman said Notre Dame RB Audric Estimé technically should have gone down at the 1 yard line on his eventual 30-yard game winning TD. He said he never thought about it. ND won anyway.
Now he has a new favorite football memory of all time, he says.
“That’s number one.”
Notre Dame’s Brandon Aubrey has not missed a field goal as a rookie for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s 27-of-27 after this 60-yarder.
Aubrey is a Fighting Irish soccer product. He won a national championship as a freshman in 2013. ND plays for another tomorrow.
Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli in 65 snaps this season...
•19-of-24 (79.2%)
•272 yards
•4 TDs
•0 INT
Angeli has only appeared in mop-up duty, but the redshirt freshman has delivered in every single opportunity presented.
Sam Hartman: "He's got a big career ahead of him."
Notre Dame had more students at a Fighting Irish women’s basketball game than ever before in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. They showed up again Monday.
Really does feel like the women’s game has never been in a better place. Good on ND for doing its part.