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Bennett Jackson

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Only One Notre Dame Draft Pick–Should We Worry?

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As andrewwinn mentioned in his daily Morning Roundup, some eyebrows were raised with Ben Koyack was the only Notre Dame player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft--and in the seventh round at that. While some within ND fandom grew concerned about what this meant for the current talent in the Brian Kelly era, some outside of it saw a golden opportunity to take a lazy potshot at the Irish as the draft wound down: https://twitter.com/SBNationCFB/status/594598544507469824 Now, there's the obvious ...

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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As we gather with our families today to celebrate our mothers, I not only reflect on what my own mother has done for me over the years through her love and sacrifice ... but I also reflect on all that Our Lady has done for me. I think about who I am today as a person, and how much of that is due in part to the time I spent in the shadows of Our Lady on top of the Dome. I grew, changed and developed into the woman I am today as a result of the not only my studies but also the experiences that I ...

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Ranking the Irish Roster: Tex’s Top 25

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Every year, Keith Arnold over at Inside the Irish does an annual ranking of the top 25 players on the Notre Dame roster. This year marks the second year that I have been able to contribute and, this time around, I wanted to give a break down of my rankings. Thankfully, I don't have to justify ranking a kicker #1 (NEVER FORGET) or leaving our starting QB off the top 25 list (NEVER FORGET THIS AS WELL). So without further ado, let's get to the rankings. ...

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Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy: Defensive Backs

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Leading up to the 2012 season, I said that Jamoris Slaughter’s ability to lead Notre Dame’s young secondary would be critical to the team’s defensive success. Well, a popped Achilles, a true freshman running back playing cornerback, and a bunch of Bobby Diaco voodoo later and the Irish put together an excellent season on the back end of the defense. Despite Slaughter being denied a sixth year of eligibility and Zeke Motta being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, the Irish do return the bulk of ...

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Irv Smith and Oscar McBride

Blue-Gold Game Photo Journal

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It just so happened that Notre Dame's spring football game took place the same weekend that I needed to make a trip up to campus to do some final work on my upcoming book on Notre Dame football (Echoes After the Whistle: The Men We Became). Funny how that worked out, now isn't it? Here is my photo journal of my weekend back on campus! My weekend started out on Thursday with a day of research in Notre Dame Archives sifting through decades of Notre Dame football photographs. It was a lovely ...

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Irish Survive Purdue, 2011 Flashbacks

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Well, I definitely don't want to do that again. While the defense excelled, the Irish offense sputtered, a FG was missed, a costly turnover was made, and Tommy Rees found his way under center. It seemed like it was about to turn into 2011 all over again. However, the Irish held on, and Rees went 3-8 for 35 yards allowing Kyle Brindza to redeem himself from his earlier miss with a game winning field goal. Of course after the game there was only one question: "Has Brian Kelly gone back to Rees ...

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@NickyBaratti could turn out to be a very pleasant surprise.

The Secondary: Don’t Hit The Panic Button Yet

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Notre Dame put on a dominating performance on Saturday morning against Navy, but that is still a far cry from playing a perfect game (though if that's how our imperfect games are going to go, sign me up for life).  The two units in particular that struggled were the kicking team (extra points, really?) and the secondary. But I'm here to tell you not to panic about the secondary just yet. ...

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Notre Dame 3-4 Defense Primer

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Here at HLS, I have broken down game film and done in-depth analysis of the Notre Dame offense under Brian Kelly; however, I have yet to show similar love to the defense. Bob Diaco (and his flowing locks), has taken the schizophrenic Irish defense from the Weis era (seriously, three defensive coordinators in five years) and molded it into a true 3-4 anchored by a front seven that is a wrecking machine. While it would be impossible to describe Diaco's entire scheme or the intricacies of the ...

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