Cierre Wood

(AP Photo/South Bend Tribune, Robert Franklin)

Straight Expectations: Chapter Two – Greg Bryant

June 3, 2015 by Moons

It’s hard to imagine any player better personifying the term “expectations” than rising junior Greg Bryant. With arms as chiseled and meme worthy as any since the Brady Quinn days and a pedigree to match, the cliché’ of “it’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’" seemed a fitting tag line for describing Bryant’ s ascent to greatness. The departures of both Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood following the National Title Game in 2013 left a seeming void in the backfield. Yet, you’d be hard pressed to find ...

Friday Roundup: The “Top QB” Edition

November 1, 2013 by Ryan Ritter

On November 1, 1913 Notre Dame established the forward pass as a legitimate offense in college football. Its purpose was to make the quarterback the most feared player on the field and propel the team to greatness. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls him the guy that embarrasses them every year*. The Fighting Irish call him.... TOP QB *2007, 2009, and 2010 didn't exist...why the hell is everybody acting like they did? --------------------------- Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix stand ...

Good Fridays w/Padre: Last Hurrah

May 10, 2013 by Father Sorin

Send three volleys of cheers on high for our Seniors! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hooray! As final exams end today, so begins your last week at Notre Dame. Be proud. Be gracious. Be generous. Be humble. But above all, be happy! For you have achieved something great. And you have achieved it together. When you arrived here as a herd of freshmen in 2009, did you think that in your Senior year you would see your classmates lead your football team to an undefeated season and a #1 ranking? Probably not. ...

Fourteen Irish Put Through Paces at Notre Dame Pro Day

March 27, 2013 by Bayou Irish

Fourteen Notre Dame football players went through their last meaningful paces at the Loftus Center today when the Class of 2013 conducted its NFL Pro Day. While all (most of) the national press focused on the performance of Manti Te'o, Notre Dame's erstwhile defensive field general, John Goodman, Mike Golic Jr., Braxston Cave, Theo Riddick, Robby Toma, Tyler Eifert, Cierre Wood, Kapron Lewis-Moore, Zeke Motta, Jamoris Slaughter, Manti Te’o, Ben Turk, Jordan Cowart, and Chris Salvi all sought to ...

NFL Combine: Eifert Impresses, Te’o Disappoints

February 26, 2013 by Ryan Ritter

Ah, the NFL combine -- the place where tenths of a second in a 40 yard dash and a couple of inches on a vertical jump can translated into millions of dollars. Truth be told, I think it is one of the more overrated and overhyped events the NFL does, but there is no doubt that the combine is a place in which draft fortunes can be made. Eight Notre Dame football stars took to Indianapolis to try and boost their draft fortunes and their results are after the jump. ...

Cierre Wood to NFL, Slaughter Denied Sixth Year

January 16, 2013 by Ryan Ritter

Two veteran presences will be missing from Notre Dame's roster in 2013. On Tuesday, running back Cierre Wood announced that he would forgo a fifth year and enter the NFL draft. Last night, Blue & Gold Illustrated's Dan Murphy reported that safety Jamoris Slaughter's petition for a sixth year of eligibility was denied. ...

Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy (The NCG Edition): Running Back

January 2, 2013 by Bayou Irish

Vincent Smith could tell you a few things about running back. And as soon as he stops weeping tears of a Clowney and rocking himself in the corner, I am sure he'll be happy to. In the meantime, you've got Bayou Irish in all of my flu-addled glory. Great way to start a new year, folks, I gotta tell ya. Coughing up phlegm into a Kleenex before passing out in a Nyquil induced-haze at 7:00 p.m. ROCKS! But seriously, let's talk some football, y'all. Six days out from the National Championship Game, ...

The Invasion of Norman

October 30, 2012 by Ryan Ritter

The last time I dared to enter enemy territory, I was a senior at Notre Dame. During that 2006 season, I was hopeful that somehow the Irish would manage to upset Southern Cal on their home field and try to find their way into the national title picture. Six years later, I found myself on a bus to Norman hoping the Irish would pull off a different type of upset (by Vegas standards) against the Sooners with 50+ young alumni...and my father. ...

Irish Overcome Mistakes, Trap Game, Remain Undefeated

October 22, 2012 by Ryan Ritter

Two missed field goals, an interception off a facemask, a horribly inaccurate passing attack, and dumb, undisciplined penalties -- quite frankly the Irish resembled the 2011 squad instead of this year's top five version. However, unlike last year, the Notre Dame prevailed thanks to a career day from Theo Riddick and yet another solid performance by the Irish defense. ...

Irish Dominate Hurricanes, Rise to #7 in the Nation

October 8, 2012 by Ryan Ritter

The day began with concerns of Brian Kelly going back on his word of making Everett Golson his starting QB. The game itself began with worries that Miami would torch the Notre Dame defense all game long and that Tommy Rees' first nightmare drive would ensure the Irish offense would sputter. Then Miami roughed Ben Turk, Everett Golson ran onto the field, and the worries were gone. ...