Sure, gushing is fun, but we get to spend the majority podcast having ourselves a ball with a host of other topics. We talk preparing for a heel turn when the College Football Playoff Committee inevitably shoves ND into the top four and plan a literal marshmallow war for the senior section next season because, with NBC highlighting it, the University’s efforts to halt it are now completely hilarious.

In short, the theme to end the season is to lean in to being the obnoxious, arrogant college football heels. I can think of no better way to go out!

Podcast

The post Prepare for the Heel Turn and Marshmallow Wars: The Notre Dame vs Georgia Tech Recap appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Thankfully, I feel better, even though I’m sure you can hear some fatigue in my voice. However, I had to push through to get the last home sim in the books in HLS history.

It’s been a long, crazy ride, and, hilariously, this felt like a football game. Don’t worry, there are still wtf moments, but overall, the sim stayed sober for senior day.

We have two (maybe three?!) more sims to go. With next week being Thanksgiving, we are coming at you with a special sim Tuesday, November 23 9 PM CST / 10 PM EST for the final sim of the 2021 season.

Enjoy them while they last!

Podcast

VoD

The post NCAA ’14 Sim: Notre Dame vs Georgia Tech appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

At this point, Shane and I feel like that we’ve seen everything that the sim can possibly throw at us. Every week, we’re proven wrong.

This might just be the most bonkers sim we’ve ever run. If you check out the episode length, you can probably guess what happened.

Oh, and a quarterback that Notre Dame will play soon in the real world had some rather major COVID-related news. We discuss that during the pregame because–yeah, that was just way too big to ignore.

Podcast

Twitch VoD

The post HLS Sim: Notre Dame (5-1, 5-0) @ Georgia Tech (2-4, 2-4) appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

We can’t take credit for what happened around the nation. After all, top 10 teams losing in 2020 seems rather normal at this point.

We do, however, apologize for making your Saturday a bit more stressful than needed. That being said, we do not apologize for being happy about a win and embracing the Irish’s new #3 ranking. Winning is the damn point and we are here to remind you of that in this episode.

Podcast

Twitch VoD

The post HLS Recap: When the Sim Became Reality appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Some are so complete, the commercials are included. Others just include one moment – a Penn State kicker making a game-winning field goal, a Pittsburgh quarterback dropping a profanity on broadcast television or a 280-pound BYU punter successfully executing a fake. There’s games that will look awesome on your high definition television (trigger warning) and others that are lacking sound.

If there was multiple videos for the same game, I tried to choose the best. There’s three weeks worth of content here. (I haven’t watched it all.)

Subscribe to the playlist for all the latest updates and tell your friends. This took me hours, and I’m ridiculously proud of it.If

** As far as I know. If I’m missing a game, let me know in the comments section and I’ll be sure to add it.

#1: Nov. 1, 1913: Notre Dame 35, Army 13 (00:04:10)
#2: Nov. 27, 1913: Notre Dame 30, Texas 7 (00:04:54)
#3: Oct. 18, 1924: Notre Dame 13, Army 7 (00:02:35)
#4: Jan. 1, 1925: Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10 (Rose Bowl)(00:02:03)
#5: Nov. 12, 1927: Army 18, Notre Dame 0 (00:00:43)
#6: Nov. 10, 1928: Notre Dame 12, Army 6 (00:04:35)
#7: Nov. 17, 1928: Carnegie Tech 27, Notre Dame 7 (00:02:47)
#8: Oct. 26, 1929: Notre Dame 7, Carnegie Tech 0 (00:05:32)
#9: Nov. 30, 1929: Notre Dame 7, Army 0 (00:02:15) / part 2 (00:00:19)
#10: Oct. 25, 1930: Notre Dame 35, Pittsburgh 19 (00:03:19)
#11: Oct. 10, 1931: Notre Dame 0, Northwestern 0 (00:11:33)
#12: Nov. 21, 1931: USC 16, Notre Dame 14 (00:01:04)
#13: Dec. 2, 1933: Notre Dame 13, Army 12 (00:01:48)
#14: Nov. 2, 1935: Notre Dame 18, Ohio State 13 (00:02:01)
#15: Nov. 9, 1935: Northwestern 14, Notre Dame 7 (00:27:28)
#16: Nov. 27, 1937: Notre Dame 13, USC 6 (00:00:45)
#17: Nov. 11, 1939: Iowa 7, Notre Dame 6 (00:18:20)
#18: Nov. 2, 1940: Notre Dame 7, Army 0 (00:01:04)
#19: Nov. 16, 1940: Iowa 7, Notre Dame 0 (00:00:30)
#20: Oct. 3, 1942: Georgia Tech 13, Notre Dame 6 (00:03:05)
#21: Sept. 25, 1943: Notre Dame 41, Pittsburgh 0 (00:00:38)
#22: Oct. 30, 1943: Notre Dame 33, Navy 6 (00:01:43)
#23:  Nov. 11, 1944: Army 59, Notre Dame 0 (00:02:27)
#24: Nov. 3, 1945: Notre Dame 6, Navy 6 (00:02:01)
#25: Oct. 12, 1946: Notre Dame 49, Purdue 6 (00:10:06) / part 2 (00:10:03) / part 3 (00:10:11) / part 4 (00:07:07)
#26: Nov. 9, 1946: Notre Dame 0, Army 0 (00:09:02)
#27: Nov. 30, 1946: Notre Dame 26, USC 6 (00:01:37)
#28: Oct. 11, 1947: Notre Dame 22, Purdue 7 (00:10:37) / part 2 (00:10:01) / part 3 (00:10:30) / part 4 (00:10:25)
#29: Nov. 8, 1947: Notre Dame 27, Army 7 (00:02:24)
#30: Nov. 22, 1947: Notre Dame 59, Tulane 6 (00:01:01)
#31: Dec. 6, 1947: Notre Dame 38, USC 7 (00:03:37)
#32: Sept. 25, 1948: Notre Dame 28, Purdue 27 (00:03:49) / part 2 (00:39:59)
#33: Oct. 9, 1948: Notre Dame 26, Michigan St. 7 (00:03:48)
#34: Dec. 4, 1948: Notre Dame 14, USC 14 (0:00:13)
#35: Oct. 8, 1949: Notre Dame 35, Purdue 12 (0:09:43) / part 2 (00:09:11)
#36: Oct. 15, 1949: Notre Dame 46, Tulane 7 (00:01:48)
#37: Oct. 29, 1949: Notre Dame 40, Navy 0 (00:01:04)
#38: Nov. 5, 1949: Notre Dame 34, Michigan St 21 (0:02:05)
#39: Nov. 26, 1949: Notre Dame 32, USC 0 (00:05:45)
#40: Oct. 7, 1950: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:07:54) / part 2 (00:06:49) / part 3 (00:04:11)
#41: Oct. 21, 1950: Indiana 20, Notre Dame 7 (00:02:16)
#42: Nov. 10, 1951: Michigan State 35, Notre Dame 0 (00:02:54)
#43: Oct. 18, 1952: Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14 (00:29:42) / part 2 (00:31:39)
#44: Nov. 8, 1952: Notre Dame 27, Oklahoma 21 (00:05:21)
#45: Sept. 26, 1953: Notre Dame 28, Oklahoma 21 (00:26:39)
#46: Oct. 3, 1953: Notre Dame 37, Purdue 7 (00:09:59) / part 2 (00:02:59) / part 3 (00:09:59) / part 4 (00:06:09) / part 5 (00:11:23) / part 6 (00:03:57)
#47: Oct. 24, 1953: Notre Dame 27, Georgia Tech 14 (00:02:57)
#48: Sept. 25, 1954: Notre Dame 21, Texas 0 (00:25:47)
#49: Oct. 2, 1954: Purdue 27, Notre Dame 14 (00:02:40)
#50: Oct. 22, 1955: Notre Dame 22, Purdue 7 (00:33:25)
#51: Nov. 12, 1955: Notre Dame 27, North Carolina 7 (00:06:42)
#52: Sept. 22, 1956: SMU 19, Notre Dame 13 (00:02:08)
#53: Oct. 13, 1956: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:12:19) / part 2 (00:09:53) / part 3 (00:14:25)
#54: Oct. 27, 1956: Oklahoma 40, Notre Dame 0 (00:01:23)
#55: Nov. 24, 1956: Iowa 48, Notre Dame 8 (00:01:02)
#56: Oct. 12, 1957: Notre Dame 23, Army 21 (00:01:23)
#57: Nov. 2, 1957: Navy 20, Notre Dame 6 (00:01:06)
#58: Nov. 16, 1957: Notre Dame 7, Oklahoma 0 (00:34:00)
#59: Nov. 22, 1958: Iowa 31, Notre Dame 21 (00:01:17)
#60: Oct. 3, 1959: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 7 (00:06:01) / part 2 (00:25:11)
#61: Oct. 24, 1959: Northwestern 30, Notre Dame 24 (00:29:14)
#62: Sept. 24, 1960: Notre Dame 21, California 7 (00:01:20)
#63: Oct. 1, 1960: Purdue 51, Notre Dame 19 (00:43:18)
#64: Nov. 19, 1960: Iowa 28, Notre Dame 0 (00:10:03)
#65: Oct. 7, 1961: Notre Dame 22, Purdue 20 (00:11:19) / part 2 (00:11:17) / part 3 (00:11:02) / part 4 (00:05:50)
#66: Oct. 14, 1961: Notre Dame 30, USC 0 (00:01:04)
#67: Oct. 21, 1961: Michigan State 17, Notre Dame 7 (00:01:22)
#68: Oct. 6, 1962: Purdue 24, Notre Dame 6 (00:10:21) / part 2 (00:08:19) / part 3 (00:10:50)
#69: Oct. 27, 1962: Northwestern 35, Notre Dame 6 (00:10:24) / part 2 (00:10:32) / part 3 (00:10:40) / part 4 (00:12:22)
#70: Sept. 28, 1963: Wisconsin 14, Notre Dame 9 (00:04:55)
#71: Oct. 5, 1963: Purdue 7, Notre Dame 6 (00:12:43) / part 2 (00:12:39) / part 3 (00:13:06)
#72: Oct. 12, 1963: Notre Dame 17, USC 14 (00:04:47)
#73: Oct. 19, 1963: Notre Dame 27, UCLA 12 (00:04:47)
#74: Oct. 26, 1963: Stanford 24, Notre Dame 14 (00:04:51)
#75: Nov. 2, 1963: Navy 35, Notre Dame 14 (00:04:45)
#76: Nov. 9, 1963: Pittsburgh 27, Notre Dame 7 (00:00:29) / part 2 (00:02:57)
#77: Nov. 16, 1963: Michigan State 12, Notre Dame 7 (00:02:57)
#78: Nov. 28, 1963: Syracuse 14, Notre Dame 7 (00:04:24)
#79: Sept. 26, 1964: Notre Dame 31, Wisconsin 7 (00:05:53)
#80: Oct. 3, 1964: Notre Dame 34, Purdue 15 (00:03:57)
#81: Oct. 10, 1964: Notre Dame 34, Air Force 7 (00:03:34)
#82: Oct. 17, 1964: Notre Dame 24, UCLA 0 (00:03:54)
#83: Oct. 24, 1964: Notre Dame 28, Stanford 6 (00:04:05)
#84: Oct. 31, 1964: Notre Dame 40, Navy 0 (00:03:45)
#85: Nov. 28, 1964: USC 20, Notre Dame 17 (00:37:42)
#86: Sept. 25, 1965: Purdue 25, Notre Dame 21 (00:44:59)
#87: Sept. 24, 1966: Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14 (00:41:12)
#88: Oct. 1, 1966: Notre Dame 35, Northwestern 7 (00:04:52)
#89: Oct. 8, 1966: Notre Dame 35, Army 0 (00:05:09)
#90: Oct. 15, 1966: Notre Dame 32, North Carolina 0 (00:05:00)
#91: Oct. 22, 1966: Notre Dame 38, Oklahoma 0 (00:04:21)
#92: Oct. 29, 1966: Notre Dame 31, Navy 7 (00:04:19)
#93: Nov. 5, 1966: Notre Dame 40, Pittsburgh 0 (00:32:33) / part 2 (00:34:32)
#94: Nov. 12, 1966: Notre Dame 64, Duke 0 (00:04:50)
#95: Nov. 19, 1966: Notre Dame 10, Michigan St. 10 (00:07:27)
#96: Nov. 26, 1966: Notre Dame 51, USC 0 (00:03:59)
#97: Sept. 30, 1967: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 21 (00:48:50)
#98: Oct. 14, 1967: USC 24, Notre Dame 7 (01:46:59)
#99: Nov. 18, 1967: Notre Dame 36, Georgia Tech 3 (00:01:55)
#100: Sept. 28, 1968: Purdue 37, Notre Dame 22 (00:43:44)
#101: Nov. 30, 1968: Notre Dame 21, USC 21 (00:15:24) / part 2 (00:15:24) / part 3 (00:15:24)
#102: Sept. 27, 1969: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:42:04)
#103: Oct. 18, 1969: Notre Dame 14, USC 14 (00:01:18)
#104: Nov. 8, 1969: Notre Dame 49, Pittsburgh 7 (00:59:40)
#105: Nov. 14, 1970: Notre Dame 10, Georgia Tech 7 (00:02:47)
#106: Nov. 21, 1970: Notre Dame 3, LSU 0 (00:02:53)
#107: Nov. 28, 1970: USC 38, Notre Dame 28 (01:04:31) / part 2 (01:06:53)
#108: Jan. 1, 1971: Notre Dame 24, Texas 11 (Cotton Bowl) (00:15:06) / part 2 (00:14:44) / part 3 (00:08:21) / part 4 (00:08:00) / part 5 (00:11:07) / part 6 (00:12:40) / part 7 (00:13:27) / part 8 (00:13:42) / part 9 (00:04:10)
#109: Sept. 25, 1971: Notre Dame 8, Purdue 7 (00:00:50)
#110: Oct. 23, 1971: USC 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:01:16)
#111: Nov. 20, 1971: LSU 28, Notre Dame 8 (02:32:35)
#112: Dec. 2, 1972: USC 45, Notre Dame 23 (00:07:14)
#113: Jan. 1, 1973: Nebraska 40, Notre Dame 6 (00:31:28)
#114: Sept. 22, 1973: Notre Dame 44, Northwestern 0 (00:05:31)
#115: Sept. 29, 1973: Notre Dame 20, Purdue 7 (00:37:44)
#116: Oct. 6, 1973: Notre Dame 14, Michigan St. 10 (00:04:50)
#117: Oct. 13, 1973: Notre Dame 28, Rice 0 (00:03:20)
#118: Oct. 20, 1973: Notre Dame 62, Army 3 (01:20:02)
#119: Oct. 27, 1973: Notre Dame 23, USC 14 (03:15:08)
#120: Nov. 3, 1973: Notre Dame 44, Navy 7 (00:04:16)
#121: Nov. 10, 1973: Notre Dame 31, Pittsburgh 10 (00:03:00)
#122: Nov. 22, 1973: Notre Dame 48, Air Force 15 (00:03:48)
#123: Dec. 1, 1973: Notre Dame 44, Miami (Fla.) 0 (00:03:08)
#124: Dec. 31, 1973: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23 (02:00:42)
#125: Sept. 28, 1974: Purdue 31, Notre Dame 20 (00:54:50)
#126: Oct. 12, 1974: Notre Dame 10, Rice 3 (00:02:51)
#127: Nov. 23, 1974: Notre Dame 38, Air Force 0 (0:00:38)
#128: Nov. 30, 1974: USC 55, Notre Dame 24 (00:15:20) / part 2 (00:15:23) / part 3 (00:15:23) / part 4 (00:15:21) / part 5 (00:07:03)
#129: Jan. 1, 1975: Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11 (00:52:25)
#130: Oct. 11, 1975: Notre Dame 21, North Carolina 14 (00:01:28) / part 2 (00:03:07)
#131: Oct. 18, 1975: Notre Dame 31, Air Force 30 (00:04:28)
#132: Oct. 25, 1975: USC 24, Notre Dame 17 (00:59:10)
#133: Nov. 8, 1975: Notre Dame 24, Georgia Tech 3 (00:02:29) / part 2 (00:02:02)
#134: Nov. 15, 1975: Pittsburgh 34, Notre Dame 20 (01:00:36)
#135: Sept. 11, 1976: Pittsburgh 31, Notre Dame 10 (00:45:48) / part 2 (01:02:20)
#136: Oct. 16, 1976: Notre Dame 41, Oregon 0 (00:15:06)
#137: Nov. 6, 1976: Georgia Tech 23, Notre Dame 14 (00:00:46)
#138: Nov. 13, 1976: Notre Dame 21, Alabama 18 (02:42:51)
#139: Nov. 27, 1976: USC 17, Notre Dame 13 (00:51:20)
#140: Sept. 10, 1977: Pittsburgh 19, Notre Dame 9 (00:01:41)
#141: Sept. 17, 1977: Mississippi 20, Notre Dame 13 (01:16:06)
#142: Sept. 24, 1977: Notre Dame 31, Purdue 24 (01:20:46) / part 2 (01:08:09)
#143: Oct. 1, 1977: Notre Dame 16, Michigan St. 6 (01:05:05)
#144: Oct. 15, 1977: Notre Dame 24, Army 0 (00:01:36)
#145: Oct. 22, 1977: Notre Dame 49, USC 19 (02:40:52)
#146: Nov. 12, 1977: Notre Dame 21, Clemson 17 (01:19:52)
#147: Jan. 2, 1978: Notre Dame 38, Texas 10 (02:47:12)
#148: Sept. 23, 1978: Michigan 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:23:34)
#149: Sept. 30, 1978: Notre Dame 10, Purdue 6 (00:42:59)
#150: Oct. 14, 1978: Notre Dame 26, Pittsburgh 17 (02:52:41)
#151: Nov. 11, 1978: Notre Dame 31, Tennessee 14 (00:47:51)
#152: Nov. 25, 1978: USC 27, Notre Dame 25 (03:13:42)
#153: Jan. 1, 1979: Notre Dame 35, Houston 34 (03:07:16)
#154: Sept. 15, 1979: Notre Dame 12, Michigan 10 (00:03:22)
#155: Sept. 22, 1979: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 22 (00:40:03)
#156: Oct. 27, 1979: Notre Dame 18, South Carolina 17 (00:06:27)
#157: Nov. 10, 1979: Tennessee 40, Notre Dame 18 (00:59:19)
#158: Nov. 17, 1979: Clemson 16, Notre Dame 10 (02:23:40)
#159: Nov. 24, 1979: Notre Dame 40, Miami 15 (Mirage Bowl) (00:04:34)
#160: Sept. 20, 1980: Notre Dame 29, Michigan 27 (00:06:02)
#161: Nov. 15, 1980: Notre Dame 7, Alabama 0 (01:53:57)
#162: Dec. 6, 1980: USC 20, Notre Dame 3 (00:07:51)
#163: Jan. 1, 1981: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10 (Sugar Bowl) (02:43:17)

…and 320 more videos….

The post Here is Every Notre Dame Football Game on YouTube* appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

#HLSrecap

One of these days I will have your Notre Dame football Twitter emoting ready in a timely manner, but today is not that day!

Anyways, you’re not here to read any of my thoughts on the #HLSRecap, you are here for yours.

GET SOME:

https://storify.com/HLS_NDtex/hlsrecap-notre-dame-vs-georgia-tech

The post #HLSRecap: Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

In this episode, we cover the great (for 58 minutes at least) performance of the defense. We deal with yet another Irish injury and ask if celebrations in general are to blame. There is something resembling a preview of UMass as well as a discussion of our superstitions because why not!

As always you can find the video and podcast version below. Be sure to subscribe to both our YouTube and iTunes feeds!

The post HLS TV (Episode 18): Victory Buzz appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Jaylon Smith recovers a fumble during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

In defeating Georgia Tech 30-22, Notre Dame became the only team in the country to beat three Power 5 teams this season and the first to contain Tech’s offense. After last week’s breathless finish at Virginia, fair questions were asked of the Irish about their understanding of Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder’s scheme and whether it was the right fit for Notre Dame. Fairer questions were directed at Notre Dame’s depth and DeShone Kizer’s ability to fill in for Malik Zaire, who joined the ranks of Irish starters lost to injury for the season. Yesterday’s victory provided positive answers and showed that, perhaps implausibly, Notre Dame is still very much in contention.

Fourteenth-ranked Georgia Tech came into yesterday’s game with college football’s number one rushing offense and had scored sixty plus points in both of its previous games. Its vaunted triple-option offense and Coach Paul Johnson’s mastery of it had projected to give Notre Dame’s injury-addled defense fits. After pummeling Alcorn State and Tulane, Georgia Tech averaged 457.5 rushing yards per game.

Notre Dame held Georgia Tech to 216 rushing yards on 47 rushing plays and just 313 total offensive yards. This achievement, in large part, was the result of a perfectly executed defensive scheme that took first and second down away from the Rambling Wreck. The Irish forced Tech into four three-and-out series. Tech had none in their previous two games and just eleven all last season.

Notre Dame’s defense, which consisted of personnel selected by Caoch VanGorder specifically for the Tech game and who dubbed themselves the “SWAG team,” showed themselves, indeed, to be “students with attitude and game.” Jerry Tillery got his first start and consistently got the better of the under-sized Tech offensive linemen. Sheldon Day was disruptive at the point of attack, which allowed ample penetration into the backfield by linebackers Jaylon Smith, who had a nifty scoop and rumble fumble recovery, and Joe Schmidt. On passing plays, of which Tech ran 24, another indicator that their game plan came off the rails, quarterback Justin Thomas never had a pocket and never looked comfortable. He was sacked once.

The Irish took their foot off the gas late in the game and surrendered two touchdowns in quick succession, the last of which came after Tech recovered an on-sides kick. The result, though, was never really in doubt, and VanGorder’s decision to substitute personnel should provide them with valuable game experience.

Offensively, DeShone Kizer threw for 242 yards on 21 completions in 30 attempts. If he was uncomfortable or nervous with his first start and under the glare of the NBC and Showtime cameras, he didn’t show it, much. In fact, if anything, he was maybe too certain that he could make something of nothing. His worst moment of the game was a terrible interception thrown near Corey Robinson but closer to either of two Tech defenders in the back corner of the end zone in the second quarter and on third and goal from the five yard line.

His connection to Will Fuller and Chris Brown, though, was much more precise. He connected with Fuller on a forty-six yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and, later in the game, a thirty-six yard completion. Fuller became the first Irish receiver since 1970 to start the season with three one hundred-yard games. Kizer hooked up with Chris Brown eight times. Brown should have caught at least two more, but he was clearly a favorite and readily-forgiven target of the young quarterback.

On the ground, the Irish and C.J. Prosise gashed Tech. Notre Dame’s last touchdown of the game came in the fourth quarter on a 91 yard carry by Prosise, Notre Dame’s longest rushing touchdown in its home history. He finished the game with 198 yards and three touchdowns.

The offensive line was obviously bigger and better than Tech’s defensive front and they did a good job protecting Kizer and letting him go through his reads. They blocked effectively enough for the Irish backs, guiding them to 215 yards on the ground. This was the third time Notre Dame ran for more than two hundred yards this season. Ronnie Stanley was called for three false starts and Mike McGlinchey for one. Whether that was on them or the new signal caller will be seen over this week in practice and next Saturday against UMass.

The Irish may have lost safety Drue Tranquill for the season as he seemed to have blown a knee celebrating a PBU with Joe Schmidt. With the Irish losing a starter per game, at this clip, “next man in” may, at Fenway, have to be changed to “next bassoonist” or “next silent auction-winner” in. When the book on the 2015 season is written, maybe Corey Robinson will realize that taking that tiki idol from the old graveyard wasn’t such a good idea.

The post Irish D Gives Bees Hives, Win 30-22 appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

But the whole idea of all these candidates debating issues and working toward one office caused me to consider the parallels to football (aren’t there always parallels to football or religion). And so I looked at several of our opponents and pondered what they would be like, were they Presidential candidates. I do this in the nation’s interest and in the spirit of patriotism.

First, some have already bowed-out of the race:

Texas – Walked a bit too softly and forgot to carry his big stick…while talking too loudly.

Virginia – The General Lee of the race. Played rough, left destruction in his path, but still lost.

Michigan – Lost the last primary. Moved to a small South American dictatorship.

Then, there are those who are still in the race:

Massachusetts – Thinks he’s an East Coast elite. Talks with a clinched jaw…a glass jaw.

Clemson – Can take a punch, but can’t deliver one.

Navy – A true patriot, but not enough missiles in his arsenal.

USC – Lying, cheating, philanderer with anger issues. He offends more voters than he attracts.

Temple – Small-time politician with small-time chances.

Pittsburgh – Always stays in the race too long, but usually gets kicked when he’s up.

Wake Forest – Genteel fellow, more interested in tee-times than kick-offs.

Boston College – Agent of the Evil Empire.

Stanford – Thinks way too highly of himself and is often delusional. Sore loser.

And that leaves tomorrow’s opponent:

Georgia Tech – Floats like a bee, but stings like a butterfly.

In this theoretical political scenario, the Irish win the primary and advance to the general election. It’s impossible to tell who the opposing party’s candidate might be, but there’s a good chance it will be a Southerner known for arrogance and corruption. I’ll leave you to fill in that blank.

EFS CSC

Editor’s Note – Father Sorin Says: The Founder Comments on Today’s Notre Dame is currently available in the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore and on Amazon.

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Candid Dates appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

So, no more of me being all sad and depressed about the games. Last week I spent a lot of words explaining why I was sad about the Virginia game even before it happened. The game itself was amazing (well, the very end, let’s not speak of the rest right here and now), but the sadness was real. People lamenting the players lost are missing an opportunity to enjoy Will Fuller doing his thing and CJ Prosise becoming one of the most versatile, explosive players in recent Notre Dame memory. A lot of folks seem resigned to a fate of ND “settling” into mediocrity or just being bitten by too many injuries. I refuse to go this route. Oh yes, I’ll be accused of riding my unicorn across rainbow road, and to that I say: You are damn right I am. There may come a week where I need to re-calibrate possibilities, but as of the time of this piece Notre Dame is 2-0, ranked #8 in the country, and still in possession of some excellent pieces.

I’ll acknowledge that the injuries have certainly stung. Not every outcome may be as sweet as honey like last week’s win over Virginia, but such moments shouldn’t be ignored either. The buzz around the stadium is now about DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame’s new queen bee. Will he learn to fly or turn yellow when confronted by a formidable opponent? People are also still waiting to see if the ND defense can get themselves in gear and swarm the opponent, but it’s certainly not a given. Despite all of these questions and concerns, there is reason for hope. Now, who is it they’re playing this week???

The When/Where/What Time/Etc. vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 PM ET, Our Lady of the Lake, TV – NBC (Feherty pending)

The Opposing Coach: I’d like to thank Textradamus for totally knowing this week was going to be busy for me. While he’s refused to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for each writer so we can quit our day jobs, he did handle discussion of Paul Johnson in his KTKTE piece.

The Bee’s Last Game: Tech tested the limits of what constitutes an FBS game by bashing in the Tulane Green Wave 65-10. They ran the dang ball 56 times. They passed it 10. It didn’t much seem to matter. Justin Thomas, perhaps the best actual quarterback Johnson has had to run his system, finished the day 7/9 for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. He finished second on the team in rushing yards with 71 on the day. The Bees had 8 different rushers rush for at least 30 yards with none that finished above 72 on their way to 439 total rushing yards, 6 TD’s, and a 7.8 YPC. Tech kept scoring so fast that they only wound up with a 6 minute possession advantage. I refuse to dignify this match anymore. Tech’s good. Tulane….my lady went there, so I can’t call it worthless, but well….

Team Talent:  Same thought process as last week. Tech clocks in at 7/12 among this year’s opponent in cumulative recruiting points since 2011. They rank 2 slots behind Virginia in 5 year cumulative value. Notre Dame boasts a near 100 point per cycle advantage on Tech’s recruiting classes. That said, when it comes to true “systems” like Georgia Tech’s and even to a lesser extent Oregon, I don’t think recruiting rankings tell the whole story. Fit will always matter as much if not more for such programs because they’re looking for specific types of players. Johnson’s an absolute master at program building. He searches for guys who are willing and able to run his version of the spread (don’t you DARE call it the triple option), and programs under his guidance do very well at running (quite literally) his scheme. Notre Dame will from a straight recruiting standpoint be suiting up better athletes, but this is not necessarily the advantage it would appear to be.

Trends/Thoughts/Stats: Did I thank Tex yet for basically doing this preview for me already? Well, let’s do it again because he also talked about Tech at length in his fear factor ratings. The two enormous story lines will obviously be how DeShone Kizer performs and what to make of the defense. I’ll admit, my gut was to say that Notre Dame needs to pull the old LSU playbook back out: slow the pace, run to control the clock, avoid turnovers, etc. The problem is that Tech, who scores more than you think, is just as happy if not more content to grind out victories. So, I went searching, and here’s what I found about 2013 and 2014 Georgia Tech:

• Georgia Tech is 2-7 when their opponent scores 30 or more points.
• Only 2 teams have defeated Tech with less than 30 points. Both games happened in 2013 (Ole Miss, Virginia Tech)
• Tech’s style doesn’t leave them open to home/road splits. 4 losses occurred at home. 4 on the road. and 1 was a neutral site game.
• Forget about trying to win the rushing game or time of possession battle. Tech out rushed its opponent in each of the 9 losses. They also had even or better clock control. If you think the defense sucks if they gave up a bunch of rushing yards, prepare to think the defense sucks. Even in losses, Tech will get their yards.
• It’s not insightful, but the most common thread between the losses was Tech giving the ball up more than its opponent. The first two games have seen the ND defense force just 1 turnover. The offense has been mistake free, but the key is to force Tech into 2+ mistakes. Letting Tech rack up yards that lead to zero points is a great way to turn their well oiled rushing machine into a rambling wreck.

I wanted to say something bold about this game like ND will do it the hard way and out rush Tech if they want to win. Now, I think the opposite. ND needs to come out looking to make it a scoring battle and exploit their air attack weapons. Doing the “protect the new starter” thing is a recipe for being too conservative to exploit where Tech can be got: the defensive side of the ball. Notre Dame’s offense ranks 15th in the nation after 2 weeks in yards per play a 7.0. To hammer home a fun early season point: They’ve done it against 2 Power 5 conference teams. Sure, Malik Zaire, Tarean Folston, and Durham Smythe are gone for the year, but CJ Prosise, Will Fuller, and a stable of other athletes remain. There’s a mantra that athletic discrepancies show up the most when a defense lacks talent. It’s still entirely possible Georgia Tech’s defense is inept and just hasn’t seen a real offense in the first two weeks. Notre Dame needs to test this theory early and often. Don’t get into a ball control battle with one of the ultimate ball control teams. Attack. Attack. Attack!

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