Let's take a look at the last decade of Notre Dame/Pitt: Save for Weis making quite the debut against a very unprepared Pitt led by Dave Wannstedt, the ND/Pitt series has been defined by a single possession contest as of late. To be honest, it's really hard to explain why. For the most part, Pitt has been a medicore team that Notre Dame is usually better than. Last year's game was probably the best example of this: an undefeated Irish squad hanging on for dear life against a team that ...
Kapron Lewis-Moore
Good Fridays w/Padre: Last Hurrah
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. ...
Blue-Gold Game Photo Journal
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 ...
NFL Combine: Eifert Impresses, Te’o Disappoints
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. ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: Sing-Along
Even though it’s Advent, a time of sober preparation, and finals, a time of wailing and gnashing of teeth, people are already becoming sentimental and excited about Christmas. Maybe not Alabama students, since Tuscaloosa proudly calls itself Druid City (in which case we wish them a happy Winter Solstice). Even though it’s traditional to give presents on the Feast of the Nativity, the gift we are all hoping for won’t come until January 7. We’ll just pretend that there were actually four Magi ...
It’s Official: Notre Dame and Alabama in BCS Title Game
In perhaps EPSN's most anti-climatic BCS reveal show ever, Notre Dame and Alabama received their official invites to the BCS National Title game. At HLS, this now means we start the process of breaking down as much Alabama information as possible for the next month as well as bracing for some newfound SEC visitors that happen to stumble upon us. For now though, less enjoy some reactions from Brian Kelly and the players in celebration of this great moment. ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: CHARGE!
How perfect it is for the long victory march to arrive at this place, at this time, with these men! How fitting to face the fiercest foe, the blackest blight of the dark decade now left behind! Twelve is an ancient number of perfection – and perfect the Fighting Irish will be, as no other team in the land! With one more struggle, with one more heroic charge, with one more win Notre Dame will have climbed to the summit of an undefeated season. But one enemy stands in the way – and let him! ...
Irish Survive Purdue, 2011 Flashbacks
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 ...
Tuitt ND’s Newest Road Runner
Despite the departure of Aaron Lynch and some depth issues, Notre Dame’s defensive line was expected to be one of the team’s strongest position groups in 2012. While the Irish will not face personnel and option plays similar to Navy’s the rest of the season, it is hard not to be very pleased with the performance of Kapron Lewis-Moore, Louis Nix, Kona Schwenke, Stephon Tuitt and the rest of the D-line after shutting down the Midshipmen in Dublin. Outside of Tuitt’s touchdown (we’ll get to that ...
Notre Dame 3-4 Defense Primer
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 ...