As I mentioned on this week's episode of HLS TV, I hate Stanford. Well, perhaps I should back up a bit, if I'm being honest with myself, saying that I hate Stanford is probably a bit much. No, the more accurate description is that I hate this lofty pedestal some Notre Dame fans have placed them on. Recently, Stanford somehow became the embodiment of the "right" way to run a football program and that Notre Dame should copy it. Their "old school, physical style" is somehow the ...
Stanford
Irish Blogger Gathering: Let’s Have a Forest Fire
It's good to get back in the regular IBG routine once again. Getting out of the weekly grove with a bye is always jarring. As a reminder, our IBG members are: Mike Coffey from NDNation, Frank Vitovitch from UHND.com, Aaron Horvath from the Official Fighting Irish Blog, and the IBG godfather himself, the Subway Domer. We have all asked each other the same questions and we are here to give you the answers. It's another hate week in my mind. Let's burn some trees. My question: While ...
HLS TV (Episode 5): Orange Crush
Molly and I wanted to try to get this episode to you yesterday; however, life got in the way (pesky thing) and we had to push it back a day. I promise, we are trying to shoot for a regular(ish) schedule one of these days. Anyways, in this episode we chat about the turnover-filled victory against Syracuse. We give our reactions to Golson's strange night, the offensive line shakeup, the great play of the defense, and even take a trip back to 1943. Plus, we take a look at the next Irish ...
CFB Week 5: A Tale of Two…
Years 2008: Notre Dame vs. Syracuse, L 23-24 2014: Notre Dame @ Syracuse, W 31-15 In 2008, Notre Dame managed to win the turnover battle (+2), out-gained Syracuse, and had Jimmy freakin' Clausen at QB, yet still managed to lose against a team that had just fired their coach. There's a reason One Foot Down named this the worst loss of the Weis era. It all but glued Weis' rear to the hot seat in 2009. Last night, Notre Dame lost the turnover battle in a big way (-4) and completely ...
Opponent Watch: West Coast Appetizer
Who To Watch USC at Stanford (Sat 3:30pm ET, ABC) Week 2 doesn't have much to offer, and your Saturday primetime is already booked with Notre Dame vs. Michigan, so I'll recommend a matchup of two future ND opponents. Out west on The Farm, see Steve Sarkisian in his first true road test against David Shaw's Cardinal. ...
Opponent Watch: Welcome Back, College Football
The offseason is behind us. We have passed through the barren wilderness wasteland, and before us stretches the verdant Field Turf plain of lush college football goodness. Each week in this space, I'll keep tabs on 2014 Notre Dame opponents, their strength-of-schedule, and who they're playing. For those of who want to scout future opponents, or who just can't get enough college football, I'll take my best guess as to what you should watch when you're not watching Notre Dame Football. ...
Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy: Coach
Fittingly, I hope, we end this year's installment of Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy with the position that defines an era: Coach. Years, if not decades, are defined by the men at the helm of the program. Rockne connotes herky-jerky newsreels and chamiponships. Leahy, Parseghian, Holtz, Devine, Willingham, and Weis each conjure images or feelings. Entering his fifth year at the head of Fighting Irish, the big fig himself, Brian Kelly's name is beginning to define the times. One ignores the ...
Friday Roundup: The “Horseman” Edition
Outlined against a clear-blue August sky, the Lone Horseman rode again. In dramatic lore he is known as the Purple-Faced Monster. This is only an alias. His real name is Brian Kelly. He trotted in front of his South Bend squad before which another practice would be held in the friendly confines of the Culver Academies as a handful of Fighting Irish Digital Media employees peered through their camera lenses and over their Twitter devices at the bewildering sight prancing on the synthetic field ...
Notre Dame’s Strength of Schedule Visualized
Strength of schedule is by far one of our favorite topics to discuss here at HLS. With conference's becoming more insular in their scheduling, the need to trumpet the gauntlet of a schedule that Notre Dame plays in becomes incredibly important to break the conference narrative. Enter Brian Freamau, member of the advanced statistics site, Football Outsiders, who came up with the efficiency rating, FEI, that is an essential competent of the F/+ rating, which is another favorite of ours to use ...
Notre Dame 2014 Opponent Preview: Stanford
Up this week in our Notre Dame football opponent previews is Stanford. I promise that I have made no phantom whistle jokes or any snide remarks about David Shaw. ...that will come later. Previous Opponent Previews: Rice Michigan Purdue Syracuse Vitals Offense Spoiler alert: Stanford loves running the damn ball. This year will be rather interesting as Stanford lost all their starting running backs, including Tyler Gaffney who rushed for 1,750 yards, and only ...