Credit: Associated Press

Will Fuller’s NFL rookie campaign began Sunday and he picked up right where his Notre Dame career left off. He showed why he was correctly assessed as a first round talent recording five receptions on 11 targets for a Houston Texans rookie debut record of 107 yards and one touchdown in the Texans’ 23-14 victory over the Bears.

Fuller’s speed was on full display, especially on his touchdown, which came on a screen pass that Irish fans are all too familiar with. He could have had an even more impressive NFL debut, however he dropped what would have been an 83 yard touchdown late in the first half. Unfortunately, drops continue to hinder the talented wide out and are also something Irish fans are all to familiar with. All in all, Fuller’s first NFL game was a success as he continues to utilize his elite speed to take the top off of defenses and be a consistent threat in the screen game. Fuller will look to build on his early NFL success this upcoming Sunday as the Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

RIDDICK IS CLUTCH IN LIONS’ WIN

Theo Riddick helped buoy the Lions to a win against the Colts on Sunday in a career game. Riddick rushed for 45 yards on seven carries and one touchdown. Two carries came in clutch time to help set up the Lions game winning field goal. He continued to be a huge threat in the passing game out of the backfield, notching five receptions on five targets for 63 yards including one for another touchdown. He and former Nebraska Cornhusker Ameer Abdullah are becoming a deadly one-two punch at running back.

Versatility remains Riddick’s most admirable asset, as he is proving to be one of the best third down running backs in the NFL. He benefits from mismatches against linebackers in the passing game and is quickly becoming one of Matthew Stafford’s most reliable targets in the absence of recently retired Calvin Johnson. In his three years with the Lions, Riddick’s production has ascended year over year from a lonely four receptions in his rookie season, to 34 receptions in 2014, to 80 receptions last season. The 2016 season started out with a solid three year $12.75 million contract extension for the Notre Dame alum. On Sunday, he demonstrated that he was worth every penny.

Cheers and Go Irish!

The post #NDintheNFL: Will Fuller & Theo Riddick Shine appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football Focus unveiled its 101 best college players Monday, offering an early glimpse at some of the players that will likely give the Irish fits come this fall.

Before we look at Irish opponents, let’s look at the two Notre Dame players that made the list: Offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson.

Here’s what PFF’s Steve Palazzolo said about McGlinchey, who he ranked #36 overall.

McGlinchey has made great strides since arriving at Notre Dame as a high-upside freshman. Last year was his first as a starter and he responded with the nation’s highest grade for a right tackle at +23.2. He’s expected to move to the left side to replace top-ten pick Ronnie Stanley, bringing his strong run blocking that ranked ninth among all tackles in the country in 2015.

Nelson came in at #94, with Palazzolo saying:

Nelson wasn’t out of place in his first college action. He was excellent in the running game, as he was strong at the point of attack and impressive as a puller. Nelson finished with a positive grade in pass protection as well, and his debut bodes well for the future of Notre Dame’s offensive line.

Now here are the top 11 individuals who’ll play against the Irish, as determined by PFF:

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford (#1 overall)
2. JuJu Smith-Shuster, WR, USC (#21 overall)
3. Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State (#23 overall)
4. Zach Banner, OT, USC (#45 overall)
5. Adoree Jackson, CB/WR, USC (#47 overall)
6. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech (#62 overall)
7. Jaylen Samuels, RB, N.C. State (#68 overall)
8. Wyatt Teller, G, Virginia Tech (#75 overall)
9. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami (#87 overall)
10. Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford (#98 overall)
11. Ed Davis, LB, Michigan State (#100 overall)

Here are some other Irish headlines:

• Golson Signs With CFL Team – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson to their practice squad. The Cats are 1-0 on the season, with former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli going 27-for-37 with 318 yards and 3 TDs against the Toronto Argonauts. Masoli is playing in place of Zach Collaros, who played for Brian Kelly at Cincinnati. Collaros torn his ACL last September and is still recovering. Here’s video of Golson talking about his first day with the team.
• Jersey Football Field Named After Theo Riddick – Immaculata High School, the Somerville, N.J. alma mater of former Irish RB Theo Riddick, named their playing field after the Detroit Lions’ backfield specialist. Riddick ran for 4,042 yards and scored 52 touchdowns in high school career. He graduated from the school in 2009.
• Pat Connaughton Chucks It DEEEP – The former Irish basketball standout, now playing for the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, threw a football a long, long way with what seems to be minimal effort. He says it went 80 yards on the fly, but it’s super hard to tell. I see at least 60 easy.
• Breaking down the cost of bringing Navy-Notre Dame to Jax – The city of Jacksonville is expected to invest $350,000 into operating EverBank Field during the Midshipman’s Nov. 5 matchup with the Irish. The city is also installing 3,500 seats to replace those lost during recent renovations.

The post Notre Dame’s Most Talented Opponents appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The NCAA sanctions imposed on USC football, men's basketball and women's tennis in 2010 are officially over. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/CAiOZiHsrw

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) June 10, 2014

Sure, be happy that you are out of the NCAA doghouse; however, you can never erase the memories that this guy gave us:

Thanks for the memories, Lane! Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Earlier this week, Spencer Hall detailed the best memories that Lane gave all of college football. However, simply stating that Lane lost to Tommy Rees just doesn’t sum up the joy that Kiffin gave Irish fans.

Allow me to fill in the blanks as we walk down memory lane…

November 27, 2010: Notre Dame 20 – Southern Cal 16

• Yes, it does bear repeating that you lost to Tommy freakin’ Rees.
• Remember, 2010 was a season in which ND lost to Tulsa and Navy in consecutive weeks and this was the first true road game after those disasters.
• Rees was the only QB to throw any TDs in this game and he did it twice.
• Rees also threw 3 INTs and had a fumble. USC had only one turnover all game. That’s a 4 to 1 advantage and you blew it, Lane.
• Robert Hughes still gives Lane nightmares, doesn’t he?
• Or maybe Harrison Smith picking off Mitch Mustain on the one yard line.
• Or maybe watching the game winning TD get dropped:
  [youtube id=”LuTn-9Fk85w”]

November 24, 2012: Notre Dame 22 – Southern Cal 13

• Chin up, Trojans, at least you lost to an Everett Golson led Irish team.
• It was, however, the first time Southern Cal dropped two straight home games to the Irish since 1992.
• Southern Cal never led.
• Theo Riddick ran for 146 yards and had 7.3 yards/carry. Nice defense.
• Lane called a timeout that negated a TD.
• Everything about the goal line stand. It starts with a penalty, Lane kept trying a fade that wasn’t going to work, tried a Bush Push, and then went for the TD on fourth down when Southern Cal needed two scores anyways:
  [youtube id=”bc5MPrEC_2g”]

October 19, 2013: Notre Dame 14 – Southern Cal 10

• Lane were canned two weeks before this game
• Still, he constructed this disaster and Orgeron couldn’t save it.
• This was the first Irish win against Southern Cal at home since 2001.
• The Trojan defense did manage to stop the Irish…when Tommy Rees went down with an injury
• This was a loss to the dynamic duo of Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix. Be proud.
  [youtube id=”smCwwgmeYjA”]

The post Southern Cal’s Sanctions Are Over, but Lane Kiffin Memories Are Forever appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

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. And so you have learned something – you have learned to believe. You see, we use football not just as a diversion, we use it as a teaching device. That’s the only way to be #1 on the field and #1 where we are now…graduation.

What, then, did you learn on the field and in the stands over the past four years? You learned that the only way to achieve victory is through very hard work, every single time. You learned that success is not instant – it is gradual and it requires both dedication and change. And you learned that to any goal which you ardently desire, you must devote your intelligence, your courage, and your strength.

In the classroom, which you have occupied far longer than the Stadium, and which you have shared not just with your classmates from the football team, but from every one of our tremendously successful teams, you have learned to think and to reason, to calculate and to deduce. In the classroom you learned to use your mind; in the stadiums and arenas, you learned to use your heart. And that is why, when you graduate, you wear a mortarboard on your head and a black robe across your chest. You are clothed in the uniform of achievement and victory.

But this cap-and-gown is really the Shamrock Series uniform of your life – it’s pretty funny looking, it’s comprised of a combination of odd colors, and you only wear it once. It also leaves out something essential…it leaves out your hands. You’ve learned to use your intelligence and your courage, your mind and your heart. But what about your strength? That’s in your hands. Hands that will write, compose, and design; hands that will care, heal, and cure; hands that will instruct, admonish, and encourage; hands that will pile up treasures and give away gifts; hands that will hold your children or be anointed with the oils of holy orders.

And it is onto your hand that is placed the most important symbol of Notre Dame graduation: The Ring. A beautiful ring that at graduation is taken off, flipped around, and put back on for the rest of your life. Our Lady’s Golden Dome on one side; Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope on the other; sprinkled throughout with the Irish symbol of blessing, the shamrock. It is not a symbol of graduation – it is a symbol of life.

Whenever you have the chance, look at the ring of an older alumnus. It is nicked and dinged, and there are chips missing here and there. So, too, will your life be marked by tests and trials, failures and losses. But these blemishes do not diminish the overall beauty of the ring; they make the ring unique to the wearer. And neither will these travails diminish the overwhelming beauty of your life; they will make it your life.

Whenever you have the chance, look at the ring of an ancient alumnus. It has been made smooth by age and years of hard wearing. All the sharp features are gone, along with all the scratches and scars, and it shines brightly all over. Let that happen to your life, too.

Make no mistake, your hands haven’t spent all of the last four years bent to work or folded in prayer. Your hands have caught footballs on the quad and held beer cans at parties. Your hands have clapped when your teams have won and when your friends have made fools of themselves in ridiculous situations. Your hands have stashed things in pockets, and executed pranks and dirty tricks. Your ring doesn’t somehow consecrate all these exploits, but it reminds you of all these good times that you’ve enjoyed under the Dome etched in its side – and in your hearts forever.

When you arrived here as a herd of freshmen in 2009, we said, “Welcome to Notre Dame!” As you graduate in 2013, we say, “Welcome to your lives!” No matter where you’re going, whether it’s across the country or around the world, you won’t be far. Because this place will always be here. And a good part of you will always be here…forever.

EFS CSC

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Last Hurrah appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

First Round: Tyler Eifert was a lock to go in the first round. The only real questions were “when?” and “to whom?” After The Jets and The Vikings passed on him, the Cincinnati Bengals grabbed Tyler with the twenty-first pick overall. You can read more about Cincy’s newest “Ochocinco” here.

Second Round: Manti Te’o should have gone in the first round, but weighed down with questions about his fake girlfriend, he fell to the San Diego Chargers with the thirty-eighth pick overall. Actually, Te’o was never a consensus first round pick and the Chargers traded up to get him. You can read more about San Diago, which of course means “whale’s vagina in German,” and their newest, classiest linebacker here.

http://youtu.be/9NdTuyHog9A

Sixth Round: Jamoris Slaughter ended a multi-round drought for Notre Dame when The Browns grabbed him with the one hundred and sevety-fifth overall pick. Coming off a season-ending Achilles injury against Michigan State and the disappointment of being denied a sixth season by the NCAA, Slaughter was surprised to get called. You can read more about his injury status and his draft experience here.

Sixth Round: Theo Riddick had to wait until the one hundred and ninety-ninth spot to get his call and it came from Detroit, but I am sure he will not let the pain of either hold him back for long. You know that Theoooooooooo did pretty much everything at ND, from returning kicks to catching passes in the slot, but did you know that The Lions’ number one pick sounds exactly like Dikembe Mutombo? And is a recent convert to football? You can listen to him, and learn more about Detroit’s thoughts on Theo, here.

Sixth Round: Kapron Lewis-Moore made it back-to-back Irish. True story, though, the last time Kap heard his name called on draft day, he got sent to Anzio. But, seriously, was there a better pair of draft day stories than Kap and Jamoris getting drafted after everything they had been through? Sure, EJ Manuel made a great story, but he wasn’t the only person in the Bills organization crying when they heard his name. Anyway, after shredding his ACL in the National Championship Game, KLM had every reason to pack it in or doubt himself. His selection is a massive credit to his performance and character over the years. You can read more about Baltimore’s newest Raven here.

Seventh Round: Zeke Motta was the last Notre Dame player selected in the 2013 Draft, going to Atlanta with the two hundred and forty-fourth pick. While getting drafted by The Falcons will condemn him to a first-contract’s worth of disappointment behind The Saints, Motta had a strong senior season and anchored a secondary that you, me, and your cousin thought would cost us at least two games last season. You can read more about Zeke’s new nest here.

UDFAs: Once, or, more accurately, AS the draft was going on, other Irish were getting calls that would ultimately lead them to signing free agent contracts. As of Sunday afternoon, four Irish signed as undrafted free agents: Braxston Cave, Mike Golic, Jr., Cierre Wood, and John Goodman.  Obviously, it’s great that these men get to chase their dream for another day.

Analysis: So, that’s nine total players who signed on the dotted line in the most public and hyped “Match Day” in the world. The six draftees make this the second-best Irish class in the last decade. Still, compared to their peers, Notre Dame had a strong, but not superlative NFL Drat. Florida State saw ELEVEN players get drafted, while Alabama, LSU, and Florida had nine, each. Although D.J. Fluker may count for two. Anyway, good luck to all of them and Go Irish. (Author’s note: this post reflects “passerby”‘s correction in the comments section below.)

The post Drafted: How Notre Dame’s Class of 2013 Fared in the NFL Player Selection Meeting appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Jack Nolan and UND.com’s whirlwind video hits the highlights:

Eric Hansen at the South Bend Tribune provides the most comprehensive run down of ND’s Pro Day here.

While Notre Dame does not give official 40 times, Manti’s definitely improved over his disappointing NFL combine 4.82. Running a 4.69 according to ND a 4.71 according to ESPN’s Todd McShay and a 4.75 according to Mike Mayock, Te’o said afterwards that he “felt good. I’m at home now, at a place where I’m comfortable, surrounded by people I know.” Most sources, including NFL.com, didn’t see Manti’s 40 time as improving his draft stock dramatically. Still, one-tenth of a second improvement is very solid for a middle linebacker.

Other notable performances included Robby Toma, who turned in a very solid 4.5/40 and fastest times in skills drills and the three cone drill. Braxton Cave and Mike Golic, Jr. put up big numbers on the bench press with 32 and 31, respectively, while John Goodman impressed in the long jump and the vertical, clearing 34 inches. Tyler Eifert eschewed the drills he completed at the combine, but still turned in a solid performance, putting him in position to achieve his self-stated goal of being the first TE drafted. Ben Turk put up 26 reps on the bench and jumped 32 inches vertically. Ben Turk, ladies and gentlemen.

Unfortunately, neither Cierre Wood nor Zeke Motta were able to add much zip to their plodding performances in the 40 at the combine, with Motta still unable to crack 4.70.

While neither Manti nor Tyler will be in New York for the draft, all fourteen players, including the rehabbing KLM and Jamoris Slaughter, will no doubt be watching the coverage and staring at their phones, intently.

Quick Word of Thanks: Today marks my one year anniversary writing for HerLoyalSons. I want to thank Biscuit and Tex for bringing me on and making me a part of this great community. I owe Tex a special debt of gratitude for showing me how to blog. Literally. yTex has to talk me through the magic spells needed to make the 1’s and 0’s do their thing. And I want to thank you, the Loyal Reader. Without you, we’d be nothing. I appreciate your readership and your commentary. I hope that I’ve made your unofficial ND blog experience a touch more enjoyable.

The post Fourteen Irish Put Through Paces at Notre Dame Pro Day appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Eight Notre Dame football stars took to Indianapolis to try and boost their draft fortunes and their results are after the jump.

Tyler Eifert

Before the combine, Eifert was already thought of as one of the best TEs available in the draft. After the combine, Eifert has likely sealed a spot in the first round.

Eifert remained steady in the top five of every drill that he participated in. No other TE was able to claim such well-balanced top honors. His 40 time and vertical jump alone would be enough to make coaches salivate, but considering that he was in the top three in the bench press was just icing on the cake.

I doubt any team will draft him as a “classic”, smash-mouth TE, but with the way NFL teams are using TEs split wide and as receiving threats (much like Kelly did all season), there will be a team that will gladly snatch Eifert up.

Prediction: 1st Round

Manti Te’o

Let’s just get this out of the way: Te’o didn’t impress at all in the combine. John Harbaugh agrees.

That being said, he still likely didn’t hurt his draft stock. Te’o was always slated as a possible 1st round pick, but in the middle to late part of the round at best. The simple fact is that linebackers just aren’t drafted that high. For Te’o to break that mold, he was going to have to amaze and he didn’t.

Even though it was a storyline during the combine, I think it’s safe to say the entire Leenay/Catfishing thing wasn’t really a focus for most NFL teams considering him.

Te’o didn’t help his draft status much, but I don’t think he did much to hurt it. He still has a chance at ND’s pro day to make a final impression.

Prediction: Late 1st Round – Early 2nd Round

Cierre Wood

Cierre left a potential year of eligibility on the table to chase down his NFL dream. Thus far, it appears that he made a decent gamble.

No one really expected Wood to have a stellar 40 time, yet he turned in a top-15 time. His biggest victory though was tacking on top-5 performances in the vertical and broad jump, showcasing that he has more than enough athletic talent to justify a mid-round draft pick.

Enjoy the payday, Cierre, you’ve earned it!

Prediction: 4th-5th Round

Theo Riddick

There is no doubt that Theo Riddick was just as much a part of the strong Irish running game as Cierre was, perhaps even more so when the tough yards were needed. However, Riddick simply didn’t come up with great numbers in his combine drills at all.

Theo is on the lower end of the NFL’s “draftable grade” rating, coming in at 51.05, with 50 being the cutoff for a draftable player.

The real question is what role a team thinks Theo could fill: third down back? Slot receiver? Backup/third RB for a changeup?

Theo definitely turned a lot of heads this season after a rather mediocre couple of years in the slot. Perhaps he will do so yet again, but most teams may just hope he slides into free agency and use their late round picks for other areas of need.

I have little doubt he’s going to find a way on a NFL roster, but whether that happens during or after the draft is still very much up in the air.

Prediction: 7th Round – Undrafted Free Agent

Braxston Cave

Cave was far from one of the more athletic linemen at the combine and not participating in the bench press makes it impossible to really compare his strength to other top talent.

Of all the Irish players to make a prediction for, Cave is by far the toughest. There were only 9 true centers at the combine so that alone works in Cave’s favor. Hell, I watched I think three centers attempt to play for the Cowboys this season alone*.

(*Do not get me started on how atrocious the Dallas offensive line is…)

Someone will definitely scoop him up. He’ll make a solid addition to a two-deep.

Dallas, please pick him. He at least knows how to pull of a shotgun snap which is already a huge improvement!

Prediction: 4th-5th Round

Kapron Lewis-Moore

KLM was at the combine simply to interview as he is still recovering from his awful ACL injury suffered at the title game.

I feel awful for the guy as he probably would’ve been drafted had that not happened.

Get well soon, Kap. I want to see you destroying people in the NFL.

Prediction: Undrafted Free Agent

Zeke Motta

Saying Zeke could’ve had a better day at the combine is an understatement. He had the lowest bench numbers of all safeties and the slowest 40 time of all DBs; in fact, he only bested linemen, a handful of LBs & TEs, and a couple of QBs & RBs in that category.

He did, however, end his day strong with top performances amongst all safeties with a top-5 performance in the 3 Cone Drill and was just .06 away from a top-5 finish in the 20 Yard Shuttle.

Hopefully, he has a much stronger showing at ND’s pro day because his draft stock absolutely plummeted today. Originally, I thought he would have a chance to be an early round pick…now, I just hope he gets drafted.

Prediction: 6th Round – Undrafted Free Agent

Jamoris Slaugther

Another unfortunate casualty to injury. There’s simply no way a team is going to take a risk picking him with the 2013 draft class being well-stocked with DBs.

Prediction: Undrafted Free Agent

The post NFL Combine: Eifert Impresses, Te’o Disappoints appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Before we go further, check out Biscuit’s  preseason take on the position

The Irish:

In 2012, in getting to 12-0, Coach Kelly rolled out a multi-faceted offense that featured Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood, George Atkinson, III and Cam McDaniel at RB. The workhorses in that stable, though, were the seniors, Theo and Cierre. Theo ran for 880 yards and 5 TD’s while Cierre put up 740 and 4. Theo, another Jersey phenom, found success in the backfield after playing receiver, fly half and striker. Cierre is leaning towards a move to the NFL after this year, and with a 14 month old daughter to support, who can blame him. The two each had signature games, BYU for Theo and Oklahoma for Cierre, whose stunning sixty yard run announced that the Irish had come to Norman not just to play, but to win. If the Irish are going to do the same to ‘Bama, both will need to turn in huge games.

And it’s going to be tough. Alabama comes into Miami with the best rush defense in the country, giving up just under 80 yards per game. ND has the nation’s fourth-best rush defense, so this game has all the potential of being a “slobber-knocker.” And, just as an FYI, Stanford and BYU have the other “top four” rush defenses, so it’s not like The Irish haven’t tangled with the top before.

The Enemy:If ND if going to win the crystal football, they’re going to have to handle the two thousand-yarders in ‘Bama’s backfield: T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacey. As you can see in the video below, that’s going to be very, very hard:

The scary thing is that Yeldon’s a freshman, and while that may put his chances of graduating from Alabama at between slim and none, he’s just going to get better. Having put up 1,000 yards this year, that’s very bad for defenses around the country. His junior stable-mate, Eddie Lacey, broke off 1,182.

This is not to say The Irish haven’t faced and defeated better backs: Le’Veon Bell, Stepfan Taylor, Denard Robinson and Ray Graham come to mind. But it’s rare to have two in the same game, much less on the field at the same time. Looks like Manti and the Boys will have their work cut out for them on the 7th.

Putting football aside, I want to wish all of you and yours the best in 2013. Obviously, I want that to start with a National Championship, but in every way, I hope that the New Year is one of health, tranquility and prosperity in all its forms for you.

The post Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy (The NCG Edition): Running Back appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

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.

Some highlights from the EPSN show, including an interview with Brian Kelly and Nick Saban, who, much to the dismay of SEC fans I’m sure, compared us to his Alabama squad:

Some of the players react to the news:

And finally, Kelly addresses the media and chats a bit on ND injuries and the future matchup:

Oh, and just in case you still can’t believe this is real, here is the official press release from Notre Dame:

#1 Notre Dame and #2 Alabama to Meet in BCS Championship Game in South Florida

Top-ranked Notre Dame (12-0) will meet second-rated Alabama (12-1) as the top two teams in the final Bowl Championship Series poll square off Jan. 7, 2013, in the Discover BCS National Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium (71,540 capacity) in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. EST.

For Notre Dame, it’s a first-ever trip to the BCS Championship Game. The Irish previously played in BCS gamesfollowing the 2000 (lost to Oregon State in Fiesta), 2005 (lost to Ohio State in Fiesta) and 2006 seasons (lost to LSU in Sugar).

For Alabama, it’s a second straight trip to the BCS Championship Game (and a third in four years) and the Tide’s fifth overall BCS appearance. Alabama is 2-2 in BCS games—with both its wins coming in championship games (after 2009 season over Texas, after 2011 season over LSU). The Tide also played in BCS games following the 1999 (lost to Michigan in Sugar) and 2008 (lost to Utah in Sugar) seasons.

For Notre Dame, it marks the first time any institution has been ranked number one in the current NCAA Graduation Success Rate football standings (at 97) and also played in the BCS Championship Game.

ESPN will nationally televise the game. ESPN Radio will carry the game nationally. Notre Dame’s IMG Radio Network also will carry the game to a limited number of affiliates.

It’s a matchup of the top two scoring defenses in the country–with Notre Dame ranking number one (allowing 10.33 points per game) and Alabama second (10.69).

It’s Notre Dame’s first appearance in a de-facto championship game since 1988 when the unbeaten andtop-rated Irish defeated third-ranked and unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl to claim their 11^th consensus national title.

This game mirrors the 1973 Sugar Bowl in which top-ranked and unbeaten Alabama lost 24-23 to second-ranked and unbeaten Notre Dame at old Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, La.

For Notre Dame it’s a 32^nd postseason bowl appearance (15-16 record). It’s the third straight season under Brian Kelly the Irish have played in the postseason—following appearances in the 2010 Sun Bowl and the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl.

The Irish have played seven times previously in the Cotton Bowl (following 1969, 1970, 1977, 1978, 1987, 1992 and 1993 seasons), five times in the Orange Bowl (following 1972, 1974, 1989, 1990 and 1995 seasons), four times in the Sugar Bowl (1973, 1980, 1991, 2006), four times in the Fiesta Bowl (1988, 1994, 2000, 2005) and once in the Rose Bowl (1924).

Notre Dame has never played a game in Sun Life Stadium. All five Irish Orange Bowl games (two wins, three losses) were played at the old Orange Bowl Stadium. The Irish also played 13 times (6-6-1 record) at the Orange Bowl Stadium against Miami.

This marks the third time Notre Dame and Alabama have met in bowl games. In addition to that 1973 meeting, the two teams met a year later in the Orange Bowl following the 1974 regular season. The Tide again came in unbeaten at 11-0 and ranked number one, while the Irish were 9-2 and rated eighth (both UPI rankings). Notre Dame won that game 13-11 in Ara Parseghian’s final game as Irish head coach.

Overall, Notre Dame boasts a 5-1 record against Alabama. In addition to the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl wins following the 1973 and 1974 seasons, the Irish defeated the Tide 21-18 in 1976 in Notre Dame Stadium, 7-0 in 1980 at Birmingham’s Legion Field and 37-6 in 1987 in Notre Dame Stadium. Alabama’s only win over Notre Dame came in 1986 (Lou Holtz’s first season at Notre Dame) in a 28-10 victory at Legion Field in Birmingham.

Among connections between the two programs is Alabama director of athletics Mal Moore. He was the Notre Dame running backs coach from 1983-85 under Gerry Faust and also served as Irish assistant head coach in 1984 and 1985.

Both teams receive 17,000 tickets to the BCS Championship Game. There will be no public sale for any of the seats allocated to Notre Dame. A lottery system will be utilized to distribute the tickets to various University constituents. Please visit www.und.com/tickets for more information.

The Irish travel party is expected to arrive in South Florida on Jan. 2.

The post It’s Official: Notre Dame and Alabama in BCS Title Game appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

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.

After that 2006 trip, my father made one more trip into South Bend to watch the Irish get demolished by Southern Cal the following year. After that season, his football attention shifted towards Auburn, which my sister attends. While the Irish struggled mightily at the end of the Weis era and began their transition into the Kelly era, my dad and sister celebrated a national title victory in Glendale, Arizona.

I can’t particularly blame him either. It wasn’t like Notre Dame football had inspired much confidence to convince him that dropping money on tickets, plus a flight, and lodging in South Bend was a particularly good investment. To add to that, he doesn’t have the same attachment that I do to the university like I do.

However, with the Irish making a trip to a bordering state to face the Sooners, his interest was again piqued. Perhaps this would be a good game to get back into the Fighting Irish spirit and take a leap of faith on this game. And as the season unfolded, excitement started to build, rewarding his leap of faith with an epic top-ten matchup.

So there he was, on a bus full of beer-fueled twenty-somethings with a busted bathroom.

We arrived in Norman and headed to the ND Club of Oklahoma City’s tailgate. Of course, the entire affair could only be described as perfectly Notre Dame.

All you can eat, all you can drink (hell, they even had Shock Top on tap), the Notre Dame band did their pre-game concert, and an Irish band played throughout the afternoon — bagpipes included. And of course, there is nothing quite like meeting random Irish fans and alumni.

As we sat at our table, we were graced by several different fans. Perhaps my favorite was one fine gentlemen that was at the famous streak-snapping game over 50 years ago. He was there by himself, but was awaiting the arrival of his son. As he finished his meal, he became increasingly worried that his son, and therefore his ticket, was going to arrive too late for kickoff.

Of course though, his son arrived…with not only his ticket, but new ND cold weather gear for his father, a nice bottle of scotch, and a box of cigars, prompting my dad to demand that I pay attention to all this because that’s how expected to be taken care of later in life.

You got me ND/OU tickets, dad. Noted.

This same son also brought a bar with him. I’m not exaggerating either. Out of nowhere he started mixing Manhattans into Dixie cups. The guy had everything, right up to the bitters and his own jar of cherries that had been soaking in bourbon.

Yes, I will definitely strive to be this man later in life. Hero.

We then started our walk to the stadium and I was very interested to see the OU tailgating scene and how the fans would react to a couple of people decked out in full ND gear. It seems that the OU fans that were raging against the Irish last week were either absent or simply keeping it to themselves. We caught some good-natured ribbing as well walked to the stadium, my favorite of which was the Sooner fan that wished us good luck…next week.

Having visited the Big House, Michigan State, and Southern Cal, I must say that OU was a great change of pace. Everyone was having a blast and was simply excited for good football. No beer bottles went flying by my head and continuous streams of four-letter words were non-existent (in fact, the only ones I heard all night were directed at their own team).

We took our seats in the stadium, which were strategically placed right below a gigantic jumbotron with speakers directly in our ears. I know as ND fans, we have often talked about the merits of putting such a thing in our sacred grounds. I will say this though: it was a rude welcome to my seat and those damned speakers made it near impossible to hear the band or organize chants for a good chunk of the evening.

As for the pre-game content though…my dear God, hilarious.

Once we got settled, we were treated to a feature of “Did you know, OU is actually better than ND in recent history?” We were treated to slideshow of cherry-picked stats that, not surprisingly, put OU on top of ND. My personal favorite was the bowl wins, especially considering ND kept themselves out of bowls on purposes for many, many years.

Then came a feature to educate everyone on the wonderful OU tradition that is “Play Like a Champion Today”, you know that thing that I’ve never heard any OU fan ever talk about despite being around them all my life. This thing seriously drug on for a good ten minutes and didn’t even mention Notre Dame (or our supposed “theft” of this “sacred” tradition) once.

I didn’t mind the omission (after all, I’m at OU), but once the feature called it a unique tradition specific to OU, I died laughing. Even my father thought they were trying to overcompensate with the Irish in town. Once you have a non-ND alum/subway alum saying that, you’ve jumped the shark in impressive fashion.

Final note on the jumbotron: want a cheap pop in Oklahoma? Put Barry Switzer on the screen. My God.

The game got underway and OU’s first drive made me beyond nervous and my dad had a look of “how much money did I spend to watch an ass-kicking?” on his face. Thankfully, OU decided to see if they could snap the ball into their own endzone and I could breathe again.

Then Cierre Wood shut the crowd up. The only thing that matched the stunned look of Sooner fans on that run was their reactions to all of the Irish sections breaking out in push-ups. Sooner fans then started to take on the same look my dad had just a few minutes prior.

The game resembled a heavyweight fight. ND played the part of the boxer that knew he had the lead and refused to blink, lest they screw it all up. OU on the other hand, was desperately looking for a weakness, frustrated that any time they seemed to gain momentum, they’d get punched in the mouth yet again.

Everett Golson, whom my dad has been very critical of, started to receive his glowing praise. He didn’t look like a struggling redshirt freshmen this night. He was poised, making smart decisions, and taking care of the football.

Of course, I can’t mention the QB position without also mentioning Tommy Rees who apparently got ice water injected into his veins during the offseason. To come into the game on a third and long in a hostile crowd during the biggest game of the season and then throw an absolute strike to Eifert — ONIONS!

When OU finally struck back and the Belldozer found his way into the endzone without the benefit of a hold, the entire atmosphere of the stadium changed. OU fans erupted louder than they had all night. It was as if they felt the last three quarters were a nightmare that they’d finally woke up from.

While the Sooners were still buzzing, Golson shoved them back into their nightmare yet again with a perfect bomb to Chris Brown. The Sooner defense couldn’t hold the Irish after that play and all of a sudden ND had a lead once again.

Then Manti was Manti. From my seat I couldn’t quite see who dove and picked the ball off, but somehow I just knew it had to be him.

The Irish section was deafening. Chants alternated between “Man-ti” and “Te-o”. Fans put “five” in the air once again. Even my dad joined in.

The only time we were silent was when the ref announced the result of the review. With seemingly the entire section holding up “five”, after further review, the ruling stood and the party began.

As Notre Dame drove down the field for their field goal, Sooner fans began to leave. Although the game was far from over, it was as if Sooner fans knew the writing was on the wall.

Being a ND fan though, I was still nervous. I’ve seen the nightmare comebacks before. Even as the Sooners lined up for 4th and 8, I was still a wreck. My dad probably didn’t help matters by saying in his excitement: “This is for the national title!”

But Landry’s pass fell to the ground. 2012 isn’t the year for nightmares. I should know better by now.

The mass exodus of Sooner fans started in earnest. Our side of the stadium became South Bend, Oklahoma and even the jumbotron/speaker guy was too depressed to play anything to drown us out. The overacting, Jim Carey-like PA announcer found his cheery tone stomped out as well.

The rest of the game was academic, but Theo Riddick made sure to give us more reason to cheer with his TD run. But after that, the following Sooner drive might have been the funniest thing that I’ve ever seen in sports.

Notre Dame, predictably went into a prevent and OU managed drive down the field and apparently score a nice junk TD to make the score not look so bad. Fireworks went off in the stadium, the few Sooner fans left were joyous…

“After further review…”

The TD was overturned and all the Irish fans had a good chuckle. One of the fans in front of me yelled “Sorry, put the fireworks back in, try again!” much to my amusement.

“Big Game” Bob though wouldn’t have his junk TD overturned and went for it again and scored…

“Pass interference, offense…”

Now we were all dying laughing. But Bob made sure to give us one last laugh by trying yet again for his junk TD. The result: Landry Jones flattened by the ND pass rush to put a final exclamation point on the game.

As we left the stadium, I was on cloud nine and my dad was positively giddy. It was impossible to stop smiling and re-live the events of the evening. We couldn’t believe that we had witnessed that game.

Invasion: success. Good call, dad.

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