This one had a different feel. After hard-fought, last-minute losses to Michigan and Michigan State, Notre Dame was systematically dismantled by a physical, well-coached Stanford squad. The Irish offense never managed to get into a rhythm or established any consistent production, and the defense, which played well against a potent Stanford offense and kept Notre […]

Following the loss to Michigan two weekends ago, Brian Kelly made it clear that the moral victories that come from heartbreaking losses are nothing to hold onto anymore. And while I agree with him, that the Irish should be playing with energy and enthusiasm on every down, following Saturday’s loss to Stanford, it seems that […]

Another week, another close, tough loss for the Irish. Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio improved to 3-1 against Notre Dame, and the Spartans have won 10 of the last 14 in the series. If it feels like these close, late-game losses are a trend, it’s because they are. Since opening the 2008 season Notre […]

Notre Dame travels to East Lansing Saturday to face their third consecutive Big Ten opponent and annual foe Michigan State. The Irish are coming off a tough loss to Michigan, the second in which a young Wolverine quarterback was the nail in the coffin. It will be imperative for Notre Dame to avoid a hangover, […]

Last year it was freshman Tate Forcier’s clutch touchdown pass on the final Wolverine possession. This year it was his off-season understudy-turned-starter, Denard Robinson. Robinson, after a record-setting performance against Connecticut in week one, exploded for an even bigger day against Notre Dame. He was clearly the best player in Notre Dame stadium Saturday, and […]

As the Fighting Irish battled the Wolverines toward the end of the game, memories of recent seasons past flashed through my mind. In a game littered with missed assignments, blown coverage, and shoddy tackling, could the Irish squeak out a win? In a few short months with Brian Kelly, could Notre Dame shake their recent reputation of crumbling under pressure and […]

Turning a ship around is a long and arduous task. It takes time to get the vessel corrected. After Charlie Weis left the Notre Dame program, it had all the tools to head in the right direction, but the helm was turned the wrong way. Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame’s Athletic Director, was charged with the […]

The Brian Kelly Era begins Saturday with the home opener against annual foe Purdue. After an off-season spent parsing coaching comments, grasping at limited practice footage, and discussing the positives/negatives of the Blue-Gold game, Irish fans will finally be able to evaluate their new head coach. If Kelly is to meet fans’ expectations, he needs to get […]

September 4th marks the debut of the Brian Kelly era in South Bend. For the fourth time since 1997 Notre Dame has a new coach, and, once again, Irish fans are wondering if he can lead them back to prominence and succeed where his three predecessors failed. To be certain, Kelly brings with him many […]

The stat gurus at Football Outsiders have released the most recent edition of their off-season annual—Football Outsiders Almanac 2010—complete with an introductory explanation of some new and innovative statistics, 2010 projections for every college football team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, quarterback and recruiting rankings, and a brief history of conference realignment. In conjunction with […]