Tag: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
College football Week 13 picks
Riley Leonard, No. 10 Notre Dame pound Florida State 52-3
Riley Leonard passed for one touchdown and rushed for two more as No. 10 Notre Dame cruised over visiting Florida State 52-3 on Saturday night in South Bend, Ind.
Jadarian Price added 95 rushing yards and a touchdown for Notre Dame (8-1), which won its seventh in a row. Leonard completed 14 of 27 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 11 times for 70 yards and two scores.
Lawrance Toafili had 15 carries for 74 yards to lead the Seminoles (1-9), whose nightmare season continued with their sixth consecutive loss. Brock Glenn completed 5 of 18 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions and Luke Kromenhoek completed 5 of 8 passes for 37 yards.
Notre Dame outgained Florida State 453-208.
Notre Dame built a 21-3 lead at halftime thanks to a pair of long rushing touchdowns and a shorter passing strike.
Leonard started the scoring with a 34-yard scramble to the end zone on the opening drive. He made a pair of defenders miss and sprinted down the left sideline before leaping past another defender on his way across the goal line.
After a Florida State field goal, Notre Dame struck again with a 65-yard rushing touchdown by Price. He found a hole and won a footrace down the left sideline.
Leonard added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Evans with 17 seconds left in the half.
By the end of the third quarter, Notre Dame increased its lead to 31-3.
Leonard scored from 6 yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the game and 13th of the season. The Fighting Irish added a field goal late in the third quarter.
Three more Notre Dame touchdowns in the fourth quarter added to Florida State’s misery.
Jeremiyah Love scored on a 1-yard run with 10:53 remaining to cap a seven-play, 65-yard drive.
Backup quarterback Steve Angeli got in on the action with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Deion Colzie with 4:06 to go.
The final touchdown belonged to the Notre Dame defense. Luke Talich intercepted a pass by Glenn and returned it 79 yards to the house with 1:23 remaining.
–Field Level Media
No. 12 Notre Dame rolls past No. 24 Navy with 51-14 win
Riley Leonard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one more, and No. 12 Notre Dame rolled to a 51-14 win over No. 24 Navy on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Jeremiyah Love added 12 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (7-1), which won its sixth game in a row. Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell had one touchdown reception apiece, Kedren Young rushed for a score, and Jaylen Sneed had a fumble recovery for a defensive touchdown.
Blake Horvath completed seven of 13 passes for 88 yards and an interception for Navy (6-1), but he proved effective on the ground with 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. Eli Heidenreich had 11 carries for 51 yards and a score.
Navy finished with six turnovers, compared with zero turnovers for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish outgained the Midshipmen 466-310.
Notre Dame led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 31-7 at halftime.
Leonard played a key role in both of the Fighting Irish’s early scores. He rushed for a 1-yard touchdown and threw a 6-yard pass to Mitchell for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Horvath put Navy on the scoreboard with a 47-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. That cut the deficit to 14-7.
Notre Dame answered with two more touchdowns and a field goal before the half. Love burst through a hole for a 64-yard touchdown and added a second score on a 2-yard run to make it 28-7 with 5:05 left before the break.
Zac Yoakam finished the first-half scoring with a 32-yard field goal.
Navy pulled within 31-14 on Heidenreich’s 1-yard touchdown with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter.
The Fighting Irish piled on three more touchdowns to put the score out of reach.
Leonard hit Collins for a 37-yard touchdown with 5:35 to go in the third quarter.
On the following drive, Horvath fumbled the ball near the end zone. Sneed spotted the loose ball as he rushed the passer and pounced on it for a touchdown to boost Notre Dame’s lead to 44-14.
Young put the Fighting Irish above the 50-point mark with 7:08 remaining. The freshman scored on a 4-yard rush for his first career touchdown.
–Field Level Media
College Football Week 9 Betting Picks
No. 12 Notre Dame bids to stay ‘disciplined’ vs. No. 24 Navy
Typically, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman tells his players on defense that he wants them to play loose and free and not get too caught up in technical details.
Freeman senses an exception to the rule, however, as No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) prepares to kick off against No. 24 Navy (6-0) on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Technical details are vital to stopping Navy’s triple-option offense, Freeman said, so playing “fit ball” could take priority over playing “football” for once.
The undefeated Midshipmen are averaging 44.8 points per game, good for fourth in the nation. The only teams with higher-powered offenses this season are Indiana (48.7 ppg), Miami (48.3) and Boise State (46.8).
“I don’t want to get caught up by playing just ‘fit ball’ defensively, but you’ve got to be disciplined,” Freeman said. “It’s really hard to simulate in practice the speed at which they run their offense. So it can take a little time, especially for guys who have not faced that type of offense, to realize the speed at which they run their offense.
“And then, all of a sudden when you’re trying to adjust to the speed, you can lose your eyes — keeping your eyes on your assignment. We have to be disciplined. We have to practice until we can’t get it wrong, but then we’ve got to understand that it’s going to take a little time to catch up to game speed on Saturday.”
Navy coach Brian Newberry said his team could perform even better. The Midshipmen are looking for their first 7-0 start since 1978.
“I don’t think we’ve peaked yet,” Newberry said. “I don’t think we’ve really come close to our ceiling.”
The Fighting Irish are no slouches on offense, either, averaging 34.6 points per game.
Riley Leonard leads Notre Dame with 1,182 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions to go with 456 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Jeremiyah Love is the No. 1 running back with 462 rushing yards and seven scores.
By comparison, Navy quarterback Blake Horvath has passed for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns, with one interception, and has rushed for 621 yards and 10 scores. Alex Tecza ranks second in rushing with 306 yards and seven touchdowns.
Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser provides a steadying influence over the rest of the defense, Freeman said. Kiser, a senior, ranks second on the team with 34 tackles.
“He’s a problem solver when he’s out there,” Freeman said. “The ability for him to communicate and get other people lined up … is tremendous.
“My challenge to Jack, I keep reminding him he’s gone in a couple games, this is it. Now you’ve got to challenge that room to step up. You can’t always make all the calls and the checks. Your job is to leave that room better than how you found it.”
Navy’s defense is led by Justin Reed (team-high four sacks) and Dashaun Peele, who leads the group with three interceptions. Linebacker Colin Ramos has a team-best 68 tackles.
This will be the 97th all-time meeting between the programs. Notre Dame leads the series 82-13-1 and has won the past six matchups.
–Field Level Media
College Football Picks: Notre Dame, Penn State, Oklahoma State
No. 16 Notre Dame has score to settle with No. 15 Louisville
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm knows that revenge will be a motivating factor when No. 16 Notre Dame hosts the No. 15 Cardinals on Saturday in South Bend, Ind.
Last October, Louisville posted a 33-20 upset at home over then-No. 10 Notre Dame. This time, the Cardinals (3-0) will head to Notre Dame Stadium, where the Fighting Irish (3-1) are eager to avoid another loss in front of a national audience.
“We expect their best,” Brohm said. “They will be ready to play, and they will be fired up to win this football game. So that’s why we have to worry about ourselves, have a great week of practice, and come ready to play. We can’t have a lot of mistakes.”
This season, Louisville has avoided crucial errors. The Cardinals have victories against Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech in their first three contests.
Notre Dame already has had one major stumble, a stunning 16-14 home loss against Northern Illinois on Sept. 7. The Fighting Irish have rebounded with two straight wins against Purdue and Miami (Ohio) by a combined margin of 94-10.
Quarterback Riley Leonard has helped the Fighting Irish find their footing. Leonard has six rushing touchdowns and one passing TD and is averaging 7.0 yards per carry. He has completed 63.1 percent of his passes.
Leonard threw for 154 yards and ran for 143 in a 28-3 win over Miami last week.
“I’m really proud of him,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “He was the player of the game for our offense (last week) in terms of what he did. … And there is always room to grow. We’re never satisfied. We’re greedy people.”
Leonard and several other key players are new to the Fighting Irish this season, but Freeman said he would show clips of last year’s defeat to Louisville to help motivate his team.
“It’s a lot like therapy,” Freeman said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to revisit some of those dark places to kind of get out of it what you need to. So we’re definitely going to revisit last year, but my intentions are to make sure we gain the wisdom and the learning opportunities that the film of last year will truly tell us.”
Meanwhile, Louisville is eyeing a 4-0 start one year after opening the season with six straight wins. The Cardinals are led by Tyler Shough, a senior who has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 850 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions this season.
Ja’Corey Brooks is Shough’s top target with 17 catches for 297 yards and two scores.
Brohm said he understands the high stakes surrounding this week’s matchup.
“This is a huge stage for our team,” he said. “To go up there and play in this atmosphere against a really good opponent can be a huge momentum swing in our direction if we can find a way to win, without question. It gives your team credibility and definitely elevates your program, so this is one of those games that you’ve got to take advantage of.”
–Field Level Media
No. 17 Notre Dame on guard with MAC’s Miami up next
No. 17 Notre Dame is approaching Saturday’s game against visiting Miami (Ohio) with heightened awareness as another MAC opponent comes calling.
It will be the Fighting Irish’s first game on its home field in South Bend, Ind., since Northern Illinois stunned them two weeks ago as a four-touchdown underdog. Notre Dame (2-1) bounced back with a 66-7 road win against Purdue last week.
Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman was asked about the similarities that existed between Northern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) as his players returned home.
“(It’s) a good football team that could come in here and beat us if we don’t prepare the right way,” Freeman said. “So, that’s the similarities I see between those two teams — both of them are good football teams, and we have to respect them in terms of the way we prepare.”
The RedHawks (0-2) still are looking for their first victory of the season. They were competitive in each of their first two games, falling 13-6 to Northwestern on Aug. 31 and 27-16 to Cincinnati last Saturday.
Miami linebacker Matt Salopek said it was important to stay positive.
“We just have to come in here, and I’ve got to remind guys that it’s a brand new week,” Salopek said. “We still have goals that we’re trying to accomplish this season. That’s to go win a MAC championship, and that’s still in play.
“We’ve got to go play Notre Dame (on Saturday). They’re a very good opponent. But you’ve seen it, anybody can lose on any given day in football. That’s just how it is. We’ve just got to come in and fix our mistakes on both sides of the ball.”
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard pursues a second straight quality performance after he led his team to a 42-0 halftime advantage at Purdue. Leonard completed 11 of 16 passes for 112 yards and rushed 11 times for 100 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to backup Steve Angeli in the second half.
Jeremiyah Love also could figure prominently into Notre Dame’s game plan. The sophomore running back, who had 10 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown last week, is averaging 8.0 yards per carry with three touchdowns in three games.
Freeman said Love and fellow running back Jadarian Price were key weapons.
“You still have to be committed to running the ball, and that’s what our identity is,” Freeman said. “… We’ve got a couple guys that can run the ball and take it all the way. We know that, and so we’ve got to continue to play to our strengths.”
Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert completed 23 of 35 passes for 339 yards with two touchdowns and one interception last week against Cincinnati. He is the youngest brother of Blaine Gabbert, who has made 49 starts in the NFL.
The youngest Gabbert’s top target on the RedHawks is Cade McDonald, who caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown last week. McDonald also had eight catches in the season opener against Northwestern, and he is averaging 120 receiving yards per game.
This will be the fourth meeting between the programs. Notre Dame is 2-1 in the series, including a 52-17 victory in the most recent matchup on Sept. 30, 2017.
–Field Level Media
After ‘lowest of lows,’ No. 18 Notre Dame bids to turn back Purdue
A week after suffering a humiliating home-field loss to Northern Illinois, No. 18 Notre Dame will look to regain its footing when it visits Purdue on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind.
Notre Dame (1-1) tumbled 13 spots in the AP Top 25 poll after losing to the Huskies, who entered last weekend’s matchup as a four-touchdown underdog. The Fighting Irish dropped a 16-14 decision after kicker Mitch Jeter’s last-gasp, 62-yard field goal attempt was blocked as time expired.
Now the Fighting Irish turn their attention to Purdue (1-0), which cruised to a 49-0 win over Indiana State in its season opener.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman will try to keep his players focused on the task ahead as they take on the Boilermakers. Just recently, Freeman was celebrating his team after a road win against Texas A&M.
“It’s disappointing,” Freeman said. “You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a tale of two weeks. But we’ve got to own this thing. As coaches and players, we’ve got to own it, and we’ve got to fix it.
“We’ve been here before, right? We’ve been here before. Now it’s time to get it fixed. We’ve got to get it fixed and get back to playing football the way we know how to play, (the way) we’ve played before. And we can, and we will.”
On the other side of the field, Purdue coach Ryan Walters also senses an opportunity with Saturday’s showdown. The Boilermakers had a bye last week, which gave them extra time to prepare for an in-state rival that long has landed top recruits and dominated headlines in the region.
Walters knows Purdue stands much to gain from an upset win.
“Yeah, I definitely think there is an element of proving it or earning respect,” Walters said. “You know, I would be lying to you if I didn’t say this game was circled on my calendar. So we’re excited.”
Purdue quarterback Hudson Card completed 24 of 25 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns in his season debut. Max Klare was the top target with five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Devin Mockobee led the ground game with 11 carries for 89 yards.
On defense, Purdue edge rusher Will Heldt tallied a pair of sacks.
The Notre Dame player in the brightest spotlight will be quarterback Riley Leonard, who has completed 38 of 62 passes for 321 yards and two interceptions this season. He also has rushed for 79 yards and a score.
Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love could help to take some of the burden off Leonard and the rest of the offense. Love has scored in back-to-back games, and he has 25 carries for 170 yards to lead the team.
Howard Cross III leads Notre Dame with one sack, and Xavier Watts and Adon Shuler have one interception apiece.
Walters said he expected Notre Dame to be motivated at kickoff.
“We’re going to err on the side of thinking they’re going to be an angry football team,” he said. “Any time you’re top five in the country and lose the home opener, that’s going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. I know Coach Freeman will have those guys fired up and ready to play.”
–Field Level Media