Notre Dame Football -- Put In Perspective Today

The tragic news of Declan Sullivan, a 20 year-old University of Notre Dame junior (Long Grove, IL), losing his life in an accident at Notre Dame's football practice today -- makes one's concern over our team's performance this season, seem so very shallow -- as the Sullivan family (Declan's sister Gwyneth, is a ND student) and friends deal with this horrific news.  I know the Notre Dame Family will pray for one of its own...


At approximately 4:50 PM EST today, a hydraulic scissors lift, used by Notre Dame to hoist a camera and videographer forty to fifty feet into the air to video practice -- tipped over, falling onto the street that runs outside the practice fields -- killing Sullivan, who was videotaping Notre Dame's defensive team's practice from atop the platform.  


The photos above, show the platform and lift laying on its side -- on the street outside the University of Notre Dame's Labar Practice Complex.  WNDU-TV is reporting that wind gusts this afternoon exceeded 50 mph on the Notre Dame campus.  Here's a number of links to the media's coverage of this tragic accident:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE'S COVERAGE

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE'S COVERAGE

LINK:  WNDU-TV'S COVERAGE

LINK:  WSBT-TV'S COVERAGE

LINK:  ESPN'S COVERAGE

Notre Dame just announced that it will celebrate Declan Sullivan's life -- tomorrow night -- at a 10 PM Memorial Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

"...And, until we meet again -- 
may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

THE ND GO IRISH BLOG WILL "GO QUIET" FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS

The Definitive Notre Dame Football Database

Folks, I stumbled upon a Notre Dame Football online database today that is absolutely incredible.  It's published by Geoge Macor Sports Databases -- and it tracks every Notre Dame Football game since the inaugural 1887 season.  The very first football game played by Notre Dame was on November 23, 1887 against the University of Michigan -- a game the Irish lost 8-0 -- you'll find that game in the database.  Here's a link:

LINK:  THE DEFINITIVE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL DATABASE

Youngest Head Coach in the NBA -- A Domer!

Former Notre Dame basketball star and nine-year NBA player, Monty Williams, will be coaching his first NBA regular season game tonight -- from the Head Coaches seat -- as his New Orleans Hornets take on the Milwaukee Bucks.  And, at age 39, this DOMER is the youngest head coach in the NBA!  ND Go Irish Blog regular, Denny Doyle, sent me an email this morning (THANK YOU!) alerting me to the fact that USA Today recently interviewed Williams -- here's a link to that story -- along with a link to a story posted on June 5th when he was named head coach:



LINK:  THE NBA'S YOUNGEST HEAD COACH

LINK:  WILLIAMS NAMED COACH OF HORNETS

Notre Dame's Offense -- National Rankings

It's Wednesday -- which means it's time for our weekly look at where Notre Dame Football ranks in certain statistical categories amongst the 120 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision -- AFTER EIGHT GAMES OF THE 2010 SEASON. In today's analysis you'll see how Notre Dame's Offense & Special Teams currently stand; on a national basis -- as compared to their final ranking for 2009 -- and how this week's opponent: Tulsa's defense and special teams compare in the same categories.

OFFENSIVE TEAM STATISTICS

Total First Downs:  2010 Rank - #27 with 168 first downs -- in 2009 we had 293 first downs for the season, ranking us #13 -- TCU leads the country with 205 first downs.  Tulsa has 183 first downs for the season, ranking them #9 in the country.

Third Down Conversions:  2010 Rank - #66 with a 39.25% conversion rate -- in 2009 we had a 39.1% conversion rate for the season, ranking us #48 -- Nevada leads the country converting 60% of their third downs.  Tulsa's defense has allowed a 42.11% third down conversion rate this season, ranking them #84 in the country.

Passing Yards Per Attempt:  2010 Rank - #63 with 7.0 yards passing per attempt -- in 2009 we averaged 8.7 yards passing per attempt, ranking us #7 in the country.

Passing Yardage:  2010 Rank - #18 with 283 yards per game  (2,263 yards for the season)  -- in 2009 we passed for 323 yards per game (3,882 yards for the season), ranking us #7 -- Hawaii leads the country with 401 yards passing per game (3,206 yards for the season).  Tulsa's defense has given up an average of 330 passing yards per game this season, ranking them #120 in the country.

Rushing Yards Per Attempt:  2010 Rank - #87 with 3.7 yards rushing per attempt -- in 2009 we averaged 3.8 yards rushing per attempt, ranking us #76 in the country.  

Rushing Yardage:  2010 Rank - #98 with 112 yards rushing per game (897 yards for the season) -- in 2009 we rushed for 127 yards per game  (1,539 yards for the season), ranking us #88 -- Air Force leads the country with 326 yards rushing per game (2,612 yards for the season).  Tulsa's defense has given up an average of 113 rushing yards per game this season, ranking them #20 in the country.

Fewest QB Sacks Given Up:  2010 Rank -- #45 giving up 16 QB sacks -- in 2009 we gave up 25 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #66 -- Oregon and Marshall lead the country having only given up 2 QB sacks this season.  Tulsa's defense has sacked the QB 17 times this season, ranking them #38 in the country.

Fewest Pass Interceptions Thrown:  2010 Rank -- #103 having thrown 9 pass interceptions this season -- in 2009 we threw 5 interceptions for the season, raking us #5 -- Army leads the country having thrown 0 pass interceptions this season.  Tulsa's defense has intercepted 9 passes this season, ranking them #27 in the country.

Turnovers Lost:  2010 Rank - #85 with 15 turnovers lost -- in 2009 we had 14 turnovers for the season, ranking us #7 -- Oregon State leads the country with 4 turnovers lost for the season.  Tulsa's defense and special teams have gained 15 turnovers this season, ranking them #28 in the country.

Total Offense:  2010 Rank -- #52 with 395 yards per game of offense -- in 2009 we had 451 yards per game of offense, ranking us #8 -- Oregon leads the country 569 yards per game of offense.  Tulsa's defense has given up 443 yards per game this season, ranking them #108 in the country.

Points Per Game:  2010 Rank -- #71 with 25.88 points per game -- in 2009 we averaged 30.1 points per game for the season, ranking us #32 -- Oregon leads the country scoring 55.1 points per game.  Tulsa's defense has given up an average of 28.9 points per game this season, ranking them #81 in the country.

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TEAM STATISTICS

Fewest Penalties:  2010 Rank - #18 with 37 penalties -- in 2009 we had 75 penalties for the season, ranking us #50 -- Penn State leads the country in the fewest penalties with 25.  Tulsa is ranked #6 in the country for fewest penalties with 30 on the season.

Fewest Penalty Yards:  2010 Rank -- #37 with 355 total yards in penalties -- in 2009 we had 666 yards in penalties, ranking us #60 -- Penn State leads the country in fewest penalty yards with 176.  Tulsa is ranked #9 in the country for fewest penalty yards this season with 260.

Net Punting Yards:  2010 Rank -- #37 with an average net of 38.0 yards per punt -- in 2009 we averaged 32.1 yards per punt, ranking us #112 -- Florida leads the country with 44.55 net yards per punt.  Tulsa is averaging 10.18 yards per punt return this season, ranking them #37 in the country.

Field Goals -- 2010 Rank -- #10 with 13 field goals made this season.  The Irish are 13 for 13 (100%) -- one of six teams in the FBS who have not missed a field goal this season.  In 2009 we made 19 field goals, ranking us #22 -- while going 19 for 22 in the process.  Tulsa has made 11 field goals this season,  ranking them #25 in the country.   Tulsa's 11 of 16 (68.8%) -- ranking them #78 in the country.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS ON OFFENSE -- Ranked in top 100

Dayne Crist:

-Ranked #56 in the country with a QB Rating of  130.2

-Ranked #14 in the country with 2,033 yards passing

-Ranked #20 in the country with 15 TD passes

-Ranked #65 in the country with a 59.6% pass completion percentage

-Ranked #27 in the country for most pass interceptions thrown with 7

-Ranked #3 in the country with a 95 yard pass completion / his 80 yard pass completion to Floyd would be ranked #19 in the country

David Ruffer:

-Ranked #8 in the country in most field goals made with 13

-Ranked #2 in the country with most field goals made without a miss (13)

-Ranked #18 in the country for longest field goal made - 50 yarder

Armando Allen:

-Ranked #65 in the country with 514 yards rushing

Michael Floyd:

-Ranked #23 in the country with 624 yards receiving

-Ranked #23 in the country with 44 catches

-Ranked #19 in the country with 6 TD catches

-Ranked #19 in the country with an 80 yard catch

Kyle Rudolph:

-Ranked #3 in the country with a 95 yard catch

Theo Riddick:

-Ranked #41 in the country with 38 catches

-Ranked #90 in the country with 406 yards receiving

TOMORROW AN ANALYSIS OF NOTRE DAME'S DEFENSE

"An Absolute Mess" -- Says Coach Diaco

I have to admit, it was difficult watching Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco's session with the media after today's practice.  Diaco faced questions, for the first time this season, from a press corp that was "unimpressed" with his Irish defense.  Navy's offensive rushing output of 367 yards Saturday -- was shocking.  Here's a link to Coach Diaco's media session:

LINK:  COACH DIACO FACES THE MEDIA

The Most Expensive Penalty Flag in History!

The University of Notre Dame's pass interference penalty in the first half of Saturday's game against the Naval Academy -- was the most expensive penalty flag thrown in the history of college football.  IT WAS THE ONLY PENALTY OF THE GAME -- COSTING BOTH SCHOOLS A COMBINED ONE MILLION DOLLARS!  Liberty Mutual announced a promotion in September of this year -- here's a link -- in which they would award $1 million (combined) to both schools who played a "penalty free" NCAA FBS football game.  The defensive pass interference penalty -- an easy call for the officials -- was the only penalty flag that hit the football field in Navy's 35-17 thumping of the Irish.  It was the first time the Naval Academy had not been called for a penalty in eight years.  Saturday's loss to Navy -- which put a huge hit on the Irish's post-season bowl opportunities -- just got a little more expensive...

The Financial Impact of Obama's Visit?

President Obama's appearance at the University of Notre Dame's Commencement in May of 2009 was highly controversial -- that we all know.  What we didn't know was it's impact financially on Notre Dame.  CatholicCulture.org is reporting that financial contributions fell by more than $120 million during the fiscal year of Obama's visit.  It was the "imperfect storm" that year for Notre Dame; the Obama controversy,  the economy and a 3-9 football season.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  OBAMA'S FINANCIAL HIT ON NOTRE DAME

Wolfard '02 and Haney -- Third Place Last Night!

Season 17 of CBS's The Amazing Race has a Domer (Thomas Wolfard '02) and his girlfriend (Jill Haney) holding their own in this globe trotting adventure race.  Last night's race began in Sweden and ended in Norway -- with our favorite team -- finishing in THIRD PLACE!  When they reached the finish line, Thomas was sporting his Notre Dame Fighting Irish t-shirt.  Eleven teams began The Amazing Race, now seven remain.  Rumor has it the race will be moving to Russia next Sunday.  Here's a few links below to this week's episode and an interview of Thomas and Jill.

LINK:  SEASON 17 EPISODE 5

LINK:  INTERVIEW OF THOMAS AND JILL

LINK:  THOMAS & JILL'S FACEBOOK PAGE

A Sunday Conversation -- Coach Kelly

Life goes on -- and the Irish need to get over yesterday's beating by the Naval Academy and start preparing for Tulsa this Saturday.  This afternoon, Coach Kelly met with UND.COM's Jack Nolan for their weekly Sunday chat.  Here's a link:

LINK:  A SUNDAY CONVERSATION WITH COACH KELLY

The Morning After -- the Media Piles On

And, we should expect nothing else when the most storied college football team in the country takes a beating like they did yesterday at the hands of a military academy school.  Frankly, we deserve all of it.  (The photo is of Navy's "back up" fullback who rushed for 210 yards yesterday -- a school record for that position).  Here's what our "friends" in the media had to say about Notre Dame's humbling 35-17 loss to Navy yesterday:

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  NEW YORK TIMES

LINK:  BALTIMORE SUN

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

Notre Dame Hockey Beats #1 BC Last Night!

Jeff Jackson's Fighting Irish hockey team beat the top ranked team in college hockey last night, Boston College,  2-1.  SOME GREAT NEWS ON A SATURDAY IN WHICH OUR FOOTBALL TEAM GOT HAMMERED BY NAVY. Sophomore goalie Mike Johnson had 28 saves and senior forward Calle Ridderwald scored two second period goals as the Irish move on to 4-1-0 on the season.  The victory snapped a 14 game winning streak for Boston College -- a carry-over from last season when they won the National Championship.  It's the fourth time that Notre Dame has beat a #1 ranked Boston College hockey team in the last seven seasons.  (The photo is of former ND hockey coach Lefty Smith handing out the trophy that annually goes to the winner of the ND/BC hockey game to Irish team captain Joe Lavin).  The #17 ranked "young" Irish (12 of the 27 players are freshmen) are sure to move up in the polls this week prior to their "home and home" series with Western Michigan University this weekend.  Go Irish!

Our Worst Loss of All Time?

Folks, I've promised to be POSITIVE on this blog about Notre Dame.  And, I will do my absolute best to continue that trend.  I just got done watching a game that reminded me of the Miami whipping on Gerry Faust's Irish back in the mid-80's -- a game I thought was the worst in Notre Dame football history.  Gang, this may have topped it.  A 217 lb. Navy "back-up" fullback rushed for more than 200 yards today -- the first time in Navy history.  He did this up the middle of a defense that featured supposedly, our best defensive lineman (Ian Williams) and our best linebacker (Manti Teo).  How does that happen -- ALL GAME LONG?  Does Georgia Southern have better athletes than we do on defense?  They held Navy to 109 yards rushing and 13 points.  THINK ABOUT THAT!  We're fortunate that Navy called off "the goats" in the 3rd quarter.  They kicked our fannies.   Never thought I'd write that about Notre Dame football.  Here's a link to Coach Kelly's post game press conference -- not a fun duty today.  It's on right now.

LINK: COACH KELLY POST GAME MEDIA SESSION

What The "Money's" Saying About -- ND vs. Navy

            

Every week, the ND GO IRISH BLOG looks to the "experts" in Las Vegas who set the "betting line" on college football games.  The last two weeks -- Vegas has been right on the money, with their point spreads on Irish games.  The Pitt game, ND was a 6 point favorite -- the Irish win 23-17.  The Western Michigan game, ND was a 24 point favorite -- the Irish win 44-20.  COINCIDENCE?  Here's what they're saying about today's game with Navy:

LINK:  SPORTS ODDS.COM

LINK:  ODDS MAKER.COM

LINK: ACCU SCORE.COM

The Irish vs. #1 Ranked Opponents

This evening, the #1 ranked team in college hockey -- Boston College -- will be taking on Jeff Jackson's #17 ranked Fighting Irish at the Joyce Center.  It will be a great early test for this young Notre Dame team.  You may recall that Notre Dame and BC met in the NCAA National Championship game in 2008.  We won't mention who won that game...  In college football, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Oklahoma have beaten more #1 ranked teams than anyone else in history -- with both schools beating teams ranked #1 at the time -- eight times!  Here's a list of all time wins by schools against #1 ranked opponents in college football:
-Notre Dame, 8
-Oklahoma, 8
-Miami (Fla.) 7
-Purdue, 7
-USC, 7
-Texas, 5
-Alabama, 4
-Arkansas, 4
-Michigan, 4
-Ohio State, 4
-Penn State, 4
-Auburn, 3
-Florida, 3
-Illinois, 3
-Minnesota, 3
-UCLA, 3
-Wisconsin, 3
-Arizona, 2
-Georgia Tech, 2
-Kentucky, 2
-LSU, 2
-Maryland, 2
-Michigan State, 2
-Oregon State, 2
-Tennessee, 2
-Arizona State, 1
-Army, 1
-Boston College, 1
-BYU, 1
-Florida State, 1
-Georgia, 1
-Kansas, 1
-Kansas State, 1
-Mississippi State, 1
-Nebraska, 1
-Northwestern, 1
-Rice, 1
-South Carolina, 1
-Stanford, 1
-Syracuse, 1
-Texas A&M, 1
-TCU, 1
-Texas Tech, 1
-Washington, 1
-Washington State, 1

Help This Domer Win Hispanic Award!

David Olivencia is a graduate of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business MBA program -- and he's a finalist for the Outstanding Hispanic Award at the upcoming Hispanic Forum 2010 this December in Washington D.C.  David is a member of the Notre Dame Club of Detroit -- and the Club sent out an email out last night asking the Notre Dame family to go to the site linked below and vote for David.  I thought it would be an effort the ND GO IRISH BLOG gang should get behind.  So, here's the link to vote for David.  Go David! and Go Irish!

LINK:  VOTE FOR DAVID OLIVENCIA

The Daniels Family -- Welcome to Notre Dame!

One of Brian Kelly's most recent recruits is Davaris Daniels -- a big time wide receiver out of the Chicago area.  Davaris, just happens to be the son of Phillip Daniels, a defensive end with the Washington Redskins -- who's in his 15th year in the NFL.  FYI -- that's Davaris on the right...   Rumor has it, that Brian Kelly will be instituting a "bring your Dad to school" program the Saturday of the USC game next October -- it's expected that Davaris's dad will offer to give a demonstration on "the art of  the QB sack"-- in Coach Kelly's Notre Dame classroom (Notre Dame Stadium).  Sounds like a wonderful idea to me!  Here's a link to an ESPN.COM story this week on these two:

LINK:  THE DANIELS FAMILY

Weather Forecast for Notre Dame vs. Navy

Here's what the weather forecast looks like for "Football Weekend" for the Irish and their fans these next few days in East Rutherford, NJ -- courtesy of My9 TV.  Looks like great weather!  Here's a link to local weather radar for northern New Jersey:

LINK:  WEATHER RADAR FOR NEW JERSEY

It's a Big Deal -- When the Irish Come to Town

Thought you'd enjoy this screen shot of the "home page" of the New Meadowlands Stadium website.  It shows a photo of Armando Allen above the stadium -- the Irish are coming to town!  Here's a link to their official website:

LINK:  THE NEW MEADOWLANDS STADIUM

CBS Affiliates -- Where to Watch the Irish!

CBS doesn't publish a TV coverage map for college football -- so, you're going to have to check out your local TV guide to see if your CBS affiliate is going to carry the Notre Dame vs. Navy game this Saturday.  Kick-off is scheduled for NOON, 12:00 PM EST.  Here's a link below to a list of the CBS affiliates across the country by state.  And, if you learn that you won't be getting the game -- you can watch the game on the web -- click on the link below to watch the game online at cbssports.com:

LINK:  LIST OF CBS AFFILIATES BY STATE

LINK:  WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME ONLINE

It's Thursday -- Brian Kelly's Radio Show Tonight

Every Thursday during the football season -- Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- hosts his radio show live from Legends of Notre Dame.  If you can't be there in person at 7 PM EST -- you have the option of watching it or listening to it, live on the web.  Here are the links:

LINK:  WATCH THE SHOW

LINK:  LISTEN TO THE SHOW