Irish OC Molnar Named Head Coach @ UMASS

The University of Massachusetts announced today that Charley Molnar has become the 29th head coach of their football program.  Molnar, an assistant coach for our Fighting Irish these past two season -- becomes a head coach for the first time.  Congratulations Coach Molnar!  Here's a link to the UMASS press conference this afternoon:

LINK:  UMASS NAMES MOLNAR ITS HEAD COACH

Notre Dame Alum Hired as Kansas Head Coach

Charlie Weis '79, has accepted the head coaching position at the University of Kansas -- according to multiple reports.  Weis, leaves the Florida Gators program where he was their offensive coordinator this past season.  Congratulations Charlie!  FYI:  Expect the media to label him as "former Notre Dame coach, or former Irish coach" -- you won't hear much about Florida...

LINK:  WEIS TAKES KANSAS GIG

Boise State Prez Compares His School to ND...

You can file this in the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" folder...

Boise State University president, Dr. Bob Kustra met with the media yesterday about his school's entry into the Big East Conference.  During the session he made this statement:  "...we can have the same degree as success..."  -- while comparing his school in Boise to the University of Notre Dame.

All I can say is WOW...

Hey, Dr. Kustra -- you might want to first set your sights on graduating your student-athletes -- before taking on the University of Notre Dame.

LINK:  BOISE STATE COMPARING ITSELF TO NOTRE DAME

Check out ND's Football Pants in This Photo!

Adam Myers, Assistant Equipment Manager (@adam_nd_myers) for Notre Dame Football in the University of Notre Dame's Athletic Department "tweeted" this photo of the Fighting Irish's football uniform combinations from this season.  Note the football pants the Irish wore in the Shamrock Series game (green jersey) -- versus the pants they wore the majority of the season.  I'd like to believe Notre Dame will start using these pants all of the time!

Champs Sports Bowl Sells Out for First Time!

The power of the University of Notre Dame...

For the first time in the 22-year history of the Champs Sports Bowl, they are SOLD OUT!  This also happens to be ND's first visit to this bowl game -- coincidence?  I think not...

Coach Kelly took a trip to Orlando today to participate in the Champs Sports Bowl press conference -- along with FSU's Coach Fisher.  Here's a link to the Orlando Sentinel story and UND.COM's coverage of the press conference:

LINK:  CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL OFFICIAL PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  COACH KELLY CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL PRESS CONFERENCE 

Coach Kelly and Fighting Irish Back @ Practice

The folks at UND.COM caught up with Coach Kelly after Notre Dame's first of 15 practices they're allowed prior to the game December 29 against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.  Here's a link to his media session:

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE

African American Grad Rates: Bowl Teams

On the heels of the report I published yesterday concerning the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of every team playing in a bowl game this off season, I learned of a report commissioned by The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

This report highlighted the GSR among African American student-athletes on teams playing in bowl games. Here are the highlights:


BOWL TEAM RANKINGS -- GSR OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT-ATHLETES

#1:  University of Notre Dame:  100 GSR
#2:  Northwestern University:  92 GSR
#3:  University of North Carolina:  91 GSR
#4:  Rutgers University:  88 GSR
#5:  Penn State University:  87 GSR


BOWL TEAMS GRADUATING LESS THAN HALF OF THEIR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT-ATHLETES

Florida International (33 GSR),  Iowa State (40 GSR), Western Michigan (43 GSR), Arkansas (44 GSR), Florida State (44 GSR), Oklahoma (44 GSR), South Carolina (45 GSR), Texas A&M (45 GSR), California (46 GSR), Houston (46 GSR), UCLA (46 GSR), North Carolina State (46 GSR), Texas (47 GSR), BYU (47 GSR), Temple (47 GSR), Wyoming (47 GSR), Louisiana-Lafayette (48 GSR) and Tulsa (49 GSR).
 

Here's a link to their entire report:  AFRICAN AMERICAN GSR OF BOWL TEAMS

Graduation Rates: 2011-2012 Bowl Games

Here's a look at the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of each of the 70 teams playing in BOWL GAMES this postseason.  Here's a link to the GSR for African American student-athletes -- on the same teams.

It's a sad commentary when a great number of the teams playing in the Bowl Games graduate less than 6 of every 10 of their players over a six-year period.  Until the NCAA truly does something about this -- they should suspend the term "student-athlete" when talking about many of these schools' athletes. 

Here's a quick overview of a few of the highlights and lowlights -- followed by a look at every one of the 35 Bowl Games and the respective GSR rates of the the opponents:

TOP FIVE TEAMS PLAYING IN BOWL GAMES:
#1:  Notre Dame:  97
#2:  Northwestern:  94
#3:  Rutgers:  89
#3:  Vanderbilt:  89
#5:  Stanford:  87
#5:  Penn State:  87

Sad Fact #1:  Only 9 Teams out of the 70 Teams in Bowl Games graduate at least 8 out of every ten of their players in a six-year period.

BOTTOM FIVE TEAMS PLAYING IN BOWL GAMES:
#70:  Florida International:  43
#69:  Oklahoma:  48
#68:  California:  54
#67:  Georgia Tech:  55
#67:  South Carolina:  55


Sad Fact #2:  16 of the 70 teams in Bowl Games graduate less than 6 out of every 10 of their players in a six-year period.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS / LOWLIGHTS:

• The largest disparity of graduation rates between opponents in a Bowl Game is the Champs Sports Bowl:  Notre Dame (97) vs. Florida State (56)
• The lowest graduation rates between opponents in a Bowl Game is IRONICALLY the Bridgepoint Education Bowl:  California (54) vs. Texas (57)
• The highest graduation rates between opponents in a Bowl Game is the AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati (79) vs. Vanderbilt (89)

GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL -- Dec. 17

• Temple: 60 GSR
• Wyoming:  64 GSR

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL -- Dec. 17

• Ohio:  71 GSR
• Utah State:  77 GSR

R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL -- Dec. 20

• San Diego State:  56 GSR
• Louisiana-Lafayette:  56 GSR

BEEF 'O' BRADY'S ST. PETERSBURG BOWL -- Dec. 20

• Florida International:  43 GSR
• Marshall:  77 GSR

S.D. COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL -- Dec. 21

• TCU:  78 GSR
• Louisiana Tech:  75 GSR

MAACO LAS VEGAS -- Dec. 22

• Arizona State:  64 GSR
• Boise State:  74 GSR

SHEARTON HAWAII BOWL -- Dec. 24

• Nevada:  70 GSR
• Southern Miss:  78 GSR

ADVOCARE V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL --  Dec. 26

• Missouri:  66 GSR
• North Carolina:  75 GSR

LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL -- Dec. 27

• Western Michigan:  61 GSR
• Purdue:  59 GSR

BELK BOWL -- Dec. 27

• Louisville:  66 GSR
• North Carolina State:  56 GSR

MILITARY BOWL -- Dec. 28

• Toledo:  64 GSR
• Air Force Academy:  84 GSR

BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL -- Dec. 28

• California:  54 GSR
• Texas:  57 GSR

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL -- Dec. 29

• Florida State:  56 GSR
• Notre Dame:  97 GSR

VALERO ALAMO BOWL -- Dec. 29

• Washington:  76 GSR
• Baylor:  62 GSR

BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL -- Dec. 30

• BYU:  57 GSR
• Tulsa:  63 GSR

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL -- Dec. 30

• Rutgers:  89 GSR
• Iowa State:  63 GSR

FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY -- Dec. 30

• Mississippi State:  62 GSR
• Wake Forest:  81 GSR

INSIGHT BOWL -- Dec. 30

• Iowa:  83 GSR
• Oklahoma:  48 GSR

MEINEKE CAR CARE OF TEXAS BOWL -- Dec. 31

• Texas A&M:  59 GSR
• Northwestern:  94 GSR

HYUNDAI SUN BOWL -- Dec. 31

• Georgia Tech:  55 GSR
• Utah:  62 GSR

AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL -- Dec. 31

• Cincinnati:  79 GSR
• Vanderbilt:  86 GSR

KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL -- Dec. 31

• Illinois:  76 GSR
• UCLA:  59 GSR

 CHICK-FIL-A BOWL -- Dec. 31

• Virginia:  68 GSR
• Auburn:  63 GSR

TICKETCITY BOWL -- Jan. 2

• Houston:  57 GSR
• Penn State:  87 GSR

OUTBACK BOWL -- Jan. 2

• Michigan State:  62 GSR
• Georgia:  65 GSR

CAPITAL ONE BOWL -- Jan. 2

• Nebraska:  67 GSR
• South Carolina:  55 GSR

TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR BOWL -- Jan. 2

• Ohio State:  67 GSR
• Florida:  76 GSR

ROSE BOWL GAME -- Jan. 2

• Wisconsin:  66 GSR
• Oregon:  63 GSR

TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL -- Jan. 2

• Stanford:  87 GSR
• Oklahoma Sate:  65 GSR

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL -- Jan. 3

• Michigan:  71 GSR
• Virginia Tech:  79 GSR

DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL -- Jan. 4

• West Virginia:  75 GSR
• Clemson:  62 GSR

AT&T COTTON BOWL -- Jan. 6

• Kansas State:  62 GSR
• Arkansas:  56 GSR

BBVA COMPASS BOWL -- Jan. 7

• SMU:  72 GSR
• Pittsburgh:  65 GSR

GODADDY.COM BOWL -- Jan. 8

• Arkansas State:  73 GSR
• Northern Illinois:  73 GSR

ALLSTATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME -- Jan. 9

• LSU:  77 GSR
• Alabama:  69 GSR

ND Promotional Video Message - Champs Bowl

Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt appeared in a YouTube video last night after the Irish learned they would be playing Florida State University in the Champs Bowl.  Do you think Louis Nix just might have a career in TV someday?

LINK:  IRISH CHAMPS BOWL MESSAGE 

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH & MICHAEL FLOYD -- PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  IRISH -- CHAMPS BOWL CENTRAL

ND vs. FSU -- Champs Sports Bowl -- TICKETS!

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will be taking on the Seminoles of Florida State University on Thursday, December 29, in Orlando, at the Champs Sports Bowl.  If you're interested in tickets -- here's where you can find them!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME -- CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL

Irish Played Four Teams in AP Final Top 15

Next time someone says "Notre Dame doesn't play anyone..." -- just roll out this little diddy for them:

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME -- PLAYED FOUR TEAMS IN THE TOP 15!

Here's a link to the AP' final rankings.


LINK:  FINAL RANKINGS -- 2011 SEASON

Kyle Rudolph -- TD Catch Against Broncos!

Notre Dame fans will not be surprised when they see this GREAT CATCH by Kyle Rudolph -- just minutes ago.  The TD catch put the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the Tim Tebow Broncos 12 - 7.  You can expect this to make SPORTS CENTER'S TOP TEN!

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH

Notre Dame Grants Dayne Crist His Release...

This news should arrive as no surprise to most Notre Dame football fans -- Dayne Crist will be wearing a different football helmet next fall.  Crist, who will graduate this month from the University of Notre Dame, has one more year of eligibility left and he's going to take advantage of that at a different school.  This became official Friday afternoon,  when Dayne was granted his release after meeting with Coach Kelly.

Dayne Crist is a Notre Dame Man -- just not a Notre Dame QB, in a Brian Kelly system.  This young man is all that is right about the world.  His parents, family and friends should take great pride in Dayne Crist the human being.  He's a world-class representative of the University of Notre Dame.  I'll be rooting for his success!

You'll want to click on the South Bend Tribune story below to see what schools are rumored to be most interested in Dayne's services:

LINK:  DAYNE CRIST

My Heisman Vote -- Baylor's Robert Griffin III

I made the decision, over night, to give my Heisman vote this season to Robert Lee Griffin III (QB), Baylor University.  Unfortunately -- I'm still waiting for my ballot in the mail!  However, that won't stop me from sharing with you why this young man is AMERICA'S BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER and the prototypical STUDENT-ATHLETE-QB Notre Dame should be recruiting for Brian Kelly's offense.

First, let's talk about "RG3's" Heisman worthy season:

• Passer rating of 192.3 -- rank #1 in the country
• Yards Per Attempt:  10.83 yards -- rank #1 in the country
• Yards Per Completion:  14.97 yards -- rank #1 in the country
• Points Responsible For:  22.67 points per game -- rank #1 in the country
• Total Offense:  386.83 yards per game -- rank #2 in the country
• TD passes:  36 -- rank #4 in the country
• Pass Completion %:  72.4% -- rank #5 in the country
• Passing yards:  3,998 yards -- rank #6 in the country

On top of all of this:

• He's taken a football program and led it to their best regular season in 25 years!  
• He's the model student-athlete haven already earned his undergraduate degree (Dec 2010) in political science in three years!  Now enrolled in grad school.  Next up law school.
• Dean's List -- Big 12 Academic Honor Roll (six times)
• Graduated #7 in his high school class
• NCAA All-American in the 400 Meter hurdles -- as a freshman -- world class hurdler
• And, he's probably the best interview in college football -- A CLASS ACT!

Can you imagine this young man in a GOLD HELMET -- running Brian Kelly's offense and representing the University of Notre Dame?   IT WOULD BE OFF THE CHARTS!

Here's a link to a highlight video:  GRIFFIN III FOR HEISMAN!

ESPN calls him the: MOST INTERESTING MAN IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Mark Bavaro -- NY Giants' "RING OF HONOR"

Former University of Notre Dame All American tight end Mark Bavaro, will be enshrined in the New York Giants' "Ring of Honor" during Sunday's game against the Packers.

This week, Bavaro was a guest on the Nick & Artie Show (just click on the link and scroll down to the interview).  Congratulations Mark!

LINK:  MARK BAVARO RADIO INTERVIEW

LINK:  ESPN STORY

LINK:  GIANTS VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BAVARO

Taylor Dever -- Life Long Notre Dame Fan...

The University of Notre Dame's starting right tackle, Taylor Dever -- granted an interview to a paper from his hometown in Northern California.  After reading this story -- ND fans will be rooting for #75!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FAN -- NOW NOTRE DAME MAN

NOTRE DAME OFFENSE: Last Three Seasons

Here's how the Fighting Irish rank amongst the 120 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision -- FOR THE 2011 SEASON -- and how this season compares to ND's final rankings for 2010 and 2009.  You'll also find the 2011 NCAA leader in each category.

OFFENSIVE TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs:  2011 Season:  23.92 first downs -- ranked #19 in the country.  2010 Rank #57 with 19.83 first downs per game -- in 2009 we averaged 24.4 first downs per game for the season, ranking us #13.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Baylor with an average of 29.09 first downs per game. 

Third Down Conversions:  2011 Season:  46.54% -- ranked #23 in the country.  2010 Rank #76 with a 37.5% conversion rate -- in 2009 we had a 39.1% conversion rate for the season, ranking us #48.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Wisconsin with a 55.24% third down conversion rate. 

Passing Yards Per Attempt:  2011 Season:  7.1 yards per passing attempt -- ranked #62 in the country.  2010 Rank #75 with 6.8 yards passing per attempt -- in 2009 we averaged 8.7 yards passing per attempt, ranking us #7 in the country.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Georgia Tech averaging 11.3 yards per pass attempt. 

  

Passing Yardage:  2011 Season:  258.08 yards per game -- ranked #34 in the country.  2010 Rank #29 with 257 yards per game -- in 2009 we passed for 323 yards per game, ranking us #7.  2011 NCAA Leader:  University of Houston averaging 449.67 passing yards per game.  

Rushing Yards Per Attempt:  2011 Season:  5.0 yards per attempt -- ranked #22 in the country.  2010 Rank #83 with 3.9 yards rushing per attempt -- in 2009 we averaged 3.8 yards rushing per attempt, ranking us #76 in the country.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Oregon averaging 6.5 yards per rushing attempt. 

Rushing Yardage:  2011 Season:  166 rushing yards per game -- ranked #51 in the country.  2010 Rank #97 with 121 yards rushing per game -- in 2009 we rushed for 127 yards per game, ranking us #88.  2011 NCAA Leader:  U.S. Military Academy averaging 350.91 rushing yards per game. 

Most QB Sacks Given Up:  2011 Season:  13 sacks given up -- ranked #19 in the country.  2010 Rank #66 giving up 19 QB sacks -- in 2009 we gave up 25 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #66.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Oklahoma giving up 6 sacks this season. 

Fewest Pass Interceptions Thrown: 2011 Season:  14 interceptions thrown -- ranked #98.  2010 Rank #105 having thrown 16 pass interceptions -- in 2009 we threw 5 interceptions for the season, raking us #4.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Six schools have thrown only 4 interceptions this season; Army, Houston, LSU, Northern Illinois, Temple & Wisconsin. 

Fewest Fumbles Lost:  2011 Season:  12 fumbles lost -- ranked #83 in the country.  2010 Rank #31 having lost 8 fumbles -- in 2009 we lost 9 fumbles for the season ranking us #39.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Four schools lost only 4 fumbles for the season; Alabama, Wisconsin, LSU and Wake Forest.

Fewest  Turnovers Lost:  2011 Season:  26 turnovers lost -- ranked #103 in the country.  2010 Rank #84 with 24 turnovers lost -- in 2009 we had 14 turnovers for the season, ranking us #7.  2011 NCAA Leaders:  LSU and Wisconsin -- each with 8 turnovers lost.

Total Offense:  2011 Season:  424.08 yards per game -- ranked #33 in the country.  2010 Rank #63 with 378 yards per game of offense -- in 2009 we had 451 yards per game of offense, ranking us #8.  2011 NCAA Leader:  University of Houston with 613.25 yards per game in total offense. 

Points Per Game:  2011 Season:  30.5 points per game -- ranked #41 in the country.  2010 Rank #73 with 25.75 points per game -- in 2009 we averaged 30.1 points per game for the season, ranking us #32.  2011 NCAA Leader:  University of Houston averaging 52.67 points per game. 

.

TEAM STATISTICS

Fewest Penalty Yards:  2011 Season:  729 penalty yards -- ranked #93 in the country.  2010 Rank #25 with 511 yards in penalties -- in 2009 we had 666 yards in penalties, ranking us #60.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Naval Academy with only 230 penalty yards.

Net Punting Yards:  2011 Season:  34.04 net yards per game -- ranked #104 in the country.  2010 Rank #72 with an average net of 36.9 yards per punt -- in 2009 we averaged 32.1 yards per punt, ranking us #112.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Florida State averaging 42.04 net yards per punt.

Field Goals Made:  2011 Season:  10 field goals made -- ranked #78 in the country.  2010 Rank #32 with 15 field goals made.  In 2009 we made 19 field goals, ranking us #22 -- while going 19 for 22 in the process.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Texas A&M with 25 field goals made this season.

Golden Tate -- We've Seen This Before!

Former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate -- made a great TD catch last night in the Seahawks' win over the "dream team" in Philadelphia.  Here's a link...

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE'S GREAT CATCH

A New Light Shines on ND's Touchdown Jesus!

The folks at the University of Notre Dame's Office of Sustainability were kind enough to send me this "before & after" shot of the world famous campus landmark.

The Word Of Life mural -- AKA "Touchdown Jesus" -- looks a little brighter these days thanks to their efforts.  As a bonus, Notre Dame uses less power and saves money...

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  BRINGING LIGHT TO ND!

If Facebook Existed 2,043 Years Ago This Month

 

If you're a fan of the University of Notre Dame, I believe you'll enjoy this look at how the social media channel -- FACEBOOK -- might have handled the birth of Jesus, had it been around 2,043 years ago this month.

LINK:  THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT BIRTH -- CAPTURED ON FACEBOOK