Irish Have the Fifth Toughest Football Schedule

The folks at Team Rankings have come out with their ranking of the toughest football schedules -- for each of the 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.  This week -- the Fighting  Irish have the 5th toughest schedule in college football - here's the list:

LINK:  RANKING OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

Purdue Week -- Wednesday ND Football Update

Here's what I found taking a lap around the internet tonight concerning the Notre Dame football program and Saturday's prime-time game with the Boilermakers.  Click on the links below:

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE TODAY

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S PURDUE PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION

LINK:  TOMMY REES & MICHAEL FLOYD

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH & MANTI TEO

LINK:  JOURNAL & COURIER -- WEST LAFAYETTE NEWSPAPER

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

Big Break Ireland -- Notre Dame's Annie Brophy

The Golf Channel's hit series The Big Break is in Ireland right now and wouldn't you know it -- a Notre Dame alum, Annie Brophy '10 is a contestant.  Annie (Spokane, WA) a rookie on the LPGA Future's Tour is one of twelve contestants competing for $80,000 in cash and two tournament exemptions on the LPGA Tour. 

I'm going to have to watch this now!!! 

Here's a link to Annie's player bio at Notre Dame (she's one of the best to every play at ND) along with her introductory video on the Golf Channel.  Some may recall that Annie made some "not so flattering" headlines her senior season at Notre Dame -- the Golf Channel video will set the record straight!  Special Thanks to Senior Contributor to the ND GO IRISH BLOG Mike Doyle, for alerting me to Annie's story!

LINK:  ANNIE BROPHY -- NOTRE DAME

LINK:  ANNIE'S BIOGRAPHY VIDEO

A Domer Who Caught Hell...

Ask many sports fans who Steve Bartman is -- and they'll give you a blank stare.  Ask a Chicago Cub fan the same question -- look out!

Steve Bartman is a Notre Dame grad who's infamous catch of a foul ball in the NL Playoffs was the subject this evening of an ESPN film called "Catching Hell."  Here's a link to a Chicago Sun Times story about Bartman and the movie:

LINK:  ESPN'S CATCHING HELL

Notre Dame Football Alumni Update -- NFL

After checking in on how our former Notre Dame football stars are doing with their NFL teams this evening -- after week 3 -- I'm reminded how important their DEGREE from the University of Notre Dame is!

If I was running the football recruiting operation for Brian Kelly I would be publishing a weekly NFL injury report that would be circulated among the parents of every top high school football player in America.  I would be constantly making the point that the NFL stands for "Not For Long" -- and that "Notre Dame is For Life."

Off my soapbox!

Just click on the player's name below to see the latest news on them:

LINK:  JIMMY CLAUSEN -- INACTIVE -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- MIAMI DOLPHINS

LINK:  BRIAN SMITH -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  CHRIS STEWART -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI -- BALTIMORE RAVENS

LINK:  RYAN GRANT -- GREEN BAY PACKERS

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- NEW YORK GIANTS

LINK:  SAM YOUNG -- BUFFALO BILLS

LINK:  KYLE MCCARTHY -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  JOHN CARLSON -- INJURED RESERVE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  DEREK LANDRI -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  CHINEDUM NDUKWE -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  IAN WILLIAMS -- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

LINK:  TERRAIL LAMBERT -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  MIKE RICHARDSON -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  RYAN HARRIS -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  JOHN SULLIVAN -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  VICTOR ABIAMIRI -- INJURED RESERVE -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  TREVOR LAWS -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  MAURICE STOVALL -- DETROIT LIONS

LINK:  ARNAZ BATTLE -- PITTSBURGH STEELERS

LINK:  SERGIO BROWN -- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

LINK:  ERIC OLSEN -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- WASHINGTON REDSKINS

LINK:  ROBERT HUGHES -- FREE AGENT

LINK:  DARRIN WALLS -- ATLANTA FALCONS

LINK:  ARMANDO ALLEN -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- CHICAGO BEARS

Notre Dame vs. Purdue on ESPN @ 8 PM ET

I have seen questions online as to where Notre Dame fans can find Saturday's game against Purdue -- well, it's the national game on ESPN beginning at 8 PM ET.  Here's a link to the college football TV lineup for this weekend:

LINK:  IRISH TO APPEAR ON ESPN

Irish Back in the Top 25!

The Fighting Irish may have two losses, but the polls that truly analyze the data of this season have had Notre Dame back in the top 30 this week and last.  Here's a couple of polls ND fans need to keep an eye on over the next few weeks:

LINK:  SAGARIN RANKINGS

LINK:  FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS

ND Defense -- NCAA National Rankings!

Here's a look at where Notre Dame's "D BOYS" are ranked among their peers in college football after Week 4 of the 2011 season.  Here's the STAT OF THE YEAR FOR OUR DEFENSE -- we've only given up one offensive TD in seven of our last eight games!

Once again, you'll see how we fared in 2010 and 2009 -- and the 2011 NCAA Leader in every defensive category:

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE -- 2011 TEAM STATISTICS

Quarterback Sacks:  2011 after game #4:  11 sacks, ranked #18 in the country.  2010 Rank #45 with 26 QB sacks -- in 2009 we had 19 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #92.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Colorado State with 16 sacks.

Tackles for Loss:  2011 after game #4:  6.0 average tackles for loss per game, ranked #57 in the country.  2010 Rank #65 with an average of 5.63 tackles for loss per game -- in 2009 we averaged 6.0 tackles for loss per game, ranking us #48 in the country.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Stanford averaging 10.33 tackles for loss per game.

Interceptions:  2011 after game #4:  4 interceptions, ranked #28 in the country.  2010 Rank #32 with 14 interceptions -- in 2009 we had 12 interceptions for the season, ranking us #50.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Vanderbilt leads with 14 interceptions.

First Downs:  2011 after game #4:  19 first downs allowed per game, ranked #58 in the country.  2010 Rank - #30 allowing an average of 17.92 first downs per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 19.67 first downs per game, ranking us #72.  2011 NCAA Leader:  UCONN and UCF allowing only 11.5 first downs per game.

Third Down Conversion Rate:  2011 after game #4:  allowed a 29.82% conversion rate on third down, ranked #18 in the country.  2010 Rank #22 allowing only 35.08% conversion rate on third down -- in 2009 we allowed a 39.5% conversion rate, ranking us #67.  2011 NCAA Leader: Florida allowing only 21.15% conversion rate on third down.

Red Zone Efficiency:  2011 after game #4:  allowed opponents to score 77% of the time, ranked #38 in the country.  2010 Rank #53 allowing the team to score 81% of the time -- in 2009 we allowed teams to score 75% of the time, ranking us #15.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Kansas State allowing opponents to score 40% of the time in the red zone.

Turnovers Gained:  2011 after game #4:  5 turnovers gained, ranked #72 in the country.  2010 Rank - #54 with 21 turnovers gained -- in 2009 we gained 19 turnovers for the season, ranking us #80.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Cincinnati and Vanderbilt with 16 turnovers gained this season.

Rushing Yards:  2011 after game #4:  93.0 rushing yards per game given up, ranked #25 in the country.  2010 Rank #57 giving up an average of 147 yards rushing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 170 yards rushing per game, ranking us #89.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Stanford giving up an average of 36.0 yards rushing per game.

Passing Yards:  2011 after game #4:  240 passing yards per game given up, ranked #82 in the country.  2010 Rank #44 giving up an average of 206 yards passing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 227 yards passing per game, ranking us #76 in the country.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Michigan State giving up an average of 101 passing yards per game.

Total Yards:  2011 after game #4:  333 yards of total offense per game given up, ranked #37 in the country.  2010 Rank #49 giving up 353 yards per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 397 yards per game, ranking us #86.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Michigan State giving up an average of 172.25 yards per game in total offense.

Points Allowed Per Game:  2011 after game #4:  20.75 points allowed per game, ranked #39 in the country.  2010 Rank #29 giving up 20.5 points per game -- in 2009 we gave up 25.3 points per game, ranking us #63.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Temple allowing 7.75 points per game.

Purdue Week -- Notre Dame Football Update

Here's what is going on today - Monday - of Purdue week, as the Irish get ready to play one of its traditional opponents.  Please click on the links below:

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION

LINK:  INSIDE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

LINK:  JOURNAL & COURIER (WEST LAFAYETTE NEWSPAPER)

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

Irish Hockey Hosts Media Day - Today!

Jeff Jackson and his Fighting Irish hockey program kicked off the 2011 - 2012 season today with their annual media day.  Ranked #3 in the preseason by the College Hockey News -- the Irish will also be opening their brand new "hockey cathedral" -- The Compton Family Ice Arena this season.  Should be great fun!

LINK:  HOCKEY MEDIA DAY COVERAGE

LINK:  COLLEGE HOCKEY NEWS RANKINGS

Notre Dame Locker Room Celebration @ Pitt

Here's the UND.COM coverage from inside the Notre Dame locker room at Heinz Field yesterday after the Irish defeated Pitt 15 - 12.  Just click on the link below:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME LOCKER ROOM CELEBRATION

The Talkin' Heads at ESPN -- Recap ND's Win

Yesterday's ESPN telecast featured Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman (noted ND Hater) and Urban Meyer (we know his story) in the booth giving us their expert opinions on what ails our Irish.  After the game, the three recapped what they witnessed -- Urban kind of put it to Coach Kelly and his staff with this comment -- "at every position, Notre Dame is more talented than their opponent..."

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S WIN OVER PITT

A "Good Win" for the Irish -- Coach Kelly

The Irish beat Pittsburgh 15 - 12 despite making it very hard for themselves the first three plus quarters.  The stat of the day is the Notre Dame defense has now just given up just one offensive TD in seven of their last eight games.  THINK ABOUT THAT!  Here's what Coach Kelly and the players had to say after the game -- along with a few of the sportswriters:

LINK:  COACH KELLY POST GAME PRESSER

LINK:  PLAYER INTERVIEWS

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

IT'S GAME DAY FOR NOTRE DAME!

Well, last week's game was the biggest of the season -- and I think this week is even bigger for the Irish!  We need to get on a roll -- and nothing would be better for this team than to have a PERFECT game on ABC.  Game time is 12:00 PM NOON ET.  Here's what the "experts" are sayin' about today's game:

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

AN EPIC MOMENT FOR A DOMER!

Folks, I missed posting yesterday because I was in downtown Grand Rapids attending Revere La Noue' unveiling of THE EPIC BRONCOS last night at ArtPrize.  Revere, a former Notre Dame lacrosse player, created a 40' x 160' painting that is hanging from Western Michigan University's building in Grand Rapids.  Here's a link to a news story about this epic moment for a Domer:

LINK:  THE EPIC BRONCOS

Pitt Week: Notre Dame's Thursday Update

Here's what's being said by the Irish and by a few in the media about Saturday's noon kick-off at Heinz Field.  The game will be televised by ESPN -- nationally.  Here's a few links:

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE TODAY

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  THE RED ARMY

Domer To Unveil The Epic Broncos @ ArtPrize

Revere La Noue, a former lacrosse player at the University of Notre Dame and owner of the Mascot Gallery will be unveiling his most prolific work yet this Friday night in downtown Grand Rapids, MI at the 2011 ArtPrize.

Notre Dame fans may remember Revere's "The Original Fighting Irish" work that hangs in Brian Kelly's office.

La Noue and more than 1,500 artists from around the world are competing in the ARTPRIZE -- one of the top art competitions on the planet.  And, La Noue is going to make the biggest splash of all when he unveils a 40' x 160' piece of art he created in collaboration with Western Michigan University called THE EPIC BRONCOS -- Friday night at 8:41 PM ET.  Here's a few links to what Revere is up to:

LINK:  GRAND RAPIDS PRESS STORY

LINK:  WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY SITE

LINK:  MASCOT GALLERY -- OFFICIAL SITE

2011 NCAA Defensive Rankings After Week #3

  

Here's a look at where Notre Dame's "D BOYS" are ranked among their peers in college football after Week 3 of the 2011 season.  You'll also see how we fared in 2010 and 2009 -- and the 2011 NCAA Leader in every defensive category:

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE -- 2011 TEAM STATISTICS

Quarterback Sacks:  2011 after game #3:  5 sacks, ranked #53 in the country.  2010 Rank #45 with 26 QB sacks -- in 2009 we had 19 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #92.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Florida International with 15 sacks.

Tackles for Loss:  2011 after game #3:  5.33 average tackles for loss per game, ranked #76 in the country.  2010 Rank #65 with an average of 5.63 tackles for loss per game -- in 2009 we averaged 6.0 tackles for loss per game, ranking us #48 in the country.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Rutgers averaging 10.5 tackles for loss per game.

Interceptions:  2011 after game #3:  4 interceptions, ranked #18 in the country.  2010 Rank #32 with 14 interceptions -- in 2009 we had 12 interceptions for the season, ranking us #50.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Vanderbilt leads with 10 interceptions.

First Downs:  2011 after game #3:  19 first downs allowed per game, ranked #62 in the country.  2010 Rank - #30 allowing an average of 17.92 first downs per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 19.67 first downs per game, ranking us #72.  2011 NCAA Leader:  UCONN allowing only 10 first downs per game.

Third Down Conversion Rate:  2011 after game #3:  allowed a 25% conversion rate on third down, ranked #10 in the country.  2010 Rank #22 allowing only 35.08% conversion rate on third down -- in 2009 we allowed a 39.5% conversion rate, ranking us #67.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Ohio University allowing only 18.6% conversion rate on third down.

Red Zone Efficiency:  2011 after game #3:  allowed opponents to score 73% of the time, ranked #31 in the country.  2010 Rank #53 allowing the team to score 81% of the time -- in 2009 we allowed teams to score 75% of the time, ranking us #15.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Western Michigan University and Oklahoma who have not allowed an opponent to score yet this season in the red zone.

Turnovers Gained:  2011 after game #3:  5 turnovers gained, ranked #48 in the country.  2010 Rank - #54 with 21 turnovers gained -- in 2009 we gained 19 turnovers for the season, ranking us #80.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Cincinnati with 13 turnovers gained this season.

Rushing Yards:  2011 after game #3:  89.67 rushing yards per game given up, ranked #30 in the country.  2010 Rank #57 giving up an average of 147 yards rushing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 170 yards rushing per game, ranking us #89.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Florida giving up an average of 30.67 yards rushing per game.

Passing Yards:  2011 after game #3:  265 passing yards per game given up, ranked #97 in the country.  2010 Rank #44 giving up an average of 206 yards passing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 227 yards passing per game, ranking us #76 in the country.  2011 NCAA Leader:  University of Central Florida giving up an average of 93.67 passing yards per game.

Total Yards:  2011 after game #3:  354.67 yards of total offense per game given up, ranked #58 in the country.  2010 Rank #49 giving up 353 yards per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 397 yards per game, ranking us #86.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Kansas State giving up an average of 164 yards per game in total offense.

Points Allowed Per Game:  2011 after game #3:  23.67 points allowed per game, ranked #63 in the country.  2010 Rank #29 giving up 20.5 points per game -- in 2009 we gave up 25.3 points per game, ranking us #63.  2011 NCAA Leader:  Kansas State allowing 3.5 points per game.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME OFFENSE -- NATIONAL RANKINGS

Is INDEPENDENCE Still An Option For the Irish?

I'm an old-school traditionalist in most facets of my life.  And, when it comes to the University of Notre Dame there are some things that are OFF LIMITS from my perspective:

• No markings on the GOLD HELMETS
• And, NO conference affiliation for football

Well, two weeks ago there were green shamrocks on our gold helmets -- I ended up not minding that so much...

And, in the last few days the announcement that Pitt and Syracuse were fleeing the Big East for the ACC -- has re-ignited the "Notre Dame football to a conference" conversation... 

This I'm going to mind!!!

Here's all the latest chatter about Notre Dame football and the "perceived" pressure to join a conference -- DON'T DO IT JACK!!!

LINK:  CNNSI

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  NAPLES NEWS

LINK:  YAHOO SPORTS

LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  MADISON EXAMINER

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

LINK:  DESERET NEWS 

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  THE DAILY CARDINAL

LINK:  PALM BEACH POST

LINK:  BIRMINGHAM NEWS

Pittsburgh Week: Notre Dame's Monday Update

Brian Kelly met with the media at lunch time today to talk about Saturday's game with Pittsburgh.  Here's a link to the presser -- along with links to what the media is sayin' today about the Irish and their next opponent:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY TALKS PITT

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE