BYU Seeking A Season Defining Moment @ ND

Navy's head football coach said it best -- "for every Notre Dame opponent, it's their Super Bowl."

Folks, the BYU Cougars are playing in their Super Bowl tomorrow afternoon -- here's hoping our Fighting Irish match and exceed their intensity in this game!

Here's a Salt Lake Tribune story:


LINK:  DEFINING MOMENT

Watch the Notre Dame Pep Rally -- REPLAY!

The last Notre Dame Pep Rally of the 2013 football season was held tonight at the Compton Family Ice Arena.  Watch the last time for ND seniors -- click on the link below:

LINK:  WATCH THE PEP RALLY -- REPLAY

Coach Kelly Meets With Media After Practice

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media this evening after practice -- as they Irish wrap up their work for Saturday's game with BYU.   He also broke the news about Louis Nix's knee surgery today...

LINK:  COACH KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

Let's Send These Seniors Out With a BIG WIN!

What though the odds be great or small...

I will have a lump in my throat around 3:15 PM ET this Saturday when more than 30 seniors run out of the Notre Dame Stadium tunnel onto the greatest platform in college sport -- to hug their parents. 

Here's a little "primer" for this game:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S SENIOR CLASS

Story Just Broke: Louis Nix Out for Season

Just when you thought the injury bug might have finally stopped biting the INJURED IRISH -- we get this news...

Notre Dame senior Louis Nix, III will undergo knee surgery for a meniscus tear -- as was just reported by WNDU-TV's Jeff Jeffers -- ending his senior season with the IRISH.

When it rains, it pours.

Louis met with the media this evening -- hours after his surgery -- click on the link below:

LINK:  LOUIS NIX

The "Inventor" of the Forward Pass -- NFL Films

Notre Dame fans will want to watch this -- a look at the history of the forward pass that leads to South Bend, IN...  MUST SEE!

LINK:  WHO INVENTED THE FORWARD PASS?

Former ND Student-Athlete Chris Badger Talks

The Salt Lake Tribune ran this video interview of former Notre Dame student-athlete Chris Badger who transferred to BYU this past summer.  The NCAA waived the year to sit out -- so Badger is playing for the Cougars and will this Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

The young man handled this discussion quite well.

LINK:  CHRIS BADGER

Senior Week: Coach Kelly Talks to Media

It's a football season Tuesday at Notre Dame -- which means head football coach Brian Kelly meets with the media.  Click on the link below to watch the replay:

LINK:  COACH KELLY MEDIA CONFERENCE

Keough Hall Earns Trip to Notre Dame Stadium!

Can you imagine playing an intramural football game with the winner earning the opportunity to play the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME in the HOUSE THAT ROCK BUILT? 

Well, in 37 degree weather tonight "under the lights" at Notre Dame's Labar Practice Complex -- the Keough Hall Kangaroos beat Keenan Hall 16 - 13 to earn the honor of running out of the tunnel into fabled Notre Dame Stadium!

The Kangaroos were down 7 - 0 early in the 1st quarter when Keenan connected on a beautiful 45 yard TD catch and run -- see video below.  It was a big-time play -- Coach Kelly may want to take a look at #3 in the Keenan uniform!

In the second quarter, Keough got on the board on a five-yard TD run (see video below).  Instead of kicking an extra point, they went for two, missing a pass play -- but, they benefited from an interference call -- getting the ball at the one-yard line for a second shot.  This time the Kangaroos ran it in to take the lead (see video below) 8 - 7 -- a lead they would never relinquish!

In the third quarter, a pass interception by the Kangaroos set up a short field and Keough drove the ball down and ran it in for what turned out to be the WINNING SCORE.  The two point conversion was unsuccessful -- putting Keough up 14 - 7.

With seven minutes left in the game, Keough was on the verge of putting the game away, when they fumbled the ball away to Keenan on the one-yard line.  On the very next play -- Keough blitzed and tackled the Keenan ball carrier in the endzone for a safety!  This made the score 16 - 7 with six minutes to go.

Keenan Hall, never giving up - drove the length of the field and scored a TD on a two-yard pass with 30 seconds left to make the score 16 - 13.   The extra point was blocked by Keough -- leaving the Kangaroos a couple of snaps to run the clock out.

I have to admit I was rooting for the men in Keough Hall tonight.  Their starting 'nose tackle' Patrick Couch (Trinity High School - South Bend) is the son of one of my colleagues at Notre Dame.  Patrick had a huge QB sack in the first half!  I couldn't be happier for Patrick and the Couch family tonight.

Keough Hall will play the winner of the other "semi-final" game tonight between Alumni Hall and Carroll Hall -- this Sunday in Notre Dame Stadium.  Should be fun!

LINK:  KEOUGH'S PRE-GAME PEP TALK

LINK:  KEENAN'S 45 YARD TD

LINK:  KEOUGH'S FIRST TD

LINK:  KEOUGH'S TWO-POINT CONVERSION

No Respect: BYU Favored Over Notre Dame

The bookies in Vegas have picked Brigham Young as the favorites - AT NOTRE DAME STADIUM -- this Saturday.   The Cougars are 7 - 3 on the season, just like our Fighting Irish.

I guess this must be the reason BYU is favored to beat Notre Dame:

• Brigham Young's wins over current Top 25 teams:  ZERO
• Notre Dame's wins over current Top 25 teams:  THREE

BYU's losses were to Virginia (2 - 8), Utah (4 - 6) and Wisconsin (8 - 2).  Only Wisconsin has a winning record among the three.

Notre Dame's losses were to Michigan (7 - 3), Oklahoma (8 - 2) and Pittsburgh (5 - 5).

No respect.

Buddhist Monks Creating Sand Mandala @ ND

Seven Tibetan Buddhist monks are currently at work on the campus of the University of Notre Dame creating a peace sand mandala.  If you're not aware of what a "sand madala" is -- here you go:

• The painting with colored sands is considered the most unique and exquisite of all artistic traditions of Buddhism. This Tibetan art form is called dul-tson-kuyil-khor, which means “mandala of colored powders.” The sand mandala represents many things, including the cycle of life – creation, beauty of existence and its impermanence, and finally, the return to the natural world for creation again.   

You can watch them create the PEACE SAND MANDALA -- LIVE by clicking on the link below.  It will take the MONKS FOUR DAYS to complete their work.  They will be working from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM the next four days -- check in on it live.


LINK:  CHECK IN ON THEIR PROGRESS -- RIGHT HERE

OT: Photo of NASCAR Tire Explosion Yesterday

This is an incredible photo of the TIRE being blown off the back of Paul Menard's Chevrolet at yesterday's NASCAR race at Homestead.  Click on the link below for the video of the explosion:

LINK:  NASCAR TIRE EXPLOSION

Big Time Winds Slam into South Bend Today

Here's video I took of the strong winds that slammed into South Bend this afternoon.  There are currently 36,000 homes without power in the Michiana area.

LINK:  OUTAGE MAP

No BCS Team Has Beat More Top 25 Teams!

Notre Dame has beaten three top twenty-five teams in the country -- no other college football program has beaten more top teams this season:

• Notre Dame 17 -- #13 Michigan State 13
• Notre Dame 37 -- #19 Arizona State 35
• Notre Dame 14 -- #23 USC 10

LINK:  TOP TWENTY RANKINGS

Michael Floyd's Best Game in the NFL!

Former Notre Dame All-American Michael Floyd had his best day in the NFL today -- catching six passes for 193 yards and a TD!

Here's the replay of the 91-yard TD catch!

LINK:  TD CATCH!

Notre Dame Engineering Students Helping Out

Notre Dame students in the College of Engineering spent their Saturday in a couple of parks in South Bend cleaning up debris along the river.  Here's the WNDU-TV story:

LINK:  CLEANING UP SOUTH BEND

The Pinstripe Bowl Will Be an Option for ND

With West Virginia and TCU both losing yesterday -- the BIG 12 conference, not to be confused with another big twelve conference of teams in the midwest -- will not have enough teams who will be bowl eligible...

Thus, the BIG 12's automatic spot at the PINSTRIPE BOWL on December 28th will be up for grabs.  You can bet the folks at Yankee Stadium (the site of the Pinstripe Bowl) will come looking for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame...

LINK:  PINSTRIPE BOWL TICKET INFORMATION

Our Dog Muffet's Tribute to Skylar Diggins

My wife Susan created an Adidas "headband" in honor of Skylar Diggin's RING OF HONOR induction ceremony today for our Sheltie puppy -- named Muffet McGraw...

Yeah, we're nuts...

Skylar Diggins "Home Forever" at Notre Dame

Skylar finished her talk at the RING OF HONOR ceremony today with these words -- after seeing her banner hanging from the rafters;  "I never wanted to leave this place -- and now, I never will."

Here is a video of the ceremony along with Skylar's speech.  Enjoy!

LINK:  SKYLAR DIGGINS

LINK:  THE VIDEO FROM MY SEAT

Notre Dame Says THANK YOU to Skylar Today!

Skylar is only six months removed from wearing a cap and gown inside Notre Dame Stadium -- leaving behind a four-year career that few have matched in the history of college sports.

Today, before Notre Dame's game against Valparaiso -- Skylar Diggins will be inducted into the RING OF HONOR.

I can't wait...

LINK:  SKYLAR'S DAY