JIM SMALL'S NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG -- www.NDGOIRISH.com -- A NOTRE DAME BLOG

Sunday, September 13, 2015

I Missed This: NYT Story on ND Leprechaun

I missed this New York Times feature on the Notre Dame Leprechaun last week -- sorry!

LINK: THE LEPRECHAUN

The National Media's Reaction to ND's Win

Here's what a few in the national media had to say about Notre Dame's come from behind win over Virginia -- and the news that Malik Zaire is out for the season with a fractured ankle...

LINK: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK: SPORTING NEWS

LINK: YAHOO SPORTS

LINK: NEW YORK TIMES

LINK: FOX SPORTS

Virginia Coach Talks Loss to Notre Dame

"IF WE SEE THIS" -- We Beat GT Saturday

I've watched enough highlight tape of Georgia Tech's two "scrimmages" this year to devise a game plan for the Fighting Irish to win a game that no one in the media will give us a chance to win this week.

First the facts:

In Georgia Tech's two scrimmages -- they haven't faced a single player who will be drafted in the first five rounds of next May's NFL Draft -- or, the 2017 or 2018 NFL Draft. They will see MANY on Saturday.
In Georgia Tech's two scrimmages -- they haven't faced a single player who was rated higher than a three-star recruit coming out of high school -- MOST WERE 2 star, 1 star and UNRANKED. They will see MANY on Saturday.
In Georgia Tech's two scrimmages -- they haven't faced an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman with "big boy football" size and athletic ability. They will see MANY on Saturday.
In Georgia Tech's two scrimmages -- they haven't faced a team that they had to fear on defense. They haven't seen a Prosise, Fuller, Hunter, Smythe, Brown, or a Stanley, Nelson, Martin, Elmer or McGlinchey -- they haven't played a "big-boy" team yet -- like they will on Saturday.
And, in Georgia Tech's two scrimmages -- they haven't left the cozy confines of their field in downtown Atlanta -- where they averaged 50,000 fans... They will see 75,000 FIGHTING IRISH fans on Saturday!

Here's a look at the TALENT EVALUATION of the toughest team Georgia Tech has played in their two scrimmages this season.

"IF WE SEE THIS" -- VICTORY LIST (need FIVE OF SEVEN to happen):

Do not turnover the football. Brian Kelly is 18-0 at Notre Dame when his team does not turn it over.
We must score TD's -- on at least 87% of our trips to the Red Zone -- field goals will not win this one. We will need to score at least 39 points to win this game -- the three teams that beat GT last year averaged this point production.
The Tight End position must become a target -- with five or more catches in this game.
We must turn over GT at least two times.
We must make at least five tackles for loss in this game.
We can't be forced to punt more than three times in this game. In GT's three losses last year -- their opponents were only forced to punt 3 or fewer times.
We must limit GT's big chunk plays -- of more than 20 yards -- to no more than 3 in this game.

Here's a look at Georgia Tech's last loss -- a game against Florida State in December...

Will Fuller #4 in NCAA FBS in Receiving Yards

The Notre Dame speedster (a three-star recruit) has moved up to the number 4 ranking in FBS for total receiving yards after yesterday's win over Virginia.

Fuller has caught 12 passes for 266 yards and 4 touchdowns -- he's tied for 2nd in the country in total TD catches!

LINK: NCAA RECEIVING STATS

C.J. Prosise #14 in NCAA FBS in Rushing Yards

Not bad for a student-athlete playing his first two games at running back since he was 12 years-old. C.J. (a three-star recruit) has rushed for 253 yards on 37 carries for a 6.8 yards average per attempt.

LINK: NCAA RUSHING STATS

ESPN Highlights: Notre Dame 34 - Virginia 27

Virginia's Radio / TV Team Game Broadcast

You'll want to watch this -- it shows a field level view of game highlights including ND's game winning drive at the end. With commentary from Virginia's radio broadcast team...

A Quick Look At ND's Locker Room After Game

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Game Highlights: Notre Dame 34 - VA 27

Georgia Tech Has 15 Pass Attempts All Season

And they've run it for 476 yards and 439 yards in their first two games -- while throwing it for 77 yards and 132 yards.

The big numbers are these -- 69 points and 65 points with 2 turnovers (fumbles) -- one each game.

Georgia Tech's Opponents -- First Two Games

Here's the facts about Georgia Tech's two opponents this season -- neither has a win over a FBS opponent.

GAME ONE: Georgia Tech beat Alcorn State 69 - 6

Alcorn State won their second game over Alabama State, 31 - 14

GAME TWO: Georgia Tech beat Tulane 65 - 10

Tulane lost their first game to Duke, 37 - 7
Tulane has rushed for 96 yards in their first two games of the season
Tulane has turned the ball over 3 times in their first two games

Highlights: North Carolina's Win Over GT 2014

North Carolina ran for 189 yards and threw for 390 yards against Georgia Tech.

Highlights: Duke's Win Over Georgia Tech 2014

Georgia Tech turned it over three times last year in their loss to Duke.

Virginia Win: Brian Kelly's Post Game Presser

I'm Going to Say It Now -- WE WILL WIN!

We're going to be hearing all week long on how we have ZERO CHANCE of beating Georgia Tech -- ZERO....

Bring it!

What happened today -- doesn't happen to losers -- it happens to teams who are learning how to WIN. I don't know how we'll do it next Saturday -- but, I'm confident we're going to find a way.

What though the odds be great or small...