It's a Bird, It's a Plane -- No, It's "GOL"DMAN!

This is a photo of the greatest TWO POINT CONVERSION in the history of Notre Dame football!

If Everett Golson -- AKA "GOL-DMAN" -- doesn't make that great dash from the ten yard line and LEAP OVER the final three yards into the end zone, our National Championship hopes would have vanished!

Here's a look at a piece produced by Fighting Irish Digital Media about "Gol"dman -- my nickname for Everett Golson.

LINK:  GAME BALL TO EVERETT GOLSON

Irish Move Down to #4 in BCS Rankings...

A 3 OT win over Pittsburgh and a win over USC where a defense gave up 51 points and 615 yards of offense -- led to the Ducks moving ahead of the IRISH in the BCS rankings this week...

It just goes to show you "what sells" to the human voters -- OFFENSE.

Anyway -- there's three more games left for Notre Dame and four for the others; Alabama, Kansas State and Oregon -- plenty can happen.

It may come down to the IRISH beating USC by more than 10 points on November 24th.

GO IRISH!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME MOVES TO #4

STAT OF THE GAME -- In Notre Dame's Win

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame out gained Pittsburgh 222 yards to 20 yards in the 4th quarter and the three OT periods! 

Think about that!!!

ESPN Jumps the Gun -- Posts IRISH Loss

The folks at ESPN.COM posted this on their site right after the fumble by Cierre Wood in the 2OT and as the kicker for Pitt was lining up for the 31 yard FG to win the game...


Maybe it was the ESPN.COM "JINX" -- that led to the field goal miss?

A ND fan was quick to pick this up before ESPN took it down.

IRISH EYES ARE SMILING! Undefeated 9 - 0 !

You'll find a number of stories about Notre Dame's 3 OT win over Pittsburgh -- in my post last night.  Here's a few more for your reading pleasure!

Oh, what a night!!!

LINK:  YAHOO SPORTS

LINK:  ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK:  ESPN

NBC's Coverage of Notre Dame's 3 OT Win!

The gang at NBC may have picked up another RATINGS WINNER tonight -- as Notre Dame struggled, yet found a way to beat a game Pittsburgh squad in TRIPLE OVERTIME!

Here's a look at NBC's coverage of Notre Dame's 29 - 26 win over the Pitt Panthers -- including the FULL GAME REPLAY:

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  COACH KELLY WITH ALEX FLANAGAN

LINK:  KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE POST GAME

LINK:  FULL REPLAY OF GAME

LINK:  GOLSON'S WINNING TD IN OVERTIME

Media's Initial Reaction to ND's 3 OT Win!

The Fightin' Irish are 9 - 0 and that's really all that matters right now for this football program.  There were some positives tonight:

• 522 yards of total offense
• Holding Pittsburgh to 1 for 14 on third down
• 34 first downs against only 13 for Pitt
• 231 yards of rushing
• And, almost eleven more minutes in time of possession

Yet, it took THREE OVERTIMES and a MISSED FIELD GOAL for Notre Dame to go to 9 - 0 on the season.  The Irish overcame:

• Three turnovers on offense -- while getting ZERO on defense
• Special teams that were not so special -- kick-off and punt -- all struggled big time
• Field goal miss and an extra point miss
• 170+ rushing by Pitt's Graham
• Two long drives to start the game on offense and NO TD's to show for it

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

LINK:  PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE

LINK:  NBC'S NOTRE DAME CENTRAL

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  ESPN NOTRE DAME BLOG

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

It's His Team Now: Everett Golson Leads IRISH!

Folks, there were many who didn't BELIEVE after Golson threw an interception in the endzone with approximately three minutes left and the IRISH down 8 -- they left Notre Dame Stadium.

Yet, here we are THREE OVERTIMES later and Notre Dame is 9 - 0 thanks to a two-point conversion (PLAY OF THE YEAR), a missed field goal and a team that refuses to lose...

Notre Dame 29 -- Pittsburgh 26

The photo above - taken by Travis Mather -- is the Play of the Year for Notre Dame football.  That's Everett Golson diving into the endzone to tie the game!

Here's all of the post game coverage -- Coach Kelly's press conference, Players after the game and the halftime and post game locker room celebration, etc.

ENJOY!

LINK:  ND LOCKER ROOM AND SIDELINE

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

LINK:  PLAYERS POST GAME

LINK:  ZACH MARTIN ON FIELD AFTER THE GAME

Best Day of the Week: Gameday at Notre Dame!

The Pitt Panthers roll into Notre Dame Stadium to take on our #3 BCS ranked Fighting Irish -- in what typically is a very close and hard fought battle.  This will be the 68th time these two schools will have met on the football field.

To get you ready for today's 3:30 PM ET kick-off -- here's a look at what the media "experts" think about today's game:

LINK:  PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE

LINK:  PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE

LINK:  ESPN NOTRE DAME BLOG

LINK:  NBC NOTRE DAME CENTRAL

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

Protect This House Friday -- Must See Video!

The gang at Turning Point continue to impress with their weekly PUMP UP video for the Fightin' Irish!  Take a look:

LINK:  PROTECT THIS HOUSE FRIDAY

Photo of the Day -- DOMER Curing Skin Cancer!

ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Dr. Carlos Gomez-Meade '01 in Austin, TX (Longhorn country) sent me this photo today of him at work!  Got to love the "scrub cap" he wears curing skin cancer every day!  Thanks Doc!

LINK:  DR. CARLOS GOMEZ-MEADE BIO

Coach Kelly's Last Media Session Before Pitt

"118 plays in practice -- which is 30+ more than what the IRISH have been able to run in a typical practice this season..."

This is one of the key things Coach Kelly discussed in the last media session before kick-off tomorrow.

LINK:  COACH KELLY'S MEDIA SESSION

Miami Herald -- Great Story on ND's Importance

Notre Dame football -- at its best -- is good for sport.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S SHINING LIGHT

Notre Dame Alum Receives Global Honor!!!

Jimmy Small a 2008 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and NASCAR's Manager of Industry Marketing -- was selected as one of the 10 NEXT in the sports industry -- a spotlight on rising executives around the globe who will shape the sports industry of tomorrow.

Small, a former Irish Guardsman, will be honored in a ceremony at Columbia University on November 16th.


LINK TO STORY:  SMALL RECEIVES GLOBAL HONOR


Here's what the ProSports Magazine press release had to say:

Launched in 2011, the 10 NEXT annually recognizes a distinct group of ten sports executives under the age of 30, from around the world, that have achieved an exceptional level of success that is truly rare at such a young age. Nominees must be under the age of 30 and must demonstrate a truly remarkable curriculum vitae.

The Selection Committee, a diverse group of leading sports executives, determines the 10 NEXT winners based on a number of criteria including, but not limited to, uniqueness and exceptionality; size and scope of responsibilities; measurable accomplishments and business results as well as creativity, innovation and leadership.

This years selected individuals will be honored at the 2012 Ivy Sports Symposium on Friday, November 16 at Columbia University in New York with a special ceremony. In addition, their achievements will be profiled in an upcoming edition of SportsPro magazine and on the SportsPro website.

In the spirit of full disclosure -- Jimmy Small '08, is the oldest of our three children; Kara, St. Bonaventure '10 and Brady, Niagara University '14.  A pretty special moment for the Small, Doyle and Manhard clans...

Know Thy Opponent: Pittsburgh Panthers

Took a lap around the worldwide web to find all I could about the Pitt Panthers football team -- and what's being said about their game this Saturday with the #3 Fighting Irish!

LINK:  PITTSBURGH GAZETTE #1

LINK:  PITTSBURGH GAZETTE #2 

LINK:  PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE

LINK:  PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE #2

LINK:  PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE #3

LINK:  CBS SPORTS

LINK:  NBC NOTRE DAME CENTRAL

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  ESPN'S NOTRE DAME BLOG

The VOICE: Saint Mary's Student Advances!

Sylvia Yacoub -- who is a student at Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame, IN) advanced last night to the PLAYOFFS of NBC's hit show -- THE VOICE!

Yacoub -- who is coached by Christina Aquilera -- won her KNOCKOUT round last night to make the final SIXTEEN and the LIVE SHOWS -- which start next Monday night!

Just click on the link below to watch Sylvia's winning performance:

LINK:  SYLVIA YACOUB

Photo of the Day -- Notre Dame's Cierre Wood

This photo was taken late in the game last month between Notre Dame and Michigan State -- by ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Rick Rachner (Walled Lake, MI). 

Rick was able to get Cierre Wood to pose for a victory photo...

The Final Word on Oklahoma vs. Notre Dame

An Oklahoma fan publishes a weekly YOUTUBE video review of the performance of his favorite team -- well, here is his opinion on what happened in their game with Notre Dame.

Enjoy!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME BEATS OKLAHOMA

Happy Halloween From Notre Dame!!!

My colleagues over in Donor Services and the Notre Dame Annual Fund put on their annual Halloween "pot luck" luncheon today and as you can see a few of of them dressed for the occasion!!!

Ohio State Fans Will Not Like Urban's Talk...

The Ohio State University's head football coach Urban Meyer was asked by a Columbus Dispatch columnist about the resurgence of Notre Dame football this season...

Buckeye fans will probably be less than thrilled with his response.

LINK:  URBAN MEYER TALKS NOTRE DAME