Running backs in the spotlight this week for Notre Dame

Boston College has a long history of picking a workhorse in the backfield and pounding for three yards and a cloud of astroturf. This year their guy is Montel Harris. Harris carried over 300 times last season for 1,500 yards and is off to a similar pace in 2010. He is averaging about 100 yards and 22 carries per game. With a brand new starter under center for Boston College, stopping the 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior will undoubtedly be the focus for the Irish defense this week.

Running backs have also been in the spotlight on the offensive side of the ball for Notre Dame throughout this week’s practice. The biggest headline grabber was Robert Hughes moving up to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Hughes, the bass of Notre Dame’s quartet of backs, seemed all but forgotten in the first three games of his senior year. He finally got a few touches late in the fourth quarter against Stanford and apparently caught Brian Kelly’s eye with a long reception on a screen pass.

Coach Kelly countered the quick questions about Cierre Wood’s demotion by saying Wood was essentially still in his rookie season and needed a little more schooling before he was ready to be a feature back. Wood has also struggled returning kick offs and may lose that spot to true freshman Bennet Jackson if the Irish special teams don’t get more “dynamic” this Saturday in Boston. Wood excited Irish fans with flashes of a long awaited breakaway runner during his season opener against Purdue, but has had only 9 carries for 13 yards since.

It was Wood who many believed lit the fire under Armando Allen’s John Deere hind parts (as Denzyl would say) as the senior started his final season running with a sense of urgency. But Allen’s productivity has also steadily declined since falling two yards short of the century mark against Purdue. Adding Hughes to the mix may be just what the Irish need to chip away at Boston College’s always-talented front seven and get the rushing game back on track. (more…)

Stanley Cup makes appearance at Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s fotoball team looked years away from any significant hardware during their loss to Stanford on Sunday. But, in fact, one of most famous and revered trophies in the history of sports was only a few yards a way on the Irish sidelines.

The Stanley Cup made its first appearance ever inside Notre Dame Stadium Saturday thanks to Stan Bowman – a 1995 Notre Dame graduate. Bowman took over as General Manager for the Chicago Blackhawks last season and played an integral part in Chicago’s first hockey championship since 1961. Bowman, only 37 years old, was honored by Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick during a TV timeout Saturday for becoming the youngest NHL GM to win a Stanley Cup.

Bowman isn’t just a suit taking credit for the guys in the trenches, either. Chicago was stacked with talent during their playoff run thanks to some tricky maneuvers within the NHL salary cap. The Blackhawks lost of a lot of talent when the season ended, but Bowman knew it was coming. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune during the championship honeymoon, Bowman explained how they manipulated the NHL cap rules to help the team get the talent they needed to succeed in the 2009-1o season.

If the name Bowman sounds familiar it’s because Stan is the son of Scotty Bowman, legendary coach for the Detroit Red Wings and multiple Canadian olympic teams. Bowman said he was excited to be on campus and the see the beginning construction for Notre Dame’s new hockey rink. Irish hockey coach Jeff Jackson has been lobbying to get the ND facilities a much needed facelift since he arrived five years ago. Plans for the stadium have been set and are available for a sneak-peek online. The stadium has already been dubbed the “Cathedral of College Hockey”

“I think it’s gong to make a huge difference,” Bowman said in an interview with WNDU during Saturday’s game.  “They’ve done a tremendous job with the facility they have, which frankly, really isn’t the same as some of the competitors that they’re gong against. You have to have the players, recruiting is very important in college hockey. I think the tradition at Notre Dame, coupled with the new facility, is going to be a great thing and I expect great things for many years from the Irish hockey team.”

Notre Dame has been playing in one of the worst rinks in the country, but Jackson, who previously coached for the New York Islanders and has three NCAA national championships under his belt, has still managed to pull in top-tier recruits. Notre Dame has been at the top of national polls for most of Jackson’s tenure and the state-of-the-art new facilities will only help the team get better in the future.

Notre Dame offense struggles in loss to Stanford

In Notre Dame’s first two losses of the season excuses were easy to come by. Michigan won because of a freak athlete at quarterback. Michigan State needed everything to go right on a freak overtime play to put the Irish at 1-2.

Despite the record things appeared to be headed in the right direction. Irish fans were like prisoners in The Shawshank Redemption, at least they still had hope.

Saturday’s loss to Stanford didn’t provide such luxuries. The mood after Notre Dame dropped to 1-3 for the first time since Bob Davie made his coaching debut was as dark and dismal as the South Bend sky. The Irish offense looked worse than the 351 total yards of offense they put up and quarterback Dayne Crist had the worst outing of his short college career.

Crist finished the game 25-of-44 for a shockingly high 307 yards passing. He turned the ball over twice inside his own 20-yard line which led to 10 quick points for the Cardinal. His worst throw of the game was picked off by Stanford jack-of-all-trades Owen Marecic, who needed only 13 seconds to single-handedly put the game out of reach. Marecic scored on a 1-yard leap on the previous play from his fullback position. His pair of TDs vaulted the score from a manageable two-possesion game to a 34-6 blowout midway through the fourth quarter. (more…)

Notre Dame vs. Stanford Predictions

Notre Dame(1-2) took a kick in the gut last weekend against Michigan State, but it seems head coach Brian Kelly rallied his troops during a good week of practice. Unfortunately for the Irish, to get back to .500 will take a win over one of the best, if not the best, teams they will face all year.

No. 16 Stanford brings the most complete team they’ve had in 25 years to South Bend on Saturday with an unblemished 3-0 record. The Cardinal has added plenty of style points along the way – 155 through three games to be exact. Quarterback Andrew Luck has the entire nation watching after revealing a full arsenal of arm strength, accuracy and running ability in his very impressive start to the season.

Cheesy sports writers are frothing at the mouth with the chance to put both “Luck” and “Irish” in their headlines this weekend.And most likely, they will get their chance. Whether it’s “Too much Luck for the Irish defense” or “Irish don’t need Luck for win,” stopping Stanford’s QB will be the storyline of the day. (more…)

Notre Dame basketball releases 2010-11 schedule

The Notre Dame basketball team released its 2010-11 schedule last week amid the football mania that takes over South Bend and its media outlets each autumn. Irish fans across the country should have plenty of opportunities to see the team this season with over half of their games appearing on national television.

Sixteen of Notre Dame’s 30 games are slated for a national audience on one of the ESPN network channels and a 17th will be on CBS Sports. Three of those games will be featured on ESPN’s Big Monday, which has evolved over the past few years to fill Monday Night Football’s void for sports fanatics and degenerate gamblers.

The three showcase games are scheduled for Jan. 10 (at Marquette), Jan. 24 (at Pittsburgh) and Feb. 28 at home against Villanova. (more…)

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