Irish to Invade Nation's Capitol

The Band of the Fightin' Irish will perform on the U.S. Capitol Lawn and Notre Dame Football will go GREEN on Saturday.

Notre Dame will be rocking an interesting look in what has been dubbed the
"Shamrock Series" against Maryland in Washington D.C. on Saturday

Before the Fightin' Irish took on the Demon Deacons in Winston Salem last Saturday, Coach Kelly delivered a pregame speech that described the season as a "journey" that every player and every coach must go through together in order to reach the level of championship-caliber football that is expected at Notre Dame.  After the hard-fought victory, one that the casual observer would have reason to call "ugly," Kelly congratulated his team on its "gritty, tough performance."  


While most fans would have rather witnessed a blowout victory than a 60 minute grind-fest, winning that type of game will prove to be valuable for our team down the road.  The total domination of Navy brought confidence back to our Boys in Blue and Gold, but thie far-from-sexy win over Wake may have taught them much more valuable lessons about maintaining a consistent approach after falling behind, and finishing strong once in the lead.  


Each time the players took the field against Wake, they rallied around the phrase "Count on me."  With two easy Ws coming up against Maryland and Backup College, we should all be tipping out hats to the Deacs for reminding our players how essential it is that they count on each other no matter how any particular game plays out.  


Speaking of Maryland, the Fightin' Irish will be invading our nation's capital for their third annual "Home away from Home" game, this time against the Terrapins at Fed Ex Field.  Prior to Saturday night's game, the Fightin' Irish Faithful will get a chance to show their support along with guest speakers Joe Theismann and Reggie Brooks as the Pep Rally on Friday night will be held at the National Mall.  On Saturday, Unviersity President Fr. John Jenkins will celebrate mass at 10:00am in St, Matthew's Cathedral, followed by a performance featuring the entire Band of the Fighting Irish on the U.S. Capitol Lawn at 12:00pm.  All of these events are free and open to the public, so go celebrate "God, Country, Notre Dame" if you are in the area.


Finally, the Fightin' Irish will take on the Terrapins in a battle of unconventional uniforms at 7:30pm.  After recently revealing our new Golden disco ball helmets with green face masks and shamrock accents, I wouldn't be surprised if we take the field in some sort of funky take on "throwbacks" that feature much more of my favorite color than usual.  Not to be outdone in terms of ridiculous attire, I'm sure that Maryland will come out with their latest Ninja-Turtle look while also incorporating their state flag in the least fashionable way possible per usual.  Regardless, it will be interesting to see what both sides come up with.  Oh yeah... they're going to play football too...


In all seriousness, this game should provide a nice confidence boost and an overall enjoyable experience for Kelly's banged up squad.  Hopefully it leaves them feeling refreshed prior to their final tune-up game against our little brother school from New England on Senior Night.  All in all, Saturday will bring us one step closer to the West Coast, where we hope to capture some Luck and harvest some timber over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Official Press Release Explaining New Changes to Uniforms:
This marks the first in a series of uniform features that will be utilized for Notre Dame's Shamrock Series contests. After the 2011 game at FedExField, the Shamrock Series in 2012 moves to Soldier Field in Chicago for a game against Miami. In 2013 the Shamrock Series matchup against Arizona State will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Irish will showcase uniform variations in their annual Shamrock Series games but otherwise will wear their standard uniforms the rest of the season. 


(For the record, I am 100% behind such efforts to inject new elements into the Notre Dame Football experience as long as they stay in line with our traditions of excellence, class, and honoring our rich heritage.  I look forward to the continuation of the "Shamrock Series" as well as alternate uniforms used specifically for those games, while keeping the traditional look intact for the remainder of each season).