Shamrock Series Recap: Forked Over

Fork me?  Fork you!

From the massive video-board-assisted intro until the final whistle, unranked ND v. #22 ASU in Jerry World did not disappoint.  Here's a quick look at the major points I took from the game:

1.  Notre Dame Stadium needs a video board.  Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was part of Swarbrick's master plan to install one.  Anyone who tries to deny the energy 60 yards of HD perfection added to the Notre Dame football experience is kidding themselves.

The excitement level in Jerry World proving that
Notre Dame Stadium needs a video board

2.  I heart Texas.  The "Remember the Alamo" Pep-Rally before our inaugural Shamrock Series game in San Antonio set the stage for an amazing concept.  Four years and four cities later, the Fighting Irish returned for a second helping of Tex-Mex, this time in DFW.  Our Texan hosts wowed us once again during a weekend-long fiesta that felt more like a bowl game atmosphere than your average week six.  Here's to hoping that we return to play under the high and wide Texas sky sometime soon.

Game Day, Tex-Mex Style

3.  Notre Dame still has a really good football team.  Stop it!  Stop whining!  As I said before, 2013 Notre Dame Football is not 2012 Notre Dame Football.  Still, the Fighting Irish stand at 4-2 after opening the season against a tough slate that included 4 ranked opponents.  With an extra week to prepare for putting up at least 50 against a reeling USC squad, Notre Dame now has a real chance to carry a 6-game winning streak into the season finale against Stanford.  Yee haw!

Uniform choices reflected the Catholics v. Devils matchup well

4.  Brian Kelly knows what he is doing.  Disagree with the skipper on occasion?  We all do.  Just try to relax.  Here, watch the Irish Icon video below all the way 'til the end.  Kelly's post-game speech will leave you feeling pretty good about your favorite team.  Here's a little more to make you feel good:

• Jaylon Smith is setting himself up to become a superstar.  The freshman phenom made two huge plays to end ASU's first two drives in the opening minutes of the game, only allowing them to take a 6-0 lead rather than go up by two possessions early like OU.  His consistent play the rest of the game kept ASU's backfield in check, holding the Devils to 34 points just one week after they put up 62 against SC.
• TJ Jones is becoming Wes-Welker-like in his route running abilities.  His crisp maneuvering allows Tommy to find him easily out there, as evidenced by his 135 yards and a touchdown on Saturday.  Brian Kelly put it best when he said, "They just couldn't defend him."
• Diaco's defense is starting to wake up.  Notice that pass rush?  Where did that come from?  With more pressure in the backfield, the secondary looks less like swiss cheese and more like a flock of ball-hawks.  For Farley's sake, let's hope Shembo and Tuitt continue to become Notre Dame's version of the bash brothers.  They can do the dirty work while he and Jackson continue to reap all the benefits.
• To say that Notre Dame's remaining schedule is favorable would be a major understatement.  Two bye weeks and five games against inferior opponents (including SC haha) separate the Fighting Irish from their grande finale against Stanford.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the perfect storybook ending... stay tuned.

Not only did ND win the game, but the Fighting Irish clearly outclassed
their state school opponents when it came to tailgating as well.

Throwback Thursday: Shamrock Series Edition

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Arizona State Sun Devils will face off in the home of the Dallas Cowboys this Saturday for only the third meeting between these two programs (ND currently holds a 2-0 series advantage). This year’s ASU squad has certainly caught the attention of Fighting Irish fans everywhere after an impressive 62-41 win over Notre Dame’s rival USC, which led to the prompt firing of Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin. This weekend will take on an even higher level of significance off the football field, though, during the fifth annual installation of Notre Dame’s home away from home Shamrock Series. Fans traveling to North Texas for the game can check my complete weekend guide here.

Throwback Thursday excerpt from 

"Life as the Notre Dame Leprechaun" 

...As the only proud Texan on our cheerleading squad, the responsibility fell on Molly to teach us the lyrics of "Deep in the Heart of Texas." She instructed her drowsy students with impressive patience, and most of us had the words memorized by the time we reached Fort Sam Houston. While at the US Army base there, we had the honor of spending the afternoon with several severely injured soldiers and their families through the Wounded Warriors Project. A group of kids greeted us with green pompoms and a homemade poster that read, "GO IRISH! Welcome ND!" They watched with admiration as the cheerleaders performed their stunts, and they promised they would tune in to the rest of our games on T so they could point us out to their friends. I looked around at all the smiling faces, and that same feeling I got every time I swayed to the Alma Mater came back. We left feeling enormously humbled by the sacrifices those brave families had made for our freedom. Our bus fell silent as we all sat staring out the window, reflecting on the spirit we had just shared with some of America's finest heros.

...None of us could believe the number of people already packed into downtown San Antonio for our pep rally when we pulled up to the Alamo.  Fans dressed in Notre Dame gear stretched as far as the eye could see, leaving no street, sidewalk, park bench, or patch of grass uncovered.  We all paused to marvel at the beautiful backdrop provided by the famous Alamo facade directly behind us, contrasted against the charming city streets straight ahead.  Then we remembered we had a show to run.  We took the stage and right away I could sense something different about these fans.  They showcased their southwestern flair by clapping their hands, stomping their boots, hooting, and hollering along with us the whole time.  The rally started to feel lke a scene from an old Western film, and I half-expected several pistols to discharge celebratory shots into the air when we danced to our band's rendition of "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

Read the rest at www.LeprechaunBook.com

(all books come signed and personalized)

THANK YOU ADIDAS! (a look at 2013 Shamrock Series uniforms)

After some questionable calls as of late, Adidas

finally hit it out of the park for the Fighting Irish with this one...

These Notre Dame Shamrock Series uniforms are pure perfection.  

Seriously, no other uniform in all of sports can touch this.  

Gold on Gold on Gold shamrock helmets?

With a genuine 24k shine from the actual Golden Dome?  

Game, Irish.

Green, White and Gold = every Leprechaun's dream

Shamrock Series: Washington D.C.

"You know what the difference is between you and me?  
I make this look good."

The Fightin’ Irish might want to borrow Wil Smith’s classic line from "Men in Black" when they take the field against Maryland in Washington D.C. this Saturday.  Both teams will be wearing alternate versions of their standard uniforms, with Notre Dame rocking the two colors that all Leprechauns love (Green and Gold), and Maryland featuring the look of their unique state flag split down the center in an ensemble that Harvey Two-Face would be proud to call his own. 

These Terps are wearing the same jersey...

Since Maryland lacks any significant sense of football tradition, no one really cares about the ridiculous changes they continue to implement with their uniforms each week. At Notre Dame, on the other hand, so-called “purists” and “traditionalists” of the less-than-enlightened sort tend to exclaim that the end is near every time a single stitch appears contrary to their liking.  What these naysayers fail to understand, however, is that shamrocks and holographic helmets do not equate to the end of all tradition. Rather, these uniforms provide a fresh way to celebrate the highly successful “Home Away From Home” games each year while staying true to the FIghtin’ Irish brand.  Plus, when viewed in their entirety, these Emerald Green and 24K Gold beauties purvey a sense of badass Fightin’ Irish swagger that should prove to be really really ridiculously good-looking under the lights in FedEx Field. If it’s true that the way you look impacts the way you feel, which in turn impacts the way you play, then the FIghtin’ Irish are going to be really really ridiculously good in all respects on Saturday night. 

Putting all bias aside, it's clear to see that Adidas and Notre Dame have outdone UnderArmour and Maryland in this one.  You should expect a similar outcome on the scoreboard at the end of the game as well.  Here's why:

Defensive Analysis:

Maryland’s offense has enjoyed spurts of success this season by catching defenses off-guard as they utilize a dual-quarterback system. They have shown a lack of consistency against well-prepared opponents, however, and I trust the Notre Dame coaching staff has made sure to take the element of surprise out of the equation, especially considering the talented scout team quarterbacks at their disposal during practice. The Fightin' Irish defense may be pretty banged up, but Ethan’s return will provide the veteran leadership that has been lacking along the line. One area of weakness that may be a cause of concern is the lack of depth along a Fightin’ Irish secondary that will be forced to line up against multiple WR sets early and often.  Even so, this should give Jamoris plenty of opportunities to continue his ball-hawk ways from the nickel position.  If I was a betting man, I would put some money on another INT for #26. Finally, Manti will continue to assert his presence as the anchor of Diaco’s defense despite being hobbled by an ankle injury.



Offensive Analysis:

Year one of the Randy Edsall era has been less than smooth for the 2-7 T(w)erps of Maryland. Much of this can be attributed to his defense (or lack thereof). It's more than fair to say that they have done little if anything to stop the run this year, serving up huge helpings of yardage to far less physical offensive lines blocking for far less talented running backs (reference: Backup College). They can’t tackle, they can’t shed blocks, and when they stack the box to stop the run they can’t seem to cover wide receivers (which presents a problem when faced with the likes of Mike). This will be a great game for Mike Golic Jr. to get his feet wet in his first career start by doing what offensive linemen love most: run-blocking all day long. I’ve been itching to see the special edition “Swagger” gloves that allegedly have Golden palms with a shamrock printed across them. Luckily, I shouldn’t have to wait too long for Cierre Wood to flash them into the camera in signature style after his first trip to the endzone. 

Score Prediction:

Fightin’ Irish: 41

Fightin’ Turtles: 13

Offensive Game Ball: 

Cierre Wood – The shiftier of our two prize ponies will make Maryland defenders miss time after time as he gallops his way to well over 100 yards against a team that had trouble making tackles all season.



Defensive Game Ball: 

Jamoris Slaughter – The ball-hawk / X-factor of our nickel defense will see ample playing time against an offense that uses multiple WR sets regularly. Unfortunately for Maryland, this will only present him with more opportunities to make big plays. Pick 6 anyone?

Do you think this Terp wears matching socks to class?