Leprechaun Express: Notre Dame Football Update

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Notre Dame Wakes Up the Echoes, as Fighting Irish Host Army at Yankee Stadium
Leprechaun Express: Notre Dame Football Intel Update Nov. 20, 2010

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Dramatic Lore

In the 50th meeting between the teams, Notre Dame welcomes Army to the new Yankee Stadium Saturday at 7 PM, reviving a series that saw passing offense introduced to the game of football in 1913 ... the naming of the Four Horseman in 1924 en route to Notre Dame's first consensus national championship ... Notre Dame winning one for the Gipper in 1928 ... the coining of the term "subway alumni" referring to devoted Irish fans who never attended the school, which later has been applied to all Irish fans of that type ... a World War II-depleted Notre Dame suffering the biggest loss in school history ... a post-war #1 vs. #2 Game of the Century in 1946 featuring the most Heisman winners ever on the field in one college football game, actually playing directly against each other because in that era they played both ways ... and some surprisingly close contests spread out in in the modern era, including one where Army almost knocked off a highly-ranked Lou Holtz squad.

Brian Kelly Excited

Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly, at his Tuesday press conference, expressed excitement about the opponent, the venue, and being on the national stage:

Army is the opposition this week. We're going to be playing them in Yankee Stadium. It's a great venue, exciting, on NBC, national television. I think just a great atmosphere for college football. 50th meeting of Army versus Notre Dame, so there's a lot to the game. We're excited about that certainly.

Kelly's Master Plan, Looking For Consistency

Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly evokes a sense that he has a bird's eye view of Notre Dame's development where he can see things unfolding towards a fruition where the pieces come together, and where development builds to a head.

How the Army game fits into that remains to be seen, but Kelly does need to keep momentum going, and also needs to help erase the somewhat baffling, UFO-like misadventure against Navy.

(Again, the issue is not to disrespect Navy, which is one of the better teams in college football. The issue is how poorly Notre Dame played at that earlier game.)

At least publicly, Kelly's focus is especially on consistency, dovetailing with mental and physical toughness:

I think for us, more than anything else, though, it's about consistency and performance. Really that's our focus. That's what we talked about this week early on and we'll continue to talk about, playing with the same mental and physical toughness that's necessary to win football games on a consistent basis, not once in a while, not just playing well one day. Again, the theme, what we have talked to our football team all year about is a consistent message. They're hearing the same thing from me every day. They continue to hear playing the game the way we want it played and conducted in the manner that exhibits physical and mental toughness. We're going to need it.

Army Winning Record Against Good Competition

Army is 6-4, with close losses to reigning MAC champion Temple, a close loss to a high octane Hawai'i team that now has a 7-4 record; an overtime loss to a solid Rutgers team from the BIG EAST, and a loss to strong Air Force in a rivalry game, that has been in and out of the national rankings.

Their wins have been over Kent State, VMI, resurgent Duke, Tulane, and Eastern Michigan.

Overall, Army has beaten teams with losing records, and lost to teams with winning records, plus the loss to Rutgers.

So Army is a good team that is a bit of a "tweener" in terms being good, but not yet knocking of a team with a winning record.

Army Top-5 in Turnover Margin

Heading into their matchup with Notre Dame, Army is in the top-5 nationally in turnover margin, a statistic that should dovetail with an emphasis on discipline and focus.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame's ups and downs have at least correlated with their turnover margin varying across different games.

Kelly already has said he had thought Notre Dame could beat Utah if they did not turn the ball over, and, as he anticipated, Notre Dame's win was helped by a 2-0 turnover advantage against the Utes.

One play, in particular contributed to momentum in a game where the flow of the game was huge, much bigger than the issue of how Notre Dame stacked up statistically. With Notre Dame up 14-3, only have scored one offensive touchdown, and having already stymied one growing Utah drive with an interception, Notre Dame forced a fumble on the opening kick-off of the second half. Deep in Utah territory, the fumble set up a quick Notre Dame touchdown to go up 21-3 in a devastating opening to the second half.

Notre Dame also had an advantage over Utah with respect to penalties.

The example and challenge of Army's discipline and prowess with turnover margin, and Notre Dame's success against Utah, will hopefully inspire disciplined play by the Irish in Yankee Stadium.

Notre Dame Playing for Bowl Eligibility, Will Have to Play Hard to Win

At 5-5, Notre Dame is one win away from being bowl eligible. Army already has 6 wins, at 6-4, and is bowl eligible heading into the contest.

After Army, Notre Dame's only remaining regular season game is at the Los Angeles Coliseum against the disgraced, sanctions depleted, but still nationally ranked (in the AP) Southern Cal. So Notre Dame's season, in a sense, is hanging in the balance against Army, and Notre Dame needs to take care of business to bring home the win.

Notre Dame has the ability to win, but, as against Navy, if Notre Dame is not well-rested and well-prepared, and if Notre Dame does not play hard, Army will win. Look for the Irish to come out intense but under control and to dial up unique ways to massage the flow of the game.

In Notre Dame's biggest wins thus far, against Utah, Pitt and Boston College, Notre Dame played well and was crisp and hard-hitting, but was very opportunistic executing when they most needed to within the flow of the game as it unfolded.

Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly conveys the idea that, in addition to wanting to teach a system, and teach fundamentals of blocking and tackling, he wants to use his decades of head coaching experience to get a bird's eye view and drill down into the details of what's needed to tweak the team's performance and unleash it within the flow of a game.

The Irish will need that against Army, and if everybody fires on all cylinders it could be a successful outing in a dramatic game against a great opponent.

Charlie Weis connection

With Notre Dame already striving to develop neutral site contests as part of the original 7-4-1 arrangement, former Notre Dame Head Coach Charlie Weis, now helping run the Kansas City Chiefs, reportedly ran into now-deceased Yankees owner George Steinbrenner at about the time the Yankees were ready to build their new stadium. Considering the history, and perhaps Weis's own sentimental support for the Yankees as a New Jersey native, Weis apparently volunteered to Steinbrenner the notion of how fitting it would be for the first football game at the new Yankee Stadium to be between Notre Dame and Army. Weis would indicate that he could tell from Steinbrenner's reaction how much the concept resonated.

Since then, Army has rebounded with its football program, in 2010 bowl eligible with a winning record, and a top-10 rushing attack.

Dramatic Uniforms

In this year's contest, Notre Dame will be wearing green uniforms as the home team. Army presumably will be wearing its off-white, mottled light silvery gray camouflage uniforms, where the helmets, shirts, and pants are all a lighter version of modern desert camouflage patterns, with darker camouflage colors for the numerals.

Notre Dame Defense Chance for Redemption Against Service Academy with Strong Running Attack

Army has a top-10 rushing attack, but also has an efficient passing quarterback and tall wide receivers. Against Kent State, Army quarterback completed 90% of his passes, going 9 of 10 for 149 yards.

Said Kelly:

Army is an offense that really hasn't been stopped this year. Nobody can claim that. ... They do a very good job with the option and they also add some traditional offense. You'll see fly sweeps, counter, a passing game that is a little bit more diverse than a typical option team.

Great balance offensively in the sense that if you just try to take away one phase of it, as evident last week, 9 for 10 throwing the football with well over 100 yards, they can hurt you there as well.

Trent Steelman is a very tough, competitive guy. He's obviously very important to their offense. Their receivers are rangy, 6'3" types that can go up and get the football. Then again, the fullback is the leading ground gainer, and he's somebody that obviously we're quite aware of.

Notre Dame was embarrassed earlier in the year by its sluggish performance against Navy, giving up more than 350 rushing yards, in a game also played at a big venue in the New York area.

Kelly has tried to view the Navy game as an aberration, and is looking to make up for it:

COACH KELLY: ... If you go back and look at the games leading up, the Navy game has been an aberration from my standpoint. We're going to correct that against Army. We have battled pretty good defensively all year. ... I think we've played solid defense. We just have to correct the Navy situation and we're going to get that opportunity against Army.

For the Army game, Notre Dame reportedly will have big, hard-playing lineback Carlo Calabrese back. Calabrese did not play as a freshman, but got his big chance this year, as a sophomore, when Anthony McDonald was out with an injury early in the year.

The Irish will also need production from linebacker Manti Te'o, who is still in the running for the Butkus and Bednarik Awards.

Especially intriguing is senior linebacker Brian Smith, who was a mainstay for the Irish the past few years, and has spent much of the year not starting, but still being part of the rotation and producing a lot tackles. Smith is somebody who deserves a shot at the professional level, who seems intent on contributing and playing hard regardless of where, and when, he gets put in. All-day effort, and all-day toughness, and intensity of contribution will be key against Army.

On the line, 315-pound nose guard Ian Williams is still out, with a smaller Sean Cwynar stepping up with production against Utah. In addition to defensive ends Ethan Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore coming into play, one question will be how much Notre Dame is willing to undo its modern defensive alignment.

Kelly also has praised the growing contributions of Prince Shembo, and linemen Hafis Williams, Kona Schwenke, especially when introducing a four-man line:

COACH KELLY: I think there are four guys that have done a nice job. Sean has been by and large the guy that has done a nice job inside. But we've kicked our front, played a lot more stack, got into a lot more four down, which gets Prince Shembo on the field, Hafis Williams, Kona Schwenke on the field. Really, it starts with Sean, but it has been four or five guys that have stepped in also and done a very good job there.

Notre Dame's defensive alignment was designed to go up against modern offenses. Will Notre Dame tweak it, to address the real-world challenge posed by the throw-back offenses of Army and Navy, complicated further by the cut-block issue, which arguably takes advantage of the gaps left in modern defensive alignments by possibly freezing linemen in place rather than moving them out of place. In days of yore, the defensive line was more of a wall, and blocks had to create holes. Today, the defensive line has gaps built into it, exaggerated by double-teaming, if defensive linemen do not shift over into gaps to meet the play, or if linebackers do not move up or fly into position to meet the play.

So against Army or Navy, the issue can be the gaps are already built into the defensive alignment, cut blocks or double-teaming, or simply good blocking, can preserve gaps already there, and linebackers are flying up against offensive players trained to play at top intensity and top speed every down. If the play is to the outside, the defensive ends are having to shed cut blocks and match the every-down intensity to the outside.

Notre Dame showed a surprising lack of effort and lack of preparation against a good Navy team. Navy is going to bowl games eight years in a row, averaging 9 wins per season over that stretch. The Midshipmen clearly considered the Notre Dame game to be as big as the Army-Navy game in football terms, and hosted the event at an enornous new NFL stadium in the New York area, that showed how big that game was, by putting Navy markings on the turf.

Nevertheless, Notre Dame seemed ill-prepared, seemed to sleep-walk through the affair and got carved up on the ground by more than 350 yards of Navy rushing.

Let there be no confusion about it, Navy is an outstanding team, and while it is disappointing to lose, the issue is not that losing to Navy was terrible because of some need to disrespect Navy. It would be unrealistic to disrespect Navy, and it would betray a lack of football knowledge to do so. What was embarrassing was how poorly Notre Dame played, and how sluggish and ill-prepared they seemed in there one truly bad game of the year.

While not quite as productive as Navy, Army has a top-10 rushing attack.

While there are some differences in the two offenses, both Army and Navy employ a genre of triple option that used to be popular, but is difficult to prepare for, in part because it is not seen very much. The style of play does work well for military teams emphasizing disciplined and subtle execution, intense effort and conditioning. There also is controversy about the use of cut blocks that involves getting very low with pad level and, loosely speaking, focusing more on blocking the lower legs. 315-pound Notre Dame nose guard Ian Williams reportedly suffered a knee injury as a result of cut blocks against Navy.

One big question will be Notre Dame's intensity and focus against the Army attack, and whether Notre Dame shows preparation and that they came to play.

Perhaps a bigger question will be the extent to which Notre Dame is willing to be innovative on defense.

Notre Dame has a long history of innovating, and at one time was the first school to figure out how to stop the wishbone, even when used by a national championship contender opponent.

To take an opposite extreme, Lou Holtz had a Notre Dame team that accepted an early invitation to the Sugar Bowl, then started giving up huge points and losses late before facing a high-octane "Fun and Gun" Florida passing attack under Steve Spurrier in the Sugar Bowl.

Holtz took over the defense himself, and was so willing to innovate to stop the pass, that he put in a base formation with seven defensive backs and four down linemen. Notre Dame still gave up 28 points, but won 39-28.

For Notre Dame to be successful now, they indeed will have to figure out how to beat Navy and, this year at least, Army. How innovative are they willing to be?

Will Notre Dame, for example, come up with some bizarre defensive alignment, such as six down linemen, one linebacker, three cornerbacks, and one safety? The issue is not that this is the answer, but that innovation might be the key.

The cut blocks also pose an interesting, if not dangerous, question, especially with regard to whether to stack up on true linemen.

With a more modern defensive alignment, gaps and holes are built into the alignment itself. The linemen are expected to either plug holes, or shed blocks and shift over to plug holes, and linebackers are expected to fly into position.

The cut blocks seem designed to hold defenders in place, to prevent them from shifting over towards the play, and the preserve the gap that exists as part of the defensive alignment itself. That is, with only three or four down linemen, there are gaps between them. If the cut blocks, or double-teams, hold the defender in place, those gaps between the defenders remain, and it becomes a question of the runner getting through the gap, and breaking tackles or otherwise avoiding linebackers, who themselves can be facing blocks.

If a service academy is relying on an old-style offense,would loading up the defensive line, more akin to an older-style defense, turn the tables on the strategy. If more down linemen mean fewer initial gaps in the defensive alignment, would that mean that the linemen simply holding their place plugs up access to gaps. The offense would then be tasked with opening up gaps where none existed in this new alignment, rather than preserving gaps and avoiding linebackers. Then the question would be more one of plugging holes and either making stops or forcing runs to the outside, with pursuit by faster defensive backs.

Another matter would be whether Notre Dame was willing to have extra defensive lineman, on particular plays, focusing not simply on shedding blocks to go after the ball, but on delivering hits to the offensive line, to create a wall at the line of scrimmage, wear down a smaller, weaker opponent, and do so before the pesky blocker has the chance to implement the cut block. If the defender is, in fact, bigger and stronger, there also would be the question of, over time, standing up the blocker and driving him backwards into the play.

By comparision, the author once saw an NFL game where a Notre Dame offensive lineman was now an NFL rookie offensive lineman, going up against an NFL defensive linemen who was as big as he was. There was one play, where the defensive lineman went ahead and simply teed off on the rookie offensive lineman, hitting him as hard as he could, apparently trying to soften him up a bit, giving a big welcome to the NFL. Now, it was not a matter of being dirty. There was no cheap shot, by any means. It was like two sumo wrestlers. But the defensive lineman clearly was deciding to launch out and deliver a big hit directly into the offensive lineman. If the play had gone nearby, and the defender had reduced his chance to go after a ball-carrier, it might have been not as a good a play. But the point is, it is not unheard of for a big defensive lineman to simply go launch into an offensive lineman like a runaway freight train into a blocking sled.

If enough bodies were rotated through the defensive line, one might even speculate about whether there might be offensive linemen who might be suitable to rotate through the defensive line. Rather than allow Navy or Army to do cut blocks at the shins of a handful of linemen trying the shed the blocks, it might be interesting to see how they respond to a load-up line, with a 320-pound offensive lineman thrown in there, unloading on the offensive line like a blocking sled, and driving them backwards, before the academy offensive lineman has a chance to do the cut-block.

And against a run-oriented offense, the result could be a crowded line, and a crowded line even being pushed back into the play, and a broken play that then had to try to break outside. And against a team like Navy or Army, it might be a fullback who had intended to go into gaps in the line, now trying to break outside, rather than a halfback or running quarterback breaking it outside.

But the issue is not whether somewhat superficial speculation provides an answer, but how much the defensive coaches are willing to innovate, and even do something that would be bizarre in modern football, but would be effective against an unusual scheme by the opponent.

Part of the job description for a Notre Dame coach is figuring out how to address the unusual offenses fielded by Navy and, this year, Army. One of the mainstays of big-time college football for 80 years has been Notre Dame vs. Southern Cal. Another has been Notre Dame vs. Navy. And Notre Dame cannot excel to its potential without respecting an opponent like Army or Navy and stepping up to the intellectual, training, and motivational gameday challenge that is unique for going up against this type of competion.

In their own ways, Army and Navy are world class. The student athletes have world class conditioning programs, are selected for leadership abilities and mental toughness preparing them for military combat, are scholars as good or better than the ones at Stanford, and are, truthfully, top-notch football players.

Notre Dame Offense Unfolding With Rookie Quarterback and Resurgent Running Game

Army has a top-30 defense, statistically a bit stronger against the pass than the run, but solid against each.

Kelly said that, like their offense, the Army defense is unique:

Defensively they have an outstanding defensive end in Josh McNary who is back in form, very active player off the edge. Their scheme defensively is unusual in the sense that it's not seen every week, similar to their offense.

Notre Dame will once again be starting an early-enrolling true freshman quarterback, Tommy Rees, who was scrappy and productive in the win against Utah, and ran the offensive operation well. Against the Utes, mostly in the rain, Rees was 3 of 20 for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns, with no intereceptions.

Running Game Developing

Against Utah, with a solid run defense, Notre Dame ended up moving the ball reasonably consistently on the ground, despite the fact that Utah should have expected to see the run, considering the rookie quarterback and the rain.

The Irish averaged almost 4.5 yards per carry, even in the absence of injured senior running back Armando Allen. Cierre Wood had a workmanline day, Jonas Gray had a huge run to set up a touchdown, and Robert Hughes also contributed. Kelly has indicated Gray might be getting more carries.

With the exception of the loss earlier in the year of center Dan Wenger, the Notre Dame offensive line seemed to be getting healthier and settling back into place after the various reshufflings that had been necessitated by injury. But now it has emerged that mammoth guard Chris Stewart has been nursing an ankle, but with the cross-training and development of depth, Chris Watt and Matt Romine are considered solid to rotate through, according to Kelly.

At the very least, players are back in the positions they started in, such as with Zach Martin back at left tackle instead of right tackle, where he had been during the mid-season reshuffling.

The game, at night, should be played in clear conditions that get a bit nippy, with temperatures dropping through the 40's into the 30's.

Look for an attempt by both teams for a bit of a throwback performance, with efforts on both sides to establish momentum on the ground.

Passing Game, Scrappy Quarterback, Depth at Receiver

But Notre Dame should also dial up some passing as well for Rees, who has shown significant strides since earlier in the year.

And over the past five years, under both Weis and Kelly, Notre Dame has steadily rebuilty quality depth across the roster. The wide receiver corps is deep, even with the big losses of tight end Kyle Rudolph and wide receiver Theo Riddick.

There is discussion of T.J. Jones being back in the mix after injury, but colleges are not required to disclose injuries fully, and we have seen a bit of unpredictability during the year in terms of who can play, how much, and when. Robbie Toma figures to continue to get playing time, and truthfully is a top talent.

Duval Kamara has been a solid talent for all four years, albeit disrupted by injury. Kamara had two touchdown catches against Utah, and figures to want to gain further momentum against Army.

Tight end Tyler Eifert, starting after Rudolph, the best tight end in college football, had his season end with knee surgery, appears to be the real deal in the making.

Eifert, a sophomore, has been playing extremely well, and appears to not simply be a decent back-up, but somebody in line to be the next heir apparent in the NFL-caliber string of Notre Dame tight ends if he continues developing.

Between Michael Floyd being available, along with John Goodman, Toma, Kamara, and Eifert, Notre Dame still has a top-quality wide receiver corps, with Jones being icing on the cake if he is available. Add the running backs into the mix, and Notre Dame has a lot of good options with its passing game, and can provide a balanced offensive output if they play hard and stay focused against the solid Army defense.

Seniors Can Extend Their Season with a Win

Kamara and other seniors, who have lived through a variety of ups and downs, culminating in a tremendous senior day win over a tough Utah team, can extend their season, and enhance their chances at, and preparation for, the next level, with a win over Army, by securing bowl eligibility.

All the players would get the extra practices, and extra development, as a result, in addition to the chance to go out with a big performance in a bowl game. The bowl game also could showcase a Notre Dame team that has extra time to rest up and prepare for a good opponent, after playing a murderers row of a schedule in the regular season.

Toughness, Controlling the Line of Scrimmage

Against this week's unusual opponent with its unique schemes, Kelly wants to see Notre Dame continuing to play tough:

Again, physical and mental toughness, controlling the line of scrimmage, those are all the things that I'm sure you've all heard that you've heard a football coach talk to the media. We have to do the same things we did against Utah, and we have to do it against an offense and a defense we don't see very much.

Conclusion

If Notre Dame does not play hard and with focus, and does not play with discipline, avoiding turnovers and penalties, Army will win.

But expect Notre Dame to continue forward momentum with both intensity and excecution, and to play with an attitude of competing to win, and hopefully pull out another victory similar to the one over Boston College.

As long as Notre Dame hits hard on defense and plays at maximum effort on every down, blocks well, sustains the running game, and lets their scrappy freshman quarterback run the operation, rewarding him with timely passes, the Irish could get of the Bronx with a win.

(Unfortunately, they might then take a step back with their training schedule if they continue to use red-eye flights after long-distance road games, but first get the win, then figure out how to sleep on the plane and get excited for playing the Los Angeles Coliseum.)

Playing in the House that Rockne Built, then Yankee Stadium, then the Los Angeles Coliseum, Notre Dame is waking up the echoes. And with Army in the Bronx they take on one of their classic rivals of all time.

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Resource & News Links

:: Irish Set to Take on Army at Yankee Stadium - UND.com
:: Coach Kelly Tuesday Press Conference Transcript - UND.com
:: [PDF] Notre Dame vs. Army extended game notes 2010
:: Notre Dame comes to the Big Apple to face Army - AP/Wall Street Journal
:: Bowl berth on the line for Brian Kelly and Notre Dame as Irish face Army at Yankee Stadium - New York Daily News
:: Yankee Stadium showdown - Philadelphia Inquirer
:: Yankee Stadium plays host to Army Black Knights and Notre Dame Fighting Irish - ESPN New York
:: Venue's great, but ND focused on sixth win - Chicago Sun Times
:: Irish bring clout to NY - Boston Globe
:: ND hopes to be 'a cut above' - Rivals.com
:: Preparation is key - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
:: Consistency, not history, focus for Irish - ESPN
:: Kelly keeps light, updates injuries - Rivals.com
:: Irish need better showing against Army's option - Chicago Tribune
:: Defining moment for defense - South Bend Tribune
:: Kelly learns his team's personality - ESPN Chicago
:: Nore Dame's Kelly cuts to chase on Army blocks - Chicago Tribune
:: Notre Dame's Smith overcomes setback, frustrations - South Bend Tribune
:: Floyd is rock of Irish offense - NCAA - SI.com
:: Irish monkey around with signals - South Bend Tribune
:: Gary Gray, Irish seek strong finish - TheState.com
:: Irish ready for the Big Apple - Stories - ktar.com
:: Notre Dame vs. Army: Personnel Notes - Blue and Gold Illustrated
:: Notre Dame to get reinforcements for Army game - Chicago Tribune
:: Irish turn their attention to Army - Chicago Colleges Blog - ESPN Chicago
:: Army-Notre Dame Game Stirs Yankee Stadium’s Football Ghosts - New York Times
:: Notre Dame vs. Army 1913 - Introducing Passing Offense to the Game of Football - New York Times Recap From 1913
:: Army vs. Notre Dame: A game of history, tradition - New York Times/TheState.com
:: Respect Your Elder - UND.com
:: Grudge match - Notre Dame vs. Army - New York Post
:: Army/Notre Dame Renew Historic Rivalry At Yankee Stadium - The Gothamist
:: Yankee Stadium is ready to host Army-Notre Dame football - ESPN New York
:: College Football Returns To Yankee Stadium This Weekend - ProFootballNYC
:: A walk(-through) that counts - South Bend Tribune
:: Rees gets Jeter's locker as Irish hold walk thru at Yankee Stadium - WNDU
:: Yankees give Irish "Key to the Clubhouse" at ND Pep rally - WNDU
:: Army football has chance to make statement - The Record
:: Army grad cherished playing in Bronx - The Record
:: Army nose guard is son of ex-Irish player - South Bend Tribune
:: Notre Dame and Army are set to return to the Bronx for the first time in 41 years - UND.com
:: 1946 Army-Notre Dame, Game of Century - Wall Street Journal
:: Notre Dame vs. Army: Renewing College Football History - Blue and Gold Illustrated
:: Going to the Notre Dame-Army game? You could take the train - The Record

:: Notre Dame 2010 schedule/statistical summary - NCAA
:: Notre Dame Football official site - UND.com

:: Army Football 2010 schedule/statistical summary - NCAA
:: Army Football official site

:: UND.com to show ND pre-game and post-game coverage live from Yankee Stadium - WNDU

:: Yankee Stadium Weather - Bronx, NY - National Weather Service 7-Day Forecast for Latitude 40.85°

 

Keywords: Notre Dame Football, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Notre Dame Offense, Notre Dame Defense, Notre Dame Special Teams, Brian Kelly, University of Notre Dame

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