Pod of Gold: Notre Dame Football

SOUTH BEND — How does Notre Dame football pick itself up from the canvas after a stunning blow from Northern Illinois last Saturday. Well, it starts with taking out that frustration from its unthinkable 16-14 loss to the Huskies on Purdue Saturday.

Kickoff on CBS is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.

South Bend Tribune Notre Dame football beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino, along with WNDU sports director Jackson Neill, unpack the stunning loss to NIU and breakdown Saturday's game against the Boilermakers (1-0) on this week's Pod of Gold Notre Dame football podcast.

Special guest this week is Sam King, Purdue football beat writer for the Lafayette Journal & Courier. This week's show was recorded in the studios of news gathering partner WNDU. 

SOUTH BEND — Coming off the biggest win in Marcus Freeman's three years as head coach, Notre Dame football is favorably positioned for a run at the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Yes, there's still 11 more regular-season games to play, but Saturday's 23-13 win over No. 20 Texas A&M in front of 107,000-plus at Kyle Field, stands as a benchmark for what this Irish team is capable.

So, what's at stake this week when the seventh-ranked Irish (US LBM Coaches Poll) host Northern Illinois of the Mid-American Conference? Pretty simple: Avoid a Marshall repeat (home-opening upset loss in 2022), avoid injuries and keep on improving, especially along the offensive line.

South Bend Tribune Notre Dame football beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino, along with WNDU sports director Jackson Neill, unpack the win in College Station and breakdown Saturday's game against the Huskies on this week's Pod of Gold Notre Dame football podcast.

Special guest this week is college football recruiting guru Tom Lemming. This week's show was recorded in the studios of news gathering partner WNDU.

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football opens its 2024 season Saturday night at No. 20 Texas A&M in College Station. Kickoff is scheduled 7:30 p.m. EDT.

It's a challenging situation for the seventh-ranked Irish to start in front of 105,000 Aggies fans at Kyle Field. It's also the perfect barometer for a team with College Football Playoff aspirations in search of its first national championship since 1988.

The storylines are abundant. New graduate transfer quarterback Riley Leonard makes his first ND start in new offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock's first game in front of a new offensive line with a combined six collegiate starts between them.

Lenorard will also go against new defensive-minded Aggies coach Mike Elko who was his head coach last season at Duke. Oh yeah ... it will be hot, to.

So what does that all mean?

South Bend Tribune Notre Dame football beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino, along with WNDU sports director Jackson Neill, break it all down on this week's Pod of Gold Notre Dame football podcast before setting off for East Texas.

Special guest this week in Aggies beat writer Alex Miller of the Bryan-College Station Eagle. This week's show was recorded in the studios of news gathering partner WNDU.

SOUTH BEND — Will Notre Dame football's defense be dominant enough to pave the way to and through the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024?

Can the Irish offense under the presumed direction of transfer quarterback Riley Leonard look like "polished glass?"

Will the special teams be, well, special?

South Bend Tribune Notre Dame football beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino, along with WNDU sports director Jackson Neill, breakdown those questions and many more in this season's first Pod of Gold podcast of the 2024 season

This week's show was recorded in the studios of news gathering partner WNDU.

SOUTH BEND — There's plenty of Notre Dame football news to unpack on this week's Pod of Gold podcast.

South Bend Tribune and NDinsider.com beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino size up the Irish transfer portal finds, their 2024 early signees and of course what to expect from the Dec. 29 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl matchup with No. 21 Oregon State in El Paso, Texas.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. It's the 90th Sun Bowl contest and marks the third post-season battle with the Beavers who won both the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and 2004 Insight Bowl by a combined average score of 39.5-15.

SOUTH BEND — How did this happen? How did No. 15 Notre Dame football land in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl opposite No. 21 Oregon State? How do Irish fans get excited about this?

South Bend Tribune and NDinsider.com beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino chat with equally surprised Sun Bowl Executive Director Bernie Olivas to scratch at those answers on this week's Pod of Gold podcast.

Kickoff on Friday, Dec. 29 is set for 2 p.m. It's the 90th Sun Bowl contest and second for the Irish, who topped Miami (Fla.) 33-17 on New Year's Eve 2010. The game also marks the third post-season matchup between Notre Dame and Oregon State, with the Beavers winning both the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and 2004 Insight Bowl — both in Phoenix — by a combined average score of 39.5-15.

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football didn't have the benefit of an opponent last week to help eradicate the taste of its flop at Clemson Nov. 4. Senior Day against Wake Forest Saturday can't seem to get here fast enough.

Kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday is 3:30 p.m. with a ceremony honoring 31 Irish seniors shortly beforehand. Notre Dame (7-3) still has a 10-win season in its sights even though a New Year's Six Bowl is off the table.

On this week's Pod of Gold Notre Dame football podcast, hosts Tom Noie and Mike Berardino unpack the Irish disappointment in South Carolina, assess how the ND can get its offense back on track and monitor transfer portal percolations. They also breakdown the Wake Forest game with Learfield sideline reporter Dave Goren.

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football landed at No. 15 in the first College Football Playoff rankings unveiled Tuesday night. The Irish need to win their final three games starting Saturday against a struggling, but still very dangerous Clemson team in Death Valley, in order to have any chance at a New Year's Six Bowl invitation.

As are South Bend Tribune Pod of Gold hosts Tom Noie and Mike Berardino unpack Notre Dame's impressive win over Pitt last Saturday and breakdown what it needs to do against the Tigers this Saturday. They are joined this week by Eric Mac Lain, a former Clemson football captain and current analyst for the ACC Network.

Kickoff Saturday at Memorial Stadium is noon ET.

SOUTH BEND — Even with Louisville's convincing upset of Notre Dame football last Saturday zapping some "Big Game" energy this week, the annual Irish rivalry game with USC still packs a punch.

Just ask former Notre Dame defensive end and two-time Super Bowl champion Justin Tuck (2001-04) who accumulated 19 tackles — including four for a loss and a sack — in three games against the Pete Carroll-led Trojans at their prime.

Or ask former running back Eric Penick, whose 85-yard touchdown run help propel Notre Dame past the sixth-ranked Trojans and onward to the 1973 national championship.

South Bend Tribune ND beat writer Mike Berardino and columnist Tom Noie are joined on this week's Pod of Gold podcast at the WNDU Studios by both Tuck and Penick who offer perspective to just how special this series — now in its 94th installment — is to the two programs.

SOUTH BEND — Another week, another undefeated opponent, another night game. And another episode of Pod of Gold as we breakdown Notre Dame football vs. Louisville. Kickoff Saturday at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium is 7:30 p.m. on ABC

South Bend Tribune ND beat writer Mike Berardino and columnist Tom Noie take us through the final moments at Duke from the sidelines, talk the emergence of tight end Mitchell Evans and "freakin" Rico Flores Jr. And when will QB Sam Hartman throw his first interception since the Gasparilla Bowl? He's had his struggles against the Cardinals

Tom and Mike are joined by former Major League manager and Notre Dame enthusiast Dave Trembley on how Marcus Freeman has adapted to the spotlight under the Golden Dome.