Pod of Gold: Notre Dame Football

In this episode, South Bend Tribune columnist Tom Noie, beat writer Mike Berardino and WNDU sports coordinator Jackson Neill preview Saturday's matchup with No. 24 Navy and the problems the Midshipmen present as an undefeated and ranked opponent.

They also recap the Georgia Tech game, including the out-of-left-field commentary/opinions offered by the ESPN crew about how Notre Dame needed to score style points for College Football Playoff consideration.

This week's Pod of Old segment looks back on a big road win over Florida State, 22 years to the day on Saturday which got the Irish thinking of a national championship.

Our guest interview is Don Doxsie, author of “Elmer Layden: Notre Dame’s Quiet Hero.” The question of the week centers on, what else, the Irish quarterback situation.

We close the show by offering one hot take (or two or three) and a prediction for Saturday's game against Navy at MetLife Stadium.

NDI columnist Tom Noie and beat writer Mike Berardino and WNDU sports coordinator Jackson Neill open the show by previewing Saturday's neutral-site game against Georgia Tech, and what it means in terms of a possible path back toward a College Football Playoff berth. We also bury the lead by discussing a possible season-swinging injury to a key Notre Dame captain.

The Stanford game is recapped - briefly - because this one wasn't much of a game after Notre Dame trailed 7-0, then scored 49 unanswered points. Our Pod of Old is a look back at a classic - Notre Dame 31, Miami 30 in 1998.

Our special guest Gene Watson, director of player devleopment for the Chicago White Sox, stops by to talk his love for Notre Dame football and his 25 years spent in baseball. We close the show with each of the three hosts offering one hot take and a prediction for Saturday's game against Georgia Tech in downtown Atlanta.

In this special edition of Pod of Gold, NDI columnist Tom Noie and Irish beat writer Mike Berardino and WNDU sports coordinator Jackson Neill stray from the usual pod script.

The three preview Stanford (a little bit) and touch on the Notre Dame football news of the week (injuries, depth chart, Georgia Tech kick time, etc.) before welcoming former NFL defensive lineman Marc Spindler, the father of Irish offensive guard Rocco Spindler, for a special conversation.

Marc Spindler touches on his role as a father to a college football player, what college football player looks like now (he doesn't recognize it), his son's touching promise to his Marc's father (Rocco's grandfather) and what his son attending Notre Dame means to him every time Marc Spindler steps on campus.

We asked Marc Spindler for 15 minutes, but talked with him for 30. It could've gone 90.

The pod closes with each reporter offering one hot take and one prediction for Saturday's game.

NDI's Tom Noie and Mike Berardino and WNDU's Jackson Neill preview a critical/key (big) home game against Louisville for Notre Dame, which has won two straight. They recap the less-than-appealing home win over Miami (Ohio) and recap the latest depth chart changes, injury news and roster movement.

In the weekly Pod of Old segment, they look back on the 2019 Notre Dame victory at Louisville, the first game the program ever played in the state of Kentucky.

Finally, it's hot take and prediction time. Does anyone think Notre Dame won't win this one? Tune it and find out.

In this episode, Tom Noie, Mike Berardino and Jackon Neill set the stage for Notre Dame's home game against Miami (Ohio) - can the Irish handle success two weeks in a row. They look back on the wipeout of Purdue and rewind to this week's Pod of Old - Notre Dame's road win in 1996 at Texas in the final seconds thanks to the right leg of Jim Sanson.

Author Mark O. Hubbard joins them to discuss his authorized biography on Notre Dame legend Ara Parseghian. They close with the question of the week before hot takes and predictions for the Miami (Ohio) game.

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.