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Keys to victory versus Clemson

By Nate Moller · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

After a convincing win against Syracuse last week, the Irish have a lot of momentum heading into their biggest home matchup of the season against the fifth-ranked Clemson Tigers. Marcus Freeman and the Irish will look to prove that they can play well at home and break some of their early season woes at Notre Dame Stadium. Clemson, who is coming off of a bye week, last played against Syracuse as well, beating the Orange by a narrow 27-21 margin. The Irish will have their work cut out for them against the undefeated Tigers. Here are the Irish keys to victory.

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Observer Sports Staff predicts Notre Dame vs. Clemson

By Observer Sports Staff · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

To be an optimist or to not be an optimist. That’s my dilemma with this pick. I won’t say it’s not realistic to pick Notre Dame. By the CFP rankings, the Irish have two convincing wins over top-20 teams. To say they’ve obliterated those two teams at their own place would be a fair assessment. So it’s a conflict of whether the Irish will step up against a big opponent, as they’ve done all year, or struggle at home, which they’ve also done all year. 

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Pulse of the fanbase: How Irish fans are feeling eight games into Freeman Era

By Aidan Thomas · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

As Notre Dame enters their biggest home game of the season, The Observer took a look at the overall mood of the fanbase through eight games. The Irish have dropped two games as huge home favorites, but they also have two top-20 wins on the road. Sitting at 5-3, how confident are Irish fans about the rest of this season and the direction of the program under the current coaching staff? In an Observer survey, 105 respondents weighed in with their opinion. 

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Coolican: Coaching staff must put their faith in Pyne

By Liam Coolican · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

Drew Pyne’s best performance of the year came on the road against North Carolina earlier this year. The junior quarterback completed 24 of 34 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. I wrote after the game that it must serve as a turning point for the Irish offense. 

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Three takeaways from Irish men’s basketball opening exhibition game

By Matthew Crow · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

Notre Dame men’s basketball made their final regular season preparations on Wednesday night in an exhibition matchup against NAIA opponent Xavier University of Louisiana. The game’s outcome remained in question for longer than expected, but the Irish pulled away late to earn a 67-52 win. With the preseason now in the rearview mirror, here are three takeaways from the victory as the Irish turn their attention to next Thursday’s season opener against Radford.

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No. 12 Irish travel to No. 3 Gophers for Big Ten series

By Ryan Murphy · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

The No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s ice hockey team travels to Minneapolis this weekend to take on the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday and Saturday night. It is the second Big Ten Conference series of the season for both sides, and key points in the standings are up for grabs. 

The Observer

Bethel overwhelms Holy Cross with three-point attack

By Tyler Reidy · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

Holy Cross men’s basketball made the crosstown trip to Bethel Wednesday night and promptly ran into an avalanche. The Pilots sunk the Saints 80-55 in Mishawaka behind a staggering 14-for-31 mark from three-point range. With the loss, Holy Cross fell to 1-1 on the young season and is now 1-16 in its last 17 meetings with Bethel.

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Notre Dame collapses against Clemson, likely ending their season

By Jose Sanchez Cordova · Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022

Notre Dame fell 3-1 to the defending national champion Clemson Tigers in the first round of the ACC tournament. The game was a rematch of the two squads' College Cup semifinal matchup last year, won by the Tigers in penalty kicks. Ranked 48th in RPI, this loss almost certainly spells the end of Notre Dame’s season. Forty-eight teams make the NCAA Tournament, and that will include several auto-bid teams ranked below the Irish.

The Observer

Turnovers plague Saints in loss to Grace

By Tyler Reidy · Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022

Holy Cross women’s basketball made the 50-mile trip to Winona Lakes, IN Tuesday night for a non-conference battle with Grace College. The Saints edged out Huntington on opening night to start their year with a win. However, this one was a very different story. Grace gave Holy Cross all it could handle, hammering out a 99-68 win for its second consecutive victory with a 30-plus point margin. With the loss, the Saints have now dropped five of their last six meetings with the Lancers.

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Seniors hope to leave lasting legacy as final Baraka Bouts approaches

By Adam Akan · Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022

With the 20th year of Baraka Bouts at the University of Notre Dame fast approaching, senior captains Sabrina Curran and Piper Shine are ready to carry out their last tournament in their time at the university. The pair have helped the largest women’s boxing club across any campus in the country weather the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, develop its mentorship opportunities and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. 

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