FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 26th, 2017
NO. 9 NOTRE DAME HOSTS NO. 14 NC STATE THIS SATURDAY AT 3:30 P.M. ET ON NBC
Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie, and Kathryn Tappen to Call Second Consecutive Top-15 Matchup From South Bend, Ind.
Liam McHugh and Chris Simms Provide Studio Coverage On-Site at Notre Dame Stadium
“Notre Dame is being totally disrespected by the national media. They’ve convinced me they’re one of the best teams in all of college football.” – Simms
Notre Dame Pre-Game Show Countdown to Kickoff Begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBC; Features Interview by Tirico with Notre Dame RB Josh Adams and RB Coach Autry Denson
STAMFORD, Conn. – October 26, 2017 – The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) look for their sixth consecutive victory this weekend, when they host the No. 14 North Carolina State Wolfpack (6-1) this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, in the third-ever meeting between the two programs. Live pre-game coverage from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBC with Countdown to Kickoff.
Notre Dame enters this weekend’s matchup against NC State ranked as the No. 9 team in the country – its highest ranking since the end of the 2015 regular season – following a 49-14 win over long-time rival USC, in what proved to be its largest margin of victory in the series in 51 years. The Fighting Irish have won five consecutive games and have outscored their opponents by a combined 221-79 in those wins. The Notre Dame rushing attack is averaging the sixth-most yards per game (317.9) in the FBS, spearheaded by RB Josh Adams, whose 967 yards rank seventh in the country. Adams’ 9.21 yards per carry is on pace to break George Gipp’s school record set in 1920 (8.11 yards per carry).
Following are quotes from Notre Dame Football on NBC studio analyst Chris Simms on the Fighting Irish heading into this weekend’s game vs. NC State:
Simms on Notre Dame’s No. 9 ranking in the AP Top 25: “Notre Dame is being totally disrespected by the national media. They’ve convinced me they’re one of the best teams in all of college football. They have the best offensive line in the game, other than perhaps Alabama, and I can argue that they’re more dominant than Alabama’s offensive line. They lost a one-point game to Georgia, which is clearly one of the best teams in college football. Notre Dame stood toe-to-toe with Georgia all game long. We’re talking about a Georgia team that we think can stand up to Alabama, but for some reason, Notre Dame is barely getting thought of as a Top 10 team.”
Simms on RB Josh Adams as a serious Heisman Trophy candidate: “Josh Adams is a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy. I really believe the reason he’s not getting hype is because his style of play isn’t sexy. He wears No. 33, he’s tall and lanky, he’s got a knee brace, and he doesn’t look as cool in his uniform as Saquon Barkley, so he’s not getting the respect he deserves. It’s bothersome to me that Barkley and Bryce Love from Stanford get so overly talked about compared to him. This is a Top 10 team that is thriving because of his ability to make big plays.”
Simms on first-year coordinators Mike Elko and Chip Long: “These are two dynamic coordinators on both sides of the ball. If there’s a college football coordinator of the year award, Mike Elko deserves to be in that conversation, and the offense that Chip Long has devised is top notch. It’s a modern day spread/smash mouth scheme, which is very rare. They spread you out, but they’re going to run old-school right between the tackles.”
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NC State is off to its best start (6-1) since 2002 following a 35-17 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 14. The Wolfpack improved to 4-0 in conference play with the victory, led by a career-high 135 rushing yards by RB Nyheim Hines. QB Ryan Finley has thrown for 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions. NC State’s offense has committed just three turnovers – the fewest in the country. The Wolfpack defense is allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game in the country (91.3).
Saturday’s game on NBC marks the first time the Fighting Irish will host the Wolfpack at Notre Dame Stadium. NC State leads the overall series, 2-0, with wins coming against Notre Dame last season and in the 2003 Gator Bowl.
The Notre Dame Football on NBC commentary team is led by Mike Tirico, alongside Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, who serves as lead analyst for Notre Dame Football on NBC, and sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen.
Liam McHugh hosts studio coverage of Notre Dame Football on NBC, alongside Simms, who is in his first season as a studio analyst for Notre Dame Football on NBC. McHugh and Simms anchor pre-game, halftime, and post-game coverage on-site at Notre Dame Stadium this season. Pre-game coverage will also feature an interview by Tirico with Josh Adams and Fighting Irish running backs coach Autry Denson, Notre Dame’s all-time leading rusher.
2017 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBC
| DATE | TIME (ET) | GAME | NETWORK |
| Saturday, October 28 | 3:30 p.m. | Notre Dame vs. NC State | NBC |
| Saturday, November 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest | NBC |
| Saturday, November 18 | 3:30 p.m. | Notre Dame vs. Navy | NBC |
CORNELL AT PRINCETON – SATURDAY AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN continues its 2017 Ivy League football schedule on Saturday night, when Princeton (5-1) hosts Cornell (2-4) at 7 p.m. ET. The Tigers are coming off a 52-17 win against Harvard last weekend, their third consecutive game scoring at least 50 points. Cornell defeated Brown, 34-7, at home on Saturday, led by 74 rushing yards and a touchdown by RB Jack Gellatly.
Paul Burmeister (play-by-play) and Ross Tucker (analyst), a former NFL offensive lineman and four-year starter at Princeton, will call the action from Princeton Stadium in Princeton, N.J.
Below is NBC Sports Group’s 2017 Ivy League Football schedule:
2017 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL ON NBCSN
| DATE | TIME (ET) | GAME | NETWORK |
| Saturday, October 28 | 7 p.m. | Cornell at Princeton | NBCSN |
| Friday, November 3 | 8 p.m. | Brown at Yale | NBCSN |
| Friday, November 10 | 8 p.m. | Dartmouth vs. Brown* | NBCSN |
| Saturday, November 18 | 12:30 p.m. | Harvard at Yale | CNBC |
*at Fenway Park in Boston
NBC SPORTS GOLD TO OFFER DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER LIVE STREAMING PRODUCT FOR INTERNATIONAL NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL FANS
NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product — is launching an international “Notre Dame Football Season Pass,” giving fans in 13 international countries access to every home game during the 2017 season. The direct-to-consumer pass, powered by NBC Sports’ Playmaker Media, will offer fans abroad coverage of Notre Dame Football home games live and on-demand, available online, as well as on mobile devices and tablets.
NBC Sports Gold’s “Notre Dame Football Season Pass” is available for purchase now for $49.99, and features all home games. The pass is available in 13 countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK. USD or local currency pricing is available. “Notre Dame Football Season Pass” is not available to customers in the U.S. Click here for more information.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide extensive live streaming coverage of the 2017 Notre Dame Football on NBC season via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
NBCSPORTS.COM
NBCSports.com will continue its Notre Dame Football coverage through its Notre Dame Central section. Notre Dame will also be featured within NBCSports.com with its popular Inside The Irish blog written by Notre Dame Football insider Douglas Farmer.
NBC SPORTS CHICAGO
NBC Sports Chicago will provide a same day replay of every Notre Dame home game produced by NBC Sports (consult NBCSports.com/chicago for exact air times). NBCSports.com/chicago will provide a live stream of Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly’s weekly press conference, as he will address the prior weekend’s game, along with detailing his game plan against the team’s upcoming opponent. Coach Kelly’s weekly press conference, which will take place from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., will be live streamed every Tuesday throughout the season at 11 a.m. CT.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
