Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, October 31, 2022

Mannings star in ND Halloween special

through ghost of George Gipp storyline

By RYAN PETERS n otre d ame n ews e ditor

“ n otre d ame’s a universi ty, but it’s also a story,” said n eil Zender, the showrunner for “ p eyton & e li’s s pooky a dventure,” a h alloween television special featuring the s uper b owl champion m anning brothers.

The special, which airs on espn 2 after tonight’s m onday n ight Football “ m anningcast,” tells the story of famed n otre d ame football player g eorge g ipp and the legend that his ghost haunts washington h all on campus. p eyton and e li headline a cast starring class of 2022 graduate Jerome b ettis,

quarterback d rew p yne, wide receiver b raden l enzy, former head football coach l ou h oltz, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, “ s portscenter” host s cott van p elt and current head coach m arcus Freeman.

“ p eyton & e li’s s pooky a dventure” uses a “g hostbusters” theme and showcases the m anning brothers and b ettis break ing into washington h all to try to catch the ghost of “the g ipper.”

“ w hen you’re the head coach of n otre d ame, you’re supposed to wake up the echoes. b ut this is some thing else,” m arcus Freeman

Program offers semester in D.C.

Creepy tales and cultural traditions

By SPENCER KELLY, CADE CZARNECKI, LILYANN GARDNER, THOMAS DOBBS

From the a rchives researchers

w ith this week’s edition falling on o ctober 31, we felt obligated to write about h alloween. For those cur rently imbued with the holi day spirit, the following stories about campus ghosts, ouija sessions and seances will not disappoint.

b ut we also wanted to look beyond “spooky season” ste reotypes. The blurbs below consider the transformation of h alloween from its pagan origins, pondering the lost significance of the original “a ll h allows e ve.” we also feature some other holidays occurring in late o ctober. d iwali and d ia de los muertos represent important ethnic

traditions whose cultural depth contrasts with the seemingly-frivolous nature of modern h alloween. w hile costume parties and ghost stories are always entertain ing, it is important to con sider the deeper meaning of this season for certain people in the tri-campus community and around the world.

Campus lore and the ghost of Washington Hall

Oct. 31, 1988 | Julie Ryan | Oct. 31, 2006 | Joe Piarulli |

Researched by Cade Czarnecki o ver time, there have been many eerie reports of para normal activity at the build ing situated between the d ome and l aFortune s tudent c enter. d oors slamming, lights turning off and trans parent silhouettes entering the building comprise only a

few of the spooky tales about washington h all’s ghost. c ampus lore contains nu merous possible identities for the supernatural being that haunts washington h all. o ne tale tells of a steeplejack who fell to his death from the roof while helping to con struct the hall. a nother tells of a cavalry soldier that was killed by n ative a mericans and buried on the sacred na tive land that the n otre d ame campus now stands upon.

The most prominent and widely accepted attribu tion of the haunting of washington h all, though, is to the ghost of g eorge g ipp, a football player in the early 1900s under then-head coach Knute r ockne.

The origin of g host of the

By KATE NAESSENS news writer

For those looking to gain internship experience while studying off-campus, the n otre d ame washington p rogram poses an exciting and unique opportunity. o pen to sophomores and juniors, the program boasts alumni who have gone on to work with The washington p ost, cnn , Facebook and in c ongress.

s tudents spend at least three days a week at their internships and take elec tive classes in the evenings, ranging from art history to legislative politics.

e very Thursday, students gather with the director of the program, p rofessor Thomas Kellenberg, who leads the seminar on “ i ntroduction to p ublic p olicy” and “ p ublic p olicy v isits,” where topics

DIANE PARK | The Observer

Courtesy of @ndwashingtonprogram

Students and faculty from the Washington program visit the Wash ington Monument. Applications for the program are due Nov. 27.

Courtesy of Neil Zender

Eli Manning (left), Jerome Bettis (middle) and Peyton Manning inside Washington Hall during “Peyton

& Eli’s Spooky Adventure.” The special is the first collaboration of Eli and Peyton’s respective shows.

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Today’s

Monday

Exhibit: “Daughters

Madison Wagner senior

Pasquerilla West Hall

Benedict.”

Nick Edels senior off-campus

omelet.”

David Debacker senior

“Hashbrowns (crispy!)”

Adam Griffin senior off-campus

“Bagel (toasted) with cream cheese.”

Eliza Dobrzelewski senior Le Mans Hall “Waffles.”

Brigid Hull sophomore Holy Cross Hall “A skillet.”

Corrections

The Observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.

Hesburgh Library 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Curated by Elizabeth Hogan.

Multi-Language

Club Collaboration Hub 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Join other language learners.

Tuesday

Biophysics Seminar Radiation Laboratory Auditorium Room 141 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Learn about cytoskeletal dynamics.

Lebanese Culture Lecture Bond Hall 334 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Presented by FLTA Jinan Abou Ali

Wednesday

Astronomy Colloquium 118 Nieuwland Hall 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Presented by Prof. Steven Koonin

Notre Dame Midterm Debate Midfield Commons 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Join BridgeND for political dialogue.

Thursday

Pamoja Student Networking Event B101 Jenkins Nanovic Halls noon - 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Cahill Lecture 2022 Carey Auditorium, Hesburgh Library 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. “The Wisdom of Shareholder Welfare.”

Friday

“America: A Redemption Story” Carey Auditorium, Hesburgh Library 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. By Senator Tim Scott.

Football Fridays at the Eck Eck Visitors Center 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Enjoy live music and tailgate food.

RYAN VIGILANTE | The Observer

Irish fans go into the week on a high note after the football team trounced the Syracuse Orange, 41-24 Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York. The Irish will take on No. 5 Clemson this Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Notre Dame Stadium.

Gipper stems from a com monly echoed story that Gipp would often sneak into Washington h all when he had missed curfew and could not return to his residence.

o n one such night, Gipp could not get inside Washington h all and resort ed to sleeping on its steps. h e contracted pneumonia as a re sult of the harsh conditions of s outh b end, i ndiana and later succumbed to the disease.

The first reported sighting of the Ghost of the Gipper was in 1925, five years after Gipp’s death. m any more stories fol lowed in subsequent years.

Tom b arkes, Washington h all’s manager in 1988, saw the stories as both fun and natural to the hall’s lifespan: “ n o self-respecting 107 year old theater should be without its ghost stories. Theater is magic to begin with, so it is a natural place for stories.”

o thers take them far more seriously, such as the group of four students who snuck into Washington h all with an ouija board in 1985. They attempted to contact the Ghost of the Gipper only to have the board spell out “ s …G” and then slide the planchette to “Goodbye.” a fter a second attempt that garnered the same result, the students hurried out of the hall. a security guard ( s G) was seen making his rounds as they snuck out.

s uch n otre d ame lore has persisted for hundreds of years and is sure to continue into the future. The question now is simply when, not if, the ghost of George “The Gipper” Gipp will next be seen in his old sanctuary, Washington h all.

Halloween: horrifying or hilarious?

Oct. 31, 1988 | Mark Ridgeway

| Oct. 31, 1991 | Paige Smoron | Oct. 30, 1996 | Dan Cichalski | Researched by Lilyann Gardner e ven as the Ghost of the Gipper captured the imagi nations of some students, the spirit of h alloween and its holiday traditions were a topic of debate at n otre d ame throughout the late 1980s and well into the 90s.

d an c ichalski (‘98), a ssistant a ccent e ditor, took a strong stance in favor of mak ing h alloween an official na tional holiday, arguing that it would establish a day in which everyone would be able to celebrate those who have passed away while also allow ing themselves to be someone or something else for a short while.

“With h alloween officially recognized by the govern ment though, people in such positions would be able to let their fun side go wild,” wrote c ichalski.

c onversely, m ark r idgeway (‘89), s ystems m anager, ar gued that the meaning of

h alloween had been lost. r idgeway claimed that the cel ebration of the deceased sur rounding a ll h allows’ e ve and a ll s aints d ay had been over run by a dark side of violence, gore and evil.

m orbid curiosity and the thrill of adrenaline that stemmed from watching hor ror films and attempting to commune with ghosts have cast the origins of h alloween into the shadows, according to r idgeway.

“a s an adult, looking at the way h alloween is today, i feel the true meaning of the night has been lost, but that the fun of the celebration has not been lost,” r idgeway wrote.

The o bserver and the University of n otre d ame were sure to maintain the play ful nature of h alloween with dorm decorations, pumpkin carving competitions and hy pothetical seances.

Paige s moron (‘92), a ssistant a ccent Writer, inter viewed students and faculty in 1991 to see which famous spir its should be conjured up at a h alloween seance.

e lvis was at the top of the list, and other notable figures included m arilyn m onroe, Knute r ockne, n ikola Tesla, c aspar the friendly ghost and Jesus c hrist. h owever, some students refused to entertain the notion of a seance at all due to its pagan origins.

The moral meaning behind these h alloween traditions at n otre d ame may still be up in the air, but there is no denying that remembering the dead plays a role in more ways than one.

Beyond Halloween: Diwali and Dia De Los Muertos at Notre Dame Oct. 30, 1997 | Bernadette Pampuch | Nov. 10, 2014 | Paul Stevenson | Researched by Thomas Dobbs h alloween may garner the

most on-campus attention this season, but autumn also marks a time to consider celebrations that hold deeper spiritual and religious significance.

i n order to emphasize global religious events on campus, in 2004 c ampus m inistry be gan the Prayer from a round the World series to offer “the opportunity for various faith traditions to share their forms of praying with the campus communities.”

o ne such holiday, d iwali, is a major five-day h indu fes tival occurring in o ctober or n ovember that celebrates the “triumph of good over evil, light over dark and knowledge over darkness.”

n ishant s ingh (‘17) recalled eating candies and sweets during the d iwali festival as a child but emphasized that “ d iwali is much big ger than h alloween. it is like Thanksgiving, c hristmas and n ew Years combined into one.”

a s evidence of d iwali’s broad significance, Priscilla Wong,

senior advisor at the gradu ate and multicultural student ministry, shared that she felt connected to d iwali despite not practicing h induism. Wong described celebrations of d iwali at friends’ houses and with her daughter’s h indu spouse.

While the sense of commu nity is clear in d iwali celebra tions, familial connections form the foundation of anoth er autumnal holiday: d ia de los muertos. c elebrated on the first and second of n ovember, d ia de los muertos may at first resemble h alloween with its elaborate displays of skulls or candy offerings.

b ut unlike h alloween, d ia de los muertos is a m exican holiday centered on reflec tion and the remembrance of “departed ancestors whose spirits visit the earth once each year.” s ome celebrate by setting up altars in their homes to welcome their an cestors, while entire families can “spend the day cleaning

and repainting graves, dec orating tombstones with flowers.”

a lthough fire precautions, untrustworthy roommates or engineering shortcomings may limit the construction of an altar here on campus, one can celebrate d ia de los muertos with a simple “prayer [or moment of remem brance] for a deceased family member.”

While h alloween parties and costume contests pro vide for an uncomplicated and amusing holiday, the concur rent celebrations of d iwali and d ia de los muertos elicit meaningful celebrations of family and renewal that are closely connected to the ritu als themselves.

Contact Spencer Kelly at skelly25@nd.edu, Cade Czarnecki at cczarne3@nd.edu, Lilyann Gardner at lgarde2@nd.edu and Thomas Dobbs at tdobbs@nd.edu

Paid a dverTisemen T

Observer Archives, Nov. 10, 2014

A member of the Indian Assocation of Notre Dame celebrates Diwali, an ancient Hindu festival like “Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years combined into one.” Diwali is celebrated in October or November.

Holy Cross awards new scholarships

By PETER BREEN News Writer

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published online Oct. 27.

As Holy Cross continues to see record application num bers, interim provost Michael Griffin said the College is turning toward trusted partners to foster student excellence.

Griffin identified the two networks through which the College will offer more schol arships this year: dependents of Notre Dame employees and families who participate in the SAGE scholars rewards program.

Half a decade ago, under former College President Fr. David Tyson, Holy Cross be gan covering the full cost of tuition and fees for those eli gible for Notre Dame’s tuition benefit, Griffin said.

“Covering full tuition for Notre Dame employee chil dren was one of the first things [Tyson] did to strengthen Holy Cross’ bond with Notre Dame,” Griffin said.

Starting this year, Griffin said, Holy Cross College is

providing room and board costs for Notre Dame employ ee children who maintain a certain high school grade point average (GPA).

“Children of those whose parents qualify for the tuition benefit don’t pay anything for tuition and fees. That already exists,” Griffin clarified.

“What is new is that for stu dents whose high school GPA is 3.4 or above, we will also cover their housing if they choose to live on campus.”

Griffin said the grant, named the Hesburgh Housing Scholarship, is a recognition of the special relationship found among the tri-campus.

“Fr. Hesburgh was a very good friend of Holy Cross College and always was keen to point families who were interested in a Catholic edu cation to come to the tri-cam pus,” Griffin said.

The financial source of the housing voucher, Griffin said, is a fund started in Fr. Hesburgh’s name.

“We have a Hesburgh Fund that some friends of Fr. Hesburgh began while he was still alive and that people still donate to,” Griffin said. “That is something that people

can donate to kind of honor Father Hesburgh and the role he played at Holy Cross.”

Griffin expects the scholar ship to benefit the academ ic performance of students from Notre Dame employee families, especially first-gen eration students.

“What we are finding is that living on campus is a real benefit to academic per formance, and we want to make that possible,” Griffin said. “The research is clear that for first-gen students, it is a marked difference. It is a marked increase in academic success when they live on campus.”

Director of financial aid Rick Gonsiorek added that the scholarship’s underlying intent is to strengthen the College’s community.

“[The scholarship] removes a financial barrier from stu dents to fully enter into that campus life,” Gonsiorek said. “Holy Cross College wants to offer as holistic an education al experience as possible.”

Though the range of people who qualify for the schol arship is wide, the hous ing grant will only affect a small percentage of Holy

Cross College’s population, Gonsiorek said.

“The total number of Notre Dame dependents going to school here is a little bit less than 20,” Gonsiorek said. “As the word gets out, I expect to see more Notre Dame fami lies take advantage of this in credible opportunity.”

Holy Cross College will also begin offering scholarships this year through the SAGE Scholars FastTrak pre-admis sion program, Griffin said.

“[SAGE] is a program that is run through employers where families and students can ac cumulate points by taking steps towards wellness, col lege readiness [or even] com munity service,” Griffin said. “We add scholarships to their sage reward points,” he said.

Gonsiorek equates FastTrak to “speed dating.” He said the program flips the whole ad missions process around.

“This FastTrak Program is a new program that allows the colleges to reach directly out to the students and iden tify them on a number of admissible characteristics,” Gonsiorek said. “It’s like a pri vate college search network.”

Gonsiorek said FastTrak is

particularly useful for find ing students who might oth erwise think they would not be able to afford college.

“There’s a whole large group of students out there who are intimidated by the college admissions process,” Gonsiorek said. “They’re first-generation students. They’re scared to even apply to schools let alone a private school. It’s such a large price tag.”

Through SAGE FastTrak, Holy Cross can offer preadmission and relay guaran teed scholarship packages to prospective students whom the College believes would be a good fit on campus, Gonsiorek said.

“What we also are find ing is that, when we iden tify pockets of really trusted partners like Notre Dame, like SAGE, by giving scholar ships, more of them, one of the things is we get is more of the kinds of students who thrive at Holy Cross,” Griffin said. “That’s the win. We con tinue to increase our student excellence.”

Contact Peter Breen at pbreen2@nd.edu

Students visit Riedinger House for Saint Mary’s Ghost Stories

By CATHY DOHERTY news Writer

Editor’s

As h alloween approached, the c lass Gift c ampaign and o ffice of r esidence Life sponsored the annual s aint m ary’s Ghost s tories event last Wednesday night. s tudents gathered at the r iedinger h ouse, a house on campus originally designed for home economics courses that are no longer offered. The scarcely used r iedinger h ouse is rarely made avail able to students. As a re sult, this event was heavily attended as students took

advantage of the chance to see inside the house.

Attendees came to drink apple cider and listen to resident assistants ( r As) read ghost stories from for mer s aint m ary’s students and employees. The r As were reading excerpts from “Quiet h ours,” a collection of alleged supernatural en counters which occurred on campus written by s helly h ouser, veronica Kessenich and Kristen m atha.

For two hours, ghost sto ries were read every thirty minutes throughout four different rooms of the house. s tudents gathered around on couches, wooden chairs, the floor and even beds in the second-floor

find a viable and humani tarian solution to deal with the prisoners in the camp.”

guest bedrooms to hear h alloween-themed tales ahead of the weekend.

Tess h ayes, a m c c andless h all r A, read an excerpt about an older man who has been spotted several times in Le m ans h all after parietals.

“It is believed to be the maintenance man who worked here during the 1920s,” h ayes said. “ h e ap pears sporadically on the first and second floors to keep an eye on the women of Le m ans.”

The decades-old sto ries sparked conversations around experiences students have had in recent years.

Katelyn s izemore, a soph omore r A in m c c andless

considering postgraduate degrees.”

h all, said she encountered what she believes to be a s aint m ary’s ghost during r A training over the summer.

“I was going to bed and my window was open,” she said. “I heard someone saying my name over and over.”

s izemore added that she asked several of her friends who were on campus at the time and they all denied calling out her name.

Junior r A Lizzie c onklin told the group about an oc currence last year in Le m ans h all. A priest came to bless the Queen’s c ourt hallway which is located directly beneath the third-floor chapel.

“All the girls were com plaining about hearing

activity in the chapel at night. They heard stomping and running and even heard their names being called out,” she said.

For some students, attend ing the event was a way to get involved on campus. Lupita d elgado, a sophomore stu dent said she attended Ghost s tories to get more involved with campus life.

“I have a couple friends who are r As and they en couraged me to come,” d elgado said. “This is my first year coming to this even though I’m a second year, so I’m trying to branch out to more events.”

Contact Cathy Doherty at cdoherty01@saintmarys.edu

of discussion include democ racy, rights and cost-benefit analysis.

Within this seminar and other classes, students have the opportunity to speak with a variety of experts and high-ranking government officials about their discus sion topics.

s ophomore Fionn b arr found the talk by Paul Lewis, former department of defense special envoy for Guantanamo closure, par ticularly interesting.

“ h e was the head of clos ing down Guantanamo b ay,” b arr said. “ h e talked about immigration and the prob lems they faced in trying to

h ighlighting the impor tance of students’ exposure to these speakers and their various careers, c laudia Francis, the program’s associate director, said, “ b eing able to connect the classroom to the real world afterward is helpful for them to figure out the next step in their path forward.”

This sentiment holds true for b arr.

“I think one of the best things this program has done for me is help discern what my future career path will be,” he said. “The guest speakers have had a huge im pact on that, especially when

When considering the im pacts of the internships, Francis added, “The net working component is really beneficial for our students to help them understand the policy landscape in d c . and what types of positions ap peal to them.”

s ophomore architecture student m yldred h ernandezGonzalez has her sights set on working in housing in the future, and through interning with the n eighborhood d evelopment c ompany, a for-profit, mis sion-driven real estate devel oper that creates affordable housing units in the d c area, she has been able to envision this plan becoming a reality.

“I never thought I could work for a for-profit com pany,” she said. “ s o it’s been really interesting to work in that space and look at how companies can be missiondriven and still make a profit.”

Another unique aspect of the program is its in clusion of human rights clinics such as its Global m agnitsky human r ights Accountability Act c linic and United nations s pecial Procedures/Periodic r eview c linics, where students get to take part in hands-on, human rights advocacy work.

“I know of only one other university in the country that offers undergraduates the opportunity to do hu man rights work,” Kellenberg said.

The deadline to apply for next year’s program is n ov. 27.

“We are looking for stu dents who are going to rep resent the University well and work well with each oth er,” Francis said. “ s tudents who are going to have a re ally impactful time in d c and that participating in the Washington Program is going to propel them further in their career and their personal career discernment.”

b arr said the experience has been eye-opening and rewarding.

“I think that anyone can benefit no matter what major you are,” he said.

Contact Kate Naessens at knaessen@nd.edu

tells Peyton and e li at the beginning of the episode.

Pyne and Lenzy start the episode by seeing the “Gip ghost” ride into Washington h all on a horse. The opening scene is the last viewers see of current players, but the rest of the special contains appear ances by students and campus figures — notably c ampus m inistry director Fr. Pete m c c ormick — and scenes from all across the campus.

“Whether it be profes sors on campus, priests that are in our dorms, our students on campus — not

just student-athletes — see ing staff members around being able to interact with all these different celebri ties like Jerome and Peyton and e li, it all just comes together and really shows off n otre d ame in a unique way,” senior associate ath letics director of media communications Aaron h orvath said.

The trio of n otre d ame ghostbusters travels around campus in the e ctomobile — a replica of the car used in the original “Ghostbusters” — and don jumpsuits mod eled after the film’s. Zender, a 1998 n otre d ame gradu ate and now a coordinating producer for n FL Films, said the special tries to combine different television show

genres to tell football stories in the most interesting way possible.

“The shows are sort of one part s aturday n ight Live skit, one part Anthony b ourdain travel show documenta ry where you’re going to a place and one part sports history documentary,” he said.

Zender works on both “ e li’s Places,” which profiles different college football programs, and “Peyton’s Places,” which profiles n FL teams. The h alloween spe cial was the first time Peyton and e li combined their two es P n + programs, Zender said.

“We thought it would be neat to get e li and Peyton to gether to do something, and

the best place to do that was n otre d ame,” he said. “What we’d like to do is make his tory interesting by doing it instead of just talking about it.”

Peyton and e li take a deep interest in all the campus landmarks, from the stat ues around campus to the locker room, Zender explained.

“They love everything about football and every thing about quarterbacking, and you could tell it was spe cial to them to be at n otre d ame because it’s such a special place for football,” he said.

The half-hour special was shot in one day in late April, Zender said. The crew set up filming at legendary former

head football coach Knute r ockne’s house at about 6:30 a.m. for separate con tent for “ e li’s Places” be fore wrapping up filming at around 7 p.m. Zender said most productions of this volume take around a week.

With a cast ranging from students to priests to ath letic director Jack s warbrick, h orvath said the produc tion took a wide-ranging ef fort from lots of people on campus.

And Peyton sums up the effort at the end of the show, “I think we just tell them we did all we could for the Gipper.”

Contact Ryan Peters at rpeters5@nd.edu

Faith alone

A letter to my passion

Gabriel Zarazua Graphic designer

d ear Art,

You have been with me since the day I was born. You helped me when I was bored at school, doodling when I should’ve been paying attention to my teach ers. When my asthma was at my worst as a child, you helped keep me company when I couldn’t play with the other kids. If family members didn’t know what to get me for my birthday or c hristmas, you were their safest bet, even if I didn’t know how to use certain materials they got me (all that charcoal would come in handy today).

As high school came around, you slowly faded away. s ports and academics became my number one prior ity. You were simply something I did in my notebook if I wasn’t already snoring in class from lack of sleep. I did some designs here and there for homecoming and prom, but you were just another hobby of mine. It wasn’t until my senior year that you slowly came back into my life. m y football and lacrosse careers were officially over, and college was coming in fast. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, so I took the safest bet and decided to major in graphic design, having no clue what I wanted to do with art as a job, hearing all the jokes that you will never make a living as an artist. I didn’t care though. I figured if I’m doing something I love, everything will work out.

m y first studio art class in college, I realized how far behind I was in terms of technique and knowledge. It was overwhelming to see how good others were, dedicating their entire lives to their art, as I was only keeping it as a hobby. As time went on, however, I was learning how to prime a canvas, how to properly shade with charcoal and all the Adobe apps, from Photoshop to In d esign. b est of all, though, I was having fun with it. I was excited to learn about anything new; I looked forward to every project. I loved art so much, I went to a summer program in n ew York for art. That fire inside of me was burning brighter than it ever had before. When I finished all my core classes, I was ecstatic to know I would only be taking art classes, only doing something I love for a whole semester. If only I knew back then.

Five art classes, with two of them being at the same time. r esearch, then progress submissions and final pieces, all due on the same day. The first few projects were troubling, but it all got done, at the cost of sleep. Then slowly, it started to become a chore instead of a passion. o ne project was done, another was get ting started. I cleaned the oil paint off myself only to be covered in charcoal the next minute. Then, at one point, I just snapped. I couldn’t dare to look at you anymore. I wanted to throw away all my paint, can vases, sketchbooks and pencils. I was tired of you and didn’t want you in my life at that point. The fire that burned brighter than the sun was barely a candle that was finally blown out.

Fall break came and I didn’t think of you during that time. o nce classes started again, it was back to the old routine. We are still on rocky waters, but this time I’ve been able to manage you better. While I shouldn’t, I’ve focused more on what I want to make, not listening too much to the professors’ requirements. I don’t want you to feel like an academic requirement — I want you to be my passion again, something that once helped me explain myself when words couldn’t, something that helped me in my darkest moments.

I don’t know how the rest of this semester will go. I hate to leave this on a sad note, but hopefully this will all work out in the end.

You can contact Gabriel Zarazua at gzarazua@nd.edu. The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the au thor and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Andrew Sveda church and state

Paul’s most scathing words are found in Galatians, where he vigorously de fends the doctrine of justification by faith. Why was this teaching so impor tant to him?

Let us look at a passage in Galatians 3: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is writ ten, ‘ c ursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things writ ten in the book of the law’” (Galatians 3:10 nrsv ). God requires no less than perfect obedience. There are no small, insignificant sins. o ne white lie, one angry word, one lustful gaze brings God’s curse and is worthy of eternal condemnation ( r omans 5:15, 6:23). Justification through the law is “all or nothing.” That is, it is not as if a sinner can earn God’s favor by pointing to all the parts of the law they have obeyed as much as a murderer can be acquitted by telling the judge of his community service. As James writes, “[W]hoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10). n o one is righteous in God’s sight by their works (Psalm 143:2).

o ur sin, however, is much deeper than this, for it is not merely the case that we aren’t perfect but “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth” (Isaiah 64:6). Let me ask you this: have you ever truly loved the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loved your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27)? e ven brief introspec tion will prove that you have not — not by a long shot. There is so much selfcenteredness, pride, greed, hate, deceit and ingratitude in our hearts. We see glimpses of this in everyday life, but we don’t even know its depths. s ince our hearts are so far from pure, how can any of our actions be pleasing and acceptable before God? They cannot. Thus, it can rightly be said that all our actions are marked by sin and, if we were to stand even on the merit of our best works, each would bring upon us condemnation and God’s wrath. If you are depending on your own good works and performance to merit eternal life, in part or whole, there is no hope for you. You will be damned. All who rely on works of the law are under a curse.

At this point, some may suggest that I’ve overstepped and that the works of the law in Galatians 3:10 refer to only the ceremonial law. While the crisis in Galatia surrounded circumcision, Paul’s teaching here is not restricted to the ceremonial law but includes the moral law as well. This is evidenced by his citation of d euteronomy 27:26 here and Leviticus 18:5 in 3:12, which de scribe the general nature of the whole law and are found in passages primar ily discussing the moral law. Further, such an understanding of the law in Galatians 3:10 is consistent with other passages in Galatians (5:3,14) and r omans (2:13-29, 7:7-12). b ut I digress.

“ n ow it is evident that no one is justi fied before God by the law; for ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’ b ut

the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, ‘Whoever does the works of the law will live by them’” (Galatians 3:11-12). n otice the opposing nature of justification by works and that of faith. The law promises life based on perfor mance; if you’re good enough, you’ll be saved. b ut justification by faith does not rest on your own works, your own performance or your own purity but on that of Another, Jesus c hrist. h e is the o bject of our faith. n ow this faith is not mere intellectual assent but a liv ing trust in h im and h is finished work. Just as Abraham, in his old age, be lieved in God’s promises and was saved thereby, so also those “who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” ( r omans 4:24) will be saved. n ote, too, that this salvation is by faith alone and not by works. “ n ow to the one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. b ut to the one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. s o also d avid speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteous ness irrespective of works: ‘ b lessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.’” ( r omans 4:4-8).

b ut how can God justify the un godly? Galatians 3:13 helps us here: “ c hrist redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, ‘ c ursed is every one who hangs on a tree.’” h e suffered the wrath of God our sins deserved. “[ h ]e was wounded for our transgres sions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). h is substitu tionary death has fully paid for all our sins ( c olossians 2:13-14). It is a fin ished and sufficient sacrifice ( h ebrews 10:18). n othing, including your good works, can be added to it; how can you add something to an already perfect and finished sacrifice? o ur salva tion, then, can only be by faith alone, and therefore boasting is eliminated ( e phesians 2:9).

If we rely on our own merit for any part of our salvation, we will never find hope and rest. As we face death and when we stand before God, we will know that none of our good deeds merit eternal life. o nly a wholly sufficient and complete s avior and sacrifice can bring us to glory, and praise God that h e has given us such a salvation in c hrist! o n that day, you will desper ately need this r ock of Ages. It is the only way any of us can be saved. Let us, then, say with that famous hymn, “I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that h e died for me.”

Andrew Sveda is a senior at Notre Dame from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, majoring in political science and theology. In his free time, he enjoys writing (obviously), reading and playing the piano. He can be reached at asveda@nd.edu or @SvedaAndrew on Twitter.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Observer.

The flip phone experiment

I came to n otre d ame wanting it all. I wanted incredible memories. I wanted success. I wanted to get holy, get fit and get involved. I wanted to waste no time. I knew that this experience, like high school, would fly by at an incredible pace. Like a fleeting shadow. A blink of an eye, a n ew York minute. h ere, then gone.

h owever, semester after semester, I found my self throwing those precious minutes down the drain. The time sucker? A cracked iPhone 8 in a dilapidated red phone wallet. Time and time again, I’d find that screen time app reminding me of the many hours I lost each week.

I tried to get that number down. I really did. I set screen time restrictions, I ditched social me dia and I even put my phone in black and white to make it less desirable. b ut no matter how hard I tried, the phone would win. e ven if I had a good week with phone use, a bad week would come, and I would find myself robbed of that coveted time.

As a second semester sophomore, with every one talking about jobs and plans and future, I heard my n otre d ame timer clicking louder than ever before. And at the dawn of 2022, I found myself having an intrusive, insane thought: What if I could eliminate the temptation alto gether? What if I could simply guarantee hun dreds of hours of more fun at the best place in the world?

What if. I hate what-ifs. s o I drove to Target, and I bought a flip phone.

I originally told myself that I would try it for one month. o ne month, and then if I decide that I hate it, I can switch back. This was not a long term project. It was an experiment.

d espite my doubts, here I am, nine months later, and you couldn’t force me to switch back. I love my flip phone. It’s brought me the results that I’ve always craved. m y fears about the switch were illegitimate, and all of my hopes came true.

The first immediate thing that I noticed was that I was swimming in free time. At first it was weird. I would get back to my dorm, sit on my futon, realize I had nothing to do on my phone, and then … Keep sitting on my futon. I would sit there as the minutes passed, staring at the ceil ing, waiting for something to entertain me. n othing ever did, so I got busy.

I learned a few songs on the guitar. I read 14 non-school books. I spent more time laughing with my dorm friends. I studied more, I prayed more. I ate longer meals with my friends. I started walking the dorm dog, r occo. I picked up poetry. I called my family more, I hit the gym more and I slept more. I had the time to write this essay.

I quickly found that my focus was improved without my phone’s constant interruptions. I was completely, entirely in the moment. I would find myself locking in for entire lectures. I worked faster than ever, and I was more able to attentively listen to my friends.

I did everything that I love more and better. The flip phone increased both the quality and quantity of my favorite things about life. And throughout it all, there was not a battle that needed to take place. There was no tempting smartphone left to fight.

The best thing about my flip phone is that it is not enjoyable to use. It’s complicated, it’s slow, it’s gross-looking. b ut that’s exactly why I love it. It’s there if I need it, but when I don’t, I’m as far away from that thing as humanly possible. m y flip phone united my long and short term desires — I’m not constantly denying myself anymore.

b ut the most groundbreaking realization did not hit me when I was happy. It hit me on a day when I was feeling particularly sad and anxious.

I walked out of n orth d ining h all on that miserable day with my head down. n ormally I would have turned left, dragged myself to my room in d illon and dove headfirst into the bot tomless pit that was my smartphone. b ut I knew in this moment that the only thing waiting for me in that room was silence.

Instead, I turned right.

I headed to s tanford h all, where some of my friends were hanging out. I walked through those doors reluctantly, but I walked through them nonetheless. I needed to cope somehow, and without my smartphone, I was left only with healthy options. I told them what was going on and they lifted me up.

I was forced to lean on people rather than a screen. And now more than ever, I think that this vulnerability is beyond important for relationships. It has turned my friends into

brothers. r ather than the emptiness I would feel after a couple hours on Instagram, I left that conversation feeling loved. I was left with the deeper desire of my heart satisfied.

All in all, that’s what I’ve found to be the greatest superpower of the flip phone: It offers me no artificial solutions. It forces me to take the next step needed to satisfy my longings.

When I am feeling social, I don’t send funny stuff in the group chat anymore. I set a time up to hang out and laugh with my friends. When I like a girl, I don’t text her about my bad coun try playlists. I set up a lunch to get to know her. When I’m tired, I don’t scroll mindlessly. I take a nap. When I long to connect with friends or fam ily, I don’t like their Instagram post. I call them and ask them how they’re doing.

m y iPhone was my Tylenol. It would numb the pain, but it would never remove it. It was like trying to pull weeds by cutting them at the tips. It made me feel like I was making progress, but it never solved the issue. m y flip phone removes that artificial option, and it truly has changed my life. I’ve been forced to look my issues in the eye and find genuine solutions.

o ne of the hardest things about making the switch was saying no to a good thing. m y iPhone was great: It was convenient, it was entertaining and it was capable of many things. b ut this ex periment has again taught me the importance of tradeoffs in life.

Life with an iPhone was good.

b ut this one is better.

I’ve attached a couple relevant links below for those interested in trying the experiment. Please feel free to reach out: jhaskell@nd.edu. I am happy to talk flip phones, technology mod eration or anything else!

Two options I’d recommend:

1) A solid flip phone for most carriers. I have had this one before.

2) Wisephone. very simple touch-screen phone with only a camera, maps, text, calls and a clock. m y brother has this one and would rec ommend it.

s ome phone plans allow an immediate sim card switch, some don’t.

Joshua Haskell junior o

26

By WILLOUGHBY THOM scene editor

“I’m so happy, happy.”

There is no better way to describe d anny e lfman’s h alloween show at the h ollywood b owl on s aturday, o ct. 29 other than surreal. From the moment e lfman took the stage, I felt like I was in a dream. I have been an o ingo b oingo fan my entire life — if you didn’t already know — and I always knew that I would never see them in concert.

After breaking up in 1995, e lfman focusing on his career as a film composer, and after many in terviews expressing his disinterest in listening to his old music, I accepted that I would never see him play my favorite songs. I have watched their unforgettable performance at the U s Festival in 1983 hundreds of times, virtually transporting myself into the energetic crowd in hopes of living out my unattainable dream. For years, it was all a fantasy, but it seems as if all the years of scouring YouTube, collecting their records and wishing I lived in the ‘80s manifested itself into something otherworldly and completely unforgettable. s aturday’s performance was intense, insane and utter perfection. e lfman promised “everything from b oingo, to b atman, to b ig mess and b eyond” and he more than kept his promise. r unning on stage, the 69-year-old musician — with all of his

beautifully intricate tattoos on display and fi ery red hair ablaze — was ready to let us into his world.

“I mixed up some s*** that should never be done at the same place and at the same time. I know it makes no sense, but neither do I. s o, for good or for worse, this is me,” he said.

The show opened with the haunting melodies of “ s orry,” the title track of his most recent al bum, “ b ig m ess,” and a unique version of o ingo b oingo’s classic, “Insects” (1982). Two songs in, and I wanted these moments to last forever. e lfman’s set was equally divided between his film scores, o ingo b oingo material and new songs from “ b ig m ess,” creating an incredible musical fusion and performance, further proving his in disputable artistic and musical ingeniousness.

e lfman went on to play ten o ingo b oingo songs including early b -sides; songs included “ n othing to Fear ( b ut Fear Itself)” (1982), “Insanity” (1994), “ o nly a Lad” (1981) and notably, “Ain’t This the Life” (1980). It was an extra special surprise to see e lfman break out his homemade balafon — a West African gourd-resonated xylophone — to play “Grey m atter” (1982). Although they were evenly distributed throughout the evening, I felt like I was transported back in time to one of o ingo b oingo’s famous h alloween shows.

s upporting e lfman was a cast of legendary

b etween songs, b artek conducted the or chestra to play some of e lfman’s most iconic film scores from movies like “The n ightmare b efore c hristmas,” “ b eetlejuice,” “Pee-wee’s b ig Adventure” and “ e dward s cissorhands.” e ven though e flman’s performance as Jack s kellington was absolutely impeccable, it was fun to hear a tra ditional yet hardcore version of “The s impsons” theme song, one of his most successful scores.

While I am less familiar with his newest album, songs such as “Kick m e” and “True” were exe cuted with beautiful rage. e lfman’s menacingly charming demeanor gives us further insight into his mysterious psyche. h is chants of “Kick me!” and “Love me!” will continue to ring in my mind.

o verall, d anny e lfman’s h alloween h omecoming was not only surreal, but a welldeserved celebration of his artistry. o ut of all the shows I’ve been to, this was one of the best.

Thank you for making this tender lumpling’s dream come true.

Contact Willoughby Thom at wthom@nd.edu

By CAITLIN BRANNIGAN scene Writer

To be honest, I walked out of the theater after watch ing the dark comedy “The banshees of Inisherin” with mixed feelings. I didn’t like it. It made me feel uncom fortable and sad.

Perhaps that’s what the film does best: It intends to upset viewers to foster a discussion of mental health. “The banshees of Inisherin” is a commentary on mental health masquerading as a comedy film.

The protagonist, Pádraic, is a young cow herder who lives with his sister, siobhán, on Inisherin, a remote island off the coast of Ireland. he is devastated and confused upon unexpectedly learning that his best friend, colm, doesn’t want to speak to him anymore. Why? colm just doesn’t like him anymore. colm as serts that Pádraic is dull and takes time away from his music career. Pádraic’s friend, dominic, and siobhán both try to rekindle colm and Pádraic’s friendship in addition to Pádraic’s unrequited efforts.

Absurdity is a focal point of the film’s early comic relief. colm and Pádraic’s falling out seems ridiculous and is played for laughs. The hilarious dialogue be tween characters is masterfully written, and superb acting brings this to the forefront. Additionally, some characters are caricatures of certain stereotypes to the extent that all their actions are preposterous. For example, shopkeeper m rs. o’r iordan serves as the

local gossip. she refuses to give Pádraic his rations unless he tells her some “news” and goes through siobhán’s mail to snoop on her life.

however, the film takes a dark turn after colm de livers Pádraic a disturbing and bloody ultimatum: he’ll cut off one finger each time Pádraic speaks to him. Although this scene was in the trailer, I glossed over it. I went into this movie expecting it to entire ly be comedy; it’s not. It’s sad, creepy (at times) and gory. sometimes, I found myself covering my eyes to avoid having nightmares.

The film’s musical choices are fitting for the dis comfort it imposes on viewers. most scenes have no background music. The scenes that do typically fea ture the same eerie, monotonous track, which signi fies that something bad is about to happen in the film. The most lively tune is a song colm writes through out the movie, “The banshees of Inisherin.” different parts of the song are played by colm and his musical students as he completes different stages of the writ ing process. colm gloomily remarks that he would like to play the song at Pádraic’s funeral, which begs the question: Are we expecting Pádraic to die soon? colm’s song is part of the movie’s incredibly wellwritten symbolism, which primarily involves the film’s commentary on mental health. The alluring setting of the movie — a remote Irish isle during the Irish civil War — draws viewers into a lonely environ ment, and the deliberate cinematography and music

choices solidify this effect. e ach character’s struggle with their “despair,” as colm calls it, manifests in dif ferent ways. For example, colm withdraws from his hobbies and the people around him, while Pádraic lashes out violently.

As impactful as the film’s commentary is, I found some of its events unrealistic, especially when it wasn’t intentionally absurd for comic relief. The film’s strangeness detracted from the meaningfulness of its overall message and removed me from the immersive ambiance other elements of the film worked together so masterfully to create. The ending was also unclear. Whether a resolution is reached is left ambiguous.

o verall, I didn’t like the movie because it was hard to watch and left me feeling terrible, which is exactly what it intends to do. I would not recommend it un less you’re prepared for that. however, it is thoughtprovoking, incredibly well-written and the acting is top-tier.

Contact Caitlin Brannigan at cbrannig@nd.edu

“The Banshees of Inisherin”

musicians such as Josh Freese, s tu b rooks, n ili b rosh and his long-time bandmate s teve b artek. In addition to these invaluable individuals, he was also backed by a nearly 50-piece orchestra and chorus, giving further depth to every song’s live sound.

Director: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Colin Farrell, Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan

Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, The Observer is a vital source of information on people and events in the Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross communities. Join the more than 13,000 readers who have found The Observer an indispensable link to the three campuses. Please complete the accompanying form and mail it today to receive The Observer in your home.

Happy Birthday: Act responsibly this year, regardless of what others do or say. By being a leader, not a follower, you will find it easier to control the outcome. Don’t be afraid to veer off in a direction that fascinates you; you’ll have no regrets looking back. follow through on decisions, and satisfaction and rewards will follow. your numbers are 8, 13, 22, 25, 37, 42, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Share your accomplishments. It’s up to you to go after what you deserve. Emotions will play a factor in the outcome of a situation. Protect your reputation and refuse to give anyone the upper hand when it comes to decisions that affect you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): you’ll be in the clear and heading toward the finish line if you are passionate and determined to reach your goal. Express your beliefs, and reach out to organizations that offer truth and facts. Make romance a priority.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Trust yourself. Someone will take credit for your ideas if you don’t speak up and step in to defend your territory. use your clout and honesty to outmaneuver anyone who gets in your way. Walk away from unsavory situations.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): By participating in something that fascinates you, you’ll enjoy the company you keep and the input offered. your creative imagination will encourage others to contribute to your concepts and plans. Self-improvement will lead to better health.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Spend time watching and waiting for others to make the first move and contemplating how to respond, then maneuver yourself to victory. Discipline and hard work are the best ways to get things done. leave nothing to chance.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): use the leverage you have to get others to pitch in and help you finish what you start. Travel, mix business with pleasure and make a change that will improve your life. Trust your instincts, not what others lead you to believe.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Observe what’s happening around you before choosing a direction to move. Clear a passageway to ensure you reach your destination on time. refuse to let an emotional incident turn into a feud. Put a price limit on recreation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): refuse to let anyone stand between you and what you want to pursue. Don’t share your plans until you have everything in place and are ready. keep your assets and liabilities hidden to avoid outside interference.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A realistic outlook will spare you from being taken advantage of by someone you least expect. Don’t let anger set in after the fact. Ask questions, offer what’s feasible and go about your business. honesty is the key to a happy relationship.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A change will turn out better than anticipated. Don’t fuss over things that aren’t important. Put your trust in yourself and what you have to offer. Improve your surroundings and clear space to house a project you want to pursue.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): leave nothing to chance or in someone else’s hands. A serious attitude will help you get things done to your specifications. Problems with a friend, relative or neighbor are best handled with care. Don’t start something you cannot finish.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): your imagination will help you recognize what you want to pursue. get in touch with people who can help you live your dream. Don’t let anger or frustration cause you to give up. keep trying until you hone your skills.

Birthday Baby: you are mysterious, appealing and unique. you are original and forceful.

Dame, IN 46556

Jumble | DAvID hOyT AND JEff kNurEk

sudoku | ThE MEPhAM grOuP

Irish skate past michigan state and st. cyr, 5-0

By RYAN MURPHY sports Writer

The n otre d ame Fighting Irish hockey team opened b ig 10 conference play with a 5-0 win over the visiting m ichigan s tate s partans Friday night. The Irish were speedy and opportunistic all night, get ting goals from five different scorers in the win.

Goaltender r yan b ischel was again solid for n otre d ame, kicking out all 30 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. With the loss, m ichigan s tate drops to 4-3-0 on the season, despite the best efforts of former Irish netminder and current s partan graduate student goalie d ylan s t. c yr, who made 28 saves in his re turn to c ompton Family Ice Arena.

In the first, m ichigan s tate played well, steadily dictat ing the play and often at tacking the n otre d ame blue line on the rush, though they were not able to gener ate many chances. d espite giving up 11 shots, the Irish held the s partans to the pe rimeter and allowed very few high-quality opportunities between the face-off circles.

d espite not controlling play, n otre d ame was op portunistic on the chances it generated in the period. After killing off a penalty taken by senior captain n ick Leivermann, the Irish struck for their first goal of the night. b reaking out of their own end after the penalty-kill, junior for ward r yder r olston found sophomore Justin Janicke breaking for the net on a three-on-two. r olston threaded the needle with the pass perfectly across the seam, and with a quick tap of his stick, Janicke depos ited the puck into the wideopen goal. It was Janicke’s second of the season, and gave n otre d ame the lead eight minutes into the contest.

Later, as the end of the period loomed, r olston found himself again mak ing a break for the net on a three-on-two. With more speed down the right side of the ice, r olston this time elected to shoot. With a brisk snapshot, r olston beat his former team mate and freshman-year roommate s t. c yr’s high glove to give the Irish a 2-0 lead heading to the locker room.

n otre d ame got to work quickly in the second pe riod, playing some of their

best hockey of the game to start the frame. c apitalizing off a m ichigan s tate turn over, the Irish applied pres sure until senior captain n ick Leivermann found the back of the net with a snapshot from the perim eter of the face-off circle. h unter s trand garnered an assist for his tremendous vision to see Leivermann pinching in from the point, as he zipped a diagonal pass across the slot to set up the goal. c hase b lakmun also add ed an assist, and n otre d ame led 3-0.

The Irish contin ued to pressure after the Leivermann goal, keep ing s t. c yr busy with shots from any and all angles. As m ichigan s tate weathered the storm, they caught a break when, at a stoppage midway through the pe riod, the referees decid ed to review a hit laid by n otre d ame’s d rew b avaro. Upon review, they deter mined b avaro made il legal head contact with a s partan player and assessed him a five-minute major penalty.

With an opportunity to get back in the game, m ichigan s tate was slow getting set up on the power-play, and by the time they did, it was close to expiring. n onetheless, m ichigan s tate senior forward Jagger Joshua and freshman for ward d aniel r ussell both got chances in a net mouth scrabble. This was m ichigan s tate’s most threatening moment on of fense, but in the end, the Irish managed to kill the penalty and the period ended with n otre d ame still in the lead 3-0.

The Irish added icing to the cake in the third, as they potted two more goals, one from graduate student for ward c hayse Primeau and another from s trand. Primeau’s goal came in transition on yet another odd-man rush, while s trand finished off a nice feed from sophomore defense man r yan h elliwell on the power-play.

In the stat column, r olston and Primeau paced the Irish, each picking up three points. Playing on the same line, the two players seemed to be clicking all night and showed great chemistry with and without the puck

“It was evident tonight, and this week in practice we got a feel for it, too,”

r olston said. “We were excited to play together tonight, and good things happened.”

It was the second straight shutout on home ice for b ischel, who con tinues to find his rhythm between the pipes for the Irish. b ischel now has shut outs in two of his last three games, and has started in every game so far this season.

In his return to c ompton Family Ice Arena, s t. c yr played well in the net for m ichigan s tate, despite the five goals n otre d ame scored. o n at least two of the goals, s t. c yr had no chance of making a save due to n otre d ame’s quick puck movement in transi tion. In addition, s partan freshman phenomenons Karsen d owart (6 points this season) and d aniel r ussell (team-leading 9 points this season) both showed flashes of brilliance in this game, but ultimately were unable to break through.

The s partans and Irish will wrap up the two-game weekend series tomorrow night. The puck drops at 6 p.m.

Coach’s comments n otre d ame head coach Jeff Jackson made some line changes this week af ter getting shut out 4-0 last s aturday at Western m ichigan. In particular, se nior s olag b akich moved up to form a line with Primeau and r olston, while se nior Jesse Lansdell moved onto a line with s trand and graduate student Jack Adams. All this in an effort to generate more consistent offense

“Part of the reason we made the change is that we hadn’t been scoring 5-on-5 very consistently, and need ed to see if we could come up with something different that might help us” Jackson said.

n otre d ame contin ues to refine their game to achieve an elite level of play consistently. The line up changes had to due with finding more consistent 5-on-5 offense, but consis tency is the standard for success in nc AA hockey, and the Irish continue to strive for it.

Contact Ryan Murphy at rmurph22@nd.edu

Irish men and women place top-5

By MATTHEW CROW sports Writer

notre dame cross coun try travelled to earlysville, virginia to compete in the Acc championships Friday morn ing. The no. 6 women’s runners battled to a runner-up finish, nar rowly falling to heavy favorite and defending national champion nc state. on the men’s side, no. 6 notre dame placed three runners in the top-10 on its way to earning fourth place in a tight race where just six points separated the sec ond and fourth-place teams. Irish sophomore carter solomon used a late surge to claim the individu al men’s championship, becom ing just the second notre dame runner ever to do so. heading into the meet, finish ing in the top-two would have qualified as a success for the notre dame women. A loaded no. 1 nc state team that beat the Irish by 177 points at the nuttycombe Invitational two weeks earlier appeared virtually unbeatable. however, it quickly became clear on Friday that the Irish were a much-improved squad that was ready to fight for a title. nc state featured several elite frontrun ners, meaning that any team hop ing to challenge them would need strong efforts from their entire top-five. notre dame had exactly that on Friday, as the Irish were the only team to put four runners in the top-eight places and five in the top-14.

Junior olivia markezich has led the way for notre dame all year, and she came through again. markezich finished in third place, behind only nc state’s Katelyn Tuohy, who won the race, and the Wolfpack’s Kelsey chmiel, last year’s Acc champion. Just behind markezich was a group of three notre dame runners. senior Katie Thronson finished in sixth, sophomore siona chisholm took seventh and graduate student maddy denner was just behind in eighth. Thronson and chisholm continued to play crucial roles in their first season after transfer ring to notre dame. denner, an All-American in 2021, provided a strong performance after having been hindered by injury for much of the regular season. Graduate student Anna sophia Keller com pleted the scoring for notre dame with a 14th-place finish. having placed in the top-21, each of notre dame’s five scoring runners earned All-conference honors as the team finished with a score of 38, narrowly ceding victory to nc state, who finished with 34 while winning their sev enth consecutive Acc title. In the close defeat, the Irish established themselves as legitimate national

The

championship contenders and will be eager to get another shot at taking down the Wolfpack at the ncAA championships in november.

The notre dame men, com ing off of a performance at nuttycombe that saw them place fifth against most of the nation’s best teams, entered the Acc meet as co-favorites along with no. 8 Wake Forest. A standout per formance from the deacons on Friday that saw them put three runners in the top-five and four in the top-eight on their way to a 42-point victory meant that the Irish would be fighting for second after having won the previous two Acc titles. notre dame soph omore carter solomon, though, had his eyes set on first. halfway through the 8k race, solomon was in sixth, but he steadily worked his way up until he trailed only north carolina’s Parker Wolfe heading into the final uphill stretch. Using a huge kick, solomon passed Wolfe in the final meters before the finish line, winning the in dividual Acc title by just 0.2 sec onds with a time of 22:55.9.

Freshman Izaiah steury and sophomore Josh methner also performed well for the Irish. steury finished ninth and was the highest freshman finisher in the race. methner, competing for just the second time all season, rounded out the top-10 less than a second behind steury. both Irish runners received All-conference accolades along with solomon. Irish seniors Quinn Gallagher and matthew carmody placed 31st and 41st, respectively, to complete the top-five for notre dame. despite a strong top-three, the sizable gap between notre dame’s third and fourth finish ers left them vulnerable to be overtaken by teams bunched in more tightly. The Irish ultimately slipped down to fourth with a score of 92. no. 16 syracuse took second place with 86 points and no. 18 north carolina finished in third with 87.

Up next, the Irish will be clos er to home as their postseason journey continues with the Great Lakes regional in Terra heute, Indiana on nov. 11. notre dame is the defending Great Lakes champion on both the women’s and men’s sides, and the Irish will need to finish in the top-two in order to automatically qualify for the ncAA championships on nov. 19 in stillwater, oklahoma. both teams have expectations of finishing among the top teams nationally and will look to build on their Acc championship per formances in the coming weeks.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

irish defense finds much-needed clutch gene late against syracuse after key pick-six kicks off contest

By J.J. POST sports Writer

s Y rac U se , n ew York —

For a moment, early on in the fourth quarter, it felt like n otre d ame was spi raling toward collapse.

s yracuse backup quar terback c arlos d el r ioWilson had engineered consecutive scoring drives, finding his rhythm after a shaky start to the tune of a 5-7 and 104-yard performance on those scor ing drives. n otre d ame’s offense, which dominated the trenches in the first half, sputtered into con secutive three-and-outs.

With 13:57 left in the fourth quarter, the o range had both the ball and the momentum. a soldout crowd at J ma Wireless d ome was the loudest it had been all day, knowing the tying score lay just 75 yards away. n otre d ame need ed a statement stop from a defense that had been on the back foot for most of the half. a nd, for perhaps the first time all season, it got one. i n all three losses this year, the n otre d ame defense had given up fourth-quarter scor ing drives in a one-pos session game. Those three backbreaking drives combined for 35 plays, 240 yards and 17 points against an i rish defense that seemed to repeatedly tire late in games.

b ut after five games in which the i rish de fense produced just four total turnovers, a l Golden’s unit produced its second of the day when it mattered most against s yracuse. a fter a pair of quarterback rushes netted the o range a fresh set of downs, s yracuse looked to d el r ioWilson to once again make things happen through the air.

b ut this time senior de fensive tackle h oward c ross iii was able to get a hand up, bat d el r io-Wilson’s pass into the sky, and senior linebacker m arist Liufau got under it to make a centerfielder-esque bas ket catch to give the i rish offense another chance to take the squad’s lead out of one-score territory.

Thanks to the spark pro vided by the defense’s stop, n otre d ame’s offense

found its footing again. Going back to the run game that worked so well in the first half, the i rish contin ually battered the o range with six rushes in eight plays.

e ventually, one of those runs put a sigh of relief into head coach m arcus Freeman’s lungs when sophomore running back a udric e stime found a hole and burst through for an 11-yard score.

Liufau’s pivotal inter ception wasn’t the only time s aturday that the defense provided the i rish a spark. o n the very first play from scrimmage senior safe ty b randon Joseph got the i rish on the board, sitting on a short pass over the middle from s yracuse quarterback Garrett s hrader that hit him right in the chest. With nothing but green grass in front of him, Joseph raced 29 yards for the first picksix of his career, a streak that the senior noted after the game went back to before his high school playing days.

Freeman remarked after the game on the importance of Joseph’s interception set ting the tone for the rest of the game.

“ i t was huge,” he said. “To start the game on defense and on the very first play get a pick-six? That’s how you want to start. i t

was good. The group start ed fast… the ability to es tablish [yourself], go on defense first, go up 7-0, that’s huge momentum for everyone at our football program.”

n otre d ame’s defensive output throughout the squad’s worst games this season has consistently been defined by bend but don’t break performances. i n all three i rish losses, n otre d ame was unable to force a single turnover. i n the team’s stressful, 24-17 win over c al, the defense once again came away without a takeaway.

a nd while the defense hardly played terribly in any of those four games, consistently wearing down offenses with out creating momentum isn’t enough for an offense that has struggled as much with big plays as n otre d ame’s.

i t was easy to see the wind enter the i rish sails after both takeaways in s yracuse. Joseph’s pick-six brought the defense jumping and screaming to the i rish fan contingent behind the endzone. s enior de fensive end i saiah Foskey was even flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for his role in the raucous celebrations.

Following Liufau’s in terception, it was once again clear that the bench energy that had lagged during the short o range comeback had perked up

once again. The offense responded to that en ergy in kind and looked less intimidated by a s yracuse crowd that Freeman described as “hostile” and had forced multiple earlier false starts. The i rish score after Liufau’s interception all but put the game away for good.

The i rish defense knows the role it has to play in generating a spark for a more inconsistent offense that has begun to establish an identity re liant on a run game and as slow of a tempo as it can manage.

Joseph commented after the game on the impor tance of the defensive unit continuing to force turn overs going forward:

“ i think it’s a big confi dence booster for our de fense,” Joseph said. “ i t’s something that we’ve ex pected from game one of the season, to get turn overs, and for them to start falling now, with the games that we have up next… we’re a de fense that puts an em phasis on turnovers. i t’s what we expect. For it to happen today was real satisfying.”

With tests against n o. 5 c lemson (8-0, averag ing 37.1 points per game) and n o. 10 U sc (6-1, averaging 40.4 points per game) looming large as the biggest games remaining on the schedule, n otre d ame’s

defense can’t afford to revert to bend but don’t break performances.

The i rish offense doesn’t have the big play capabilities on their own to match the scoring of their Tiger and Trojan coun terparts. n otre d ame av erages just 28.4 points per game. b ut even more notably, the i rish have av eraged just 17.25 points per game in contests where they fail to force a turnover.

Unsurprisingly, two of the three games in which n otre d ame was able to eclipse 40 points have been the only two games where the i rish were able to generate at least one touchdown off turnovers (7 points against n orth c arolina, 14 points against s yracuse).

d efensive coordina tor a l Golden continu ally stressed earlier in the season when pressed about the lack of turnovers that they would come. a nd while the i rish face as tough of a home test as one could ask for next week in n o. 5 c lemson, s aturday’s game provided evidence of Golden’s prediction coming true. a nd with that evidence is a road map to what Freeman will hope is a first signature victory as n otre d ame’s head coach.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu.

Paid a dverTisemen T

deferred the kick and still needed just seven seconds to make their mark on the scoreboard. senior transfer safety brandon Joseph stepped in front of a shrader slant pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.

“I was just doing my job, drop ping down in the zone,” Joseph said on the pick. “The quarter back was staring at me and just threw it at me.” Joseph also noted it was the first pick-six of his ca reer and that he gave the ball to his dad.

A couple of penalties, one on the touchdown celebration and one on the ensuing kickoff, gifted the orange 30 yards, however. syracuse capitalized on the short field with a touchdown drive to tie the game. Improved defense on both sides kept that the score at the end of the first quarter.

notre dame ran the ball well in the first quarter but couldn’t quite put the finishing touches on drives. A heavy dose of diggs and estime brought the Irish to the brink of the red zone. notre dame gave estime the first two carries of the game after he fumbled for the third time in four games last weekend. The Irish continued to trust the sophomore, and he re sponded in a big way.

“That helped for sure. Getting the first carries means a lot for me,” estime said. “It shows the trust that the [coaches] have in me. That was a big confidence booster.”

however, after the early rush ing success, junior running back chris Tyree was thrown for a three-yard loss. his ten-yard re ception set up a manageable third down, but notre dame could not convert. Graduate student kicker blake Grupe missed a 39-yard field goal attempt. on its sec ond drive, notre dame got into syracuse territory. Three estime runs for 24 yards pushed the ball to the syracuse 39. however, on 2nd and 4, the Irish had a false start and then repeated the of fense one play later. That forced them into a 3rd and 11, and the Irish could not convert.

“We had been prepared for [the noise at the JmA Wireless dome],” head coach marcus Freeman said. “They really hadn’t stopped us in the first half. [The message to the team] was like just ‘calm down’, don’t beat yourselves, go out there and execute.”

The Irish did just that. After another defensive stop, the Irish turned back to the run game, keeping it on the ground on nine of the 11 plays on their next drive. diggs did a bulk of the work, breaking off a 16-yard run as part of his 31 yards on that drive. The sophomore from Louisiana also punched in the score, putting the Irish ahead for good, 14-7. The drive set the tone for a contest in which notre dame ran the ball 56 times on 75 offensive snaps.

“That’s been the plan since… probably cal. That’s our identity,” Freeman noted. “When we get the opportunity to throw it, we’ll throw it.”

Freeman brushed off concern

about a middling performance from Pyne (9-19, 116 yards, one touchdown, one interception).

“We scored… 41 points. If we can score 41 points doing it the way we just did, we’re going to continue to do that. We’re not looking to have a certain amount passes… we’re looking to score points.”

Defense dominates after early touchdown

That certainly wasn’t an issue as the day went on, although it wasn’t all smooth sailing for notre dame. A three-and-out and interception punctuated a pair of fruitless drives following the touchdown. however, the Irish defense found a zone after syracuse’s initial score, holding the orange to 35 yards on 20 of fensive plays after their first scor ing drive. shrader started the day 4-5 for 36 yards and finished the half by completing one of his fi nal nine passes for negative one yard.

The Irish also limited the con tributions of sean Tucker, the orange’s bell cow in the back field. They held Tucker to 97 to tal yards, including 65 rushing yards on 3.8 yards per attempt. more importantly for the Irish, a lot of Tucker’s running was in efficient. efficiency is measured by gaining 50% of the yards to gain on first down, 70% on sec ond down and 100% on third and fourth down; Tucker de livered an efficient play on just three of 12 first-half touches. comparatively, the Irish were ef ficient on 59% of their running plays, excluding quarterback scrambles.

syracuse gifted the Irish a huge chance late in the first half, opting to go for a 4th and 9 from the notre dame 39. bertrand tipped the pass and forced the turnover on downs. The Irish turned to the Pyne-mayer connection, and the duo re sponded with two straight completions for 48 yards. The first, for 37 yards, gave mayer the aforementioned record. After that, Pyne found sophomore receiver Jayden Thomas for a touchdown and a 21-7 halftime advantage.

Quarterback change puts Irish on their heels

For a moment, the game looked like it would turn into an utter blowout. The Irish added a field goal early in the third quar ter, and syracuse turned to its backup quarterback due to an unspecified injury to shrader.

The orange didn’t gain a first down in their first drive un der Florida transfer carlos del rio-Wilson. however, a 30-yard completion sparked the second drive, and syracuse was able to get into field goal range.

Kicker Andre szmyt was nails from 54 yards out, making it a 2410 game. After that, the Irish ran twice for one yard and threw an incomplete. suddenly, their of fensive strength looked off-kilter.

And syracuse proceeded to rip through the Irish defense for 67 yards on five plays. completions of 23 and 30 yards set up a Tucker 4-yard waltz into the end zone.

del rio-Wilson ultimately threw for 190 yards in the second half on 11-122 passing. The Irish of fense again failed to pick up a first down, giving syracuse a chance to tie. however, senior defensive tackle howard cross tipped a del rio-Wilson pass, and Liufau tracked the deflec tion, diving backward to secure the interception.

“We’re a defense that puts a lot of emphasis on turnovers… For him to get that pick and get the ball back to the offense, it was huge,” Joseph said. “The turning point of that game.”

Irish ice the game

The notre dame offense took advantage of its defense’s efforts, turning back to the run game. Tyree ran the ball five straight times, gaining 17 yards in the process. Pyne then completed his lone pass of the second half, for 11 yards to colzie on third down. A pass interference call then set up estime for his first touchdown of the afternoon, an 11-yard burst up the middle.

The Irish then allowed one to tal yard on the ensuing drive by syracuse, seemingly figuring out del rio-Wilson.

“We were really trying to pres sure the backup quarterback, and he started to throw the ball really well. so we backed off on the pressure,” Freeman said re garding schematic adjustments after the syracuse surge.

The Irish then drilled the nail into the coffin with a punt block via junior cornerback clarence Lewis. It was their fifth punt block of the season, including their fourth in the past three weeks, a highwater mark this century for the Irish. estime needed just one play to convert a two-yard touch down, and the Irish led 38-17.

From there, the final minutes of the game were ceremonial. syracuse drove down one more time for a meaningless touch down. They attempted an on side kick that was collected with ease by mayer. The Irish used estime’s 28-yard run to take ad vantage of the short field. They couldn’t punch in a fourth rush ing touchdown, but they did set up Grupe with a chip-shot 20yard field goal. syracuse’s final offensive drive saw them lose seven yards on first down, cour tesy of botelho’s second sack. They didn’t move the chains, al lowing notre dame to kneel out the clock.

The Irish pick up their sec ond-ranked win of the year. They previously beat bYU when the cougars, now 4-5, were ranked inside the top 20. They also have a win over Unc, who was unranked when the Irish played them but entered today at no. 21 in the AP Poll.

The Irish have won five of their past six, and have a chance to stun everyone to maybe move back into the Top 25, with un beaten no. 5 clemson visiting south bend next week. The Tigers beat syracuse 27-21 last week. Kickoff for next week’s game is set for 7:30 p.m. esT.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu

Semifinals

games to give the ad vantage to the Irish, and n otre d ame didn’t look back.

van Zanten, se nior defender Waniya h udson and m artinez all found the back of the net with their efforts, and the Irish advanced to the semifinals. After the match, n orman said he stressed sim plicity in how he prepared his team for the shootout.

“I think for us it’s just about having good vi sualization,” n orman said. “Getting in your routine, making sure they think about each step of the process, not overanalyzing what happens. Just know ing that if you’re the one going up to take the PK, you put the ball where you want it, and that’s all you’ve got to worry about.”

m artinez also cred ited visualization with aiding her preparation for taking the game-decid ing fifth penalty.

“I knew that I was the fifth PK taker, and that I was probably going to take it no matter what,” m artinez said. “ s o it was just about having the mental imagery of the ball hitting the back

of the net before going up.”

Looking ahead, the Irish have now drawn them selves a matchup with defending national cham pion Florida s tate in the semifinals. The game is a rematch of one of n otre d ame’s biggest wins this season, a 4-0 tri umph in s outh b end just weeks ago.

n orman said that he’s looking for his side to attack the rematch with fresh eyes despite the earlier rout.

“I think it’s really about trying to bring energy into the game,” n orman said. “It’s a different game. They’ll come out and they’ll try to press us, and we’ll try to press them. It will be an open game, it’ll be a fun game for us to play, and I think for us it’s just about try ing to bring a really hard, tough mentality against one of the very best teams in the country.”

n otre d ame will kick off against Florida s tate in c ary, n orth c arolina this Thursday with a trip to the A cc c hampionship on the line. The game will begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcasted on the A cc n etwork.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu.

dismissed those concerns. he even felt a little defensive, saying, “We scored, what, 41 points?” The first-year head coach checked the box score as if to verify his numbers. he went on to note that if they can score 41 points the way they just did, that’s what they’ll do.

“I’m not looking for a cer tain number of passes or a certain number of rushes,” Freeman said in the final comments of his postgame press conference.

I mean, that’s good and all, but is it a little narrow-mind ed, particularly when you consider the Irish’s next op ponent? Unbeaten and fifthranked c lemson.

Going into this past two-game stretch, the Irish knew one or two things about their inconsistent of fense. o ne, they had argu ably the best tight end in the country and probably the best tight end in the pro gram’s vaunted history at the position. Two, they had an improving offensive line and a talented trio of running backs.

Against U n Lv, the Irish had a chance to maybe try and find something else. The outmatched r ebels didn’t really belong on the same field with the Irish.

Yes, leaning into your iden tity is good, but did notre d ame really need to ride m ichael m ayer as much as they did in that contest? c ould they not have given more than one target to freshman receiver Tobias merriweather? o r a

couple more to Lorenzo s tyles Jr, b raden Lenzy, d eion c olzie or Jayden Thomas? It just felt like a missed opportunity to develop more of a wellrounded offense against a defense that wasn’t going to do much against anything that week.

Fast forward a week lat er, and it still feels like more of the same. Granted, s yracuse was a tougher game, and the Irish were underdogs. s o leaning into your strengths, the down hill running attack, is good. b ut you can’t ignore what was an other shoddy performance from d rew Pyne. he’s now started six games for the Irish. In his last three, he is 36-74 for a combined 472 yards, four touchdowns and two in terceptions. That’s under 50% completion for an av erage of 157.3 yards per game. That’s not good, and ignoring that isn’t going to solve much.

I’m not much for incred ibly negative columns. And I try not to be one of the doomsday message board posters who act like this is the worst n otre d ame team of the century. c ertainly,

the Irish deserve props for a ranked win on the road. This isn’t meant to find only the negatives in an overall solid performance. b ut even with that mental ity, Freeman’s mentality and comments feel a little ig norant of the challenges to come.

I’m going to hazard a guess and say notre d ame is not go ing to be able to run the ball 56 times against c lemson. Game script isn’t going to al low that. And against a far bigger c lemson defensive line, the Irish probably aren’t going to be averaging nearly five yards a carry. Pyne is going to need to throw the ball. And he’s probably going to need to find players not named m ichael m ayer.

Pyne did link up with c olzie three times on s aturday, a nice confidence booster for the sophomore heading into a massive game. b ut Pyne also went 2-7 for eight yards when trying to connect with merriweather (one target), Thomas or s tyles (three targets each).

merriweather remains an odd situation. h e proved he can be a solid downfield weapon with his 41-yard touchdown against s tanford. That may be his best as set throughout his years in s outh b end. For an Irish of fense whose longest play of the season came back on their first offensive play from scrimmage, it’s a desperately needed dimension. however, since that go-ahead touch down, merriweather has re ceived all of two targets in the past nine quarters.

I like Freeman a lot, and I still think he was the right hire for n otre d ame.

Long term, with his re cruiting ability, he could still be the guy that breaks the title drought for the Irish. b ut you have to hope he’s more concerned with the passing game than he lets on to the me dia. And you have to be a little disappointed with the lack of development it’s shown.

An overreliance on m ayer can be excused early with a plethora of unproven wide receivers. b ut now, those receivers remain rel atively unproven not just because of youth, but because they’re just not getting targeted.

To say you’re not concerned with a 9-19 passing perfor mance feels a little near sighted. b ecause if Pyne completes under 50% of his passes against c lemson — the fourth straight game he’d be at or under 50% — the Tigers might win by 30. If he finds himself under 210 yards pass ing for the fourth straight game, the Irish are probably facing a blow out loss in primetime. n ot to mention a 2-3 re cord at home after having

lost there just once since 2018.

c elebrate every win, for sure. This column isn’t to say n otre d ame shouldn’t feel good about beating a top-20 team on the road. Winning is difficult, and n otre d ame has somewhat righted the ship with five wins in six games (despite the one loss being absolutely mindboggling). b ut a lack of de velopment throughout the offense and Freeman’s com ments regarding the pass ing struggles are reason for concern as c lemson — and eventually, a top-10 Usc team — approach. Without a passing game, beating n o. 16 is probably this team’s ceiling. And Freeman was not brought on to beat the 16th-best team in the country. It might be a harsh word, but it feels immature offensively to bristle at the question re garding the faltering passing attack simply because you scored 41 points.

You scored 41 points be cause s yracuse can’t stop the run, and they haven’t been able to do it all year. Far worse rushing tacks have also victimized the o range on the ground. The 246 rushing yards were certainly great, but it was likely more an indictment of s yracuse’s poor tackling and undersized defensive line than anything else. c lemson is going to bring a monstrous line to s outh b end and more talent on both sides of the ball. You can’t be one-dimensional and beat the Tigers.

n otre d ame has an identity in its offensive line and ground game. b ut to maximize your ceil ing and challenge elite teams in the modern era, you also need a passing game. Freeman seems almost alarmingly unconcerned about the lack of n otre d ame’s aerial attack. It’s okay to both enjoy this win over a ranked oppo nent and be critical of an underwhelming and at times flat-out bad quar terback performance. Freeman seemed un willing to admit that the latter could present an is sue down the stretch, at least outwardly.

o ne can only hope that despite this, there is in ternal understanding of the growth that needs to happen offensively. b ecause if not, n otre d ame might be celebrat ing wins over n o. 16 as their biggest wins for a lot lon ger than this fanbase wants.

Contact Aidan at athoma28@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Irish drop second match to spartans

By TOM ZWILLER sports Writer

After beating ms U 5-0, n otre d ame faced the s partans again on s aturday, with the puck drop at 6:05 p.m. e arly on, it felt like m ichigan s tate was the more aggressive of the two teams, forc ing turnovers with a forecheck that the Irish did not seem ready for.

The s partans lit the lamp first by using physical play to generate a turnover, with ms U left winger Jagger Joshua applying pressure to winger r yder r olston, who made a bad pass out of the zone (likely intended for n ick Leivermann) that the s partans picked up.

s tate defender n ash n ienhuis held the puck while the s partans cleared the zone before getting the puck to Karsen d orwart, who put the puck on net. nd goaltender r yan b ischel made the save, but the rebound was loose and fell to Joshua, who found twine.

After the goal, both teams went back and forth with the s partans still being the more aggressive offense, outshooting nd 2-1 early on.

The s partans’ assis tant captain, defense men c ole Krygier, gave the Irish an opportunity to get back into the game when he com mitted a boarding pen alty. h owever, the Irish were ultimately unable to do anything with it. Krygier was not done yet, as he committed a dirty hit from behind, which turned into a five-min ute major with just a little over three and a half minutes left in the period, putting the Irish up for the rest of the first.

That advantage was nullified after grad uate student for ward c hayse Primeau committed a holding penalty with just over a minute left in the pe riod. After the end of one, the s partans lead by one.

After both teams killed off their penalties, nd seemed to gain some mo mentum from the pre vious night back, even able to force turnovers. With just three minutes lapsed in the second

period, ms U forward Tiernan s houdy was called for a hooking penalty. This time, the Irish pow er-play unit seemed un der more control, as the Irish were able to gener ate strong chances from the points, even getting their rebounds. Though they had a strong showing, the s partans killed off the penalty.

When graduate stu dent defenseman c hase b lackmun was called for an interference call, the Irish continued their spe cial team’s momentum, clearing the puck from their zone and forcing the s partans to regroup mul tiple times.

Late in the second, ju nior defenseman Zach Plucinski drove into the right corner of the s partan zone, and as he turned toward the net, Leivermann caught his eye, completely wide open from the point. Plucinski made the pass across the zone and Leiverman was able to bury the shot, tying the game 1-1.

After a scoreless third period and over time, the game went to a shootout. In the first round, Leivermann and ms U’s Tanner Kelly made their shot attempts. In the second round, graduate student for ward Jackson Pierson failed to convert his, while d orwart was able to put ms U up 2-1. The game came down to r olston, who was denied by ms U netminder d ylan s t. c yr — the first star of the game.

After the opening week end of conference play, the Irish sit 4-2-2, with a conference record of 1-00-1. Though the Irish split the weekend with the s partans, they still came away with four points, which is good enough for third in the b ig 10, behind o hio s tate (nine) and Penn s tate (six).

n otre d ame hits the road next weekend, where they will continue confer ence play in m innesota against the Golden Gophers, who are currently fourth with a 1-1-0-0 con ference record and a 5-3 re cord overall.

The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. central on o ct. 4 and 5.

Contact Tom Zwiller at tzwiller@hcc-nd.edu

Team advances to Acc semifinals

By J.J. POST sports Writer

n otre d ame women’s soc cer advanced to the A cc semifinals s aturday, down ing Pittsburgh on penalty kicks.

The game wasn’t without regular time fireworks, as the Irish accumulated 26 to tal shots over 110 min utes of open play. n otre d ame was able to take the lead in the second after senior forward Kiki van Zanten coolly finished a cross from graduate de fender b rianna m artinez. b ut the lead given by the well-worked goal was short-lived.

Just under fifteen min utes later, the Panthers found an equalizer. The goal was caused by some set piece mayhem, as the Irish failed to clear a danger ous long ball into the box. Goalkeeper m ackenzie Wood inadvertently knocked down center back e va Gaetino, and in the commotion

Katie Zailski was able to lob a pass to Leah Pais in front of the net. With Wood on the ground, Pais made quick work of the chance, guiding the ball into an empty goal to tie the game at one.

The knotted scoreline would stand until pen alties, when Irish head coach n ate n orman made a bold change. r emoving Wood in favor of junior Ashley n aylor, n orman opted to go with the goal keeper that won n otre d ame its only shootout of the 2021 season.

And although n aylor didn’t make a save, the re sult validated the deci sion. After the Panthers’ s arah s chupansky and Irish senior midfielder m addie m ercado traded converted attempts, Zailski struck the post with her effort. The dam age was done. s ophomore midfielder Korbin Albert confidently scored her third penalty attempt in as many

Thomas: Freeman’s offense is nearsighted

n otre d ame scored 44 points last weekend, and they followed it up with 41 points at n o. 16 s yracuse. That’s certainly an im provement on the last time they scored 40+ points. That came against n orth c arolina, at which point the Irish followed with a com bined 42 points against b YU and s tanford, two struggling teams with a combined 7-10 record.

b ut is it sustainable? m arcus Freeman said some of the right things after the win against s yracuse. h e wants to es tablish an offensive iden tity, and he feels the Irish have done that. c ertainly, 56 carries for 246 yards feels like an established identity. b ut when asked about inconsistencies in the passing game, Freeman

Irish run over and around No.

By AIDAN THOMAS sports editor

sYrAcUse, new York — In what is nothing short of an un predictable season, the notre dame Fighting Irish continue to play their best football against better opponents and away from notre dame stadium. This time it was made evident in the Irish’s commanding 41-24 win over the no. 16 syracuse orange saturday afternoon.

Irish dominance at the close of the first half and opening of the second half helped them establish a 24-7 lead. syracuse’s backup quarterback, carlos del rio-Wilson, forced into the game after an injury to Garrett shrader, sparked the orange to 10 straight points. but, with a chance to drive and tie the game, del rio-Wilson tossed a backbreaking interception. notre dame responded with a touchdown drive to take back its two-score lead. A blocked punt set up a one-play touchdown drive that iced the result, giving

Syracuse,

notre dame a 38-17 lead. The two teams traded scores, with an Irish field goal marking the fi nal points of the day and making up for the 41-24 final score.

Ultimately, notre dame’s ground game was the story line.

sophomore running backs Audric estime (124 yards) and Logan diggs (87 yards) com bined for 40 carries and 211 yards. That came a week after diggs ran for 130 yards against UnLv in his breakout per formance of the year. It was estime’s second 100+-yard per formance of his season.

“Logan [diggs] is my brother. We’re always trying to push each other every day. We have that bond, it’s unbreakable. We al ways feed off each other,” estime said.

estime scored twice, and diggs added a touchdown of his own. The Irish didn’t need much out of the passing game, com pleting just nine passes. They did see a small breakout perfor mance from deion colzie who notched three receptions for 44

yards. Junior tight end michael mayer continued his recordsetting career with three catches for 54 yards. The second of those three catches vaulted the junior to no. 1 all-time in notre dame tight end career receiving yards. defensively, the Irish were a dominant force outside a brief stretch in the third quarter. senior transfer safety brandon Joseph and senior linebacker marist Liufau collected inter ceptions for the Irish, both at key moments. Junior linebacker Jordan botelho had two sacks and a quarterback hit as part of a four-sack defensive effort from the Irish. senior linebacker J.d bertrand put forth another strong effort, with five tackles, including one for loss, two quar terback hits and a big tipped pass on fourth down.

Irish use defense, ground game to take early lead notre dame got off to the fastest start imaginable. They

MAX PETROSKY | The Observer

Irish senior safety Brandon Joseph runs the ball after an interception during Notre Dame’s home-opening loss against Marshall on Sept. 10.

SAM GODINEZ | The Observer

Irish junior tight end Michael Mayer runs the ball during Notre Dame’s decisive victory over the No. 16 Syracuse Orange on Oct. 29.

Aidan Thomas sports editor