Notre Dame football announces date for Blue-Gold Game
Notre Dame officially has a date for its annual Blue-Gold Game.
The Fighting Irish will take the field at Notre Dame Stadium for an intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday, April 23, the university announced Monday afternoon. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock, while ticket information and a kickoff time will be released at a later date.
There won’t be a shortage of sporting events taking place on Notre Dame’s campus that weekend, either. The men’s lacrosse team gets the weekend started early against North Carolina on April 21. The Irish baseball team hosts a three-game series with Wake Forest from April 22-24.
This year’s spring game will be Marcus Freeman’s first as the Irish’s head coach, but most of the attention will likely divert to the offense. Playing in his second Blue-Gold Game, rising sophomore Tyler Buchner will battle junior Drew Pyne in the public eye as the two compete for the 2022 starting quarterback job.
Buchner completed 6 of 9 throws for 140 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in his Blue-Gold Game debut as an early enrollee freshman last year. He also ran three times for six yards and a touchdown. Pyne was 11-of-23 passing with no touchdowns and one interception. He lost a net of 30 yards rushing for getting sacked four times.
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Buchner and Pyne played second and third fiddle to graduate student Jack Coan last year. This year, the show is theirs. It’ll also be an opportunity for fans to see All-American safety transfer from Northwestern Brandon Joseph and former Arkansas State kicker Blake Grupe.
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Of course, this will be the first Blue-Gold Game operated without former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly patrolling the field since 2009. It’ll be intriguing for fans and the media to see how Freeman carries himself as the man in charge of an intricate operation.
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Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will be working with new assistants across the board on his side of the ball. Tight ends coach John McNulty left to become the offensive coordinator at Boston College. Running backs coach Lance Taylor took the same position at Louisville. Notre Dame also parted ways with offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and wide receivers coach Del Alexander.
As of Monday, Rees and Freeman had only found replacements for Quinn and Alexander. Harry Hiestand is returning for a second stint coaching the offensive line at Notre Dame, and former Baylor wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey has shipped on up to South Bend. The April 23 Blue-Gold Game is a chance for fans to view early returns on their respective position groups.
