Kelly's message: Notre Dame close to title caliber

TOM COYNE Associated Press

SOUTH BEND | Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly knows the importance of staying on message and he has been consistent all spring.

Contract gives NBC Notre Dame rights through 2025

ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer

NBC Sports Group announced a 10-year contract extension to televise Notre Dame football games Thursday, doubling the length of its previous agreement.

Ex-Notre Dame QB Gunner Kiel headed to Cincinnati

The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ind. | Former Notre Dame quarterback Gunner Kiel has found another landing spot -- Cincinnati.

Te'o lowers his 40-yard time at Notre Dame pro day

TOM COYNE Associated Press

SOUTH BEND | Former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o ended a trying three months by putting up a respectable 40-yard dash time Tuesday.

Notre Dame heads into 2013 seeking new identity

Tom Coyne Associated Press

SOUTH BEND | Notre Dame begins the 2013 season looking for a new identity, eager to shed the bad taste of a BCS title game blowout loss.

Notre Dame's much-maligned Manti Te'o tells Katie Couric 'I did lie'

The Associated Press

NEW YORK | Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o admitted to Katie Couric he answered questions about his "dead," online girlfriend even after he received a call Dec. 6 from a woman posing as the fake person.

Woman in Te'o fake girlfriend photo speaks out

The Associated Press

NEW YORK | The woman whose photo was used as the "face" of the Twitter account of Manti Te'o's supposed girlfriend says the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her.

Manti Te'o to be interviewed by Katie Couric

The Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o will be interviewed by Katie Couric, the first on-camera interview given by the All-American since news broke about the dead girlfriend hoax.

Te'o provides answers, but more may be asked

Ralph D. Russo AP College Football Writer

NEW YORK | Manti Te'o tried to put one of the strangest sports stories in memory behind him, insisting he was the target of an elaborate online hoax in which he fell for a fake woman created by pranksters, then admitting his own lies made the…

Brandt: Te'o's draft stock could plummet further

BARRY WILNER and RACHEL COHEN AP Sports Writers

Here's the real story: Manti Te'o's stock in the NFL draft already was sinking.

Story of Te'o girlfriend death apparently a hoax

TOM COYNE Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. | A story that Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o's girlfriend had died of leukemia — a loss he said inspired him to help lead the Fighting Irish to the BCS championship game — was dismissed by the university Wednesday as a …

Al Lesar: Hard to make sense of Irish performance

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | Look at the bright side. Or, really, the dark side.

No rest for Swarbrick as playoff talks continue

By ERIC HANSEN South Bend Tribune

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | College football coaches typically have a brief 24-hour rule to either celebrate or commiserate about the outcome of an important game, then move on.

40 years ago, Irish-Tide played game for the ages

PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | Ara Parseghian still remembers every little detail of that dreary night in New Orleans nearly four decades ago, when two titans of college football met for the first time.

BCS NOTEBOOK: For Martinez, BCS an emotional homecoming

TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | When he was 14, Arturo Martinez was essentially told he was dying. Leukemia, stage IV. As bad as it gets.

Dr. Lou examines how Irish, Crimson Tide match up

By BOB WIENEKE South Bend Tribune

The statistic — the one that proclaims Notre Dame's defense the stingiest in the country with its 10.3 points per-game average — makes a strong case standing on its own.

Alabama Bowl History

The Associated Press

Record: 34-22-3

Notre Dame Bowl History

The Associated Press

Record: 15-16

Irish set to battle Alabama for national championship

By BOB WIENEKE South Bend Tribune

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | On the day before the biggest day of his football coaching life, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly professionally navigated a press conference in which photographers jostled for position to take his picture in front of the nation…

Bama's 'D' shows up the doubters

JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. | Alabama's defense had to replace its biggest stars, lacks a dominant pass rusher and has a secondary that Notre Dame running back Theo Riddick thinks is vulnerable.

Hammond grad Randy Harrison left his mark on ND football

Al Hamnik al.hamnik@nwi.com, (219) 933-4154

Forget about "Rudy."

Motta has shown gradual growth

By TYLER JAMES South Bend Tribune

Inside Zeke Motta’s helmet, scraggly facial hair has slowly formed into an unkempt beard. Each whisker has seen win after win accumulate in the Notre Dame 2012 season and formed a hair follicle fad.

Notre Dame searching for a hole in Alabama's defense

BOB WIENEKE South Bend Tribune

You’ve no doubt heard of fast-paced offenses being dubbed “basketball on grass.” When late Monday night/early Tuesday morning rolls around, after Notre Dame and Alabama play in the BCS Championship Game, we may be talking about “baseball in s…

Kiel OK waiting to ‘show what I have’

By ERIC HANSEN South Bend Tribune

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | He impersonated Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron the past couple of weeks, rather convincingly according to his Notre Dame football teammates.

ESPN’s Pollack: Notre Dame not yet among elite

ERIC HANSEN and BOB WIENEKE, South Bend Tribune

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | David Pollack isn't a naysayer when it comes to Notre Dame and whether the football program should expect to be in the conversation of the nation's best teams over the next few years.

Irish linebacker proud of Columbine community that took him to the top

Eric Hansen South Bend Tribune

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. | The guy who wears jersey No. 13 — on purpose and with a purpose — feels like the luckiest man in the world these days.

Tide, Irish go old school on way to title game

PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. | The BCS championship is going old school.

Saban, Kelly lead Bama and ND out of darkness

RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. | There were some dark days at Notre Dame and Alabama, dark years really, during which two of college football's proudest programs flailed and foundered.

Jones, Te'o, 2 of college football's good guys

JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. | Alabama center Barrett Jones was hobbling toward the plane, awkwardly clutching crutches and a bag when a helping hand reached out.

Panic a rare emotion among Notre Dame cornerbacks

Bob Wieneke South Bend Tribune

SOUTH BEND | Reaching for the panic button would have been one way for Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks to respond last August when starting corner Lo Wood was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.