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SOUTH BEND —Heading into this weekend's quarterfinal matchup with Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan will once again borrow from his well-worn book of coaching preparation.
In part, that means using the time-tested buildup process perfected by the late Lou Holtz.
“I came here when Lou Holtz was here, and I adopted some of his ways,” Corrigan, in his 38th season at Notre Dame, said after practice on Wednesday, May 13. “One of which is on Monday we suck, on Tuesday we’re not much better, on Wednesday we’re starting to get better, on Thursday we’re pretty good, and on Friday they can’t beat us. Rinse and repeat.”
Corrigan, with 381 career coaching wins and two national championships among his 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, knows by now what works and what doesn’t.
“There’s truth to it, too,” he said. “As you do prepare and start going against another team’s actions and things are different than they were the week before, you struggle with them early and you do try to figure them out. And hopefully by the time you get to the end of the week, you’re through that whole cycle.”
Goalie's choice: 'Lacrosse gods' smile on Thomas Ricciardelli, Notre Dame in NCAA opener
The Irish, seeded second, blasted Jacksonville 18-5 on Mother’s Day to avoid the sort of first-round disaster that sent home three seeded teams before the quarterfinals: No. 4 Richmond, No. 5 Virginia and No. 7 Cornell.
The latter fell 9-8 in overtime at home to Johns Hopkins, a traditional power with nine NCAA titles that has fallen largely dormant since its last Final Four appearance in 2015. That includes a 12-9 loss to the Irish in the 2023 NCAA quarterfinals and a 16-9 loss in South Bend to open the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Now in their sixth year under former Cornell coach Peter Milliman, the Blue Jays (10-5) have made a habit of storming from behind against unsuspecting foes.
They trailed Cornell, the defending national champs, 6-3 at halftime.
An 11-10 win over Penn State, the team that ended Notre Dame’s run in last year’s quarterfinal, saw the Blue Jays wipe out a 9-4 deficit early in the third period.
And trailing 11-4 at Virginia midway through the third period on Feb. 28, Johns Hopkins roared back for a 14-13 win over the team responsible for Notre Dame’s only two losses so far this season.
“There’s no quit in that team,” senior midfielder Will Donovan said. “They’re slick. Their offense is really crafty. We know they’re going to be a 60-minute team. That mindset doesn’t change. It’s been that way the whole year, so keep doing what we’re doing.”
Johns Hopkins also owns a pair of Big Ten wins over Michigan, where Will Corrigan, Kevin’s son, recently completed his first year as the offensive coordinator. No special scouting tips were needed over Mother’s Day dinner, the family patriarch suggested, but the relentlessness of the Blue Jays has Notre Dame’s attention.
“Mostly they just play really hard,” Kevin Corrigan said. “They don’t change who they are. They come into every game with a very distinct plan of what they want to try to do, and they stick to the plan. Sometimes it works better early or late or whatever, but they’re very good at executing a specific game plan for your game, and that makes them a little bit hard to prepare for."
The Blue Jays, Corrigan said, prefer a read-and-react approach on offense in which they look to capitalize on defensive breakdowns.
"You’re like, ‘Oh, are they going to play us like they played them or are they going to play us like they played those guys?’ " Corrigan said. "Just have to wait and see.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame lacrosse plugs into Lou Holtz's greatest hits
Continue reading...
In part, that means using the time-tested buildup process perfected by the late Lou Holtz.
“I came here when Lou Holtz was here, and I adopted some of his ways,” Corrigan, in his 38th season at Notre Dame, said after practice on Wednesday, May 13. “One of which is on Monday we suck, on Tuesday we’re not much better, on Wednesday we’re starting to get better, on Thursday we’re pretty good, and on Friday they can’t beat us. Rinse and repeat.”
Corrigan, with 381 career coaching wins and two national championships among his 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, knows by now what works and what doesn’t.
“There’s truth to it, too,” he said. “As you do prepare and start going against another team’s actions and things are different than they were the week before, you struggle with them early and you do try to figure them out. And hopefully by the time you get to the end of the week, you’re through that whole cycle.”
Goalie's choice: 'Lacrosse gods' smile on Thomas Ricciardelli, Notre Dame in NCAA opener
'No quit' in resurgent Johns Hopkins
The Irish, seeded second, blasted Jacksonville 18-5 on Mother’s Day to avoid the sort of first-round disaster that sent home three seeded teams before the quarterfinals: No. 4 Richmond, No. 5 Virginia and No. 7 Cornell.
The latter fell 9-8 in overtime at home to Johns Hopkins, a traditional power with nine NCAA titles that has fallen largely dormant since its last Final Four appearance in 2015. That includes a 12-9 loss to the Irish in the 2023 NCAA quarterfinals and a 16-9 loss in South Bend to open the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Now in their sixth year under former Cornell coach Peter Milliman, the Blue Jays (10-5) have made a habit of storming from behind against unsuspecting foes.
They trailed Cornell, the defending national champs, 6-3 at halftime.
An 11-10 win over Penn State, the team that ended Notre Dame’s run in last year’s quarterfinal, saw the Blue Jays wipe out a 9-4 deficit early in the third period.
And trailing 11-4 at Virginia midway through the third period on Feb. 28, Johns Hopkins roared back for a 14-13 win over the team responsible for Notre Dame’s only two losses so far this season.
“There’s no quit in that team,” senior midfielder Will Donovan said. “They’re slick. Their offense is really crafty. We know they’re going to be a 60-minute team. That mindset doesn’t change. It’s been that way the whole year, so keep doing what we’re doing.”
Johns Hopkins also owns a pair of Big Ten wins over Michigan, where Will Corrigan, Kevin’s son, recently completed his first year as the offensive coordinator. No special scouting tips were needed over Mother’s Day dinner, the family patriarch suggested, but the relentlessness of the Blue Jays has Notre Dame’s attention.
“Mostly they just play really hard,” Kevin Corrigan said. “They don’t change who they are. They come into every game with a very distinct plan of what they want to try to do, and they stick to the plan. Sometimes it works better early or late or whatever, but they’re very good at executing a specific game plan for your game, and that makes them a little bit hard to prepare for."
The Blue Jays, Corrigan said, prefer a read-and-react approach on offense in which they look to capitalize on defensive breakdowns.
"You’re like, ‘Oh, are they going to play us like they played them or are they going to play us like they played those guys?’ " Corrigan said. "Just have to wait and see.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame lacrosse plugs into Lou Holtz's greatest hits
Continue reading...
