Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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group of emerging leaders shocked the Big East by finding new and exciting ways to win almost every time they took the court, including a triumph over No. 1 Syracuse at the Purcell Pavilion. "I don't know if I've had more fun with Against long odds, Brey and his scrappy TO MY FAMILY, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I COULDN'T GIVE UP, THOSE MEM- ORIES I COULD MAKE." MANTI TE'O "NO AMOUNT OF MONEY COULD BRING THAT JOY AND PRIDE TO MY LIFE AND a group," Brey said late in the season. "The students that they were, and that they let us teach back in November and December when we weren't very good, was really a key." Notre Dame's postseason ghosts con- the day after he announced his decision in December. tinued to haunt them with another first- round exit in the NCAA Tournament, but Brey has time now to fix that. This summer Notre Dame rewarded his surprising sea- son with a 10-year contract extension. Manti Te'o returning to the Irish football team can't be overstated. The top under- classmen on each side of the ball decided this winter to put their NFL hopes on hold for one more year. By coming back, Eifert gives the Irish a The impact of seniors Tyler Eifert and 4. ALL-AMERICAN ENCORE expected twist on the last day of the spring semester when police arrested Rees and se- nior linebacker Carlo Calabrese at an off- campus party. Rees, 19 at the time, had been drink- The quarterback competition took an un- 5. TROUBLE WITH THE LAW proven weapon in the passing game that would have been severely lacking without him. Te'o will once again be the hub of a defense with several questions marks. They also further the argument that the Irish coaching staff is doing something right. Three of the four draft-ready under- classmen in the past two years have de- cided to play out their eligibility in college. "No amount of money could bring that joy and pride to my life and to my family, and that's something that I couldn't give up, those memories I could make," Te'o said ing and tried to flee when police arrived to break up the party shortly after mid- night. After a short chase and struggle, Rees spent the better part of a day behind bars before being charged with four misde- meanors, including one count of battery for his scuffle with the officer. Calabrese, who is also fighting for playing time this fall, allegedly threatened police twice as they tried to detain Rees and was charged with one count of intimidation. What awaits them in the way of a pen- ance has not yet been decided. Both play- ers are still going through the legal process and waiting to find out if the school's disci- plinary arm is, as many claim, more gentle than it was in the past. A bad week got worse in the days fol- lowing Notre Dame's 31-17 loss to USC in late October. The typically verbally agile Kelly stuck his toes between his teeth in a 6. A LINE IS DRAWN AUGUST 2012 96