NBC Sports Group COLLEGE FOOTBALL analysts Doug Flutie and Mike Mayock will swap broadcast positions this Saturday, when the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish return to Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., to face the Northwestern Wildcats at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET with Countdown to Kickoff, NBC's Notre Dame pre-game show.
Flutie, who has served as a sideline analyst for NBC's first five Notre Dame games this season, moves to the broadcast booth this weekend alongside NBC's Notre Dame Football play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks. Mayock, who has manned the booth for all Fighting Irish home games since 2010, shifts to sideline analyst for Saturday's game to provide in-depth Xs-and-Os commentary from field level. Kathryn Tappencontinues as sideline reporter.
"Mike is one of the top Xs-and-Os commentators in football. The sideline analyst role will allow him to dissect the game from field level and present his findings to viewers at strategic times throughout the broadcast," said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports & NBCSN. "Doug is synonymous with COLLEGE FOOTBALL and is an experienced booth analyst. We're excited to see how this new arrangement plays out on Saturday."
The Fighting Irish (7-2) return to South Bend where they are a perfect 4-0 this season, and look to rebound following a 55-31 loss at No. 9 Arizona State last weekend. The Wildcats (3-6) boast wins over Big Ten foes Penn State and Wisconsin this season. This Saturday marks the 48th game between Notre Dame and Northwestern, but the first meeting since Sept. 2, 1995, when the Wildcats upset the Fighting Irish in the season opener. Notre Dame boasts a 37-8-2 advantage in the all-time series, dating back to 1889.
Liam McHugh will host COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, on-site at Notre Dame Stadium. He will be joined by Mayock and two-time SUPER BOWL champion Hines Ward. McHugh, Mayock and Ward will also manage halftime coverage, as well as the post-game show, which will air on NBCSN.
JAMES MADISON AT (NO. 13) RICHMOND - SATURDAY AT 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN will present Colonial Athletic Association showdown this weekend, when the No. 13 Richmond Spiders host the James Madison Dukes at 12:30 p.m. ET. Both teams enter Saturday's game with identical 7-3 records overall, and 4-2 conference records. The Dukes have won five straight games, while Richmond dropped its most recent game at Maine to snap its own five-game winning streak.
Paul Burmeister (play-by-play) and Anthony Herron (analyst) will call the action from E. Claiborne Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA ONLINE & APP: NBC Sports Live Extra - the NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets - will stream this weekend's Notre Dame-North Carolina and William & Mary-New Hampshire COLLEGE FOOTBALL games.
For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.
NBC Sports Live Extra online will feature a simulcast of the broadcast feed in full HD quality plus one additional online-only bonus camera. The video player will include picture-in-picture capability and full DVR functionality, allowing the user to pause the live video and even review plays in "slo-mo."
Sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen will provide live in-game tweets from the sideline from @NDonNBC on Twitter. Additionally, fans can watch in-game highlights, live coverage of the Notre Dame and visiting teams' bands at halftime, as well as live postgame footage that will include head coach Brian Kelly's press conference.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBC
Following this Saturday's game against Northwestern, NBC Sports Group's presents its final Notre Dame football broadcast of the season on Saturday, Nov. 22, when the Fighting Irish host the Louisville Cardinals.
The following is the NBC Sports Group 2014 Notre Dame Football schedule (all times ET)
Date | Opponent | Pre-Game | Network | Game Time | Network |
Saturday, Nov 15 | Northwestern | 3 p.m. | NBC | 3:30 p.m. | NBC |
Saturday, Nov 22 | Louisville | 3 p.m. | NBC | 3:30 p.m. | NBC |
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