INSIDER
2 | THE OBSERVER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
Keys to victory: Women’s basketball vs. Villanova By Lauren Ryan Sports Reporter
Notre Dame women’s basketball opens the season in unique fashion Sunday, competing against the Villanova Wildcats in Rome as part of the Eternal City Tip-Off doubleheader. The team left South Bend on Wednesday, giving players time to adjust and prepare for Sunday’s matchup, which will provide an essential test of what the Irish can do this season on both sides of the ball. Though the current Irish roster is certainly less experienced than the one that made an Elite Eight run last year, the most critical puzzle piece remains in place. That piece, superstar senior guard Hannah Hidalgo, will unsurprisingly be a key factor for the Irish to prevail over the Wildcats on Sunday, through both her own defensive contribution and synergy with the team defense as a whole. Last season, Hidalgo’s aggressive and brilliant defense
earned her the titles of NCA A single-season steals record holder and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. This year, she looks to lead the team to emulate her style of defense. After playing an exhibition against Truman State on Oct. 26, head coach Niele Ivey ref lected, “We’re really working on trying to apply a lot of pressure defensively. So I was really, really pleased with the forced turnovers. We forced 27 turnovers, which resulted in 46 points for us.” Hidalgo herself was equally optimistic after the exhibition, saying, “We have glimpses of playing great pressure defense.” Viewing defense as a key aspect of Notre Dame’s upcoming matchup with Villanova may seem obvious, but it holds special weight considering the talent of Villanova’s best offensive threat, junior guard Jasmine Bascoe. Bascoe is sure to test the limits of even Hidalgo’s defensive prowess. Bascoe led the Big East in
both scoring and assists last season, averaging 18.9 points and 4.8 assists per game. She is poised to continue her offensive success this year, having led the Wildcat team in scoring in their exhibition against Fairleigh Dickinson. With Villanova’s offense f lowing primarily through Bascoe, the more pressure that Hidalgo and the Irish can apply to her, the more disrupted the Wildcat offense will likely look. Notre Dame must be careful, however, as Bascoe will look to punish any lack of discipline in that aggression. Overall, Villanova has an impressive offensive talent in Bascoe, and as the Irish look to brand their defense as high-pressure and dynamic, they will have to be at their best to contain her. Offensively, the Irish will benefit greatly against the Wildcats by being as multifaceted as possible. Bascoe, though known for her offense, is a talented defender who grabbed 2 steals per game last year. Even more
likely to wreak havoc on the Irish offense is sophomore guard Kennedy Henry, who averaged 2.3 steals per game last season along with 4.3 rebounds. In Villanova’s exhibition game, the 6-foot guard used her length to post an impressive 5 blocks, as well as 7 rebounds. Henry was named to the Big East All-Defensive team last year. That being said, scoring depth will be key for the Irish, who can certainly set up some favorable matchups outside of Bascoe and Henry. Thankfully, the Irish showed that they do have that kind of depth during their exhibition game, with six players tallying double-digit scoring: Hidalgo, Leah Macy, Jenica Lewis, Jacy Abii, Madison St. Rose and Amari Byles. This is a great sign for the Irish that the offense will not necessarily expect Hidalgo to carry the entire load against a player like Henry. Speaking on the team’s offensive versatility, redshirt freshman forward Macy said,
“We can be dominant this year, and it can be anybody’s night, and we can, again, have six in double figures.” Considering both teams have outstanding defenders, the Irish will greatly benefit from a balanced offensive game, especially since Villanova’s offense relies so heavily on Bascoe. ESPN titled its preview of the Notre Dame team “Does Hannah Hidalgo have enough help?” Enough help, that is, to make another deep NCA A tournament run and be a championship contender. If Notre Dame looks anything like it did in its exhibition against the stronger defense of Villanova, especially in terms of widespread offensive participation, then the answer will look like a resounding yes. The Notre Dame matchup against Villanova will take place at noon Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1. Contact Lauren Ryan at lryan5@nd.edu
GRAY NOCJAR AND LINA LU | The Observer
Senior guard Hannah Hidalgo dribbles the ball during Notre Dame’s 125-59 exhibition victory against Truman State at Purcell Pavilion on Oct. 26, 2026. Hidalgo led the team with 33 points and will look to continue her hot start against Villanova on Sunday. The match marks the first game of the season for the team and is part of the Eternal City Tip-Off series.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026 | VOL. LXI, NO. 17
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Notre Dame student arrested by ICE, released By Gray Nocjar Editor-in-Chief
An undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame, Mark Mikhail, was arrested Oct. 23 at Los Angeles International Airport by federal immigration agents. He was released late Tuesday evening. Mikhail was being housed “in ICE custody” at the Desert View Annex in Adelanto, California, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee locator on ICE.gov. A detainee profile for Mikhail was taken down after his release. Born in Egypt and living in California since August 2023, Mikhail enrolled at the University last year and now resides in O’Neill Family Hall. He is pursuing a bachelor’s in biological sciences and theology and is involved in multiple faith and research groups on campus. Hani Bushra, a lawyer for Mikhail, tied the arrest to the family’s application for asylum, based on historical persecution of Coptic
Orthodox Christians in Egypt that continues today. “While filing the application allows the person to remain lawfully in the U.S., it does not confer legal status. This is the loophole that ICE used to justify Mark’s arrest,” Bushra wrote. “It did not matter to the ICE officers that he was a young man who worked hard to integrate into the U.S. and had no prior encounters with the law.” The family, including Mikhail, was able to obtain work permits — an Employment Authorization Document that proves “you are authorized to work in the United States for a specific time period” — while awaiting judgment by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. According to Bushra, Mikhail’s EAD has not expired. Bushra wrote that Mikhail’s case “is separate from his parents’ because he is now placed in removal proceedings.” Mikhail is entitled to a bond hearing, “where we must show that he is not a danger to the community and that he is not a
flight risk.” Bushra wrote that the bond request has not yet been submitted and there is no date set for the hearing. In a Wednesday statement from ICE to The Observer, the agency wrote “Makhail violated U.S. law by failing to comply with the terms of his admission, which expired in 2024. ICE released Makhail on parole Oct. 27 while he undergoes removal proceedings.” The agency confirmed Mikhail had been arrested on Oct. 23 at LAX “during targeted enforcement operations.” Editor’s note: ICE incorrectly spelled Mikhail’s last name. News of the detainment reached Notre Dame community members through Mikhail’s lawyer, family and Mikhail himself — who was able to place outgoing phone calls from the facility. Students in the Maritain Fellows Program, a faith-based discussion and research group in the Jacques See “Mikhail” on page 5
Photo courtesy of Madeline Anderson
Mark Mikhail in Pasquerilla West Hall in August 2026. Until Oct. 27, Mikhail was being housed “in ICE custody” in Adelanto, California.
McGlinn rector found not responsible for misconduct
HCC confirms abuse by Fr. King
By Observer News Staff
By Observer News Staff
A University investigation found no evidence to support allegations of sexual misconduct made against former McGlinn Hall rector Elizabeth Greenop. Greenop, who became McGlinn’s rector in August 2024, was placed on administrative leave in June after a series of allegations were made public in posts by anonymous authors on Instagram account shareyourstory.notredame. Associate vice president of Residential Life Karen Kennedy shared the official outcome of the investigation with McGlinn Hall residents in an email Wednesday afternoon. After a thorough investigation into anonymous online allegations against a rector and the purported corroborating evidence submitted anonymously to the University, there was no evidence to support that any of the alleged misconduct occurred.
Accordingly, the rector was found not responsible. The rector in question was fully and thoroughly cooperative throughout the entire investigation, which included significant efforts to identify individuals with any knowledge relevant to the alleged misconduct as well as any misconduct involving the types that were alleged. The investigation also included numerous interviews with members of the residence hall community. At no point did anyone interviewed identify themselves as being subject to the alleged misconduct or as being aware of anyone else who had been subject to such misconduct. Kennedy’s email explained Greenop will return to Notre Dame “in the coming weeks” and will no longer serve as McGlinn’s rector. She has taken a position as assistant director of Residential Life: Strategic Partnerships and Assessments via the Residential Life website.
Ally Liedtke will remain interim rector through the end of the fall semester and “We will search for a new permanent rector who we hope will begin her role in January” via the email. Greenop filed a formal complaint alleging defamation and related torts against the authors of the posts and the operators of the Instagram account on Aug. 18. In a related affidavit to St. Joseph County Superior Court, submitted on Sept. 9, Greenop maintained the allegations are false. “I did not sexually assault, sexually touch, or engage in any nonconsensual or sexual contact with any resident, student, or other person as described in the submissions,” the affidavit states. The case is ongoing. Following a hearing on Oct. 6 in the St. Joseph County Superior Court, judge Mark Telloyan authorized Greenop to subpoena Meta for
NEWS | PAGE 5
OPINION | PAGE 8
SCENE | PAGE 11
SPORTS | PAGE 13
SPORTS | PAGE 15
The former Notre Dame dean is leaving Dartmouth following an investigation into his AI usage.
Machiavelli explains to us why the president is not above the law.
The brand-new DC Comics film makes you squirm, scream and smile.
How can Notre Dame bounce back following a tough loss to BYU?
A look into how Shrewsberry’s Irish can take down Villanova Wildcats in Rome.
Schnell steps down
The American Prince
See “Greenop” on page 6
“Clayface”
A new investigative report commissioned by Holy Cross College says there may have been opportunities for the institution to discover Fr. Thomas King’s sexual misconduct and abuse while the priest was a history professor at the College if there had been stronger reporting protocols and a better understanding of what behavior constitutes “grooming.” The report also found one former Holy Cross student’s account of abuse credible. The four-page report, finalized Oct. 12 and made available in an Oct. 17 press statement, arrives roughly one year after Holy Cross officials were made aware of a similar probe into King’s conduct by the University of Notre Dame. The College retained Barrett McNagny LLP, a law firm based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to conduct the investigation. The former Holy Cross
Notre Dame vs. Navy
student’s report of abuse was deemed credible based on its similarity to other accounts of abuse by Holy Cross and Notre Dame students. In the May 28 report to Notre Dame, King was implicated in multiple instances of sexual touching, sexual assault and accounts of grooming behavior by weighing students partially or fully naked in the basement of the Rockne Gymnasium. Along with observing a need for a better reporting system and education on grooming behavior, the report also found that “had complaints and concerns regarding Father King’s behavior as Rector at Zahm Hall at Notre Dame also been communicated to Holy Cross, this pattern of behavior might have more easily been recognized.” While the report released by Notre Dame on May 28 after an external investigation into King’s abuse referSee “King” on page 6
Men’s basketball
DAILY
4 | THE OBSERVER
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
What is your Halloween costume?
Have a question you want answered? Email photo@ndsmcobserver.com
Owen Musenbrock
Jason Riedl
“Shy Guy from Nintendo.”
“Toad from ‘Frog and Toad.’”
freshman Keough Hall
junior Dunne Hall
Sarah CastilloRamirez sophomore Welsh Family Hall
Emily Kim
Michael Budd
“Care Bear.”
“Maverick from Top Gun and a giant milk carton.”
sophomore Flaherty Hall
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
junior Alumni Hall
SOCIAL MEDIA POLL
PHOTO OF THE DAY | LINA LIU
Have an idea for a poll? Email lmartin01@saintmarys.edu
What’s your favorite Halloween tradition?
THE NEXT FIVE DAYS
CROSSWORD | WILL SHORTZ
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Friday Women’s volleyball vs. Georgia Tech The Irish face Georgia Tech with Trick or Treating to follow. 6:30 p.m. Purcell Pavilion
Saturday A Spooktacular Halloween Concert A performance by South Bend youth music groups. 2 - 3 p.m. O’Laughlin Auditorium
Sunday Marya Fancey organ concert A performance of traditional and lesser-known styles. 4 - 5:30 p.m. Reyes Organ and Choral Hall
Monday Beyond the Veil: Ofrendas and All Souls A lecture on the theology, history and craft of the ofrenda. 4 - 5 p.m. Ave Brew
Tuesday Panel on “The Environment in Conflict” A discussion on environmental change and conflict. 4 - 5:30 p.m. Hesburgh Center for International Studies
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NEWS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
Mikhail
Continued from page 1 Maritain Center, were informed of Mikhail’s detainment in a Monday email from program manager Beth Muench. Mikhail is president of the Fellows’ undergraduate chapter. Muench invited the group to attend a Thursday, 12:30 p.m. Maritain Fellows Mass in the Geddes Hall chapel. The Mass, originally organized by Mikhail before his arrest, is now dedicated to him. Fr. Joe Corpora, priest-in-residence for Dillon Hall, helped organize an 8:30 p.m. Mass in Dillon Tuesday after hearing about the situation from a former student. Corpora wrote in a statement that the Mass will be on “the intentions and safety of all those detained in ICE Detention Centers and for a conversion of heart on the part of the US Administration towards refugees and immigrants.” “He’s got a bible, he said. So, he has that,” sophomore Gabe Wollak said after speaking with Mikhail over the phone Sunday. Wollak said Mikhail regularly travels to Chicago to go to a Coptic church on the weekend. “Oftentimes he’ll just sleep in the church, like on one of the pews, because it’s that important,” Wollak said.
Wollak and others spread the word to a group of Mikhail’s friends who say a daily rosary at 11 p.m. at the Grotto. On Monday evening, this group gathered in Flanner Hall to draft a letter about Mikhail to University President Fr. Robert Dowd. “We’re asking that the tri-campus community commit themselves to praying for Mark’s safe return, and that Notre Dame help bring Mark speedily home,” the letter concludes. The document, originally sent to Dowd and vice president for Student Affairs Fr. Gerry Olinger, has been subsequently published in The Observer. In a statement from the University provided by spokesperson Erin Blasko, the administration wrote, “We are deeply concerned about Mark’s situation and are in direct contact with his family and legal counsel to provide assistance where possible. While privacy laws preclude us from commenting on individual student records or immigration matters, we want nothing more than to see Mark return safely to our campus community.” The Observer was not able to reach Mikhail for comment before publication. Contact Gray Nocjar at gnocjar@nd.edu
THE OBSERVER | 5
Schnell resigns from Dartmouth over AI usage By Observer News Staff On Wednesday, the Dartmouth community was notified that provost Santiago Schnell was leaving the college amid recent AI allegations. According to The Dartmouth in September, Dartmouth president Sian Leah Beilock initiated a faculty-led independent investigation into Schnell’s AI use. This came after The Dartmouth published that when put into “near-zero error rate” AI detector Pangram, Schnell’s work showed a median of 96% “AIwritten” text. In an op-ed published in The Dartmouth, Schnell acknowledged he should have been more forthcoming with his AI usage and aware of publication expectations. The committee reviewed three of Schnell’s pieces published since he joined Dartmouth in outlets that prohibit or require disclosure
of AI, along with some of his communications to an editor at the Journal of Catholic Higher Education regarding a not yet published article. An eight-page report details their investigation. The report found at least two violations of policy in Schnell’s externally published work and believes him to have fallen short of University policy. The report states, “The Advisory Committee, based on its review of the available facts, concludes that Provost Schnell’s AI use or failure to disclose the same as laid out above could qualify as a violation of Dartmouth’s Code of Ethical Conduct, the Academic Honor Principle, and Geisel’s Policy on Expectations for Professionalism for Faculty, Non-Faculty Academics, and Staff of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.” The report noted one challenge to their investigation was “insufficient cooperation
Photo courtesy of the University of Notre Dame
Schnell has resigned from his position as Dartmouth provost.
from the Provost.” Schnell was the dean of Notre Dame’s College of Science from 2021 to 2025. He was scheduled to give a keynote address at the 2026 de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s annual fall conference, but an email to attendees the day before shared that he withdrew. Matthew Delmont, history professor and associate dean of faculty for international and interdisciplinary studies, will serve as Dartmouth’s interim provost until June 2028.
Former student sues over Bengal Bouts injury By Jack Johnson and Nick Augustini Legal Correspondents
Alexander Stevinson, Notre Dame class of 2025, filed a lawsuit against the University of Notre Dame in St. Joseph Circuit Court on Nov. 25, 2025, claiming he sustained a traumatic brain injury while training with Notre Dame Men’s Boxing for Bengal Bouts. A Tuesday court hearing addressed motions of attorneyclient privilege and testimony from former University physician Dr. James Moriarity. Stevinson alleges that he joined Bengal Bouts as a novice boxer with no previous experience during the 2023-24 academic year. Students in the club train for the annual Bengal Bouts tournament. According to the complaint, Stevinson sustained repeated blows to the head during his third and fourth sparring sessions on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31, 2024. He was subsequently diagnosed at University Health Services with a concussion and post-concussive syndrome and later sought neurological treatment for a post-concussion chronic migraine. The Tuesday hearing addressed three motions: claims of attorney-client privilege regarding an accidental submission of 18 documents by the defendants to the plaintiffs, motion to compel Dr. Moriarity to answer 16 questions in a deposition and privilege for Dr. Moriarity’s testimony.
According to Cornell Law School, “privilege is a rule that protects certain communications from disclosure in legal proceedings.” The documents of concern in the first motion included communications from the Boxing Health and Safety Working Group between general counsel and student affairs, and their protection under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The University, which is the defendant in the case, argued that Indiana gives very broad legal protections regarding work-product and attorneyclient privilege. They further argued that a document regarding Baraka Bouts pairings was protected by FERPA, which protects students’ names and personal information. Stevinson’s team argued that the principles cited by the defense were not applicable to this case. They argued that the legal precedent for privilege is not as broad as the defense claims, and that interpreting it this way gives incentive to use counsel for all meetings to privilege everything, leaving everything undisclosed. Because the documents are about logistics and planning of the tournaments and prospective litigation in the future, the plaintiffs argued that they should not be protected. Similar arguments were made regarding Dr. Moriarity; the plaintiffs seek to compel testimony from Dr. Moriarity on 16
questions and reasonable follow-up regarding the operations and prospective rule changes to the bouts tournaments at Notre Dame. The defense argues that the testimony is not relevant to the Stevinson case, since it occurred before he was at the University, and claims that it is an attempt to get information that they were unable to obtain for Lanoie v. University of Notre Dame (2019). The court took the arguments under submission and did not rule Tuesday. The lawsuit itself brings forth several claims against Notre Dame: willful and wanton conduct, due to its alleged failure to act responsibly when aware of a dangerous situation; negligence, due to its alleged failure to use the level of care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise, resulting in harm; premises liability, which holds managers responsible for injuries that occur on their property due to unsafe conditions; and voluntary undertaking, a situation where someone chooses to provide safety to another person when they have no legal obligation to do so. The claims center on Stevinson’s allegations that the University failed to adequately protect inexperienced boxers from the risks of head injuries. Stevinson alleges that Notre Dame failed to warn participants about the dangers of repetitive head trauma, provide adequate defensive instruction and enforce appropriate safety
protocols — including increasing the minimum sparring requirement from three to five sessions. The complaint further alleges that Notre Dame knew about the risks of boxing through decades of research but continued operating the program in spite of this knowledge. A 2015 Notre Dame RecSports Review Team report on boxing referenced in the litigation describes the sport as posing the greatest risk of brain injury among club sports at the University and questions whether the program should continue. Stevinson alleges that this assessment was not communicated to him before joining the club. In its response, Notre Dame claims no wrongdoing and contends that Stevinson’s claims are barred by a “Waiver, Release and Indemnification Agreement” he electronically signed on Nov. 11, 2023. Recent proceedings have centered on testimony from Dr. James Moriarity, who served as a university physician at University Health Services and oversaw the Boxing Club from 1987 until his 2019 retirement. Stevinson alleges that Moriarity previously recommended the boxing program be reconsidered or discontinued. Notre Dame moved to quash Dr. Moriarity’s deposition subpoena, arguing that his retirement preceded Stevinson’s injury by five years, also claiming that the deposition was an
attempt to assist a separate, long-pending lawsuit involving another injured student boxer (Lanoie v. University of Notre Dame). The court rejected Notre Dame’s objection, and Moriarity’s deposition occurred Aug. 5. Stevinson subsequently filed a motion seeking to compel Moriarity to answer 16 certified deposition questions that defense counsel had instructed him not to answer on attorneyclient privilege and work-product grounds. The litigation comes amid public discussion about the safety of Notre Dame’s boxing traditions. In May 2025, The Observer published a letter by Stevinson titled “Bengal Bouts: a legacy worth questioning” in which he described his experience with chronic headaches following a concussion he attributed to training with Notre Dame Men’s Boxing. A subsequent letter published by The Observer defended the Bengal and Baraka Bouts programs, emphasizing their community and charitable contributions as well as the clubs’ safety practices. The lawsuit is ongoing and has yet to determine whether or not the University is responsible for the alleged injuries sustained by Stevinson. Contact Jack Johnson at jjohns77@nd.edu and Nick Augustini at naugusti@nd.edu
NEWS
6 | THE OBSERVER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
NDH removes vegetarian entree station By Erik Gunderson Reporter
Starting this fall, Notre Dame Dining removed its vegetarian entree station at North Dining Hall, a move that has drawn criticism from vegetarian and vegan students on campus who have expressed that vegetarian options are drastically more limited now compared with previous years. This occurs a year after South Dining Hall removed its physical vegetarian entree station. SDH had temporary food prep and serving stations last year during its ongoing renovation, which is scheduled to finish in 2027. In a statement to The Observer, Notre Dame’s program director for Nutrition Services Jocelyn Antonelli acknowledged that the University had removed the stations but that the move was intended to expand vegetarian options beyond just a single station. “Rather than isolating plantbased food to a single area, we have fully integrated high-quality vegetarian and vegan options into nearly every culinary concept across campus,” Antonelli wrote. “While we have evolved past dedicated physical stations, the actual variety, quality, and accessibility of plant-forward choices have expanded.” Some vegetarian and vegan students on campus, however, disagreed with Notre Dame Dining’s view on the state of vegetarian dining on campus.
Senior Katharine Merfeld, president of Notre Dame’s Herbivore Society, oversees the club for students on campus who favor plantbased diets. She noted that the vegetarian options at NDH this fall had “dropped off a cliff” when compared with past years, describing the quality as “insanely worse.” She said that her views were also broadly shared by the members of her club, stating that they had all been “complaining about how bad the dining hall has been this semester” for vegetarians and vegans. Junior Colleen Grafton echoed Merfeld’s sentiments and said she felt that there were “definitely less vegetarian options,” compared with her freshman year at Notre Dame. Merfeld agreed in principle with Campus Dining’s plan to integrate vegetarian and vegan options into stations throughout the dining hall, sharing that she “would love it if I could go to literally any station,” but said that she did not see the change reflected on a day-to-day basis in the dining hall. “I just don’t see the integration,” she said. Grafton and Merfeld both said that vegetarian dining has also declined this fall due to a variety of changes to the dining hall stations, in addition to the University’s decision to eliminate the physical vegetarian entree station at NDH. “It’s also the Indian [cuisine] station [and] the pasta station. The pasta station was always a good, great
fallback,” Merfeld said. Grafton agreed, saying that she “missed that” as an option for vegetarians at NDH. Despite this, Grafton noted that she had success finding vegetarian options beyond what was visible on the dining hall menu, including dishes such as the boom boom chicken salad made with vegan chicken. However, she described it as “definitely hard to figure out” and had only discovered that vegan chicken was an option at some stations by talking to a resident assistant she knew. Merfeld mentioned that she too had recently discovered she could ask for vegan chicken at some stations but cast doubt on the efficiency of the process. She noted that the dining hall employees were sometimes unaware that they offered vegan chicken as an option and her request could lead to a wide variety of outcomes. “Sometimes it’s pre-prepared; sometimes they don’t have any,” Merfeld said. Both Merfeld and Grafton said they had visited the dining hall less this semester as a result of the changes to vegetarian options. Grafton said she had frequented the school’s Grab & Go option at a higher rate this semester, but that even there the vegetarian options were worse than they had been in the past. “And even Grab & Go used to have carrot, hummus, celery [and]
pita chip boxes. They don’t have that anymore,” Grafton said. Merfeld said that she had “upped her flex [point] plan” at the start of the year as a result of the changes. In her statement to The Observer, Antonelli recommended that vegetarian and vegan students visit the dining hall’s webpage, where she wrote that students could “see the wide variety of plant-forward options available at every meal and plan their dining experience accordingly,” and use a filter to see which options fit their dietary needs. She wrote that the dining halls’ menu included dozens of vegetarian options, including “over 50 different vegetarian options for breakfast, as well as 80+ options at lunch and dinner, including the salad bar and select desserts.” However, those numbers appeared to consist mostly of toppings with labels such as “provolone cheese slice,” “mushroom” and “croutons.” Notre Dame Dining’s ultimate goal is to “ensure that nutritious, appealing meals, including vegetarian choices, are readily available wherever students look.” Merfeld acknowledged that goal but hoped that the University would have “a good mix and a good rotation” of vegetarian options, “with the dining hall I’m paying so much money for, I would like to have more options.” Contact Erik Gunderson at egunders@nd.edu
ND professor runs for county council By Mara Hall Associate News Editor
Notre Dame accountancy professor James O’Brien is the Republican nominee for St. Joseph County Council District C. O’Brien is a “Double Domer”; he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1988 and worked as a CPA for several years before returning to Notre Dame Law School and graduating in 1993. The role of the council, according to O’Brien, is to serve as the fiscal body for the county including setting the budget and approving spending — a role he believes he is well suited for as a CPA and accounting professor. O’Brien also has experience in the role, having served in the same position from 2012 until 2018, when he resigned to care for his aging parents. Although the position is technically the same, O’Brien explained that the county budget has about doubled since he left the role. Additionally, the number of county employees has increased, and the mix of businesses has broadened. “The job has grown in sophistication, in materiality,” O’Brien said. “To that end, with regard to impact, has a much bigger impact on the voters, residents taxpayers of the county.” This cycle, O’Brien defeated incumbent Republican Dan
Schaetzle in the May primary with roughly 58% of the vote and now faces Democrat Jan Cervelli in November’s election. Given it is a midterm election, O’Brien noted that voter turnout — 2,879 between the two candidates as listed in an unofficial election summary report — is likely to be lower than presidential years, adding that Indiana’s lack of governor and Senate race will probably further reduce turnout. Although he initially supported Schaetzle’s campaign, O’Brien said that the two had “a falling out” and that he challenged Schaetzle’s seat because he disapproved of his relationship with other Republicans on the council. “He had an axe to grind with each of them, and I did not see that he was right at all,” O’Brien said of Schaetzle. If elected, O’Brien plans to focus on property taxes, local services and the residential nature of Granger. While indirect, O’Brien says the council has a strong impact on property taxes. In the name of affordability, O’Brien wants to see property tax relief to support middle-class homeowners. In areas like Granger, the county is responsible for managing road repair and snow removal. He would like to see the county work with contractors and subcontractors to manage the subdivisions
because the large plows struggle there. Finally, O’Brien wants to minimize and even reverse industrial creep moving into Granger, which he believes has potential to be detrimental to property value. He plans to work on this third issue through land use since proposed land use changes run through the Council. However, he did note that while he will vote no to changes in land use, garnering enough no votes could be challenging. But he said that when he was previously on the council, he would default to the opinion of the council person representing the area in question — a practice he plans to maintain and hopes others will join him in. O’Brien noted that he has been around politics his entire life. “When I was a little boy, my mother, in rural Wisconsin, was a precinct committee woman, and would help her and the other folks, and they would count ballots,” O’Brien said. He said his political ideology stems both from his family and his involvement with groups like College Republicans at Notre Dame. O’Brien entered politics by working as a treasurer for local campaigns and first ran for council in 2002, when he lost to Dale DeVon. “It was a fascinating experience,
and we became fast friends, and then when he became state representative, I ran for his vacant seat.” O’Brien notes he has been fortunate and lived modestly, so he is committing to giving this money back to the community. “I want to be the best public servant possible. I’m committing to donating my paycheck after withholdings and taxes and stuff to local organizations.” He explained that his campaign has been much like those of larger races featuring door knocking, advertising and TV commercials. “It is very much name recognition or popularity contest,” O’Brien said. Along with C, Districts A, B, E and H are up for election. Districts H and E are unopposed with Democratic candidates. District A is currently Republican under Joseph G. Thomas, the incumbent running for reelection. District B is currently Republican under Amy Drake, another incumbent running for reelection. While not currently up for election, Democrat Jennifer Shabazz represents District D; Republican Randall L. Figg represents District F; Democrat Mark A. Catanzarite represents District G; and Republican Andy Rutten represents District I. Contact Mara Hall at mhall27@nd.edu
Greenop
Continued from page 1 information related to identifying the defendants. In court, Greenop is represented by Michael Smyth and Andrew Jones of the Jones Law Office LLC in South Bend, Indiana. Greenop did not respond immediately to an email request for comment.
King
Continued from page 1 ences six former Holy Cross students credibly subjected to abuse, only one of those students participated in the Holy Cross investigation by Barrett McNagny. “Holy Cross made the decision to delay having Barrett issue its final report until sufficient time had passed to allow anyone else to come forward to report abuse by Fr. King,” the report states. The former Holy Cross student indicated he reported the abuse from prior years to Holy Cross’ vice president of student affairs Tina Holland in the early 2000s but never received follow-up. The report states the vice president did not recall the conversation, and no other records were discovered to corroborate that a complaint had been filed with the College. The Observer could not acquire contact information for Holland to request comment. The report states Holy Cross is in the process of collaborating further with Notre Dame and recommended the College implement a system to follow complaints. A press release from the College outlined new steps the school is taking in light of the report, including strengthened information sharing, better documentation and oversight, independent institutional responsibility and further education and training. In a letter to the Holy Cross community, Holy Cross President Marco Clark, Board of Trustees chair Rob Wolfe and former chair John Gschwind issued an apology. “To those who experienced abuse or misconduct by Father King, we are deeply sorry. You deserved to be safe. You deserved to be treated with dignity. And when concerns were raised, you deserved to know they would be heard and acted upon.” The report’s lead investigator, attorney Robert Keen, did not respond to requests for comment, and Holy Cross spokesperson Matthew Palmer referred back to the College’s press release.
OPINION
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
THE OBSERVER | 7
Were we warned about the American prince? By Sophia Lekeufack Columnist, “Policy & Punchlines”
Niccolò Machiavelli once wrote, “Therefore, a prudent ruler cannot and should not keep his word, when keeping it would work against him, and when the reasons which made him pledge it have disappeared.” Over the summer President Donald Trump made countless remarks about potentially running for a third term. Trump once joked, “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better … the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,” but later wore a 2028 campaign hat to finish the speech. He mentioned to NBC that there are “methods” that you could use to seek a third term. As I am sure every reader of this paper knows, Trump is not eligible for a third term. For the language of the 22nd Amendment explicitly states, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” It feels frivolous to even entertain the idea that Trump intends to run in 2028. I will hedge my bets now and say that is a figment of imagination. Nonetheless, such a political moment — one in which the leader of a nation seems to be undermining the very document that governs said nation — happens far more often than we would like to believe. Trump started off his presidency trying to enact a ban on birthright citizenship, a ban that was clearly unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court later ruled. Andrew Jackson famously defied the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Worcester v. Georgia regarding Native American sovereignty and land rights, pushing forward with the forced displacement of Indigenous peoples. Harry Truman illegally used the FBI to collect information on journalists
LIAM FLYNN | The Observer
covering his administration. The list of presidential abuses is truly endless. More importantly, it is concerning that the commander in chief of this nation feels entitled to impart their will onto this country irrespective of the measures and standards in place. A republic depends on the relationship between the individuals who exercise authority and the institutions that limit, distribute and scrutinize it. It asks the question: What happens when the institutions designed to constrain political power encounter a leader who has compelling reasons to circumvent those constraints? Thus, I turn to my good friend, Niccolò Machiavelli, and his book “The Prince.” This text has been foundational to my Notre Dame career. I read it during the fall semester of my freshman year in my political theory class, and I just recently got to reengage with the text in my Program of Liberal Studies seminar. Machiavelli’s “The Prince” serves
as a political manual for how a prince must act in order to best keep the principality they rule over. In this text, Machiavelli turns away from imagined ideals toward what he calls the “effectual truth” of politics. The prince “to preserve himself must learn not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it as necessity requires.” It is necessary for a prince to seem to be good, though he does not need to be so in actuality. It is better for a prince to be feared than to be loved. He must appear merciful, faithful, humane and religious, even when political necessity might require him to act otherwise. In Chapter XVIII, Machiavelli examines the advantages of being both the lion, capable of using force, and the fox, capable of recognizing and evading traps. Machiavelli ultimately argues that a ruler concerned with preserving his position cannot always act according to conventional standards of virtue. For the sake of power, he must rely on force and
deception. Though Machiavelli focuses on leaders of monarchical principalities, I am inclined to believe that the political incentives he identifies extend beyond the monarchies of Renaissance Italy. No, the United States does not literally have a Renaissance prince. In fact, the American republic rests on a principle fundamentally different from the logic of the prince: Political authority belongs to an office defined by law, not to the individual who occupies it. Yet the question Machiavelli raises remains relevant. What happens when the pursuit of political power conflicts with the obligations attached to political office? Trump’s third-term remarks test this question at its most basic boundary: the constitutional limit on how long one individual may serve as president. His birthright citizenship order presents a different test, concerning the scope of executive
authority to interpret and implement the Constitution. Neither example, by itself, establishes that the United States has become a principality. Instead, both illustrate the importance of asking how constitutional restraints operate when a president’s objectives collide with them. The Supreme Court’s rejection of Trump’s birthright citizenship order demonstrates that constitutional institutions can constrain executive action. The president, in all honesty, will not always be legally correct. Our republic requires presidential authority to remain subject to the law. Sometimes it feels like it is, other times, not so much. The system of checks and balances does not mean that all is well. The durability of constitutional limits depends on institutions that can interpret and enforce them. So, did Machiavelli warn us about the American prince? Perhaps not in the sense that he predicted a particular president or anticipated the American constitutional system. “The Prince” does expose the temptation to subordinate obligations to the pursuit and preservation of power. A constitutional republic is designed to resist precisely that temptation by making political authority impersonal and limited. Have we done so? I’d argue that this country is constantly a work in progress. It is imperative that we feel inclined to stand up against abuses of power because at the core of the office, the president does not serve his own wishes. He serves us. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Write to Sophia Lekeufack at slekeufa@nd.edu@nd.edu
Making the case for a third party By Jonas Lane
Columnist, “Life, Liberty, Lane”
On Tuesday, voters in the United States will cast ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. Voters will choose all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and about one-third of U.S. senators. Political advertisements and other messages will, as in other midterm elections, emphasize to voters that the 2026 elections are the “most important elections of their lives.” Many voters now ask not which party to vote for, but why they only have two choices. Americans hold unfavorable views of both political parties. In a Pew Research Center poll from October, 61% of Americans held unfavorable views of the Republican Party, and 58% held unfavorable views of the Democratic Party. In an earlier Pew poll this year, 26% of Americans held unfavorable views of both parties, up from 21% in 2020. Pre-election surveys have shown majorities of Americans believing that both parties are too
extreme, that neither party governs honestly and ethically, and that neither party best represents their views. When most citizens of a country view both options unfavorably, this does not reflect a certain portion of public opinion. It reflects a flaw in the choice itself. Demand for a third party has increased over time. Gallup surveys have asked Americans since 2003 whether the major political parties do enough or whether a third major party is needed. Six-tenths of those surveyed have chosen the third-party option since 2013. In 2025, 74% of independents, 58% of Democrats, 43% of Republicans and 70% of adults under 50 supported a third party. My generation is not loyal to the two-party system. We are stuck in a two-party system. Why not third parties? All-versus-all elections in the United States limit third-party participation. Voting for third parties is viewed as wasted or counterproductive “spoiler” voting that
may help elect a candidate who is less preferred than available alternatives. The dominant opinion among Americans, as measured by a Gallup survey, opposes voting for third parties, and only 15% of Americans report a high likelihood of voting for a third party. Many Americans express a desire for additional voting choices in elections but are unlikely to use them under the current system. Much of the democratic world lacks these features. Germany uses proportional representation in which the number of seats a party holds in the Bundestag is proportional to the number of votes the party receives. Several parties compete for power in Germany, and its governments are coalitions. The German government formed after the 2021 election was a three-party “traffic light” coalition (representing its colors) made up of the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats. Other countries with multiple competing and ruling parties
include the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand. Supporters of multiple parties argue that they better represent a diverse population. Imagine this world: A fiscally conservative candidate who wants stronger environmental protections and a socially liberal pro-life candidate do not have to align with the full party platform to be elected. Parties would have to appeal directly to voters instead of playing on voters’ fear of the other party’s candidate. Coalition governments would involve negotiations between parties, making compromise a regular part of the process rather than a risk. Critics are right that coalition governments have downsides, including instability. But the U.S. system of one-party and two-party government, with divided government and legislative deadlock as common features, is also unstable. There are reforms to address instability in the current U.S. system that do not require a constitutional amendment. Ranked-choice voting, already
implemented in Maine and Alaska, allows voters to vote for third-party candidates without fear of wasting their votes. The single-member district system for the House of Representatives is provided by federal law, not the U.S. Constitution. Legislation at the federal level could introduce other forms of proportional representation. So, go out and vote Nov. 3. Vote for any candidate, red or blue. Urge all candidates to express views on ranked-choice voting and other election issues. The Republican and Democratic parties have had many years to earn the trust of American voters. Most American voters have concluded that these parties have not earned their trust. Voters need and deserve more choices. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Write to Jonas Lane at jlane8@nd.edu
OPINION
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
Is Notre Dame Catholic enough? By Francisco de la Cuadra Mancilla
Columnist, “Reading between the Lines”
I was scrolling through TikTok over break when, somewhere between the brain-rot videos and the weird fun facts that make up my For You page, I came across a video about this year’s Cardinal Newman Society guide to Catholic colleges. Notre Dame was nowhere to be found. The man in the video explained that the Society did not consider Notre Dame sufficiently Catholic, citing a former professor’s warning that a student struggling with his faith would “sink like a stone” here. What struck me was not simply Notre Dame’s absence but the judgment behind it. The Society acknowledges that faithful professors and students are here yet questions whether students struggling with their faith can find the support they need. It concludes that Notre Dame does not meet its standard for being a Catholic university “from the top down, inside and out.” I kept thinking about that verdict. Can the Catholic identity of a university be reduced
to an outsider’s assessment of whether it is Catholic enough? Since its founding, Notre Dame has grown alongside the Church, and I believe that is something to celebrate. We have sought to become one of the world’s leading research universities without abandoning the faith that gave us our mission. Yet there seems to be an assumption that these commitments cannot coexist, that academic excellence comes at the expense of Catholic identity or that remaining Catholic requires shielding ourselves from ideas that challenge us. I refuse to accept that choice. Notre Dame has fostered conversations across the breadth of Catholic thought, including engagement with liberation theology. We have encouraged students and faculty to ask difficult questions and examine the world through different intellectual traditions. This does not mean every idea is compatible with Catholic teaching. It means we trust our faith enough to engage with ideas rather than run away from them. Look at the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, which allows scholars
to study religious traditions beyond their own. Or consider the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem, entrusted to the late Fr. Hesburgh by Pope Paul VI to foster Christian unity through dialogue and encounter. Tantur remains Catholic, and its existence reminds us that engaging with people who believe differently is not a betrayal of our faith. It can be an expression of it. If we want Notre Dame to be a leading Catholic research university, we must allow students and faculty the freedom to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and explore ideas that might make us uncomfortable. Otherwise, what are we doing here? Education should do more than confirm what we already believe. It should help us understand why we believe it. A faith that is never examined is not necessarily one that is understood. I find it saddening that people are so quick to declare something or someone not “Catholic enough,” yet seem less willing to consider that encountering different perspectives might actually strengthen our faith. Being exposed to other religions PAID ADVERTISEMENT
does not mean abandoning our own. It can help us understand that being Catholic is not simply a label we inherit, but a commitment we must continually learn to live. Of course, Notre Dame must remain accountable to its Catholic mission. Catholic formation matters, and the University should never use academic freedom as an excuse to neglect its responsibilities as a Catholic institution. But the Society’s decision not to recommend Notre Dame does not settle the question of whether this University is Catholic. To suggest otherwise risks confusing intellectual openness with religious indifference and protecting our faith with protecting ourselves from the world. For me, being Catholic means taking seriously Christ’s commandment to love our neighbor, including those whose beliefs we do not share. Pope Francis called us to a “culture of encounter,” to meet others with openness. That is what I believe a Catholic university should teach us: not to abandon our convictions, but to live them with a deeper understanding of the people
around us. Notre Dame has a responsibility to keep its faith at the heart of its mission. We see it in the Holy Cross tradition, in the priests who accompany students in our residence halls and in the place prayer and theology hold in our community. We should never stop asking whether we are doing enough. But I will not accept that inviting students to think critically, encounter other religions and engage with the world makes Notre Dame less Catholic. Since 1842, we have been Catholic, and we still are. The question is not whether we can protect our identity by shutting the world out. It is whether we can bring our faith into that world with the humility, conviction and love it demands. That is the Notre Dame I believe in and the one I hope we continue to become. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Write to Francisco de la Cuadra Mancilla at fdelacua@nd.edu
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
PHOTO
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Notre Dame vs. BYU Notre Dame football fell to BYU on Oct. 17 in Provo, Utah. The final score was 28-24. Photography by Mariella Taddonio
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The magic trick of ‘You Can See Everything’ By Alex Fitzpatrick Scene Writer
Note: This article contains spoilers for “You Can See Everything.” In the iconic 2006 mystery thriller “The Prestige,” Michael Caine declares that “every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts.” The first act is the pledge, in which the magician shows us something seemingly ordinary that we, the audience, know isn’t. The second is the turn: The magician makes that ordinary thing do something extraordinary. But we’re not satisfied because that extraordinary something isn’t enough. We’re waiting for the final reveal, the ultimate illusion. This climactic maneuver is called the prestige. In “You Can See Everything,” a different sort of illusion unfolds: the people behind the spectacle, those behind the camera, become even harder to pinpoint than the trick itself. That said, this isn’t the first time a documentary has used an introspective approach to analyze its subjects. Abbas Kiarostami’s “CloseUp,” which explored the relationship between performance and reality by having the people involved reenact true-life events, came out 36 years ago. But what makes “You Can See Everything” unique is its uncanny structural resemblance to a magic trick over its three-hour runtime. The first 90 minutes or so of the much-lauded Elizabeth Holmes feature plays as an elevated yet relatively by-thenumbers doc. We see the disgraced founder of Theranos living out her final days of freedom at her beautiful Del Mar rental home with her husband, Billy Evans, and two children. On the surface, they’re an idyllic family portrait. Holmes and Evans certainly appear to be
Maria Gorecki | The Observer
loving parents, finding time for beachside walks with their kids between phone calls with legal aid and potential investors for their current venture. It’s a disarming slice of life, especially considering the baggage the media and mainstream culture have with Holmes. Is it really possible that this caring mother is the same convicted felon here who ran a company that indisputably defrauded investors and provided inaccurate blood test results to reportedly tens of thousands of patients? After seeing the film twice, I’m of the opinion that this likely is the case. So the question then becomes what exactly does this intimacy allow us to see — and, more importantly, what might it make us forget? From the jump, it’s clear Fielder and Oppenheim are pining for an answer. The film’s first shot of Holmes cunningly frames her behind the vertical bars of a child’s crib. Right then and there, we get all the necessary context we need without excessive exposition. Fielder’s
investigative techniques for probing both Holmes and Evans are distinctly effective and also result in countless laugh-out-loud moments. Even though I was already familiar with Fielder’s work, I was still shocked by how funny it turned out to be. From his patented malicious staredowns to the excruciatingly uncomfortable situations he engineers, he finds humor in relatable social awkwardness while simultaneously discovering some unforeseen truths in his subjects. Rather than dwelling on the details of the fraud (Fielder openly admits he’s insecure about Holmes possibly taking advantage of his lack of a science background), Fielder and Oppenheim focus on the psychology of Holmes and Evans. Yet by the time Holmes turns herself in, we’re arguably less sure what to make of her than when we started. Her apparent difficulty distinguishing basic diction and inability to understand the joke in Abbott and Costello’s iconic “Who’s on First?” routine suggest a kind of guilelessness, even
eliciting sympathy. But then she makes a dead-serious claim that she has never intentionally told a lie and fixates on disputing a New York Times quote she says she can disprove — but won’t provide the evidence. Moments like these throw the audience and the filmmakers for a loop. With Holmes no longer accessible, it seems the documentary has hit a roadblock. But after a “two years later” title card, Fielder and Oppenheim play the ace up their sleeve: Amanda Seyfried, who previously portrayed Holmes in the 2022 Hulu miniseries “The Dropout,” reenacts moments that occurred before filming began. The scenes don’t just fill gaps in the story; they also function to expose the motivations of the people behind the project and raise questions about what each of them hopes to get out of it. We learn that Seyfried wishes to return to the role after Holmes’ trial, while Fielder was drawn to the project after Holmes told him she thought he’d make a great
father. In a later reenactment, Billy, played by Christopher Abbott, asks for a share of the box office proceeds during a negotiation after Holmes has left the room. Suddenly, the question of who is manipulating whom extends beyond the scope of the documentary’s original subjects. These questions come to a head in the reenactment of Fielder’s final meeting with Holmes in prison, where he asks how much she knew about the deal Billy made. But beneath that conversation is another question: Has Fielder’s own judgment been compromised? One of the film’s final images, in which he swims in the Pacific Ocean with Holmes as Ari Balouzian’s sweeping, “Vertigo”-inspired score plays, seems to suggest as much. Fielder has explored his complicated relationships with women extensively in “Nathan for You” and “The Rehearsal”; here, that familiar vulnerability becomes part of the mystery. Is Holmes being manipulated by another significant man in her life? Is she manipulating him? Or are they both playing roles they’ve created for themselves? The film’s final conclusion, then, isn’t a definitive answer. It’s the unsettling realization that even as the filmmakers pull back the curtain, another performance may be waiting behind it. I’ve long thought of film as a way to see the world through someone else’s eyes, but “You Can See Everything” instead confronts us with the limits of ever fully understanding another person’s truth. Leaving the theater, I was rejuvenated to realize that movies still have the power to offer wholly original and profound revelations like this. As Seyfried puts it in her final line, “it’s very complicated.” Contact Alex Fitzpatrick at afitzpa5@nd.edu
Wish granted: Why dressing as Nikki is fair game By Sarah DeSchepper Scene Writer
With Halloween creeping around the corner, people are sharing costume ideas all across the internet. One of the most prominent is Nikki from the hit horror film “Obsession.” The film follows Nikki, who, unlike a typical horror antagonist, is involuntarily stripped of her agency and bodily autonomy by her friend Bear when he wishes she would love him “more than anyone in the world.” His wish takes a turn for the worse when Nikki’s mind is not completely erased;
she is trapped behind her own eyes, fully aware of the horrors unfolding. As her physical and psychological states worsen, she begs Bear to end her life and free her from the torment. Bear selfishly refuses to undo his wish, ignoring her explicit cries for help. Several individuals online are receiving criticism for dressing up as Nikki from the film’s iconic party scene, with fake blood dripping down their face to recreate the moment she unwillingly smashes her face with a glass bottle. Fans of the film argue that it’s disrespectful to dress as a
survivor of sexual assault, and some claim that the costume romanticizes a toxic relationship. One commenter called it weird that people are choosing to dress as Nikki, given her situation at the party. They argue that the scene carries so much psychological weight that it’s disrespectful to depict Nikki at her worst. In my opinion, recreating the scene to encourage conversation about the film or because you already had pieces in your closet is different from doing it for jokes and laughs. I’m starting to wonder where we’ll draw the line. Undoubtedly, Nikki went
through unspeakable trauma in the film, but wearing a costume does not defend Bear’s actions or romanticize any of the anguish she experienced. But if we are going to monitor costumes that are related to intense themes such as abuse, several classic Halloween costumes will be wiped off shelves. Harley Quinn and Carrie both touch on themes of abuse and assault, yet they are some of the most common costumes this time of year. Carrie is such a popular costume because it is easy to recognize and fairly simple to throw together. The same applies to Nikki. “Obsession” has
gained a lot of attention in 2026, so it is only natural that someone wants to dress in a costume from their favorite new film. Dressing as Nikki doesn’t erase what she went through. It keeps her story visible to people. Every “wait, who are you dressed as?” is a chance to talk about the film and what it says about consent and agency. A costume can be a tribute, not a joke at her expense, and a Halloween that remembers Nikki is better than one that pretends she never existed.” Contact Sarah DeSchepper at sdeschep@nd.edu
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‘Clayface’ makes you squirm, squeal and smile By Matias Aguilar Scene Writer
Prior to attending the magical land that is an AMC theater, my friends and I were debating whether to watch the DC Comics film “Clayface” or Rob Savage’s “Other Mommy.” Unfortunately, I ignored the Letterboxd ratings when I advocated for the latter. Fortunately, I lost the debate. Directed by James Watkins, “Clayface,” was a wildly kinetic, blood-soaked trip that follows Matt Hagen’s (Tom Rhys Harries) transformation from a fame-driven, rising Holly wood actor in Gotham City whose life shatters after a brutal attack
leaves him blacklisted from the industry and seeking revenge. It tracks the rise, fall and desperate resurgence of Hagen, but its scope stretches far beyond a single actor’s ruin. The film succeeds precisely where it shouldn’t, and it proves to be a welcome surprise. I never should have doubted James Gunn. Under his creative direction, DC has pushed its projects into fresh genre territory, with his inf luence shown in the bright, lived-in feel of “Superman” (2025). Now, the inf luence seems amplified in “Clayface.” Director James Watkins builds an immersive — yet suffocating — atmosphere
through rich diegetic detail — rain-drenched alleys, f lickering neon marquees, a soundscape pulsing with urban decay and dark redsoaked buildings. It’s a setting populated by side characters who reek of past traumas and a backdrop that feels more like an active accomplice in Hagen’s downfall. The standout performance in the film was clear. If you’re anything like me and were relatively surprised by seeing Harries’ fairly long filmography, then you’re in for a treat (not a trick, I promise). It’s safe to say that Harries’ breakout performance was beyond sufficient in exploring the intricacies of a character with, literally, multiple
layers. Harries balanced cynicism with cruelty in a way so beautiful it began to make me question the very nature of identity itself. Everything the performance stands for is exactly what the film is about. The project goes through an extensively creative process of exploring the struggles between one’s human morality and an altered persona. In terms of conf lict within the plot, think “Morbius” but without Jared Leto and with actual cinematic quality. It’s a man-versus-self film done not too on the nose, but clear enough for it to resonate with real human emotion. And Watkins did it right. He creates the story of
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a man’s psychological devolution, rather than focusing on a monster that causes random, anticlimactic destruction in Gotham. Watkins signed on after being hooked by a pitch from horror mastermind Mike Flanagan, who penned a screenplay of pure, tragic and brutal human drama. And that writing is precisely what works. The movie juggles what it means to hide yourself and, critically, who you really are. But in a time when audiences (including myself ) are tired of exhausted superhero CGI, Watkins intentionally chose a minimalist visual approach. The film relies heavily on classic Holly wood techniques like silhouette lighting and masking cuts to relay Clayface’s transformation. The film has a specific natural tone that almost reminds one of a ’70s movie with cool makeup effects and unforgiving gore. What made the film was the stunningly grotesque use of body horror. I thought it was “The Substance” meets “Saw” in a perfect balance of visceral gore balanced with intricate prosthetics, makeup, design and Matt Hagen’s constantly transforming, unforgettable mask. The film’s use of prosthetics is a masterclass in melting body horror that contorted Harries’ face into a gorgeous nightmare. Sadly, the film isn’t without f laws. Its main shortcoming, which is glaringly hard to miss, lies in the recklessly rushed pacing of the first act. In an apparent effort to avoid the disorganized chaos an MCU project often brings, Watkins brushes over the actual setup of Hagen’s backstory, effectively minimizing the actual potential his “revenge arc” has. In fact, in the very early minutes of the film, we are exposed to the attack on Hagen that led to him becoming Clayface. While skipping the Marvel-style (because I do blame them) overstuffing fatigue is understandable, the film would have benefited from the courage to extend its runtime early on. “Clayface” ultimately is the perfect watch if you are looking for something to watch this Halloween weekend, or if you want your outlook on Gunn’s DC to be an even more positive one. “Clayface” is equal parts fun and disturbing. It’s a film that not only knows what it tackles but leaves long-lasting, moraldriven themes for the audience. The real horror here isn’t someone who hides their face, but someone who hides who they really are. Contact Matias Aguilar at jaguila7@nd.edu
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
FOOTBALL
God, Country, Notre Dame: A debt of honor By Ethan Laslo Associate Sports Editor
During World War II, Notre Dame was struggling. Like many schools around the country, Notre Dame was battling severe financial difficulties stemming from the ongoing war. The school was down to less than 3,000 students, as a chunk of its all-male student body had enlisted into the military. Then, the United States Nav y entered the picture. In February 1942, Notre Dame reached an agreement with the Nav y. In it, the Nav y would pay Notre Dame to use its facilities to establish a V-7 Nav y College Training Program at the school. It brought over 1,800 young men to campus in the summer, who took a full course load over the summer semester and were simultaneously engaged in training. Later, the V-12 program funded future officers’ college educations while simultaneously providing officer training. As a result, Notre Dame survived the impacts of World War II and even earned a national championship as a result of the agreement. Two of the 1943 team’s star players, Heisman Trophy winners Angelo Bertelli and Johnny Lujack, both arrived on campus as V-12 students. They both joined the football team, where they would in time be etched into Notre Dame history. Since then, Notre Dame has extended an invitation to the Naval Academy each year to play a football game
to repay the school’s “debt of honor” to the Nav y. The teams actually first met before World War II on Oct. 15, 1927, when the Irish defeated the Midshipmen 19-6 in Baltimore. The series has since continued annually, with the two playing each consecutive season since 1927 with the sole exception of 2020, when the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 93 consecutive years the rivalry was played from 1927 to 2019 made it one of the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalries in college football. Since the pandemic, the two have confirmed the rivalry until at least 2032, but extensions of the game are seen as something of a mere formality. Notre Dame has made it clear that as long as Nav y wants to play, it will honor that historic promise. In their 98 meetings, the Irish lead the series 82-13-1, which does not include two vacated wins in 2012 and 2013. Their 43-game win streak in the rivalry from 1964 to 2006 remains the longest ever by a team over a single opponent in FBS history. Nav y snapped that streak in 2007, when it came into South Bend and delivered a 46-44 triple-overtime upset. The loss was yet another brutal defeat in the disastrous 2007 season, with the Irish finishing 3-9. Since that game, Notre Dame leads 12-3 excluding the two vacated wins, with Nav y’s last win in 2016. The rivalry trophy also carries an incredible history
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
The Irish battle the Midshipmen for possession at Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 8, 2025. Notre Dame soundly defeated Navy in the rivalry matchup 49-10. Quarterback CJ Carr threw three touchdowns in the game.
of its own. Since 2011, the teams have squared off for the Rip Miller Trophy, named for one of the most central figures in the rivalry’s history. Edgar “Rip” Miller played tackle for Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, becoming one of the “Seven Mules” that blocked for Notre Dame’s famed “Four Horsemen” backfield. Following his time at Notre Dame, Miller became the head coach at Nav y in 1931 and stepped down in 1933. He remained on the staff as line coach until 1947, when he accepted a position as assistant athletic director, which he held until his retirement in 1974. Since 2005, the teams have also carried out a unique rivalry tradition: At the end of each rivalry game, each team
stands for the other’s alma mater. It’s yet another bastion of the immense respect held between the two schools and programs. This Saturday, Notre Dame and Nav y will play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots. Both institutions have sent many players to the Patriots over the years, the most recent being Irish tight end Eli Raridon. It’s the first time the game has been played in Foxborough, although it is always played at a neutral site when not in South Bend due to the smaller capacity of Nav y-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Over the course of 98 meetings, the game has been played from coast to coast and overseas
three times in Dublin. In his weekly press conference on Monday, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made sure to comment on the rivalry’s significance. “We have a lot of respect for their program, the history of their school, what they do and what they stand for. It means a lot to both programs,” he said. Nav y head coach Brian Newberry offered similar praise. “It’s really important [to our program]. Our guys always look forward to this opportunity,” he said. Kickoff in Foxborough is set for noon Saturday and will be streamed on ABC. Contact Ethan Laslo at elaslo@nd.edu
A history of Notre Dame’s 17-0 Halloween record By Henry Lytle Associate Sports Editor
When Irish fans imagine Halloween, they might not associate it with a Notre Dame football victory, but they should. Notre Dame has never lost a game on Halloween and has been dominant on the holiday in games spanning over 130 years. The Irish are 17-0 all time on Halloween, with eight victories over Nav y during this time span. The rivalry between the Irish and the Midshipmen has recently taken place at the end of October, with the last Halloween match occurring in 2020. Six seasons later, Notre Dame has an opportunity to keep the holiday record blemish-free against a struggling Midshipmen team, 130 years after its first Halloween appearance. Notre Dame’s first
Halloween game took place in 1896 against Albion, a private liberal arts college in Michigan. Notre Dame shut out Albion, now Division lll, 24-0 to begin its unbeaten streak on the spookiest day of the year. In the next Halloween contest in 1914, the Irish took down Haskell College 21-7 on the newly updated Cartier Field. Notre Dame was led by head coach Jesse Harper and assistant coach Knute Rockne, who took over as head coach in 1918. Rockne won two games on Halloween, including one of the only two wins against Ohio State in program history. The victory against the Buckeyes came on Halloween 1936 in a sluggish 7-2 game in Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish lost the following game on Nov. 7 against No. 13 Nav y but finished with a 6-2-1
record overall. Notre Dame played their first Nav y Halloween game in 1942. The Irish beat the Midshipmen on Halloween 9-0 in Frank Leahy’s second season. He would win a National Championship the following 1943 season, before entering the Nav y to serve in World War II. In 1953, Leahy’s final season, the Irish triumphed over Nav y 38-7, finishing the season 9-0-1 and No. 2 in the final AP voting. They were second behind Maryland following a controversial home tie against No. 20 Iowa. The game resulted in Notre Dame being dubbed “the Fainting Irish” due to faked injuries that allowed the Irish to stop the clock and tie the game in its dying moments. Notre Dame’s closest Halloween game occurred in 1959 during head coach
Joe Kuharich’s first season. Despite finishing the season at 5-5, the Irish scraped by with a win over Nav y 25-22. The Irish rattled off five more wins against Nav y on Halloween between 1964 and 1992, scoring 31 or more points each time. In 1998, the Irish took a break from their Halloween duel against Nav y to dominate Baylor 27-3. Since 1998, Notre Dame has played three games on Halloween. In 2009, the Irish took on Pac-12 opponent Washington State at a neutral Shamrock Series contest in San Antonio, winning 40-14. In 2015, Notre Dame travelled to Philadelphia to play Temple. At a sold-out Lincoln Financial Field, the Irish beat Temple with a late Will Fuller touchdown reception. The most recent Halloween game came in 2020 against Georgia Tech. The Irish
comfortably beat the Yellow Jackets 31-13 before taking on No. 1 Clemson the following weekend. They finished this season by making the College Football Playoff for a second time, ultimately falling to the eventual national champion Alabama in the Rose Bowl. This Saturday, Notre Dame will take on Nav y in the ninth Halloween edition between two storied programs. Despite their undefeated Halloween record, the Irish have yet to win a national championship in the 17 seasons they have played on Halloween. Marcus Freeman looks to gain momentum ahead of the looming Miami game on Nov. 7 by remaining unbeaten on Oct. 31, this time in Gillette Stadium. Contact Henry Lytle at hlytle@nd.edu
SPORTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
THE OBSERVER | 13
FOOTBALL
Football beat picks: Notre Dame vs. Navy By Observer Sports Staff Football Beat
Noah Cahill A season or two ago, Navy at a neutral site between the two toughest tests on the schedule would have been a prototypical trap game for Notre Dame. While the Irish shouldn’t look past this matchup in Foxborough on Saturday, they will not have to face a Midshipmen squad as formidable as their 10-3 and 11-2 iterations in 2024 and 2025, respectively. In 2026, Navy has started 2-5, largely because it can’t contain the pass, conceding 255.9 yards per game through the air while sitting last in passing efficiency defense. On the other side of the ball, however, quarterback Jackson Gutierrez is doing it all for the nation’s third-best rushing offense, which still largely relies on a triple-option approach. I’m looking for CJ Carr and the Irish offense to rebuild momentum, hopefully involving more than three receivers. As for Chris Ash and the defense, facing the triple-option calls for unique and specific preparation, so I doubt they will take meaningful steps toward solving the issues that bled through against the Cougars. This game should be a formality, but winning it without mistakes will show that the Irish are prepared to play for their season next weekend. Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Navy 13 Ellie Collins This matchup is more a tradition than a rivalry, given Notre Dame owns an 82-13-1 edge in the series. Lately, it has been an annual beatdown of the Midshipmen, and I expect that to continue this Saturday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. With Miami a week away, the main thing I want to see is the Irish defense playing with the standard Freeman-era speed and fervor that was sorely lacking in the deflating loss to BYU on Oct. 17. A great sign would be senior safety Adon Shuler resembling his normal, aggressive self, as he has looked tentative since the North Carolina game in Week 5. Early and often, the Irish need to hit star Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez, who ran for a staggering 228 yards and 3 touchdowns last week against North Texas.
As for the offense, junior quarterback CJ Carr should bounce back in a big way, considering Navy’s passing defense is a sieve; the unit has allowed 69.6% completion and 9.9 yards per attempt. Maybe we will even get to see a few reserve receivers on the field this weekend. Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Navy 17 Payton Dymek Despite being disappointed after ND’s loss to BYU, I’m still positive about the Irish’s future. To put it simply, the Irish squad that faced the Cougars was not the same team we’ve been watching. The defense struggled, not to mention the early targeting. The offense played extremely one-dimensionally, and overall every player on the field was playing for themselves, not the team. This weekend against Navy will show if Notre Dame made proper adjustments, mentally and physically, before coming home to face an objectively much tougher competitor: Miami. However, I will not discredit the Midshipmen, I do think Navy could take charge early before the Irish gain their footing. Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Navy 10 Ben Hicks The old adage in college football is that the most dangerous team is an angry team. And I expect Notre Dame to be very angry considering how it performed at BYU just two weeks ago. Couple that with the fact that this is the weakest Navy side a Marcus Freeman-led team has played, and this one could get ugly. Despite the Midshipmen employing the always-difficult-to-preparefor Wing-T offense, the Irish have won the prior three meetings in this historic rivalry by an average of more than 38 points. My only concern for this weekend’s fight in Foxborough is the Irish looking forward to next weekend’s must-win clash with the top-ranked Hurricanes. But this Navy team is a far cry from the past two ranked fleets of Midshipmen, and both of Freeman’s units have plenty to prove following the failure in Provo. Expect CJ Carr to expose the overmatched Navy defense and the physical Irish defensive front to overcome any trickery the Wing-T
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may attempt to inflict. If all goes to plan, the starting group should have an extra quarter of rest heading into the season-defining Week 10 clash with Miami. Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Navy 14 Ethan Laslo Despite my history as a Notre Dame hater prior to my time as a student, it seems I currently find myself on the less worried side of those who follow Irish football. Sure, the BYU loss stung. But it doesn’t take a football guru to understand that the game in Provo wasn’t even close to Notre Dame’s best ball. Besides, a reality check isn’t always a bad thing. Navy enters this game in what can only be described as a rough patch. It lost its three biggest offensive producers from last season, and it’s looked like it so far this season with a 2-5 record. However, until last weekend’s 10-point loss to North Texas, all of its losses were by one score. Accordingly, I’m not counting the Midshipmen out in this one. They’re also one of the most physical and relentless teams the Irish play every single year. Quitting isn’t in their DNA. All that being said, I just don’t see a world where Notre Dame doesn’t steamroll Navy in this one. Good teams win; great teams respond in the face of adversity. The main concern will likely be the team not overlooking Navy in favor of the Miami matchup. If the Irish stay focused on this week, they handle their business in Foxborough. Prediction: Notre Dame 56, Navy 0 Henry Lytle After the debacle in Provo two weeks ago, Notre Dame has a big opportunity to regain its bearings ahead of Miami against the Navy Midshipmen. However, the road loss against BYU left lingering questions on both sides of the ball for me. Why is Chris Ash so insistent on running zone coverage against mobile quarterbacks? Why didn’t the Irish regularly blitz against BYU? Why did Jonaz Walton only get five carries? The Irish will have a perfect opportunity to evaluate and fix these issues against a triple-option offense experiencing a down year on both sides of the ball. Even considering the rivalry and neutral-site environment, I expect Notre Dame to look comfortable from the start and have no issues controlling the game. Navy is down its top three rushing weapons from a season ago and has begun 2026 with a forgettable 2-5 record. Fresh off conceding 49 points to North Texas, Navy’s defense has struggled against bigplay offenses this season. Against Notre Dame, its job won’t be made any easier, as the Irish offense is in a “get right” mood after its lowestscoring performance of the season. Notre Dame has shown an ability to pass for 20+ yards and run for big plays with Walton in the backfield. On the offensive side for Navy,
KEIRA JONES | The Observer
Notre Dame defensive ends attempt to shed the blocks of Navy Midshepmen linemen as snow falls on the field, with the Irish getting a win.
Jackson Gutierrez has rushed for 12 touchdowns and thrown for 7 in his first year starting, but when he has been forced to throw to win, Navy has stumbled. I expect the Irish run defense will boast a dominant performance en route to a huge victory ahead of Miami. Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Navy 7 Jack Muething Right now it is hard to gauge just how talented this Notre Dame team is, but even with these questions, there is no doubt that it is far superior to this Navy squad that comes into this contest 2-5 with the fourthworst passing offense in the country. Like the other military schools, the Midshipmen will run the ball like there is no tomorrow. However, the Irish had no trouble handling Rice, which has a similar offense. I expect the same to happen here. Notre Dame has the talent to overwhelm Navy, and there is no reason that the starters should be playing much in the second half. Ultimately, if the Irish had beaten BYU, I would have concerns about their ability to come out and dominate in this one. However, they obviously didn’t, and they will be coming into this one angry. The only way Notre Dame doesn’t cover the spread Saturday afternoon is if it is too focused on Nov. 7, and while that is a possibility, I think the Irish will be trying to do what they failed to do against BYU and leave no doubt. Prediction: Notre Dame 59, Navy 7 Nikki Stachurski The Navy game marks the beginning of Notre Dame’s rivalry slate, and the Irish are especially eager to prove themselves after their devastating loss against BYU. While the Irish did not play to their strongest ability, the team learned how to adjust from the biggest weaknesses in their game, especially the necessity of starting with a strong offensive drive. Navy is 1-4 in its conference, coming off a 49-39 homecoming loss to North Texas last week. The Midshipmen have consistently been vulnerable to deep passes and gamedeciding plays, especially during the second half. While Navy does have a
promising offensive rushing attack, the Midshipmen have struggled to overcome deficits late in the game. The game against BYU proved Notre Dame cannot rely on lategame offensive plays either, and the key to victory will be establishing an early lead that can keep the Irish far ahead. If the Irish get comfortable and sloppy late in the game, the Midshipmen can certainly make the Irish defense worried. Regardless, the neutral-site matchup will be a must-win for both teams. Notre Dame will want a strong performance to remain in College Football Playoff contention. However, Navy needs to win its next four games to be eligible for bowl play. In a rivalry clash where both teams have a lot on the line, it simply comes down to grit and consistency. I believe Navy will put forth a strong effort, but Notre Dame will be far hungrier for a win. Prediction: Notre Dame 48, Navy 7 Claire Watson After a brutal and devastating loss against BYU, Notre Dame will look for a comeback this week against Navy. I think that it will have no problem achieving that. It will be important for the Irish to avoid penalties, which were a noticeable issue for the Irish on Oct. 17, especially when Boubacar Traore was sidelined early in the game for targeting. Last year, Notre Dame took a swift 49-10 win in the snow. The inclement weather may have provided Notre Dame with an advantage. After all, Northern Indiana is known for its colder November weather, especially compared with Annapolis. That advantage will likely not be a factor this year with the cold weather holding off. Aneyas Williams and CJ Carr were two big players in last year’s game, as Williams scored a 54-yard touchdown and Carr had 3 passing touchdowns and went 13for-16 on passes. Should the Irish offense stick together and dominate as they did last year, they will walk out of this game with a win. Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Navy 10
SPORTS
14 | THE OBSERVER
Nolan James Jr.: A playmaker By Claire Watson Senior Sports Reporter
This past game was not something that the Irish were hoping for — a devastating loss to BYU. The entire team felt the hardship of the loss, and sophomore running back Nolan James Jr. addressed the integrity needed for the team heading into this upcoming game against Navy. “Just improving, getting back to our details, working on the little things, just trying to move past a little bit [but] not forgetting about it. Focus on what went wrong and just get better this week,” James said. He also went into his own game and what he wants to work on, saying, “I want to get back to fundamentals, details, finetuning those little things.” Last season as a freshman, James only appeared in four games, playing behind the Irish’s former backfield duo Jerimiyah Love and Jadarian Price. He made his college debut against Purdue with 4 carries for 11 yards. Then, against Arkansas, Syracuse and Stanford, James had a combined 10 carries for 26 yards to round out his rookie season. This year, James has become a key piece in the offensive lineup for the Irish. “I feel like I’m getting more and more comfortable as the season goes on about just playing naturally, playing free, especially when I get an open field,” James said in regard to how he is settling in with the more playing time he has received. James has played in all seven games so far this season. He had his first career collegiate touchdown against Wisconsin, the first game of the season, which was a 28-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter. The following week, against Rice, James scored multiple touchdowns for the first time in his collegiate career, with both in the second quarter. Finally, against Purdue, James made his first career start as running back. He finished the game with 28 rushing yards, 2 receptions for 8 yards and a receiving touchdown, which came in the final seconds of the first half. One thing that distinguishes and helps James on the field is his leadership
and play-making abilities. Some might say that comes with practice and precision, but for James, that is not the case. For him, it’s social media. “It’s a creative outlet for me. I’m a pretty creative person. That’s how I express myself. I find it just to be fun … I can curate my ideas in a different way that’s not super timeconsuming. Like I build Legos. I try to be as creative as possible. For right now, it’s my creative outlet,” he said. But how does that relate back to football? Does it relate back to football? For James, it does. “Oddly enough, I kind of think it does. I try to be free out there ... In my mind, I always see running the ball a little bit like an art form. You got to set things up, you really got to, like almost painting a picture, and I think that it all kind of ties together,” he said. In comparison to last season, when Love and Price were the two solidified running backs in the backfield, Irish fans this season are seeing a number of different running backs in the rotation. “I don’t think there’s any confusion. Kind of just who [Ja’Juan] Seider tells to go out there. I mean, there’s a vibe, but if Seider tells me it’s my drive, I’m going to go out there and do my job. If it‘s Jonaz’s job, he’s going to go out there and do his job. We don’t stress or guess who’s going in,” James said. James also gives credit to the other running backs who are in rotation with him: “I want to see everybody win. I want to see everybody get in the game. I love all the guys in the room.” Another important factor of the run game is how they support each other. “I think that’s the mindset of everybody else in the room. We want everybody to get there. We want everybody to do their numbers,” James said in regard to the running back room and how they all support each other during game time. This weekend, Notre Dame will travel to Massachusetts to face off against Navy with kickoff set for noon. Contact Claire Watson at cwatson01@saintmarys.edu
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
FOOTBALL
Keys to Victory: Notre Dame vs. Navy
By Payton Dymek Associate Sports Editor
When given the chance to climb to the top of the college football pedestal and prove this is truly their year, the Irish cracked under pressure from all angles against BYU. The defense didn’t make stops consistently like it had all season, the backfield was picked apart through the air, not to mention senior defensive lineman Boubacar Traore’s targeting call early into the game. On the offensive side, the Irish were extremely one-dimensional and easy for BYU to read, which made it impossible to create effective breakaway chances. Fans spent the proceeding days bemoaning the timing discrepancy, but while there was still one second on the clock, Notre Dame let the game get away from it much earlier. The loss certainly stings, but now is not the time for the Irish to revisit old ghosts. This week is about how fast the Irish can refocus. Heading into the Navy game in what is less of a rivalry and more a respectful historic procession, Notre Dame leads with an 8213-1 edge, including a 49-10 victory over the Midshipmen just last season. That blowout made it a lopsided eight wins in a row since 2016. However, the Irish will need
to keep a few keys in the back of their minds if they plan to leave Foxborough, Massachusetts, with a win. Stop Navy’s run game Currently, Navy is averaging 5.71 yards per carry and 307 per game, placing them third in the nation behind Army and Air Force. Despite a 49-39 loss last week against North Texas, Navy’s rushing game was strong with 363 yards on the ground. In comparison, Notre Dame put up a measly 115 rushing yards in last week’s loss. Navy’s rushing attack dwarfs even BYU, who put up 121 yards against a top-ranked Irish defense. If the Midshipmen see holes in the defensive line and protect the ball, they will have a chance to put pressure on the scoreboard and a Notre Dame team coming off a tough loss. However, with the Irish ranked second in opponent rush yards, allowing only 67 yards per contest, things will not come easy for even a top rushing attack. All that said, Notre Dame’s pass defense will look to redeem itself after a lackluster performance, so Navy will likely stick to what it does best: running. One thing is for certain, there is bound to be a fierce battle in the trenches.
Let the Midshipmen make the mistakes Although the Irish have the potential to test new plays and schemes this weekend, barring an early blowout, they really shouldn’t. In a game against a scrappy team like Navy, it’s important to get off to a strong start, get points on the board and play mistake-free football. Everything is under a microscope in the media post-BYU, so anything that doesn’t go well will be scrutinized well beyond normal standards. The Irish have had all season to experiment with their system. Now, they need to make sure they secure their fundamentals. This is especially crucial ahead of the Miami showdown. Players must keep tackles sound and stick to their assignments to ensure everyone is eligible next Saturday. Against Navy, Notre Dame needs to be focused, not flashy. After a loss to BYU and a bye week, it’s time to shake off some nerves and rust ahead of the game of the year by shutting down one of the nation’s best run games and staying as disciplined as possible. The Irish travel to Foxborough to kick off against Navy in Gillette Stadium at noon this Saturday. Contact Payton Dymek at pdymek01@saintmarys.edu
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
THE OBSERVER | 15
ND MEN’S BASKETBALL
When in Rome: Irish look to slay Wildcats By Ellie Collins Associate Sports Editor
Coming off an anemic 13-18 season and the loss of six players to the transfer portal, Notre Dame men’s basketball prays its many newcomers do not experience baptism by fire as it opens its season against former Big East rival Villanova in Rome on Sunday. This matchup, in fact, seems written in the Good Book for the few and far between portal fans out there, as seven of the 10 starters will be donning their respective uniforms for the first time in the Eternal City. Senior guard Braeden Shrewsberry and sophomore forward Brady Koehler return as starters for the Irish, while All-Big East Wildcat guard Tyler Perkins serves as Nova’s lone holdover. For the first time in his collegiate career, Shrewsberry will be expected to pace this year’s Irish as the primary scorer and key playmaker following the departure of star guard Markus Burton. During the last campaign, Shrewsberry got a taste
of more playing time following Burton’s season-ending injury, tallying 11.9 points per game and shooting 40.2% from deep. Besides him, Koehler, a former four-star recruit, flashed his potential as a freshman, averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds in ACC play. Gonzaga senior transfer Braeden Smith headlines the six-man Irish portal class and is expected to run the show as starting point guard, boasting career averages of 9.7 points and 4.6 assists and an impressive 2.53 assist-to-turnover ratio. In the frontcourt, Winthrop fifthyear transfer Logan Duncomb will man the post coming off a breakout season for the Eagles, as he posted 18 points and 9 rebounds after prior uneventful stops at Indiana and Xavier. Penn graduate transfer Ethan Roberts rounds out the starting lineup as a versatile wing who brings with him career averages of 15 points per contest and 39.2% from beyond the arc. Now, this Nova team is certainly not in the style of vintage
Wildcats squads under Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright, which were characterized by great guard play. Besides Perkins, the Cats’ first unit boasts a lot of size, led by a front line of Ohio State veteran Devin Royal, Oregon transfer Kwame Evans Jr. and 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo, who is making his college debut in his home country. For Notre Dame to find success against the Cats, it is crucial that Koehler and Duncomb first control the defensive glass and limit second-chance opportunities, especially against Suigo in the paint. Evans is a game-time decision due to an offseason knee injury. The Irish will need to focus their overall defensive plan on Perkins. The 2025-26 Big East Most Improved Player averaged 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds last season, and his shooting numbers jumped from 35.2% as a sophomore to 36.9% from deep. He is a do-it-all type energy player and competes with high IQ and tenacity,
sparking comparisons to former Villanova standout Josh Hart. Smith, meanwhile, matches up with Wildcat guard Elijah Crawford, a transfer from the University of Illinois Chicago by way of BYU. Crawford has upped his game, and though he is not a sharpshooter, he is a crafty distributor and driver. Smith and the Irish must keep him out of the paint. Villanova’s quality depth will likely be a strength in the battle of the benches. One of the Cats’ weapons off the bench is Cornell transfer guard Jake Fiegen, who flashed his dynamic scoring talents in upstate New York and earned first-team All-Ivy honors last season by posting 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 54.6% from the field and 41.4% from downtown. Fiegen will probably start by the end of the season if the Wildcats need more shooting out of the gate, but not on Sunday. Given Nova has many new pieces, much like Notre Dame, its defense will likely lack
cohesiveness, and the Irish should look to spread the floor and make some threes. If the game is won or lost at the line, the Irish will likely hold the advantage. Villanova is no longer the expert free-throw shooting school that it was under Wright, whose last team set an NCAA Division I single-season record by shooting 83% from the line. Under first-year head coach Kevin Willard, the Cats only converted 68.9% from the charity stripe last season. Meanwhile, Smith, Roberts and Duncomb all bring impressive percentages to the Irish roster, 80.6%, 81.9% and 71.9%, respectively. Pope Leo XIV, a Villanova graduate and Chicago native, is not expected to attend the battle between two of the nation’s premier Catholic universities but will instead host an audience with the teams and their fans. The Irish and the Wildcats begin their crusade at 9:30 a.m. EST on FOX. Contact Ellie Collins at ecollin9@nd.edu
SMC SOCCER
Saint Mary’s soccer falls to Albion in final game By Kate Thomas Sports Reporter
Wednesday, in the final game of the season, the Saint Mary’s Belles fell to Albion 4-3. Coming off a commanding 11-0 win versus Alverno on senior day, the Belles ended their season 5-101. Coming into the game, Saint Mary’s stood at No. 8 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, while Albion was tied for No. 4. The Belles took an early lead with a single-handed effort from freshman Lily Houle, who drove down the left to beat her defender
one-on-one. Houle has tallied a lot of minutes this season, often playing up front even though she is listed as a defender. This was her second goal of the season. The Saint Mary’s offense moved through her and sophomore forward Mia Johnson. An error by Albion midway through the first half put Saint Mary’s up 2-0, with the ball trickling into the goal as sophomore goalkeeper Marleigh Chapman slipped. Still, the Britons kept up the pressure as the first half continued, forcing the Belles onto their heels. Saint Mary’s struggled
to regain its offense, even as junior goalkeeper Keona Caraballo stepped up and made key saves for Saint Mary’s. Despite her best efforts, Albion eventually scored off a corner kick, bringing the score to 2-1. At 56 seconds into the second half, Albion sophomore Chloe Salo streaked past her defender to tie it up 2-2. For the Belles, senior defender Claire Keely was everywhere, getting physical near the sidelines. Neither team was able to gain its footing for most of the second half, but things heated up as the final 10 minutes approached.
After a dry half for Saint Mary’s, junior defender Danielle Escobedo sent a ball to Johnson in the center of the field, who pushed past her defender and shot past the goalie to the top-left corner. The Belles’ 3-2 lead was not secure, though, as Albion pushed to tie the game. The equalizer came in the 87th minute, as Albion junior forward Claire Gorno scored after an unlucky bounce. Soon after, the Belles’ defense collapsed, and the Britons scored again with just over a minute left in the match. The team graduated only three seniors and should have an
opportunity to continue building in the offseason, especially after a season where freshmen were putting up major minutes. Freshmen defenders Chloe and Isabella Knese are already part of the rebuild, playing the full 90 minutes against Albion. On offense, Johnson and Houle will have to step up even further to compete within the MIAA. The Belles also look to improve in conference play, where their sole victory was against Olivet. Contact Kate Thomas at kthoma26@nd.edu
ND MEN’S BASKETBALL
Lifelong fan Ethan Roberts finds his way to ND By Jack Gerwe Sports Reporter
Growing up in a Chicago suburb, Ethan Roberts was surrounded by Notre Dame fans, his family among them. When asked how long he’s been one himself, he responded, “Since I was born.” Now he’s playing for the team he’s loved his entire life, but the road to get to Notre Dame was anything but direct. His college basketball career began at Army, where he played in all 33 games as a freshman and averaged 12.4 points per game, second on the team. After taking home Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors, Roberts transferred to Drake
University for his sophomore season. Unfortunately, Roberts developed a severe illness before the season started that forced him to redshirt. Following his redshirt season, Roberts transferred to the University of Pennsylvania. In his two years with the Quakers, he led the team in scoring, averaging over 16 points per game in both seasons. Roberts also earned secondteam All-Ivy honors last season. Although he was sidelined for both the Ivy League Tournament and the NCAA Tournament with a concussion, his play throughout the regular season put the Quakers in position to secure their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2018.
Due to the redshirt at Drake, Roberts had an extra year of eligibility. The Ivy League does not allow graduate students to compete in collegiate athletics, so Roberts had to transfer if he wished to continue his basketball career. The transfer portal can bring plenty of uncertainty, but it didn’t cause Roberts much extra angst. “Notre Dame’s my dream school, so it was pretty easy,” he said. “Once they said they were interested, I was like, ‘Let’s do this thing.’” Though the decision itself was easy, Roberts acknowledged the challenges of the transfer process, which he is no stranger to. “There’s a lot of tough stuff you just don’t see behind the scenes,” he said. “There’s a new system,
new teammates, new coaches and stuff like that.” Roberts joins five other players in Notre Dame’s 2026 transfer class. It can be challenging for a brand-new squad to build chemistry, but the pair of exhibition games the Irish played has helped the team iron things out. “These are the best practice reps we can get before Rome,” Roberts said. “Of course you want to win them, but it’s important to work on what we need to work on during these exhibition games.” The Irish split the two games, losing to the Dayton Flyers 7565 and beating the DePaul Blue Demons 71-63. Roberts credited Gonzaga transfer Braeden Smith with helping the new roster really come
together. The guard brings valuable experience to the Irish with three NCAA Tournament appearances, one with the Bulldogs and two with the Colgate Raiders. “You can just tell he’s a veteran,” Roberts said when asked about Smith. “I think it’s really good for our younger guys and our transfers to have anchoring people.” The Irish will play their first regular-season game Sunday in Rome against former Big East foe Villanova. Roberts is projected to start against the Wildcats, and his ability to space the floor as a wing and knock down 3-pointers will be crucial if the Irish want to return to the States with a win. Contact Jack Gerwe at jgerwe@nd.edu
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