NBC Sports Network to Produce Live Pregame Show for Notre Dame Home Football Games

This in from NBC Sports Group, NBCSN will air a live pregame show from Notre Dame home games starting this season. This also includes designated home games at sites away from Notre Dame. This year, the designated off-site home game is at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX (I know it has a new name, but it’s still Cowboys Stadium to me).

Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and Hines Ward will host the pregame which will air live from Notre Dame Stadium a half-hour before each game on NBC. The first edition of the pregame show will be shown on NBC on August 31 against Temple. Then the subsequent shows will be transmitted through NBCSN.

McHugh, Flutie and Ward will also handle the halftime show live from the stadium. In addition, there will be three Notre Dame football postgame shows live on NBCSN during the season.

Here’s the announcement.

NBC Sports Group 2NBC SPORTS GROUP TO PRODUCE LIVE ON-SITE PRE-GAME SHOW PRIOR TO ALL NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL HOME GAMES

Six Pre-Game Shows To Air on NBCSN, One on NBC
Three Post-Game Shows To Air on NBCSN

Stamford, Conn. – August 21, 2013 – NBC Sports Group will produce a live pre-game show from Notre Dame Stadium, prior to every Notre Dame Football broadcast on NBC, during the upcoming 2013 season. NBC Sports Group’s Notre Dame Football pre-game show will debut Saturday, August 31, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, preceding the Fighting Irish’s first game of the season against Temple. Beginning on Saturday, September 21, and prior to all remaining Notre Dame Football home games in 2013, including the annual off-site Shamrock Series game, the pre-game show will air on NBCSN.

Liam McHugh will host the show from the field at Notre Dame Stadium, and will be joined on-site by 1984 Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie and two-time Super Bowl champion Hines Ward.  McHugh, Flutie and Ward will also handle half-time coverage on NBC broadcasts, all of which will originate from the field.

In addition, NBC Sports Group will produce a post-game show, on NBCSN, after three Notre Dame Football broadcasts on NBC.

NBC will broadcast seven Notre Dame Football games this season, including two in primetime. NBC Sports’ 2013 Notre Dame Football schedule is highlighted by the Fighting Irish’s primetime game against USC on Saturday, October 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Continuing its annual off-site Shamrock Series, Notre Dame will host the Arizona State Sun Devils at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX, on Saturday, October 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET. This is the fifth straight season that NBC will broadcast a Notre Dame off-site home game in primetime.

Live game coverage of Notre Dame Football on NBC begins Saturday, August 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET, when the Fighting Irish host Temple. The 2013 schedule also includes 3:30 p.m. ET games against Michigan State on Saturday, September 21; Oklahoma on Saturday, September 28; Navy on Saturday, November 2; and BYU on Saturday, November 23.

The post-game shows, where applicable, will air on NBCSN, immediately following game coverage on NBC. Post-game shows will air after Temple – Notre Dame on August 31, Oklahoma – Notre Dame on September 21, and BYU – Notre Dame on November 23.

Dan Hicks, NBC Sports Group’s longtime and critically-acclaimed golf and Olympic commentator, will lead NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football coverage for the first time this season as its play-by-play voice. Hicks will join analyst Mike Mayock and sideline reporter Alex Flanagan for NBC’s 22nd season broadcasting Notre Dame Football home games.

Following is NBC Sports Group’s 2013 Notre Dame Football schedule (all times ET):

Date Opponent Pre-Game Network Game Time Network
Saturday, Aug. 31 Temple** 3 p.m. NBC 3:30 p.m. NBC
Saturday, Sept. 21 Michigan State 3 p.m. NBCSN 3:30 p.m. NBC
Saturday, Sept. 28 Oklahoma** 3 p.m. NBCSN 3:30 p.m. NBC
Saturday, Oct. 5 Arizona State* 7 p.m. NBCSN 7:30 p.m. NBC
Saturday, Oct. 19 USC 6:30 p.m. NBCSN 7:30 p.m. NBC
Saturday, Nov 2 Navy 3 p.m. NBCSN 3:30 p.m. NBC
Saturday, Nov 23 BYU** 3 p.m. NBCSN 3:30 p.m. NBC

*Off-site Shamrock Series game from Arlington, Texas.

** Post-game show on NBCSN

There you have it.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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