NBC pairs Eagle, Blackledge for Miami game

A 36-year age gap separates the two men in the broadcast booth for Saturday’s college football matchup. Noah Eagle is 29. Todd Blackledge is 65. NBC has paired them to call the game between No. 1 Miami and No. 11 Notre Dame.

The rivalry dates back to 1988. That was 38 years ago. Notre Dame, then ranked fourth, defeated top-ranked Miami in South Bend. Fans remember that contest as the Catholics versus Convicts game. The teams meet again this weekend in a rematch of that historic clash.

The game starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. NBC 5 and 780-AM will carry the broadcast. The network plans an expanded pregame show. It will also assign a separate sideline reporter for each team to provide team-specific updates during the game.

Eagle’s father, Ian, has called basketball alongside Bill Raftery for decades. Their age gap is 25 years. Noah Eagle likely learned from his father how to work across a generational divide. He and Blackledge sound like contemporaries despite the difference in their ages.

Local sports ratings also rose this year. The Chicago White Sox captured fans’ attention during the season. Chicago Sports Network averaged 84,800 viewers per game across its linear and streaming platforms. That figure marks a 168% increase from last year. It is the team’s largest audience since 2022.

Viewership grew as the season progressed. Games in August and September averaged 112,000 viewers. That number is 78% higher than the average for March, April, and May. The 2022 season followed a playoff run. With the Bulls and Blackhawks struggling this year, CHSN relies heavily on the baseball season for its audience numbers.

Broadcasters have weighed in on local teams recently. Bob Costas said’s Bob Sirott on Thursday that he is optimistic about Jack Quinlan’s Hall of Fame chances. Costas said the electorate has Quinlan’s work available to listen to. He stated that if one confined the list to the dozen best baseball broadcasters of all time, Quinlan was one of them.