Table of Contents MEDIA INFORMATION
2014 NOTRE DAME
Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl
MEDIA GUIDE MEDIA INFORMATION
GAME NOTES
2014 SEASON REVIEW
THIS IS NOTRE DAME University of Notre Dame..................................................183 University Leadership.........................................................184 Jack Swarbrick...................................................................185 Notre Dame Stadium.........................................................186 The Campus Crossroads Project........................................187 Guglielmino Athletics Complex.........................................188 Notre Dame Practice Facilities..........................................189 NBC Sports.........................................................................190 Notre Dame IMG College Network...................................191 Media Information..............................................................192
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Rice.....................................................................................113 Michigan.............................................................................114 Purdue.................................................................................115 Syracuse.............................................................................116 Stanford..............................................................................117
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Head Coach Brian Kelly.................................................. 93-98 Assistant Coaches........................................................ 99-108 Support Staff.............................................................. 109-112
1999 Gator Bowl.................................................................171 2001 Fiesta Bowl................................................................172 2003 Gator Bowl.................................................................173 2004 Insight Bowl...............................................................174 2006 Fiesta Bowl................................................................175 2007 Sugar Bowl................................................................176 2008 Hawaii Bowl..............................................................177 2010 Sun Bowl...................................................................178 2011 Champs Sports Bowl.................................................179 2013 BCS National Championship Game..........................180 2013 Pinstripe Bowl...........................................................181 National Championships....................................................182
BOWL HISTORY
COACHES AND STAFF
© University of Notre Dame, Athletics Media Relations Department, 2014. All rights reserved.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Student-Athlete Profiles................................................. 42-92
Bowl Summaries........................................................ 145-146 Bowl Records.............................................................. 147-148 1925 Rose Bowl..................................................................149 1970 Cotton Bowl...............................................................150 1971 Cotton Bowl...............................................................151 1973 Orange Bowl..............................................................152 1973 Sugar Bowl................................................................153 1975 Orange Bowl..............................................................154 1976 Gator Bowl.................................................................155 1978 Cotton Bowl...............................................................156 1979 Cotton Bowl...............................................................157 1981 Sugar Bowl................................................................158 1983 Liberty Bowl...............................................................159 1984 Aloha Bowl................................................................160 1988 Cotton Bowl...............................................................161 1989 Fiesta Bowl................................................................162 1990 Orange Bowl..............................................................163 1991 Orange Bowl..............................................................164 1992 Sugar Bowl................................................................165 1993 Cotton Bowl...............................................................166 1994 Cotton Bowl...............................................................167 1995 Fiesta Bowl................................................................168 1996 Orange Bowl..............................................................169 1997 Independence Bowl...................................................170
COACHES & STAFF
THE FIGHTING IRISH
BOWL HISTORY
The 2014 Notre Dame Music City Bowl Media Guide is a copyright production of the University of Notre Dame Athletics Media Relations Department, Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556. This publication was compiled, written and edited by director of football media relations Michael Bertsch, assistant media relations director Leigh Torbin, senior associate athletics director John Heisler and media services coordinator Lizzie Mikes. Cover designs by Justin Zimmerman, University Communications, Notre Dame, Indiana. Page layout by Cathy J. Scholz of C Graphics, Granger, Indiana. Special thanks to Mike and Sue Bennett plus everyone at Lighthouse Imaging, Michael Binnette, Bill Panzica, Joe Raymond, Marcus Snowden and Matt Cashore for their photographic contributions. Thanks also to Ryan Cox of Notre Dame's Xerox Department Center, Notre Dame, Indiana.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Game Info...............................................................................3 Notre Dame-LSU Head-to-Head Comparison.......................4 Notre Dame-LSU Connections...............................................4 Notre Dame-LSU Series History.........................................4-5 Notre Dame in Nashville........................................................5 Notre Dame vs. SEC...............................................................5 With A Victory / With A Defeat.............................................6 Notre Dame in National Football League Stadiums..........6-7 Honors / Awards.................................................................6-7 Starter Sheet..........................................................................8 Notre Dame in the Polls.........................................................9 Notre Dame by the Numbers...............................................10 Notre Dame’s Record When................................................11 Brian Kelly Notes...............................................................8-11 Irish Probable Starting Lineup..............................................12 Irish Among National Leaders.............................................13 Team Notes..................................................................... 11-14 Notre Dame in the NFL........................................................15 Notre Dame Football Replay Affiliates................................16 Inside Notre Dame Football Affiliates.................................16 Offensive Notes.............................................................. 14-21 Defensive Notes............................................................. 21-25 Special Team Notes....................................................... 25-27 Miscellaneous Notes..................................................... 27-28 Depth Chart...........................................................................29 Alphabetical / Numerical Roster................................... 30-31 Pronunciation Guide.............................................................31 The Last Time.................................................................. 32-34 Brian Kelly Era Record Book........................................... 35-41
2014 NOTRE DAME FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE COMPANY MUSIC CITY BOWL MEDIA GUIDE CREDITS
GAME NOTES
Table of Contents/Credits......................................................1 Game Facts.............................................................................2
North Carolina....................................................................118 Florida State.......................................................................119 Navy....................................................................................120 Arizona State......................................................................121 Northwestern.....................................................................122 Louisville.............................................................................123 USC.....................................................................................124 Season Results...................................................................125 Team Statistics...................................................................125 Individual Stats........................................................... 125-127 Game-by-Game Starters....................................................128 Game-by-Game Participation.............................................129 Notre Dame Game-by-Game Statistics.............................130 Opponent Game-by-Game Statistics.................................131 Game-by-Game Comparison..............................................132 Red-Zone Statistics............................................................133 3rd Down / 4th Down / Time of Possession......................134 Notre Dame and Opponent Scoring Drives.......................135 Game-by-Game Individual Statistics......................... 136-139 Miscellaneous Stats...........................................................140 Notre Dame/Opponent Big Plays............................... 141-142 Notre Dame Superlatives...................................................143 Opponent Superlatives.......................................................144
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Game Facts
GENERAL INFORMATION Location.............................................................................................................Notre Dame, Ind. Founded.................................................................................................................................1842 Enrollment........................................................................8,475 (undergraduate) / 12,126 (total) Nickname.................................................................................................................Fighting Irish Conference............................................................................................................... Independent Colors.....................................................................................................................Blue and Gold Stadium...................................................................................................... Notre Dame Stadium Capacity.............................................................................................................................80,795 Year Opened.........................................................................................................................1930 Surface............................................................................................................................FieldTurf President (Alma Mater)........................................Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. (Notre Dame ’76) Athletics Director (Alma Mater)............................................. Jack Swarbrick (Notre Dame ‘76)
GENERAL INFORMATION Location............................................................................................................. Baton Rouge, La. Founded.................................................................................................................................1860 Enrollment..........................................................................................................................29,865 Nickname............................................................................................................................Tigers Conference..............................................................................................................Southeastern Colors..................................................................................................................Purple and Gold Stadium.................................................................................................................. Tiger Stadium Capacity...........................................................................................................................102,321 Year Opened.........................................................................................................................1924 Surface................................................................................................................... Natural Grass President/Chancellor (Alma Mater).............Dr. F. King Alexander (St. Lawrence University ‘87) Athletics Director (Alma Mater)..............................................................Joe Alleva (Lehigh ‘75)
HISTORY First Year of Football.............................................................................................................1887 All-Time Record......................................................................................................... 881-310-42 Bowl Appearances (including 2014)............................................ 34 (Last, 2013 Pinstripe Bowl) Bowl Record........................................................................................................................ 16-17
HISTORY First Year of Football.............................................................................................................1893 All-Time Record......................................................................................................... 761-400-47 Bowl Appearances (including 2014)............................................. 46 (Last, 2014 Outback Bowl) Bowl Record..................................................................................................................... 23-21-1
TEAM INFORMATION Offensive Formation.......................................................................................................... Spread Defensive Formation................................................................................................. 3-4 multiple 2014 Overall Record................................................................................................................ 7-5 Home Record........................................................................................................................... 4-2 Road/Neutral Record.............................................................................................................. 3-3
TEAM INFORMATION Offensive Formation........................................................................................................Multiple Defensive Formation............................................................................................................... 4-3 2014 Overall Record................................................................................................................ 8-4 Home Record........................................................................................................................... 5-2 Road/Neutral Record.............................................................................................................. 3-2
COACHING STAFF Head Coach.....................................................................................Brian Kelly (Assumption ‘83) Record at Notre Dame (Years)......................................................................... 44-20 (5 seasons) Record Overall (Years)..............................................................................215-77-2 (24 seasons) Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers........................Mike Denbrock (Grand Valley State ‘87) Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers.......................Brian VanGorder (Wayne State '92) Defensive Backs....................................................................................... Kerry Cooks (Iowa ‘00) Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator.....................................Tony Alford (Colorado State ’92) Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator.........................................Scott Booker (Kent State ‘03) Inside Linebackers......................................................................................Bob Elliott (Iowa ‘76) Defensive Line.................................................................................. Mike Elston (Michigan ‘98) Offensive Line..................................................................Harry Hiestand (East Stroudsburg ‘83) Quarterbacks................................................................ Matt LaFleur (Saginaw Valley State '03) Offensive Graduate Assistants........................................Tyler McDermott (Colorado State '12) .............................................................................................Ryan Mahaffey (Northern Iowa '11) Defensive Graduate Assistants...............................................Mike Hiestand (Illinois State '11) ................................................................................................. Kyle McCarthy (Notre Dame '09) Head Football Athletic Trainer..............................................................Rob Hunt (Ball State ’97) Director of Football Strength and Conditioning............................Paul Longo (Wayne State ’83) Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning....................Jake Flint (Central Michigan ‘07) Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning.......................Dave Andrews (Ohio State '04) Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.............................. David Grimes (Notre Dame ‘09) Sports Nutrition Program Director.......................................... Kayla Matrunick (Penn State ’05)
COACHING STAFF Head Coach...........................................................................................Les Miles (Michigan ‘76) Record at LSU (Years).................................................................................. 103-28 (10 seasons) Record Overall (Years)................................................................................. 131-49 (14 seasons) Defensive Coordinator....................................................................John Chavis (Tennessee ‘79) Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks................................................Cam Cameron (Indiana ‘83) Defensive Backs...................................................................................Corey Raymond (LSU ‘92) Tight Ends..........................................................................................Steve Ensminger (LSU ‘82) Defensive Line.......................................................................... Brick Haley (Alabama A&M ‘89) Wide Receivers...................................................................... Adam Henry (McNeese State ’98) Offensive Line.......................................................................................... Jeff Grimes (UTEP ‘91) Special Teams.............................................................................Bradley Dale Peveto (SMU '87) Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator....................................Frank Wilson (Nicholls State '97) Offensive Graduate Assistant....................................................Chris Kragthorpe (Wheaton '12) Defensive Graduate Assistant............................................................ Dennis Johnson (LSU '12) .................................................................................................................Leon Wright (Duke '10) Special Teams Graduate Assistant....................................Devin Ducote (Stephen F. Austin '11) Director of Athletic Training.....................................................Jack Marucci (West Virginia ’86) Strength and Conditioning Coordinator..............................Tommy Moffitt (Tennessee Tech '86) Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator.................................Brian Johnson (LSU ‘06)
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Game Notes
Bowl History
Game 13 (Music City Bowl)
u ltorbin@nd.edu u 407-325-5703 u UND.com
8-4
DATE u Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 TIME u 3 p.m. EST (2 p.m. CST in Nashville)
7-5
SITE (CAPACITY) u LP Field (67,000); Nashville, Tennessee
TELEVISION u ESPN national telecast with Mark Jones (play by play), Rod Gilmore (analysis) and Jessica Mendoza (sideline). u Notre Dame will be making its first appearance of the year on ESPN. The Irish last appeared on ESPN in the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl, a 29-16 victory over Rutgers.
Date ND Rank Opponent (TV) Aug. 30 17/17 Rice (NBC) Sept. 6 16/15 Michigan (NBC) Sept. 13 11/11 vs. Purdue (NBC) Sept. 27 8/8 vs. Syracuse (ABC) Oct. 4 9/8 (14/13) Stanford (NBC) Oct. 11 6/5 North Carolina (NBC) Oct. 18 5/5 at (2/2) Florida State (ABC) Nov. 1 6/7 vs. Navy (CBS) Nov. 8 8/8 at (11/12) Arizona State (ABC) Nov. 15 15/16 Northwestern (NBC) Nov. 22 RV/RV (RV/RV) Louisville (NBC) Nov. 29 NR/RV at (RV/RV) USC (FOX) Dec. 30 NR/NR vs. (22/23) LSU (ESPN) * Rankings are Associated Press/Amway Coaches polls
Location Notre Dame, Ind. Notre Dame, Ind. Indianapolis, Ind. East Rutherford, N.J. Notre Dame, Ind. Notre Dame, Ind. Tallahassee, Fla. Landover, Md. Tempe, Ariz. Notre Dame, Ind. Notre Dame, Ind. Los Angeles, Calif. Nashville, Tenn.
Time/Score W, 48-17 W, 31-0 W, 30-14 W, 31-15 W, 17-14 W, 50-43 L, 27-31 W, 49-39 L, 31-55 L, 40-43 OT L, 28-31 L, 14-49 3 p.m. EST
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
WHAT TO WATCH FOR u Notre Dame's only previous appearance in Nashville came in 1996 when the Irish defeated Vanderbilt, 14-7, in a season-opening Thursday night game on the Commodores' campus. u Notre Dame bowl games garnered record television ratings at the Sugar Bowl (28.8 on NBC in 1973 vs. Alabama), the Hawaii Bowl (3.7 on ESPN in 2008 vs. Hawai'i), the Independence Bowl (4.5 on ESPN in 1997 vs. LSU) and the Pinstripe Bowl (3.2 on ESPN in 2013) .
2014 Notre Dame Schedule NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
SERIES INFO u Notre Dame and LSU have split their 10 previous meetings (5-5). u This is the third meeting between the Irish and Tigers in a bowl game and the first outside of Louisiana. LSU beat Notre Dame in both the 1997 Independence Bowl and the 2007 Sugar Bowl.
The number in front of the opponent name indicates Notre Dame’s ranking in the AP poll coming into the game. The number following the opponent name indicates its ranking.
BOWL HISTORY
POLLS u Notre Dame did not receive any votes in the final regular-season Associated Press or Amway Coaches' polls. LSU is ranked No. 22 by the AP, No. 23 by the coaches and No. 23 by the College Football Playoff. The Tigers will be the fourth ranked team the Irish have faced in 2014.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
WEB SITES, SOCIAL MEDIA u Notre Dame (UND.com...@NDFootball), LSU (LSUSports.net...@LSUfball)
COACHES & STAFF
TICKETS u Tickets for the game can be purchased at either UND.com or MusicCityBowl.com. More information is available either online, or by calling the Notre Dame athletic ticket office at (574) 631-7356. u Notre Dame has played in front of sellout crowds in 274 of its previous 322 games (.851) overall. The Irish have played before 645 sellouts in 923 total games (.699) since 1930. Notre Dame has sold out each of its last 243 home games and 291 of its last 292 overall. u Each of the 10 previous games between Notre Dame and LSU has attracted a sellout.
Bowl - Opponent Result 1925 Rose - Stanford..........................W, 27-10 1970 Cotton - (9) Texas (1)....................L, 17-21 1971 Cotton - (6) Texas (1)..................W, 24-11 1973 Orange - (12) Nebraska (9)............L, 6-40 1973 Sugar - (3) Alabama (1)..............W, 24-23 1975 Orange - (9) Alabama (2)............W, 13-11 1976 Gator - (15) Penn State (20).........W, 20-9 1978 Cotton - (5) Texas (1)..................W, 38-10 1979 Cotton - (10) Houston (9)............W, 35-34 1981 Sugar - (7) Georgia (1)..................L, 10-17 1983 Liberty - Boston College (13).....W, 19-18 1984 Aloha - (17) SMU (10)..................L, 20-27 1988 Cotton - (12) Texas A&M (13)......L, 10-35 1989 Fiesta - (1) West Virginia (3)......W, 34-21 1990 Orange - (4) Colorado (1)..............W, 21-6 1991 Orange - (5) Colorado (1)................L, 9-10 1992 Sugar - (18) Florida (3)...............W, 39-28 1993 Cotton - (5) Texas A&M (4)..........W, 28-3 1994 Cotton - (4) Texas A&M (7)........W, 24-21 1995 Fiesta - Colorado (4).....................L, 24-41 1996 Orange - (6) FSU (8)......................L, 26-31 1997 Independence - LSU (15)................L, 9-27 1999 Gator - (17) Georgia Tech (12).....L, 28-35 2001 Fiesta - (10) Oregon State (5)........L, 9-41 2003 Gator - (11) NC State (17)..............L, 6-28 2004 Insight - Oregon State.................L, 21-38 2006 Fiesta - (5) Ohio State (4).............L, 20-34 2007 Sugar - (11) LSU (4)......................L, 14-41 2008 Hawai'i - Hawai'i.......................W, 49-21 2010 Sun - Miami (Fla.).......................W, 33-17 2011 Champs Sports - FSU (25)............L, 14-18 2013 BCS NCG - (1) Alabama (2)..........L, 14-42 2014 Pinstripe - (25) Rutgers..............W, 29-16 All-Record 16-17
THE FIGHTING IRISH
RADIO u IMG College Sports is the exclusive national rights holder for Irish football radio broadcasts. IMG College manages, produces and syndicates the Irish national football radio network. Notre Dame games are broadcast on up to 117 affiliates by Don Criqui (play by play), former Irish great Allen Pinkett (analysis) and Jeff Jeffers (sideline). This broadcast can be heard live on SiriusXM Satellite Radio (channel 129). u The broadcast will be preceded by a one hour pre-game show hosted by Tony Castricone with Criqui, Pinkett and interviews conducted by Jack Nolan. u The Music City Bowl can be heard on 890 WLS-AM in Chicago, 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend, and 94.9 The Game 2 in Nashville, along with most other regular-season Notre Dame IMG Sports Network affiliates. u ESPN Radio will also air a national broadcast of the game with Mark Neely (play by play), David Diaz-Infante (color) and Dawn Davenport (sideline).
Bowl Results
GAME NOTES
u Notre Dame's appearance in the Franklin American Mortage Company Music City Bowl will be the 34th bowl appearance in school history. u Notre Dame owns a 16-17 mark in postseason play. The Music City is the 16th different bowl game to play host to the Irish. u Brian Kelly becomes the first coach in Notre Dame history to take teams to bowl games in each of his first five seasons. u Notre Dame was one of seven schools that played in each of the four previously known BCS bowls (Fiesta, Orange, Rose, Sugar), as well as the BCS National Championship Game. u Notre Dame has played 22 of its 33 previous bowl games in one of the six games that now comprise the College Football Playoff, including its 2013 BCS National Championship Game appearance, hosted by the Orange Bowl u This marks the eighth time Notre Dame has faced an SEC opponent in a bowl game -- following three meetings with Alabama (1973 Sugar, 1975 Orange and 2013 BCS title game), two with LSU (1997 Independence and 2007 Sugar) and one each against Georgia (1981 Sugar) and Florida (1992 Sugar). u The Irish are 3-4 in previous bowl matchups with current SEC teams -- with victories over top-rated and unbeaten Alabama teams in both 1973 and 1975 and over third-rated Florida in 1992. Notre Dame has played three times in bowl games against active SEC member Texas A&M, but all three of those matchups came when the Aggies were members of the Southwest Conference. u Notre Dame made its first bowl appearance in 1925 when Knute Rockne and the Four Horsemen beat Stanford in the Rose Bowl to secure the program's first consensus national championship. u Due to school policy, the Irish did not appear in another bowl game until the 1970 Cotton Bowl. u Some of the most memorable moments in Notre Dame history have occurred in bowl games, including national championship clinching victories at the 1973 Sugar Bowl (24-23 over No. 1 Alabama), 1978 Cotton Bowl (38-10 over No. 1 Texas) and 1989 Fiesta Bowl (34-21 over No. 3 West Virginia). u Notre Dame denied Colorado and Texas A&M shots at national titles in the 1990 Orange Bowl and 1993 Cotton Bowl, respectively. u Irish bowl games drew record crowds at Sun Life Stadium (80,120 for the 2013 BCS Championship Game vs. Alabama), the Sugar Bowl (85,161 in 1973 vs. Alabama), the Champs Sports Bowl (68,305 in 2011 vs. Florida State, tops among games played at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium), the Sun Bowl (54,021 in 2010 vs. Miami), the Hawai'i Bowl (43,487 in 2008 vs. Hawaii), the Insight Bowl (45,971 in 2004 vs. Oregon State, tops among games at Chase Field), the Independence Bowl (50,459 in 1997 vs. LSU) and the Pinstripe Bowl (47,122 in 2013 vs. Rutgers).
Leigh Torbin
Notre Dame vs. No. 22/23 LSU
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Media Relations u Michael Bertsch u mbertsc1@nd.edu u 574-532-4154 u
3 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 3
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Game Notes Notre Dame vs. LSU Series History Series Tied 5-5 At Notre Dame: Notre Dame leads 3-1 Neutral Sites: LSU leads 2-0 Longest Winning Streak: 2 (1981-84) Largest Victory: 18, twice, last in 1997
At Baton Rouge: Series tied 2-2 Bowl Games: LSU leads 2-0 Longest Losing Streak: 2 (1985-86) Largest Defeat: 27 (14-41), 2007 Sugar Bowl
Site Year Rank W/L/T ND LSU * 1970 2-7 W 3 0 1971 7-14 L 8 28 * 1981 4- W 27 9 1984 -6 W 30 22 * 1985 -17 L 7 10
Site Year Rank W/L/T ND LSU 1986 -8 L 19 21 1997 -11 W 24 6 IB 1997 -15 L 9 27 * 1998 10- W 39 36 SB 2006 11-4 L 14 41
IB – Independence Bowl (Independence Stadium; Shreveport, La.) SB – Sugar Bowl (Louisiana Superdome; New Orleans, La.) 2014 LSU Schedule/Results (8-4, 4-4 SEC) Aug. 30 vs. No. 14/19 Wisconsin Sept. 6 Sam Houston State Sept. 13 UL-Monroe Sept. 20 Mississippi St.* Sept. 27 New Mexico State Oct. 4 at No. 5/5 Auburn* Oct. 11 at Florida* Oct. 18 Kentucky* Oct. 25 No. 3/3 Ole Miss* Nov. 8 No. 5/4 Alabama* Nov. 15 at Arkansas* Nov. 27 at Texas A&M* Dec. 30 vs. Notre Dame * Denotes Southeastern Conference games
Houston, Texas Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge, La. Auburn, Ala. Gainesville, Fla. Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge, La. Baton Rouge, La. Fayetteville, Ark. College Station, Texas Nashville, Tenn.
W, 28-24 W, 56-0 W, 31-0 L, 29-34 W, 63-7 L, 7-41 W, 30-27 W, 41-3 W, 10-7 L, 13-20 (OT) L, 0-17 W, 23-17 3:00 p.m. EST
Head-to-Head Statistical Comparison NOTRE DAME # NCAA Category 33.0 39th Scoring Offense vs. 444.6 35th Total Offense vs. 150.8 81st Rushing Offense vs. 293.8 16th Passing Offense vs. 142.52 34th Passing Efficiency Off. vs. 29.3 82nd Scoring Defense vs. 401.5 69th Total Defense vs. 161.7 62nd Rushing Defense vs. 239.8 83rd Passing Defense vs. 131.42 82nd Passing Efficiency Def. vs. 37.83 53rd Net Punting vs. 9.33 43rd Punt Returns vs. 4.88 34th Punt Return Defense vs. 20.93 60th Kickoff Returns vs. 20.33 53rd Kickoff Return Defense vs. -0.33 89th Turnover Margin vs. 3.40 71st Sacks vs. 2.33 85th Sacks Allowed vs. 45.7 29th 3rd Down Conversion % vs. 40.7 71st 3rd Down % Defense vs. 80.7 78th Red-Zone Offense vs. 85.4 87th Red-Zone Defense vs.
LSU Category NCAA # Scoring Defense 3rd 16.4 Total Defense 8th 305.8 Rushing Defense 38th 143.5 Passing Defense 4th 162.3 Passing Efficiency Def. 1st 98.70 Scoring Offense 73rd 27.6 Total Offense 77th 383.4 Rushing Offense 27th 219.5 Passing Offense 114th 163.9 Passing Efficiency Off. 68th 126.35 Net Punting 7th 41.29 Punt Return Defense 99th 10.16 Punt Returns 26th 10.84 Kickoff Return Defense 48th 20.24 Kickoff Returns 14th 23.92 Turnover Margin 38th 0.33 Sacks Allowed 49th 1.92 Sacks 97th 1.58 3rd Down % Defense 15th 33.3 3rd Down Conversion % 72nd 39.3 Red-Zone Defense 31st 77.8 Red-Zone Offense 83rd 80.0
NOTRE DAME - LSU SERIES HISTORY u Notre Dame and LSU have played to a 5-5 stalemate in their 10 previous meetings. The Irish lead the series, 3-1, at Notre Dame. The teams are knotted, 2-2, in Baton Rouge while the Irish trail the Tigers, 0-2, at neutral sites (both were bowl games). u Of the 26 schools that Notre Dame has faced at least 10 times in its illustrious history, LSU is one of only four with a 500 record or better versus the Irish. Notre Dame is 17-24-1 against Michigan, 7-8-1 against Nebraska, 9-9-1 against Penn State and 5-5-0 against LSU. u Not surprisingly for a tied series, neither team has won more than two games in a row. Notre Dame won consecutive meetings in 1981 and 1984, while the Tigers claimed back-to-back wins in 1985 and 1986. u The Irish and Tigers are meeting for the third time in a bowl game and for the first time in a bowl game played outside of Louisiana. LSU downed the Irish in both the 1997 Independence Bowl and the 2007 Sugar Bowl. u Including the Music City Bowl, at least one of the two teams has been ranked for each of the 11 games played between Notre Dame and LSU. On three occasions (1970, 1971, 2007 Sugar Bowl), both teams were ranked. The higher-ranked team is 7-3 in the series with the last upset being unranked Notre Dame's 24-6 win over No. 11 LSU in Baton Rouge on Nov. 15, 1997. u The two teams met for the first time on Nov. 21, 1970, at Notre Dame with the No. 2 Irish beating the No. 7 Tigers, 3-0, on a 24-yard field goal by Scott Hempel with 2:54 left to play. u The No. 14 Tigers claimed their first win in the series a year later. LSU registered a 28-8 victory over the No. 7 Irish on Nov. 20, 1971, at Tiger Stadium. u The two teams did not meet again until 1981 when the No. 4 Irish downed the Tigers, 27-9, on Sept. 12 in Gerry Faust's first game as head coach. u For three consecutive years (1984-86) the teams faced off, splitting a pair of games in Baton Rouge (a 1984 Irish win and a 1986 Tiger win) while LSU claimed a 10-7 victory at Notre Dame on Nov. 23, 1985. u Notre Dame and LSU reunited for a home-and-home series in 1997 and 1998 with the Irish claiming victories both years. u When Notre Dame and LSU met in the 1997 Independence Bowl six weeks after their regular season contest, it marked just the fourth rematch game in Notre Dame history, joining dual contests against Michigan in 1888, Albion in 1894 and the South Bend Athletic Club in 1901. NOTRE DAME - LSU CONNECTIONS u Notre Dame’s roster does not feature any players from Louisiana, while LSU’s roster does not have a player from either Indiana or Michiana. The Tigers do boast two players from the Chicagoland area in LB Clifton Garrett (Joliet / Planfield South H.S.) and C/OL Ethan Pocic (Lemont / Lemont Township H.S.). u Several notable former Notre Dame players have called the Pelican State home. Joe Heap (Abita Springs) became a three-time first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American from 1952-54. The New York Giants chose Heap in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1955 National Football League Draft. Michael Stonebreaker (River Ridge) earned two consensus All-America honors at linebacker, ranking second on the 1988 national championship team with 104 tackles. Al Ecuyer (New Orleans) picked up consensus All-America recognition in 1957, tying for the team lead with 88 tackles. John Petitbon (New Orleans) played safety for the Irish and won a championship at both the collegiate and professional levels, playing on Notre Dame's 1949 title winner along with the 1955 NFL champion Cleveland Browns. More recently, Arnaz Battle (Shreveport) started at quarterback and wide receiver during his time at Notre Dame from 1998-2002 before moving onto a nine-year NFL career as a wide receiver for San Francisco and Pittsburgh. u Notre Dame CB Cody Riggs enrolled at the University this summer after earning his bachelor's degree from Florida. He started for the Gators against LSU in 2011 and 2013, while also playing against the Tigers in 2010 in a reserve role. He made six tackles, including half of a tackle for loss, in the 2013 matchup at Tiger Stadium and one solo tackle in the 2011 tussle. u Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston played linebacker at Michigan from 1993-94, while LSU head coach Les Miles served as the Wolverines' offensive line coach and LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron served as Michigan's quarterbacks and wide receivers coach (1993 only). u Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder served as Auburn's defensive coordinator in 2012, while LSU offensive line coach Jeff Grimes worked as the offensive line coach at Auburn. u Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand served as the Chicago Bears' offensive line coach in 2007-08, while LSU defensive line coach Brick Haley coached the Bears' defensive line. u LSU baseball head coach Paul Manieri served as Notre Dame's head coach from 1995-2006, guiding the Irish to a 533-213-3 (.714) record, nine NCAA Championship appearances and a spot in the 2002 College World Series. u Former LSU football head coach Gerry DiNardo (1995-99) earned consensus All-America honors at guard for the Irish in 1974, also playing for the 1973 national championship team. DiNardo went 1-2 vs. Notre Dame as head coach at LSU.
4 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 4
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Game Notes
LSU Trey Lealaimatafao, DT Maquedius Bain, DT Kyle Pfau, K Grant Harmon, OL Reid Ferguson, SNP Vadal Alexander, OG Justin Mikush, OL
INDIVIDUAL Rushing Yards Allen Pinkett, 40-162, 2 TD; 10.27.1984 Passing Yards Jarious Jackson, 13-21-276, 2 TD; 11.21.1998 Receptions Jeff Samardzija, 8-59, 1 TD; 1.3.2007 Receiving Yards Raki Nelson, 4-78, 1 TD; 11.21.1998 Points Kicking John Carney, 12 (3 XP, 3 FG); 10.27.1984
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Kickoff Return Yards Tim Brown, 2-118, 1 TD; 11.22.1986 Punt Return Yards Joe Howard, 4-37; 10.27.1984
COACHES & STAFF
NOTRE DAME - NASHVILLE CONNECTIONS u Notre Dame’s roster features one player from Tennessee, freshman OL Alex Bars (Nashville / Montgomery Bell Academy). u The most prominent former Notre Dame player from middle Tennessee is 2009 Biletnikoff Award winner WR Golden Tate (2007-09). Hailing from Hendersonville and Pope John Paul II High School, Tate caught 93 passes in 2009 for a school record 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns. A second round pick by Seattle in the 2010 NFL Draft, Tate helped the Seahawks to their Super Bowl XLVIII title in February. He signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions this summer and (as of Dec. 15), ranks seventh in the NFL with 1,224 receiving yards in 2014. u Tennessee Titans G/C Eric Olsen played for the Irish from 2006-09, starting the final 31 games of his career. Former Oilers/Titans from Notre Dame who have played for the franchise after its 1998 relocation to Nashville include: LB Rocky Boiman (2002-05), WR David Givens (2006-07) and P/K Craig Hentrich (1998-2009). u The only radio play by play voice in Nashville Predators history, Pete Weber, is a graduate of Notre Dame. Former Irish skater Mark Van Guilder made his NHL debut in 2014 with the Predators and currently plays for the team's top minor league affiliate in Milwaukee. u The Music City Bowl will be Notre Dame's second appearance all-time in middle Tennessee and the city of Nashville. The No. 6 Irish opened the 1996 season, the last for Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, with a 14-7 win over Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt Stadium on Thursday night, Sept. 5. u The Irish football team will be the second program from Notre Dame to spend its 2014 postseason in Nashville. The women's basketball team ventured to Music City USA in April for the NCAA Final Four, defeating Maryland in the semifinals before losing to Connecticut in the championship game.
Top Notre Dame Performances vs. LSU
GAME NOTES
Notre Dame High School/Hometown Corey Robinson, WR San Antonio, Texas Cody Riggs, CB Fort Lauderdale, Florida Tyler Price, S Spring, Texas Montgomery VanGorder, QB Buford H.S. and Buford, Georgia Nicky Baratti, S Klein Oak H.S. and Tomball, Texas
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Several players from LSU and Notre Dame either attended the same high school or hail from the same hometown.
Touchdowns Allen Pinkett, 2 TD (2 rushing); 10.27.1984 Clement Strokes, 2 TD (2 rushing); 11.15.1997
NOTRE DAME VS. THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE u Notre Dame is 26-18-0 (.591) against the current members of the Southeastern Conference. u The 10 meetings with LSU are the most for Notre Dame against any SEC foe, followed by the eight-game series against Tennessee. u Of the 10 SEC schools it has faced, Notre Dame claims a .500 or better winning percentage against all but Georgia (0-1). u Notre Dame has yet to face four SEC schools (Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Mississippi State). There are only five schools in the other four "Power 5" conferences combined that have yet to face Notre Dame - Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12 Conference's Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. u The 44 meetings between the Irish and SEC schools rank fourth-most of any conference in Notre Dame lore, trailing the Big Ten (386), ACC (195) and Pacific-12 (150). The Mountain West ranks fifth with 35, followed closely by the Big 12 with 34. u The Music City Bowl will be Notre Dame's 11th bowl game against a current SEC team. The Irish have posted a 5-5 (.500) record against the SEC in bowl games, playing Alabama (2-1), Florida (1-0), Georgia (0-1), LSU (0-2) and Texas A&M (2-1). The meetings with the Aggies, though, took place when Texas A&M was a member of the Southwest Conference. u The Irish are facing an SEC team for the first time since losing to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7, 2013. u Notre Dame has not faced an SEC team during the regular season since Nov. 5, 2005, when No. 8 Notre Dame defeated Tennessee, 41-21, at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish have a pair of future home-and-home series scheduled against SEC teams, facing Georgia (2017 and 2019) and Texas A&M (2024 and 2025).
Tackles Bobbie Howard, 16 tackles; 11.21.1998
Notre Dame vs. Southeastern Conference Home Away Neutral Overall Won Lost Tied Pct. Won Lost Tied Pct. Won Lost Tied Pct. Won Lost Tied Pct. Alabama 2 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 .000 3 2 0 .600 5 2 0 .714 Arkansas 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 Auburn 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 Florida 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 1 0 0 1.000 1 0 0 1.000 Georgia 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 .000 0 1 0 .000 Kentucky 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 LSU 3 1 0 .750 2 2 0 .500 0 2 0 .000 5 5 0 .500 Mississippi 1 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 1 0 .000 1 1 0 .500 Mississippi State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 Missouri 0 2 0 .000 2 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 .000 2 2 0 .500 South Carolina 1 1 0 .500 2 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 .000 3 1 0 .750 Tennessee 2 2 0 .500 2 2 0 .500 0 0 0 .000 4 4 0 .500 Texas A&M 1 0 0 1.000 0 1 0 .000 2 1 0 .667 3 2 0 .600 Vanderbilt 1 0 0 1.000 1 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 .000 2 0 0 1.000 TOTALS 11 6 0 .647 9 5 0 .643 6 7 0 .462 26 18 0 .591
Points Allowed 41 (L, 14-41); 2007 at New Orleans
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Interceptions Stacey Toran, 2-3; 9.12.1981 A'Jani Sanders, 2-26; 11.15.1997 TEAM Points Scored 39 (W, 39-36); 1998 at Notre Dame
BOWL HISTORY
Points Scored (quarter) 17 (W, 24-6); 1997 (first) at Baton Rouge Points Scored (half) 25 (W, 39-36); 1998 (second) at Notre Dame
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Points Allowed (quarter) 14 (L, 19-21); 1986 (first) at Baton Rouge 14 (L, 9-27); 1997 (fourth) at Shreveport 14 (W, 39-36); 1998 (second) at Notre Dame 14 (L, 14-41); 2007 (first) at New Orleans
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Points Allowed (half) 24 (L, 9-27); 1997 (second) at Shreveport
5 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 5
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Game Notes 2014 Notre Dame Honors/Awards Kyle Brindza, Sr., K Lou Groza Watch List Senior Bowl Watch List FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.2.2014) FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.8.2014) FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.15.2014) College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week (9.15.2014) FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.29.2014) College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week Honorable Mention (9.29.2014) FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (10.20.2014) College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week Honorable Mention (10.20.2014) College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week Honorable Mention (11.10.2014) Amir Carlisle, Sr., WR College Football Performance Awards National All-Purpose Performer of the Week Honorable Mention (11.10.2014) Sheldon Day, Jr., DL Outland Trophy Watch List Matthias Farley, Sr., S College Sports Madness Independent Def. Player of the Week (9.29.2014) Tarean Folston, So., RB FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.12.2014) College Football Performance Awards National All-Purpose Performer of the Week Honorable Mention (10.13.2014) Will Fuller, So., WR Sports Illustrated Honorable Mention All-American College Sports Madness Independent Off. Player of the Week (10.12.2014) College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Wide Receiver of the Week (11.17.2014) Everett Golson, Sr., QB Maxwell Award Watch List Maxwell Award Semifinalist Davey O'Brien Award Watch List Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist Walter Camp Award Watch List Manning Award Stars of the Week (9.2.2014) Athlon Independent Player of the Week (9.2.2014) College Sports Madness Independent Off. Player of the Week (9.2.2014) Athlon Independent Player of the Week (9.8.2014) Davey O'Brien Award QB of the Week Honorable Mention (9.9.2014) FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (9.29.2014) Athlon Independent Player of the Week (9.29.2014) College Sports Madness Independent Off. Player of the Week (9.29.2014) Davey O'Brien Award QB of the Week Honorable Mention (9.29.2014) FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.6.2014) Davey O'Brien Award Co-QB of the Week (10.21.2014) FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.20.2014) Manning Award Stars of the Week (11.3.2014) FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (11.3.2014) College Sports Madness Independent Off. Player of the Week (11.3.2014) College Football Performance Awards National Quarterback of the Week (11.3.2014) College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Week (11.3.2014) Jarrett Grace, Sr., LB Butkus Award Watch List Jarron Jones, Jr., DL College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Defensive Lineman of the Week (1020.2014) Ben Koyack, Sr., TE Sports Illustrated Midseason First Team All-American Phil Steele Preseason Third Team All-American Athlon Sports Preseason Fourth Team All-American
A VICTORY OVER LSU... u Improves Notre Dame's all-time record to 882-310-42 (.732), the best winning percentage in college football history. u Improves Notre Dame's all-time record in bowl games to 17-17 (.500). u Improves Notre Dame's all-time neutral site record to 120-39-6 (.745). u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record when unranked to 139-106-3 (.567). u Improves Notre Dame's all-time neutral site record when unranked to 21-10-0 (.677). u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record to 149-136-10 (.522) vs. ranked teams. u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time neutral site record to 24-22-3 (.520) vs. ranked teams. u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record when unranked to 31-54-1 (.366) vs. ranked teams. u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time neutral site record when unranked to 5-6 (.455) vs. ranked teams. u Improves Notre Dame's all-time record in the month of December to 23-15-3 (.598). u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record vs. LSU to 6-5 (.545). u Improves Notre Dame's all-time neutral record vs. LSU to 1-2 (.333). u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record vs. ranked LSU to 4-4 (.500). u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record when unranked vs. LSU to 3-3 (.500). u Improves Notre Dame’s all-time record vs. the SEC to 27-18 (.600). u Improves Notre Dame's all-time neutral site record vs. the SEC to 7-7 (.500). u Improves Kelly's record to 216-77-2 (.736) overall. u Improves Kelly's record at Notre Dame to 45-20 (.692). u Improves Kelly's record to 98-42 (.700) in FBS games. u Improves Kelly's record to 88-30 (.746) since 2006. u Improves Kelly's record to 139-44 (.760) since 2001. u Improves Kelly's record to 1-0 (1.000) all-time vs. LSU. u Improves Kelly's record to 1-2 (.333) against the SEC. A LOSS TO LSU... u Drops Notre Dame's all-time record to 881-311-42 (.731), the best winning percentage in college football history. u Drops Notre Dame's all-time record in bowl games to 16-18 (.471). u Drops Notre Dame's all-time neutral site record to 119-40-6 (.739). u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record when unranked to 138-107-3 (.563). u Drops Notre Dame's all-time neutral site record when unranked to 20-11-0 (.645). u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record to 148-137-10 (.519) vs. ranked teams. u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time neutral site record to 23-23-3 (.500) vs. ranked teams. u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record when unranked to 30-55-1 (.355) vs. ranked teams. u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time neutral site record when unranked to 4-7 (.364) vs. ranked teams. u Drops Notre Dame's all-time record in the month of December to 22-16-3 (.573). u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record vs. LSU to 5-6 (.455). u Drops Notre Dame's all-time neutral record vs. LSU to 0-3 (.000). u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record vs. ranked LSU to 3-5 (.375). u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record when unranked vs. LSU to 2-4 (.333). u Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record vs. the SEC to 26-19 (.578). u Drops Notre Dame's all-time neutral site record vs. the SEC to 6-8 (.429). u Drops Kelly's record to 215-78-2 (.735) overall. u Drops Kelly's record at Notre Dame to 44-21 (.677). u Drops Kelly's record to 97-43 (.693) in FBS games. u Drops Kelly's record to 87-31 (.737) since 2006. u Drops Kelly's record to 138-45 (.754) since 2001. u Drops Kelly's record to 0-1 (.000) all-time vs. LSU. u Drops Kelly's record to 0-3 (.000) against the SEC. ON THIS DATE u Notre Dame has never played on Dec. 30. u The Music City Bowl will close a gap between Dec. 27 and Jan. 3 where Dec. 30 is the only date the Irish have not played. u This will mark the 11th time that Notre Dame has played its bowl game in December. The Irish are 6-4 all-time in December bowl games. IRISH IN NFL STADIUMS u LP Field will be the fourth different active National Football League stadium to play host to Notre Dame in 2014. The Irish are 3-0 in NFL stadiums this year, defeating Purdue (Sept. 13) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, beating Syracuse (Sept. 27) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and downing Navy (Nov. 1) at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. u In fact, the Music City Bowl is the fourth of six games the Irish will play in a current or former NFL stadium this year. In addition to the four current facilities, Notre Dame faced Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium (former home of the Arizona Cardinals) on Nov. 8, and USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (former home of the Los Angeles Raiders and Rams) on Nov. 29. u LP Field will be the 11th different current NFL stadium in which the Irish have played. This roll will swell to 12 on Oct. 31, 2015, when Notre Dame faces Temple at the Philadelphia Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field.
6 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 6
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Game Notes
Site Honolulu, Hawaii
Opponent Fresno State
Date, Time (ET) Dec. 24, 8 p.m.
Dec. 30, 10 p.m. Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 1, 5 p.m. Dec. 23, 9:30 p.m. Dec. 27, 2 p.m.
Charlotte, N.C. San Diego, Calif. Nashville, Tenn.
No. 13/13 Georgia Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m. No. 25/22 Nebraska Dec. 27, 8 p.m. Notre Dame Dec. 30, 3 p.m.
ONLY THE BIG BOYS u Notre Dame is one of just three NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision programs to have not faced a non-FBS opponent since the current setup was established in 1978. The two other remaining schools that have yet to play a non-FBS opponent are USC and UCLA.
Romeo Okwara, Jr., DL FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (9.15.2014) Cody Riggs, Gr., CB Senior Bowl Watch List Corey Robinson, So., WR Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team KeiVarae Russell, Jr., CB Athlon Sports Preseason Fourth Team All-American Phil Steele Preseason Fourth Team All-American Bednarik Award Watch List Nagurski Trophy Watch List Joe Schmidt, Sr., LB Notre Dame Monogram Club MVP AFCA Good Works Team Nominee College Sports Madness Independent Def. Player of the Week (9.15.2014) FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.12.2014) College Sports Madness Independent Def. Player of the Week (10.12.2014) College Sports Madness Independent Def. Player of the Week (10.19.2014) Elijah Shumate, Jr., S College Sports Madness Independent Def. Player of the Week (9.8.2014) FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (9.8.2014) Jim Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week Honorable Mention (9.10.2014) Jaylon Smith, So., LB Associated Press Second-Team All-American Sports Illustrated Midseason Second Team All-American Sports Illustrated Preseason Second Team All-American CBSSports.com Preseason Second Team All-American Athlon Sports Preseason Third Team All-American Phil Steele Preseason Third Team All-American Bednarik Award Watch List Bednarik Award Semifinalist Butkus Award Watch List Butkus Award Semifinalist Butkus Award Finalist Lombardi Award Watch List Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List Nagurski Trophy Watch List Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (9.9.2014) Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week Candidate (9.29.2014) Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (10.7.2014)
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
NOTRE DAME FACING ACADEMIC POWERS TOO u Notre Dame is tied for No. 16 in the latest U.S. News & World Report national university rankings. u During the 2014 season alone, the Irish faced four of the other nine FBS schools that rank in the top 25 (t-No. 4 Stanford, No. 13 Northwestern, No. 19 Rice and t-No. 25 USC). u Between now and 2016, Notre Dame will face six of the nine other FBS schools on the prestigious list, also squaring off with No. 8 Duke (2016) and t-No. 23 Virginia (2015). Notre Dame is not scheduled to face either t-No. 16 Vanderbilt, No. 20 California or t-No. 23 UCLA during the next three years. The remaining top 25 schools play football at a lower level, if at all.
Cam McDaniel, Sr., RB NFF Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Maryland Rutgers No. 3/3 Oregon San Diego State RV/RV Duke
Kyle McCarthy, Graduate Assistant Coach FWAA Courage Award Nominee
BOWL HISTORY
Santa Clara, Calif. Detroit, Mich. Pasadena, Calif. San Diego, Calif. El Paso, Texas
Nick Martin, Sr., C Lombardi Award Watch List Rimington Trophy Watch List
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Bowl Game Hawai'i Bowl Season Completed Season Completed Season Completed Foster Farms Bowl Quick Lane Bowl Rose Bowl Poinsettia Bowl Sun Bowl Season Completed Belk Bowl Holiday Bowl Music City Bowl
Cole Luke, So., CB Athlon National Defensive Player of the Week (10.5.2014) FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.6.2014) College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Defensive Back of the Week (10.6.2014) College Sports Madness Independent Def. Player of the Week (10.6.2014) Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week Honorable Mention (10.8.2014)
COACHES & STAFF
Record 7-5 5-7 3-9 3-9 7-5 6-6 13-0 7-5 9-3 5-7 9-3 8-4 8-4
Ben Koyack, Sr., TE (cont.) Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Mackey Award Midseason Watch List Mackey Award Semifinalist Senior Bowl Watch List College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Tight End of the Week (10.6.2014) Mackey Tight End of the Week Honorable Mention (10.8.2014) College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Tight End of the Week (11.3.2014)
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Opponent Rice Michigan vs. Purdue vs. Syracuse RV/RV Stanford North Carolina at No. 2/2 Florida State vs. Navy at No. 15/16 Arizona State Northwestern No. 20/20 Louisville at No. 24/RV USC No. 22/23 LSU
2014 Notre Dame Honors/Awards
GAME NOTES
2014 NOTRE DAME OPPONENT UPDATE u Notre Dame regularly has played one of the toughest schedules in the country. LSU enters the Music City Bowl ranked No. 22/23 and will be the fourth ranked foe in 2014 for the Irish: No. 14/13 Stanford (Oct. 4), No. 2/2 Florida State (Oct. 18) and No. 11/12 Arizona State (Nov. 8). Louisville, unranked when facing the Irish, is ranked No. 20/20, while USC, also unranked at game time, holds the No. 24 spot by the Associated Press. u Although not currently ranked, North Carolina held a place in the top 25 earlier this year, giving the Irish seven opponents in all which have been ranked in 2014. u Three more Irish opponents, Michigan, Northwestern and Navy, received poll votes earlier this year, giving Notre Dame poll vote representation from 10 of its 13 opponents in 2014. u The slate is even more difficult when you consider that only one of those four top-25 meetings (Stanford) was a home game. u Nine of Notre Dame's 13 opponents obtained bowl eligibility in 2014. Of the eight teams the Irish faced in October and November, seven will participate in a bowl game, with the exception being 5-7 Northwestern. u The Irish have a long history of playing challenging schedules - with Notre Dame ranking (since the NCAA began this rating in 1977) first in 1978, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1995 and 2010; third in 1986, 1999, 2003; and fourth in 1979, 1990 and 2012 in the NCAA toughest schedule standings. That makes for 12 top-four finishes in that category in the 36 years the NCAA has calculated these numbers. u Notre Dame’s opponent record since 2010 is 477-337 (.586), which ranks as the 13th-best opponent winning percentage in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Only 10 schools have played teams with more combined victories than the Irish (477) over this span. u During the preseason, Phil Steele's College Football Preview judged Notre Dame's 2014 schedule to be the nation's strongest.
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Notre Dame is 23-8-2 (.727) when playing in one of the 31 current NFL stadiums (Soldier Field 10-0-2, Heinz Field 3-2, EverBank Field 1-2, Mercedes-Benz Superdome 1-2, M&T Bank Stadium 2-0, FedEx Field 3-0, AT&T Stadium 1-0, MetLife Stadium 1-1, Sun Life Stadium 0-1, Lucas Oil Stadium 1-0). u Notre Dame has played in at least one active NFL stadium in each of the past seven seasons (since 2007). u Combining Notre Dame's Sept. 13 Shamrock Series game against Purdue at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and its Sept. 27 game against Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, it marked the first time since 1994 that the Irish had played consecutive games in active NFL stadiums. Notre Dame closed that season with a Nov. 26 game against USC in the Raiders' Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and a Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl contest against Colorado in the Arizona Cardinals' Sun Devil Stadium. u The last previous time Notre Dame had played consecutive regular-season games in active NFL stadiums came in 1958. The Irish beat Navy, 40-20, on Nov. 1 at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, then the home of the Colts. A week later, on Nov. 8, Notre Dame lost, 29-26, to Pittsburgh at Pitt Stadium, then the home of the Steelers. u Notre Dame last played a bowl game in an NFL stadium when it faced Alabama on Jan. 7, 2013, in the BCS National Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Irish have not won a bowl game played in an active NFL stadium since beating Florida in the 1992 Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome.
7 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 7
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Game Notes Starter Sheet Offense 2014 Streak Career Lombard (RG/RT) 11 9 31 Stanley (RT/LT) 12 25 25 Martin (C/LG) 12 12 23 Golson (QB) 12 12 23 Koyack (TE) 12 12 19 C. Brown (WR) 10 8 17 Elmer (RG/RT) 12 13 16 Fuller (WR) 12 12 14 Hegarty (C/RG) 10 10 12 Folston (RB) 9 6 11 Daniels (WR) - - 11 Carlisle (WR/RB) 6 2 10 Prosise (WR) 6 - 9 Hanratty (LG/RG) 3 - 7 McDaniel (RB) 3 - 6 Robinson (WR) 2 - 5 Onwualu (WR) - - 4 Defense 2014 Streak Career Russell (CB) - - 26 J. Smith (LB) 12 25 25 Farley (S/OLB) 4 - 23 Day (DL) 10 - 18 Collinsworth (S) 2 - 13 Shumate (S) 9 1 13 Jones (DL) 11 - 12 Okwara (DL) 11 4 12 Rochell (DL) 12 12 12 Luke (CB) 12 12 12 Redfield (S) 10 1 11 Riggs (CB) 10 - 10 Schmidt (LB) 8 - 8 Onwaulu (LB) 7 3 7 Morgan (LB) 3 - 3 Grace (LB) - - 3 Tranquill (S) 3 - 3 Utupo (DL) 3 2 3 Hardy (S) - - 2 Martini (LB) 2 1 2 Butler (CB) 2 1 2 Matuska (DL) 1 1 1 I. Williams (DL) - - 1 Longest Active Streaks J. Smith (LB) Stanley (RT/LT) Elmer (RG/RT)
25 25 13
Most Career Starts Lombard (RG/RT) Russell (CB) Smith (LB)
31 26 25
EIGHT IS GREAT FOR KELLY u Head coach Brian Kelly has won at least eight games in each of his first four seasons with the Irish. u With one more win in 2014, Kelly would become the first Irish coach to win eight games in each of his first five seasons. No Notre Dame head coach has posted five consecutive eight-win seasons since Lou Holtz reached the milestone seven straight years from 1987-93. u Kelly is the first coach in Notre Dame history to lead the Irish to a bowl game in each of his first five seasons. He joins Holtz as the only coaches to guide Notre Dame to bowl berths in five consecutive years at any juncture of their tenures at the school. u Kelly is the second head coach to post an eight-win season in each of his first four years at the Notre Dame helm. Dan Devine began his career with the Irish by posting four straight seasons with at least eight wins from 1975-78. u Kelly, Devine, Ara Parseghian, Frank Leahy and Jesse Harper are the only Irish coaches to start their careers with four straight seasons with as many as seven wins. u With 37 wins through his first four years at Notre Dame (2010-13), Kelly started this season tied with Devine and Holtz for the most combined wins in their first four seasons at Notre Dame. KELLY RANKS AMONG TOP ACTIVE COACHES NATIONALLY u Now in his fifth year at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly has helped the Irish secure a 35-6 record when entering halftime with a lead and a 33-4 mark when leading after three quarters. u Kelly is 179-12 in his coaching career when taking a lead into the fourth quarter and 115-6 since 2001. He owns a 168-16 record when taking a lead into halftime, including a 113-8 mark since 2001. u Each of Kelly's last nine teams has participated in a bowl game, encompassing each of his five Notre Dame teams, each of his three Cincinnati teams, and his final team at Central Michigan (2006). u Each of Kelly's last 10 teams has finished the year with a winning record. u Every team of Kelly's head coaching tenure, except for his first Central Michigan team that went 4-7 in 2004, has finished at .500 or better (23 out of 24 years). u Kelly is 145-29 when scoring first. u Kelly is 171-26-1 when outrushing his opponent. u Kelly is 127-12 when his team wins the turnover battle. u Kelly is 40-16-2 in games decided by three points or less. u Kelly is 61-20 in the month of November, including a 25-8 mark since 2006. u Kelly is 65-7 when his team scores a defensive or special teams touchdown. u Kelly is 136-10 when his team scores 30+ points, including a 78-2 mark with 40+ points. u Kelly is 141-6-1 when his team allows 19 points or less. u Kelly is 156-42-1 coming off a victory. u Kelly-coached teams owned a 57-game winning streak in games where they held their opponents to less than 20 points, which ended in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl loss to Florida State (18-14). Kelly’s previous such loss came on Dec. 8, 2001, when North Dakota edged Grand Valley State, 17-14, in the NCAA Division II title game. u Kelly-coached teams have won 78 of their last 79 games when holding their opponents to less than 20 points. u Since 2001, Brian Kelly has the third-most wins among all active Football Bowl Subdivision coaches: Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Victories, Since 2001) Name, School W L T 1. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 149 38 0 2. Urban Meyer, Ohio State 140 26 0 3. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 138 44 0 4. Mark Richt, Georgia 135 48 0 5. Les Miles, LSU 131 49 0 Nick Saban, Alabama 131 28 0 Gary Patterson, TCU 131 45 0 8. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 130 55 0 9. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech 115 67 0 10. Gary Pinkel, Missouri 112 66 0
Pct. 0.797 0.843 0.758 0.738 0.728 0.824 0.744 0.703 0.632 0.629
Career Starts By Position WR LT LG C RG C. Brown (17) Stanley (12) Martin (9) Martin (14) Elmer (13) Daniels (11) Hanratty (5) Hegarty (11) Lombard (9) Hanratty (2) Hegarty (1)
8
—OFFENSE— RT TE Lombard (22) Koyack (19) Stanley (13) Elmer (3)
—DEFENSE— DL DL DL DL LB LB Okwara (12) Rochell (12) Jones (12) Day (17) Schmidt (8) J. Smith (25) Utupo (3) Matuska (1) Morgan (3) I. Williams (1) * indicates Irish 4-2-5 alignment
WR QB WR RB Prosise (9) Golson (23) Fuller (14) Folston (11) Carlisle (6) Robinson (5) McDaniel (6) Onwualu (4) Carlisle (4)
LB CB S Onwualu (7) Riggs (10) Collinsworth (13) *Farley (5) Butler (2) Shumate (13) Grace (3) Tranquill (3) Martini (2)
S CB Farley (18) Russell (26) Redfield (11) Luke (12) Hardy (2)
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 8
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Game Notes
u Brian Kelly ranks as the seventh-most successful active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision coach in winning percentage since 2007. Kelly's .748 winning percentage is bested only by Urban Meyer of Ohio State (.850), Nick Saban of Alabama (.849), Chris Petersen of Washington (.837), Bob Stoops of Oklahoma (.776), Les Miles of LSU (.771) and Gary Patterson of TCU (.755): Pct. 0.850 0.849 0.837 0.776 0.771 0.755 0.748 0.709 0.708 0.705 0.705
Pts 1486 1450 1439 1307 1277 1276 1143 1079 922 915 903 882 759 676 661 599 566 518 395 381 325 200 173 100 72
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Win Percentage) Name, School Years W L T Pct. 1. Chris Petersen, Washington 9 100 17 0 0.855 2. Urban Meyer, Ohio State 13 140 26 0 0.843 3. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 16 169 43 0 0.797 4. Nick Saban, Alabama 19 177 58 1 0.752 5. Gary Patterson, TCU 15 131 45 0 0.744 6. Mark Richt, Georgia 14 135 48 0 0.738 7. Bobby Petrino, Louisville 10 92 33 0 0.736 8. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 25 215 77 2 0.735 9. Les Miles, LSU 14 131 49 0 0.728 10. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 25 225 85 2 0.724 *Minimum five years as FBS head coach; record at four-year colleges only
Record 12-1 13-0 12-1 12-1 11-1 11-1 10-2 10-2 10-3 9-3 10-3 9-3 9-3 10-3 9-3 9-3 10-3 9-3 8-4 9-3 11-2 9-3 8-4 8-4 8-4
BOWL HISTORY
Pct. 0.659 0.724 0.735 0.624 0.667 0.640 0.752 0.797 0.689 0.608
AMWAY COACHES (Dec. 7) Rk School 1. Alabama (28) 2. Florida State (25) 3. Oregon (7) 4. Ohio State 5. Baylor 6. TCU (1) 7. Michigan State 8. Mississippi State 9. Georgia Tech 10. Kansas State 11. Arizona 12. Ole Miss 13. Georgia 14. Missouri 15. UCLA 16. Arizona State 17. Wisconsin 18. Clemson 19. Auburn 20. Louisville 21. Boise State 22. Nebraska 23. LSU 24. Oklahoma 25. Utah
2014 SEASON REVIEW
T 4 2 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 0
Pts 1452 1436 1426 1265 1262 1257 1105 1070 976 876 875 819 745 663 602 599 542 509 450 406 368 221 134 112 79
Others Receiving Votes Minnesota 58, Oklahoma 46, Marshall 36, Memphis 34, Duke 32, Colorado State 13, Northern Illinois 11, Air Force 7, Cincinnati 5, UCF 4, West Virginia 4, Stanford 1.
u Brian Kelly ranks third and eighth among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision coaches in both victories and winning percentage, respectively. Here is a look at the top 10 winningest active coaches in the FBS (min. six years completed as FBS head coach, record at fouryear colleges only): Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Victories) Name, School Years W L 1. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 34 271 139 2. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 25 225 85 3. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 25 215 77 4. Dennis Franchione, Texas State 30 210 126 5. Bill Snyder, Kansas State 23 187 93 6. Gary Pinkel, Missouri 24 184 103 7. Nick Saban, Alabama 19 177 58 8. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 16 169 43 9. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech 18 164 74 10. Jerry Kill, Minnesota 20 152 98 *Minimum five years as FBS head coach; record at four-year colleges only
Record 12-1 13-0 12-1 11-1 12-1 11-1 10-2 10-2 9-3 10-3 9-3 10-3 9-3 9-3 9-3 10-3 10-3 9-3 8-4 9-3 11-2 8-4 8-4 8-4 9-3
COACHES & STAFF
Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Win Percentage, Since 2007) Name, School W L T 1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State 79 14 0 2. Nick Saban, Alabama 90 16 0 3. Chris Petersen, Washington 87 17 0 4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 83 24 0 5. Les Miles, LSU 81 24 0 6. Gary Patterson, TCU 77 25 0 7. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 77 26 0 8. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 73 30 0 9. Gary Pinkel, Missouri 75 31 0 10. Mark Richt, Georgia 74 31 0 Mark Dantonio, Michigan State 74 31 0
ASSOCIATED PRESS (Dec. 7) Rk School 1. Alabama (27) 2. Florida State (25) 3. Oregon (8) 4. Baylor 5. Ohio State 6. TCU 7. Michigan State 8. Mississippi State 9. Ole Miss 10. Georgia Tech 11. Kansas State 12. Arizona 13. Georgia 14. UCLA 15. Arizona State 16. Missouri 17. Wisconsin 18. Clemson 19. Auburn 20. Louisville 21. Boise State 22. LSU 23. Utah 24. USC 25. Nebraska
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Pct. 0.855 0.777 0.780 0.860 0.850 0.765 0.744 0.724 0.703 0.692 0.716
National Rankings
GAME NOTES
Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Victories, Since 2006) Name, School W L T 1. Chris Petersen, Washington 100 17 0 2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 94 27 0 3. Les Miles, LSU 92 26 0 Urban Meyer, Ohio State 92 15 0 5. Nick Saban, Alabama 91 16 0 6. Gary Patterson, TCU 88 27 0 7. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 87 30 0 8. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 84 32 0 9. Mark Richt, Georgia 83 35 0 Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 83 37 0 Gary Pinkel, Missouri 83 33 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Since 2006, Brian Kelly boasts the seventh-most wins of any active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision coach. Kelly has won 87 contests (87-30) over that span. The only coaches ahead of Kelly during that time are Chris Petersen of Washington (100), Bob Stoops of Oklahoma (94), Les Miles of LSU (92), Urban Meyer of Ohio State (92), Nick Saban of Alabama (91) and Gary Patterson of TCU (88).
Others Receiving Votes Minnesota 71, USC 59, Marshall 55, Duke 39, Northern Illinois 29, Memphis 18, Cincinnati 14, Colorado State 9, UCF 8, Stanford 7, Air Force 6, BYU 6.
2014 opponents in bold...first place votes in parentheses
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99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 9
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Game Notes u Among college coaches with at least five years of service or 50 victories at a school that was classified as a major college at the time, Brian Kelly was the 23rd to reach 200 career victories. Here is that list of coaches:
Notre Dame Football By The Numbers .732 - Notre Dame's all-time winning percentage, the highest in college football history. 2 - Notre Dame is one of two teams, college or professional, to have all of its games broadcast on national radio and is the only team to have all of its home games televised nationally (NBC). 6 - College Football Hall of Fame coaches - Jesse Harper, Lou Holtz, Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine. 7 - Heisman Trophy winners: Angelo Bertelli (1943), Johnny Lujack (1947), Leon Hart (1949), John Lattner (1953), Paul Hornung (1956), John Huarte (1964) and Tim Brown (1987). 8 - Notre Dame claimed the 2014 national championship for graduating its student-athletes in all sports – in the process posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (99) for its student-athletes for the eighth straight year. 10 - Representatives in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 11 - Consensus national championships - Since the Associated Press poll began in 1936, only Alabama (nine) has more AP titles than Notre Dame's eight (1943-46-47-49-66-73-77-88). The Irish also earned consensus national titles in 1924, 1929 and 1930 prior to the AP rankings. 12 - Unbeaten and untied seasons. 22 - Seasons in which the team has been voted the national champion by at least one selector. 32 - Unanimous first-team All-Americans -- more than any other school. 34 - Bowl games in which the Irish have taken part. 39 - Irish players that have captured NFL Super Bowl titles. 44 - College Football Hall of Fame players. 65 - Notre Dame players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. 97 - Consensus All-Americans -- more than any other school. 99 - Percent graduation rate among football players who enter on scholarship and remain at least four years. 107 - Out of 126 seasons in which Notre Dame has finished with a winning record (Irish have secured a winning record in 2014). 126 - Seasons of college football (including 2014). 188 - Selections on All-America first teams. 243 - Consecutive sellouts at Notre Dame Stadium. 274 - Consecutive games televised nationally or regionally. 392 - Appearances by the Irish on network television -- more than any other school.
WHEN 200 WINS MILESTONE REACHED Age in Coach (Date Reached Milestone) Yrs.-Days Eddie Anderson (11-14-1964) 64-1 Chris Ault (10-9-2009) 61-336 *Frank Beamer (9-15-2007) 60-331 Bobby Bowden (10-27-1990) 60-353 Mack Brown (11-27-2008) 57-92 Bear Bryant (9-10-1971) 57-364 Vince Dooley (11-26-1988) 56-84 LaVell Edwards (9-24-1994) 64-348 *Dennis Franchione (9-28-2013) 62-185 Hayden Fry (11-20-1993) 64-265 Woody Hayes (11-2-1974) 61-261 Lou Holtz (9-9-1995) 58-243 *Brian Kelly (8-31-2013) 51-310 Jess Neely (9-26-1964) 66-265 Don Nehlen (11-11-2000) 64-314 Tom Osborne (10-7-1993) 56-224 Joe Paterno (9-5-1987) 60-258 Bo Schembechler (10-4-1986) 57-33 *Steve Spurrier (9-15-2012) 67-118 Amos Alonzo Stagg (10-11-1919) 57-56 Jim Sweeney (11-2-1996) 67-62 Jim Tressel (9-15-2007) 54-298 Pop Warner (12-1-1917) 46-240 Warren Woodson (10-13-1973) 70-231 * indicates active coaches
Career Game (Record) 342nd (200-127-15) 295th (200-94-1) 310th (200-106-4) 279th (200-76-3) 301st (200-100-1) 282nd (200-66-16) 286th (200-76-10) 277th (200-74-3) 318th (200-116-2) 361st (200-152-9) 268th (200-60-8) 297th (200-90-7) 270th (200-68-2) 373rd (200-155-18) 335th (200-127-8) 249th (200-46-3) 246th (200-44-2) 262nd (200-55-7) 277th (200-75-2) 294th (200-74-20) 355th (200-151-4) 273rd (200-71-2) 278th (200-67-11) 307th (200-93-14)
Career Yr.-Game 39-8 25-5 27-3 25-7 25-12 27-1 25-11 23-4 28-4 32-11 29-8 26-2 23-1 38-1 30-9 21-5 22-1 24-4 23-3 30-1 32-8 22-3 22-10 31-6
u Among those on the list, Kelly was the second-youngest and fifth-fastest to ever reach 200 career victories. Rank Coach 1. Pop Warner 2. Brian Kelly 3. Jim Tressel 4. Vince Dooley 5. Tom Osborne
Age in Yrs.-Days Rank Coach 46-240 1. Joe Paterno 51-310 2. Tom Osborne 54-298 3. Bo Schembechler 56-84 4. Woody Hayes 56-224 5. Brian Kelly
Career Game (Record at Time) 246 (200-44-2) 249 (200-46-3) 262 (200-55-7) 268 (200-60-8) 270 (200-68-2)
u Brian Kelly (44-20), remarkably, is one of seven Notre Dame head coaches with a winning percentage of .688 or better through their first 64 games as Irish head coach. KELLY WINS IN CYBERSPACE, TOO u Speaking to Notre Dame's deep and global fan base, head coach Brian Kelly's twitter feed @CoachBrianKelly is the fifth-most widely followed of any college football coach. u Including all sports, Kelly's twitter feed is one of only 11 with at least 100,000 followers among college coaches, joining Tennessee's Butch Jones, Ohio State's Urban Meyer, LSU's Les Miles, Georgia's Mark Richt, Arkansas' Bret Bielema and Auburn's Gus Malzahn, plus men's basketball coaches John Calipari of Kentucky, Tom Crean of Indiana, Bill Self of Kansas and Billy Donovan of Florida. Coach (School) 1. Butch Jones (Tennessee) 2. Urban Meyer (Ohio State) 3. Les Miles (LSU) 4. Mark Richt (Georgia) 5. Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) * As of Dec. 15, 2014
Handle Followers* @UTCoachJones 154,630 @OSUCoachMeyer 154,366 @LSUCoachMiles 150,114 @MarkRicht 144,836 @CoachBrianKelly 119,559
485 - Irish players drafted into the National Football League. 874 - All-time wins, tied for second all-time in college football.
10 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 10
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Game Notes
u Out of Kelly's 44 wins as Notre Dame's head coach, 25 (56.8 percent) have come against teams that finished the season with a record better than .500. Since 2010, only four programs have a higher percentage of victories against teams that finished the season with a winning record and only 11 programs have recorded more than Notre Dame's 25 total wins over teams with a final winning record.
Gary Patterson 2010 – TCU – 13-0 2009 – TCU – 12-1 (Lost in Fiesta Bowl)
Rod Carey 2013 – Northern Illinois – 12-2 (Lost in MAC Championship Game and Poinsettia Bowl)
Nick Saban 2009 – Alabama – 14-0 Chris Petersen 2009 – Boise State – 14-0
3-41GameNotes.indd 11
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
IRISH ON A PRETTY GOOD RUN u Since opening the 2011 season with an 0-2 record, Notre Dame has won 36 of its last 49 games—good for a .735 winning percentage. The Irish tie for the 17th-best winning percentage in the nation since Sept. 17, 2011. u Notre Dame boasts a 28-10 record in its 38 outings since the start of the 2012 season. There are only 15 Football Bowl Subdivision teams which can beat that lofty 28-win mark during the past three years and only 14 that eclipse Notre Dame's .737 winning percentage since 2012. u With a win over LSU, the Irish would become one of no more than 12 teams in the nation with at least eight wins in each of the last five seasons (2010-14). Nine schools have already won eight games each of the past five years (Alabama, Boise State, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, * excludes regular season games from GVSU era (unknown TV games). Northern Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon and Wisconsin). San Diego State and Stanford each have seven wins in 2014 and would join this list with Some records fail to include two contests; Nov. 16, 1991 vs. Valparaiso and Oct. 26, 1996 vs. Saginaw Valley State (detailed stats unavailable) a bowl-game victory. u Notre Dame's run of winning eight games in each of the past four seasons (2010-13) is its best clip since winning at least eight games for seven straight years from 1987-93. 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kevin Sumlin 2011 – Houston – 13-1 (Lost in C-USA Championship Game)
BOWL HISTORY
Jimbo Fisher 2014 – Florida State – 13-0 2013 – Florida State – 14-0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Urban Meyer 2013 – Ohio State – 12-2 (Lost in Big Ten Championship Game and Orange Bowl) 2012 – Ohio State – 12-0 2009 – Florida – 13-1 (Lost in SEC Championship Game) Brian Kelly 2012 – Notre Dame – 12-1 (Lost in BCS Championship Game) 2009 – Cincinnati – 12-0 (Did not coach bowl game)
COACHES & STAFF
KELLY'S WINNING WAYS u Eight active FBS coaches have guided their respective schools to an undefeated regular season since 2009. Only four of those eight coaches, including Brian Kelly, have done it on multiple occasions.
Kelly Career Kelly at ND 2014 At Home 116-29-1 23-8 4-2 On The Road 86-43-1 11-9 0-3 Neutral Site Games 13-5 10-3 3-0 In Overtime 6-4 2-2 0-1 Coming off a loss 45-24 11-8 1-3 Coming off a win 156-42-1 32-12 6-2 Coming off an open date 17-2 6-1 2-0 Vs. AP top 25 16-13 8-9 1-2 Both teams are AP-ranked 8-9 4-7 0-2 Neither team is ranked 48-24 16-8 0-2 Ranked higher 45-9 23-6 7-2 Opponent is ranked higher 7-10 4-6 0-1 Vs. In-state Opponents 75-22-2 5-0 1-0 In August 5-2 2-0 1-0 In September 64-30 12-7 3-0 In October 75-21-2 15-4 2-1 In November 61-20 13-7 1-4 In December 10-2 2-1 0-0 In January 0-2 0-1 0-0 On Television 74-28* 44-20 7-5 On NBC 28-8 28-8 5-2 On ABC 11-5 9-5 1-2 On ESPN 10-6 2-4 0-0 On ESPN2 8-2 1-0 0-0 On CBS 3-1 3-1 1-0 On FOX 0-2 0-2 0-1 CBS College Sports 1-0 1-0 0-0 Afternoon Games 143-54-2 25-10 3-4 Night Games 72-23 19-10 4-1 Decided By 3 or Less 40-16-2 7-5 1-2 Decided By 7 or Less 72-33-2 17-10 2-2 Scoring First 145-29 31-11 5-4 Opponent Scores First 68-48-2 13-9 2-1 Leading At Halftime 168-16 35-6 6-2 Tied At Halftime 14-3 3-1 1-0 Trailing At Halftime 31-58-2 6-13 0-3 Leading After 3 Qtrs. 179-12 34-4 4-1 Tied After 3 Qtrs. 11-4-1 3-3 1-1 Trailing After 3 Qtrs. 22-62-1 6-14 1-4 Scoring 40+ Points 78-2 10-1 3-1 Scoring 30-39 Points 58-8 12-4 3-1 Scoring 20-29 Points 57-30-1 15-8 0-2 Scoring 0-19 Points 22-37-1 7-7 1-1 Allowing 40+ Points 7-19 1-5 1-3 Allowing 30-39 Points 15-29 4-8 1-2 Allowing 20-29 Points 52-23-1 4-6 0-0 Allowing 0-19 Points 141-6-1 35-1 5-0 Outrushing Opponent 171-26-1 34-5 5-1 Getting Outrushed 41-49-1 10-15 2-4 Passing For More Yds 143-50-1 30-17 6-4 Passing For Fewer Yds 71-26-1 14-3 1-1 Outgaining Opponent 180-24-1 35-7 6-2 Getting Outgained 33-50-1 9-13 1-3 Winning Time of Poss. 115-26 26-4 4-2 Losing Time of Poss. 98-49-2 18-16 3-3 Scoring a Def./ST TD 65-8 6-4 0-1 Allowing a Def./ST TD 18-26 4-7 2-1 Fewer Penalty Yards 60-37-1 22-12 5-3 More Penalty Yards 146-37-1 21-7 2-2 Winning Turnover Battle 127-12 24-1 3-0 Losing Turnover Battle 53-44-1 12-16 2-3 Individual 100-yard rusher 94-23-1 11-6 1-3 Individual 100-yard receiver 82-27 12-10 2-2 Individual 200-yard passer 144-38-1 30-13 7-4 Opponent 100-yard rusher 39-39-1 7-11 2-3 Opponent 100-yard receiver 62-34 6-9 2-2 Opponent 200-yard passer 81-40-1 14-16 3-4
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Record Pct. 6-1 .857 12-5 .706 28-12 .700 50-26 .658 15-9 .625 55-36 .604 8-6 .571 42-33 .560 16-13 .552 18-15 .545
Notre Dame's Record When...
GAME NOTES
Career Record vs. AP Top 25 Coach School 1. Mark Helfrich Oregon 2. Jimbo Fisher Florida State 3. Urban Meyer Ohio State 4. Bob Stoops Oklahoma 5. David Shaw Stanford 6. Nick Saban Alabama 7. Gus Malzahn Auburn 8. Les Miles LSU 9. Brian Kelly Notre Dame 10. Gary Patterson TCU
MEDIA INFORMATION
KELLY BEATS ELITE TEAMS u Brian Kelly is 16-13 (.552) against Associated Press Top 25 teams as a head coach. u Of the 65 coaches at contract bowl eligible schools, Kelly's career .552 winning percentage ranks ninth among his peers. With a victory over LSU, Kelly would leapfrog Les Miles into eighth.
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Game Notes Notre Dame Probable Starting Lineup OFFENSE Pos. No. Player WR 7 Will Fuller – So. WR 3 Amir Carlisle – Sr. LT 78 Ronnie Stanley – Jr. LG 72 Nick Martin – Jr. C 77 Matt Hegarty – Sr. RG 79 Steve Elmer – So. RT 74 Christian Lombard – Gr. WR 2 Chris Brown – Jr. TE 18 Ben Koyack – Sr. QB 5 Everett Golson – Sr. QB 8 Malik Zaire – So. RB 25 Tarean Folston – So.
Notes Second in the FBS with 14 TD receptions -- one shy of the single-season school record Shifted from RB to WR for 2014; two TD catches vs. Michigan; three grabs for 92 yards, TD at ASU First player other than Zack Martin to start at left tackle since 2010 Started 14 career games at C; started every game at LG since switch prior to Syracuse (Sept. 27) 11 out of 12 career starts have been at C, including each of the last nine games Started first three games this year at RT before moving inside to RG prior to Syracuse (Sept. 27) Has 44 career games played and 31 career starts, including nine at RG and 22 at RT Has caught 35 passes for 499 yards and a touchdown in ‘14; 17 career starts '14 Mackey Award semifinalist; boasts 29 catches in 2014 for 305 yards and two TDs Ranks eighth in the nation in points responsible for; now boasts a 17-6 career record as a starter Completed nine of 20 passes for 170 yards, added an 11-yard TD run at USC (Nov. 29) Leads Notre Dame in rushing yards (816); eclipsed 100 rushing yards in four of the last six games
DEFENSE Pos. No. Player DL 91 Sheldon Day – Jr. DL 89 Jacob Matuska – So. DL 90 Isaac Rochell – So. DL 45 Romeo Okwara – Jr. LB 48 Greer Martini – Fr. LB 9 Jaylon Smith – So. LB 17 James Onwaulu – So. CB 36 Cole Luke – So. S 22 Elijah Shumate – Jr. CB 2 Cody Riggs – Gr. S 10 Max Redfield – So.
Notes Outland Trophy Watch List; started 10 games (missed Louisville, USC games with injury); 7.5 TFLs Has appeared in six games this year; credited with six tackles and one sack 12 starts; career-best nine tackles, first solo sack and career-best two TFLs vs. Northwestern Has yet to miss a game in his Notre Dame career; had a career-high 11 tackles against Purdue All-Virginia selection in 2013; made his first career start vs. Navy and led team with nine tackles Preseason All-American and Butkus Award finalist; leads Irish with 103 tackles, 8.5 TFLs (1st) Converted WR who started at LB vs. Rice, Purdue, Stanford, UNC, Northwestern, Louisville and USC 12 starts; 46 tackles and leads the team with 11 PBUs, tied for team high with four INTs Has started nine games in 2014 and collected most tackles (64) by an Irish DB 5th-year senior transfer (Florida); started 10 of 12 games this season -- missed ASU, USC (injury) Started 10 of 12 regular-season games; has 54 tackles, two PBUs and one INT on the season
SPECIAL TEAMS Pos. No. Player PK 27 Kyle Brindza – Sr. P 27 Kyle Brindza – Sr. H 8 Malik Zaire – So. SNP 61 Scott Daly – Jr. PR 1 Greg Bryant – So. KR 3 Amir Carlisle – Sr.
Notes Fifth in the FBS in career field goals (56) by active players Serving as the punter for the second consecutive year; averaging 41.6 yards per punt in 2014 Took over the starting assignment vs. Northwestern Now in his second year as the primary long snapper 61-yd PR vs. Louisville (longest by ND since 2009); USA Today All-American in high school First season as the primary kickoff returner; averages 21.6 yards on his 33 kickoff returns
KEY PROBABLE NON-STARTERS Pos. No. Player RB 33 Cam McDaniel – Sr. OL 68 Mike McGlinchey – So. OL 65 Conor Hanratty – Sr. OL 75 Mark Harrell – Jr. OL 70 Hunter Bivin – So. WR 88 Corey Robinson – So. WR 20 C.J. Prosise – Jr. WR 11 Justin Brent – Fr. TE 13 Tyler Luatua – Fr. TE 80 Durham Smythe – So. DL 53 Justin Utupo – Gr. DL 98 Andrew Trumbetti – Fr. DL 92 Grant Blankenship – Fr. DL 93 Jay Hayes – Fr. LB 5 Nyles Morgan – Fr. LB 31 John Turner – Jr. LB 30 Ben Councell – Sr. LB 59 Jarrett Grace – Sr. CB 12 Devin Butler – So. CB 19 Nick Watkins – Fr. H 99 Hunter Smith – Jr.
Notes Notre Dame's leading rusher in 2013; has gained 274 yards on the ground in 2014 with four TDs First-team all-Pennsylvania 4A pick in high school; blocked his first career FG vs. Northwestern Started four of the final six games in '13; started vs. Purdue in '14; son of former Irish QB Terry A MaxPreps high school All-American who is one of the team's top OL backups A Parade All-American in 2012 who made his collegiate debut against Rice First-Team Academic All-American; second on team with 40 catches for 539 yards and five TDs Started five of the last nine games; 78-yd TD rec. in opening minute vs. Navy; 59-yd grab at ASU Enrolled in January after a standout prep career at Speedway High School near Indianapolis Orange County, Calif., product who is playing both at TE and on special teams in 2014 Made collegiate debut against Rice; registered his first career reception on opening drive at ASU Played in all 12 games and 47 in his career, mainly on special teams; first INT came vs. Navy Enrolled in January; has played in 11 games this fall and has 18 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and one sack Ranked 91st nationally by Scout.com coming out of high school; has made 12 tackles in 2014 Made his collegiate debut against Louisville (Nov. 22); made one tackle against the Cardinals USA Today first-team high school All-American last year; 43 tackles, 3.0 TFLs and PBU A contributor on special teams in all 12 games this year Appeared in each of the first nine games last year and made 15 tackles before an ACL injury Started each of the first six games last year before suffering a season-ending leg injury Has played in all 12 games (two starts), making 23 tackles, an INT, forced fumble and four PBUs Ranked 123rd by ESPN.com, 186th by Rivals.com in high school; played in 10 games this fall Handled holding duties through the ASU game
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IRISH AT TOP OF WINNING PERCENTAGE LIST u Notre Dame ranks as the winningest team in college football history based on its .732 winning percentage over 126 seasons of football. The Irish boast an 881-310-42 record during that period. u Here’s the current NCAA top 10 teams in terms of winning percentage: Team Years W L T Pct. 1. Notre Dame 126 881 310 42 .7315 2. Michigan 135 915 328 36 .7295 3. Boise State (1996) 47 406 155 2 .7229 4. Ohio State@ 125 861 319 53 .7198 5. Oklahoma 120 850 316 53 .7190 6. Alabama# 120 850 324 43 .7161 7. Texas 122 881 345 33 .7129 8. Nebraska 125 874 360 40 .7017 9. USC# 122 804 327 54 .7013 10. Tennessee 118 810 367 53 .6801 # Indicates record adjusted by action of the NCAA Committee on Infractions @ Indicates record adjusted by action of institution u Notre Dame currently has 881 wins, tying Texas for the secondmost in NCAA history. Only Michigan (915 wins) has more, based in part on the Wolverines having played nine more seasons. Team Total wins 1. Michigan 915 2. Notre Dame 881 Texas 881 4. Nebraska 874 5. Ohio State@ 861 6. Oklahoma 850 Alabama# 850 8. Tennessee 810 9. USC# 804 10. Georgia 776 11. LSU 761 # Indicates record adjusted by action of the NCAA Committee on Infractions @ Indicates record adjusted by action of institution GREAT FOR TELEVISION u Notre Dame has appeared on national or regional television in 274 consecutive games entering the LSU game. u The Irish have made 392 appearances on network television -more than any other school. RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE u Notre Dame has become accustomed to thrilling finishes. The Irish have been involved in 38 games decided by seven points or less since the start of the 2009 campaign. In fact, 20 of the last 30 losses for the Irish have been decided by a touchdown or less, including nine by a field goal or less. u Notre Dame has played in 61 all-time games where the winning points have occurred in overtime or the game's final minute of regulation. Curiously, 14 have come since the 2008 season. u Notre Dame has played 28 games decided by a touchdown or less since the arrival of Brian Kelly. The Irish went 2-5 in the first seven such games under Kelly, but have since gone 15-6. u Under Kelly, Notre Dame is 11-9 (.550) in games decided by four points or less. The 11 such victories are tied for the most in the nation since 2010. When the halftime score differential is four points or less, the Irish are 12-3 under Kelly, an .800 winning percentage that ranks fifth nationally since 2010.
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 12
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Game Notes
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Blocked Kicks Combined Kick Returns Completion Percentage Jarron Jones 7th 2 Amir Carlisle 29th 713 Everett Golson 48th .601 Completions/Game Field Goals/Game Interceptions Everett Golson 21st 20.83 Kyle Brindza 61st 1.08 Matthias Farley 32nd 0.3 Cole Luke 32nd 0.3 Kickoff Returns Passes Defended Passing Efficiency Amir Carlisle 73rd 21.6 Cole Luke 19th 1.3 Everett Golson 31st 144.1 Passing Yards/Game Everett Golson 13th 279.6 Points Responsible For/Game Everett Golson 9th 18.8 Receiving TDs Will Fuller 2nd 14 Receptions/Game Will Fuller 30th 5.9 Rushing Yards Tarean Folston 74th 816 Solo Tackles Jaylon Smith 64th 5.0
Total Offense Everett Golson 17th 302.7
Total Tackles Jaylon Smith 63rd 8.6
Yards/Pass Attempt Everett Golson 23rd 8.06
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Passing Yards Everett Golson 13th 3,355 Points Responsible For Everett Golson 8th 226 Punting Kyle Brindza 55th 41.6 Receiving Yards/Game Will Fuller 32rd 86.4 Rushing TDs Everett Golson 80th 8 Scoring Kyle Brindza 71st 7.2 Will Fuller 77th 7.0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Passing TDs Everett Golson 11th 29 Passing Yards/Completion Everett Golson 25th 13.42 Punt Returns Cody Riggs 45th 7.3 Receiving Yards Will Fuller 19th 1,037 Rushing Yards/Carry Tarean Folston 57th 5.30 Rushing Yards/Game Tarean Folston 83rd 68.0
BOWL HISTORY
IRISH MAKING REFEREE'S WORK EASY u Notre Dame has been good about keeping things quiet for officiating crews in 2014 as they've had to throw precious few flags. u The disciplined Irish rank 16th nationally for fewest penalty yards (472), 17th for fewest penalty yards per game (39.3) and 17th for fewest penalties (56). u Conversely, Notre Dame's opponents have yielded 689 penalty yards this fall, generating a difference of 217 yards (18.1 yards per game) of field position gained by the Irish.
COACHES & STAFF
NO TURNOVERS = VICTORIES u Overall, Notre Dame is 15-0 under Brian Kelly when playing without committing a turnover. u Notre Dame has won its last 15 games in which it did not commit a turnover. The Irish have not lost a game with no turnovers since Oct. 17, 2009, when USC upended Notre Dame, 34-27. u Notre Dame is 29-4 in its last 33 games in which it did not commit a turnover and 2-0 in 2014.
Category Rank Stat National Leader Stat 3rd Down Conversion Pct 29 0.457 Georgia Tech 0.57 3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense 71 0.407 Virginia Tech 0.273 4th Down Conversion Pct 57 0.5 Two teams tied 0.857 4th Down Conversion Pct Defense 54 0.478 Penn State 0.188 Blocked Kicks 5 5 Four teams tied 6 Blocked Kicks Allowed 93 3 32 teams tied 0 Blocked Punts 15 1 Two teams tied 3 Blocked Punts Allowed 1 0 84 teams tied 0 Completion Percentage 56 0.593 Southern California 0.701 Fewest Penalties 17 56 Navy 25 Fewest Penalties Per Game 18 4.67 Navy 2.27 Fewest Penalty Yards 16 472 Navy 257 Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game 17 39.33 Navy 23.36 First Downs Defense 76 261 Clemson 168 First Downs Offense 28 286 Baylor 366 Fumbles Lost 97 12 Three teams tied 3 Fumbles Recovered 98 6 Two teams tied 19 Kickoff Return Defense 53 20.33 UConn 15.49 Kickoff Returns 60 20.93 UAB 28.15 Net Punting 53 37.83 Idaho 43.45 Passes Had Intercepted 91 14 Two teams tied 2 Passes Intercepted 14 16 Two teams tied 25 Passing Offense 16 293.8 Washington State 477.7 Passing Yards Allowed 83 239.8 San Jose State 117.8 Passing Yards per Completion 26 13.61 Navy 18.19 Punt Return Defense 34 4.88 TCU -1 Punt Returns 43 9.33 Stanford 18.29 Red Zone Defense 87 0.854 Mississippi State 0.6 Red Zone Offense 78 0.807 Memphis 0.943 Rushing Defense 62 161.7 Penn State 84.8 Rushing Offense 81 150.8 Navy 357.8 Sacks Allowed 85 2.33 Oklahoma 0.67 Scoring Defense 82 29.3 Ole Miss 13.8 Scoring Offense 39 33 Baylor 48.8 Tackles for Loss Allowed 79 6.33 Duke 3.33 Team Passing Efficiency 34 142.52 Oregon 185.34 Team Passing Efficiency Defense 82 131.42 LSU 98.7 Team Sacks 71 3.4 Utah 4.33 Team Tackles for Loss 63 5.8 Clemson 10.2 Time of Possession 78 29:15 Michigan State 35:14 Total Defense 69 401.5 Clemson 259.6 Total Offense 35 444.6 Baylor 581.3 Turnover Margin 89 -0.33 Michigan State 1.67 Turnovers Gained 38 22 Louisiana Tech 40 Turnovers Lost 107 26 Oregon 8
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NOTRE DAME AND NORTH CAROLINA INVOLVED IN HISTORIC SCORING EFFORT u On Oct. 11, the 84th anniversary of the dedication game at Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame and North Carolina combined to gave fans an offensive display previously unseen at the venerable facility. u The Irish defeated the Tar Heels, 50-43. The 93 combined points are the most in Notre Dame Stadium history and the most in any Notre Dame game since Oct. 10, 1914, when Notre Dame defeated Rose Poly, 102-0. The previous high for combined points at Notre Dame Stadium came when the Irish defeated Air Force, 59-33, on Oct. 8, 2011, accumulating 92 combined points. u The 43 points scored by North Carolina are the most the Irish have yielded in a winning effort. The previous benchmark of 42 was established in a 48-42 victory at Hawaii on Nov. 30, 1991. u The 1,029 yards of combined offense (519 yards for Notre Dame and 510 for North Carolina) marked the highest since the 2011 Air Force game when the Irish and Falcons combined for 1,125 yards (560 for Notre Dame and 565 for Air Force). The 1,029 figure would be eclipsed on Nov. 15 when Notre Dame and Northwestern combined for 1,045 yards of total offense in a 43-40 overtime win for the Wildcats.
Irish Among 2014 National Leaders
GAME NOTES
IRISH SNAP SECOND NCAA RECORD STREAK u Notre Dame snapped Michigan's NCAA record streak of 365 of games without being shut out in a 31-0 victory on Sept. 6 at Notre Dame Stadium. u The Wolverines had not been previously shut out since a 26-0 loss to Iowa on Oct., 20, 1984. Michigan had not been shut out in a non-conference game since an Oct. 30, 1926, loss to Navy. It was Michigan's most lopsided shutout defeat since a 34-0 loss to Michigan State on Oct. 14, 1967. u This is not the first NCAA record streak to come to an end at the hands of Notre Dame. In 1957, Notre Dame snapped what remains to this day the longest winning streak in college football history as the Irish beat Oklahoma, 7-0 in Norman, to snap a 47-game winning streak for the Sooners.
MEDIA INFORMATION
u When trailing after three quarters, Kelly and the Irish own a 7-13 mark, a winning percentage of .350 that ranks eighth among all FBS schools since 2010. Only six schools have collected more victories when trailing entering the fourth quarter over this span. u Notre Dame won five games in 2012 by a touchdown or less and did so again in 2013. The school record for victories by seven points or less in a single season is six, set in 1939 when that Irish club had a 6-1 mark in games decided by seven or less. The 1937 team went 5-1-1 and the 2002 club posted a 5-1-0 mark in games decided by seven or less. u Notre Dame was 5-0 in 2012 in games decided by a touchdown or less. The ‘29 and ‘74 teams were both 4-0, while the 1926, 1928, 1954 and 1957 teams finished 3-0. u The Irish had a run of 10 consecutive wins in games decided by seven points or less snapped with a 28-21 loss at Pittsburgh on Nov. 9, 2013. At the time, it was the longest active streak in the nation. That streak stands as the third longest of its kind nationally since 1980. u The battle-tested Irish were able to grind out five wins in the 2013 regular season by seven points or less. The sum tied for the third most in the nation. u The 2014 Irish faced their first close game of the season against Stanford (Oct. 4) and came out on top, 17-14, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:01 remaining in the contest. u A week later, on Oct. 11, Notre Dame won a wild 50-43 game against North Carolina that was not secure until Ben Koyack recovered an onside kick in the final minute. u The Irish faced their third-straight single-possession game on Oct. 18 at No. 2 Florida State. Notre Dame lost 31-27 after a last-second drive was halted short of the goal line. u Notre Dame's loss to No. 2 Florida State snapped a streak of seven straight wins in games that were decided by four points or less, tying a school record. Notre Dame also won seven consecutive games settled by four points or less from 1937-39 and again from 1972-76. u The Irish played a fourth single-possession game in 2014 on Nov. 15 when Notre Dame lost to Northwestern, 43-40, in overtime. u Notre Dame's fifth single-possession game of the year came on Nov. 22 when a missed field goal in the final minute allowed Louisville to claim a 31-28 victory in its Notre Dame Stadium debut.
Yards/Reception C.J. Prosise 24th 18.54
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99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 13
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Game Notes u The Irish have been flagged for fewer penalty yards in nine of its 12 games this fall. u Curiously, Notre Dame has done better under Brian Kelly when committing more penalties than its opponents. When the Irish have fewer penalty yards, the team is 22-12 (.647) since 2010, but Notre Dame stands at 21-7 (.750) under Kelly when opponents have more penalty yards and 1-1 when penalty yards are tied. NOTRE DAME NEARLY PULLS OFF RECORD COMEBACK u Notre Dame trailed No. 11 Arizona State, 34-3, on Nov. 8 at Sun Devil Stadium but did not relent and scored four unanswered touchdowns to cut the 31-point deficit to just three points at 34-31 midway through the fourth quarter. The Sun Devils would score three TDs in the final 4:29 for a 55-31 win. u Had the Irish completed this miraculous comeback, it would have tied for the second-largest comefrom-behind win in NCAA history. Michigan State set the record on Oct. 21, 2006, when the Spartans trailed Northwestern by 35 points, 38-3, but rallied to win 41-38. On three occasions, a team has erased a 31-point deficit to win a game: Maryland vs. Miami in 1984, Ohio State vs. Minnesota in 1989 and Texas Tech vs. Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl (also played at Sun Devil Stadium). u The rally would have set a Notre Dame record, eclipsing the 22-point deficit that the Irish overcame to beat Houston in the 1979 Cotton Bowl. Houston led Notre Dame, 34-12, after three quarters on a cold Dallas day but Joe Montana led the Irish back to a 35-34 victory, culminating with a game-tying TD pass to Kris Haines as time expired, followed by a Joe Unis extra point to defeat the Cougars. u Helping make this rally a possibility was the combination of a Notre Dame offense that outgained Arizona State, 296-64, passing in the second half. When Notre Dame scored with 6:37 to play, closing the gap to 34-31, the Irish held a 299-76 edge in total offense after intermission. Notre Dame outgained Arizona State, 374-80, during its 28-0 scoring run. u Notre Dame dominated the third quarter to seize the momentum, outgaining Arizona State, 198-32. Of the 48 players to participate for the Irish, 29 were in their first or second year of eligibility, including nine true freshmen. u Adding to the deceptive final score, the Irish offense had seven drives of at least 50 yards while the Sun Devils had three. Arizona State scored 35 points off its points on TD drives of eight, 13 and 23 yards, along with a pair of interception returns for a TD. The Sun Devils scored 28 points off turnovers. Notre Dame had yielded just 50 points off turnovers over the first eight games. FOUR CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2014 SEASON u Days prior to the season opener against Rice, head coach Brian Kelly named four team captains for the 2014 season in graduate safety Austin Collinsworth, junior defensive lineman Sheldon Day, senior center Nick Martin and senior running back Cam McDaniel. u Martin is the younger brother of former Notre Dame All-America offensive tackle Zack Martin who captained the Irish in 2012 and 2013 and now plays for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys. The Martins become only the second pair of brothers to serve as team captains for the Notre Dame football team, joining Bob Golic (1978) and Mike Golic Sr. (1984). u Day and Nick Martin, both natives of Indianapolis, are the first pair of Irish football captains from the same hometown since 1954, when Chicago natives Paul Matz and Dan Shannon both earned that honor. u It is also the second time in three years that multiple Indiana natives have served as football captains for Notre Dame -- in 2012 Fort Wayne's Tyler Eifert joined Indianapolis' Zack Martin as a captain. YOUTH MOVEMENT UNDERWAY FOR NOTRE DAME u Only five of the 47 players on Notre Dame's offensive and defensive two deep are in their final year of eligibility. u Of the 47 players on Notre Dame's offensive and defensive two deep, 31 are in their first or second year of eligibility. u Of the 838 tackles made by the Irish this fall, 759 (90.6 percent) have been made by players with remaining eligibility. u Of the 6,527 all-purpose yards gained by Notre Dame, 5,710 (87.5 percent) have come from players with remaining eligibility. u Against Northwestern (Nov. 15), Notre Dame’s top eight tacklers were in either their first or second year of eligibility. Of Notre Dame's 94 tackles, 71 (75.5 percent) were made by players in their first or second year of competition. u At No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), Notre Dame did not start any players on defense in their final year of eligibility but did start seven players in either their first or second year of eligibility. Of the 18 players used on defense against the Sun Devils, 13 are in their first or second year of eligibility (72.2 percent). u Notre Dame used 48 players in its 31-27 loss at No. 2 Florida State. Of those 48, 27 (56 percent) are in their first or second year of eligibility. u Notre Dame started the 2014 season with no shortage of new faces when the Irish took on Rice (Aug. 30).
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u Four different defensive players (CB Cole Luke, CB Cody Riggs, DL Isaac Rochell and LB Joe Schmidt) made their first career starts against the Owls while LB James Onwualu made his first career defensive start. Onwualu had previously started four games as a wide receiver. u Overall, 14 of Notre Dame's 22 starters against Rice were making their fifth career starts or fewer, including nine of the team's 11 defensive starters. u Against the Owls, only eight players with no eligibility remaining after 2014 saw action for the Irish: K/P Kyle Brindza, CB Connor Cavalaris, TE Ben Koyack, WR Eric Lee, Lombard, RB Cam McDaniel, Riggs and DL Justin Utupo. u Ten freshmen played against Rice: DL Grant Blankenship, WR Justin Brent, DL Daniel Cage, WR Corey Holmes, TE Tyler Luatua, LB Greer Martini, LB Nyles Morgan, S Drue Tranquill, DL Andrew Trumbetti and CB Nick Watkins. u An 11th freshman joined the participants' list a week later when DL Kolin Hill made his collegiate debut in the 31-0 win over Michigan (Sept. 6). u DL Jay Hayes made his collegiate debut against Louisville (Nov. 22) and became the 12th true freshman to play for the Irish in 2014. u Against Purdue (Sept. 13), Syracuse (Sept. 27) and Florida State (Oct. 18), the Irish started only two players (Koyack and Riggs) with no eligibility remaining after 2014. u On Nov. 1 vs. Navy, Martini and Tranquill both made their first career starts as the Irish adjusted their defense to counter Navy's triple-option attack. Morgan received extensive playing time after a second quarter injury to Schmidt and made his first career start a week later at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8). HISTORICALLY STRONG START ON THE SCOREBOARD u Notre Dame scored at least 27 points in 10 of its first 11 games. This marked just the second time since 1993 that the Irish had been held under 27 points just once in their first 11 outings and the first since 2005. The Irish have never done better than 10 out of 11. The 1949 national championship team came the closest, scoring at least 27 points in each of its 10 games before its season ended. u Averaging 33.0 points per game, the Irish are on pace for their top season on the scoreboard since averaging 36.7 points per game in 2005. u Notre Dame scored 140 points through its first four games this year, tallying 48 against Rice (Aug. 30), 31 against Michigan (Sept. 6), 30 against Purdue (Sept. 13) and 31 against Syracuse (Sept. 27). u Those 140 points were the most scored by Notre Dame over its first four games since 1995 when the Irish scored 146 points. u This year marked only the fourth time in school history, and the first since 1943, that the Irish scored at least 30 points in each of their first four outings. Notre Dame also tallied at least 30 points in each of its first four games of the 1900 and 1912 seasons. u This run to open the season marked the first time under head coach Brian Kelly that the Irish had scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games at any point in a season. The Irish last accomplished that feat late in the 2006 season. u Conversely, behind a stout Irish defense which yielded just 46 points through four games, Notre Dame won each of its first four games by at least 16 points. The Irish had not previously opened a season with four straight wins by at least 16 points since 1972. u For the first time since 1943, Notre Dame won each of its first four games while both scoring at least 30 points and allowing no more than 17 points in all four games. u Considering just the Rice and Michigan contests, the last time that Notre Dame scored at least 30 points in consecutive home games to open a season came in 1932. Hunk Anderson's Irish beat Haskell, 73-0, and Drake, 62-0, both at Notre Dame Stadium, to inaugurate a 7-2-0 campaign. SCORE EARLY AND SCORE OFTEN u Notre Dame scored first in each of its first four games in 2014, eventually winning all four contests. u When Stanford scored first on Oct. 4, it snapped a string of nine straight games where the Irish had scored first, dating back to Oct. 26, 2013, when Air Force struck first on a Colton Huntsman 10-yard run at 5:05 of the first quarter. Notre Dame came back to win, 45-10. u Notre Dame has scored first in nine of its 12 games this fall, doing so in each contest except for Stanford, North Carolina (Oct. 11) and USC (Nov. 29). u The Irish are 31-11 under Brian Kelly when scoring first and 5-4 in 2014. u Twice this season, Notre Dame has scored a TD in the first minute of play. Everett Golson hit C.J. Prosise for a 78-yard TD just 52 seconds into the Navy game (Nov. 1), while Golson ran 61 yards for a score 44 seconds into the Northwestern game (Nov. 15). IRISH EQUIPPED TO WIN SHOOTOUTS u Notre Dame has enjoyed unprecedented success winning high-scoring games in 2014. u Prior to this fall, Notre Dame was 1-37 over its 125 seasons of football when surrendering 39 points or more in a game. In 2014, Notre Dame has won twice when allowing at least 39 points. u The Irish had enough offensive fire power to out-slug both North Carolina (50-43 on Oct. 11) and Navy (49-39 on Nov. 1).
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 14
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Game Notes
Houston Texans DT Louis Nix III Indianapolis Colts S Sergio Brown Jacksonville Jaguars OT Sam Young Kansas City Chiefs TE Anthony Fasano OT Ryan Harris New England Patriots RB Jonas Gray LB Darius Fleming New York Jets DB Darrin Walls Oakland Raiders DE Justin Tuck RB George Atkinson III Pittsburgh Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt
Carolina Panthers LS J. J. Jansen Chicago Bears QB Jimmy Clausen Dallas Cowboys OG Zack Martin Detroit Lions RB Theo Riddick WR Golden Tate WR TJ Jones* Minnesota Vikings S Robert Blanton TE Kyle Rudolph S Harrison Smith C John Sullivan New York Giants CB Bennett Jackson# San Francisco 49ers NT Ian Williams * Denotes injured reserve # Denotes practice squad
San Diego Chargers OG Trevor Robinson ILB Manti Te'o OG Chris Watt Tennessee Titans OG Eric Olsen
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
NOTRE DAME USED TO LEADING u Notre Dame has trailed for just 206:48 in 2014. That 206:48 accounts for just 28.7 percent of the elapsed 720:00 of playing time for the Irish in 2014. Almost three quarters of that time (149:56) came against No. 11 Arizona State (48:19), Louisville (48:27) and USC (53:10). u Conversely, Notre Dame has held a lead for 366:24 (50.9 percent) of its 2014 season to date. u The Irish have been tied with opponents for 146:48 this fall (20.4 percent). u Notre Dame trailed for just 2:47 during its first four games of the year, briefly falling behind Purdue (Sept. 13), while never falling behind Rice (Aug. 30), Michigan (Sept. 6) or Syracuse (Sept. 27).
Denver Broncos S David Bruton
Atlanta Falcons LB Prince Shembo S Zeke Motta*
BOWL HISTORY
OFFENSE STEAMROLLS PAST RICE IN OPENER u Notre Dame gained 576 yards of total offense and scored 48 points in its season-opening 48-17 win over Rice on Aug. 30. u Against Rice, Notre Dame gained 281 rushing yards and 295 passing yards. It marked the first time the Irish gained at least 280 yards both rushing and passing in the same game since Oct. 2, 1999, when Notre Dame ran for 284 and passed for 282 in a 34-30 win over Oklahoma at home. u The 576 yards are the third most gained by the Irish under head coach Brian Kelly. Notre Dame gained 587 yards against Miami (Fla.) and 584 against Wake Forest, both coming in 2012. u The 48 points tied for the most scored by Notre Dame in a home opener since a 49-27 win over Indiana in 1991. The Irish also tallied 48 in a 48-13 win over Kansas in the 1999 Eddie Robinson Classic at Notre Dame Stadium.
Cleveland Browns OL Braxston Cave#
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Notre Dame Offense 2013 vs. 2014 Comparison Category 2013 2014 Improvement Scoring 325 396 71 (5.9 per game) First Downs 236 286 50 (4.2 per game) Passing Offense 2,994 3,525 531 (44.3 per game) Total Offense 4,782 5,335 553 (46.1 per game) Total Offensive Plays 779 870 91 (7.6 per game) Time of Possession 28:21 29:15 0:54 per game Red-Zone Scoring Percentage 77% 81% 6% Red-Zone TD Percentage 55% 65% 10%
Cincinnati Bengals TE Tyler Eifert
NFC Arizona Cardinals TE John Carlson WR Michael Floyd RB Robert Hughes TE Troy Niklas*
COACHES & STAFF
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS u Notre Dame has made great strides on the offensive side of the ball in 2014. u Heading into the Music City Bowl, here is a look at how much Notre Dame has improved in several major offensive categories since this juncture in 2013:
AFC Baltimore Ravens DE Kapron Lewis-Moore*
THE FIGHTING IRISH
ALMOST PERFECT BALANCE u Thus far in 2014, the Irish have once again been almost exactly balanced on play calls. Notre Dame has had 437 passing plays and 433 rushing plays, a mere 50.2 percent lead towards runs. u In 2013, Notre Dame had 440 rushing attempts and 429 passing attempts, giving the Irish a balanced 50.63 percent run attack. u Adjust the eight sacks that the NCAA considers rushing plays and the 2013 numbers would have been even closer as Notre Dame would have 432 rushing attempts and 437 passing plays, a 50.3 percent tilt towards passing.
Fighting Irish In The NFL
GAME NOTES
THE SOUTH BEND 500 u Notre Dame has eclipsed 500 yards of total offense in four of its 12 games this fall. u The Irish gained 576 yards against Rice (Aug. 30), 533 vs. Navy (Nov. 1), 523 against Syracuse (Sept. 27) and 519 vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11). The Irish narrowly missed a fifth such performance when they posted 498 yards of total offense against Northwestern (Nov. 15). u It marks Notre Dame's most 500-yard offensive outbursts in a season since 2011 when the Irish had five 500-yard games. The 2011 Irish were the only other team with more than four 500-yard games over the eight years since the 2006 team also posted five such contests. u Notre Dame's total yards per game average of 444.6 in 2014 would be its best under head coach Brian Kelly.
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Notre Dame's only previous victory when surrendering at least 39 points came on Nov. 30, 1991, when the Irish beat Hawaii, 48-42, in Honolulu. u Including its 55-31 loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) and 43-40 overtime loss to Northwestern (Nov. 15), Notre Dame has been involved in four games in 2014 when both teams scored at least 31 points. Four games where both teams have scored at least 31 points eclipses the 2005 team's three for the most such games in school history for a single season.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
OFFENSIVE LINE PAVES THE WAY u The 2013 offensive line featured first-year starters in Nick Martin (missed last two games of the season), Matt Hegarty, Steve Elmer, Ronnie Stanley and Conor Hanratty. That group helped Notre Dame allow just eight sacks and rank tied for second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed in 2013. u Notre Dame finished the season with four first-year starting linemen, all of whom are among the seasoned returnees in 2014. u Stanley, a junior, has made 25 career starts. He started all 13 games at right tackle in 2013 and slid over to left tackle this fall, replacing first-round NFL Draft pick Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys. Stanley saw action in two games in 2012. u On Aug. 30 against Rice, Stanley became the first Irish player other than Zack Martin to start at left tackle since Matt Romine on Oct. 16, 2010.
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Game Notes u Graduate Christian Lombard made his first career start in the 2012 season opener against Navy and went on to start all 13 games that year at right tackle. Lombard moved inside during 2013 fall training camp and started each of the first seven games at right guard before suffering a season-ending back injury. He started the first two games this fall at right guard, missed the Purdue game (Sept. 13) due to injury, and returned to action against Syracuse (Sept. 27) as the starting right tackle. u Lombard leads all active Irish players with 31 career starts. u Senior Nick Martin has made 23 career starts (11 coming in 2013). The younger brother of Zack Martin was lost for the season to a knee injury suffered against BYU on Nov. 23, 2013, but returned to the starting lineup for the 2014 season opener against Rice. Against Syracuse (Sept. 27), Nick Martin started at left guard, his first career start at a position other than center. He has since remained the starting left guard. u Martin earned a spot on the watch lists for both the Lombardi Award and the Rimington Trophy. u Following Lombard's season-ending surgery in 2013, Elmer made his first career start at Air Force on Oct. 26, playing right guard. He started four games overall. Elmer began the 2014 campaign as the starter at right tackle but shifted back inside to right guard for the Syracuse game (Sept. 27). Elmer has maintained this role and started every game since Syracuse at right guard. u Hegarty, a senior, replaced Nick Martin at center against BYU last fall and made his first two career starts (at Stanford on Nov. 30 and vs. Rutgers on Dec. 28 in the Pinstripe Bowl). He saw extensive action at right guard against Michigan on Sept. 6 in relief of a sore Lombard. Hegarty started at right guard against Purdue (Sept. 13) and center for the past seven games, beginning with Syracuse (Sept. 27). u With Hegarty's start at right guard against Purdue, Notre Dame has four different active players who have started a game at right guard in their careers as Hegarty joined Elmer (13 starts), Lombard (nine) and Hanratty (two) in that regard. u Against Navy on Nov. 2, 2013, Hanratty made his first career start as the left guard for Notre Dame. Hanratty also saw extensive action against Stanford on Nov. 30, 2013, and then started in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl. Now a senior, Notre Dame called upon Hanratty to start at left guard in the first three games this fall. u Four other backup offensive linemen, Mike McGlinchey, Colin McGovern, Mark Harrell and Hunter Bivin, all made their collegiate debuts in the season opener against Rice on Aug. 30.
Notre Dame Football Replay Affiliates Stations that reair NBC's game telecast Regions/Markets Station New York (NY/NJ/PA/Conn) SportsNet New York (SNY) Chicago (IL/IN/IA/WI) Comcast SportsNet Chicago New England CSN New England NC/PA/DC/MD/DE/VA/WV CSN Mid-Atlantic California (Bay Area) CSN Bay Area Philadelphia CSN Philadelphia Philadelphia/Harrisburg/Pittsburgh The Comcast Network Oregon CSN Northwest Houston/Little Rock/Shreveport CSN Houston Colorado Comcast Entertainment TV LA/TX/GA/MS/VA/AR/FL Cox Sports Television Denver KETD-TV 53.2 Digital OTA Indianapolis WHMB-TV 40 Las Vegas KEEN-TV 17 New Orleans WHNO-TV20 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre WQMY-TV MyTV Tulsa KWHB-TV47 Wichita-Hutchinson KGPT-TV 49 & KSMI-TV 41 Honolulu KWHE-TV14 Toledo WMNT-TV My58 Toledo Buckeye SportsNetwork Rochester, NY WRWB-TV 16/TW SpNet Huntsville WYAM-TV 51 Colorado Springs-Pueblo KWHS-TV 51 South Bend-Elkhart CW25 Evansville-Jasper WJTS-TV 27 Binghamton WBPN-TV My 8 (LP) St. Croix, USVI WCVI-TV 23 Middle East (25 countries) METV United States (National) Family Entertainment TV 30 affiliates (141,936,890 homes)
TOUGH TO BEAT WHEN WINNING THE RUSHING BATTLE u Since the start of the 2005 season, Notre Dame has won 53 of its past 58 games when recording more rushing yards than its opponent, including a 5-1 mark so far in 2014. u Fifth-year head coach Brian Kelly has his own fairly remarkable run when his teams outrush their opponents. He is 171-26-1 in his career and 34-5 at Notre Dame when winning the rushing battle. u The Irish were 5-2 in 2013 when outrushing their opponents, losing contests to both Oklahoma (Sept. 28) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) when winning the rushing battle. u Notre Dame outrushed 10 of its 13 opponents in 2012 and went 9-1 in those games. The only three teams to outrush the Irish were Purdue (Sept. 8), Michigan (Sept. 22) and Alabama (Jan. 7).
Inside Notre Dame Football Affiliates See Page 27 For Show Information Regions/Markets Station New York (NY/NJ/CT/PA) SportsNet New York (SNY) Chicago (IL/IN/IA/WI) Comcast SportsNet Chicago Florida Sun Sports Network DC/DE/MD/NC/PA/VA/WV CSN Washington DC IL/IN/MO/NE/KS/IA FOX Sports Midwest New England CSN New England California (Bay Area) CSN Bay Area Philadelphia CSN Philadelphia Phil./Harris./Pitt. TCN Philadelphia Mich/NWOhio/NIndiana FOX Sports Detroit Cleveland & All Ohio SportsTime Ohio (Indians) Pittsburgh Root Sports Pitt (PA,WV,NY,MD,OH) LA/TX/AR/GA/MS/VA/FL Cox Sports Television Oregon/Washington CSN Northwest Las Vegas KEEN-TV 17 Indianapolis WHMB-TV 40 Houston/Lit. Rock/Shreveport CSN Houston Indy/Ft.Wayne/Lafayette Xfinity Channel 81 Louisville WKYI-TV 24 & WNDA Indiana 9 New Orleans WHNO-TV 20 Tulsa KWHB-TV 47 Wichita-Hutchinson KGPT-TV 49 Honolulu KWHE-TV 14 Toledo WMNT-TV My58 Rochester, NY WRWB-TV 16/Time Warner SportsNet Huntsville WYAM-TV 51 Colorado Springs-Pueblo KWHS-TV 51 South Bend-Elkhart WNDU-TV 16 Evansville-Jasper WJTS-TV 27 Binghamton WBPN-TV My8 (LP) Clarksburg/Mannington, WV TKMI Broadcasting St. Croix, USVI WCVI-TV 23 Middle East (25 countries) METV United States (National) Family Entertainment TV Worldwide On Demand from Xfinity 38 affililates (160,345,890 homes)
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30 IS THE WAY TO CARRY THE DAY u The number 30 had proven critical when predicting Notre Dame's overall success until recently. u Notre Dame had a run of 26 consecutive games where it did not lose a game in which it had at least 30 rushing attempts snapped on Oct. 18 at No. 2 Florida State. The Irish ran the ball effectively against the Seminoles, gaining 157 yards on 35 carries (4.5 average) but lost a game for the first time when carrying the ball at least 30 times since an 18-14 defeat vs. Florida State in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. After going 26 consecutive games without a loss, Notre Dame has now lost three of its last four contests when rushing the ball at least 30 times, carrying it 38 times in a loss at No. 11 Arizona State on Nov. 8 and 40 in an overtime loss to Northwestern on Nov. 15. u Conversely, Notre Dame has lost its last eight games when rushing the ball less than 30 times, dating back to a 59-33 win over Air Force on Oct. 8, 2011, when the Irish ran the ball 29 times for 266 yards. u The Irish are 7-3 in 2014 when rushing the ball at least 30 times. Notre Dame carried the ball at least 30 times in each of its first 10 games before falling short of that plateau in losses to Louisville (29 carries) on Nov. 22 and USC (25 carries) on Nov. 29. DOUBLE CENTURY GROUND GAME u Notre Dame is 32-3 since the start of the 2002 season when it gains 200 or more yards rushing. u Notre Dame has rushed for at least 200 yards 16 different times during the last three seasons (2012-14) — more than the previous five years combined (2006-10). u The Irish ran for 281 yards against Rice on Aug. 30. That sum marked the team's best total since rushing for 376 yards against Miami on Oct. 6, 2012, in a Shamrock Series contest at Soldier Field. u Notre Dame had won 15 consecutive games when rushing for at least 200 yards prior to the Oklahoma contest on Sept. 28, 2013. The Irish had not previously lost a game with more than 200 yards on the ground since Nov. 3, 2007, against Navy. u Notre Dame ran for at least 200 yards seven times in 2012, including six of the last nine contests. u The Irish had not posted more 200+ yard rushing games in a single season since 1996 when Notre Dame registered nine games with at least 200 yards rushing. IRISH RUNNING BACKS HANG ON TO THE FOOTBALL u Notre Dame lost a fumble just four times in 2013, tying Bowling Green, Utah, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin for first in the nation in fewest fumbles lost for the year. u Overall, Notre Dame ranked 21st in the nation last fall in turnovers lost, turning the ball over just 17 times. u Notre Dame's running backs were even better at holding onto the football. The Irish quintet of Cam McDaniel, George Atkinson III, Tarean Folston, Amir Carlisle and Greg Bryant toted the rock 383 times in 2013 and only lost the football twice. u The Irish have continued this trend in 2014, losing 12 fumbles thus far, but just two by running backs (Bryant against Syracuse and McDaniel against Northwestern).
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Game Notes
NOTRE DAME HAS A LOFTY GOAL, SON u Senior quarterback Everett Golson, a semifinalist for both the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards in 2014, has returned to Notre Dame after missing the 2013 season while not enrolled at the University during the 2013 fall semester. Golson's initial action came in 2012 and he began his Irish career like only one other has, leading Notre Dame onward to victory in each of his first 10 collegiate starts. u Golson's 10 straight wins to open his starting career were the second most in school history. Bob Williams holds the school record as he guided Notre Dame to victories in each of his first 11 career starts.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Consecutive Wins To Open Starting Career Quarterback (Years) Wins 1. Bob Williams (1949-50) 11 2. Everett Golson (2012) 10 3. Kevin McDougal (1993) 9 Frank Tripucka (1948) 9 5. Terry Hanratty (1966) 8
COACHES & STAFF
u The winning quarterback in 17 of his 23 career starts, Golson began his career by going 16-1 (.941) as a starter. With the win over Syracuse (Sept. 27), Golson surpassed 1947 Heisman Trophy winner John Lujack (20-1-1, .932) for the school record for best career winning percentage by a starting quarterback, but he has since slipped back. u Golson has thrown for at least three TD passes in six of Notre Dame's 12 games this year, tossing four against Syracuse (Sept. 27) and three against Michigan (Sept. 6), North Carolina (Oct. 11), Florida State (Oct. 18), Navy (Nov. 1) and Northwestern (Nov. 15). u Golson threw for at least two TDs in each of the first 11 games this year and 14 times in his Irish career. u Golson ranks 11th in the nation with 29 TD passes in 2014 and 13th nationally with 3,355 passing yards. u Golson threw for 446 yards at No. 11 Arizona State on Nov. 8. It ranked fourth in school history and marked the second-best passing yardage performance by a Notre Dame quarterback in a road game, trailing only the 526-yard passing effort by Joe Theismann at USC on Nov. 28, 1970. Theismann was on the Irish sidelines for that game against the Sun Devils. u Golson has now eclipsed 300 yards passing six times in his career and five times in 2014. In Irish lore, only three other passers have more 300-yard games.
Games 7 5 5 5
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
300-Yard Passing Games - Season Quarterback (Years) 1. Jimmy Clausen (20009) 2. Everett Golson (2014) Tommy Rees (2013) Brady Quinn (2005)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Games 11 10 7 6
BOWL HISTORY
300-Yard Passing Games - Career Quarterback (Years) 1. Brady Quinn (2003-06) 2. Jimmy Clausen (2007-09) 3. Tommy Rees (2010-13) 4. Everett Golson (2012, 14)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
THREE-DIMENSIONAL TAILBACK THREAT u Notre Dame has the luxury of utilizing the distinct abilities of three different tailbacks in 2014, Greg Bryant, Tarean Folston and Cam McDaniel, each of whom can bring different strengths to the table depending upon what a certain opponent or down-and-distance situation requires. u The season opener against Rice saw the three share the load fairly evenly. Folston had 12 carries for 71 yards, Bryant had eight carries for 71 yards and a touchdown and McDaniel, who was credited with the start, had eight carries for 40 yards. The trio combined for 182 rushing yards on 28 carries (6.5 avg.) and a touchdown. u Including the efforts of quarterbacks Everett Golson and Malik Zaire, it marked the first time since facing Boston College on Nov. 9, 1996, that the Irish had five different players rush for at least 40 yards in the same game. u The balance of carries continued through the first six games of the season until Folston got 21 of 23 carries by running backs in week seven at Florida State (Oct. 18). In each of the first four games, the discrepancy in carries between the three running backs stood at no larger than four. McDaniel received a majority of the carries against the physical Stanford defense on Oct. 4 to end that string. u Against Louisville (Nov. 22), Folston ran for over 100 yards for the fourth time in five games as he scampered for 134 yards on 18 carries (7.4 average) with a TD. u Folston's 134 yards are the most this year against Louisville. Folston is one of four RBs to eclipse 70 yards on the ground vs. the Cardinals (joining Duke Johnson of Miami, Fla., Dalvin Cook of Florida State and Stanley Williams of Kentucky) this season. The Cardinals entered the Nov. 22 game giving up 87.4 yards rushing per game. It remains the most by any running back against Louisville since Jerome Smith of Syracuse rushed for 144 yards in November of 2012. u Folston had his third 100-yard rushing performance in four games on Nov. 15 when he ran for 106 yards and a TD against Northwestern. u Folston rushed for 269 yards in consecutive games earlier this year (120 at No. 2 Florida State and 149 vs. Navy). It marked the first time that a Notre Dame player has run for at least 120 yards in consecutive games since Darius Walker at Air Force (153 yards) and Army (162) on Nov. 11 and 18, 2006. u Folston's 149 rushing yards against Navy marked the best single-game effort by a Notre Dame runner since Cierre Wood scampered for 150 at Wake Forest on Nov. 17, 2012. Folston also had two catches for 38 yards against the Midshipmen, giving him a career-high 187 all-purpose yards on the night. u The 120 rushing yards at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) marked Folston's first 100-yard game of the 2014 season and the second of his career. It represented the best rushing total for an individual against the Seminoles through the season's first seven games, since Auburn's Tre Mason ran for 195 yards in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. u Folston received the game ball after Notre Dame's win over North Carolina (Oct. 11). The sophomore had 169 total yards and three TDs in the win. Folston ran for 98 yards and two scores on 18 carries while catching five passes for 71 yards and a TD. Folston's five receptions, 71 receiving yards and TD catch were all career highs. Two of his TDs came in the fourth quarter and proved to be the winning margin in the contest. u Folston's 71 receiving yards against North Carolina were the most by an Irish running back since Darius Walker caught nine passes for 73 yards against Purdue on Sept. 30, 2006. u Folston came on late in 2013 as a true freshman after being named class 4A first-team all-state in 2012 at Cocoa High School in Florida. After running for just 116 yards over the first eight games, Folston rushed for 140 in the ninth game (vs. Navy) and a combined 354 yards over the final five games of the year. u His 140 yards against Navy on Nov. 2, 2013, were the third most in a single game by a Notre Dame freshman, trailing only Jerome Heavens' 148 against Georgia Tech on Nov. 8, 1975, and Julius Jones' 146 against Navy on Oct. 30, 1999. u McDaniel, a senior in 2014, is the most experienced of the trio and led the Irish last fall with 705 rushing yards on 152 carries with three scores. With a more powerful style, McDaniel averaged 4.6 yards per carry last fall as he started four games. u The Irish were 4-0 in 2013 when McDaniel ran for at least 80 yards, rushing for 117 against BYU (Nov. 23), 97 against USC (Oct. 19), 82 against Arizona State (Oct. 5) and 80 against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28).
u Conversely, McDaniel was held to 22 yards or less in each of Notre Dame's four losses in 2013, comfortably his four lowest totals of the year. u McDaniel has been dependable when charged with carrying the ball. In 291 career all-purpose touches, he has fumbled just twice. u Bryant played in three of the first four games last fall as a freshman before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the 2013 season. u An elusive slashing style of runner which earned him second-team All-America honors as a high school senior, Bryant was limited to just three carries for 14 yards a year ago. u Bryant had a potent outing at USC (Nov. 29), rushing for 79 yards on just seven carries against the Trojans, an average of 11.3 yards per carry, with a TD. u In addition to his running back chores, Bryant also has helped the Irish in 2014 on special teams as both a punt returner and a kickoff returner.
GAME NOTES
Year Carries by RBs Fumbles Lost 2010 325 2 2011 357 3 2012 378 3 2013 383 2 2014 292 2 Total 1,725 12
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Here is a look at the success Irish running backs have had in terms of ball security since the arrival of head coach Brian Kelly:
u Golson threw for at least 200 yards in 11 games this year and had done so in each of his last 16 contests overall before having that run snapped at USC (Nov. 29).
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Game Notes u Golson led the Irish on a pair of nine-play scoring drives in the fourth quarter against No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4). The first gave Notre Dame a 10-7 lead on a field goal with 7:32 remaining in the game. The second provided the game-winning margin, a 23-yard TD pass to Ben Koyack on a fourth-and-11 play with 1:01 left in the contest. u The Stanford game is just one display during one of the top offensive seasons for an Irish signal caller. Golson's 2014 passing yards (3,355) and completions (250) rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in school history.
u Golson led the Irish in rushing against Purdue (Sept. 13), gaining 56 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown. It marked the first time a Notre Dame quarterback has been the team's leading rusher in a game since Andrew Hendrix did it against Air Force on Oct. 8, 2011. u Golson is averaging 302.7 total offensive yards per game while Notre Dame averages 444.6 as a team, giving Golson responsibility for 68.1 percent of the squad's total offense. The 302.7 yards per game by Golson rank 17th in the nation. u Golson's eight rushing TDs this year rank third in school history by a quarterback.
Most Passing Yards - Season Quarterback (Year) 1. Brady Quinn (2005) 2. Jimmy Clausen (2009) 3. Brady Quinn (2006) 4. Everett Golson (2014)
Yards 3,919 3,722 3,426 3,355
Most Rushing TDs by a Quarterback -Season Quarterback (Year) Rushing TDs 1. Tony Rice (1988) 9 Rick Mirer (1991) 9 3. Everett Golson (2014) 8
Most Completions - Season Quarterback (Year) 1. Brady Quinn (2005) 2. Jimmy Clausen (2009) Brady Quinn (2006) 4. Tommy Rees (2011) 5. Jimmy Clausen (2008) 6. Everett Golson (2014)
Completions 292 289 289 269 268 250
u Golson has thrown 29 TD passes through 12 games in 2014. He threw 12 TD passes in all of 2012 (12 games played). His 41 career TD passes already tie for fifth in school history while the 29 TD passes in 2014 rank third for a single season. Most Touchdown Passes - Career Quarterback (Years) 1. Brady Quinn (2003-06) 2. Tommy Rees (2010-13) 3. Jimmy Clausen (2007-09) 4. Ron Powlus (1994-97) 5. Rick Mirer (1989-92) Everett Golson (2012, 14)
TD passes 95 61 60 52 41 41
Most Touchdown Passes - Season Quarterback (Year) 1. Brady Quinn (2006) 2. Brady Quinn (2005) 3. Everett Golson (2014)
TD passes 37 32 29
u This multi-category success builds to a lofty pass efficiency rating. Golson's 144.1 career rating ranks fourth in school history.. Efficiency Rating - Career (min. 150 attempts) Quarterback (Years) Rating 1. Kevin McDougal (1990-93) 156.7 2. Jarious Jackson (1996-99) 145.7 3. John Huarte (1962-64) 144.7 4. Everett Golson (2012, 14) 144.1 5. Rick Mirer (1989-92) 139.0
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u Golson led Notre Dame to a 6-0 start in both 2012 and 2014. The last time a Notre Dame starting quarterback began two seasons at 6-0 came in 1988-89 with Tony Rice under center. u In 2012, Golson became the first quarterback in school history to lead the Irish to victories over top 10 foes in his first two road starts when he helped Notre Dame beat No. 10 Michigan State (20-3 on Sept. 15, 2012) and No. 8 Oklahoma (30-13 on Oct. 27, 2012). u Having Golson's mobility returned another dimension to the 2014 Irish offense. In 2012, his six rushing touchdowns were the most for an Irish signal caller since Jarious Jackson had seven in 1999. Golson surpassed Jackson's seven on Nov. 1 during a three-TD effort against Navy. u Golson capped the 2012 season in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game with one of the best quarterbacking performances all season against Alabama's defense. His 270 passing yards were the second most allowed by the Crimson Tide in 2012, exceeded only by Zach Mettenberger of LSU (298 yards on Nov. 3, 2012). Golson was one of just two quarterbacks in 2012 to both throw and rush for a TD in the same game against Alabama, joining Michigan's Denard Robinson (Sept. 1, 2012). u In 2012, Golson went 187 of 318 passing for 2,405 yards with 12 TDs and six interceptions. He also ran for 298 yards and six TDs on 94 carries. In comparison, Notre Dame's 2013 quarterbacks combined to run for minus-30 yards on 27 attempts with one TD. u Golson showed an innate ability to protect the football on his throws in 2012 and, combining with his 2014 stats, he has been intercepted just 20 times on 734 career attempts (2.72 percent of his passes). Golson ranks fifth in Notre Dame history for lowest career interception percentage. Lowest INT Percentage - Career (min. 150 attempts) Quarterback INT Percentage, Years 1. Jimmy Clausen 2.432 (27 of 1110), 2007-09 2. Brady Quinn 2.434 (39 of 1602), 2003-06 3. Matt LoVecchio 2.58 (5 of 194), 2000-01 4. Dayne Crist 2.66 (9 of 338), 2008-11 5. Everett Golson 2.72 (20 of 734), 2012, 2014 6. Ron Powlus 2.79 (27 of 969), 1994-97 7. Rick Mirer 3.30 (23 of 698), 1989-92 8. Kevin McDougal 3.33 (6 of 180), 1990-93 9. Carlyle Holiday 3.35 (16 of 477), 2001-04 10. Tommy Rees 3.53 (37 of 1,048), 2010-13 GOLSON FOURTH IN THE NATION IN POINT RESPONSIBILITY u A dual-threat quarterback, Everett Golson ranks among the country's top signal callers this fall in points responsible for. u Golson has thrown for 29 touchdowns, run for eight TDs and both thrown and run for a two-point conversion, amassing responsibility for 226 points on the year. The 226 points rank eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Golson's 18.8 points responsible for per game also rank fifth nationally.
u Golson also has made plays with his feet in 2014. He ranks third on the team with 277 rushing yards and tops the Irish with eight rushing TDs. u Golson's eight rushing TDs tie for 14th in the nation among quarterbacks. He trails Navy's Keenan Reynolds (20), Oregon's Marcus Mariota (14), Mississippi State's Dak Prescott (13), Nevada's Cody Fajardo (13), North Carolina's Marquise Williams (12), Georgia Southern's Kevin Ellison (12), Ohio State's J.T. Barrett (11), Auburn's Nick Marshall (11), Arkansas State's Fredi Knighten (11), Army's Angel Santiago (10), Boston College's Tyler Murphy (10), Memphis' Paxton Lynch (10) and Minnesota's Mitch Leidner (10). u Against Northwestern (Nov. 15), Golson ran for a 61-yard TD on the fourth play of the game. It marked the longest TD run by an Irish quarterback since Carlyle Holiday scored from 67 yards out against Pittsburgh on Oct. 6, 2001.
Most Points Responsible For Per Game in 2014 Player School Rush TDs Rec TDs Pass TDs 2Pt. Points 1. Marcus Mariota Oregon 14 1 38 0 318 2. Brandon Doughty Western Kentucky 2 0 44 1 278 3. J.T. Barrett Ohio State 11 0 34 0 270 4. Rakeem Cato Marshall 2 0 44 1 258 5. Trevone Boykin TCU 9 0 30 0 234 6. Cody Kessler USC 2 0 36 0 228 Dek Prescott Mississippi State 14 0 24 0 228 8. Everett Golson Notre Dame 8 0 29 2 226
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Game Notes
2Pt. 0 2 0
Points 234 226 198
PPG 18.0 18.8 16.5
HOT STREAK FOR MALIK u Sophomore QB Malik Zaire saw the earliest and most extensive action of his Irish career at USC (Nov. 29) and provided an immediate spark to the offense after entering in the second quarter. u After handing off to Greg Bryant for a four-yard gain on his first snap, Zaire threw his first collegiate pass, completing it to Chris Brown for a 49-yard gain. Zaire ran 11 yards for a touchdown on the next play to complete a three-play, 64-yard scoring drive that needed just 58 seconds and gave the Irish their first points of the day. u Zaire finished the contest nine of 20 passing for 170 yards with no TD passes or interceptions. He also carried the ball six times for 18 yards and a score. The Irish and Trojans played to a 14-14 tie over the 35:15 of action after Zaire's insertion. u While playing quarterback at USC, Zaire continued his duties as the holder on placement kicks, a job he assumed prior to the Northwestern game (Nov. 15).
BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
DEPTH AND YOUTH AT WIDE RECEIVER FOR THE IRISH u Notre Dame's wide receiving crop has an ample supply of talent and youth. None of the six receivers on the current two-deep is in his final season of eligibility. u Of the eight Notre Dame players with a touchdown catch in 2014, only tight end Ben Koyack is in his final season of eligibility. The eight TD pass recipients mark the most for the Irish since nine hauled in a TD in 1996. u Sophomores Will Fuller, Torii Hunter Jr. and Corey Robinson, as well as junior C.J. Prosise, add speed, athleticism and, most importantly, depth to the wide receiver position. u Fuller leads Notre Dame in receptions (71), receiving yards (1,037) and receiving TDs (14). He ranks tied for second in the FBS in TD catches, 19th in receiving yards, 23rd in receiving yards per game (86.4) and 30th in receptions per game (5.9). u Against USC (Nov. 29), Fuller became one of eight players to record a 1,000-yard receiving season in Notre Dame history. His 1,037 receiving yards are ninth best for a single season in Irish lore. u Fuller's 14 TD receptions and 71 catches are each the most by a sophomore in school history. In fact, his 1,037 receiving yards are the second most in single-season school history by a sophomore behind Golden Tate's 1,080 in 2008. u Eight of Fuller's 14 TD catches this year have been for over 20 yards. u Fuller caught a career-high three TD passes vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15), which moved him into sole possession of fourth place in single-season school history. u Fuller had nine catches for 159 yards (his third 100-yard receiving game of the season) vs. Northwestern, both career highs. His 159 receiving yards were the most since DaVaris Daniels collected 167 yards against Purdue on September 14, 2013. u Fuller recorded the first three-receiving TD game for the Irish since 2010 when Michael Floyd had a hat trick against Western Michigan. The three receiving TDs tied for second in school history for a single game, behind only Maurice Stovall's four against BYU on Oct. 22, 2005.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
GOLSON SQUEEZES HIS WAY INTO RECORD BOOK VS. ORANGE u Senior quarterback Everett Golson left a mark on Notre Dame's single-game record book when the Irish faced Syracuse at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 27. Golson went 32 of 39 passing for 362 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. u From the second to fourth quarters, Golson completed 25 consecutive passes. That run obliterated the previous school record of 14 set by Ron Powlus against Michigan State in 1997 and matched by both Brady Quinn against Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and Tommy Rees against Maryland in 2011. u Golson's 25 consecutive completions stood just one shy of matching the Football Bowl Subdivision single-game record of 26, established by Dominique Davis of East Carolina against Navy on Oct. 22, 2011. u During the streak, Golson was 25 of 25 for 312 yards and four TDs. The Irish were eight for eight on third-down conversions and nine different players picked up a first down. Notre Dame ran 49 plays during the streak for 379 yards, an average of 7.7 yards per play. u The 32 completions by Golson rank tied for fifth in single-game school history. They are the most since Dayne Crist completed 32 passes against Michigan State in 2010. u By completing 82.1 percent of his passes, Golson recorded the eighth-best single-game completion percentage in Notre Dame annals and the best since Jimmy Clausen connected on 84.6 percent of his passes (22 for 26) in the 2008 Hawai'i Bowl. u Golson's 362 passing yards against the Orange were the most by an Irish signal caller since Crist's 369 against Michigan State in 2010. u The career-high four touchdown passes thrown by Golson against Syracuse place him into a tie for seventh in single-game school history.
COACHES & STAFF
GOLSON RUSHES FOR THREE AND PASSES FOR THREE TO SINK NAVY u Senior quarterback Everett Golson became the first Notre Dame player to both rush for three touchdowns and also pass for three TDs in the same game, accounting for 36 points in Notre Dame's 49-39 win over Navy on Nov. 1 at FedEx Field. u Golson and Oklahoma's Trevor Knight are the only two players in the nation this year to both rush and throw for three TDs in the same game. Knight also accomplished the feat on Nov. 1, doing it at Iowa State. u The 36 points by Golson are just one shy of the Notre Dame school single-game record of 37 set by Art Smith against Loyola-Chicago on Oct. 28, 1911. Smith scored seven touchdowns (then worth five points each) and added a pair of extra points.
GOLSON HELPS IRISH WIN PASSING BATTLE u Notre Dame has thrown for more yards than 10 of its 12 opponents in 2014, the exceptions being North Carolina (Oct. 11) and USC (Nov. 29). u Prior to the North Carolina game, the Irish had outpassed their opponent in each of Everett Golson's last eight starts, dating back to Nov. 10, 2012, when Boston College threw for 247 yards, compared to 209 for Notre Dame. u Regardless of whom is under center, Notre Dame had outgained each of its last 11 opponents through the air before the Tar Heels, a stretch that began after USC led 201 to 166 in passing yardage on Oct. 19, 2013. u The Irish got back to outpassing their foes a week later as Golson threw for 313 yards, as opposed to 273 for Florida State's Jameis Winston, in their Oct. 18 showdown in Tallahassee. Notre Dame continued that momentum and outpassed each of its five opponents between North Carolina and USC.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
GOLSON REMARKABLY EFFICIENT AGAINST TOUGH LOUISVILLE PASSING DEFENSE u Louisville entered its game at Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 22 ranked fifth in the nation in pass efficiency defense at 100.8. Through 10 games, no individual quarterback had thrown at least 20 passes against the Cardinals in 2014 and recorded an efficiency rating better than 130.4 (Jameis Winston of Florida State on Oct. 30). u Everett Golson posted a rating of 168.4 against the Cardinals, completing 16 of 24 passes for 236 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception. u Being intercepted just once by a ball-hawking Cardinal defense that continues to lead the nation in interceptions, Golson tied the season low for any quarterback who threw at least 20 passes against Louisville. On Oct. 18, Jacoby Brissett of North Carolina State also threw just one interception (on 32 attempts) against the Cardinals. u Golson's passing led to one of the bigger offensive displays against the Cardinals in 2014. Louisville entered the game ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense at 17.8 points per game. The 28 points scored by the Irish are the third most against Louisville all year, eclipsed only by Florida State's 42 and Kentucky's 40.
GOLSON RESPONSIBLE FOR FIVE TOUCHDOWNS VS. RICE IN SEASON OPENER u Senior quarterback Everett Golson appeared in a game for Notre Dame for the first time in exactly 600 days when he started against Rice on Aug. 30 and he put forth a record-tying performance. u Golson completed 14 of 22 passes for 295 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running for 41 yards and three more TDs, giving him 336 yards of total offense and responsibility for five TDs. u His three rushing TDs against the Owls tied Notre Dame's school record for rushing TDs in a game by a quarterback. Paul Hornung accomplished the feat against North Carolina on Nov. 17, 1956, during his Heisman Trophy-winning season for the Irish. Jarious Jackson matched that sum against Stanford on Oct. 3, 1998. Golson would equal this mark against Navy (Nov. 1). u Golson became the first Notre Dame player, regardless of position, with three rushing TDs in a game since Jonas Gray against Navy on Oct. 29, 2011. u Golson's two TD passes against Rice were also noteworthy as they were the two longest passing plays of his Irish career to that point. Golson's first scoring strike was a 75-yard pass to Will Fuller while the second went for 53 yards to C.J. Prosise.
GAME NOTES
Most Points Responsible For - Single Season Player Year Rush TDs Pass TDs 1. Brady Quinn 2006 2 37 2. Everett Golson 2014 8 29 3. Brady Quinn 2005 1 32
MEDIA INFORMATION
GOLSON RANKS WITH IRISH LEGENDS IN POINT RESPONSIBILITY u Quarterback Everett Golson ranks among Notre Dame's seasonal record holders in point responsibility. u Golson is second in Notre Dame history with his 226 points responsibility thus far in 2014. His 18.8 per-game average would set a school record, topping Brady Quinn's 18.0 average from 2006.
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Game Notes u Fuller became the first Irish receiver to collect TD catches over the season's first four games since Jeff Samardzija caught a TD pass in eight straight games to open the 2005 season. u Fuller has registered a TD reception in 10 of Notre Dame's 12 games. u Fuller recorded the team's first 100-yard receiving game of the year when he caught six passes for 119 yards and two scores against Syracuse (Sept. 27). Along with his blocking work on screen passes, Fuller received the game ball in the post-game locker room. u Fuller's second time eclipsing the century mark in receiving yards came when he caught seven passes for 133 yards and two TDs in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11). u Fuller followed that performance by tying for the team-lead with eight catches at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), good for 79 yards with one TD. u Fuller has a catch of at least 30 yards in seven of Notre Dame's 12 games this year. u Fuller's 15 career TD grabs already tie for 10th in school history with Ken MacAfee (1974-77). u Fuller's 14 TD catches in 2014 rank tied for second nationally.
u Carlisle, who gained 315 all-purpose yards in 2013 (204 rushing, 30 receiving, 81 kickoff return) also continues to help the Irish on special teams as a kickoff returner. u Junior Chris Brown was one of three opening-day starters and is seeing the most extensive playing time of his career. u Brown hauled in a career-best six passes for 57 yards against Syracuse (Sept. 27). u Brown scored his first TD of the year on a 17-yard catch against Stanford (Oct. 4). u Brown set his career high of 82 receiving yards, on just two receptions, in the win vs. Navy on Nov. 1. u The 49-yard catch by Brown at USC (Nov. 29) was his longest since a 50-yard grab at Oklahoma on Oct. 27, 2012. u Brown is third on the Irish with both his 35 receptions and 499 receiving yards. u Freshman Justin Brent, who enrolled at Notre Dame for the spring 2014 semester, is also a candidate to figure into the wide receiver rotation along with performing regularly on special teams.
Most TD Receptions in 2014 - Football Bowl Subdivision Player School Gms. Rec. TDs 1. Rashard Higgins Colorado State 11 17 2. Will Fuller Notre Dame 12 14 Amari Cooper Alabama 13 14 3. Corey Davis Western Michigan 11 12 Josh Reynolds Texas A&M 12 12 Isiah Myers Washington State 12 12 Nelson Spruce Colorado 12 12
ROBINSON FIRST SOPHOMORE FIRST TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN SINCE 2008 u WR Corey Robinson is a member of the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America速 Division I Football Team, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). u Robinson is the first sophomore at an NCAA Division I institution to earn first-team Academic AllAmerica honors since 2008. He also is just the fourth sophomore to attain first-team status since 2002, joining Pittsburgh defensive lineman Vince Crochunis (2002), Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (2007) and South Dakota State running back Kyle Minett (2008). u Robinson is the second Irish sophomore football player to earn first-team Academic All-America status and the first since Joe Heap in 1952. Heap remains the only player in program history, and one of three in University history, to be a three-time first-team Academic All-America selection. u Robinson becomes the third Notre Dame student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors this fall, joining Irish men's soccer players Patrick Hodan and Luke Mishu who garnered first-team and thirdteam Academic All-America recognition, respectively. u Robinson, a liberal studies major, boasts a 3.83 cumulative grade-point average in Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters. He has been named to the dean's list following each of his four semesters on campus. u Robinson not only excels on the gridiron and in the classroom, but he also devotes significant time to numerous service groups within the Notre Dame community. Robinson, who serves on the Irish football team's unity council, is a member of the University's Student Government Executive Cabinet, and participates on both the athletic department's Christian Athletes Advisory Council and with its Rosenthal Leadership Academy. He also is the chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council's IrishOn3 initiative. u Notre Dame has produced 241 Academic All-America selections since that program debuted 62 years ago, ranking second all-time to the University of Nebraska in overall Academic All-America honorees. The Irish also have fielded 59 Academic All-America recipients in football, ranking third all-time.
u Fuller's 14 TD receptions this season rank fourth in school history. Most Touchdown Catches - Season Player (Year) 1. Golden Tate (2009) Rhema McKnight (2006) Jeff Samardzija (2005) 4. Will Fuller (2014)
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TD catches 15 15 15 14
u Robinson was awarded the game ball in the locker room after the win over Purdue (Sept. 13) in which he had three catches for a team-high 52 yards, including a leaping TD catch in the end zone. u Robinson is second on the team in receptions (40), receiving yards (539) and receiving TDs (five). u At No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), Robinson led Notre Dame with 99 receiving yards, tied Fuller for the team lead with eight catches and recorded his first career multiple-TD game, catching a pair of TD passes. u Robinson is the son of David Robinson, 10-time NBA All-Star and 2009 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee. u Against Rice (Aug. 30), Prosise only made one catch but it was good for a career-long 53-yard TD. He is one of four members of the team through 12 games with at least 450 receiving yards. Prosise has 482 yards through the air, coming on just 26 receptions for a team-high average per reception of 18.5 yards. u Prosise had the most productive game of his Irish career at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), setting a career high with six catches, good for a then career-high 59 receiving yards. u Prosise eclipsed that yardage benchmark in the first minute of the Navy game (Nov. 1) when he caught a 78-yard TD pass at the 14:02 mark of the first quarter. Notre Dame's longest pass play of the season, it also marked the earliest the Irish have scored a TD since Tommy Rees connected with Michael Floyd for a 35-yard TD 24 seconds into the 2011 Purdue game. u Prosise continued the big play run a week later when he hauled in a 59-yard pass at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8). He was one of three Irish wide receivers with at least 85 receiving yards against the Sun Devils, joining Fuller (95) and Amir Carlisle (92). u Hunter Jr. was named the team's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year in 2013. He missed almost all of the 2014 preseason practices due to an injury suffered during the opening week of camp at Culver Academies but returned for the Syracuse game on Sept. 27. He is the son of longtime MLB outfielder Torii Hunter, currently with the Minnesota Twins. u In his collegiate debut against Syracuse, Hunter Jr. made his first career catch, a 13-yard TD strike in the fourth quarter. u Converted running back Amir Carlisle changed to wide receiver during 2014 spring drills and started in the slot against Rice. The senior did see action in the slot and out of the backfield in 2013. Carlisle ranks third on the team with three touchdown catches. He has 20 grabs overall on the year, good for 287 yards. Carlisle missed the Syracuse game (Sept. 27) due to an injury. u Carlisle had receptions of 35 and 32 yards at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) as a part of his careerhigh 92-yard receiving day.
KOYACK LEADS TIGHT ENDS IN 2014 u Notre Dame has become "Tight End U" recently as each of the last five starting tight ends for the Irish has been either a first or second-round NFL Draft picks, an esteemed roll that includes Anthony Fasano (2006 second round - Dallas), John Carlson (2008 second round - Seattle), Kyle Rudolph (2011 second round - Minnesota), Tyler Eifert (2013 first round - Cincinnati) and Troy Niklas (2014 second round - Arizona). u Senior Ben Koyack has earned this coveted starting position in 2014. The Mackey Award semifinalist and third-team preseason All-America pick by Phil Steele showed over the second half of last season that he's fully capable of carrying on the tradition of successful Notre Dame tight ends. u Koyack caught 10 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns in 2013. Among players with at least 10 receptions, his per-catch average of 17.1 yards was tops on the Irish roster. u He already has exceeded his 2014 season totals with 29 catches, good for 305 yards, thus far in 2014. u Koyack made his first TD of the season count, scoring in the corner of the end zone on a fourthand-11 play with 1:01 remaining in the game to beat No. 14 Stanford, 17-14, on Oct. 4. u Koyack led the Irish with five receptions, good for 54 yards, with a TD, in the win over Navy (Nov. 1). u Koyack came into his own down the stretch in 2013. After not catching a TD in his first 29 games for the Irish, starting with Arizona State on Oct. 5, he had a TD catch in three of Notre Dame's last eight games. u Talented sophomore Durham Smythe and freshman Tyler Luatua are both playing regularly this season, along with Koyack. u Smythe did not see any game action in 2013 but was one of the stars of spring practice, particularly for his pass-catching ability. u Smythe made his first career catch, a seven-yard grab, at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), helping the Irish convert on a third-and-three play.
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Game Notes
u Notre Dame has given up 45 rushing touchdowns over its last 55 games (dating back to the Tulsa game in 2010). Even more amazing, only 26 of those rushing TDs have come from an opposing running back and two (Jonathan Lee’s eight-yard TD run for Air Force came with the Irish leading, 59-27, with 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter on Oct. 8, 2011, and D.J. Adams’ two-yard TD on Nov. 12, 2011, with the Irish leading Maryland, 45-14, with 37 seconds left) came against the Irish reserves. u Even crazier, 20 of the last 39 rushing TDs against the Irish have come from quarterbacks. u Over the last 59 games, only 21 running backs have recorded a rushing TD against Notre Dame (Gee Gee Greene, Navy, 2010; Jon Lee, Air Force, 2011; Josh Harris, Wake Forest, 2011; D.J. Adams, Maryland, 2011; Ray Graham, Pittsburgh, 2012; TJ Yeldon and Eddie Lacy of Alabama, 2012; Kenney Harper, Temple, 2013; Silas Redd, USC, 2013; James Conner, Pittsburgh, 2013; Tyler Gaffney, Stanford, 2013; Anthony Wilkerson, Stanford, 2013; Remound Wright, Stanford, 2014; Elijah Hood, North Carolina, 2014; Karlos Williams, Florida State, 2014; Geoffrey Whiteside, Demond Brown and Chris Swain, Navy, 2014; Demario Richard, Arizona State, 2014; Justin Jackson, Northwestern, 2014; Brandon Radcliff, Louisville, 2014; Justin Davis, USC, 2014). VANGORDER BRINGS A NEW ORDER u Notre Dame's defense has a new look in 2014 under first-year coordinator Brian VanGorder. u Drawing particularly upon VanGorder's experience last year with the New York Jets under head coach Rex Ryan, the Irish have increasingly applied pressure on the quarterback. u VanGorder's system also calls for providing multiple looks from the same personnel so the Irish have shown more versatility from the Notre Dame players as they switch regularly from 4-3 sets to 3-4 sets, among other defenses. u An assistant coach alongside and, later, under Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State from 1989-91, VanGorder's coaching career includes a combined seven years of NFL experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2005), Atlanta Falcons (2007-11) and New York Jets (2013). u VanGorder also boasts five years of experience as a defensive coordinator in the Southeastern Conference at Georgia (2001-04) and Auburn (2012), among his collegiate career coaching stops. IRISH SMOTHER FOES IN SECOND HALF
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
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Rushing TDs Allowed (2011-14) 24 41 41 42 44 44 48 49 49 49
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DEFENSE STINGY UNDER KELLY
Rank Name 1. Alabama 2. Florida State TCU 4. Michigan State 5. Notre Dame Louisville 7. BYU 8. Cincinnati LSU Stanford
BOWL HISTORY
THE 300 CLUB u Notre Dame has allowed 300 yards of total offense or less in 19 of its last 44 games. u Notre Dame has won 15 straight games when limiting its opponent to 300 yards of total offense or less. The Irish are 24-2 under Brian Kelly when their opponent fails to eclipse the 300-yard mark of total offense. u Notre Dame has held 41 percent of its opponents (26) in the Brian Kelly era (64 games) to less than 300 yards of total offense.
KEY TO IRISH DEFENSIVE SUCCESS IS STOPPING THE RUN u Carrying the ball across the goal line has not been a regular occurrence for Irish opponents of late. u The Irish have yielded 19 rushing touchdowns thus far in 2014, building upon a recent trend. u Notre Dame’s defense allowed four rushing TDs in 2012 (and the first did not come until the eighth game of the year). The Irish were the only team in the Football Bowl Subdivision that did not allow a rushing TD over its first seven games of the season. Notre Dame still led the FBS in fewest rushing TDs with four. u Notre Dame allowed just 13 rushing TDs in 2013, which ranked 15th in the FBS. u Since the start of the 2011 season, only four teams have allowed fewer rushing TDs than Notre Dame's 44.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Best FBS Scoring Defense Since 2010 Team 2010-14 1. Alabama 12.61 2. Florida State 16.85 3. LSU 17.02 4. Michigan State 17.92 5. Stanford 18.33 6. Wisconsin 19.00 7. Louisville 19.16 8. Florida 19.29 9. UCF 19.40 10. Boise State 19.72 11. Virginia Tech 20.12 12. TCU 20.25 13. Ohio State 20.38 14. BYU 20.59 15. Penn State 20.66 16. Notre Dame 20.94
Stat Rank 0.93 t-6th 0.30 t-9th 5.10 23rd 1.35 t-29th 143.29 30th 36.75 30th 211.72 33rd
COACHES & STAFF
DEFENSE PRETTY STINGY ON THE SCOREBOARD u Notre Dame’s defense has allowed two offensive touchdowns or less in 34 of its last 55 games. The Irish have actually allowed one offensive TD or less in 23 of those outings, including 17 of the last 38 games. u Notre Dame has allowed an average of 20.94 points/game over the last five seasons combined, which ranks as the 16th-best average over 2010-14 of any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Category Rushing TDs Per Game Points Per Play Total Yards Per Play Passing TDs Per Game Rushing Yards Per Game Rushing Attempts Allowed Per Game Passing Yards Per Game
THE FIGHTING IRISH
S Nicky Barratti - Missed final nine games due to a shoulder injury S Austin Collinsworth - Missed seven games due to knee and shoulder injuries LB Ben Councell - Played in 11 games but limited while recovering from a knee injury DL Sheldon Day - Missed final two games with a knee injury LB Jarrett Grace - Missed entire season with a leg injury S Eilar Hardy - Missed first eight games DL Chase Hounshell - Played in three games but limited while recovering from a shoulder injury DL Jarron Jones - Missed USC game with a foot injury LB Kendall Moore - Missed entire season CB Cody Riggs - Missed two games, and limited in two others, due to foot injury CB KeiVarae Russell - Preseason All-American, missed entire season LB Joe Schmidt - Missed final four games due to an ankle injury DL Tony Springmann - Missed entire season with a back injury S Drue Tranquill - Missed USC game with a knee injury DL Ishaq Williams - Likely starter at defensive end, missed entire season
u Notre Dame has consistently ranked near the top of the national defensive rankings since the arrival of head coach Brian Kelly. Here are just a few specialized markers that highlight how the Irish have excelled on defense under Kelly's watch:
GAME NOTES
LINEUP SHUFFLES WEEKLY ON DEFENSE u Particularly in the second half of the season, attrition took its toll on the Notre Dame defense, something evidenced by the Irish starting 19 different players on the defensive side of the ball in 2014. u Of the 19 starters on defense, 11 made their first defensive start for Notre Dame in 2014 and 14 had made no more than one career start for Notre Dame's defense entering the season. u In the regular season finale at USC (Nov. 29), Notre Dame started five players on defense (CB Devin Butler, LB Greer Martini, DL Jacob Matuska, S Max Redfield and S Elijah Shumate) who had not started just a week before against Louisville (Nov. 22). u Only three defensive players (CB Cole Luke, DL Isaac Rochell and LB Jaylon Smith) started all 12 regular season games. u Players whose anticipated defensive contributions were limited or eliminated in 2014 include:
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Luatua came to the Irish this summer after a standout prep career at La Mirada High School in California's Orange County and has impressed the coaches this fall with his blend of size (6-0.25, 260 pounds) and pass-catching ability. u Luatua is looking for his first career reception. Both he and Smythe are seeing the bulk of their playing time in 2014 on special teams as the Irish have seldom used two-tight end sets.
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Game Notes u Notre Dame’s defense has been dynamite in terms of halftime adjustments since head Brian Kelly arrived in 2010. The Irish have allowed an average of just 3.28 points per third quarter, which ranks best in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Notre Dame has allowed an average of 9.41 points per second half, which ranks tied for seventh best in the FBS. u In 2014, Notre Dame has allowed only 155 second-half and overtime points (12.9 per game). The Irish did not yield any points in the third quarter until Oct. 11 against North Carolina. The 155 points against Notre Dame include interception returns for a touchdown by Syracuse (Sept. 27) and Arizona State (Nov. 8) along with a touchdown scored by Rice against the Irish backups (Aug. 30). u In its win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4), the Notre Dame defense limited the Cardinal to just 82 yards of total offense after halftime on 31 plays (2.6 avg.). u Notre Dame's defense turned in a dominating second half against Purdue (Sept. 13) to secure a 30-14 victory in this year's annual Shamrock Series game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. u After intermission, Purdue gained just 121 yards of total offense. Seven second-half possessions by the Boilermakers resulted in three punts, two interceptions, a turnover on downs and the end of the game. u In all, seven of Purdue's final 10 drives of the game gained less that 20 yards. Those final 10 drives amounted to 160 yards on 49 plays (3.27 average). u In a historic day for offenses at Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 11, Notre Dame's defense forced North Carolina to punt on each of its first three second-half possessions, helping the Irish regain control of a game they would eventually win 50-43. u As Notre Dame attempted to mount a historic comeback at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), the Irish defense limited the Sun Devils to just 76 yards on their first five second-half drives, forcing four punts (including three three and outs) and making an interception. RED ALERT SIREN STAYS SILENT u Notre Dame's strong red-zone showings have been a mainstay of the team's defense since Brian Kelly arrived on campus in 2010. u The Irish have ceded a rushing touchdown on just 25.46 percent of their opponents' red-zone drives since 2010, the fifth best percentage nationally. u The Irish have yielded just 3.93 points per red-zone drive since 2010, tying for 14th nationally. u Notre Dame's foes have scored a touchdown on just 51.85 percent of their red-zone trips under Kelly, the eighth best mark in the country. u Sometimes the best way to keep teams from scoring in the red zone is to prevent them from getting there in the first place. u The Irish allowed just 11 opposing trips inside the 20-yard line through the first five games, two by Rice, four by Purdue, three by Syracuse and two by Stanford. After five games, 11 red-zone defensive attempts stood tied for the eighth fewest in the nation. u Michigan did not advance the ball into the red zone against the Irish defense on Sept. 6, with its deepest penetration being the Notre Dame 29-yard line on the game's opening drive. It marked the first time Notre Dame had held an opponent out of the red zone since Nov. 17, 2012, a 38-0 win over Wake Forest. OPPOSITION CAN'T GO THE DISTANCE u Notre Dame's defense did not allow an 80-yard scoring drive until its 11th game in 2014 when Louisville mounted three such drives on Nov. 22. u This builds upon a trend from 2013 when Notre Dame allowed just three scoring drives of at least 80 yards. u Conversely, the Irish offense has enjoyed 11 scoring marches of at least 80 yards this year. SEMINOLES SLOWED BY IRISH DEFENSE u No. 2 Florida State defeated Notre Dame, 31-27, on Oct. 18, but the Irish defense put forth a notable performance. u The 31 points scored by the Seminoles were the fewest in any of Jameis Winston's first 20 career starts, and remain the third fewest of his career. The previous low prior to the Notre Dame game was 34 by Auburn in last year's BCS National Championship Game. u Florida State's 273 passing yards were its lowest total of the 2014 season to that date. The 323 yards of total offense for the Seminoles remain the third fewest in any of Winston's 25 career starts.
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STANFORD DEFENSE UPSTAGED BY IRISH u Stanford has been known lately as one of the country's top defenses, but it was Notre Dame's defensive unit which helped provide the difference in a 17-14 win over the No. 14 Cardinal on Oct 4. u By holding Stanford to 205 yards of total offense, it marked the best performance by Notre Dame's defense against a ranked foe since holding No. 15 Pittsburgh to 175 yards in a 20-14 victory Oct. 11, 2003. u The 205 yards of total offense were the Cardinal's lowest figure since Sept. 13, 2008, when Stanford gained just 193 in a loss at TCU. u Notre Dame limited Stanford to just 47 yards rushing, the Cardinal's lowest total since Oct. 27, 2007,
at Oregon State. u The Irish held the Cardinal to just 3.0 yards per play (205 yards on 68 plays), its lowest figure since Oct. 21, 2006, at Arizona State. u Notre Dame forced seven three and outs against Stanford. The Cardinal had to convert on third and seven or more eight times against the Irish. In its first four games, the Cardinal only faced 11 third-andseven or longer situations. SYRACUSE GROUND GAME GETS STUCK AGAINST IRISH u The Irish defense bottled up Syracuse's rushing attack to help Notre Dame claim a Sept. 27 victory at MetLife Stadium. u The Orange entered the game averaging 265 yards per game on the ground but could only muster about half of that, 135 yards, against the Irish. Furthermore, 42 of those rushing yards came on a fake punt. u Syracuse running back Prince-Tyson Gulley entered the game ranked ninth in the nation, averaging 7.8 yards per carry, but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry against Notre Dame. NOTRE DAME MAKES NAVY STICK TO THE GROUND u While Navy is famed for its precise triple-option rushing attack, the Midshipmen do throw the ball on occasion too. Against Notre Dame on Nov. 1, the Irish aptly defended the passing game. u Navy completed just six of its 17 passing attempts while Notre Dame disrupted seven designed passes by defending five attempts (four breakups and one interception) and adding two sacks. NOTRE DAME ELIMINATES BIG PLAYS u The Irish defense has excelled limiting big plays since head coach Brian Kelly arrived at Notre Dame in 2010. u Notre Dame has allowed the fewest percentage of plays run against its defense to go for at least 20 yards over that time. In fact, for each of the 10-yard splits of at least 20 yards, Notre Dame ranks no worse than 10th in the country since 2010 in percentage of opposing plays reaching these critical momentumshifting distances. Play Distance 10+ yards 20+ yards 30+ yards 40+ yards 50+ yards 60+ yards
Percentage 18.52% 4.60% 1.74% 0.95% 0.41% 0.14%
Rank 28th 1st 2nd t-10th 4th 1st
DEFENSIVE LINE UNDERGOING FACELIFT u Notre Dame was led up front the last couple seasons by the All-America duo of Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt. Both have moved on to the National Football League. Tuitt was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Nix was a third-round selection of the Houston Texans. u The 2014 defensive line is headlined by junior Sheldon Day. He took over a starting role in 2013. Day was named to the 2014 Outland Trophy preseason watch list. u Against Rice on Aug. 30, Day doubled any other defensive lineman by making six tackles, one of them for a loss. He followed it up with five tackles against Michigan (Sept. 6), including half of a TFL and four pass pressures. Day recovered a fumble and made three tackles against Purdue (Sept. 13). u Day stood sixth on the squad with 38 tackles at the time of an injury suffered against Northwestern (Nov. 15). His 7.5 tackles for loss led the team at that time and presently stands tied for second. u Day picked up his first sack of the season vs. Northwestern on Nov. 15, but was injured in the third quarter and did not return to the field. He missed both the Louisville (Nov. 22) and USC (Nov. 29) games while recovering. u Nix III was lost late in the 2013 season following knee surgery, but his absence allowed some younger players to gain some needed experience. u Junior Jarron Jones developed into a reliable option for the Irish. He leads Day for 2014’s top tackler among defensive linemen with 40, but was injured against Louisville (Nov. 22) and will miss the remainder of the season. u Jones had seven tackles, a pass breakup and a TFL against Northwestern on Nov. 15. u Jones recorded six tackles against Michigan on Sept. 6, including a 12-yard TFL, one forced fumble and a pass breakup. u Jones recorded a blocked kick on Sept. 27 against Syracuse when he swatted away an extra-point attempt. Jones blocked a North Carolina extra-point attempt on Oct. 11 for his fourth career blocked kick. u Against No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), Jones disrupted the Seminoles’ offense, recording three tackles for loss and a pass pressure. He had six total tackles on the night. The three TFLs at Florida State matched the total of his 18-game Irish career entering the contest.
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Game Notes Most Tackles In A Freshman Season Player Tackles (Year) 1. Bob Golic 82 (1975) 2. Ross Browner 68 (1973) 3. Jaylon Smith 67 (2013) 4. Manti Te’o 63 (2009) 5. Mike Kovaleski 62 (1983)
THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
u Smith was named a 2014 preseason All-American by numerous selectors, including Sports Illustrated and CBSSports.com. He was named to the watch list for the Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Nagurski Trophy. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award and had been a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award. u Smith is the fourth Notre Dame player selected as a Butkus Award finalist, joining 2012 recipient Manti Te'o, Courtney Watson (2002) and Michael Stonebreaker (1988 and 1990). u Smith, winner of the 2012 Butkus Award presented by Pro Football Weekly to the top high school linebacker in the country, was the first-team linebacker on the Parade prep All-America squad. He was also named a first-team USA Today All-USA high school All-American and a finalist for American Family Insurance All-USA Defensive Player of the Year. u Smith leads the Irish in total tackles (103), solo tackles (40) and assisted tackles (43). He leads the team in tackles for loss (8.5) and stands third in sacks (3.0). Smith has forced a fumble, registered six quarterback hurries and broken up two passes. He’s done all of this in his first season at a new position. u Smith is the first Notre Dame player to make 100 tackles in a season since Manti Te'o recorded 113 in 2012 during his Heisman Trophy runner-up senior campaign. u Smith, along with Nyles Morgan, are the first players with a least 10 tackles in three straight games for the Irish since Manti Te'o in 2012. u Smith has reached the double-digit tackle barrier on five separate occasions this season. u Smith matched his career high with a team-high 14 tackles, incluing a seven-yard sack, at USC (Nov. 29). u Smith led Notre Dame with 11 tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22), including a TFL, a pass breakup and two pass pressures. u Smith once again led the Irish in tackles with 10 against Northwestern on Nov. 15. He added a forced fumble and quarterback hurry. u Smith contributed a team-high 10 tackles, including one for a loss, to the historic shutout win over Michigan (Sept. 6). A week later, he had nine tackles, including two for a loss, one of which was a 13-yard sack, against Purdue (Sept.13). u Smith made a career-high 14 tackles in the win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) where the Irish limited the Cardinal to just 205 yards of total offense. Among the 14 tackles were 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. u Senior Joe Schmidt saw action in all 13 games in 2013, making 15 tackles, two of which were for a loss. He made his first career start in the Rice game on Aug. 30 and led Notre Dame with eight tackles. u Originally a walk-on and now on scholarship, Schmidt was a nominee for the 2014 AFCA Good Works Team for his benevolence in the community, particularly with his fight to raise both funds and awareness to battle the rare bone cancer osteosarcoma. u Schmidt led the team with 65 tackles through eight games while also forcing two fumbles and making his first two career interceptions. u Schmidt suffered an ankle injury against Navy (Nov. 1) and is out for the rest of the season. His loss has been palpable with Notre Dame yielding 43.4 points per game in the five contests he has missed (including Navy) after allowing just 17.1 points per game in the first seven games of 2014. u Notre Dame allowed 25 rushes of 10 yards or more in 30+ quarters with Schmidt. The Irish have allowed 36 such carries in 17+ quarters since his third-quarter injury vs. Navy on Nov. 1. u Schmidt led Notre Dame with 11 tackles in the Oct. 11 win over North Carolina. Schmidt also forced a fumble, shared a tackle for loss, broke up a pass and applied one pass pressure in the victory. He followed that performance up with an interception of Jameis Winston and a team-high nine tackles at Florida State (Oct. 18). u Sophomore James Onwualu made the transition from wide receiver to linebacker this past spring and earned a start on opening day against Rice. Onwualu tackled three Owls in the game. He has started every game this year when the Irish opened the contest with its base 4-3 personnel. u Although he did not start against Navy (Nov. 1) when the Irish went to more of a 4-4 look, Onwualu did tie for third on the team with seven tackles, including a pair of TFLs against the Midshipmen. u A pair of freshmen, Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan, had impressive fall camps and also factor into the team’s options at linebacker in 2014. Both made their collegiate debuts on Aug. 30 against Rice, making two solo tackles apiece. u Morgan played extensively against the Midshipmen after Schmidt’s injury, making four tackles including one TFL. He made his first career start at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) and recorded four tackles, all solo. u Morgan recorded 10 tackles, one for loss and broke up a pass, against Northwestern on Nov. 15. u Morgan made 10 more tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22) before being ejected for a targeting foul in the third quarter.
GAME NOTES
LINEBACKER CORPS AS EXPERIENCED AS ANY IRISH UNIT u Notre Dame featured three senior starters at linebacker in 2013 in Dan Fox, Carlo Calabrese and Prince Shembo. Despite the losses, the Irish might return their top playmaking linebacker from 2013. u Named as a preseason All-American this fall, sophomore Jaylon Smith in 2013 became the first Notre Dame freshman linebacker to start a season opener since Kory Minor in 1995. Smith started all 13 games last fall and ranked third on the squad with 67 tackles while trailing only Tuitt for the team lead with 6.5 TFLs. u Smith added one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, one quarterback hurry and three pass breakups last year. 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up and unanimous All-American Manti Te’o needed 39 career games at Notre Dame to record an interception, fumble recovery and forced fumble. Smith accomplished the same feat by his eighth career game. u Smith’s 67 tackles were the third most ever by an Irish freshman and most since Bob Golic set the rookie record with 82 in 1975.
MEDIA INFORMATION
u The 2013 defensive front also benefited from the addition of sophomore Isaac Rochell. Rochell made his first career start in the 2014 season opener against Rice on Aug. 30 and had a crucial fumble recovery to accompany his four tackles a week later against Michigan. u Rochell had the best game of his young career against Northwestern on Nov. 15. He registered a career-best nine tackles, picked up his first career solo sack, equaled his career best with two TFLs and broke up a career-best two passes. u One of three players to start all 12 games on defense in 2014, Rochell is third among defensive linemen with 37 tackles on the year, including 7.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. u Other veteran options up front are fifth-year senior Justin Utupo and junior Romeo Okwara. u Okwara led Notre Dame with 11 tackles against Purdue (Sept. 13), including a half of a sack. He also forced a fumble against the Boilermakers. u Okwara made his first career start at Pittsburgh on Nov. 9, 2013. He remains extremely young and raw having picked up football at a late age, but his frame (6-4, 260) and athleticism helped him see the field. u Okwara started all but one game this year (Navy on Nov. 1) and has 33 tackles, including four sacks to lead the team. u Utupo has played in 47 career games, mainly on special teams, but saw a significant increase in his snaps on the defensive line during the later stages of both the 2013 and 2014 seasons following some injuries. u With the injury to Day, Utupo saw more playing time, starting against both Louisville (Nov. 22) and USC (Nov. 29). u Utupo made his first career start against Navy (Nov. 1) and recorded his first career interception. The critical pick came in Navy territory with 7:09 remaining and the Irish defending an 11-point lead. u Four freshmen, Andrew Trumbetti, Grant Blankenship, Daniel Cage and Kolin Hill, played their way into competing this fall during strong fall camps. All but Hill played in the season opener against Rice on Aug. 30. u Trumbetti enrolled at Notre Dame in January and made great strides during both spring practice and preseason drills. An Under Armour All-American at New Jersey’s Northern Valley Regional High School, Trumbetti had one stop against Rice. u Trumbetti has made 18 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. He made his first career sack against Stanford (Oct. 4). Trumbetti missed the Sept. 13 Purdue game due to injury. u Blankenship also saw time during preseason at defensive end while the stout 6-0.5, 325-pound Cage regularly proved to be tough to stop this past August while playing defensive tackle. u Cage has three tackles in 2014, appearing in the first 10 games. He shared on his first career TFL at USC (Nov. 29). u Blankenship has played in every game this year except for Navy (Nov. 1), making 12 tackles. He recorded his first career sack at USC (Nov. 29). u Hill made his debut against Michigan (Sept. 6). Both of Hill’s tackles against the Wolverines resulted in negative yardage, making an 11-yard solo sack of Devin Gardner and sharing a sack with Day. Hill picked up a half of a sack against Purdue (Sept. 13). u Senior Anthony Rabasa did not play as a freshman in 2011 and saw limited action in 2012, but added great depth to the linebacker group in 2013 and is doing the same in 2014 for the defensive line. He had a TFL among his six stops last fall and has played in a reserve role in three games this fall. He broke up a pass at Florida State (Oct. 18). u Sophomore Jacob Matuska saw action on the defensive line against Rice (Aug. 30), Florida State (Oct. 18), Navy (Nov. 1) and Northwestern (Nov. 15). He made his first collegiate tackle against the Seminoles. u Matuska’s role increased against Louisville (Nov. 22) with the injuries to Day and Cage. He made five tackles, including his first career sack. He made his first career start at USC (Nov. 29). u Freshman Jay Hayes was pressed into service against Louisville (Nov. 22) after the injuries to Day and Cage. Hayes made one tackle in his collegiate debut.
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Game Notes u Despite missing the first half of the USC game on Nov. 29 due to that targeting penalty, Morgan. made 11 tackles against the Trojans, recording his third consecutive double-digit tackle effort. u Morgan, along with Jaylon Smith, are the first players with a least 10 tackles in three straight games for the Irish since Manti Te'o in 2012. u Martini earned his first career start against Navy (Nov. 1) and led the Irish with nine tackles with one quarterback hurry. u Martini added five tackles against Northwestern (Nov. 15). u Martini made a pair of tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22), including his first career sack, good for a 14-yard loss. He started in place of Morgan at USC (Nov. 29) and recorded five tackles, including a TFL, before suffering an injury. u Junior John Turner, a converted safety, has gotten a look at linebacker in 2014 and is fighting for a top reserve role. He played in all 13 games in 2013, predominantly on special teams, and made four tackles. u Senior Ben Councell backed up Smith in 2013, but was lost for the season due to a knee injury suffered against Navy on Nov. 2, 2013. He missed the entire spring season but returned to action on Aug. 30 against Rice, mainly on special teams. While on special teams against Michigan (Sept. 6), he blocked a field goal. u Senior Jarrett Grace picked up his first career start on Sept. 21, 2013, against Michigan State. He registered eight tackles. This effort came one week after he recorded a career-best 10 stops in the victory over Purdue on Sept. 14. Grace was tied for tops on the squad with 40 tackles over the first six games, but was lost for the 2013 season with a broken leg suffered Oct. 5 in the Arizona State game. He missed the entire spring and has yet to see action in 2014. u Sophomore Michael Deeb joined the two-deep as Morgan’s backup after the Schmidt injury. The Plantation, Florida, resident made his collegiate debut at USC (Nov. 29). IRISH RANK 14TH NATIONALLY IN INTERCEPTIONS u Notre Dame's defense ranks among the best in the nation this year in interceptions. The Irish stand tied for 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 16 interceptions in 2014. u Nine different Notre Dame players have intercepted a pass in 2014. Cole Luke and Matthias Farley share the team lead with four. u Notre Dame intercepted at least one pass in each of its first 11 games this year before failing to intercept a USC pass on Nov. 29. At that point, the Irish boasted an active streak of 14 consecutive games with an interception, last failing to pick off a pass on Nov. 9, 2013, at Pittsburgh. u Notre Dame's streak of 14 consecutive games with an interception stood as the longest active run in the FBS entering the USC game. u Notre Dame has not registered a longer streak of consecutive games with an interception since 2001-02 (20 games). SHARING THE WEALTH ON SACKS u When DL Grant Blankenship made the first sack of his Irish career at USC on Nov. 29 it exemplified the diversity of pass pressure sources seen by Notre Dame's defense in 2014. u With the addition of Blankenship to the roll, 15 different Notre Dame players have recorded a sack in 2014. u The 15 players to record a sack stand as the most for the Irish since 1987 when Notre Dame saw 16 different players sack an opposing quarterback. One of the 16 players with a sack in 1987 is current defensive quality control assistant Pat Eilers. CORNERING THE OPPOSITION u The cornerback positional unit received a boost this past summer with the addition of Cody Riggs, a fifth-year transfer from Florida. u Having already received a bachelor’s degree with eligibility remaining, Riggs did not have to sit out for a year before starting coursework at Notre Dame for a master’s in business management. u Riggs appeared in 40 games from 2010-13 with 26 starts for the Gators as both a cornerback and safety. He was credited with 107 career tackles, including nine for a loss. u In addition to his duties in the secondary, Riggs has also served as Notre Dame’s top punt returner. u In the shutout win over Michigan (Sept. 6), he made his first interception since the 2011 Outback Bowl, and broke up a second pass, to accompany his three tackles. u Riggs found himself hampered by a foot injury in late November. He missed the game at No. 11 Arizona State on Nov. 8, but returned to the starting lineup against Northwestern on Nov. 15. Riggs left the game against Louisville (Nov. 22) during the first half and did not return. He did not play at USC (Nov. 29). u Riggs has 33 tackles, one TFL, one interception, one forced fumble and three pass breakups this season. He’s also returned 13 punts for 95 yards (7.3 per punt return), including a 25-yard return against Rice in the season opener.
u Two sophomores gained valuable experience at cornerback in 2013. Cole Luke played in all 13 games and recorded 15 tackles along with a pair of PBUs. Devin Butler (12 games, five tackles, 1 PBU) also played on a regular basis. u Luke made two interceptions against Stanford (Oct. 4). He became the first Notre Dame player to intercept two passes in a game since Manti Te’o picked off a pair against Michigan in 2012. A week later, Luke intercepted his third pass of the year during the Oct. 11 win over North Carolina. u On the play prior to his first interception against the Cardinal, Luke sacked quarterback Kevin Hogan and forced a fumble. Luke finished the game with four tackles, including one for loss (the afore-mentioned sack), two interceptions, three passes defended and a forced fumble. He was named the national defensive player of the week by Athlon. u Luke broke up three passes at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8). u Luke registered seven tackles, one TFL, one forced fumble and one interception against Northwestern on Nov. 15. u Luke has started each of Notre Dame’s first 12 games, making 46 tackles with a team-high 15 pass defenses. Luke is 19th nationally in passes defended (1.25 per game) and 32nd with four interceptions in 12 games played (0.32 per game). u Butler made his first career interception in the Shamrock Series win over Purdue (Sept. 13) along with four solo tackles. u He picked up his first career start at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) as Riggs was bothered by a foot injury. Butler made two tackles and broke up a pair of Sun Devil passes. u Pressed into the starting lineup at USC (Nov. 29) due to Riggs' injury, Butler recorded a career-high seven tackles, six of them solos, against the Trojans. u Freshman Nick Watkins played well enough during fall camp to earn a spot on the two-deep lineup for the season opener against Rice. He made his collegiate debut in that game and has appeared in 10 games this fall, mainly on special teams. SAFETY IN NUMBERS u Five different players started at least one game in 2013 at safety for Notre Dame and four of them, graduate Austin Collinsworth (10 starts), senior Matthias Farley (eight), junior Elijah Shumate (four) and sophomore Max Redfield (one), are back in the fold for Notre Dame in 2014. u Against Rice (Aug. 30), Purdue (Sept. 13), Stanford (Oct. 4), No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) and USC (Nov. 29), Shumate and Redfield held the starting spots with Farley serving as the nickel. All three started against Michigan (Sept. 6), Syracuse (Sept. 27) and Florida State (Oct. 18) as the Irish opened with five defensive backs. Redfield and Collinsworth started against North Carolina (Oct. 11). Redfield started against Navy (Nov. 1) along with freshman Drue Tranquill who played a mix of safety and linebacker while combatting the Mids’ stout triple-option offense. u Shumate and Tranquill held down the safety duties against Northwestern on Nov. 15. Collinsworth and Tranquill started against Louisville (Nov. 22). u Redfield played in 12 games in 2013 as a backup safety and on special teams. He had 12 tackles in ‘13. u Redfield made his first career interception in the shutout of Michigan (Sept. 6) and contributed a career-high six tackles. He has 54 tackles on the 2014 season, including a career-high 10 against both North Carolina (Oct. 11) and No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8). u Farley moved from safety to cornerback this past spring, rejoining the safeties for preseason camp, and is using his experiences in each role well as the team’s top nickel back this fall. He topped the safeties in tackles in 2013 with his 49. Farley’s two interceptions tied for the second most on the team while he also contributed a trio of pass breakups and one tackle for loss. u Against Rice on Aug. 30, Farley snared his fourth career interception, shared a sack and made five tackles during Notre Dame’s season-opening 48-17 win. He is fifth on the team with 51 tackles this year, the most of any reserve player. u Farley recorded the first two sacks of his career, accounting for 18 yards lost, in the win against Navy (Nov. 1). He also broke up a Midshipman pass. u Farley made his third interception of the season at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) to tie Cole Luke for the team lead. He also had two TFLs, including a sack, against the Sun Devils. Farley is second on the team lead with 3.5 sacks and ranks fifth with 6.5 TFLs on the year. u Farley recorded four tackles and picked off his fourth pass of the season, seventh of his career, against Northwestern on Nov. 15. He ranks 32nd in the FBS in interceptions per game (0.33). u Farley made the largest leap of any safety during 2012. In his first year at the position after playing wide receiver in his freshman year (entirely on the scout team as he did not see any game action), Farley started the final 11 games, including the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game against Alabama. u Shumate was hampered by injuries in 2013 but still saw action in 10 contests, making 23 tackles, including one TFL, and breaking up a pass. u In 2014, he leads all Irish defensive backs with 64 tackles (third best overall). u Shumate contributed three tackles and one pass break-up to the win over Rice on Aug. 30.
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Game Notes
COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
u Brindza's five field goals in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28, 2013, tied the NCAA record for most field goals made in a bowl game.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NEARLY PERFECT UNDER PRESSURE u Senior Kyle Brindza, a 2014 Groza Award candidate, nailed a school-record 23 field goals in 2012. He followed that up by making 20 of 26 in 2013. Brindza is also a near-perfect 113 of 115 in career extrapoint tries, converting on a recent string of 89 consecutive attempts. u Brindza is 22 for 28 in game-winning, game-tying, overtime or fourth-quarter lead-extending field goals over his career. Purdue (2012): Connected on the game-winning 27-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining in a 20-17 Irish win. Michigan State (2012): Hit a pair of fourth-quarter field goals (29 and 47 yards) to extend a 14-3 lead to a 20-3 final. Michigan (2012): Connected on a 39-yarder to extend Notre Dame's lead from one score, 10-3, to 10 points, 13-3, with just over six minutes remaining. Stanford (2012): Hit the game-tying 22-yard field goal in a driving rain to force overtime, a game the Irish won 20-13. Oklahoma (2012): Connected on three of four overall including a 46-yarder to extend Notre Dame's lead from one score, 20-13, to 23-13 with just over three minutes remaining. Pittsburgh (2012): Hit three of four vs. the Panthers including a 37-yarder in overtime to tie the score and force a second extra session. USC (2012): Hit a 19-yard offering to extend Notre Dame's lead from 19-13 to 22-13 late in the fourth quarter. Brindza hit five of six vs. the Trojans including a 52-yarder at the halftime gun. Michigan (2013): Connected on a 40-yarder to draw the Irish within four, 34-30, with just over nine minutes remaining. Arizona State (2013): Hit a 33-yard field goal to give the Irish a 27-20 lead in the fourth quarter. He added a 25-yard field goal with 3:03 left in the fourth quarter to break a 27-27 tie. BYU (2013): Hit a crucial 51-yard field goal in frigid temperatures with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a two-score lead. Was three for three in the game overall. Rutgers (2013): Hit a 25-yard field goal to cap a 90-yard drive that gave the Irish a 19-13 lead over the Scarlet Knights. Drilled a 49-yarder late in the contest to round out the scoring (29-16). Was five for six in the game overall. Rice (2014): Connected from 29 yards out to extend Notre Dame's lead over Rice with 7:47 left in the game. Michigan (2014): Added to Notre Dame's historic shutout of Michigan with a 43-yard fourth quarter field goal. Purdue (2014): Hit two lead-extending fourth-quarter field goals against the Boilermakers, one from 48 yards and another from 39 yards out. Syracuse (2014): Hit a 37-yard lead-extending fourth-quarter field goal against the Orange. Stanford (2014): Missed a 27-yard field goal with 12:08 left in a tie game when the snap was mishandled on a rainy day. Recovered to hit a 45-yard field goal with 7:32 remaining and give the Irish a 10-7 lead. Florida State (2014): Hit a 46-yard field goal to break a tie and give Notre Dame a 27-24 lead over No. 2 Florida State in the fourth quarter in Tallahassee. Navy (2014): Uncharacteristically missed two field goals in the fourth quarter with the Irish leading 42-31. Navy blocked both a 46-yard attempt and a 44-yard try. Northwestern (2014): Missed a 42-yard attempt in overtime. Louisville (2014): Missed a 32-yard game-tying attempt with 51 seconds to play.
GAME NOTES
BLOCK THAT KICK! BLOCK THAT KICK! u Notre Dame's special teams have blocked five kicks this year, tying for fifth in the nation. u Only Eastern Michigan, Georgia Tech, Northwestern and Oklahoma State have blocked more kicks in 2014, each swatting away six. u Jarron Jones has two blocked kicks on the season, tying him for seventh in the nation. u Notre Dame's other three blocked kicks came from Ben Councell, Mike McGlinchey and Drue Tranquill. u The Irish had blocked five kicks during head coach Brian Kelly's first four years at Notre Dame, stopping two in 2013 and one each in '10, '11 and '12. u The five blocked kicks this fall are the most by the Irish since blocking six in 2006.
PUNT RETURN GAME RETURNS TO FORM u Notre Dame's punt return game took a step forward against Rice on Aug. 30 as Cody Riggs and Greg Bryant combined to return five punts for 80 yards. u The Irish gained just 106 yards on punt returns in all of 2013. The 80 yards against Rice eclipsed the 46 yards in punt returns that the Irish recorded in all of 2012 and its 48-yard total from 2011 as well. u The 80 punt-return yards against Rice marked the best for the Irish since Nov. 14, 2009, when Notre Dame returned three punts for 100 yards at Pittsburgh. Golden Tate returned two punts for 101 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown, while John Goodman had a single return for minus-one yard. u Notre Dame has 196 punt return yards this year, the most since recording 232 in 2009. u Against Louisville (Nov. 22), Bryant returned a punt 61 yards, stepping out of bounds at the Cardinals' three-yard line. It was the longest punt return by the Irish since Tate's afore-mentioned 2009 score against Pittsburgh and swung the momentum decidedly in Notre Dame's favor during a comeback attempt.
MEDIA INFORMATION
u Against Michigan (Sept. 6), Shumate tied for the team lead with 10 tackles while making his first career interception, breaking up a pass, and providing one pass pressure. u On the final play of the win over No 14 Stanford (Oct 4), Shumate logged his first career sack, a 16-yard loss for Cardinal QB Kevin Hogan, ensuring a 17-14 Irish victory. u Shumate made 13 tackles at USC (Nov. 29), comfortably a career high, topping his 10 against Michigan earlier this fall. u Collinsworth, who missed the 2012 season with injury, saw action in all 13 games in 2013. He registered a career-high 43 tackles and his first three career interceptions. An injury suffered in practice two days before the Rice game on Aug. 30 kept him off of the field until the Stanford game (Oct. 4). u Against the Cardinal, Collinsworth’s first play resulted in a tackle as he split a stop with Jaylon Smith at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter. u Collinsworth returned to the starting lineup Oct. 11 against North Carolina, but left the game in the first half with an injury. He missed the next three games (at. No. 2 Florida State, Navy and at No. 11 Arizona State). u Collinsworth returned to the field against Northwestern on Nov. 15. He, once again, made an immediate impact. Collinsworth scored on a 32-yard fumble return for a touchdown on his second play from scrimmage after being injured against North Carolina on Oct. 11. Notre Dame’s last fumble return for a touchdown came against Navy on Sept. 1, 2012, when Stephon Tuitt returned a fumble 77 yards for a score in Dublin, Ireland. u On Senior Day against Louisville (Nov. 22), Collinsworth made 1.5 tackles for loss. He entered the game with just a half of a TFL in 42 career games played. He was injured again early in the USC game (Nov. 29) and will miss the Music City Bowl. u Collinsworth recorded an interception in the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Rutgers. He added four tackles against the Scarlet Knights. Collinsworth became the first Irish player with an interception in three consecutive games since current defensive graduate assistant Kyle McCarthy had picks in the first three games of the 2009 season. u Collinsworth is the son of CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Famer Cris Collinsworth who played wide receiver at Florida and later for the Cincinnati Bengals before moving into the broadcast booth. u Tranquill has made an immediate impact to the defense as a freshman, seeing significant action as a reserve safety and also starting three games (Navy on Nov. 1, Northwestern on Nov. 15 and Louisville on Nov. 22). Tranquill has been credited with 33 tackles this fall, including half of a sack. u Tranquill's 33 tackles are second to Nyles Morgan (43) among the nine true freshmen who have played on defense for the Irish in 2014. u Tranquill received his first taste of extensive playing time against Purdue (Sept. 13) after Redfield was ejected in the second quarter for targeting. Tranquill helped balance the secondary against the Boilermakers and finished the contest with four tackles. u Tranquill made his presence felt on special teams against Stanford (Oct. 4) when he blocked a punt. Tranquill became the first Notre Dame player to block a punt since Robert Blanton swatted one down against Utah in 2010. u Tranquill’s first career start came against Navy (Nov. 1) in a hybrid safety/linebacker role to help combat the Mids’ triple-option offense. He made five stops, all of them solo, on the night. u Tranquill recorded his first career interception against Louisville (Nov. 22) and made five tackles. u Junior Nicky Baratti (8 tackles, 1 INT in 2012) was lost for the 2013 season during fall practice following a shoulder injury. He returned to the field this past spring but suffered another shoulder injury against Purdue (Sept. 13). u Farley and Collinsworth both started their Irish careers on the offensive side of the ball. Farley and Collinsworth were wide receivers. u The safety depth received a boost the morning prior to the game at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) when Eilar Hardy was reinstated for competition. Hardy played extensively on special teams against the Sun Devils and made a solo tackle. u After a rash of injuries in the secondary, Hardy saw his most extensive playing time of the year at USC (Nov. 29) and made eight stops against the Trojans. u Hardy played in 10 games in 2013 with two starts. He recorded 26 tackles on the year, with one TFL.
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Game Notes MOST FIELD GOALS MADE IN A BOWL GAME 5—Kyle Brindza, Notre Dame (29) vs. Rutgers (16) (Pinstripe, 2013) (21, 38, 26, 25, 49 yards) 5—Jeremy Shelley, Alabama (21) vs. LSU (0) (BCS Championship Game, 2012) (23, 37, 41, 35, 44 yards) 5—Andrew Aguila, Central Mich. (44) vs. Troy (41) (2 ot) (GMAC, 2010) (28, 35, 44, 42, 37 yards) 5—Dan Nystrom, Minnesota (29) vs. Arkansas (14) (Music City, 2002) (24, 45, 21, 22, 29 yards) 5—Kyle Bryant, Texas A&M (22) vs. Michigan (20) (Alamo, 1995) (27, 49, 47, 31, 37 yards) 5—Tim Rogers, Mississippi St. (24) vs. North Carolina St. (28) (Peach, 1995) (37, 21, 29, 36, 30 yards) 5—Arden Czyzewski, Florida (28) vs. Notre Dame (39) (Sugar, 1992) (26, 24, 36, 37, 24 yards) 5—Jess Atkinson, Maryland (23) vs. Tennessee (30) (Florida Citrus, 1983) (18, 48, 31, 22, 26 yards) BRINDZA CLIMBING CHARTS u Kyle Brindza holds the Notre Dame record for career field goals made with 56. u Among Brindza's 56 career field goals are a school-record four of at least 50 yards, including three last fall (53 vs. Arizona State, 51 at Air Force and 51 vs. BYU). u Brindza is the only Notre Dame kicker ever to make a field goal of at least 51 yards in a true road game, accomplishing this feat twice (2012 at USC and 2013 at Air Force). Longest Field Goals Player 1. Kyle Brindza vs. Arizona State (at AT&T Stadium), Oct. 5, 2013 Dave Reeve vs. Pittsburgh, Sept. 11, 1976 3. Kyle Brindza at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 David Ruffer vs. Maryland (at FedEx Field), Nov. 12, 2011 5. Kyle Brindza vs. BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 Kyle Brindza at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 Nicholas Setta vs. Maryland (at Giants Stadium), Aug. 31, 2002 John Carney vs. SMU (Aloha Bowl), Dec. 29, 1984 Harry Oliver vs. Michigan, Sept. 20, 1980 Dave Reeve vs. Michigan State, Oct. 1, 1977
Distance 53 53 52 52 51 51 51 51 51 51
u Brindza has made multiple field goals 17 times in the 29 career games when he has attempted a field goal. He had five multiple field goal games in 2013, making five field goals against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl, three field goals against Michigan, Arizona State and BYU and two field goals at Stanford. Most Field Goals - Career Player 1. Kyle Brindza 2. John Carney 3. Nicholas Setta 4. Craig Hentrich Dave Reeve
Field Goals (Years) 56-80 (2011-) 51-69 (1984-86) 46-66 (2000-03) 39-56 (1989-92) 39-64 (1974-77)
Most Field Goals - Season Player 1. Kyle Brindza 2. John Carney 3. Kyle Brindza 4. Mike Johnson 5. David Ruffer John Carney Harry Oliver
Field Goals (Year) 23-31 (2012) 21-28 (1986) 20-26 (2013) 19-22 (1982) 18-19 (2010) 18-22 (1985) 18-23 (1980)
Most 50-yard Field Goals - Career Player 1. Kyle Brindza 2. David Ruffer Harry Oliver 4. Dave Reeve 5. Three players with
Field Goals (Years) 4 (2011-) 3 (2008-11) 3 (1980-81) 2 (1974-77) 1
Most 50-yard Field Goals - Season Player Field Goals (Year) 1. Kyle Brindza 3 (2013) Harry Oliver 3 (1980) 3. David Ruffer 2 (2010) Most Field Goals - Game Player 1. Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl), Dec. 28, 2013 Kyle Brindza at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 Nick Tausch vs. Washington, Oct. 3, 2009 Nicholas Setta vs. Washington State, Sept. 6, 2003 Nicholas Setta vs. Maryland, Aug. 31, 2002 Craig Hentrich vs. Miami (Fla.), Oct. 20, 1990 Most Points by Kicking - Game Player 1. Kyle Brindza 5 FGs, 2 PAT vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013 Nick Tausch 5 FGs, 2 PATs vs. Washington, Oct. 3, 2009 Nicholas Setta 5 FGs, 2 PATs vs. Washington State, Sept. 6, 2003 Craig Hentrich 5 FGs, 2 PATs vs. Miami (Fla.), Oct. 20, 1990 5. Kyle Brindza 5 FGs, 1 PAT at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 Nicholas Setta 5 FGs, 1 PAT vs. Maryland, Aug. 31, 2002 Most Points by Kicking - Career Player, Years 1. Craig Hentrich, 1989-92 2. Kyle Brindza, 2011- 3. Dave Reeve, 1974-77 4. Nicholas Setta, 2000-03 5. John Carney, 1984-86
FG 39 56 39 46 51
Most Points (All Positions) - Career Player, Years TD 1. Allen Pinkett, 1982-85 53 2. Craig Hentrich, 1989-92 0 3. Autry Denson, 1995-98 47 4. Kyle Brindza, 2011- 0
Field Goals 5 5 5 5 5 5
Points 17 17 17 17 16 16
XP Total Points 177 294 113 281 130 247 104 242 70 223 PAT 0 177 0 113
2PT 1 0 0 0
FG 0 39 0 56
Total Points 320 294 282 281
u Brindza has produced each of the top two scoring seasons by a kicker in Irish lore.
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Game Notes
FG 20 23 18 16 14 21
XP 38 28 37 41 45 24
Total Points 98 97 91 89 87 87
INSIDE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL WITH BRIAN KELLY, PRESENTED BY TIRERACK.COM u Taped on Sunday afternoons throughout the season, "Inside Notre Dame Football, presented by TireRack.com," featured a recap of the week's contest, Notre Dame player features and more. The show aired locally Sunday evenings on WNDU-TV following the late local news. It also re-aired on WNDU-TV the following Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. as well as 90 minutes prior to kickoff of Notre Dame home games. All shows from 2014 can also be viewed on WatchND at UND.com. Inside Notre Dame Football, presented by TireRack.com, aired on 38 affiliates worldwide reaching more than 160 million households.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
NOTRE DAME ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK u NBC Sports Network aired a series of documentary-style programs dedicated to the Irish. u The first episode of "Strong And True", titled "Prelude: 2014, presented by Sprint," made its debut on Aug. 25. Chronicling all aspects of the team's preseason training camp at Culver Academies, the program reaired on NBCSN Aug. 29 and 30. It was produced in conjunction with award-winning 3 Penny Films. u An hour-long special "Reborn" which looked at what the Notre Dame football program means to both its current student-athletes and alumni, debuted on NBC Sept. 6. The show, which included exclusive interviews with Irish greats Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown and Joe Theismann, reaired on NBCSN Sept. 10 and 19. u "Onward Notre Dame: ND in Indy" returned for its third season, premiering on NBC Sports Network on Oct. 4. The hour-long special told the story of Notre Dame's annual Shamrock Series game, this year played in Indianapolis vs. Purdue. The show reaired on NBCSN on Oct. 6, Oct. 12 and Oct. 18.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
NOTRE DAME EARNS 2014 AFCA ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD u The University of Notre Dame won the 2014 American Football Coaches Association Academic Achievement Award. Notre Dame shared the 2014 award with Duke, Northwestern and Stanford—with all four institutions recording a 100 percent graduation rate for members of its freshman football studentathlete class of 2007. u This marks the ninth time Notre Dame has won the award. Notre Dame previously won the award in 2009 (shared with Miami, Fla.), 2007 (shared with Northwestern), 2001 (shared with Vanderbilt), 1991, 1988, 1984 (shared with Duke), 1983 and 1982. u Notre Dame also has received honorable mention recognition in 24 other years the award has been presented. The University of Virginia also has merited honorable mention recognition 24 times, with Notre Dame and Virginia ranking atop that listing. u The AFCA award for Notre Dame follows the October announcement of Graduation Success Rate
THURSDAY NIGHT CLASSICS PRESENTED BY TIRERACK.COM u Each regular season game week, Fighting Irish Digital Media presented "Thursday Night Classics, presented by TireRack.com" on WatchND. Irish fans were able to relive a condensed two-hour replay of NBC's broadcast feed of recent memorable games. u During the live stream on WatchND, fans were treated to bonus content and were able to engage in Twitter chats through a partnership with social media specialists SpreadFast.
BOWL HISTORY
KNUTE ROCKNE TO BE INDUCTED INTO ROSE BOWL HALL OF FAME u One of the legendary figures in college football history, former Notre Dame player and head coach Knute Rockne will be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on Dec. 30. u Rockne collaborated with the famed Four Horsemen to defeat unbeaten Stanford in the 1925 Rose Bowl to give Notre Dame its first of 11 consensus national championships. u Rockne is joined in the 2014 class by former UCLA head coach Dick Vermeil and former Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter. u During his 13 years as head coach at Notre Dame, Rockne led the Fighting Irish to national prominence and a 105-12-5 record. His .881 career winning percentage tops the list for both major college and professional coaches. Rockne's teams earned three consensus national championships and posted five undefeated seasons. u In his playing days, Rockne, along with quarterback Gus Dorais, helped popularize the forward pass. Notre Dame revolutionized the sport when it extensively utilized the seldom-used tactic in its monumental upset of Army on Nov. 1, 1913. u Rockne is the second Notre Dame representative in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, joining Elmer Layden who was selected in 1992. In that same 1925 Rose Bowl, Layden scored three touchdowns, two of them on interception returns of 70 and 78 yards (on Ernie Nevers pass attempts). That game marked the final collegiate appearance of Notre Dame's Four Horsemen.
OFFICIAL BRIAN KELLY RADIO SHOW, PRESENTED BY TIRERACK.COM u The Brian Kelly Radio Show, presented by TireRack.com, began live at 7 p.m. ET on the Thursday of most game weeks during the season. University of Notre Dame football fans attended the show at O'Rourke's in Eddy Street Commons. It was video streamed live on WatchND at UND.com and broadcast live on WSBT 96.1 FM and 960 AM in South Bend. The show could be heard later in the week on WXNT 1430 AM in Indianapolis, WJRW 1340 AM in Grand Rapids and KVCE 1150 AM in Dallas. The video of each show is archived on WatchND and an audio podcast of the show is available on both WatchND and iTunes. u Hosted by Jack Nolan, "The Brian Kelly Radio Show, presented by TireRack.com," is a production of Fighting Irish Digital Media (FIDM).
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FG 75 65 62 59 58 56
OFFICIAL NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL POSTGAME SHOW u The Official Notre Dame Football Postgame Show will again be broadcast live following the conclusion of every Notre Dame game on News and Sports Radio WSBT 96.1 FM and 960 AM along with Sunny 101.5 FM and WatchND (WatchND.tv). The show is hosted by Jack Nolan and Irish All-American Reggie Brooks, and a former player guest hosts each week.
COACHES & STAFF
Most Career Field Goals - Active FBS Players Player School Cl. Att 1. Mike Hunnicutt Oklahoma Sr. 90 2. Jeremiah Detmer Toledo Sr. 77 3. Jordan Williamson Stanford Sr. 88 4. Ty Long UAB Sr. 77 5. Jaden Oberkrom TCU Jr. 74 6. Kyle Brindza Notre Dame Sr. 80
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL—A FAMILY AFFAIR u Notre Dame's roster includes just one player this year whose father also played for the Irish. Senior Conor Hanratty's father, Terry, was a consensus All-American in 1968 who went on to a long career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. u The 2014 roster has two players (Nick Martin and Josh Atkinson) whose brothers played for the Irish just last year and are on NFL rosters. Martin's older brother, Zack, was a first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys and is their starting right guard as a rookie. Atkinson's brother, George III, finds himself on the practice squad with the Oakland Raiders, the franchise their father, George Jr., played for from 1968-77.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
u Brindza also has done his part to prevent teams from returning kickoffs for big plays against the Irish in 2014. u Of Brindza's 76 kickoffs this year, 49 have gone for touchbacks, 64 percent. It is a marked improvement from 2013 when just 35 of Brindza's 75 kickoffs (47 percent) went for touchbacks. u Looking beyond the confines of the Notre Dame record book, Brindza is sixth among all active Football Bowl Subdivision kickers with his 56 career field goals.
SCHMIDT RECEIVES AWARD FROM MENDOZA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS u Joe Schmidt, a management entrepreneurship major in the Mendoza College of Business, was selected as the 49th recipient of the Eugene D. Fanning Award in Business Communication from the University of Notre Dame. u The award is presented annually for excellence in business communication, leadership and demonstration of exemplary personal character.
GAME NOTES
Most Consecutive Extra Points Player Consecutive PATs 1. Craig Hentrich 136 Sept. 30, 1989 vs. Purdue-Sept. 26, 1992 vs. Purdue 2. Nicholas Setta 92 Oct. 7, 2000 vs. Stanford-Oct. 11, 2003 (injury) 3. Kyle Brindza 89 Nov. 10, 2012 at Boston College-Nov. 15, 2014 vs. Northwestern
numbers in which Notre Dame ranked first among all NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision institutions with its 99 graduation rate for all student-athletes entering between 2004 and 2007. In those same rankings Notre Dame also stood first among male student-athletes (98), female student-athletes (100) and black student-athletes (96). Twenty of Notre Dame’s 22 individual athletics programs produced 100 GSR scores.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Most Points by Kicking - Season Player, Year 1. Kyle Brindza, 2013 2. Kyle Brindza, 2012 3. David Ruffer, 2010 4. Craig Hentrich, 1990 5. Kevin Pendergast, 1993 John Carney, 1986
27 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 27
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Game Notes STATUES OF STATURE AT NOTRE DAME u The NCAA's "High Five" online video on Sept. 23 looked into the best college football statues and Notre Dame claimed two of the top five places. u The sculpture of the famed Four Horsemen which stands in the lobby of the Guglielmino Athletics Complex topped the chart. u Ranking fifth is the statue of Ara Parseghian outside of Notre Dame Stadium. The statue depicts Parseghian being carried off of the field by his players after Notre Dame beat Texas in the 1971 Cotton Bowl to deprive the Longhorns of a national championship. FIELDTURF ARRIVES AT NOTRE DAME u Thanks to a generous gift by former team captain Jim Morse, Notre Dame Stadium was outfitted with a FieldTurf playing surface for the 2014 season. u The field design retained the classic diagonally-striped end zones but also added a large ND monogram at the 50-yard line and a small shamrock at each 35-yard line to denote the kickoff spots. u In a nod to the University's history, the 18 end zone stripes (nine in each end) are oriented at 42-degree angles toward the Basilica and the Golden Dome. The numbers 18 and 42 represent 1842, the year the University was founded. u Morse's philanthropy towards his alma mater extends far beyond the football field. He also made a major gift that helped underwrite the Coleman-Morse Center which was dedicated in 2001 and is home to the First Year of Studies, the Academic Services for Student-Athletes offices and the Office of Campus Ministry. u His other gifts to Notre Dame have included the Morse Family Scholarship Fund, which supports about 12 students annually; funding for football and baseball scholarships; an endowed fellowship for MBA students; and a major gift for the Morse Recruiting Lounge in the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, featuring banners for Notre Dame's 11 consensus national football titles. Morse also has been a generous benefactor to Catholic education in his hometown of Muskegon, Michigan. u A three-year starter at right halfback, Morse captained the 1956 Irish football team while becoming just the ninth Notre Dame player to lead the Irish in receiving during multiple seasons. His 41.6 yards-percatch (five for 208) in 1955 against USC set an NCAA record. Morse is one of only two Irish running backs to catch passes for more than 1,000 yards in his career. u Morse has served on the advisory council for Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters and on the Athletic Alumni Development Committee. He was the ABC radio voice of Irish football from 1964-67. The Notre Dame Monogram Club honored Morse in 2004 with its Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award. NOTRE DAME AND VYSK COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER FOR ON-FIELD HEADSETS u The Notre Dame football program and Vysk Communications, a market leader in the private secure communications industry, have announced a multi-year sponsorship in which Vysk will be the official coach's headset sponsor for the 2014 Irish football season and beyond. u The headsets first appeared on Irish head coach Brian Kelly and his coaching staff Aug. 30 when Notre Dame took on Rice. u Vysk is a market leader and manufacturer of private secure communications solutions. Founded in 2012, Vysk's mission is to redefine, and restore, privacy in the digital age. Vysk's combination of encrypted hardware with encrypted software delivers the ultimate in privacy solutions to all markets, from enterprise to retail. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with its R&D and engineering arm Silicon Valley, Calif., Vysk holds more than 10 patents related to encryption, privacy and security.
28
WE MUST PROTECT THIS DOME u This is the first season of Notre Dame's new 10-year agreement with Under Armour which began on July 1. Under Armour exclusively designs and supplies the footwear, apparel and equipment for training and game-day uniforms for each of the University's men's and women's varsity athletics teams. u Respecting the University's classic look, Under Armour's 2014 Notre Dame football home and away uniforms retain their historical identity with solid gold helmets, solid gold pants, simple blue and white jerseys which feature a block uniform number on both the front and back with a ND monogram on each sleeve. u The Shamrock Series game uniform for 2014 (Sept. 13 vs. Purdue at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis) borrowed from campus icons. The uniform replicated the Main Building's famous golden dome in a crosshatch design on the helmets, which also, for the first time in school history, bore the familiar ND monogram on the sides. The jersey's shoulders, baselayer and gloves replicated the tile mosaic embedded in the floor of the rotunda beneath the dome. u Embroidered on the hem of all jerseys is the familiar campus mantra "God, Country, Notre Dame." u Evidence of the palpable interest in Notre Dame's new Under Armour look came on Aug. 19 when the team's 2014 uniforms were unveiled. Social media conversation surrounding the event registered 37.1 million impressions over nearly 12,000 posts while images on the uniforms were displayed via numerous traditional national media outlets including ESPN, USA Today and the Washington Post.
CAMPUS CROSSROADS PROJECT CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY u Construction on the Campus Crossroads Project, a $400 million project that will use the University of Notre Dame’s iconic football stadium as a hub for new facilities supporting academic and student life initiatives, began on November 23, the day after the home finale against Louisville. u The Campus Crossroads Project is the largest building project in the University's 172-year history, integrating the academy, student life and athletics with the construction of more than 750,000 square feet in three new buildings attached to the west, east and south sides of the University’s iconic football stadium, at a projected cost of $400 million. u The plan features three new structures attached to and serving the stadium – a west building for student life services, including space for student organizations, a recreation center and career center; an east building for the anthropology and psychology departments and a digital media center; and a south building for the Department of Music and the Sacred Music at Notre Dame program. The east and west buildings also will include some 3,000 to 4,000 premium seats for the football stadium with supporting club amenities. u The project also will enhance the football fan experience on game days. A variety of premium seating options – both indoor and outdoor and mostly club seats – will be available on three upper levels on the east and west sides. A hospitality area also is planned for the new building on the south end of the stadium. u More information about the project is available online at Crossroads.nd.edu. NOTRE DAME FUTURE SCHEDULES u The following are Notre Dame's schedules for the 2015 and 2016 seasons: 2015 Season 2016 Season Date Opponent Sept. 5 Texas Sept. 12 at Virginia Sept. 19 Georgia Tech Sept. 26 Massachusetts Oct. 3 at Clemson Oct. 10 Navy Oct. 17 USC Oct. 31 at Temple Nov. 7 at Pittsburgh Nov. 14 Wake Forest Nov. 21 vs. Boston College* Nov. 28 at Stanford * Shamrock Series game Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.)
Date Opponent Sept. 3 at Texas Sept. 10 Nevada Sept. 17 Michigan State Sept. 24 Duke Oct. 1 vs. Syracuse (at East Rutherford, N.J.) Oct. 8 at NC State Oct. 15 Stanford Oct. 29 Miami, Fla. Nov. 5 vs. Navy (Site TBA) Nov. 12 vs. Army# Nov. 19 Virginia Tech Nov. 26 at USC # Shamrock Series game Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)
u Beyond 2016, the University has announced three other marquee home-and-home series. u Notre Dame will play Georgia with the Bulldogs coming to Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 9, 2017 and the Irish going to Sanford Stadium to play "between the hedges" on Sept. 21, 2019. u The Irish will face Ohio State in a future home-and-home series. Notre Dame will take on Ohio State on Sept. 3, 2022, at Ohio Stadium with the Buckeyes travelling to South Bend on Sept. 23, 2023. u Notre Dame will take on Texas A&M in a home-and-home series. The Irish will face the Aggies on Aug. 31, 2024, in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M will play at Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025. u As a part of its 60-game, 12-year scheduling agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference that runs through 2025, Notre Dame will play the following ACC foes. Specific dates have been announced through the 2019 season, along with the 2021 Florida State game. 2017: Home: North Carolina State (Oct. 28) and Wake Forest (Nov. 4). Away: Boston College (Sept. 16), North Carolina (Oct. 7) and Miami (Nov. 11). 2018: Home: Syracuse (Sept. 22), Pittsburgh (Oct. 20) and Florida State (Nov. 10). Away: Virginia Tech (Oct. 13) and Wake Forest (Nov. 17). 2019: Home: Virginia (Sept. 28), Virginia Tech (Nov. 2), Boston College (Nov. 23). Away: Louisville (Sept. 2/Labor Day), Georgia Tech (Oct. 19) and Duke (Nov. 9). 2020: Home: Clemson, Duke and Louisville. Away: Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. 2021: Home: Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Away: Florida State (Sept. 6/Labor Day), Virginia and Virginia Tech. 2022: Home: Boston College and Clemson. Away: North Carolina and Syracuse. 2023: Home: Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Away: Clemson, Duke, Louisville and North Carolina State. 2024: Home: Florida State, Miami and Virginia. Away: Georgia Tech. 2025: Home: North Carolina State and Syracuse. Away: Boston College, Miami and Pittsburgh. u The Irish also have confirmed a Sept. 30, 2017, home game against Miami (Ohio).
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 28
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Game Notes
WR
3 20
*Amir Carlisle *C.J. Prosise
5-10 190 6-0.5 220
Sr./3 Jr./2
LT
78 70
*RONNIE STANLEY 6-5.5 315 Jr./2 Hunter Bivin 6-5.5 296 So./1
LG
72 65
**NICK MARTIN 6-4.5 295 *Conor Hanratty 6-4.5 310
Sr./3 Sr./3
C
77 75
*Matt Hegarty 6-4.5 295 Mark Harrell 6-4 306
Sr./3 Jr./2
RG
79 62
*Steve Elmer Colin McGovern
6-5.5 315 So./2 6-4.5 313 So./1
RT or
74 68
***CHRISTIAN LOMBARD Mike McGlinchey
6-5 311 Gr./4 6-7.5 310 So./1
***Ben Koyack 6-5 254 Durham Smythe 6-4.5 242 Tyler Luatua 6-2.5 260
WR
2 88
QB or
5 8
RB 33 or 25 or 1
DL
6-4.5 6-0.5
89 75
Jacob Matuska Daniel Cage
289 325
So./1 Fr./1
DL 90 92
*Isaac Rochell 6-3.5 287 So./2 Grant Blankenship 6-4.25 252 Fr./1
DL
45 98
**Romeo Okwara 6-4 260 Jr./3 Andrew Trumbetti 6-3.5 251 Fr./1
LB 48 5
Greer Martini 6-2.5 230 Fr./1 Nyles Morgan 6-0.75 230 Fr./1
LB
9 48
*JAYLON SMITH 6-2.5 235 So./2 Greer Martini 6-2.5 230 Fr./1
LB
17 31
*James Onwualu 6-1 220 So./2 *John Turner 6-0.5 225 Jr./2
CB 36 *Cole Luke 12 *Devin Butler
5-11 190 So./2 6-0.5 195 So./2
Chris Brown 6-1.5 195 Jr./3 *Corey Robinson 6-4.5 215 So./2
S
6-0 5-11.5
208 202
Jr./3 Sr./3
*Everett Golson 6-0 200 Sr./3 Malik Zaire 6-0 210 So./1
S 10 *Max Redfield 6-1 198 41 **MATTHIAS FARLEY 5-11 205
So./2 Sr./3
**Cam McDaniel 5-10 205 *Tarean Folston 5-9.5 209 Greg Bryant 5-10 205
CB 2 19
Sr./4 So./2 So./1
22 4
**Elijah Shumate *Eilar Hardy
Cody Riggs Nick Watkins
5-9 185 Gr./4 6-0.25 194 Fr./1
BOWL HISTORY
Notre Dame Special Teams HLD 8 Malik Zaire 6-0 210 99 Hunter Smith+ 6-3 213
So./1 Jr./1
6-1 236 Sr./4 6-2.5 190 Fr./1
PR 1 2
Greg Bryant Cody Riggs
5-10 205 5-0 185
So./1 Gr./4
KR
*Amir Carlisle **Cam McDaniel
5-10 5-10
Sr./3 Sr./4
*** Kyle Brindza Tyler Newsome
6-1 236 Sr./4 6-2.5 190 Fr./1
*Scott Daly 6-1.5 250 Hunter Smith+ 6-3 213
Jr./3 Jr./1
3 33
KO 27 85
Class (academic year)/Eligibility (athletic season) + Walk-on Player * Number of monograms earned ALL CAPS - returning starter from 2013
190 205
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
6-1 236 Sr./4 6-2.5 190 Fr./1
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Notre Dame Special Teams PK 27 *** Kyle Brindza 85 Tyler Newsome P 27 *** Kyle Brindza 85 Tyler Newsome LS 61 99
Sr./4 So./1 Fr./1
6-2 285 Jr./3 6-0.5 290 Gr./4 6-3 265 Fr./1
2014 SEASON REVIEW
TE 18 80 or 13
Notre Dame Defense DL 91 **SHELDON DAY 53 *Justin Utupo 93 Jay Hayes
COACHES & STAFF
So./2 So./1
THE FIGHTING IRISH
6-0 180 6-0 190
GAME NOTES
Notre Dame Offense WR 7 *Will Fuller 16 Torii Hunter Jr.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Football Two-Deep Depth Chart
29 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 29
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Game Notes Notre Dame Football Roster Information NUMERICAL No. Name Pos. 1 Bryant, Greg RB 2 Brown, Chris WR 2 Riggs, Cody CB 3 *Carlisle, Amir WR 4 *Hardy, Eilar S 5 *Golson, Everett QB 5 Morgan, Nyles LB 6 Fiessinger, Charlie QB 6 **Russell, KeiVarae CB 7 *Fuller, Will WR 8 ***Moore, Kendall LB 8 Zaire, Malik QB 9 Heuerman, Mike TE 9 *Smith, Jaylon LB 10 *Daniels, DaVaris WR 10 *Redfield, Max S 11 Brent, Justin WR 11 ***Williams, Ishaq DL 12 *Butler, Devin CB 13 Luatua, Tyler TE 14 Kizer, DeShone QB 15 Holmes, Corey WR 16 Hunter Jr., Torii WR 17 *Onwualu, James LB 18 ***Koyack, Ben TE 19 VanGorder, Montgomery QB 19 Watkins, Nick CB 20 *Prosise, C.J. WR 21 Brown, Jalen CB 22 **Shumate, Elijah S 23 Tranquill, Drue S 24 *Atkinson, Josh CB 25 *Folston, Tarean RB 27 ***Brindza, Kyle K/P 28 ***Collinsworth, Austin S 29 *Baratti, Nicky S 30 **Councell, Ben LB 31 *Turner, John LB 32 Bryan, Cam+ WR 33 **McDaniel, Cam RB 33 Williams, Jhonny DL 34 Bongiovi, Jesse+ CB 35 Hammann, Grant+ WR 36 *Luke, Cole CB 37 Lee, Eric+ WR 37 Soto, Ernie+ S 38 **Schmidt, Joe LB 39 Recker, Drew+ S 41 **Farley, Matthias CB 42 Deeb, Michael LB 43 Chereson, John+ K 43 Hill, Kolin LB 44 Randolph, Doug LB 45 **Okwara, Romeo DL 46 Anderson, Josh+ RB 46 McOsker, Eamon+ S 47 *Cavalaris, Connor CB
ALPHABETICAL No. Name 46 Anderson, Josh+ 24 *Atkinson, Josh 29 *Baratti, Nicky 71 Bars, Alex 70 Bivin, Hunter 92 Blankenship, Grant 34 Bongiovi, Jesse+ 55 Bonner, Jonathan 11 Brent, Justin 27 ***Brindza, Kyle 2 Brown, Chris 21 Brown, Jalen 32 Bryan, Cam+ 1 Bryant, Greg 63 Bush, Sam+ 12 *Butler, Devin 67 Byrne, Jimmy 75 Cage, Daniel 3 *Carlisle, Amir 47 *Cavalaris, Connor 87 Centlivre, Keenan+ 43 Chereson, John+ 28 ***Collinsworth, Austin 30 **Councell, Ben 61 *Daly, Scott 10 *Daniels, DaVaris 91 **Day, Sheldon 42 Deeb, Michael 95 Dickerson, Marquis+ 79 *Elmer, Steve 41 **Farley, Matthias 6 Fiessinger, Charlie 25 *Folston, Tarean 7 *Fuller, Will 5 *Golson, Everett 59 **Grace, Jarrett 35 Hammann, Grant+ 65 *Hanratty, Conor 4 *Hardy, Eilar 75 Harrell, Mark 93 Hayes, Jay 77 *Hegarty, Matt 9 Heuerman, Mike 43 Hill, Kolin 15 Holmes, Corey 50 *Hounshell, Chase 81 Hunter, Omar+ 16 Hunter Jr., Torii 94 *Jones, Jarron 64 Kilander, Ryan+ 73 Kingsley, Scott+ 14 Kizer, DeShone 18 ***Koyack, Ben 52 Larkin, Austin+ 37 Lee, Eric+ 74 ***Lombard, Christian 13 Luatua, Tyler 36 *Luke, Cole 72 **Martin, Nick 48 Martini, Greer
Pos. RB CB S OL OL DL CB DL WR K/P WR CB WR RB OL CB OL DL WR CB WR K S LB LS WR DL LB DL OL CB QB RB WR QB LB WR OL S OL DL OL TE LB WR DL WR WR DL DL DL QB TE LB WR OL TE CB OL LB
Ht. 5-9 5-11.5 6-1 6-6 6-5.5 6-4.25 5-9.5 6-3 6-1.5 6-1 6-1.5 6-1.5 6-2 5-10 6-3.5 6-0.5 6-4 6-0.5 5-10 5-11 6-5.5 5-9 6-1 6-4.5 6-1.5 6-1.5 6-2 6-2 6-1.5 6-5.5 5-11 6-1 5-9.5 6-0 6-0 6-2.5 5-11.75 6-4.5 5-11.5 6-4 6-3 6-4.5 6-3.5 6-1.5 6-0.5 6-4.5 5-9 6-0 6-5.5 6-0 6-4 6-4.5 6-5 6-3 5-8 6-5 6-2.5 5-11 6-4.5 6-2.5
Wt. 200 195 205 305 296 252 185 269 205 236 195 202 204 205 305 195 295 325 190 195 208 178 205 254 250 203 285 240 285 315 205 194 209 180 200 253 180 310 202 306 265 295 225 230 184 275 175 190 315 310 237 220 254 240 170 311 260 190 295 230
Cl./Elg.^ Jr./2 Sr./4 Jr./2 Fr./1 So./1 Fr./1 So./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Sr./4 Jr./3 Sr./3 Jr./4 So./1 Fr./1 So./2 Fr./1 Fr./1 Sr./3 Sr./4 Fr./1 So./1 Gr./4 Sr./3 Jr./3 Sr./3 Jr./3 So./1 So./1 So./2 Sr./3 Sr./4 So./2 So./2 Sr./3 Sr./3 Fr./1 Sr./3 Sr./3 Jr./2 Fr./1 Sr./3 So./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Sr./3 So./1 So./1 Jr./2 Fr./1 So./1 Fr./1 Sr./4 So./1 Sr./4 Gr./4 Fr./1 So./2 Sr./3 Fr./1
Hometown/High School Chatsworth, CA/Notre Dame Stockton, CA/Granada Tomball, TX/Klein Oak Nashville, TN/Montgomery Bell Academy Owensboro, KY/Apollo The Colony, TX/The Colony Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep Chesterfield, MO/Parkway Central Speedway, IN/Speedway Canton, MI/Plymouth Hanahan, SC/Hanahan Irving, TX/MacArthur Westwood, MA/Xaverian Brothers Delray Beach, FL/American Heritage Newport Beach, CA/Mater Dei Washington, DC/Gonzaga Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius Cincinnati, OH/Winton Woods Santa Clara,CA/King's Academy Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest Fort Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep Fort Thomas, KY/Highlands Asheville, NC/A.C. Reynolds Downers Grove, IL/South Vernon Hills, IL/Vernon Hills Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central Plantation, FL/American Heritage Marianna, AR/Lee Midland, MI/Midland Charlotte, NC/Christian Mason, OH/Moeller Cocoa, FL/Cocoa Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic Myrtle Beach, SC/Myrtle Beach Cincinnati, OH/Colerain Dyersville, IA/Beckman New Canaan, CT/New Canaan Reynoldsburg, OH/Pickerington Central Charlotte, NC/Catholic Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep Country Day Aztec, NM/Aztec Naples, FL/Barron Collier Schertz, TX/Samuel Clemens Pembroke Pines, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas Kirtland, OH/Lake Catholic Harlingen, TX/Harlingen Prosper, TX/Prosper Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Santa Margarita Sherborn, MA/Saint Sebastian's Toledo, OH/Central Catholic Oil City, PA/Oil City San Ramon, CA/Dougherty Valley West Des Moines, IA/Dowling Catholic Inverness, IL/Fremd Paramount, CA/La Mirada Chandler, AZ/Hamilton Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard Cary, NC/Woodberry Forest
30 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 30
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Game Notes MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Football Roster Information
+ Walk-on Player
Montelus, John – MONT-uh-luss Okwara, Romeo – oak-WAR-uh, ROME-ee-oh Onwualu, James – on-WALL-ew Prosise, C.J. – PRO-cise (like precisely) Russell, KeiVarae – key-var-eee Utupo, Justin – you-TOO-poe Weishar, Nic – Wish-err Williams, Ishaq – EE-shack Zaire, Malik – zy-EAR, muh-LEEK
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Harrell, Mark – HAIR-el Heuerman, Mike – HIRE-mun Jones, Jarron – juh-RON Koyack, Ben – KOY-ack Luatua, Tyler – Lou-UH-two-Uh Matuska, Jacob – muh-TUSK-uh McGlinchey, Mike – muh-GLINCH-ee McGovern, Colin – muh-GUV-earn Mokwuah, Peter – Mock-wuh
NUMERICAL (CONT.) No. Name Pos. 48 Martini, Greer LB 49 Plantz, Tyler RB 49 Price, Tyler+ S 50 *Hounshell, Chase DL 52 Larkin, Austin+ LB 53 Mustipher, Sam OL 53 *Utupo, Justin DL 55 Bonner, Jonathan DL 56 Nelson, Quenton OL 56 Rabasa, Anthony DL 59 **Grace, Jarrett LB 60 Montelus, John OL 61 *Daly, Scott LS 62 McGovern, Colin OL 63 Bush, Sam+ OL 64 Kilander, Ryan+ DL 65 *Hanratty, Conor OL 67 Byrne, Jimmy OL 68 McGlinchey, Mike OL 70 Bivin, Hunter OL 71 Bars, Alex OL 72 **Martin, Nick OL 73 Kingsley, Scott+ DL 74 ***Lombard, Christian OL 75 Cage, Daniel DL 75 Harrell, Mark OL 77 *Hegarty, Matt C 78 *Stanley, Ronnie OL 79 *Elmer, Steve OL 80 Smythe, Durham TE 81 Hunter, Omar+ WR 82 Weishar, Nic TE 83 Webster, Austin+ WR 84 Suttman, Ben+ TE 85 Newsome, Tyler P/K 86 Sheridan, Buster+ WR 87 Centlivre, Keenan+ WR 88 *Robinson, Corey WR 89 Matuska, Jacob DL 90 *Rochell, Isaac DL 91 **Day, Sheldon DL 92 Blankenship, Grant DL 93 Hayes, Jay DL 94 *Jones, Jarron DL 95 Dickerson, Marquis+ DL 96 Mokwuah, Peter DL 97 Mazza, Patrick+ DL 98 Trumbetti, Andrew DL 99 Smith, Hunter+ LS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hometown/High School Columbus, OH/Bishop Hartley Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard West Coppell, TX/Coppell Philadelphia, PA/William Penn Charter New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West San Pedro, CA/Loyola Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by-the-Sea Everett, MA/Everett Raleigh, NC/Southeast Raleigh Crete, IL/Crete-Monee Olney, MD/Good Counsel Holmdel, NJ/Red Bank Catholic Carrollton, GA/Carrollton Charlotte, NC/Ardrey Kell Saint Paul, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall Frankfort, IL/Providence Catholic Spring, TX/College Park Petersburg, VA/Woodberry Forest Miami, FL/Columbus Richmond, VA/Woodberry Forest Lindenhurst, IL/Lakes Mission Viejo, CA/Mission Viejo Fort Lauderdale, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas San Antonio, TX/San Antonio Christian McDonough, GA/Eagle's Landing Christian Everett, WA/Mariner Orange, CA/Mater Dei Chicago, IL/Mount Carmel East Orange, NJ/Don Bosco Prep Raleigh, NC/Cardinal Gibbons Fort Wayne, IN/Bishop Luers Belton, TX/Belton Davie, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas Las Vegas, NV/Bishop Gorman Kettering, OH/Archbishop Alter Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll Demarest, NJ/Northern Valley Regional Indianapolis, IN/Cathedral Lakewood, CA/Lakewood Buford, GA/Buford DeSoto, TX/Bishop Dunne Beverly Hills, CA/Windward Midlothian, IL/Marist Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln Benton Harbor, MI/Berrien Springs Kettering, OH/Archbishop Alter
BOWL HISTORY
Cl./Elg.^ So./1 So./1 Sr./4 So./1 So./1 Jr./2 Fr./1 So./1 Gr./4 Fr./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Jr./3 So./2 Gr./4 So./1 Jr./2 Sr./3 So./1 So./1 So./2 Gr./4 So./2 So./2 Jr./3 Sr./3 So./1 Jr./3 Jr./1 So./2 So./1 Sr./4 Jr./2 So./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Jr./2 Gr./4 Fr./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Fr./1 Sr./4 Fr./1 So./1
2014 SEASON REVIEW
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Baratti, Nicky – buh-RAH-tee Bivin, Hunter – BIV-un Brindza, Kyle – BRIND-zuh Carlisle, Amir – ah-MEER Centlivre, Keenan – CENT-liver Daniels, DaVaris – duh-VAR-iss Fiessinger, Charlie – FISS-in-jurr Folston, Tarean – TAR-ee-an Hardy, Eilar – EYE-lar
Wt. 289 277 205 310 313 205 325 310 251 230 305 325 190 260 220 219 205 220 250 240 205 198 185 215 287 190 235 199 208 213 235 242 200 315 228 225 251 225 290 215 194 180 237 271 252 210
COACHES & STAFF
^ Class (academic year)/Eligibility (athletic season) * Number of monograms earned
Ht. 6-4.5 6-7 5-10 6-7.5 6-4.5 5-11.5 6-2.75 6-4 6-1 6-0.75 6-2 6-4.5 6-2.5 6-4 6-1 5-8.5 6-0 6-0.5 6-2.5 6-2 5-11 6-1 5-9 6-4.5 6-3.5 5-11 6-0.5 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-2.5 6-4.5 5-9 6-5.5 6-2 6-1.5 6-3.5 6-0.5 6-0.5 6-0.25 6-0.25 6-2 6-4 6-5.5 6-4 6-0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Pos. DL DL RB OL OL S DL OL LB LB OL OL P/K DL LB RB S WR DL LB S S CB WR DL CB LB WR S LS LB TE S OL TE S DL LB DL QB CB WR TE DL DL QB
GAME NOTES
ALPHABETICAL (CONT.) No. Name 89 Matuska, Jacob 97 Mazza, Patrick+ 33 **McDaniel, Cam 68 McGlinchey, Mike 62 McGovern, Colin 46 McOsker, Eamon+ 96 Mokwuah, Peter 60 Montelus, John 8 ***Moore, Kendall 5 Morgan, Nyles 53 Mustipher, Sam 56 Nelson, Quenton 85 Newsome, Tyler 45 **Okwara, Romeo 17 *Onwualu, James 49 Plantz, Tyler 49 Price, Tyler+ 20 *Prosise, C.J. 56 Rabasa, Anthony 44 Randolph, Doug 39 Recker, Drew+ 10 *Redfield, Max 2 Riggs, Cody 88 *Robinson, Corey 90 *Rochell, Isaac 6 **Russell, KeiVarae 38 **Schmidt, Joe 86 Sheridan, Buster+ 22 **Shumate, Elijah 99 Smith, Hunter+ 9 *Smith, Jaylon 80 Smythe, Durham 37 Soto, Ernie+ 78 *Stanley, Ronnie 84 Suttman, Ben+ 23 Tranquill, Drue 98 Trumbetti, Andrew 31 *Turner, John 53 *Utupo, Justin 19 VanGorder, Montgomery 19 Watkins, Nick 83 Webster, Austin+ 82 Weishar, Nic 11 ***Williams, Ishaq 33 Williams, Jhonny 8 Zaire, Malik
31 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 31
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Game Notes The Last Time NOTRE DAME Rushing Had 400 or more yards: ...................................................................................at Boston College, 1996 (426) Had 300 or more yards: .......................................................................................vs. Miami (Fla.), 2012 (376) Had 70 or more rushing attempts: ..................................................................vs. Michigan State, 1991 (76) Had 60 or more rushing attempts: ................................................................................... vs. Navy, 2007 (63) Had 50 or more rushing attempts: ...........................................................................vs. Pittsburgh, 2012 (51) Had eight or more rush TDs: ......................................................................................vs. Pittsburgh, 1965 (9) Had seven rush TDs: ........................................................................................................... vs. Navy, 2011 (7) Had six rush TDs: ................................................................................................................ vs. Navy, 1996 (6) Had five rush TDs: ....................................................................................................vs. Miami (Fla.), 2012 (5) Had four rush TDs: ...............................................................................................................vs. Navy, 2014 (4) Had two players with 100 rush yards in a game: ....................................................................vs. BYU, 2012 ...............................................................................................................(Theo Riddick 143, Cierre Wood 114) Passing Had 500 or more yards:.......................................................................................................at USC, 1970 (526) Had 400-499 yards: ............................................................................................ at Arizona State, 2014 (446) Had 300-399 yards: ..........................................................................................................vs. Navy, 2014 (315) Had 50 or more pass attempts: .............................................................................at Florida State, 2014 (52) Had 40-49 pass attempts: ..................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (40) Had 30-39 pass attempts: ...................................................................................................at USC, 2014 (39) Had 35-39 pass completions: ........................................................................................... vs. Navy, 2009 (37) Had 30-34 pass completions: ................................................................................at Florida State, 2014 (31) Had 25-29 pass completions: ........................................................................................ vs. Purdue, 2014 (25) Had six or more passing TDs.................................................................................................vs. BYU, 2005 (6) Had five or more passing TDs: ...................................................................................... at Air Force, 2013 (5) Had four or more passing TDs: .....................................................................................vs. Syracuse, 2014 (4) Had three or more passing TDs: ...........................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (3) Had five or more passes intercepted: ..................................................................................vs. USC, 1967 (7) Had four or more passes intercepted: ...................................................................at Arizona State, 2014 (4) Had three or more passes intercepted: ..................................................................... vs. Oklahoma, 2013 (3) Receiving Had two players with 100 receiving yards in a game: ........................................................................ at Pittsburgh, 2009 (Golden Tate - 113, Michael Floyd - 107) Had a player with over 150 receiving yards in a game: .......................................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (Will Fuller - 159) Had two players with 10 catches in a game: ............................................................................vs. BYU, 2005 (Maurice Stovall - 14, Jeff Samardzija - 10) Combination Offense Had a 300-yard passer and 100-yard rusher in a game: ...........................................................................vs. Navy, 2014 (Everett Golson - 315, Tarean Folston - 149) Had a 200-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in a game: ......................................vs. Louisville, 2014 (Everett Golson - 236, Tarean Folston - 134, Will Fuller – 109) Had a 200-yard passer and 100-yard rusher in a game: ....................................................................vs. Louisville, 2014 (Everett Golson - 236, Tarean Folston - 134) Had a 100-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in a game: .........................................................................vs. Louisville, 2014 (Will Fuller – 109; Tarean Folston – 134) Total Offense Had 600 or more yards total offense: ........................................................................at Stanford, 2005 (663) Had 500-599 yards total offense: ....................................................................................vs. Navy, 2014 (533) Had 400-499 yards total offense: .....................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (498) Had 100 or more plays total offense: ....................................................................vs. Pittsburgh, 2012 (104) Had 85-99 plays total offense: ..............................................................................at Florida State, 2014 (87) Had 75-84 plays total offense: ...........................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (80)
32
Scoring Scored 60 or more points: ............................................................................................vs. Rutgers, 1996 (62) Scored 50-59 points: ......................................................................................... vs. North Carolina, 2014 (50) Scored 40-49 points: ...........................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (40) Scored 30-39 points: .............................................................................................at Arizona State, 2014 (31) Scored a two-point conversion: .........................................................................................vs. Louisville, 2014 Allowed 60 or more points: ....................................................................................................................Never Allowed 50-59 points: ...........................................................................................at Arizona State, 2014 (55) Allowed 40-49 points: ..........................................................................................................at USC, 2014 (49)
Allowed 30-39 points: ................................................................................................ vs. Louisville, 2014 (31) Was held scoreless: ........................................................................................at Boston College, 2008 (17-0) Was held scoreless at home: . .............................................................................................USC, 2007 (38-0) Was held scoreless on the road: ....................................................................at Boston College, 2008 (17-0) Was held without offensive touchdown: .........................................................................at USC, 2008 (38-3) Was held without offensive touchdown on the road: ....................................................at USC, 2008 (38-3) Was held without offensive touchdown at home: ..........................................................at USC, 2008 (38-3) Held opponent scoreless: .......................................................................................vs. Michigan, 2014 (31-0) Held opponent scoreless at home: .........................................................................vs. Michigan, 2014 (31-0) Held opponent scoreless on the road: ........................................................................ at Purdue, 1993 (17-0) Held opponent without offensive touchdown:.......................................................vs. Michigan, 2014 (31-0) Held opponent without offensive touchdown on the road:...........................at Boston College, 2012 (21-6) Held opponent without offensive touchdown at home:.........................................vs. Michigan, 2014 (31-0) Held opponent scoreless at neutral site: .................................................................vs. Maryland (Giants Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ), 2002 (22-0) Held two or more opponents scoreless in a season: .....................................................................................................2002 vs. Maryland (22-0) vs. Rutgers (42-0) Held three or more opponents scoreless in a season: ..................................................................1976 vs. Purdue (23-0) at Northwestern (49-0), vs. Oregon (41-0) Held four or more opponents scoreless in a season: ............................................................. 1966 vs. Army (35-0) vs. North Carolina (32-0), at Oklahoma (38-0), .........................................................................................vs. Pittsburgh (40-0) vs. Duke (64-0), at USC (51-0) Held five or more opponents scoreless in a season: ............................................................. 1966 vs. Army (35-0) vs. North Carolina (32-0), at Oklahoma (38-0), .........................................................................................vs. Pittsburgh (40-0) vs. Duke (64-0), at USC (51-0) Held six or more opponents scoreless in a season: ............................................................. 1966 vs. Army (35-0) vs. North Carolina (32-0), at Oklahoma (38-0), .........................................................................................vs. Pittsburgh (40-0) vs. Duke (64-0), at USC (51-0) Had multiple players with multiple TDs in a game: ..........................................................................vs. North Carolina, 2014 (Tarean Folston - 3, Will Fuller - 2) Turnovers Did not commit a turnover: .......................................................................................... vs. Michigan, 2014 (0) Committed six or more turnovers: ...................................................................................... vs. Navy, 1984 (6) Committed five turnovers: ......................................................................................at Arizona State, 2014 (5) Lost four or more fumbles: ................................................................................ vs. Michigan State, 1999 (4) Lost three fumbles: ...............................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (3) Recorded six or more takeaways: ............................................................................... vs. Michigan, 2012 (6) Recorded five takeaways: ...................................................................................vs. Boston College, 2009 (5) Returned two or more interceptions for TDs: ...............................................................vs. Stanford, 2002 (2) ................................................................................(Shane Walton - 18 yards, Courtney Watson - 34 yards) Returned an interception for a TD: ....................................................................... vs. Arizona State, 2013 (1) ...........................................................................................................................................(Dan Fox - 14 yards) Returned a fumble for a TD: .................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2012 (1) ........................................................................................................................(Austin Collinsworth - 32 yards) Defense Held opponent 50 or fewer rushing yards:............................................................at Florida State, 2014 (50) Held opponent to 100 or fewer passing yards: ................................................................vs. Navy, 2013 (88) Held opponent to 101-200 passing yards: .............................................................. vs. Louisville, 2014 (180) Held opponent to 201-300 yards total offense:........................................................ vs. Stanford, 2014 (205) Held opponent to 200 or fewer yards total offense: .....................................................vs. Army, 2010 (174) Intercepted five or more passes: ................................................................................. vs. Michigan, 2012 (5) Intercepted four passes: ......................................................................vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl), 2013 (4) Intercepted three passes: ............................................................................................ vs. Michigan, 2014 (3) Scored a safety: ...................................................................................................................at Stanford, 2003 Recorded nine or more sacks:.........................................................................................vs. Rutgers, 1996 (9) Recorded eight sacks: ............................................................................vs. Hawai'i (Hawai'i Bowl), 2008 (8) Recorded seven sacks: ....................................................................................................at Stanford, 2005 (7) Recorded six sacks: ............................................................................................... vs. Arizona State, 2013 (6) Recorded five sacks: ............................................................................................at Boston College, 2012 (5) Held opponent to 10 or fewer first downs:............................................................vs. Wake Forest, 2012 (9) Special Teams Returned a punt for a TD: ..........................................................at Pittsburgh, 2009 (Golden Tate, 87 yards) Returned a blocked punt for a TD: .................................................vs. Utah, 2010 (Robert Blanton, 6 yards) Returned a kickoff for a TD: ....................................................vs. USC, 2011 (George Atkinson III, 96 yards) Returned a blocked FG for a TD..............................................at Air Force, 2006 (Terrail Lambert, 76 yards)
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Game Notes
Scoring Accounted for six or more touchdowns:.....................Everett Golson vs. Navy, 2014 (3 rushing, 3 passing) Accounted for five touchdowns:...................................Everett Golson vs. Rice, 2014 (3 rushing, 2 passing) Accounted for four touchdowns:..................Everett Golson vs. Northwestern, 2014 (1 rushing, 3 passing) Accounted for three touchdowns:.....................................Everett Golson at Florida State, 2014 (3 passing) Defense Intercepted three or more passes:.................................................Harrison Smith vs. Miami (Fla.), 2010 (3) Intercepted two passes:................................................................................ Cole Luke vs. Stanford, 2014 (2) Recovered three or more fumbles: .........................................................................................................Never Forced two fumbles: ..............................................................................Maurice Crum, Jr. at UCLA, 2007 (2) Recovered two fumbles: ..........................................................................Brian Smith vs. Michigan, 2008 (2) Recorded 20 or more tackles: .................................................................. Manti Te'o vs. Stanford, 2010 (21) Recorded 15-20 tackles: ................................................................................ Dan Fox at Stanford, 2013 (15) Recorded 10-14 tackles: ..... Jaylon Smith (14), Elijah Shumate (13) and Nyles Morgan (11) at USC, 2014 Recorded 4.0 or more sacks: .............................................................Victor Abiamiri at Stanford, 2005 (4.0) Recorded 3.0-3.5 sacks: ........................................................... Prince Shembo vs. Arizona State, 2013 (3.0) Recorded 2.0-2.5 sacks: ........................................................................ Matthias Farley vs. Navy, 2014 (2.0)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
AN OPPOSING TEAM Rushing Had 400 or more yards: ................................................................................................Pittsburgh, 1975 (411) Had 300-399 yards: ............................................................................................................... Navy, 2014 (336) Had 200-299 yards: ................................................................................................................ USC, 2014 (205) Had 50 or more rushing attempts: .......................................................................................... USC, 2014 (53) Had five or more rush TDs: ........................................................................................................ USC, 2005 (5) Had four rush TDs: ....................................................................................................................Navy, 2013 (4) Had two or more players with 100 rush yards in a game: ............................................................BYU, 2013 ...............................................................................................................(Taysom Hill - 101, Paul Lasike - 101) Passing Had 400 or more yards: ............................................................................................ Washington, 2005 (408) Had 300-399 yards: ................................................................................................................ USC, 2014 (372) Had 60 or more pass attempts: .....................................................................................Tennessee, 1990 (60)
BOWL HISTORY
Special Teams Scored 17 or more points kicking:................................ Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl), 2013 (17) Scored 15-16 points kicking:........................................................................... Kyle Brindza at USC, 2012 (16) Scored 10-14 points kicking: ....................................................................Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue, 2014 (12) Kicked five or more field goals:...................................... Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl), 2013 (5) Kicked four field goals: ...................................................................Brandon Walker vs. Pittsburgh, 2008 (4) Kicked two field goals of 50 or more yards: ..........................................................................................Never Kicked a field goal of 50 or more yards:.......................................................Kyle Brindza vs. BYU, 2013 (51) Kicked a punt 70 or more yards:.....................................................................Jim Yoder vs. Texas, 1971 (71) Kicked a punt 60-69 yards: ..................................................................Geoff Price vs. Penn State, 2006 (62) Punted 10 or more times: ...............................................................................Geoff Price vs. USC, 2007 (10) Totaled 175 or more kickoff return yards:........................................George Atkinson III vs. USC, 2011 (178) Totaled 100 or more punt return yards:..............................................Golden Tate at Pittsburgh, 2009 (101)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Passing Passed for 500 or more yards: ................................................................ Joe Theismann at USC, 1970 (526) Passed for 400-499 yards: ........................................................Everett Golson at Arizona State, 2014 (446) Passed for 300-399 yards: .....................................................................Everett Golson vs. Navy, 2014 (315) Attempted 50 or more passes:..................................................... Everett Golson at Florida State, 2014 (52) Attempted 40-49 passes: .......................................................... Everett Golson vs. Northwestern, 2014 (40) Attempted 30-39 passes: .........................................................Everett Golson vs. North Carolina, 2014 (38) Completed 30 or more passes: .................................................... Everett Golson at Florida State, 2014 (31) Completed 20-29 passes: ......................................................... Everett Golson vs. Northwestern, 2014 (21) Threw six TDs: ................................................................................................. Brady Quinn vs. BYU, 2005 (6) Threw five or more TDs: ..........................................................................Tommy Rees at Air Force, 2013 (5) Threw four or more TDs: ..................................................................... Everett Golson vs. Syracuse, 2014 (4) Threw three or more TDs............................................................. Everett Golson vs. Northwestern, 2014 (3) Threw five or more interceptions: ...............................................................Terry Hanratty vs. USC, 1967 (5) Threw four interceptions: .............................................................Everett Golson at Arizona State, 2014 (4) Threw three interceptions: ...................................................................Tommy Rees vs. Oklahoma, 2013 (3) Completed a pass of 90 yards or more:.................................................Dayne Crist vs. Michigan, 2010 (95) Completed a pass of 80-89 yards:........................................................Tommy Rees at Pittsburgh, 2013 (80) Completed a pass of 70-79 yards:............................................................Everett Golson vs. Navy, 2014 (78)
Total Offense Had 500 or more yards total offense: .................................................... Joe Theismann at USC, 1970 (512) Had 400-499 yards total offense: .............................................Everett Golson at Arizona State, 2014 (435) Had 100 yards both passing and rushing: ...................................................................Jarious Jackson vs. Oklahoma, 1999 (276 passing, 107 rushing)
COACHES & STAFF
A NOTRE DAME PLAYER Rushing Rushed for 300 or more yards: ...............................................................................................................Never Rushed for 250-299 yards:..................................................................Julius Jones at Pittsburgh, 2003 (262) Rushed for 200-249 yards: ....................................................................Julius Jones at Stanford, 2003 (218) Rushed for 175-199 yards: ...................................................................... Cierre Wood at Purdue, 2011 (191) Rushed for 150-174 yards: ............................................................Cierre Wood vs. Wake Forest, 2012 (150) Rushed for 125-149 yards: ..............................................................Tarean Folston vs. Louisville, 2014 (134) Rushed for 100-124 yards: ...................................................... Tarean Folston vs. Northwestern, 2014 (106) Quarterback rushed for 100 or more yards: .................................Andrew Hendrix vs. Air Force, 2011 (111) Rushed 40 or more times: ..............................................................................Allen Pinkett at LSU, 1984 (40) Rushed 35-39 times: .....................................................................................Julius Jones vs. BYU, 2003 (35) Rushed 30-34 times: ..............................................................................James Aldridge vs. Navy, 2007 (32) Rushed 25-29 times: ...................................................................Cierre Wood vs. Boston College, 2011 (26) Rushed for four or more TDs: ..................................................................Emmett Mosley vs. Navy, 1994 (4) Rushed for three TDs: ................................................................................. Everett Golson vs. Rice, 2014 (3) Rushed for two TDs: .....................................................................Cam McDaniel at Arizona State, 2014 (2) Had a run of 80 yards or more:................................................. George Atkinson III vs. Oklahoma, 2013 (80) Had a run of 70-79 yards: ...............................................................Andrew Hendrix vs. Air Force, 2011 (78) Had a run of 60-69 yards: .......................................................................................Everett Golson, 2014 (61) Had a run of 50-59 yards: ...............................................................................Malik Zaire vs. Rice, 2014 (56)
Receiving Caught 15 or more passes: .....................................................................................................................Never Caught 10-14 passes: .............................................................. Michael Floyd vs. Boston College, 2011 (10) Caught seven to nine passes:..............................................................Will Fuller (9) vs. Northwestern, 2014 Had 200 or more yards receiving: ........................................................ Golden Tate at Stanford, 2009 (201) Had 175-199 yards receiving:..............................................................Michael Floyd vs. Nevada, 2009 (189) Had 150-174 yards receiving: .........................................................Will Fuller vs. Northwestern, 2014 (159) Had 100-149 yards receiving: ................................................................Will Fuller vs. Louisville, 2014 (109) Caught four or more TDs:...........................................................................Maurice Stovall vs. BYU, 2005 (4) Caught three TDs: ...............................................................................Will Fuller vs. Northwestern, 2014 (3) Caught two TDs: ............................................................................Corey Robinson at Florida State, 2014 (2)
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Miscellaneous Had 30 or more first downs: ..............................................................vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl), 2013 (31) Had 25-29 first downs: .......................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (28) Had 20-24 first downs: ........................................................................................................at USC, 2014 (20) Was not penalized: ......................................................................................................................at LSU, 1997 Had 10 or more penalties: ......................................................................................North Carolina, 2014 (10) Had 120 or more yards in penalties: ........................................................................... at Rutgers, 2000 (120) Had 40 minutes or more of possession time:........................................ vs. Washington State, 2009 (40:54) Had 35-40 minutes of possession time:.......................................vs. Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl), 2013 (38:16) Was involved in a tie game: ...........................................................................................at USC, 1994 (17-17) Was involved in an overtime game: ............................................................ vs. Northwestern, 2014 (40-43) Was involved in a double overtime game: .........................................................vs. Pittsburgh, 2012 (29-26) Was involved in a triple overtime game: ............................................................vs. Pittsburgh, 2012 (29-26) Was involved in a quadruple overtime game: ....................................................vs. Pittsburgh, 2008 (33-36)
Completed a pass of 60-69 yards:................................................................Tommy Rees vs. BYU, 2013 (61) Completed a pass of 50-59 yards: ..............................................Everett Golson at Arizona State, 2014 (59)
GAME NOTES
Blocked a punt: ......................................................................................... vs. Stanford, 2014 (Drue Tranquill) Punted 10 or more times: ........................................................................................................ USC, 2007 (10) Did not punt: ..............................................................................................................................vs. Navy, 2013 Blocked a field goal: ...................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 (Mike McGlinchey) Had a field goal blocked: ..........................................................................................................vs. Navy, 2014 Blocked a PAT kick:...........................................................................vs. North Carolina, 2014 (Jarron Jones) Scored on a blocked PAT attempt: ......................................................................................... vs. Texas, 1995 Missed a kicking PAT: ................................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 Had a kicking PAT blocked: .......................................................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 Opponent scored on a blocked PAT attempt: ...........................................................vs. Northwestern, 2014 Had a punt blocked: ................................................................................................ vs. Michigan State, 2013
MEDIA INFORMATION
The Last Time
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Game Notes The Last Time Had 50-59 pass attempts: ..............................................................................................Oklahoma, 2012 (52) Had 40-49 pass attempts:......................................................................................................... USC, 2014 (40) Had 30 or more pass completions: ......................................................................................... USC, 2014 (32) Had five or more passing TDs: .................................................................................................. USC, 2014 (6) Had four passing TDs: ........................................................................................................Michigan, 2013 (4) Had three passing TDs: ...............................................................................................Arizona State, 2014 (3) Receiving Had two players with 100 receiving yards in a game: ...................................................................USC, 2009 ..................................................................................................(Anthony McCoy 153, Damien Williams 108) Total Offense Had 600 or more yards total offense: ....................................................Ohio State, 2006 Fiesta Bowl (617) Had 500-599 yards total offense: .......................................................................................... USC, 2014 (577) Had 400-499 yards total offense: ..................................................................................Louisville, 2014 (409) Had 90 or more plays: .............................................................................................................. USC, 2014 (93) Had 80-89 plays: .....................................................................................................North Carolina, 2014 (84) Had 75-79 plays: ..................................................................................................................... Navy, 2014 (77) Scoring Scored 60 or more points: ......................................................................................................................Never Scored 50-59 points: .................................................................................................Arizona State, 2014 (55) Scored 40-49 points: ................................................................................................................ USC, 2014 (49) Scored 30-39 points: ........................................................................................................Louisville, 2014 (31) Scored a two-point conversion: .......................................................................................Northwestern, 2014 Turnovers Did not commit a turnover: ..............................................................................................................USC, 2014 Had three or more fumbles lost: ..............................................................................................Navy, 2012 (3) Intercepted five or more passes: ............................................................................................... USC, 1967 (7) Intercepted four passes: .............................................................................................Arizona State, 2014 (4) Intercepted three passes: ......................................................................................................Oklahoma, 2013 Returned an interception for a TD: .............................................................................Arizona State (2), 2014 ...........................................................................(Lloyd Carrington - 58 yards/Damarious Randall - 59 yards) Returned a fumble for a TD: ............................................................................................................USC, 2011 ........................................................................................................................... (Jawanza Starling - 80 yards) Defense Held ND to 10 or fewer first downs: ......................................................................................... USC, 2008 (4) Scored a safety: ..........................................................................................................................Purdue, 2010 Held ND to 50 or fewer rushing yards: ....................................................................Arizona State, 2014 (41) Held ND to 101-200 passing yards: ...............................................................................Stanford, 2013 (199) Held ND to 100 or fewer passing yards: .............................................................................. UCLA, 2007 (94) Held ND to 201-300 yards total offense: ......................................................................Michigan, 2014 (280) Held ND to 200 or fewer yards total offense: ...................................................................... USC, 2007 (165) Special Teams Returned a punt for a TD: ............................................................Tulsa, 2010 (Damaris Johnson - 59 yards) Returned a blocked punt for a TD: ...............................................................................Michigan State, 2004 ...................................................................................................................................(Jerramy Scott - 0 yards) Returned a kickoff for a TD:.........................................................Michigan, 2009 (Darryl Stonum - 94 yards) Punted 10 or more times: ...................................................................................... Boston College, 2010 (11) Did not punt: ........................................................................................................................Miami (Fla.), 1985 Missed a kicking PAT: .................................................................................................................... Navy, 2013 Miscellaneous Had 30 or more first downs: .................................................................................................... USC, 2014 (35) Had 20-29 first downs: ............................................................................................ Northwestern, 2014 (28) Had 10 or more penalties: ............................................................................................... Syracuse, 2014 (10) Had 100 or more yards in penalties: ...................................................................Michigan State, 2013 (115) Had 35 minutes or more of possession time: .................................................................... USC, 2014 (37:39) Had one 100-yard receiver and one 100-yard rusher: ....................................................................USC, 2011 ..........................................................................(Curtis McNeal, 118 rushing, Robert Woods, 119 receiving)
AN OPPOSING PLAYER Rushing Rushed for 300 or more yards: ............................................................. Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh, 1975 (303) Rushed for 200-299 yards: .......................................................................Alexander Teich, Navy, 2010 (210) Rushed for 150-199 yards:....................................................................... Tyler Gaffney, Stanford, 2013 (189) Rushed for 100-149 yards: ...............................................................Brandon Radcliff, Louisville, 2014 (136) Rushed 40 or more times: ....................................................................Craig Heyward, Pittsburgh, 1987 (42) Rushed 30-39 times: ................................................................................. Tyler Gaffney, Stanford, 2013 (33) Rushed 25-29 times: ..................................................................................Alexander Teich, Navy, 2010 (26) Rushed for five or more TDs:......................................................................Walter Reyes, Syracuse, 2003 (5) Rushed for four or more TDs: ....................................................................Walter Reyes, Syracuse, 2003 (5) Rushed for three or more TDs: .................................................................. Keenan Reynolds, Navy, 2013 (3) Rushed for two or more TDs: ............................................................. Reggie Bonnafon, Louisville, 2014 (2) Had a run of 80 yards or more:.......................................................... Denard Robinson, Michigan, 2010 (87) Had a run of 70-79 yards:.........................................................................Walter Reyes, Syracuse, 2003 (71) Had a run of 60-69 yards:...............................................................Javon Ringer, Michigan State, 2008 (63) Had a run of 50-59 yards: ........................................................................... Noah Copeland, Navy, 2014 (54) Passing Passed for 500 or more yards: ................................................................................................................Never Passed for 400-499 yards: .............................................................................. Matt Leinart, USC, 2004 (400) Passed for 300-399 yards: ..............................................................................Cody Kessler, USC, 2014 (372) Attempted 60 or more passes: ..................................................................Andy Kelly, Tennessee, 1990 (60) Attempted 50-59 passes: ........................................................................Landry Jones, Oklahoma, 2012 (51) Attempted 40-49 passes: ..................................................................................Cody Kessler, USC, 2014 (40) Completed 30 or more passes: .........................................................................Cody Kessler, USC, 2014 (32) Completed 20-29 passes: .............................................................Jameis Winston, Florida State, 2014 (23) Threw six or more TDs:........................................................................................Cody Kessler, USC, 2014 (6) Threw five TDs:.................................................................................................... Matt Leinart, USC, 2004 (5) Threw four TDs: ........................................................................................Devin Gardner, Michigan, 2013 (4) Threw three TDs: ....................................................................................Taylor Kelly, Arizona State, 2014 (3) Completed a pass of 90 yards or more: .......................................................... Kyle Orton, Purdue, 2004 (97) Completed a pass of 80-89 yards: .............................................................. Curtis Painter, Purdue, 2006 (88) Completed a pass of 70-79 yards: .................................................... Denard Robinson, Michigan, 2011 (77) Completed a pass of 60-69 yards: .................................................Trevor Siemian, Northwestern, 2014 (60) Completed a pass of 50-59 yards:...........................................................Kai DeLa Cruz, Louisville, 2014 (52) Receiving Caught 15 or more passes: .................................................................Jalen Saunders, Oklahoma, 2012 (15) Caught 10-14 passes: ...................................................................................Nelson Agholor, USC, 2014 (12) Caught seven to nine passes: .........................................................Rashaad Greene, Florida State, 2014 (8) Had 200 or more yards receiving: ...........................................................Selwyn Lymon, Purdue, 2006 (238) Had 150-199 yards receiving: ..............................................................Jeremy Gallon, Michigan, 2013 (184) Had 100-149 yards receiving: .....................................................................Nelson Agholor, USC, 2014 (120) Caught three or more TD passes: ............................................................Jeremy Gallon, Michigan, 2013 (3) Caught two TD passes: ....................................................................................George Farmer, USC, 2014 (2) Scoring Accounted for six or more touchdowns: .............................Cody Kessler, USC, 2014 (6 passing, 0 rushing) Accounted for five touchdowns: ...............................Devin Gardner, Michigan, 2013 (4 passing, 1 rushing) Accounted for four touchdowns: ................................Keenan Reynolds, Navy, 2013 (3 rushing, 1 passing) Accounted for three touchdowns:........................Reggie Bonnafon, Louisville, 2014 (2 rushing, 1 passing) Defense Intercepted three or more passes: ......................................... Rod Johnson, North Carolina State, 2003 (3) Intercepted two passes: .............................................................................Wayne Lyons, Stanford, 2013 (2) Recorded three or more sacks: .............................................................................J.R. Tavai, USC, 2014 (3.5) Recorded two sacks: ..............................................................................Chase Thomas, Stanford, 2011 (2.0) Special Teams Kicked four or more field goals: ........................................................Jack Mitchell, Northwestern, 2014 (4) Kicked a field goal 50 or more yards: ................................................................Matt Payne, BYU, 2004 (53) Kicked a punt of 65 or more yards:........................................................Jared Armstrong, Purdue, 2006 (69) Totaled 100 or more kick return yards: ................................................... Marcus Thomas, Navy, 2013 (137)
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Game Notes
Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 3, 2012 Sept. 7, 2013 Oct. 18, 2014 Sept. 3, 2011 Dec. 28, 2013 Oct. 2, 2010 Sept. 25, 2010 Sept. 11, 2010
Most Passing Yards/Completion (min. five completions) 1. 21.1 Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (14-295) 2. 20.9 Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (17-355) 3. 20.3 at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (21-446) 4. 20.2 Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (12-242) 5. 18.4 at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (18-331) 6. 18.1 Michigan Sept. 11, 2010 (21-381) 7. 17.7 at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (18-318) 8. 17.5 vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (18-315) 9. 16.5 Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (22-363) 16.5 vs. Army Nov. 20, 2010 (13-214)
Highest Passing Efficiency (min. 11 attempts) 1. 239.6 at Air Force 2. 210.1 Temple 3. 209.4 vs. Navy 4. 206.3 Rice 5. 187.7 Western Michigan 6. 183.6 vs. Syracuse 7. 180.3 Air Force 8. 174.6 Navy 9. 168.7 Utah 10. 168.6 Navy
Oct. 26, 2013 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 1, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 16, 2010 Sept. 27, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 13, 2010 Oct. 29, 2011
Most Total Offense Plays 1. 104 Pittsburgh 2. 90 vs. Rutgers 3. 87 at Florida State 4. 84 vs. Maryland 5. 81 North Carolina 81 at Purdue 81 at Michigan State 8. 80 Northwestern 80 vs. Syracuse 80 Tulsa
Nov. 3, 2012 (51 rush,53 pass) Dec. 28, 2013 (43 rush,47 pass) Oct. 18, 2014 (52 pass,35 rush) Nov. 12, 2011 (46 rush,38 pass) Oct. 11, 2014 (43 rush,38 pass) Oct. 1, 2011 (40 rush,41 pass) Sept. 18, 2010 (26 rush,55 pass) Nov. 15, 2014 (40 rush,40 pass) Sept. 27, 2014 (41 rush,39 pass) Oct. 30, 2010 (24 rush,56 pass)
Most Total Offense Yards 1. 587 vs. Miami, Fla. 2. 584 Wake Forest 3. 576 Rice 4. 560 Air Force 5. 551 at Purdue 6. 543 Temple 7. 535 Michigan 8. 533 vs. Navy 9. 523 vs. Syracuse 10. 522 Pittsburgh
Oct. 6, 2012 (376 rush,211 pass) Nov. 17, 2012 (221 rush,363 pass) Aug. 30, 2014 (281 rush,295 pass) Oct. 8, 2011 (266 rush,294 pass) Oct. 1, 2011 (287 rush,264 pass) Aug. 31, 2013 (188 rush,355 pass) Sept. 11, 2010 (154 rush,381 pass) Nov. 1, 2014 (218 rush,315 pass) Sept. 27, 2014 (161 rush,362 pass) Nov. 3, 2012 (231 rush,291 pass)
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Most Passes Attempted 1. 56 Tulsa 2. 55 at Michigan State 3. 53 Pittsburgh 53 at Michigan 5. 52 at Florida State 6. 49 USF 7. 47 vs. Rutgers 8. 45 at Boston College 45 Stanford 10. 44 Michigan
Most Passing Yards/Attempt (min. 10 attempts) 1. 13.4 Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (22-295) 2. 13.1 Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (27-355) 3. 12.7 at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (26-331) 4. 12.6 vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (25-315) 5. 12.1 Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (20-242) 6. 10.9 at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (41-446) 7. 10.7 vs. Army Nov. 20, 2010 (20-214) 8. 10.4 Navy Oct. 29, 2011 (25-260) 9. 10.1 Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (36-363) 10. 10.0 Western Michigan Oct. 16, 2010 (30-299)
Nov. 8, 2014 Dec. 29, 2011 Nov. 27, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 28, 2013
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 6, 2012 Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 27, 2012
Nov. 8, 2014 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 17, 2012 Sept. 27, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Oct. 30, 2010 Oct. 26, 2013 Sept. 8, 2012
Most Passes Intercepted 1. 4 at Arizona State 2. 3 vs. Florida State 3 at USC 3 Tulsa 3 USF 3 Michigan 3 Oklahoma 8. 2 12 times
BOWL HISTORY
Most Rushing TDs 1. 7 Navy 2. 5 vs. Miami, Fla. 5 vs. Navy 4. 4 vs. Navy 4 North Carolina 4 Rice 4 Air Force 8. 3 Navy 3 vs. Maryland 3 at Oklahoma
Most Passing Yards 1. 446 at Arizona State 2. 391 USF 3. 381 Michigan 4. 369 at Michigan State 5. 363 Wake Forest 6. 362 vs. Syracuse 7. 355 Temple 8. 334 Tulsa 9. 331 at Air Force 10. 324 Purdue
Oct. 26, 2013 Sept. 27, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 18, 2010
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Highest Average Gain/Rush (min. 20 rushes) 1. 9.2 Air Force Oct. 8, 2011 (29-266) 2. 7.6 Oklahoma Sept. 28, 2013 (29-220) 3. 7.4 vs. Miami, Fla. Oct. 6, 2012 (51-376) 7.4 Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (30-221) 5. 7.3 Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (36-264) 6. 7.2 at Purdue Oct. 1, 2011 (40-287) 7. 6.7 Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (42-281) 8. 6.4 vs. Navy Sept. 1, 2012 (46-293) 9. 6.3 BYU Oct. 20, 2012 (43-270) 10. 6.0 at Michigan Sept. 10, 2011 (33-198)
Highest Completion Percentage (min. 10 passes) 1. 82.1 vs. Syracuse Sept. 27, 2014 (32-39) 2. 78.9 vs. Maryland Nov. 12, 2011 (30-38) 3. 76.0 Navy Oct. 29, 2011 (19-25) 4. 75.0 Air Force Oct. 8, 2011 (27-36) 5. 73.1 vs. Miami, Fla. Oct. 6, 2012 (19-26) 73.1 Purdue Sept. 4, 2010 (19-26) 7. 72.0 vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (18-25) 8. 69.6 vs. Navy Sept. 1, 2012 (16-23) 9. 69.2 at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (18-26) 69.2 at Michigan Sept. 10, 2011 (27-39) 69.2 Michigan State Sept. 17, 2011 (18-26)
Most Touchdown Passes 1. 5 at Air Force 2. 4 vs. Syracuse 4 Air Force 4 Western Michigan 4 Tulsa 4 at Michigan State 7. 3 11 times
COACHES & STAFF
Oct. 6, 2012 (51 carries) Sept. 1, 2012 (46 carries) Oct. 1, 2011 (40 carries) Aug. 30, 2014 (42 carries) Oct. 20, 2012 (43 carries) Oct. 8, 2011 (29 carries) Nov. 2, 2013 (36 carries) Nov. 23, 2013 (47 carries) Nov. 3, 2012 (51 carries) Nov. 24, 2012 (42 carries)
Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 18, 2010 Oct. 18, 2014 Sept. 3, 2011 Nov. 12, 2011 Nov. 3, 2012 Sept. 7, 2013 Dec. 28, 2013 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 22, 2011 Sept. 10, 2011
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Most Net Yards Rushing 1. 376 vs. Miami, Fla. 2. 293 vs. Navy 3. 287 at Purdue 4. 281 Rice 5. 270 BYU 6. 266 Air Force 7. 264 Navy 8. 235 BYU 9. 231 Pittsburgh 10. 222 at USC
Nov. 3, 2012 Oct. 6, 2012 Dec. 31, 2010 Nov. 23, 2013 Nov. 12, 2011 Sept. 1, 2012 Oct. 13, 2012 Oct. 11, 2014 Dec. 28, 2013 Oct. 20, 2012
Most Passes Completed 1. 33 Tulsa 2. 32 vs. Syracuse 32 at Michigan State 4. 31 at Florida State 31 USF 6. 30 vs. Maryland 7. 29 Pittsburgh 29 at Michigan 9. 27 vs. Rutgers 27 Air Force 27 USC 27 at Michigan
GAME NOTES
TEAM GAME RECORDS Most Carries 1. 51 Pittsburgh 51 vs. Miami, Fla. 3. 48 vs. Miami, Fla. 4. 47 BYU 5. 46 vs. Maryland 46 vs. Navy 7. 44 Stanford 8. 43 North Carolina 43 vs. Rutgers 43 BYU
MEDIA INFORMATION
Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book
35 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 35
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Game Notes Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book Highest Average Gain/Play 1. 9.0 Navy 9.0 Rice 3. 8.8 Wake Forest 8.8 Temple 5. 8.6 Air Force 6. 8.3 vs. Navy 7. 7.6 vs. Miami, Fla. 8. 7.4 at Air Force 7.4 Navy 10. 7.2 at Pittsburgh
Nov. 2, 2013 (56-506) Aug. 30, 2014 (64-576) Nov. 17, 2012 (66-584) Aug. 31, 2013 (62-543) Oct. 8, 2011 (65-560) Nov. 1, 2014 (64-533) Oct. 6, 2012 (77-587) Oct. 26, 2013 (63-466) Oct. 29, 2011 (60-442) Nov. 9, 2013 (63-456)
Most All-Purpose Yards Gained 1. 711 Rice 2. 697 Air Force 3. 686 Northwestern 4. 634 at Purdue 5. 624 Navy 6. 622 vs. Maryland 7. 619 at Arizona State 8. 616 USF 9. 614 Wake Forest 10. 612 Pittsburgh 612 at Michigan
Most Punt Returns 1. 5 Rice 2. 4 Michigan 4 Wake Forest 4 Purdue 5. 3 Stanford 3 Temple 3 vs. Florida State 3 vs. Alabama 3 vs. Army 3 at Michigan 3 at Michigan State
Aug. 30, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Nov. 17, 2012 Sept. 8, 2012 Oct. 4, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Dec. 29, 2011 Jan. 7, 2013 Nov. 20, 2010 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010
Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 1, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 12, 2011 Nov. 8, 2014 Sept. 3, 2011 Nov. 17, 2012 Nov. 3, 2012 Sept. 10, 2011
Most Punt Return Yards 1. 80 Rice 2. 61 Louisville 3. 45 vs. Florida State 4. 38 Purdue 5. 27 Utah 27 vs. Arizona State 27 at Michigan State 8. 26 Michigan 9. 23 Temple 10. 18 at Michigan
Aug. 30, 2014 (5 returns) Nov. 22, 2014 (1 return) Dec. 29, 2011 (3 returns) Sept. 4, 2010 (1 return) Nov. 13, 2010 (2 returns) Oct. 5, 2013 (1 return) Sept. 18, 2010 (3 returns) Sept. 6, 2014 (4 returns) Aug. 31, 2013 (3 returns) Sept. 7, 2013 (1 return)
Most All-Purpose Attempts 1. 86 at Arizona State 86 Pittsburgh 3. 81 vs. Maryland 4. 78 vs. Rutgers 5. 77 vs. Syracuse 6. 73 at Florida State 7. 72 vs. Miami, Fla. 72 at Michigan 9. 71 Northwestern 71 North Carolina 71 at Purdue
Nov. 8, 2014 Nov. 3, 2012 Nov. 12, 2011 Dec. 28, 2013 Sept. 27, 2014 Oct. 18, 2014 Oct. 6, 2012 Sept. 10, 2011 Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Oct. 1, 2011
Highest Average Gain/Punt Return (min. two returns) 1. 16.0 Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (5-80) 2. 15.0 vs. Florida State Dec. 29, 2011 (3-45) 3. 13.5 Utah Nov. 13, 2010 (2-27) 4. 9.0 at Michigan State Sept. 18, 2010 (3-27) 5. 8.0 at Michigan State Sept. 15, 2012 (2-16) 6. 7.7 Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (3-23) 7. 7.0 at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (2-14) 8. 6.5 Michigan Sept. 6, 2014 (4-26) 9. 4.5 Stanford Oct. 13, 201 (2-9) 10. 3.3 Stanford Oct. 4, 2014 (3-10) 3.3 at Michigan Sept. 10, 2011 (3-10)
Most Points Scored 1. 59 Air Force 2. 56 Navy 3. 50 North Carolina 50 vs. Navy 5. 49 vs. Navy 6. 48 Rice 7. 45 vs. Maryland 45 at Air Force 9. 44 Western Michigan 10. 41 vs. Miami, Fla.
Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 1, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 26, 2013 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 6, 2012
Most Kick Returns 1. 7 Northwestern 7 Air Force 3. 6 Louisville 6 at Stanford 6 vs. Arizona State 6 USC 6 at Navy 6 Tulsa 6 at Michigan 6 Stanford
Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 22, 2014 Nov. 30, 2013 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 22, 2011 Oct. 23, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 25, 2010
Most Touchdowns Scored 1. 8 Air Force 8 Navy 3. 7 vs. Navy 7 North Carolina 7 vs. Navy 6. 6 Northwestern 6 Rice 6 vs. Maryland 6 Western Michigan 6 at Air Force
Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 29, 2011 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 15, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 26, 2013
Most Kick Return Yards 1. 197 USC 2. 151 Louisville 3. 142 Michigan State 4. 139 at Stanford 5. 137 Air Force 6. 133 Northwestern 7. 126 Tulsa 8. 123 at Navy 9. 119 at Purdue 10. 117 vs. Arizona State
Oct. 22, 2011 (6 returns) Nov. 22, 2014 (6 returns) Sept. 17, 2011 (4 returns) Nov. 30, 2013 (6 returns) Oct. 8, 2011 (7 returns) Nov. 15, 2014 (7 returns) Oct. 30, 2010 (6 returns) Oct. 23, 2010 (6 returns) Sept. 14, 2013 (4 returns) Oct. 5, 2013 (6 returns)
Highest Average Gain/Kick Return (min. two returns) 1. 38.0 at Michigan Sept. 7, 2013 (2-76) 2. 35.5 Michigan State Sept. 17, 2011 (4-142) 3. 32.8 USC Oct. 22, 2011 (6-197) 4. 30.3 Navy Oct. 29, 2011 (3-91) 5. 29.8 at Purdue Sept. 14, 2013 (4-119) 6. 28.8 at Wake Forest Nov. 5, 2011 (4-115) 7. 28.7 vs. Purdue Sept. 13, 2014 (3-86) 8. 27.8 at Boston College Oct. 2, 2010 (4-111) 9. 27.0 vs. Rutgers Dec. 28, 2013 (3-81) 10. 26.5 Utah Nov. 13, 2010 (2-53) Most Fumble Returns 1. 2 Northwestern 2. 1 North Carolina 1 vs. Arizona State 1 at Michigan State 1 vs. Navy 1 vs. Florida State 1 Air Force Most Fumble Returns Yards 1. 77 vs. Navy 2. 37 Northwestern 3. 29 vs. Florida State 4. 8 at Michigan State 5. 6 North Carolina 6 vs. Arizona State 7. 4 Air Force Most Interceptions 1. 5 Michigan 2. 4 vs. Rutgers 4 vs. Miami, Fla. 4. 3 Michigan 3 at Michigan 6. 2 14 times Most Interception Return Yards 1. 82 Michigan State 2. 69 Michigan 3. 57 vs. Maryland 4. 56 vs. Army 5. 55 Northwestern 6. 49 Stanford 7. 47 Purdue 8. 34 at Stanford 34 at Purdue 10. 33 Michigan
Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Oct. 5, 2013 Sept. 15, 2012 Sept. 1, 2012 Dec. 29, 2011 Oct. 8, 2011 Sept. 1, 2012 (1 return) Nov. 15, 2014 (2 returns) Dec. 29, 2011 (1 return) Sept. 15, 2012 (1 return) Oct. 11, 2014 (1 return) Oct. 5, 2013 (1 return) Oct. 8, 2011 (1 return) Sept. 22, 2012 Dec. 28, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Sept. 6, 2014 Sept. 10, 2011
Sept. 17, 2011 (1 return) Sept. 22, 2012 (5 returns) Nov. 12, 2011 (1 return) Nov. 20, 2010 (2 returns) Nov. 15, 2014 (2 returns) Oct. 13, 2012 (2 returns) Sept. 8, 2012 (2 returns) Nov. 26, 2011 (1 return) Sept. 14, 2013 (1 return) Sept. 6, 2014 (3 returns)
Highest Average Gain/Interception Return (min. two returns) 1. 28.0 vs. Army Nov. 20, 2010 (2-56) 2. 27.5 Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (2-55) 3. 24.5 Stanford Oct. 13, 2012 (2-49) 4. 23.5 Purdue Sept. 8, 2012 (2-47) 5. 13.8 Michigan Sept. 22, 2012 (5-69) 6. 13.5 Stanford Sept. 25, 2010 (2-27) 7. 12.0 vs. Arizona State Oct. 5, 2013 (2-24) 8. 11.0 at Boston College Oct. 2, 2010 (2-22) 9. 11.0 Michigan Sept. 6, 2014 (3-33) 10. 4.5 Western Michigan Oct. 16, 2010 (2-9)
36 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 36
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Game Notes
Most Fumbles Recovered 1. 3 vs. Navy 2. 2 Northwestern 2 Western Michigan 2 at Air Force 2 Tulsa 6. 1 19 times
Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 26, 2013 Oct. 30, 2010
INDIVIDUAL GAME RECORDS Most Carries 1. 27 Robert Hughes vs. Miami, Fla. 2. 26 Cierre Wood Boston College 3. 25 Cierre Wood at Michigan 4. 24 Cam McDaniel BYU 5. 23 Cierre Wood at Pittsburgh 6. 22 Theo Riddick Pittsburgh 7. 21 Tarean Folston at Florida State 21 Jonas Gray vs. Maryland 21 Cierre Wood USF 10. 20 Tarean Folston Northwestern 20 Tarean Folston vs. Navy 20 Theo Riddick at USC 20 Cierre Wood at Purdue
Dec. 31, 2010 Nov. 19, 2011 Sept. 10, 2011 Nov. 23, 2013 Sept. 24, 2011 Nov. 3, 2012 Oct. 18, 2014 Nov. 12, 2011 Sept. 3, 2011 Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 1, 2014 Nov. 24, 2012 Oct. 1, 2011
Most Net Yards Rushing 1. 191 Cierre Wood at Purdue 2. 150 Cierre Wood Wake Forest 3. 149 Tarean Folston vs. Navy 4. 148 George Atkinson III Oklahoma 5. 146 Theo Riddick at USC 6. 143 Theo Riddick BYU 7. 140 Tarean Folston Navy 8. 136 Jonas Gray vs. Maryland 9. 134 Cierre Wood at Michigan 134 Tarean Folston Louisville
Oct. 1, 2011 (20 carries) Nov. 17, 2012 (11 carries) Nov. 1, 2014 (20 carries) Sept. 28, 2013 (14 carries) Nov. 24, 2012 (20 carries) Oct. 20, 2012 (15 carries) Nov. 2, 2013 (18 carries) Nov. 12, 2011 (21 carries) Sept. 10, 2011 (25 carries) Nov. 22, 2014 (18 carries)
Sept. 28, 2013 Sept. 24, 2011 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 17, 2012 Oct. 27, 2012 Nov. 15, 2014 Sept. 1, 2012 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 20, 2012 Oct. 1, 2011
Most Passes Attempted 1. 55 Dayne Crist 2. 54 Tommy Rees 3. 52 Everett Golson 4. 51 Tommy Rees 5. 47 Tommy Rees 6. 44 Dayne Crist 44 Dayne Crist 8. 43 Everett Golson 9. 42 Everett Golson 10. 41 Everett Golson 41 Tommy Rees
at Michigan State Tulsa at Florida State at Michigan vs. Rutgers at Boston College Stanford Stanford Pittsburgh at Arizona State at Pittsburgh
Sept. 18, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Oct. 18, 2014 Sept. 7, 2013 Dec. 28, 2013 Oct. 2, 2010 Sept. 25, 2010 Oct. 4, 2014 Nov. 3, 2012 Nov. 8, 2014 Sept. 24, 2011
Most Passes Completed 1. 33 Tommy Rees 2. 32 Everett Golson 32 Dayne Crist 4. 31 Everett Golson 5. 30 Tommy Rees 6. 29 Tommy Rees 7. 27 Tommy Rees 27 Tommy Rees 9. 25 Everett Golson 25 Dayne Crist
Tulsa vs. Syracuse at Michigan State at Florida State vs. Maryland at Michigan vs. Rutgers at Michigan vs. Purdue Stanford
Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 18, 2010 Oct. 18, 2014 Nov. 12, 2011 Sept. 7, 2013 Dec. 28, 2013 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 13, 2014 Sept. 25, 2010
Highest Completion Percentage (min. 10 attempts) 1. 82.1 Everett Golson vs. Syracuse Sept. 27, 2014 (32-39) 2. 78.9 Tommy Rees vs. Maryland Nov. 12, 2011 (30-38) 3. 77.3 Everett Golson vs. Miami, Fla. Oct. 6, 2012 (17-22) 77.3 Tommy Rees at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (17-22) 5. 73.1 Dayne Crist Purdue Sept. 4, 2010 (19-26) 6. 72.7 Tommy Rees Navy Oct. 29, 2011 (16-22) 72.7 Tommy Rees Michigan Sept. 22, 2012 (8-11) 8. 72.0 Everett Golson vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (18-25) 9. 71.9 Tommy Rees Air Force Oct. 8, 2011 (23-32) 10. 70.6 Tommy Rees USF Sept. 3, 2011 (24-34)
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Highest Average Gain/Rush (min. 10 carries) 1. 13.6 Cierre Wood Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (11-150) 2. 12.3 George Atkinson III vs. Miami, Fla. Oct. 6, 2012 (10-123) 3. 10.6 George Atkinson III Oklahoma Sept. 28, 2013 (14-148) 4. 9.6 Cierre Wood at Purdue Oct. 1, 2011 (20-191) 5. 9.5 Theo Riddick BYU Oct. 20, 2012 (15-143) 6. 8.5 Cierre Wood Western Michigan Oct. 16, 2010 (11-94) 7. 7.8 Everett Golson Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (10-78) 7.8 Tarean Folston Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (18-140) 9. 7.4 Tarean Folston vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (20-149) 7.4 Tarean Folston Louisville Nov. 22, 2014 (18-134)
Longest Rush 1. 80 George Atkinson III Oklahoma 2. 79 Jonas Gray at Pittsburgh 3. 78 Andrew Hendrix Air Force 4. 68 Cierre Wood Wake Forest 5. 62 Cierre Wood at Oklahoma 6. 61 Everett Golson Northwestern 7. 56 George Atkinson III vs. Navy 56 Malik Zaire Rice 9. 55 George Atkinson III vs. Miami, Fla. 55 Theo Riddick BYU 55 Cierre Wood at Purdue
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 10, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 16, 2010 Sept. 6, 2014 Nov. 26, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010
Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Oct. 4, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 13, 2010 Nov. 23, 2013 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 13, 2012
Nov. 1, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 8, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 8, 2011 Sept. 1, 2012 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 29, 2011 Sept. 17, 2011
BOWL HISTORY
Most Fumbles Forced 1. 3 Northwestern 3 at Boston College 3 vs. Arizona State 3 Western Michigan 5. 2 Michigan 2 at Stanford 2 Tulsa 8. 1 23 times
Most Blocked Kicks 1. 1 Northwestern 1 North Carolina 1 Stanford 1 vs. Syracuse 1 Michigan 1 Temple 1 Utah 1 BYU 1 Air Force 1 Stanford
Most Rushing Touchdowns Scored 1. 3 Everett Golson vs. Navy 3 Everett Golson Rice 3 Jonas Gray Navy 4. 2 Cam McDaniel at Arizona State 2 Tarean Folston North Carolina 2 Amir Carlisle Michigan 2 George Atkinson III vs. Navy 2 Jonas Gray vs. Maryland 2 Jonas Gray Air Force 2 Theo Riddick vs. Navy 2 Cierre Wood vs. Miami, Fla. 2 Cierre Wood Navy 2 Cierre Wood Michigan State
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Oct. 2, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Nov. 10, 2012 Oct. 16, 2010 Nov. 22, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Nov. 3, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Sept. 7, 2013 Sept. 18, 2010 Sept. 24, 2011
Sept. 17, 2011 Sept. 15, 2012 Oct. 8, 2011 Sept. 25, 2010 Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 8, 2014 Nov. 27, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 18, 2010
COACHES & STAFF
Most Tackles for Loss 1. 11.0 at Boston College 2. 10.0 Tulsa 3. 9.0 at Boston College 9.0 Western Michigan 5. 8.0 Louisville 8.0 Michigan 8.0 Pittsburgh 8.0 vs. Arizona State 8.0 at Michigan 8.0 at Michigan State 8.0 at Pittsburgh
Oct. 5, 2013 Sept. 24, 2011 Dec. 29, 2011 Nov. 3, 2012 Nov. 10, 2012 Oct. 2, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010
Most Pass Breakups 1. 10 Michigan State 2. 8 at Michigan State 3. 7 Air Force 7 Stanford 5. 5 Northwestern 5 at Arizona State 5 at USC 5 Tulsa 5 Michigan 5 at Michigan State
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Most Sacks 1. 6.0 vs. Arizona State 6.0 at Pittsburgh 3. 5.0 vs. Florida State 5.0 Pittsburgh 5.0 at Boston College 5.0 at Boston College 5.0 Tulsa 8. 4.0 Nine times
Oct. 8, 2011 (46-60) Nov. 29, 2014 (56-44) Nov. 2, 2013 (46-56) Nov. 15, 2014 (51-43) Oct. 22, 2011 (37-54) Nov. 23, 2013 (36-52) Oct. 26, 2013 (58-30) Oct. 29, 2011 (36-52) Sept. 17, 2011 (30-58) Nov. 30, 2013 (38-48) Sept. 11, 2010 (46-40) Sept. 25, 2010 (40-46)
GAME NOTES
Most Tackles 1. 106 Air Force 2. 100 USC 3. 102 Navy 4. 94 Northwestern 5. 91 USC 6. 88 BYU 88 at Air Force 88 Navy 88 Michigan State 10. 86 at Stanford 86 Michigan 86 Stanford
MEDIA INFORMATION
Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book
37
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 37
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Game Notes Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book Most Passing Yards 1. 446 Everett Golson 2. 369 Dayne Crist 3. 362 Everett Golson 4. 346 Everett Golson 346 Tommy Rees 6. 334 Tommy Rees 7. 319 Tommy Rees 8. 318 Tommy Rees 9. 315 Everett Golson 315 Tommy Rees
at Arizona State at Michigan State vs. Syracuse Wake Forest Temple Tulsa vs. Rutgers at Pittsburgh vs. Navy at Michigan
Nov. 8, 2014 Sept. 18, 2010 Sept. 27, 2014 Nov. 17, 2012 Aug. 31, 2013 Oct. 30, 2010 Dec. 28, 2013 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 1, 2014 Sept. 10, 2011
Most Passing Yards Gained/Attempt (min. 10 attempts) 1. 15.0 Tommy Rees Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (23-346) 2. 13.4 Everett Golson Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (22-295) 3. 12.9 Tommy Rees at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (22-284) 4. 12.6 Everett Golson vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (25-315) 5. 12.1 Tommy Rees Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (20-242) 6. 11.5 Everett Golson Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (30-346) 7. 11.1 Dayne Crist Michigan Sept. 11, 2010 (25-277) 8. 10.9 Everett Golson at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (22-446) 9. 10.8 Tommy Rees Navy Oct. 29, 2011 (22-237) 10. 10.7 Tommy Rees vs. Army Nov. 20, 2010 (20-214) Most Passing Yards Gained/Completion (min. five completions) 1. 21.6 Tommy Rees Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (16-346) 2. 21.3 Dayne Crist Michigan Sept. 11, 2010 (13-277) 3. 21.1 Everett Golson Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (14-295) 4. 20.3 Everett Golson at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (22-446) 5. 20.2 Tommy Rees Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (12-242) 6. 17.7 Tommy Rees at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (18-318) 7. 17.5 Everett Golson vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (18-315) 17.5 Andrew Hendrix at Stanford Nov. 26, 2011 (11-192) 9. 17.3 Everett Golson Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (20-346) 10. 16.7 Tommy Rees BYU Oct. 20, 2012 (7-117) 16.7 Tommy Rees at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (17-284)
38
Most Touchdown Passes 1. 5 Tommy Rees 2. 4 Everett Golson 4 Dayne Crist 4 Tommy Rees 4 Tommy Rees 6. 3 Everett Golson 3 Everett Golson 3 Everett Golson 3 Everett Golson 3 Everett Golson 3 Dayne Crist 3 Everett Golson 3 Tommy Rees 3 Tommy Rees 3 Tommy Rees 3 Tommy Rees 3 Tommy Rees
at Air Force vs. Syracuse at Michigan State Air Force Tulsa Northwestern vs. Navy Florida State North Carolina Michigan Western Michigan Wake Forest Temple Utah vs. Arizona State at Purdue at Michigan
Oct. 26, 2013 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 18, 2010 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 18, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Oct. 16, 2010 Nov. 17, 2012 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 13, 2010 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 1, 2011 Sept. 10, 2011
Most Passes Intercepted 1. 4 Everett Golson 2. 3 Tommy Rees 3 Tommy Rees 3 Tommy Rees 5. 2 Everett Golson 2 Everett Golson 2 Dayne Crist
at Arizona State at USC Tulsa Oklahoma at Florida State vs. Syracuse at Navy
Nov. 8, 2014 Nov. 27, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 28, 2013 Oct. 18, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Oct. 23, 2010
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Everett Golson Tommy Rees Tommy Rees Tommy Rees Tommy Rees Tommy Rees Tommy Rees Tommy Rees Tommy Rees
Michigan vs. Florida State Navy at Wake Forest at Pittsburgh at Stanford USF at Michigan at Michigan
Sept. 22, 2012 Dec. 29, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 5, 2011 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 30, 2013 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 7, 2013 Sept. 10, 2011
Highest Passing Efficiency (min. 10 attempts) 1. 260.7 Tommy Rees at Air Force 2. 239.0 Tommy Rees Temple 3. 209.4 Everett Golson vs. Navy 4. 206.3 Everett Golson Rice 5. 189.9 Everett Golson Wake Forest 6. 183.6 Everett Golson vs. Syracuse 7. 181.6 Tommy Rees Air Force 8. 174.6 Tommy Rees Navy 9. 169.1 Tommy Rees Navy 10. 169.0 Dayne Crist Western Michigan
Oct. 26, 2013 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 1, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Nov. 17, 2012 Sept. 27, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 16, 2010
Longest Pass Completion 1. 95 Dayne Crist 2. 82 Tommy Rees 3. 80 Dayne Crist 80 Tommy Rees 5. 78 Everett Golson 6. 75 Everett Golson 7. 72 Everett Golson 8. 66 Tommy Rees 9. 61 Tommy Rees 10. 59 Everett Golson
Michigan at Purdue Western Michigan at Pittsburgh vs. Navy Rice vs. Syracuse Temple BYU at Arizona State
Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 14, 2013 Oct. 16, 2010 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 1, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 23, 2013 Nov. 8, 2014
Most Passes Caught 1. 13 Michael Floyd 2. 12 Michael Floyd 12 Michael Floyd 4. 11 Michael Floyd 11 Michael Floyd 6. 10 Michael Floyd 10 Theo Riddick 8. 9 Will Fuller 9 Will Fuller 9 Michael Floyd 9 Michael Floyd 9 TJ Jones 9 Theo Riddick
at Michigan at Purdue USF at USC Tulsa Boston College at Michigan State Northwestern Michigan vs. Maryland Western Michigan at Michigan at Boston College
Sept. 10, 2011 Oct. 1, 2011 Sept. 3, 2011 Nov. 27, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Nov. 19, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 15, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 16, 2010 Sept. 7, 2013 Oct. 2, 2010
Most Yards Receiving 1. 167 DaVaris Daniels 2. 164 Kyle Rudolph 3. 159 Will Fuller 159 Michael Floyd 5. 157 Michael Floyd 6. 154 Michael Floyd 7. 149 TJ Jones 8. 138 TJ Jones 9. 137 Michael Floyd 10. 135 TJ Jones
at Purdue Sept. 14, 2013 (8 rec.) Michigan Sept. 11, 2010 (8 rec.) Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (9 rec.) at Michigan Sept. 10, 2011 (13 rec.) Western Michigan Oct. 16, 2010 (9 rec.) USF Sept. 3, 2011 (12 rec.) at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (6 rec.) Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (6 rec.) at Purdue Oct. 1, 2011 (12 rec.) vs. Arizona State Oct. 5, 2013 (8 rec.)
Highest Average Gain/Reception (min. three receptions) 1. 30.7 Amir Carlisle at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (3-92) 2. 27.8 TJ Jones Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (4-111) 3. 24.8 TJ Jones at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (6-149) 4. 24.5 Tyler Eifert Purdue Sept. 8, 2012 (4-98) 5. 24.3 TJ Jones Michigan Sept. 11, 2010 (3-73) 6. 23.0 DaVaris Daniels Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (3-69) 23.0 TJ Jones Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (6-138) 8. 21.2 Will Fuller Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (4-85) 9. 21.0 Michael Floyd vs. Army Nov. 20, 2010 (3-63) 10. 20.9 DaVaris Daniels at Purdue Sept. 14, 2013 (8-167) Most Touchdown Receptions 1. 3 Will Fuller Northwestern 3 Michael Floyd Western Michigan 3. 2 Corey Robinson at Florida State 2 Will Fuller North Carolina 2 Will Fuller vs. Syracuse 2 Amir Carlisle Michigan 2 DaVaris Daniels Temple 2 DaVaris Daniels at Purdue 2 Michael Floyd vs. Miami, Fla. 2 Michael Floyd Tulsa 2 Michael Floyd USF 2 Michael Floyd at Michigan State 2 Duval Kamara Utah 2 Theo Riddick at Michigan 2 Cierre Wood Tulsa
Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 18, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 27, 2016 Sept. 6, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Sept. 14, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 13, 2010 Sept. 10, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010
Longest Pass Reception 1. 95 Kyle Rudolph 2. 82 DaVaris Daniels 3. 80 Michael Floyd 80 TJ Jones 5. 78 C.J. Prosise 6. 75 Will Fuller 7. 72 Will Fuller 8. 66 Troy Niklas 9. 61 DaVaris Daniels 10. 59 C.J. Prosise
Michigan at Purdue Western Michigan at Pittsburgh vs. Navy Rice vs. Syracuse Temple BYU at Arizona State
Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 14, 2013 Oct. 16, 2010 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 1, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 23, 2013 Nov. 8, 2014
Most Total Offense Plays 1. 63 Everett Golson 2. 61 Dayne Crist 3. 57 Everett Golson 57 Everett Golson 5. 56 Tommy Rees 6. 54 Everett Golson 7. 52 Tommy Rees 8. 50 Everett Golson 50 Everett Golson 50 Everett Golson 50 Dayne Crist
at Florida State Oct. 18, 2014 (11r,52p) at Michigan State Sept. 18, 2010 (6r,55p) at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (16r,41p) Pittsburgh Nov. 3, 2012 (15r,42p) Tulsa Oct. 30, 2010 (2r,54p) vs. Purdue Sept. 13, 2014 (14r,40p) at Michigan Sept. 7, 2013 (1r,51p) Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (10r,40p) North Carolina Oct. 11, 2014 (12r,38p) Stanford Oct. 4, 2014 (7r,43p) at Boston College Oct. 2, 2010 (6r,44p)
Most Total Offense Yards 1. 435 Everett Golson 2. 383 Everett Golson 3. 377 Dayne Crist 4. 371 Everett Golson 5. 365 Everett Golson 6. 348 Everett Golson 7. 346 Everett Golson 8. 346 Everett Golson 9. 341 Tommy Rees 10. 339 Tommy Rees
at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (-11r,446p) vs. Syracuse Sept. 27, 2014 (21r,362p) at Michigan State Sept. 18, 2010 (8r,369p) North Carolina Oct. 11, 2014 (71r,300p) Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (78r,287p) vs. Navy Nov. 1, 2014 (33r,315p) at Florida State Oct. 18, 2014 (33r,313p) Wake Forest Nov. 17, 2012 (0r,346p) Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (-5r,346p) Tulsa Oct. 30, 2010 (5r,334p)
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 38
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Game Notes
Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Oct. 16, 2010 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 29, 2011 Dec. 28, 2013 Nov. 24, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Nov. 8, 2014 Oct. 18, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 13, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Sept. 1, 2012 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 27, 2012 Sept. 7, 2013 Aug. 31, 2013 Sept. 14, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 12, 2011
Most Touchdowns Scored 1. 3 Will Fuller Northwestern 3 Everett Golson vs. Navy 3 Tarean Folston North Carolina 3 Everett Golson Rice 3 Michael Floyd Western Michigan 3 Jonas Gray Navy 7. 2 Cam McDaniel at Arizona State 2 Corey Robinson at Florida State 2 Will Fuller North Carolina 2 Will Fuller vs. Syracuse 2 Amir Carlisle Michigan 2 George Atkinson III vs. Navy 2 DaVaris Daniels Temple 2 DaVaris Daniels at Purdue 2 Michael Floyd vs. Miami, Fla. 2 Michael Floyd Navy 2 Michael Floyd Tulsa 2 Michael Floyd USF 2 Michael Floyd at Michigan State 2 Jonas Gray vs. Maryland 2 Jonas Gray Air Force 2 TJ Jones at Pittsburgh 2 Duval Kamara Utah 2 Theo Riddick vs. Navy 2 Theo Riddick at Michigan 2 Cierre Wood vs. Miami, Fla. 2 Cierre Wood Navy 2 Cierre Wood Tulsa 2 Cierre Wood Michigan State
Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 29, 2011 Nov. 8, 2014 Oct. 18, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Sept. 1, 2012 Aug. 31, 2013 Sept. 14, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 13, 2010 Sept. 1, 2012 Sept. 10, 2011 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 17, 2011
Most Extra Points Made 1. 8 David Ruffer 2. 7 Kyle Brindza 7 David Ruffer 4. 6 Kyle Brindza 6 Kyle Brindza 6 Kyle Brindza 6 David Ruffer 8. 5 Kyle Brindza 5 Kyle Brindza 5 Kyle Brindza 5 David Ruffer 5 David Ruffer 5 Nick Tausch
Oct. 29, 2011 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 11, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 26, 2013 Nov. 12, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 17, 2012 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 1, 2011 Sept. 1, 2012
Navy vs. Navy Air Force North Carolina Rice at Air Force vs. Maryland Navy Wake Forest vs. Miami, Fla. Western Michigan at Purdue vs. Navy
Most Extra Points Attempted 1. 8 David Ruffer Navy 2. 7 Kyle Brindza vs. Navy 7 David Ruffer Air Force 4. 6 Kyle Brindza North Carolina 6 Kyle Brindza Rice 6 Kyle Brindza at Air Force 6 David Ruffer vs. Maryland 6 David Ruffer Western Michigan 6 Nick Tausch vs. Navy 10. 5 Kyle Brindza Northwestern 5 Kyle Brindza Navy 5 Kyle Brindza Wake Forest 5 Kyle Brindza vs. Miami, Fla. 5 David Ruffer at Purdue
Oct. 29, 2011 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 11, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 26, 2013 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 16, 2010 Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 17, 2012 Oct. 6, 2012  Oct. 1, 2011
Most Points Scored by Kicking 1. 17 Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers 2. 16 Kyle Brindza at USC 3. 13 Kyle Brindza vs. Arizona State 4. 12 Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue 12 Kyle Brindza Rice 12 Kyle Brindza at Oklahoma 12 Kyle Brindza at Michigan 12 David Ruffer vs. Miami, Fla. 9. 11 Kyle Brindza BYU 11 Kyle Brindza vs. Miami, Fla. 11 David Ruffer Pittsburgh 11 David Ruffer Purdue
Dec. 28, 2013 Nov. 24, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Sept. 13, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 27, 2012 Sept. 7, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Nov. 23, 2013 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 9, 2010 Sept. 4, 2010
Most Field Goals Attempted 1. 6 Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers 6 Kyle Brindza at USC 3. 4 Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue 4 Kyle Brindza Pittsburgh 4 Kyle Brindza vs. Arizona State 4 Kyle Brindza at Oklahoma 4 David Ruffer vs. Miami, Fla. 8. 3 Kyle Brindza Stanford 3 Kyle Brindza Rice 3 Kyle Brindza BYU 3 Kyle Brindza vs. Miami, Fla. 3 Kyle Brindza BYU 3 Kyle Brindza at Michigan 3 Kyle Brindza Purdue 3 David Ruffer Boston College 3 David Ruffer Pittsburgh 3 David Ruffer at Purdue 3 David Ruffer Purdue
Dec. 28, 2013 Nov. 24, 2012 Sept. 13, 2014 Nov. 3, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 27, 2012 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 4, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Nov. 23, 2013 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 20, 2012 Sept. 7, 2013 Sept. 8, 2012 Nov. 19, 2011 Oct. 9, 2010 Oct. 1, 2011 Sept. 4, 2010
Most Field Goals Made 1. 5 Kyle Brindza 5 Kyle Brindza 3. 3 Kyle Brindza 3 Kyle Brindza 3 Kyle Brindza 3 Kyle Brindza 3 Kyle Brindza 3 Kyle Brindza 3 David Ruffer 3 David Ruffer 3 David Ruffer 3 David Ruffer
Dec. 28, 2013 Nov. 24, 2012 Sept. 13, 2014 Nov. 3, 2012 Nov. 23, 2013 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 27, 2012 Sept. 7, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Nov. 19, 2011 Oct. 9, 2010 Sept. 4, 2010
vs. Rutgers at USC vs. Purdue Pittsburgh BYU vs. Arizona State at Oklahoma at Michigan vs. Miami, Fla. Boston College Pittsburgh Purdue
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Most Points Scored 1. 18 Will Fuller Northwestern 18 Everett Golson vs. Navy 18 Tarean Folston North Carolina 18 Michael Floyd Western Michigan 18 Everett Golson Rice 18 Jonas Gray Navy 7. 17 Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers 8. 16 Kyle Brindza at USC 9. 13 Kyle Brindza vs. Arizona State 10. 12 Cam McDaniel at Arizona State 12 Corey Robinson at Florida State 12 Will Fuller North Carolina 12 Will Fuller vs. Syracuse 12 Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue 12 Amir Carlisle Michigan 12 George Atkinson III vs. Navy 12 Kyle Brindza Rice 12 Kyle Brindza at Oklahoma 12 Kyle Brindza at Michigan 12 DaVaris Daniels Temple 12 DaVaris Daniels at Purdue 12 Michael Floyd vs. Miami, Fla. 12 Michael Floyd Navy 12 Michael Floyd Tulsa 12 Michael Floyd USF 12 Michael Floyd at Michigan State 12 Jonas Gray vs. Maryland
Oct. 8, 2011 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 13, 2010 Sept. 1, 2012 Sept. 10, 2011 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 6, 2012 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 17, 2011
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dec. 31, 2010 Nov. 23, 2013 Nov. 3, 2012 Nov. 19, 2011 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 3, 2011 Sept. 24, 2011 Oct. 2, 2010 Nov. 24, 2012 Oct. 11, 2014
Air Force at Pittsburgh Utah vs. Navy at Michigan vs. Miami, Fla. vs. Miami, Fla. Navy Tulsa Michigan State
BOWL HISTORY
Most All-Purpose Attempts 1. 28 Robert Hughes vs. Miami, Fla. 2. 27 Cam McDaniel BYU 3. 26 Theo Riddick Pittsburgh 26 Cierre Wood Boston College 5. 25 Cierre Wood at Michigan 6. 24 Cierre Wood USF 24 Cierre Wood at Pittsburgh 8. 23 Armando Allen Jr. at Boston College 23 Theo Riddick at USC 23 Tarean Folston North Carolina
Jonas Gray TJ Jones Duval Kamara Theo Riddick Theo Riddick David Ruffer Cierre Wood Cierre Wood Cierre Wood Cierre Wood
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Oct. 1, 2011 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 8, 2014 Nov. 1, 2014 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 24, 2012 Oct. 22, 2011 Sept. 28, 2013 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 14, 2013
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
COACHES & STAFF
Most All-Purpose Yards Gained 1. 213 Cierre Wood at Purdue 2. 204 TJ Jones at Pittsburgh 3. 194 Amir Carlisle at Arizona State 4. 187 Tarean Folston vs. Navy 187 George Atkinson III Navy 6. 179 Theo Riddick at USC 7. 178 George Atkinson III USC 8. 172 George Atkinson III Oklahoma 9. 169 Tarean Folston North Carolina 10. 167 DaVaris Daniels at Purdue
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Aug. 31, 2013 (24-341) Nov. 2, 2013 (20-242) Oct. 26, 2013 (23-276) Nov. 17, 2012 (31-346) Nov. 1, 2014 (34-348) Sept. 11, 2010 (29-296) Oct. 29, 2011 (23-228) Aug. 30, 2014 (34-336) Oct. 1, 2011 (20-191) Nov. 20, 2010 (23-215)
GAME NOTES
Highest Average Gain/Play (min. 20 plays) 1. 14.2 Tommy Rees Temple 2. 12.1 Tommy Rees Navy 3. 12.0 Tommy Rees at Air Force 4. 11.2 Everett Golson Wake Forest 5. 10.2 Everett Golson vs. Navy 10.2 Dayne Crist Michigan 7. 9.9 Tommy Rees Navy 9.9 Everett Golson Rice 9. 9.6 Cierre Wood at Purdue 10. 9.3 Tommy Rees vs. Army
MEDIA INFORMATION
Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book
39
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 39
12/20/14 1:40 PM
Game Notes Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book Longest Field Goal 1. 53 Kyle Brindza 2. 52 Kyle Brindza 52 David Ruffer 4. 51 Kyle Brindza 51 Kyle Brindza 6. 50 David Ruffer 50 David Ruffer 8. 49 Kyle Brindza 9. 48 Kyle Brindza 10. 47 Kyle Brindza 47 David Ruffer
vs. Arizona State at USC vs. Maryland BYU at Air Force vs. Miami, Fla. Pittsburgh vs. Rutgers vs. Purdue at Michigan State vs. Army
Oct. 5, 2013 Nov. 24, 2012 Nov. 12, 2011 Nov. 23, 2013 Oct. 26, 2013 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 9, 2010 Dec. 28, 2013 Sept. 13, 2014 Sept. 15, 2012 Nov. 20, 2010
Most Punts 1. 8 Ben Turk 8 Ben Turk 8 Ben Turk 8 Ben Turk 8 Ben Turk 6. 7 Kyle Brindza 7 Ben Turk 8. 6 Kyle Brindza 6 Kyle Brindza 6 Ben Turk 6 Ben Turk 6 Ben Turk
Boston College at Boston College Tulsa Michigan at Michigan State USC vs. Florida State Stanford Michigan Utah at Stanford at USC
Nov. 19, 2011 Oct. 2, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 15, 2012 Oct. 19, 2013 Dec. 29, 2011 Oct. 4, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Nov. 13, 2010 Nov. 26, 2011 Nov. 27, 2010
Most Yards Punting 1. 352 Ben Turk 2. 339 Ben Turk 3. 329 Ben Turk 4. 313 Ben Turk 5. 310 Ben Turk 6. 285 Ben Turk 7. 260 Kyle Brindza 8. 252 Ben Turk 9. 233 Ben Turk 10. 231 Kyle Brindza
Boston College Nov. 19, 2011 (8 punts) at Michigan State Sept. 15, 2012 (8 punts) Tulsa Oct. 30, 2010 (8 punts) at Boston College Oct. 2, 2010 (8 punts) Michigan Sept. 11, 2010 (8 punts) vs. Florida State Dec. 29, 2011 (7 punts) USC Oct. 19, 2013 (7 punts) at Stanford Nov. 26, 2011 (6 punts) Pittsburgh Oct. 9, 2010 (5 punts) at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (5 punts)
Highest Average Yards/Punt (min. three punts) 1. 48.2 Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue Sept. 13, 2014 (4-193) 2. 48.0 Kyle Brindza Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (3-144) 3. 46.8 Kyle Brindza Louisville Nov. 22, 2014 (4-187) 4. 46.6 Ben Turk Pittsburgh Oct. 9, 2010 (5-233) 5. 46.2 Kyle Brindza at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (5-231) 6. 44.3 Kyle Brindza at Air Force Oct. 26, 2013 (3-133) 44.3 Ben Turk at USC Nov. 24, 2012 (3-133) 7. 44.2 Kyle Brindza at Arizona State Nov. 8, 2014 (4-177) 8. 44.0 Ben Turk Boston College Nov. 19, 2011 (8-352) 10. 43.8 Ben Turk BYU Oct. 20, 2012 (4-175) Most Punts Downed Inside 20 1. 4 Ben Turk vs. Florida State 4 Ben Turk Michigan 4 Ben Turk at Michigan State 4. 3 Ben Turk vs. Miami, Fla. 3 Ben Turk at Boston College 3 Ben Turk Pittsburgh 3 Ben Turk at Michigan State 3 Ben Turk at Pittsburgh 3 Alex Wulfeck vs. Arizona State
Dec. 29, 2011 Sept. 11, 2010 Sept. 15, 2012 Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 2, 2010 Oct. 9, 2010 Sept. 18, 2010 Sept. 24, 2011 Oct. 5, 2013
10. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Kyle Brindza Kyle Brindza Kyle Brindza Kyle Brindza Kyle Brindza Kyle Brindza Kyle Brindza Ben Turk Ben Turk Ben Turk Ben Turk Ben Turk Ben Turk Ben Turk Ben Turk
at Arizona State at Florida State Stanford vs. Purdue Michigan Temple at Stanford at Boston College vs. Maryland Utah vs. Army at Stanford Tulsa at Michigan Michigan State
Nov. 8, 2014 Oct. 18, 2014 Oct. 4, 2014 Sept. 13, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 30, 2013 Nov. 10, 2012 Nov. 12, 2011 Nov. 13, 2010 Nov. 20, 2010 Nov. 26, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 17, 2011
Longest Punt 1. 58 Ben Turk 2. 56 Kyle Brindza 56 Ben Turk 4. 55 Kyle Brindza 55 Kyle Brindza 55 Kyle Brindza 55 Ben Turk 8. 54 Kyle Brindza 54 Kyle Brindza 10. 53 Kyle Brindza 53 Kyle Brindza 53 Ben Turk 53 Ben Turk 53 Ben Turk
vs. Maryland at Pittsburgh Tulsa North Carolina Rice Oklahoma Boston College Louisville Louisville at Arizona State vs. Arizona State at Boston College Purdue at Michigan State
Nov. 12, 2011 Nov. 9, 2013 Oct. 30, 2010 Oct. 11, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Sept. 28, 2013 Nov. 19, 2011 Nov. 22, 2014 Nov. 22, 2014 Nov. 8, 2014 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 2, 2010 Sept. 8, 2012 Sept. 15, 2012
Longest Punt Return 1. 61 Greg Bryant 2. 41 Michael Floyd 3. 38 Armando Allen Jr. 4. 27 TJ Jones 5. 25 Cody Riggs 6. 18 Greg Bryant 18 TJ Jones 8. 16 Cody Riggs 9. 13 John Goodman 13 John Goodman 13 TJ Jones
Louisville vs. Florida State Purdue vs. Arizona State Rice Rice at Michigan vs. Syracuse at Michigan at Michigan State at Pittsburgh
Nov. 22, 2014 Dec. 29, 2011 Sept. 4, 2010 Oct. 5, 2013 Aug. 30, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Sept. 7, 2013 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Nov. 9, 2013
Longest Kick Return 1. 96 George Atkinson III USC 2. 89 George Atkinson III Michigan State 3. 50 George Atkinson III at Michigan 4. 47 Amir Carlisle vs. Purdue 47 George Atkinson III at Purdue 6. 43 Bennett Jackson at Boston College 7. 41 George Atkinson III at Pittsburgh 41 Austin Collinsworth at Wake Forest 41 Bennett Jackson Tulsa 10. 40 George Atkinson III Air Force
Oct. 22, 2011 Sept. 17, 2011 Sept. 7, 2013 Sept. 13, 2014 Sept. 14, 2013 Oct. 2, 2010 Nov. 9, 2013 Nov. 5, 2011 Oct. 30, 2010 Oct. 8, 2011
Longest Interception Return 1. 82 Robert Blanton Michigan State 2. 57 Lo Wood vs. Maryland 3. 49 Matthias Farley Stanford 4. 42 Darrin Walls vs. Army 5. 39 Matthias Farley Northwestern 6. 36 Bennett Jackson Purdue 7. 34 Darius Fleming at Stanford 34 Bennett Jackson at Purdue 9. 31 KeiVarae Russell Michigan 10. 29 Matthias Farley Michigan State
Sept. 17, 2011 Nov. 12, 2011 Oct. 13, 2012 Nov. 20, 2010 Nov. 15, 2014 Sept. 8, 2012 Nov. 26, 2011 Sept. 14, 2013 Sept. 22, 2012 Sept. 21, 2013
Longest Fumble Return 1. 77 Stephon Tuitt vs. Navy 2. 32 Austin Collinsworth Northwestern 3. 29 Zeke Motta vs. Florida State 4. 8 Manti Te'o at Michigan State 5. 6 Dan Fox vs. Arizona State 6. 6 Elijah Shumate North Carolina 7. 5 Drue Tranquill Northwestern 8. 4 Robert Blanton Air Force
Sept. 1, 2012 Nov. 15, 2014 Dec. 29, 2011 Sept. 15, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 11, 2014 Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011
Most Punt Returns 1. 4 DaVonte' Neal 4 DaVonte' Neal 3. 3 Cody Riggs 3 Cody Riggs 3 Greg Bryant 3 John Goodman 3 John Goodman 3 John Goodman 3 TJ Jones 3 DaVonte' Neal
Nov. 17, 2012 Sept. 8, 2012 Oct. 4, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Nov. 20, 2010 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Aug. 31, 2013 Jan. 7, 2013
Most Punt Return Yards 1. 61 Greg Bryant 2. 49 Cody Riggs 3. 44 Michael Floyd 4. 38 Armando Allen Jr. 5. 31 Greg Bryant 6. 27 Robert Blanton 27 John Goodman returns) 27 TJ Jones 9. 23 TJ Jones 10. 20 Cody Riggs
Wake Forest Purdue Stanford Michigan Rice vs. Army at Michigan at Michigan State Temple vs. Alabama
Louisville Nov. 22, 2014 (1 return) Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (2 returns) vs. Florida State Dec. 29, 2011 (2 returns) Purdue Sept. 4, 2010 (1 return) Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (3 returns) Utah Nov. 13, 2010 (2 returns) at Michigan State Sept. 18, 2010 (3 vs. Arizona State Oct. 5, 2013 (1 return) Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (3 returns) Michigan Sept. 6, 2014 (3 returns)
Highest Average Gain/Punt Return (min. two returns) 1. 24.5 Cody Riggs Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (2-49) 2. 22.0 Michael Floyd vs. Florida State Dec. 29, 2011 (2-44) 3. 13.5 Robert Blanton Utah Nov. 13, 2010 (2-27) 4. 10.3 Greg Bryant Rice Aug. 30, 2014 (3-31) 5. 9.0 John Goodman at Michigan State Sept. 18, 2010 (3-27) 6. 8.0 DaVonte' Neal at Michigan State Sept. 15, 2012 (2-16) 7. 7.7 TJ Jones Temple Aug. 31, 2013 (3-23) 8. 7.0 TJ Jones at Pittsburgh Nov. 9, 2013 (2-14) 9. 6.7 Cody Riggs Michigan Sept. 6, 2014 (3-20) 10. 4.5 DaVonte' Neal Stanford Oct. 13, 2012 (2-9)
40 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 3-41GameNotes.indd 40
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Game Notes MEDIA INFORMATION
Brian Kelly Era Notre Dame Record Book
Highest Average Gain/Interception Return (min. two returns) 1. 23.5 Bennett Jackson Purdue Sept. 8, 2012 (2-47) 2. 14.0 Manti Te'o Michigan Sept. 22, 2012 (2-28) 3. 5.3 Harrison Smith vs. Miami, Fla. Dec. 31, 2010 (3-16) Most Tackles 1. 21 Manti Te'o 2. 16 Zeke Motta 3. 15 Dan Fox 4. 14 Harrison Smith 14 Jaylon Smith 14 Jaylon Smith 14 Manti Te'o 7. 13 Elijah Shumate 13 Harrison Smith 13 Manti Te'o 13 Manti Te'o 13 Manti Te'o 13 Manti Te'o
Stanford vs. Alabama at Stanford USC at USC Stanford USF at USC Pittsburgh vs. Florida State Navy at Navy Michigan
Most Sacks 1. 3.0 Prince Shembo 3.0 Prince Shembo 3. 2.0 Matthias Farley 2.0 Darius Fleming 2.0 Darius Fleming 2.0 Darius Fleming 2.0 Ethan Johnson 2.0 Prince Shembo 2.0 Jamoris Slaughter 2.0 Manti Te'o 2.0 Stephon Tuitt 2.0 Stephon Tuitt 2.0 Stephon Tuitt 2.0 Stephon Tuitt
at Boston College vs. Arizona State vs. Navy Tulsa at Michigan State at Pittsburgh Purdue at Boston College vs. Florida State at Purdue USC BYU vs. Navy Purdue
Nov. 10, 2012 Oct. 5, 2013 Nov. 1, 2014 Oct. 30, 2010 Sept. 18, 2010 Sept. 24, 2011 Sept. 4, 2010 Oct. 2, 2010 Dec. 29, 2011 Oct. 1, 2011 Oct. 19, 2013 Oct. 20, 2012 Sept. 1, 2012 Sept. 8, 2012
Most Tackles for Loss 1. 4.0 Prince Shembo 2. 3.5 Carlo Calabrese 3. 3.0 Jarron Jones 3.0 Robert Blanton 3.0 Sheldon Day 3.0 Darius Fleming 3.0 Prince Shembo 3.0 Manti Te'o
at Boston College at Boston College at Florida State Michigan State at Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh vs. Arizona State at Purdue
Nov. 10, 2012 Oct. 2, 2010 Oct. 18, 2014 Sept. 17, 2011 Nov. 9, 2013 Sept. 24, 2011 Oct. 5, 2013 Oct. 1, 2011
Sept. 25, 2010 (8-13) Jan. 7, 2013 (7-9) Nov. 30, 2013 (7-8) Oct. 22, 2011 (7-7) Nov. 29, 2014 (6-8) Oct. 4, 2014 (7-7) Sept. 3, 2011 (6-8) Nov. 29, 2014 (9-4) Oct. 9, 2010 (7-6) Dec. 29, 2011 (7-6) Oct. 29, 2011 (5-8) Oct. 23, 2010 (8-5) Sept. 11, 2010 (6-7)
Jaylon Smith Manti Te'o Manti Te'o Manti Te'o
Stanford Air Force Navy at Michigan State
Oct. 4, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 29, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010
Most Fumbles Forced 1. 2 Stephon Tuitt 2. 1 39 times
at Boston College
Nov. 10, 2012
Most Fumbles Recovered 1. 1 Drue Tranquill Northwestern 1 Austin Collinsworth Northwestern 1 Elijah Shumate North Carolina 1 Sheldon Day vs. Purdue 1 Isaac Rochell Michigan 1 Nicky Baratti Rice 1 Robert Blanton Air Force 1 Carlo Calabrese Temple 1 Dan Fox vs. Arizona State 1 Gary Gray at Wake Forest 1 Bennett Jackson Michigan 1 Ethan Johnson Western Michigan 1 Ethan Johnson Michigan State 1 Kapron Lewis-Moore Pittsburgh Oct. 9, 2010 1 Zeke Motta vs. Florida State 1 Zeke Motta Wake Forest 1 Zeke Motta Stanford 1 Danny McCarthy vs. Navy 1 Kerry Neal Western Michigan 1 Troy Niklas Navy 1 KeiVarae Russell at Air Force 1 Kona Schwenke Tulsa 1 Prince Shembo at Boston College 1 Daniel Smith Utah 1 Harrison Smith at Stanford 1 Jaylon Smith at Air Force 1 Manti Te'o vs. Navy 1 Manti Te'o at Michigan State 1 Stephon Tuitt vs. Navy 1 Darrin Walls Tulsa Most Pass Breakups 1. 5 Harrison Smith 2. 3 Cole Luke 3 Robert Blanton 3 KeiVarae Russell 3 KeiVarae Russell 6. 2 19 times Most Blocked Kicks 1. 1 Mike McGlinchey 1 Jarron Jones 1 Drue Tranquill 1 Jarron Jones 1 Ben Councell 1 Robert Blanton 1 Darius Fleming 1 Jarron Jones 1 Jarron Jones 1 Stephon Tuitt
Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Sept. 13, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Aug. 30, 2014 Oct. 8, 2011 Aug. 31, 2013 Oct. 5, 2013 Nov. 5, 2011 Sept. 22, 2012 Oct. 16, 2010 Sept. 17, 2011 Dec. 29, 2011 Nov. 17, 2012 Sept. 25, 2010 Sept. 1, 2012 Oct. 16, 2010 Oct. 29, 2011 Oct. 26, 2013 Oct. 30, 2010 Nov. 10, 2012 Nov. 13, 2010 Nov. 26, 2011 Oct. 26, 2013 Sept. 1, 2012 Sept. 15, 2012 Sept. 1, 2012 Oct. 30, 2010
Michigan State at Arizona State Michigan State vs. Rutgers Michigan State
Sept. 17, 2011 Nov. 8, 2014 Sept. 17, 2011 Dec. 28, 2013 Sept. 21, 2013
Northwestern North Carolina Stanford vs. Syracuse Michigan Utah Air Force Temple BYU Stanford
Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Oct. 4, 2014 Sept. 27, 2014 Sept. 6, 2014 Nov. 13, 2010 Oct. 8, 2011 Aug. 31, 2013 Nov. 23, 2013 Oct. 13, 2012
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Most Fumble Returns Yards 1. 77 Stephon Tuitt vs. Navy Sept. 1, 2012 (1 return) 2. 32 Austin Collinsworth Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (1 return) 3. 29 Zeke Motta vs. Florida State Dec. 29, 2011 (1 return) 4. 8 Manti Te'o at Michigan State Sept. 15, 2012 (1 return) 5. 6 Dan Fox vs. Arizona State Oct. 5, 2013 (1 return) 6 Elijah Shumate North Carolina Oct. 11, 2014 (1 return) 7. 5 Drue Tranquill Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (1 return) 8. 4 Robert Blanton Air Force Oct. 8, 2011 (1 return)
Sept. 17, 2011 (1 return) Nov. 12, 2011 (1 return) Oct. 13, 2012 (1 return) Sept. 8, 2012 (2 returns) Nov. 20, 2010 (1 return) Nov. 15, 2014 (1 return) Nov. 26, 2011 (1 return) Sept. 14, 2013 (1 return) Sept. 22, 2012 (1 return) Sept. 21, 2013 (1 return)
2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 15, 2014 Oct. 11, 2014 Oct. 5, 2013 Sept. 15, 2012 Sept. 1, 2012 Oct. 8, 2011 Dec. 29, 2011
Most Interception Return Yards 1. 82 Robert Blanton Michigan State 2. 57 Lo Wood vs. Maryland 3. 49 Matthias Farley Stanford 4. 47 Bennett Jackson Purdue 5. 42 Darrin Walls vs. Army 6. 39 Matthias Farley Northwestern 7. 34 Darius Fleming at Stanford 34 Bennett Jackson at Purdue 9. 31 KeiVarae Russell Michigan 10. 29 Matthias Farley Michigan State
9.
BOWL HISTORY
Most Fumble Returns 1. 1 Austin Collinsworth Northwestern 1 Drue Tranquill Northwestern 1 Elijah Shumate North Carolina 1 Dan Fox vs. Arizona State 1 Manti Te'o at Michigan State 1 Stephon Tuitt vs. Navy 1 Robert Blanton Air Force 1 Zeke Motta vs. Florida State
Dec. 31, 2010 Oct. 4, 2014 Sept. 8, 2012 Sept. 22, 2012
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Highest Average Gain/Kick Return (min. two returns) 1. 38.0 George Atkinson III at Michigan Sept. 7, 2013 (2-76) 2. 35.6 George Atkinson III USC Oct. 22, 2011 (5-178) 3. 35.5 George Atkinson III Michigan State Sept. 17, 2011 (4-142) 4. 33.5 Austin Collinsworth at Wake Forest Nov. 5, 2011 (2-67) 5. 30.0 George Atkinson III at Pittsburgh Sept. 24, 2011 (2-60) 6. 29.8 George Atkinson III at Purdue Sept. 14, 2013 (4-119) 7. 29.0 George Atkinson III Navy Oct. 29, 2011 (2-58) 8. 28.5 Amir Carlisle vs. Purdue Sept. 13, 2014 (2-57) 9. 27.8 Bennett Jackson at Boston College Oct. 2, 2010 (4-111) 10. 27.5 Theo Riddick USF Sept. 3, 2011 (2-55)
vs. Miami, Fla. Stanford Purdue Michigan
COACHES & STAFF
Most Kick Return Yards 1. 178 George Atkinson III USC Oct. 22, 2011 (5 returns) 2. 151 Amir Carlisle Louisville Nov. 22, 2014 (6 returns) 3. 142 George Atkinson III Michigan State Sept. 17, 2011 (4 returns) 4. 139 George Atkinson III at Stanford Nov. 30, 2013 (6 returns) 5. 126 Bennett Jackson Tulsa Oct. 30, 2010 (6 returns) 6. 124 George Atkinson III Air Force Oct. 8, 2011 (5 returns) 7. 123 Bennett Jackson at Navy Oct. 23, 2010 (6 returns) 8. 122 Amir Carlisle Northwestern Nov. 15, 2014 (6 returns) 9. 119 George Atkinson III at Purdue Sept. 14, 2013 (4 returns) 10. 113 George Atkinson III Navy Nov. 2, 2013 (5 returns)
Most Interceptions 1. 3 Harrison Smith 2. 2 Cole Luke 2 Bennett Jackson 2 Manti Te'o
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Nov. 22, 2014 Nov. 15, 2014 Nov. 30, 2013 Oct. 23, 2010 Oct. 30, 2010 Dec. 29, 2011 Oct. 8, 2011 Oct. 22, 2011 Nov. 2, 2013 Nov. 27, 2010 Oct. 5, 2013 Sept. 10, 2011 Sept. 18, 2010 Sept. 25, 2010
GAME NOTES
Most Kick Returns 1. 6 Amir Carlisle Louisville 6 Amir Carlisle Northwestern 6 George Atkinson III at Stanford 6 Bennett Jackson at Navy 6 Bennett Jackson Tulsa 6. 5 George Atkinson III vs. Florida State 5 George Atkinson III Air Force 5 George Atkinson III USC 5 George Atkinson III Navy 5 Bennett Jackson at USC 5 Cam McDaniel vs. Arizona State 5 Theo Riddick at Michigan 5 Cierre Wood at Michigan State 5 Cierre Wood Stanford
41 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 3-41GameNotes.indd 41
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The Fighting Irish
JOSH ANDERSON
RB • 5-9 • 200 • Jr. Chatsworth, California (Notre Dame)
46
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Did not see any game action during the regular season ... provided Irish with immeasurable service as Notre Dame's top running back on the offensive scout team each week. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action during the season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see any game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Two-time letterwinner at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California ... also earned a pair of letters in the shot put and discus ... 2012 National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award for Outstanding Football Performance, Academic Achievement, and School Leadership ... 2012 Bob Satterfield Memorial Award for Outstanding Football Performance ... earned 1st Team All Serra League honors in Football 2012 ... earned Serra League All-Academic Football Team (four times), and Serra League All-Academic Track and Field Team (twice) ... helped lead Notre Dame High School to CIF Championship in Track and Field 2011 ... awarded CIF Spirit of Sport Award for Outstanding Athletic Achievement 2012 ... recipient of the prestigious 2012 Iron Man Award, and only member of the "1000 pounds Club" in lifting ... twice awarded the prestigious Athlete of the Year Award for Notre Dame High School, 2011 and 2012 ... member of the Notre Dame High School National Honor Society ... graduated Cum Laude ... born in Panorama City ... coached by Kevin Rooney at Notre Dame High School ... son of Joe and Darlene Anderson ... father Joe was a 1973 graduate of Notre Dame ... enrolled in the College of Science as a pre-professional studies major.
JOSH ATKINSON
CB • 5-11.5 • 1 95 • Sr. Stockton, California (Granada)
24
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Played both running back and defensive back for Granada High School in Livermore, California ... carried 30 times for 218 rushing yards and three TDs in 2010 – including 73-yard TD run vs. Sierra ... also made 20 tackles on defense and broke up 11 passes ... second-team all-East Bay Athletic League as defensive back in 2010 ... helped team to 8-5 record after loss to power De La Salle in California high school North Coast Section Division I playoff semifinal as Matadors reached playoffs for first time since 2005 ... made 38 tackles and broke up 15 passes as honorable mention all-East Bay Athletic League defensive back as junior in 2009 ... selected for Team USA vs. The World all-star game in Austin, Texas ... father is former all-pro Oakland Raider defensive back George Atkinson Jr. who played professionally with Raiders from 1968-77, helped Oakland to Super Bowl XI title and now is part of Raider radio broadcast team ... twin brother George III played for the Irish from 2011-13 and now plays with the Oakland Raiders ... played for coach Tim Silva at Granada High School ... son of George Atkinson and Michelle Martin ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. ATKINSON'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2011 8-0 1 2012 13-0 5 2013 5-0 1 2014 0-0 0 TOTALS 26-0 7
A TOTAL TFL PD FF 1 2 0.0-0 0 0 0 5 0.0-0 0 0 2 3 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 3 10 0.0-0 0 0
NICKY BARATTI S • 6-1 • 205 • Jr. Tomball, Texas (Klein Oak)
FR BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
29
BARATTI'S CAREER HIGHS Interceptions: 1, Michigan, Sept. 22, 2012 Tackles: 2, at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 (1-1) Fumbles recovered: 1, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) and collected his first career fumble recovery ... entered the game vs. Purdue (Sept. 13) in the second quarter for sophomore Max Redfield (who was ejected for targeting), but suffered a seasonending shoulder injury on his first play ... he suffered a similar shoulder injury in the 2014 Blue-Gold spring game.
ATKINSON'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 3, at Boston College, Nov. 10, 2012 (3-0) SENIOR SEASON (2014): Did not see any game action during the regular season ... moved back to the cornerback position after working with the wide receivers in 2013 ... provided the Irish secondary with practice depth ... aided the Notre Dame defensive scout team as one of its top cornerbacks. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in five games, making one solo tackle and two assisted tackles ... saw action in the season opener against Temple (Aug. 31) and then in each of the final three games of the regular season ... recorded a solo stop at Stanford (Nov. 30) ... assisted on a tackle in the win over BYU (Nov. 23) ... also played at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... recorded an assisted tackle against Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... finished sixth in 60 meters at 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference indoor meet ... placed fifth in 100 meters, seventh in 200 meters and helped 4x100 relay to runners-up slot at 2014 ACC outdoor event. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Stepped into a more significant cornerback role when both starters graduated after the 2011 campaign and Lo Wood was lost for the year early in 2012 preseason camp following a torn Achilles tendon ... saw action in all 13 games, primarily on special teams but also appeared as a reserve defensive back ... registered five tackles, with three of them coming against Boston College (Nov. 10) ... a Irish indoor track star. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Played in eight games (did not play in first four games or bowl game), primarily on special teams ... recorded two tackles on special teams ... registered a tackle in games against Navy and Wake Forest ... competed in eight Irish indoor and outdoor track meets to win a monogram ... took fifth in 60 meter dash (6.88) and sixth in 200 meters (21.79) at 2012 BIG EAST indoor meet ... finished fourth in 100 meters (10.39) and with 4x100 relay unit (40.69) at 2012 BIG EAST outdoor event ... ran 100 meters at NCAA East preliminary meet.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Missed the entire season with a shoulder injury. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Saw action in all 13 games, primarily on special teams but also played as a reserve safety ... registered five unassisted tackles and three assisted stops ... had an interception against Michigan (Sept. 22) ... recorded first interception by a Notre Dame freshman since 2008. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Multipurpose standout who worked most notably at safety at Klein Oak High School in Spring, Texas ... played as many as five positions in a game in 2011, including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and safety and also punted ... named first-team all-state for class 5A by Texas Sportswriters Association in 2011 ... helped Klein Oak to 9-4 mark as senior in 2011, including 6-1 district record ... completed 13-of-33 passes in 2011 for 214 yards; rushed 59 times for 338 yards; caught 48 passes for 570 yards and four TDs ... helped Klein Oak in 2011 defeat top-ranked Klein Collins in triple overtime and end its 28-game regular-season winning streak ... caught 11 passes for 168 yards and two scores in 49-21 win over Spring ... rated 71st among Texas players by SuperPrep ... named to Houston Chronicle Top 100 list prior to 2011 season as one of six players in “athlete” category ... rated second-team quarterback on Houston Chronicle AllGreater Houston team prior to senior season ... played primarily at quarterback as junior in 2010, including one game in which he had two scoring runs of 60-plus yards ... rushed 188 times for 1,267 yards and 17 TDs and completed 136 of 237 passes for 1,873 yards and 13 TDs (five interceptions) as junior in 2010 on 8-4 Klein Oak team ... played mainly at safety as sophomore in 2009 ... also competed in 110- and 300-meter hurdles in track ... coached by David Smith at Klein Oak High School ... son of Clarke and Jill Baratti ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management consulting. BARATTI'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS G-GS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2012 13-0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2013 Did Not Play - Injury 2014 2-0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 TOTALS 15-0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0
42 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 42
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The Fighting Irish
INT PBU BLK 0-0 0 0 0-0
0
0
70
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Versatile lineman who can play either guard or tackle ... played in five contests during the regular season ... made his Irish debut with the secondteam offense in the second half of the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... saw the field in the fourth quarter against Michigan (Sept. 6) ... participated in the victories over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) and North Carolina (Oct. 11), as well as on special teams at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18). FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action during the season.
0-0
0 0
OL • 6-6 • 305 • Fr. Nashville, Tennessee (Montgomery Bell Academy)
71
DL • 6-4.25 • 252 • Fr. The Colony, Texas (The Colony)
92
BLANKENSHIP'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 3, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (3-0) Sacks: 1.0, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (1-0)
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in 11 of 12 regular-season games ... did not see the field vs. Navy (Nov. 1) ... one of five true freshmen (Nyles Morgan, Drue Tranquill, Andrew Trumbetti and Greer Martini) to register at least 10 tackles in the regular season ... one of six true freshmen (Morgan, Tranquill, Trumbetti, Martini and Cage) on defense who played in at least 11 regular-season games ... provided solid assistance on the defensive line ... served as the second defensive lineman behind starter sophomore Isaac Rochell ... one of 10 Irish freshmen who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered two tackles against the Owls ... picked up an assisted tackle in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... played in the victory over Purdue but did not register any stats (Sept. 13) ... collected a career-high three tackles, all solo stops, in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... played critical snaps on the defensive line in the victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... contributed a pair of assisted tackles in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... recorded a solo tackle at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... saw action in a reserve role at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) but did not record any statistics ... picked up an assisted tackle against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... did not register a tackle but played against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... saw significantly more snaps vs. USC (Nov. 29) with both Sheldon Day and Jarron Jones unavailable due to injuries ... made a pair of solo stops against the Trojans and collected his first career sack and tackle for loss.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team offensive lineman on USA Today All-USA prep All-America squad for 2013 ... ranked as 76th best player nationally by ESPN, 98th by Rivals.com, 99th by Tom Lemming/CBS Sports, 154th by 247Sports and 202nd by Scout.com ... won Rotary Lombardi Chip Off the Old Block Award for south region as nation’s top high school lineman in seven regions and states ... led Montgomery Bell Academy to Tennessee Division II-AA semifinals in 2013 and 10-2 record ... first-team Tennessee Class II-AA all-state pick by Tennessee Sports Writers Association ... one of three Division II-AA lineman finalists for Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards presented to top 10 backs and linemen in five classifications of Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association ... standout at offensive and defensive tackle for Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee ... first-team All-Midstate offensive linemen for 2013 by Nashville Tennessean ... ranked number five on Nashville Tennessean Dandy Dozen 2013 preseason team ... played in Under Armour High School All-America Game ... played basketball, competed in shot put in track and played saxophone in band ... father, Joe, played linebacker and made 29 career tackles for Irish from 1981-84 and was part of coach Gerry Faust’s first Notre Dame recruiting class ... brother, Brad, was senior defensive end at Penn State in 2013 and brother, Blake, is redshirt sophomore offensive line at Michigan for 2014 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
GRANT BLANKENSHIP
BOWL HISTORY
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of four freshman offensive linemen who spent the regular season on the scout team and did not see the field ... joined Quenton Nelson, Jimmy Byrne and Sam Mustipher as rookies who helped the Irish on their offensive scout team.
BIVIN’S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2014 5-0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
INT PBU BLK 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 1-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 1-0 0 0
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: An honorable-mention selection on the Parade prep All-America squad ... second-team offensive lineman on prep All-America team for 2013 selected by 247Sports ... first-team Kentucky all-state lineman in 2012 on teams selected by Associated Press and Louisville Courier-Journal ... named to 2012 Class of the Commonwealth squad as one of the top 22 seniors in Kentucky by Lexington Herald-Leader ... ranked 82nd player nationally on ESPN 300 ... ranked 43rd on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated 162nd on Rivals 250 list ... ranked 15th on Rivals.com list of offensive tackles ... ranked 184th overall and 14th among offensive tackles on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... four-year offensive line starter as tackle at Apollo High School in Owensboro, Kentucky ... also started on defensive line, served as long snapper and handled punts and kicks ... selected for Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Florida, was named team captain for Black squad while playing center ... tabbed by coach Herman Edwards as his team’s top offensive lineman in that contest ... selected for Best of the Bluegrass Kentucky all-star game in December 2012 ... also played basketball for Apollo and won the 2012 Kentucky 3A state prep title in shot put at 55 feet, 3.75 inches ... late father Randy played football at Evansville and older brother Harris played at Murray State ... played for coach Dan Crume ... son of Sherry Bivin-Addington ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.
COACHES & STAFF
ALEX BARS
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
OL • 6-5.5 • 296 • So. Owensboro, Kentucky (Apollo)
1 0 1 0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
BARATTI’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2012 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF vs. Navy 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Purdue 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Michigan State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Miami 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 BYU 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Oklahoma 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Pittsburgh 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Boston College 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Wake Forest 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at USC 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Alabama 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 5-3 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 * - games started
HUNTER BIVIN
GAME NOTES
BARATTI’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR Rice 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 Michigan Did Not Play vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Syracuse Did Not Play - Injury Stanford Did Not Play - Injury North Carolina Did Not Play - Injury at Florida State Did Not Play - Injury vs. Navy Did Not Play - Injury at Arizona State Did Not Play - Injury Northwestern Did Not Play - Injury Louisville Did Not Play - Injury at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 * - games started
FR BLK 0 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
TACKLES UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 2012 5 3 8 0.0 1 0 2013 Did Not Play - Injury 2014 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 TOTALS 5 3 8 0.0 1 0
43 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 43
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The Fighting Irish HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 91st player nationally by Scout.com ... Texas District 9-4A defensive MVP for 2013 ... one of 17 defensive linemen, and 31st player overall, on Dallas Morning News rating of top 100 area players ... 49th best player in Texas by 247Sports ... one of 16 defensive linemen on Waco Tribune Top 100 list of Texas players ... played defensive line at The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas ... helped The Colony to 8-3 mark in 2013 while making 53 tackles, 34 of them solo efforts, 12 tackles for loss, two hurries and one forced fumble ... also caught five passes for 156 yards and two TDs ... lost 4A Division I bi-district game in 2013 University Interscholastic League playoffs ... as a junior in 2012 made 78 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, plus 10 sacks, one hurry, two passes defended and one caused fumble ... received Associated Press Texas Class 4A honorable mention allstate recognition in 2012 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies. BLANKENSHIP'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD 2014 11-0 8 4 12 1.0-8 0 SACKS 2014
FF 0
FR BLK 0-0 0
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team linebacker on MaxPreps 2013 AllAmerica team ... St. Louis Post-Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 as well as a Post-Dispatch first-team all-metro pick ... first-team Missouri Class 5 all-state pick as both a junior and senior by Missouri Football Coaches Association ... Suburban South Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior ... made 70 tackles and 17 sacks as senior in 2013 at Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Missouri, on team that finished 13-2 and allowed only 10.3 points per game ... also played tight end, catching five TD passes in 2013 ... caught 57-yard TD pass in Missouri Class 5 state title game against Lee’s Summit West ... finished with career totals of 206 tackles, 40 for loss and 34 sacks ... moved into starting lineup at Parkway Central two games into his sophomore season ... second-team all-metro selection as a junior in 2012 as he made 64 tackles, including 14 for loss, 12 sacks and recovered a fumble ... led Colts with seven TD receptions as a junior in 2012 ... uncle, Dan Knott, was reserve running back on 1977 Irish national title team ... grandfather, Elmon Hampton, is godfather to former Irish safety Sergio Brown, now with NFL Indianapolis Colts ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
JUSTIN BRENT
UA A TOTAL YARDS 1 0 1.0 8
BLANKENSHIP'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Michigan 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Syracuse 3-0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 North Carolina 0-2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Florida State 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Navy Did Not Play at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Northwestern 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at USC 2-0 2 1.0-8 1.0-8 0 TOTALS 8-4 12 1.0-8 1.0-8 0 * - games started
WR • 6-1.5 • 205 • Fr. Speedway, Indiana (Speedway) FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
JESSE BONGIOVI CB • 5-9.5 • 185 • So. Brooklyn, New York (Poly Prep)
0 0 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
34
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Did not see any game action during the regular season while recovering from knee surgery ... suffered a torn ACL during spring practices.
11
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in eight regular-season games, predominantly on Irish special teams ... did not catch a pass during the regular season, but aided Notre Dame in its weekly game preparation as a scout team wide receiver. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 64th best player nationally by Scout. com, 67th by 247Sports, 84th by Rivals.com and 280th by ESPN ... rated top player in state of Indiana on Detroit Free Press Best of the Midwest selections for 2013 season ... named to Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 for 2013 ... first-team Indiana Class 3A all-state as wide receiver/running back by Associated Press ... played wide receiver, running back and safety during 8-4 senior season at Speedway High School in Speedway, Indiana ... as a senior in 2013 made 28 receptions for 387 yards and five TDs while also rushing 157 times for 1,315 yards and 18 TDs ... had 167 kickoff return yards, 110 punt return yards, 70 yards on three interceptions and made 33 tackles on defense ... named to all-Marion County team by Indianapolis Star ... had seven catches for 105 yards and three TDs in 2013 win over Indianapolis Lutheran ... honorable mention Associated Press Class 2A all-state pick as a junior in 2012 at wide receiver ... as a junior in 2012 caught 54 passes for 922 yards and 13 TDs and also rushed for 143 yards and a score ... as a sophomore in 2011 caught 40 passes for 819 yards and 10 TDs ... as a freshman in 2010 caught 37 passes for 544 yards and nine TDs ... enrolled early at the University and began taking classes in January 2014 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies. BRENT'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2014 8-0
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Two-time letterwinner in football at Poly Prep High School in New York ... earned three letters in lacrosse as well ... participated in the New York City football all-star game as a senior ... helped Poly Prep improve its record from 2-7 as a junior to 6-2 as a senior ... an all-conference midfielder in lacrosse ... member of the Blue Key Society and SOUL Foundation ... played for football head coach Dino Mangiero at Poly Prep ... son of John and Dorothea Bongiovi ... father, Jon Bon Jovi, is the renowned musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.
JONATHAN BONNER DL • 6-3 • 269 • Fr. Chesterfield, Missouri (Parkway Central)
55
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of three freshman defensive linemen who spent the regular season on scout team and did not see the field ... joined Peter Mokwuah and Jhonny Williams as rookies who helped the Irish on their defensive scout team.
KYLE BRINDZA K/P • 6-1 • 2 36 • Sr. Canton, Michigan (Plymouth)
27
BRINDZA’S PLACE IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS • Single-Bowl Game Field Goals (Dec. 28, 2013 vs. Rutgers, 5, t-1st) BRINDZA’S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Game Field Goals (Dec. 28, 2013 vs. Rutgers, 5, t-1st) • Single-Game Field Goals (Nov. 24, 2012 at USC, 5, t-1st) • Single-Game Points (Dec. 28, 2013 vs. Rutgers, 17, t-1st) • Single-Game Points (Nov. 24, 2012 at USC, 16, t-5th) • Single-Season Scoring By Placekicker (2013, 98, 1st) • Single-Season Field Goals (2012, 23, 1st) • Single-Season Field Goals Attempted (2012, 31, 1st) • Single-Season 50-yard Field Goals (2013, 3, 1st) • Single-Season Extra-Point Percentage (2013, 38-38 (1.000), t-1st) • Single-Season Scoring By Placekicker (2012, 97, 2nd) • Single-Season Field Goals (2013, 20, 3rd) • Single-Season Field Goals Attempted (2013, 26, 3rd) • Single-Season Extra Points (2014, 47-48, t-4th)
44 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 44
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The Fighting Irish
COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
BRINDZA’S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 17, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013 Kick PATs: 7, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Points by kicking: 17, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013 Field goals made: 5, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013; at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 Field goal attempts: 6, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013; at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 Longest field goal: 53, vs. Arizona State, Oct. 5, 2013 Punt attempts: 7, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 Punt yards: 260, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 (7 punts) Longest punt: 56, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 Tackles: 2, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013 (0-2)
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games as both a punter and placekicker ... went 20 for 26 on field goals including a school-record three of at least 50 yards ... perfect 38 for 38 on extra point tries ... averaged 41.1 yards per punt in his first season of action in that role ... also handled all 75 of Notre Dame's kickoffs ... of his 75 kickoffs, 35 (46.7 percent) went for touchbacks ... made a career-high tying five field goals in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... the five field goals equaled an NCAA bowl-game record ... dropped two of his four punts inside the 20 at Stanford (Nov. 30) and also had two fair caught ... also made both of his field-goal tries and both of his extra-point tries against the Cardinal ... helped seal the win over BYU (Nov. 23) with his 51-yard fourthquarter field goal, one of three made field goals on the day ... had his longest punt of the season, 56 yards, at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) and connected on all three extra-point tries ... kicked a field goal and five extra points but was not called upon to punt against Navy (Nov. 2) ... went a season-high six for six on extra points and made a 51-yard field goal at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... punted the ball a season-high seven times against USC (Oct. 12), also making both of his extra-point attempts and not trying a field goal ... scored a season-high 13 points in the Shamrock Series win over Arizona State (Oct. 5), connecting on three of four field goals and four extra-points ... one of his field goals against Arizona State broke a 27-27 tie with 3:03 to play ... hit a 53-yard field goal in that win over the No. 22 Sun Devils, matching Dave Reeve's 37-year old school record ... also recorded a season-high seven touchbacks against Arizona State ... connected on a 41-yard field goal, made both of his extra-point tries and had two punts of at least 50 yards in the win over Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... scored 12 points at Michigan, going three for three on both field goals and extra points ... pinned Temple inside its own 20-yard line twice with his punting on opening day against the Owls (Aug. 31).
THE FIGHTING IRISH
BRINDZA’S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Irish Around the Bend (2014) • Senior Bowl Watch List (2014) • Special Teams Player of the Year (2013) • Lou Groza Award Watch List (2013, 2014) • Ray Guy Midseason Watch List (2013) • ESPN.com All-Bowl Team (2013 Pinstripe Bowl) • CBSSports.com All-Bowl Team (2013 Pinstripe Bowl) • NFL.com All-Bowl Team (2013 Pinstripe Bowl) • Notre Dame Special Teams Player of the Year (2012) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (10.20.14) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Specialist (10.20.14) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Specialist (9.29.14) • College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week (9.15.14) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.29.14) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.15.14) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.8.14) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (9.1.14) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Specialist (12.1.13) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (11.25.13) • College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week (11.25.13) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Specialist (10.28.13) • College Football Performance Awards National Specialist of the Week (10.7.13) • Lou Groza Star of the Week (10.7.13) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (10.7.13) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Specialist (9.9.13) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (12.10.12) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Placekicker (11.25.12) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Special Teams Player of the Week (10.29.12)
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Holds the Notre Dame career record for field goals made with 56 ... converted 89 consecutive point-after attempts, third-longest streak in school history, before a poor hold led to a miss vs. Northwestern on Nov. 15 ... fourth on Notre Dame's alltime scoring list with 281 points and second among kickers ... has connected on 13 of 23 field-goal attempts (four misses were a result of mishandled snaps) ... averages 41.6 yards per punt (47 for 1,957 yards) ... 39 of his 47 punts have not been returned, including 20 by fair catch and 14 downed inside the 20-yard line ... recorded 12 punts of at least 50 yards ... averages 63.3 yards per kickoff (76 for 4,812 yards) ... collected 49 touchbacks ... converted 47 of 48 point-after attempts ... registered 86 points ... helped the Irish win the battle of field position against Rice (Aug. 30) and Michigan (Sept. 6) ... Notre Dame was plus-11 in average starting field position against the Owls and plus-15 against the Wolverines ... went two of three on field-goal attempts (converting from 29 and 36 yards), made all six point-after attempts, punted three times for a 48.0-yard average and recorded seven touchbacks on nine kickoffs in the season-opening victory over the Owls ... third-quarter field-goal against Rice gave him 202 career points, making him the sixth Irish kicker to surpass the 200-point plateau ... played a major role in the 31-0 rout of Michigan ... punted six times for a 38.3-yard average – with a long kick of 47 yards – and twice pinned Michigan inside its 20-yard line ... had five touchbacks on six kickoffs, made all four PATs and drilled a 43-yard field-goal in his lone attempt ... moved into eighth on Notre Dame's all-time scoring list ... registered 12 points in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... punted four times (for 193 yards) with an average of 48.2 yards per punt, which ranked as his career best single-game punt average with a minimum of three attempts ... none of the four punts were returned (two were downed inside the 20-yard line and two others were fair caught) ... he also recorded a pair of 50+ yard punts in one game for the second time in his career (vs. Michigan State, 2013) ... connected on three of four field-goal attempts, including a 48-yard effort ... five of his seven kickoffs resulted in a touchback ... had a perfect placement night, making his lone field-goal attempt (37 yards) and all four point-after attempts in Notre Dame’s 31-15 win over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... also punted twice for a 40.0-yard average, with one punt downed inside the Orange 20-yard-line, and had four touchbacks on six kickoffs ... made just one of his three field-goal attempts in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4), but the two misses both resulted from mishandled snaps ... two of his four kickoffs against the Cardinal went for touchbacks ... punted six times for an average of 36.8 yards per punt ... two punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, two others were fair caught and the final two went for touchbacks (did not allow dynamic Stanford returner Ty Montgomery an opportunity to hurt the Irish in special teams) ... successful on all six of his point-after attempts in the 50-43 win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... punted five times against the Tar Heels for a 41.8-yard average ... six of eight kickoffs went for a touchback ... hit both of his field-goal attempts at No. 2 Florida Stare (Oct. 18), including a 46-yard kick with the score tied in the fourth quarter ... left two of his three punts inside the Seminoles' 20-yard line ... missed a pair of field goals (46 and 44 yards) in the fourth quarter vs. Navy (Nov. 1) ... both attempts against the Midshipmen were blocked ... had only missed two previous game-winning, game-tying, overtime or fourth-quarter leadextending field goals over his career ... registered a 45-yard punt and five of his eight kickoffs went for touchbacks ... drilled a 46-yard field goal following Notre Dame's opening drive at Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... punted four times for 177 yards (44.2 per punt), including a long of 53 yards, in the loss to the Sun Devils ... two of his four punts were downed inside Arizona State's 20-yard line ... four of his six kickoffs vs. the Sun Devils went for touchbacks ... punted four times, converted on four of his five point-after attempts and missed a pair of field goals in the overtime loss to Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... connected on two of three field-goal attempts (missed a 32-yarder in the final minute that could have tied the game, 31-31) vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) ... averaged 46.8 yards over four punts ... collected four touchbacks on his six kickoffs ... missed a 44-yard field goal at USC on Nov. 29 (hit the upright) ... averaged 40.0 yards per punt (five for 200 yards) ... registered a touchback on all three of his kickoffs.
GAME NOTES
Single-Season Extra Points Attempted (2014, 47-48, t-5th) Single-Season Field Goals Attempted (2014, 23, 6th) Single-Season Scoring By Placekicker (2014, 86, 7th) Single-Season Scoring (2013, 98, 7th) Single-Season Scoring (2012, 97, 8th) Single-Season Field Goals (2014, 13, t-11th) Single-Season Extra-Point Percentage (2014, 47-48 (.979), t-13th) Career 50-yard Field Goals (2011-, 4, 1st) Career Field Goals (2011-, 56, 1st) Career Field Goal Attempts (2011-, 80, 1st) Career Field Goal Percentage (2011-, .700, 2nd) Career Scoring By Placekicker (2011-, 281, 2nd) Career Consecutive Extra Points (2011-, 89, 3rd) Career Extra-Point Percentage (2011-, 111-113 (98.3), t-3rd) Career Scoring (2011-, 281, 4th) Career Extra Points (2011-, 113-115, 4th) Career Extra-Point Attempts (2011-, 113-115, 5th) Career Consecutive Field Goals (2012, 8, t-8th) Career Consecutive Field Goals (2014, 8, t-8th) Longest Field Goal (Oct. 5, 2013 vs. Arizona State, 53, t-1st) Longest Field Goal (Nov. 24, 2012 at USC, 52, t-3rd) Longest Field Goal (Nov. 23, 2013 vs. BYU, 51, t-5th) Longest Field Goal (Oct. 26, 2013 vs. Air Force, 51, t-5th)
MEDIA INFORMATION
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99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 45
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The Fighting Irish SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in all 13 games ... kicked off 71 times for combined 4,445 yards ... averaged 62.6 yards per kick ... recorded a touchback on 26 occasions ... connected on 23 of 31 field goals attempted ... his 23 made field goals surpassed the single-season school record previously held by John Carney (21, 1986) ... second kicker in school history to connect on at least 20 field goals in one season ... owns school record for field-goal attempts in a single season (31) – bested Carney’s previous mark of 28 (1986) ... set school record for points by kicking (97) with 23 field goals and 28 extra points ... the 97 points rank seventh all-time in total scoring ... ranks eighth in school history with eight consecutive field goals ... equaled school record with five made field goals in the 22-13 victory over USC (Nov. 24) ... registered 16 points (five field goals and one extra point) against USC, which ranks fourth ... belted a 52-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give Notre Dame a 16-10 lead over USC ... the 52-yard field goal is tied with David Ruffer (vs. Maryland, 2011) for the second longest in school history ... rebounded from a missed field goal to play an instrumental role in the victory over Pittsburgh (Nov. 3) ... made a 37-yard field goal to send the game into double overtime ... missed a 35-yard field goal with 8:06 left in the third quarter at No. 8 Oklahoma (Oct. 27), which would have given the Irish a 13-6 lead, but he responded with a 44-yard field goal with 13:57 left in the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a 13-6 advantage and then added a 46-yard field goal with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter to give Notre Dame a 23-13 lead ... connected on a 22-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation to tie the game with Stanford, 13-13, and send it into overtime ... stepped in for an injured Nick Tausch and connected on a pair of field goals in the victory over Purdue on Sept. 8 ... after missing his first career attempt, made field goals of 30 and 27 yards ... the 27-yard field goal came with seven seconds remaining in regulation and gave the Irish a 20-17 win. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Saw action in all 13 games, serving as the team’s kickoff specialist ... kicked off 71 times throughout the year, totaling 4,635 yards ... averaged 65.3 yards a kick ... forced opponents into 12 touchbacks ... averaged season-best 70.0 yards a kickoff against USC ... made two tackles on special teams HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Set Michigan state high school record with 19 made field goals as a senior in 2010, including six-of-nine from 50 yards or more ... averaged 43.2 yards per punt and 60 of 63 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks in 2010 while handling kicking and punting duties for Plymouth High School in Canton, Michigan ... played in OffenseDefense All-American Bowl in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ... rated ninth-best player in Michigan by Detroit Free Press ... named 13th-best prospect in Michigan by Detroit News ... selected to Detroit News Dream Team as junior and senior ... named first-team all-state kicker by Associated Press following senior season ... tabbed nation’s best kicker by Scout. com and was rated sixth best by Rivals.com ... helped lead high school team to state championship game and 11-3 record in 2010 ... lost to Lake Orion in state finals 21-13, but recorded 70-yard punt (longest in Michigan playoff history) and booted 43-yard field goal (second longest in title game history) in the championship game ... booted 47-yard field goal into wind to secure playoff victory against archrival Canton and converted game-winning field goal with 38 seconds remaining to help Plymouth defeat Detroit Catholic Central and win the Michigan Division 1 regional championship ... averaged 48.2 yards per punt as a junior in 2009 to earn first-team Associated Press all-state honors as punter ... named all-area as sophomore in 2008 by Ann Arbor News ... converted nine field goals, with a long of 45 yards, made 24 of 29 extra-point attempts and 25 of 43 kickoffs went for touchbacks in 2008 ... in addition to football was starting goalkeeper for soccer team and threw shot put and discus for track and field team ... born in Valparaiso, Indiana ... graduated from high school in December 2010 and enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2011 ... played for coach Mike Sawchuk at Plymouth High School ... son of Tiffany Brindza ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in graphic design. BRINDZA'S CAREER STATS FIELD GOALS MADE ATT LONG PCT 2011 0 0 0 0.0 2012 23 31 52 74.2 2013 20 26 53 76.9 2014 13 23 48 56.5 TOTALS 56 80 53 70.0 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS SCORING 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
0-19 20-29 30-39 1-1 10-11 8-11 0-0 11-11 2-4 1-1 2-3 5-8 2-2 23-25 15-23
40-49 50+ LG BLKD 3-7 1-1 52 0 4-7 3-4 53 1 5-10 0-1 48 3 12-24 4-6 53 4
G TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 13 0 0 0 0 28 0 23 97 7.5 13 0 0 0 0 38 0 20 98 7.5 12 0 0 0 0 47 0 13 86 7.2 51 0 0 0 0 113 0 56 281 5.5
PUNTING 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
NO. YARDS LG AVG 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 43 1769 56 41.1 47 1957 55 41.6 90 3726 56 41.4
KICKOFFS 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
NO. YARDS AVG TB 71 4635 65.3 12 71 4445 62.6 26 75 4692 62.6 35 76 4812 63.3 49 293 18584 63.4 122
OB 4 0 0 3 7
TACKLES UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 2011 1 1 2 0-0.0 0 0 0-0 0 2012 2 0 2 0-0.0 0 0 0-0 0 2013 2 2 4 0-0.0 0 0 0-0 0 2014 2 0 2 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 7 3 10 0-0.0 0 0 0-0 0 BRINDZA’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS PUNTING 2014 NO YDS AVG LG BLKD TB FC 50+ I20 Rice 3 144 48.0 55 0 2 1 2 0 Michigan 6 230 38.3 47 0 0 4 0 2 vs. Purdue 4 193 48.2 52 0 0 2 2 2 vs. Syracuse 2 80 40.0 43 0 0 2 0 1 Stanford 6 221 36.8 51 0 2 2 1 2 North Carolina 5 209 41.8 55 0 1 0 1 1 at Florida State 3 131 43.7 52 0 0 1 1 2 vs. Navy 1 45 45.0 45 0 0 1 0 0 at Arizona State 4 177 44.2 53 0 0 3 1 2 Northwestern 4 140 35.0 52 0 0 1 1 1 Louisville 4 187 46.8 54 0 1 1 2 1 at USC 5 200 40.0 52 0 1 2 1 0 TOTALS 47 1957 41.6 55 0 7 20 12 14 FIELD GOALS PAT ATTEMPTS KICKOFFS 2014 MD-ATT LONG BLKD KICK RUSH RCV POINTS NO. YDS AVG TB Rice 2-3 36 0 6-6 0 0 12 9 580 64.4 7 Michigan 1-1 43 0 4-4 0 0 7 6 390 65.0 5 vs. Purdue 3-4 48 0 3-3 0 0 12 7 448 64.0 5 vs. Syracuse 1-1 37 0 4-4 0 0 7 6 387 64.5 4 Stanford 1-3 45 1 2-2 0 0 5 4 234 58.5 2 North Carolina 0-0 0 0 6-6 0 0 6 8 505 63.1 6 at Florida State 2-2 46 0 3-3 0 0 9 6 376 62.7 2 vs. Navy 0-2 0 2 7-7 0 0 7 8 498 62.2 5 at Arizona State 1-1 46 0 4-4 0 0 7 6 390 65.0 4 Northwestern 0-2 0 0 4-5 0 0 4 7 419 59.9 2 Louisville 2-3 37 0 2-2 0 0 8 6 390 65.0 4 at USC 0-1 0 0 2-2 0 0 2 3 195 65.0 3 TOTALS 13-23 48 3 47-48 0 0 86 76 4812 63.3 49 PUNTING 2013 NO YDS AVG LG BLKD TB FC 50+ I20 Temple 5 206 41.2 47 0 2 1 0 2 at Michigan 2 80 40.0 43 0 0 1 0 0 at Purdue 3 109 36.6 39 0 0 1 0 0 Michigan State 4 171 42.8 51 1 0 2 2 0 Oklahoma 5 205 41.0 55 0 0 3 1 0 vs. Arizona State 2 101 50.5 53 0 0 1 1 1 USC 7 260 37.1 51 0 0 1 1 1 at Air Force 3 133 44.3 50 0 0 0 1 1 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 at Pittsburgh 5 231 46.2 56 0 1 1 1 0 BYU 2 75 37.5 44 0 0 0 0 0 at Stanford 4 164 41.0 47 0 0 2 0 2 vs. Rutgers 1 34 34.0 34 0 0 1 0 0 TOTALS 43 1769 41.1 56 1 3 14 7 7
46 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 46
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The Fighting Irish
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SCORING 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2 56 0 50 0.2 28.0 4.7 15 209 1 40 1.2 13.9 16.1 35 499 1 49 2.9 14.3 41.6 52 764 2 50 1.4 14.7 20.6 G-GS TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 12-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 13-3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 12-10 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 37-17 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 12 0.3
TACKLES UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 2012 0 1 1 0-0.0 0 0 0 0 2013 0 0 0 0-0.0 0 0 0 0 2014 0 0 0 0-0.0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 0 1 1 0-0.0 0 0 0 0 | | Percent Graduation Rate College Football Hall of Famers Hall of Fame Coaches 99 44 6
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THIS IS NOTRE DAME
ALL PURPOSE RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 2012 0 56 0 0 0 56 4.7 2013 0 209 0 0 0 209 16.1 2014 5 499 0 0 0 504 42.0 TOTALS 5 764 0 0 0 769 20.8
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
RECEIVING 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 5 5.0 0.4 0 5 5.0 0.1
BOWL HISTORY
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started every game with the exception of Michigan (Sept. 6) and Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... third on the Irish in receptions (35), receiving yards (499) and receiving yards per game (41.6) ... hauled in two passes for 20 yards against Rice (Aug. 30) ... caught one pass for five yards in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... registered one catch for 11 yards against Purdue (Sept. 13) ... provided a critical block that allowed Everett Golson to score a 15-yard rushing touchdown just before halftime vs. Purdue ... collected a career-high six receptions and 57 receiving yards (set against Temple in 2013) in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... hauled in four passes for 60 yards in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... scored his only TD of the season on a 17-yard pass against the Cardinal ... caught two passes for 30 yards against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... caught five passes for 38 yards against Florida State (Oct. 18) ... set a career high with 82 yards receiving and all-purpose yards in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... hauled in passes of 46 and 36 yards, respectively ... 46-yard reception came on Notre Dame's two-play drive that pushed the Irish lead to 42-31 in the fourth quarter against the Midshipmen ... recorded a 34-yard catch in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... registered five catches for 60 yards against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... added a five-yard run that ended with a fumble at the Wildcats' goal-line ... collected four receptions for 49 yards, including a 25-yard grab, against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... registered two catches for 53 yards, including a season-high 49-yard grab, at USC (Nov. 29).
CHRIS BROWN'S CAREER STATS RUSHING ATT YARDS 2012 0 0 2013 0 0 2014 1 5 TOTALS 1 5
2014 SEASON REVIEW
CHRIS BROWN'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014; at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 TDs: 1, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014; at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 Rush attempts: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Rush yards: 5, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1 carry) Long rush: 5, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Receptions: 6, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Receiving yards: 82, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (2 receptions) Receiving TDs: 1, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014; at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 Long reception: 50, at Oklahoma, Oct. 27, 2012 Total offense attempts: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1 rush, 0 pass) Total offense yards: 5, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (5 rush, 0 pass) All-purpose yards: 82, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Tackles: 1, Michigan, Sept. 22, 2012 (0-1)
COACHES & STAFF
WR • 6-1.5 • 195 • Jr. Hanahan, South Carolina (Hanahan)
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: One of four wide receivers on HSSR Division I-AA South Carolina all-state team for 2011 ... named male athlete of the year by Charleston Post and Courier for 2012 ... top-flight wide receiver at Hanahan High School in Hanahan, South Carolina ... ranked the 26th-best athlete in the nation and seventh-best prospect in South Carolina by 247Sports ... among all receivers nationally and seventh among all South Carolina players by SuperPrep ... ranked 11th-best player in South Carolina by Rivals.com ... caught 33 passes as senior in 2011 for 532 yards and 12 TDs in only four and a half games ... also played defensive back in senior season ... made five catches for 130 yards and four scores in 57-6 win over Stall ... had nine grabs for 145 yards and three scores and also returned a punt 72 yards for a score in third round of South Carolina playoffs in 42-18 win over Lake City ... returned two punts for TDs ... missed handful of games in 2011 due to broken collarbone ... had 52 receptions for 1,105 yards and 16 TDs as junior in 2010, to go with three kick returns for scores ... also intercepted three passes, returned one for a score, and returned three fumbles for TDs in 2010 ... caught 31 passes as sophomore in 2009 for 332 yards and five TDs, while also making 32 tackles with five tackles for loss on defense ... had more than 450 kick return yards in 2009 ... totaled 34 points by himself at 2012 South Carolina high school state track meet, more than all but seven of 29 teams that scored at state meet ... claimed triple jump championship for second consecutive season and finished second in 100- and 200-meter dashes, as well as high jump ... named 2012 male track-and-field performer of the year by Charleston Post and Courier ... ran 10.81 in 100-meter dash at 2012 South Carolina state meet and 21.6 in 200-meter dash at state meet ... selected 2011 Gatorade track-andfield performer of the year for South Carolina ... ranked as top triple-jumper in the nation as junior in 2011 ... broke 32-year-old South Carolina high school record for triple jump as junior at 51-2.5 ... helped Hanahan to 2011 South Carolina state title in track while winning the triple jump and long jump (23-9), taking second in 200 meters (21.9) and helping 4x100 relay squad (he ran the third leg) to blue ribbon ... ran in Puerto Rico with U.S. Junior National Track team in June 2011 ... coached by Charlie Patterson at Hanahan High School ... son of Joe Brown and Latisha Stembridge ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in African studies.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
CHRIS BROWN
FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Saw action in all 13 games, starting four ... caught two passes for 56 yards ... recorded 50-yard reception, the first of his career, at Oklahoma (Oct. 27), which was a crucial play on the go-ahead scoring drive ... gained six yards on one reception vs. Wake Forest ... earned starts vs. Michigan, Miami, Oklahoma and USC.
GAME NOTES
FIELD GOALS PAT ATTEMPTS KICKOFFS 2012 MD-ATT LONG BLKD KICK RUSH RCV POINTS NO. YDS AVG TB vs. Navy 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 9 568 63.1 2 Purdue 2-3 30 0 2-2 0 0 8 5 299 59.8 3 at Michigan State 2-2 47 0 2-2 0 0 8 5 320 64.0 4 Michigan 2-2 39 0 1-1 0 0 7 4 258 64.5 1 vs. Miami 2-3 32 0 5-5 0 0 11 8 481 60.1 2 Stanford 2-2 29 0 2-2 0 0 8 4 260 65.0 4 BYU 1-3 24 0 2-2 0 0 5 4 254 63.5 3 at Oklahoma 3-4 46 0 3-3 0 0 12 7 445 63.6 3 Pittsburgh 3-4 37 0 0-1 0 0 9 5 299 59.8 0 at Boston College 0-0 0 0 3-3 0 0 3 4 250 62.5 1 Wake Forest 1-2 25 0 5-5 0 0 8 7 437 62.4 1 at USC 5-6 52 0 1-1 0 0 16 6 380 63.3 2 vs. Alabama 0-0 0 0 2-2 0 0 2 3 194 64.7 1 TOTALS 23-31 52 0 28-29 0 0 97 71 4445 61.3 26
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Appeared in all 13 games, starting four contests ... starts were against Temple (Aug. 31), Michigan State (Sept. 21), Arizona State (Oct. 5) and Rutgers (Dec. 28), all Irish wins ... caught 15 passes for 209 yards and a TD ... hauled in a career-best five catches in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl ... first career TD catch was a 15-yard strike from Tommy Rees at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... had a seasonlong grab of 40 yards at Purdue (Sept. 14) ... had three catches in each of the season's first two games (vs. Temple on Aug. 31 and at Michigan on Sept. 7) ... gained 57 yards in the win over the Owls and 28 against the Wolverines.
MEDIA INFORMATION
FIELD GOALS PAT ATTEMPTS KICKOFFS 2013 MD-ATT LONG BLKD KICK RUSH RCV POINTS NO. YDS AVG TB Temple 0-1 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 5 323 64.6 2 at Michigan 3-3 44 0 3-3 0 0 12 7 449 64.1 4 at Purdue 1-1 20 0 4-4 0 0 7 6 383 63.8 4 Michigan State 1-2 41 0 2-2 0 0 5 4 259 64.8 2 Oklahoma 0-0 0 0 3-3 0 0 3 4 251 62.8 1 vs. Arizona State 3-4 53 0 4-4 0 0 13 8 519 64.9 7 USC 0-0 0 0 2-2 0 0 2 3 195 65.0 1 at Air Force 1-2 51 1 6-6 0 0 9 8 520 65.0 7 Navy 1-1 26 0 5-5 0 0 8 7 437 62.4 2 at Pittsburgh 0-1 0 0 3-3 0 0 3 4 249 62.2 1 BYU 3-3 51 0 2-2 0 0 11 6 356 59.3 1 at Stanford 2-2 27 0 2-2 0 0 8 5 323 64.6 1 vs. Rutgers 5-6 49 0 2-2 0 0 17 8 428 53.5 2 TOTALS 20-26 53 1 38-38 0 0 98 75 4692 62.6 35
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The Fighting Irish CHRIS BROWN’S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS RECEIVING 2014 NO. YDS TD LG *Rice 2 20 0 12 Michigan 1 5 0 5 *vs. Purdue 1 11 0 11 vs. Syracuse 6 57 0 23 *Stanford 4 60 1 20 *North Carolina 2 30 0 19 *at Florida State 5 38 0 22 *vs. Navy 2 82 0 46 *at Arizona State 1 34 0 34 *Northwestern 5 60 0 21 *Louisville 4 49 0 25 *at USC 2 53 0 49 TOTALS 35 499 1 49 * - games started
by Dallas Morning News ... first-team all-Texas District 7-5A pick at cornerback as junior in 2009 ... started several games for Cardinals as sophomore in 2008 ... has run 10.8 in 100 meters and 4.37 in 40 and also ran on 400 and 1,600 relay squads for MacArthur ... played for coach Brian Basil at MacArthur High School ... son of Lavern Brown ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology.
RECEIVING 2013 NO. YDS TD LG *Temple 3 57 0 33 at Michigan 3 28 0 11 at Purdue 1 40 0 40 *Michigan State 0 0 0 0 Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 *vs. Arizona State 0 0 0 0 USC 1 8 0 8 at Air Force 1 15 1 15 Navy 1 7 0 7 at Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 BYU 0 0 0 0 at Stanford 0 0 0 0 *vs. Rutgers 5 54 0 13 TOTALS 15 209 1 40 * - games started
BRYANT'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014; at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Touchdowns: 1, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014; at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Rush attempts: 11, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Rush yards: 79, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (7 carries) Rushing Touchdowns: 1, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014; at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Long rush: 27, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Receptions: 2, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Receiving yards: 34, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 (2 receptions) Long reception: 17, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 Total offense attempts: 11, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (11 rush, 0 pass) Total offense yards: 79, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (79 rush, 0 pass) All-purpose yards: 102, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Punt returns: 3, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Punt return yards: 61, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1 return) Long punt return: 61, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 Kick returns: 2, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Kick return yards: 33, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (2 returns) Long kick return: 29, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014
JALEN BROWN CB • 6-1.5 • 202 • Sr. Irving, Texas (MacArthur)
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JALEN BROWN'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 1, Wake Forest, Nov. 17, 2012 (0-1); Purdue, Sept. 8, 2012 (1-0); at Michigan State, Sept. 15, 2012 (1-0) Pass breakups: 1, Wake Forest, Nov. 17, 2012 SENIOR SEASON (2014): Did not see any game action during the regular season ... provided the Irish secondary with practice depth ... aided the Notre Dame defensive scout team as one of its top cornerbacks. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in two games ... did not record a tackle ... played against both Michigan (Sept. 7) and Air Force (Oct. 26). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in seven games ... collected two unassisted tackles, one each against Purdue (Sept. 8) and Michigan State (Sept. 15) ... notched his first career pass breakup against Wake Forest (Nov. 17); added assisted tackle as well. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Recorded 37 tackles with 13 passes broken up, one interception and one fumble recovery as junior in 2009 ... played cornerback at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas ... rated one of top 100 players in Texas by Fort Worth StarTelegram ... in final high school game vs. unbeaten Euless Trinity blocked a PAT and ran it back 90 yards for two points to conclude 4-6 campaign in 2010 ... previously ran back blocked PAT to score vs. Hurst L.D. Bell ... rated one of top 100 players in Dallas area coming into 2010
JALEN BROWN'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2012 7-0 2 2013 2-0 0 2014 0-0 0 TOTALS 9-0 2
A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 1 3 0-0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0-0.0 1 0 0 0
GREG BRYANT
RB • 5-10 • 205 • So. Delray Beach, Florida (American Heritage)
1
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in 11 regular-season games ... missed the game vs. Navy (Nov. 1) ... did not start a game during the regular season, but ranks second on the Irish in rushing yards (287) and rushing yards per game (26.1) ... leads the team with a 5.5 yardper-carry average among players with at least 20 rushes ... three rushing TDs rank fourth best on the Irish ... averaged 13.6 yards per punt return (seven returns for 95 yards), including a career-best 61 yard return vs. Louisville -- the longest punt return by a Notre Dame player since Golden Tate went 87 yards for a TD against Pittsburgh in 2009 ... rushed for a teamhigh-equalling 71 yards (on eight carries) in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered his first career touchdown on a 17-yard run in the fourth quarter ... added a trio of punt returns for 31 yards, including an 18-yard effort ... did not start in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6), but rushed eight times for 19 yards ... ran for 29 yards on six carries and added a pair of 17-yard receptions in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... the two catches against the Boilermakers were the first of his career ... also added a 29-yard kickoff return vs. Purdue ... recorded a career-high 11 carries for 55 yards in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... added a pair of kick returns for 33 yards ... managed 14 yards on six carries in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... carried the ball four times for 13 yards including a TD, in the 50-43 triumph over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... caught two passes against the Tar Heels for 12 yards ... had a two-yard carry at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... did not play vs. Navy (Nov. 1) due to injury ... had a four-yard catch in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... recorded a five-yard rush and fielded a punt, but was unable to advance it, against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... rushed for a career-best 79 yards (on seven carries) at USC (Nov. 29) ... collected a season-best 27-yard run and a one-yard TD run against the Trojans ... added a 23-yard kick return ... equalled his career high of 102 all-purpose yards. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Appeared in three games ... had three carries for 14 yards, a 4.7 yard-per-carry average ... had two carries for 12 yards against Temple (Aug. 31) in the season opener ... posted a two-yard rush at Purdue (Sept. 14) ... also saw action against Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... missed the remainder of the season with an injury.
48 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 48
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The Fighting Irish
TD RUSH 0 0 3 3 3 3
RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.6 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.3
PUNT RETURNS ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2013 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2014 7 95 0 61 13.6 8.6 TOTALS 7 95 0 61 13.6 6.8
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 14 0 0 0 0 14 4.7 287 50 95 85 0 517 47.0 301 50 95 85 0 531 37.9
BUTLER'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2013 12-0 4 2014 12-2 21 TOTALS 24-2 25
NO. YARDS 0 0 1 0 1 0
FF 0 1 1
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0
FR 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
INTERCEPTIONS 2013 2014 TOTALS
A TOTAL TFL PD 1 5 0.0-0 1 2 23 0.0-0 5 3 28 0.0-0 6
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
BRYANT'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS RUSHING RECEIVING ALL 2014 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE Rice 8 71 1 17 0 0 0 0 102 Michigan 8 19 0 6 0 0 0 0 19 vs. Purdue 6 29 0 16 2 34 0 17 92 vs. Syracuse 11 55 0 9 0 0 0 0 88 Stanford 6 14 0 5 0 0 0 0 14 North Carolina 4 13 1 7 2 12 0 8 25 at Florida State 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 vs. Navy Did Not Play - Injury at Arizona State 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 4 7 Northwestern 1 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 Louisville 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 at USC 7 79 1 27 0 0 0 0 102 TOTALS 52 287 3 27 5 50 0 17 517 * - games started
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: A first-team defensive back on 2012 Washington Post all-metro squad ... made 46 tackles, intercepted three passes and broke up 10 passes for Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. ... ranked 193rd player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... ranked 189th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... ranked 36th on Rivals. com list of cornerbacks ... ranked 36th among cornerbacks on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... caught four TD passes as wide receiver in 2012 ... first-team Washington Catholic Athletic Conference defensive back in 2012 ... defensive back on Pigskin Club of Washington AllMetropolitan team for 2012 ... helped Gonzaga to 8-3 mark as senior, playing as cornerback, receiver and kick returner ... started at safety as a sophomore in 2010, then moved to cornerback as junior in 2011 ... played occasionally at wide receiver and caught three TD passes as junior, including 47-yarder for game-winning score in 2011 season opener against McDonogh ... intercepted seven passes in 2011, returning one for a TD ... also a first-team all-WCAC pick as a junior in 2011 as defensive back ... as a junior had 43 tackles (23 solo) to go with 12 passes broken up and six interceptions (one returned for a TD) ... caught 11 passes as junior for 168 yards and three TDs ... selected for Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl all-star game in California and made three tackles for East team in its 17-14 victory ... also selected for Chesapeake Bowl all-star game ... named to USA Football Under-19 National Team for 2013 that played in International Bowl in Austin, Texas ... from same high school that produced former Irish players Malcolm Johnson (wide receiver) and David Ruffer (kicker) ... played for coach Aaron Brady ... son of Tony and Karen Butler ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.
BOWL HISTORY
KICK RETURNS ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2013 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2014 4 85 0 29 21.2 7.7 TOTALS 4 85 0 29 21.2 6.1
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Appeared in 12 games, missing only the Purdue (Sept. 14) game ... made five tackles on the year, including four solos ... also broke up a pass ... recorded two tackles at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... posted solo stops against both Temple (Aug. 31) and Navy (Nov. 2) ... split a tackle against Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... broke up a pass at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9).
2014 SEASON REVIEW
SCORING 2013 2014 TOTALS
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started against No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) and USC (Nov. 29) ... his start against the Sun Devils was the first of his career ... registered 23 tackles, including 21 solo stops, as well as five passes defended, four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception ... recorded a tackle and forced a fumble in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... saw action on special teams and dime defense in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... logged significant plays with the first-team defense in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... collected four tackles and first career interception in the win over the Boilermakers ... played in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) but did not register any statistics ... used in nickel defense during the second half of the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... recorded two solo tackles in the triumph over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... saw action at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) and vs. Navy (Nov. 1) but did not make a tackle ... replaced an injured Cody Riggs in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State ... registered two tackles and two PBUs against the Sun Devils ... did not start against Northwestern (Nov. 15) but collected six tackles, all solo stops ... registered an assisted tackle and pass breakup against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... collected a career-best seven tackles, including six solo stops, and one pass breakup at USC (Nov. 29).
COACHES & STAFF
RECEIVING REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2013 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2014 5 50 0 17 0.5 10.0 4.5 TOTALS 5 50 0 17 0.4 10.0 3.6
BUTLER'S CAREER HIGHS Interceptions: 1, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 Tackles: 7, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (6-1) Fumbles forced: 1, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Pass breakups: 2, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014
THE FIGHTING IRISH
TOTAL OFFENSE RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 2013 14 0 14 4.7 2014 287 0 287 26.1 TOTALS 301 0 301 21.5
12
CB • 6-0.5 • 195 • So. Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga)
GAME NOTES
BRYANT'S CAREER STATS RUSHING G-GS ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2013 3-0 3 14 0 10 4.7 4.7 2014 11-0 52 287 3 27 5.5 26.1 TOTALS 14-0 55 301 3 27 5.5 21.5
DEVIN BUTLER
MEDIA INFORMATION
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team USA Today All-USA high school All-American ... rushed for 1,447 yards and 17 TDs on 186 attempts as senior in 2012 for American Heritage team that finished 11-1 ... helped American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida, to Florida Class 2A title in 2011 ... first-team running back on 2012 Associated Press Florida 3A all-state squad ... ranked 22nd player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... ranked 15th on MaxPreps/Tom Lemming Top100 list ... ranked 128th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated 19th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked second on Rivals.com list of running backs ... ranked 70th overall and 13th among running backs on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... as a junior in 2011 rushed for 202 yards in team’s only loss, 41-34 in overtime to Florida Class 5A power Belle Glade Glades Central ... finished with 2,180 rushing yards and 25 TDs as junior in 2011, including 39 carries for 243 yards and three TDs in Stallions’ 30-3 state title game win over Madison County that enabled team to finish 12-1 ... contributed 861 rushing yards and 16 TDs as sophomore in 2010 ... caught 16 passes for 308 yards and three TDs as senior, after nine reception for 272 yards and two TDs in 2011 ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, rushing eight times for 27 yards and catching three passes for 16 yards for East team in its 15-8 victory ... father Greg coached defensive line for American Heritage ... played for coach Stacy Sizemore ... son of Greg Bryant ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.
49 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 49
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The Fighting Irish BUTLER'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK Rice 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Purdue 4-0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 North Carolina 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 Northwestern 6-0 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 Louisville 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at USC 6-1 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 21-2 23 0.0-0 0.0-0 * - games started
FF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
JIMMY BYRNE OL • 6-4 • 295 • Fr. Cleveland, Ohio (St. Ignatius)
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 1 1-0 4
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
67
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of four freshman offensive linemen who spent the regular season on scout team and did not see the field ... joined Alex Bars, Quenton Nelson and Sam Mustipher as rookies who helped the Irish on their offensive scout team. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated 211th best player nationally by Scout.com ... two-time Associated Press Division I All-Ohio pick as an offensive lineman in both 2012 and 2013 ... a Cleveland Plain Dealer Football Offense All-Star selection for both 2012 and 2013 based on seven-county coverage area ... played key role on offensive line that helped 8-5 St. Ignatius High School team in Cleveland, Ohio, run for more than 1,500 yards in 2013 while allowing only 12 sacks ... co-captain of 2013 St. Ignatius team, alongside his cousin and linebacker Pat Hopkins ... all-Northeast Lakes District offensive tackle as a junior and senior ... helped St. Ignatius to 2013 Ohio state playoffs before falling to Mentor in regional semifinal ... led Wildcats to 11-2 record and regional final appearance as junior in 2012, with his run blocking and pass protection showing way for 2,404 yards on ground and 3,021 yards through the air ... named to MaxPreps Junior All-America 2012 first team ... starter in sophomore season on St. Ignatius squad that won 11th Ohio Division I state crown ... played for United States Under-19 National team in International Bowl against Team Canada ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
DANIEL CAGE
DL • 6-0.5 • 325 • Fr. Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods)
75
CAGE'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 2, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-1) Tackles for loss: 0.5, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (0-1) FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in 11 of the 12 regular-season games ... registered four tackles, including an assisted tackle for loss, in the regular season ... missed the game vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) due to a knee injury ... one of six true freshmen on defense who played in at least 11 regular-season games ... one of 10 Irish freshmen who made his debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... collected an assisted tackle against the Owls ... made a pair of tackles in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... played significant snaps in the victories over Purdue (Sept. 13), Syracuse (Sept. 27), Stanford (Oct. 4) and North Carolina (Oct. 11) but did not register any statistics ... played regularly at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), vs. Navy (Nov. 1), at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) and vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) but did not register a tackle ... suffered a knee injury against Northwestern ... picked up an assisted tackle for loss at USC (Nov. 29). HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team defensive lineman on Associated Press Division II All-Ohio squad for 2013 ... first-team defensive lineman on JJHuddle All-Ohio (all divisions) squad for 2013 ... special mention defensive lineman on Associated Press Division II All-Ohio squad for 2012 ... ranked as 15th-best defensive tackle nationally by Scout.com, 27th best by Rivals.com, 40th by ESPN.com and 42nd by 247Sports ... led Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio to Ohio Division II regional semifinals in 2012 and 2013 with 8-4 and 9-4 records ... first-team Division II all-area pick by Cincinnati Enquirer in
2012 and 2013 ... first-team Associated Press Southwest All-District in 2013 ... recorded 36 tackles and six sacks as a senior in 2013 ... totaled 43 tackles, 18 for loss and 10 sacks as a junior in 2012 ... registered 54 tackles, 26 for loss and 22 sacks as a sophomore in 2011 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies. CAGE'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2014 11-0 1
A TOTAL TFL PD 3 4 0.5-0 0
CAGE'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR Rice 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Michigan 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 North Carolina 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Northwestern 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Louisville Did Not Play - Injury at USC 0-1 1 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 TOTALS 1-3 4 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 * - games started
FF 0
FR BLK 0 0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0
AMIR CARLISLE
WR • 5-10 • 190 • Sr. Santa Clara, California (King's Academy)
0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3
CARLISLE'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Game Kickoff Returns (Nov. 15, 2014 vs. Northwestern, 6, t-3rd) • Single-Game Kickoff Returns (Nov. 22, 2014 vs. Louisville, 6, t-3rd) • Single-Season Kickoff Returns (2014, 33, t-3rd) • Single-Season Kickoff Return Yards (2014, 713, 4th) • Single-Season Kickoff/Punt Return Yards Combined (2014, 713, 8th) CARLISLE'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 12, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Touchdowns: 2, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Rush attempts: 12, at Michigan, Sept. 7, 2013 Rush yards: 68, Temple, Aug. 31, 2013 (7 carries) Long rush: 45, Temple, Aug. 31, 2013 Receptions: 7, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Receiving yards: 92, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (3 receptions) Receiving TDs: 2, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Long reception: 35, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Total offense attempts: 12, at Michigan, Sept. 7, 2013 (12 rush, 0 pass) Total offense yards: 68, Temple, Aug. 31, 2013 (68 rush, 0 pass) All-purpose yards: 194, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Punt returns: 1, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 Kick returns: 6, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014; Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 Kick return yards: 151, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (6 returns) Long kick return: 47, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in 11 regular-season games and started six (Rice, Michigan, Purdue, No. 11 Arizona State, Louisville and USC) ... all six starts came as the Irish slot receiver ... third-most starts of any wide receiver on the team ... recorded 20 receptions for 287 yards and three TDs ... primary kick returner for Notre Dame ... registered 33 kickoff returns for 713 yards, including a season-best 47-yard return vs. Purdue ... made his first career start at wide receiver in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... hauled in two passes for 54 yards, including a then career-best 32-yard grab, against the Owls ... added a pair of kickoff returns for 49 yards and registered a then career-best 36-yard kick return ... started in the slot in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... caught a career-best seven passes for 61 yards and two TDs (the first two TDs of his Irish career) ... first TD, a one-yard grab, gave the Irish a 14-0 second-quarter lead ... took a slip-screen pass 12 yards for a TD that
50 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 50
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The Fighting Irish
RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3 0 0 0 0 18 1.6 3 0 0 0 0 18 0.8
PUNT RETURNS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2013 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2014 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 TOTALS 1 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 KICK RETURNS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2013 3 81 0 35 27.0 6.2 2014 33 713 0 47 21.6 64.8 TOTALS 36 794 0 47 22.1 33.1 ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 204 30 0 81 0 315 24.2 39 287 0 713 0 1039 94.5 243 317 0 794 0 1354 56.4
CARLISLE'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS RECEIVING KICK RETURNS ALL 2014 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE *Rice 2 54 0 32 2 49 0 36 103 *Michigan 7 61 2 21 1 16 0 16 77 *vs. Purdue 2 2 0 7 2 57 0 47 59 vs. Syracuse Did Not Play - Injury Stanford 2 34 0 26 0 0 0 0 34 North Carolina 1 21 0 21 4 60 0 21 100 at Florida State 2 9 0 5 1 18 0 18 26 vs. Navy 0 0 0 0 3 67 0 30 72 *at Arizona State 3 92 1 35 4 102 0 32 194 Northwestern 0 0 0 0 6 122 0 30 138 *Louisville 0 0 0 0 6 151 0 36 151 *at USC 1 14 0 14 4 71 0 20 85 TOTALS 20 287 3 35 33 713 0 47 1039 * - games started
BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING RECEIVING ALL NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE 7 68 0 45 2 5 0 6 73 12 64 0 14 2 9 0 5 73 11 16 0 6 3 16 0 7 32 3 9 0 6 0 0 0 0 9 3 13 0 10 0 0 0 0 13 2 8 0 5 0 0 0 0 8 3 12 0 5 0 0 0 0 12 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 84 47 204 0 45 7 30 0 0 315
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
2013 *Temple at Michigan *at Purdue Michigan State *Oklahoma vs. Arizona State USC at Air Force Navy *at Pittsburgh BYU at Stanford vs. Rutgers TOTALS * - games started
2014 SEASON REVIEW
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: His 2010 honors included Parade All-America, SuperPrep All-America, PrepStar All-America, UnderArmour All-America, ESPNU 150, Rivals 100, PrepStar Dream Team, SuperPrep All-Farwest, PrepStar All-West, Orange County Register Fab 15 second team, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, Cal-Hi Sports AllState Small Schools first team, SectionSports.com All-Central Coast second team and Palo Alto Daily News Offensive Player of the Year as a senior running back at King's Academy in Sunnyvale, California ... ran for 2,110 yards (10.0 average per carry) and 28 TDs in 2010 and also caught 12 passes for 231 yards (19.3 avg.) with 3 TDs ... as a junior in 2009, made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Small Schools first team, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass first team, Max Preps All-State Division III second team and San Jose Mercury News All-County ... ran for 2,037 yards on 187 carries (10.9 avg.) with 29 TDs and caught 11 passes for 182 yards (16.5 avg.) in 2009, and returned kicks and punts ... as a sophomore in 2008 made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Small Schools second team and Cal-Hi Sports All-State Sophomore while running for 961 yards with 14 TDs ... in career, rushed for 5,108 yards (11.0 average per carry) with 73 TDs and had 26 100-yard performances (in 28 games) ... father, Duane, ran track at Maryland and then was a strength and conditioning coach/speed and performance coach with numerous high school, college and pro teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Penn State, Philadelphia Charge (women’s pro soccer), New Jersey Pride (pro lacrosse), San Francisco 49ers (2005-10) and, currently, Purdue (2011-) ... son of Duane and Shereese Carlisle ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre with a second major in business.
TD RUSH 0 0 3 0 3 0
COACHES & STAFF
FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Attended USC and played in eight games for the Trojans ... recorded 19 rushes for 118 yards (6.2 avg) and seven receptions for 41 yards with one TD ... rushed twice for 14 yards and caught two passes for minus-one yard against Arizona State ... caught one pass for eight yards vs. Stanford ... gained 90 yards on 10 carries at Colorado and registered two receptions for 31 yards, including a 19-yard TD pass from Matt Barkley ... rushed seven times for 14 yards against Washington and gained one yard on one reception vs. the Huskies ... recorded one reception for two yards at Oregon.
SCORING 2013 2014 TOTALS
THE FIGHTING IRISH
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Missed the season due to an injury.
RUSHING ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2013 47 204 0 45 4.3 15.7 2014 6 39 0 16 6.5 3.5 TOTALS 53 243 0 45 4.6 10.1
GAME NOTES
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Appeared in all 13 contests, making four starts ... started at tailback against Temple (Aug. 31), Purdue (Sept. 14), Oklahoma (Sept. 28) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... carried the ball 47 times for 204 yards ... averaged 4.3 yards per carry ... caught seven passes for 30 yards ... had a punt return for no gain ... recorded three kickoff returns for 81 yards, including a 35-yard return (all came against Rutgers in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28) ... had single carries against Rutgers (Dec. 28), at Stanford (Nov. 30) and at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... carried three times for 12 yards against USC (Oct. 19) and three times for three yards at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... gained eight yards on a pair of rushes against Arizona State (Oct. 5) ... ran three times for nine and 13 yards, respectively, against Michigan State (Sept. 21) and Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... had 11 carries at Purdue (Sept. 14) along with a career-high three receptions for 16 yards ... ran a career-high 12 times for a career-high 64 yards at Michigan (Sept. 7) while also catching a pair of passes for nine yards, giving him 73 yards of total offense ... picked up 73 yards of total offense in the season opener against Temple (Aug. 31), rushing seven times for 68 yards and gaining five more yards on a pair or receptions.
TOTAL OFFENSE RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 2013 204 0 204 15.7 2014 39 0 39 3.5 TOTALS 243 0 243 10.1
MEDIA INFORMATION
extended Notre Dame's lead to 28-0 ... registered a pair of receptions for two yards and added two kickoff returns for 57 yards, including a career-best 47-yard return on the opening kickoff, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... did not play in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) due to an injury ... return to the field against No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) and helped the Irish to a 17-14 victory ... made two catches for 34 yards, including a 26-yard grab ... had 100 all purpose yards in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... ran the ball three times for 19 yards, caught a 21-yard pass and returned four kickoffs for 60 yards against the Tar Heels ... caught two passes for nine yards at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... also had a carry for minus-one yard and an 18-yard kickoff return against the Seminoles ... did not catch a pass but did rush for five yards in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... added 67 kickoff return yards on three attempts, including a 30-yard return ... registered three catches for a careerbest 92 yards, including a career-best 35-yard grab, at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... added 102 yards on four kickoff returns vs. the Sun Devils ... recorded a career-best 194 all-purpose yards against Arizona State ... did not catch a pass but collected a 16-yard rush and registered 122 kickoff-return yards (on six kickoff returns) vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... went second straight game without a reception vs. Louisville (Nov. 22), but added 151 yards on six kickoff returns, including a 36-yard return ... hauled in a 14-yard pass and returned four kickoffs for 71 yards at USC (Nov. 29).
CARLISLE'S CAREER STATS RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2013 13-4 7 30 0 7 0.5 4.3 2.3 2014 11-6 20 287 3 35 1.8 14.4 26.1 TOTALS 24-10 27 317 3 35 1.1 11.7 13.2
51 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 51
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The Fighting Irish
CONNOR CAVALARIS CB • 5-11 • 195 • Sr. Lake Forest, Illinois (Lake Forest)
47
CAVALARIS' CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 2, vs. Alabama, Jan. 7, 2012 (1-1) SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in 10 regular-season games, predominantly on Irish special teams ... collected a half tackle on kickoff return vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... did not play vs. Navy (Nov. 1) or Louisville (Nov. 22) ... walk-on was awarded a scholarship at the end of preseason practice. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in three games, Rutgers (Dec. 28), Oklahoma (Sept. 28) and Stanford (Nov. 30) ... picked up a solo stop against the Scarlet Knights ... shared a tackle against the Sooners. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in 11 games ... registered five total tackles, two vs. Alabama in BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 7) and one each against BYU (Oct. 20), Pittsburgh (Nov. 3) and Wake Forest (Nov. 17). FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: As a prep player, participated in football and track ... on the gridiron, registered four interceptions in his senior season and returned one for a TD ... in that season was recognized as team captain ... garnered all-conference, all-region and all-county accolades ... in track, earned all-conference, all-region and all-county accolades as well ... played alongside quarterback Tommy Rees at Lake Forest High School ... played for coach Chuck Spagnoli ... son of John and Sheila Cavalaris ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in accountancy. CAVALARIS' CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2012 11-0 1 2013 3-0 1 2014 10-0 0 TOTALS 24-0 2
A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 4 5 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 6 8 0.0-0 0 0 0 0
AUSTIN COLLINSWORTH 28
S • 6-1 • 205 • Gr. Fort Thomas, Kentucky (Highlands) COLLINSWORTH'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Team Captain (2014) • Special Teams Player of the Year (2012)
COLLINSWORTH'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Touchdowns: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 All-purpose yards: 67, at Wake Forest, Nov. 5, 2011 Kick returns: 2, at Wake Forest, Nov. 5, 2011 Kick return yards: 67, at Wake Forest, Nov. 5, 2011 (2 returns) Long kick return: 41, at Wake Forest, Nov. 5, 2011 Interceptions: 1, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013; BYU, Nov. 23, 2013; at Stanford, Nov. 30, 2013 Long interception return: 6, at Stanford, Nov. 30, 2013 Tackles: 11, at Stanford, Nov. 30, 2013 (2-9) Tackles for loss: 1.5, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-1) Fumbles forced: 1, Utah, Nov. 13, 2010 Fumbles recovered: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Long fumble return: 32, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 GRADUATE SEASON (2014): Named a season-long captain at the end of fall camp ... limited to just five regular-season games due to separate injuries (Stanford, North Carolina, Northwestern, Louisville and USC) ... started vs. North Carolina and Louisville ... registered 13 tackles, eight solo stops, one and a half for loss and a 32-yard fumble return for TD ... injured
knee during final practice of Rice week and missed each of the first four games of the season (Rice, Michigan, Purdue and Syracuse) ... returned to the field and made a tackle on his first play in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... returned to the starting lineup against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... made one tackle against the Tar Heels before suffering a shoulder injury ... missed games at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), vs. Navy (Nov. 1) and at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) , but returned to the field against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... scooped a fumble and raced 32 yards for a touchdown on his second play of the game vs. the Wildcats ... registered Notre Dame's first fumble return for a touchdown since Stephon Tuitt returned a fumble 77 yards for a score in Dublin, Ireland, vs. Navy (Sept. 1, 2012) ... registered a seasonhigh six tackles, including three solo stops, against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... added a TFL against the Cardinals ... picked up a pair of solo tackles at USC (Nov. 29) before suffering another shoulder injury. SENIOR SEASON (2013): Appeared in 13 games, making 11 starts (all but Michigan on Sept. 7 and Pittsburgh on Nov. 9) ... had a career-high 43 tackles and his first three career interceptions ... recorded an interception in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl victory over Rutgers (Dec. 28) ... added four tackles against the Scarlet Knights ... became the first Irish player with an interception in three consecutive games since Kyle McCarthy had picks in the first three games of the 2009 season ... posted his best numbers of the year at No. 8 Stanford (Nov. 30) when he made a career-high 11 tackles, including his first share of a tackle for loss ... also recorded his second interception in the game against the Cardinal ... made his first career interception against BYU (Nov. 23) in the Irish end zone on a "Hail Mary" pass at the end of the first half ... recorded three solo tackles against Navy (Nov. 2) ... had six tackles, two off the team lead, in the win over USC (Oct. 19) ... contributed three stops, all solo, to the win over No. 22 Arizona State (Oct. 5) ... shared on four tackles against Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... recorded three tackles against Michigan State (Sept. 21). JUNIOR SEASON (2012): Missed the entire season following shoulder injury suffered in spring practice. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011): Participated in all 13 games, seeing action primarily on special teams and as a backup safety ... notched 18 tackles on the year ... named Notre Dame Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the Irish with 16 tackles on special teams, including team-best 14 tackles on kickoffs ... had career-high four tackles in win vs. Navy ... produced career highs in kick returns (two), yards (67) and long (41) in a win at Wake Forest ... returned three kicks, including a long of 24 yards against USF (Sept. 3). FRESHMAN SEASON (2010): Saw action in all 13 games of his rookie season ... one of six freshmen to make their debut for the Irish in the home opener against Purdue ... recorded seven tackles on the season, tallying solo stops against Michigan State, Stanford, Western Michigan, Utah and Army ... six of his seven tackles came on the Irish special teams ... his six special teams tackles ranked sixth on the team and his six kickoff return tackles also ranked sixth ... forced a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half against Utah that set up an Irish TD ... recorded a 34-yard kickoff return to open the Hyundai Sun Bowl victory over Miami (Florida) ... the 34-yard kickoff return was the first of his career. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: EA Sports second-team All-American as a multipurpose player ... rushed for 1,503 yards and 23 TDs on 172 carries in 2009 as a senior at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, while playing as running back, wide receiver and defensive back ... ran for 229 yards and two TDs on 26 carries in one 2009 game vs. Covington Catholic ... won Paul Hornung Award for 2009 from Louisville TD Club as top high school player in Kentucky ... earned first-team Kentucky all-state honors in athlete category in 2009 from Louisville Courier-Journal ... first-team pick as running back on Cincinnati Enquirer Northern Kentucky Football All-Stars for 2009 ... Lexington Herald-Leader named him one of 22 players on its Class of the Commonwealth squad for 2009 ... nominated for Brian Williams “That’s My Boy” Award given by local chapter of National Football Foundation to top scholar-athlete in Northern Kentucky ... ran for 176 yards (25 carries) and three TDs as Highlands defeated John Hardin 35-7 for final 15-0 mark and third straight Kentucky 5A state title in 2009 ... caught 46 passes for 840 yards and five TDs as a junior in 2008 while earning first-team all-state honors as a receiver ... also played as defensive back as a junior in ’08 ... rushed 18 times for 166 yards and one TD in ’08, returned three kickoffs and two punts for TDs and also intercepted four passes on defense and returned one for a score ... played safety and returned kicks as a sophomore in 2007, intercepting five passes and earning second-team Associated Press all-state honors at defensive back ... Highlands lost only one game combined over his final three seasons (2007-09) and ranked third on final USA Today listing of top high school teams for ’09 and eighth on ESPN Rise Fab 50 listing ... one of four players from Kentucky on Orlando Sentinel All-Southern team ... selected for U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl in San Antonio but did not play due to injury ... also competed in track as sprinter ... father Cris Collinsworth, who caught 120 career passes as collegiate wide receiver at Florida, played eight years (1981-88) with NFL Cincinnati Bengals (earning all-pro honors in 1981-82-83 and catching 417 career passes for 6,698 yards and 36 TDs), now an analyst on NBC Sports’ Football Night in America (and also does work for the NFL Network) ... played for coach Dale Mueller at Highlands ... son of Cris and Holly Collinsworth ... graduated May 2014 with a degree in finance from the Mendoza College of Business.
52 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 52
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The Fighting Irish
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 6 2.0 0.5 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 6 2.0 0.1
KICK RETURNS 2010 2011 2013 2014 TOTALS
NO. YARDS 1 34 7 144 0 0 0 0 8 178
TD 0 0 0 0 0
ALL PURPOSE 2010 2011 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD RUSH 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
COUNCELL'S CAREER STATS Tackles: 5, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013 (3-2) Tackles for loss: 1.0, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013 (1-0); North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (1-0) Fumbles forced: 1, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 Pass breakups: 1, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013 Blocked Kicks: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014
0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-0 0 1-6 0 1-0 0 3-6 0
0 0 0 0 BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in the first nine games before being lost for the season to an injury suffered against Navy (Nov. 2) ... made 15 tackles on the year, 10 of them solos ... also forced a fumble, broke up a pass and registered a tackle for loss ... had a career-high five tackles, including a TFL, plus a pass break-up before suffering an injury against Navy ... recorded three tackles, all solo, at Air Force (Oct. 26) and forced a fumble ... had two-tackle contests against Michigan (Sept. 7) and Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... made one tackle against Temple (Aug. 31), Michigan State (Sept. 21) and USC (Oct. 19). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Played in 12 games during the season ... tallied 10 tackles, five of them solo stops ... received extra snaps in fall practice that benefitted him greatly following the early-season injury to Danny Spond ... had a tackle against Navy (Sept. 1) in his Notre Dame debut ... recorded another tackle against Michigan (Sept. 22) ... picked up three more tackles against Miami (Oct. 6) ... against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) recorded a career-best four tackles, two of them solo stops ... tallied one tackle vs. Alabama in BCS National Championship Game. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
PBU BLK
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Returned from a season-ending knee injury in 2013 ... played in 11 of the 12 regular-season games, predominantly on special teams ... did not play at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) due to an injury ... picked up one tackle on the season and blocked a field goal vs. Michigan (Sept. 6) ... saw action on defense and special teams in the seasonopening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... blocked the Wolverines' field-goal attempt in the second quarter that helped the Irish preserve a shutout over Michigan (Sept. 6) ... played predominantly on special teams in the victories over Purdue (Sept. 13) and Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... saw his most extensive linebacker playing time of the fall against heavy personnel sets in the 17-14 victory over Stanford (Oct. 4) ... recorded his first tackle of the season, resulting in a one-yard loss, during the victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... saw action predominantly on special teams vs. Navy (Nov. 1), No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), Northwestern (Nov. 15), Louisville (Nov. 22) and USC (Nov. 29).
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30
BOWL HISTORY
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
2013 UT-AT TT *Temple 0-0 0 at Michigan 0-1 1 *at Purdue 1-1 2 *Michigan State 1-2 3 *Oklahoma 0-4 4 *vs. Arizona State 3-0 3 *USC 3-3 6 *at Air Force 2-0 2 *Navy 3-0 3 at Pittsburgh 0-1 1 *BYU 0-3 3 *at Stanford 2-9 11 *vs. Rutgers 1-3 4 TOTALS 16-27 43 * - games started
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
LB • 6-4.5 • 254 • Sr. Asheville, North Carolina (A.C. Reynolds)
RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 6 1.2 0 1 0 0 0 6 0.1
INT
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
BEN COUNCELL
KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 34 0 34 2.6 144 0 144 11.1 0 6 6 0.5 0 0 0 0.0 178 6 184 4.2
COLLINSWORTH'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR Rice Did Not Play - Injury Michigan Did Not Play - Injury vs. Purdue Did Not Play - Injury vs. Syracuse Did Not Play - Injury Stanford 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *North Carolina 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Florida State Did Not Play - Injury vs. Navy Did Not Play - Injury at Arizona State Did Not Play - Injury Northwestern 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-32 *Louisville 3-3 6 1.5-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 at USC 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 TOTALS 8-5 13 1.5-3 0.0-0 0 1-32 * - games started
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
COACHES & STAFF
SCORING 2010 2011 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LONG AVG/R AVG/G 34 34.0 2.6 41 20.6 11.1 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 41 22.2 4.0
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NO. YARDS 0 0 0 0 3 6 0 0 3 6
UT-AT TT 0-0 0 3-0 3 0-0 0 0-0 0 3-0 3 1-2 3 1-0 1 2-2 4 1-0 1 1-0 1 0-1 1 0-0 0 0-1 1 12-6 18
GAME NOTES
INTERCEPTIONS 2010 2011 2013 2014 TOTALS
2011 USF at Michigan Michigan State at Pittsburgh at Purdue Air Force USC Navy at Wake Forest vs. Maryland Boston College at Stanford vs. Florida State TOTALS * - games started
MEDIA INFORMATION
COLLINSWORTH'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 2010 13-0 5 2 7 0-0.0 0 1 0 0 2011 13-0 12 6 18 0-0.0 0 0 0 0 2013 13-11 16 27 43 0.5-1 3 0 0 0 2014 5-2 8 5 13 1.5-3 0 0 1 0 TOTALS 44-13 41 40 81 2.0-4 3 1 1 0
53 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 53
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The Fighting Irish HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked 91st on Rivals.com list of top 100 players nationally for 2010 ... also rated by Rivals.com as fifth-best weak-side defensive end nationally ... rated ninth-best outside linebacker prospect in nation by Scout.com ... tabbed 97thbest player in 2011 class and fourth-best prospect in North Carolina by Scout.com ... listed 19th on Rivals.com North Carolina postseason top 30 chart ... participated in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, registered 13 tackles, one sack and one blocked punt – and was named a top 10 player of the game ... totaled 141 solo stops, 47 assists and 25 tackles for loss as a senior in 2010 for A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina ... totaled 124 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and four interceptions as junior in 2009 ... named 4A Defensive Player of the Year by ncprep.com following senior season in 2010 ... also a North Carolina 4A all-state pick in 2010 ... received 2010 All-Southern Team honorable mention accolades from Orlando Sentinel ... was home-schooled until sophomore year in high school ... named Mountain Athletic Conference defensive player of year following senior campaign in 2010 ... selected to all-Western North Carolina football team by Asheville Citizen-Times ... played for coach Shane Laws at A.C. Reynolds High School ... son of John Mark and Victoria Councell .. enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in design. COUNCELL'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 2012 12-0 5 5 10 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 2013 9-0 10 5 15 1.0-2 1 1 0 0 2014 11-0 1 0 1 1.0-1 0 0 0 1 TOTALS 32-0 16 10 26 2.0-3 1 1 0 1 COUNCELL'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU Rice 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 North Carolina 1-0 1 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Florida State Did Not Play - Injury vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Northwestern 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 TOTALS 1-0 1 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 * - games started 2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU Temple 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Michigan 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Michigan State 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Oklahoma 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 vs. Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 USC 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Air Force 3-0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 0 Navy 3-2 5 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 at Pittsburgh Did Not Play - Injury BYU Did Not Play - Injury at Stanford Did Not Play - Injury vs. Rutgers Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 10-5 15 1.0-2 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1 * - games started
BLK 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
SCOTT DALY
LS • 6-1.5 • 250 • Jr. Downers Grove, Illinois (South)
61
DALY'S CAREER STATS Tackles: 1, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (0-1); Michigan State, Sept. 21, 2013 (1-0) JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Executed quality snaps on all 48 point-after attempts, 23 fieldgoal attempts and 47 punts so far this season ... did not have an issue on long snaps in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... snapped on three punts, three field goals and six point-after attempts against the Owls ... executed snaps on six punts, four point-after attempts and a field goal in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... snapped without issue on four punts, three point-after attempts and four field-goal attempts against Purdue (Sept. 13) ... did not have an issue on long snaps in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... executed snaps on two punts, one field goal and four point-after attempts against the Orange ... executed snaps on six punts, three field-goal attempts and two point-after attempts in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... flawless on six point-after attempts and five punts against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... his three extra-point snaps, three punt snaps and two field goal snaps were all successful at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... flawless on seven point-after attempts, two field-goal attempts (even though both were blocked) and one punt vs. Navy (Nov. 1) ... did not have an issue on long snaps in loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... snapped on four punts, two field goals and four point-after attempts against the Sun Devils ... executed snaps on four punts, five point-after attempts and two field-goal attempts against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... flawless on two point-after attempts, three field-goal attempts and four punts vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) ... did not have an issue on long snaps at USC (Nov. 29) ... snapped on five punts, one field goal and two point-after attempts against the Trojans. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Served as Notre Dame's long snapper in all 13 games ... recorded a pair of special teams tackles on the year ... made a solo tackle in coverage against Michigan State (Sept. 21) and shared on a stop against BYU (Nov. 23). FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see any game action. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Named national high school long snapper of the year for 2011 in winning the first Herbalife 24 Chris Rubio Award ... ranked the number-one long snapper in the nation by Scout.com ... rated the second-best long snapper in the nation by 247Sports ... listed the third-best long snapper in the nation by ESPNU ... played tight end and handled long-snapping duties at Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, Illinois ... helped Downers Grove South to 10-2 record as senior in 2011 before losing in Illinois Class 8A state quarterfinals ... scored first career TD as tight end in 2011 opener vs. South Elgin ... earned special mention on Chicago Tribune all-state team for 2011 ... rated 55th player in Midwest by SuperPrep ... earned all-conference honors at tight end as a junior in 2010, as well as all-area honorable mention ... helped Mustangs to 7-3 mark as a junior in 2010, including 6-0 record in West Suburban Gold play and first-round loss to Neuqua Valley in Illinois 8A playoffs ... has worked extensively at camps with former UCLA long snapper Chris Rubio ... began long-snapping in fifth grade ... owns black belt in tae kwon do and practices yoga ... coached by John Belskis at Downers Grove South High School ... son of Kevin and Marianne Daly ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management consulting. DALY'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 2013 13-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 2014 12-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 25-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0 0 0 0
54 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 54
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The Fighting Irish DL • 6-2 • 285 • Jr. Indianapolis, Indiana (Warren Central)
91
DAY'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Outland Trophy Watch List (2014) • Notre Dame Moose Krause Lineman of the Year (2014) • Team Captain (2014)
BLK 0 0 0 0
UA A TOTAL YARDS 2 0 2.0 17 0 1 0.5 3 1 0 1.0 10 3 1 3.5 30
DAY’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR *Rice 2-4 6 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Michigan 2-3 5 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Purdue 0-3 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 *vs. Syracuse 4-1 5 2.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Stanford 3-1 4 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 *North Carolina 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Florida State 2-0 2 1.0-5 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Navy 4-1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Arizona State 5-0 5 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Northwestern 1-1 2 1.0-10 1.0-10 0 0-0 Louisville Did Not Play - Injury at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 23-15 38 7.5-25 1.0-10 0 1-0 * - games started
0-0
2
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
0 BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR *Temple 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Michigan 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Purdue 2-2 4 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 Michigan State Did Not Play - Injury Oklahoma Did Not Play - Injury *vs. Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 USC 2-0 2 1.0-5 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Air Force 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Navy 4-1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Pittsburgh 5-0 5 3.0-9 0.0-0 0 0-0 *BYU 4-3 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Stanford 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Rutgers 1-1 2 0.5-3 0.5-3 0 0-0 TOTALS 21-12 33 5.5-18 0.5-3 0 0-0 * - games started
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
BOWL HISTORY
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Enrolled early at Notre Dame, starting classes in January 2012 after graduating from high school in December 2011 ... second-team selection on SI.com High School All-America team ... ranked the sixth-best defensive tackle in the country and 50th-best player in his class by Scout.com ... rated 81st nationally on 247Sports list of top prospects ... considered 10th-best defensive tackle in the nation and second-best
FF FR 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Played in all 13 games ... registered 23 tackles, 13 of them solo stops ... collected two sacks, one each against Michigan State (Sept. 15) and Michigan (Sept. 22) ... had one tackle in the season opener against Navy (Sept. 1) ... had his first solo tackle alongside three assisted stops against Purdue (Sept. 8) ... forced a pass breakup against the Spartans ... notched two tackles against Miami (Oct. 6) ... had two tackles against BYU (Oct. 20) and Boston College (Nov. 10) ... recorded his single-game high of five tackles against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) with three solo stops ... tallied three tackles in BCS National Championship Game vs. Alabama.
SACKS 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
A TOTAL TFL PD 10 23 3.5-21 1 12 33 5.5-18 1 15 38 7.5-25 2 37 94 16.5-64 4
COACHES & STAFF
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Played in 11 games with eight starts ... made 33 tackles on the year, 21 of them solos ... recorded five and a half tackles for loss ... trailed only Stephon Tuitt for most tackles by defensive linemen ... had two tackles, including half a sack, in the 2013 New Era Pintripe Bowl victory over Rutgers (Dec. 28) ... credited with four tackles at Stanford (Nov. 30) ... generated a season-high seven tackles and also broke up a pass in the win over BYU (Nov. 23) ... made three tackles for loss among his five total stops at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... four of his five tackles against Navy (Nov. 2) were solos ... recorded a TFL against USC (Oct. 19) .. missed both the Michigan State (Sept. 21) and Oklahoma games (Sept. 28) due to injury ... made four tackles in the win at Purdue (Sept. 14) including a TFL ... credited with two tackles at Michigan (Sept. 7).
DAY'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2012 13-0 13 2013 11-8 21 2014 10-10 23 TOTALS 34-18 57
THE FIGHTING IRISH
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Started the first 10 games of the regular season before a knee injury against Northwestern (Nov. 15) sidelined him against Louisville (Nov. 22) and USC (Nov. 29) ... named a season-long captain at the end of fall camp ... registered 38 tackles, 23 solo stops, seven and a half tackles for loss, one sack, nine quarterback hurries, two passes defended, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery ... tied for second on the Irish in tackles for loss and leads the team in quarterback hurries ... second among all Irish defensive linemen in tackles ... started in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered six tackles, two solo stops and one tackle for loss against the Owls ... dominated the Michigan front in the 31-0 victory over the Wolverines (Sept. 6) ... recorded five tackles, including a half tackle for loss, and four quarterback hurries vs. Michigan ... picked up three tackles, one quarterback hurry, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery in the 30-14 victory over the Boilermakers (Sept. 13) ... the fumble recovery was the first of his career and stopped a Purdue drive that had moved into the Irish red zone ... registered five tackles, four solo stops, two for loss and one quarterback hurry in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... collected four tackles, three solo stops, and one for loss in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ...credited with two quarterback hurries and broke up a pass against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... shared a tackle against the Tar Heels ... had two tackles at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... second tackle went for a five-yard loss, pushing the Seminoles back to their own two-yard line, with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter ... registered five tackles, four solo stops, and a quarterback hurry in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... recorded five tackles, all solo stops, and one TFL in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... registered a pair of tackles, including his first sack of the season, against Northwestern (Nov. 15) before suffering a knee injury in the third quarter.
GAME NOTES
DAY'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 7, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (4-3) Sacks: 1.0, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1-0); at Michigan State, Sept. 15, 2012 (1-0); Michigan, Sept. 22, 2012 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 3.0, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 (3-0) Fumbles recovered: 1, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 Pass breakups: 1, four times
player in Indiana by 247Sports ... rated number-143 player nationally on 2012 ESPNU 150 list ... listed as second-best player in Indiana, 12th-best prospect in the Midwest and 14th-best defensive tackle in his class by ESPNU ... rated number-121 player nationally and eighth-best defensive tackle in his class by MaxPreps and Tom Lemming ... listed 244th nationally on Rivals.com Rivals250 ... ranked third-best player in Indiana and 18th-best defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com ... rated 24th-best defensive lineman nationally and 12th-best player in Midwest by SuperPrep ... named Indianapolis Star Super Team Player of the Year for 2011 ... runner-up for 2011 Indiana Mr. Football award as chosen by Indiana Football Coaches Association ... one of eight defensive linemen on IFCA Top 50 all-state squad in both 2011 and 2010 ... first-team defensive lineman on Associated Press Indiana Class 5A all-state squad for 2011 ... starter on defensive line for Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana ... made 55 tackles, 12 for loss, nine sacks, 12 quarterback pressures, two fumble recoveries as a senior in 2011 ... named Marion County Coaches' Player of the Year at Indianapolis Kiwanis Club's 55th Annual High School Awards program for 2011 ... first-team defensive lineman on all-Marion County team ... helped Warren Central to 11-1 record and number-one ranking in 2011, with only loss in sectional final to eventual Indiana 5A champion Carmel ... played in Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix ... honorable mention Associated Press all-state pick as junior in 2010 ... coached by John Hart at Warren Central High School ... son of David Day and Carol Boyd ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting.
MEDIA INFORMATION
SHELDON DAY
55 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 55
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The Fighting Irish 2012 UT-AT TT vs. Navy 0-1 1 Purdue 1-3 4 at Michigan State 1-0 1 Michigan 3-0 3 vs. Miami 2-0 2 Stanford 0-0 0 BYU 1-1 2 at Oklahoma 0-0 0 Pittsburgh 0-0 0 at Boston College 1-1 2 Wake Forest 3-2 5 at USC 0-0 0 vs. Alabama 1-2 3 TOTALS 13-10 23 * - games started
TFL SCK 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-9 1.0-9 1.0-8 1.0-8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 3.5-21 2.0-17
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
MICHAEL DEEB
LB • 6-2 • 240 • So. Plantation, Florida (American Heritage)
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
42
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in one regular-season game (at USC on Nov. 29) ... provided the Irish linebackers with practice depth ... aided the Notre Dame defensive scout team as one of its top linebackers. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team linebacker on Fort Lauderdale SunSentinel Class 5A-4A-3A-2A squad for 2012 ... first-team linebacker on Miami Herald AllBroward County 5A-Indiana all-star squad ... standout at linebacker for American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida ... ranked 34th player nationally on Rivals.com list of inside linebackers ... ranked 25th among middle linebackers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... made 95 tackles, four sacks and an interception as senior in 2012 ... ranked fifth among all Broward County prospects coming into 2012 by Miami Herald ... made 90 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions and forced five fumbles as a junior in 2011 ... four-year starter at linebacker ... played for coach Mike Rumph ... son of George and Susan Deeb ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters. DEEB'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2013 0-0 2014 1-0 TOTALS 1-0
STEVE ELMER OL • 6-5.5 • 315 • So. Midland, Michigan (Midland)
79
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in and started all 12 regular-season games ... started each of the first three games of the season at right tackle (Rice, Michigan and Purdue) ... previous four career starts for the Irish came at right guard ... returned to right guard against Syracuse (Sept. 27) and started at that position over the final nine games of the regular season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Appeared in 10 games and made four starts at right guard in place of an injured Christian Lombard ... starts came against Air Force (Oct. 26), Navy (Nov. 2), Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) and Rutgers (Dec. 28) ... missed games against Temple (Aug. 31) and Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed ... no team in the nation allowed fewer sacks and attempted more passes than Notre Dame (eight sacks on 429 pass attempts) in '13 in area of great improvement for the Fighting Irish ... in 2012, Notre Dame allowed more than twice as many sacks (18) on 41 fewer passing attempts (388) ... helped the Irish run the ball for a season-high 235 yards while not allowing a sack on 28 passing attempts in the victory over BYU (Nov. 23) ... Michigan State entered the game against Notre Dame (Sept. 21) ranked 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks – averaging 3.0 per game, but the Irish did not allow a single sack in 34 pass attempts against the Spartans ...
Notre Dame struggled to run the ball against Purdue (Sept. 14), but the Irish were successful on their final drive to run out the clock (ran for 42 yards on final drive; just 49 prior to the drive) ... Notre Dame ran the final 7:22 off the game clock and the Irish converted four third-down plays on the final drive ... Arizona State and Stanford both rank tied for seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks per game (3.08) yet the duo managed a combined one sack against the Irish. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Received Anthony Munoz Award as top prep lineman of the year for 2012, awarded at U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... Associated Press Michigan high school football player of the year in 2012 for Division 1 and 2 ... rated top prep player in state of Michigan for 2012 by Detroit Free Press ... first-team offensive lineman on Detroit News All-State Dream Team for 2012 ... named to Detroit Free Press Dream Team as both a junior and senior in 2011 and 2012 ... helped Midland High School in Midland, Michigan, to 11-1 record in 2012 and Michigan Division 2 regional championship game ... ranked 73rd player nationally on MaxPreps/Tom Lemming Top100 list ... ranked 136th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated 60th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked fourth on Rivals. com list of offensive tackles ... ranked 74th overall and sixth among offensive tackles on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio and played for West team ... enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2013 ... played for coach Eric Methner ... son of Steve and Jennifer Elmer ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in economics. ELMER'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2013 10-4 2014 12-12 TOTALS 22-16
MATTHIAS FARLEY CB • 5-11 • 205 • Sr. Charlotte, North Carolina (Christian)
41
FARLEY’S HONORS AND AWARDS • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (9.29.2014) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Defensive Back (10.14.2012) FARLEY'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: 49, Stanford, Oct. 13, 2012 Interceptions: 1, seven times, last vs. Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Long interception return: 49, Stanford, Oct. 13, 2012 Tackles: 9, at USC, Nov. 24, 2012 (4-5); Oklahoma, Sept. 28, 2013 (4-5) Sacks: 2.0, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (2-0) Tackles for loss: 2.0, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014; vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (2-0) Pass breakups: 1, four times SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started four contests as the Notre Dame nickel back (Michigan, Syracuse, Florida State and Arizona State) ... tied for the team lead with four interceptions ... ranks second in sacks (3.5), fifth in TFLs (6.5) and fifth in tackles (51) ... did not start against Rice (Aug. 30), but collected five tackles, four solo stops, half a sack (the first of his career) and an interception (that led to a Notre Dame touchdown against the Owls just before halftime) ... started and played one of his best career games in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... recorded three tackles, all solo stops, a tackle for loss and quarterback hurry ... picked up a pair of solo tackles in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... started and picked up his 21st career start in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... recorded five tackles, four solo stops and one interception against the Orange ... collected four tackles, three solo stops, in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... made four tackles, including three solo stops, in the 50-43 win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... recorded three tackles at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), including a TFL ... did not see a large amount of action on defense vs. Navy (Nov. 1) but played on multiple special teams units ... picked up two tackles, including a pair of sacks, on Navy's final offensive series of the game (also added a pass breakup) ... started at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... recorded three solo tackles, two TFLs, one sack and one interception (returned 27 yards) in the loss to the Sun Devils ... collected four tackles, including three solo stops, against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... picked off a pass for the second consecutive game -- this interception came at the goal line and halted a potential Wildcat TD (Farley returned it 39 yards) ... registered seven tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... registered a season-high eight tackles, six solo, at USC (Nov. 29).
56 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 56
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The Fighting Irish
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 23 26 49 2.0-9 1 0 0 0 25 24 49 1.0-2 5 0 0 0 38 13 51 6.5-30 6 0 0 0 86 63 149 9.5-41 12 0 0 0
SACKS 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 3 1 3.5 26 3 1 3.5 26
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 1 0-0 1 0-0 0 1-29 0 0-0 0 1-10 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 2-39 3
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 UT-AT TT *vs. Navy 1-0 1 Purdue 1-3 4 at Michigan State 1-0 1 *Michigan 1-1 2 *vs. Miami 1-0 1 *Stanford 2-6 8 *BYU 3-1 4 *at Oklahoma 1-4 5 *Pittsburgh 1-2 3 *at Boston College 1-0 1 *Wake Forest 2-2 4 *at USC 4-5 9 *vs. Alabama 4-2 6 TOTALS 23-26 49 * - games started
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 2.0-9 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-49 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-49
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PBU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHARLIE FIESSINGER QB • 6-1 • 194 • Sr. Mason, Ohio (Moeller)
6
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Walk-on earned a scholarship at the end of fall camp ... serves as Notre Dame's primary sideline signal caller ... did not see any game action. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Played a limited role during the regular season, coming in briefly against Wake Forest (Nov. 17). HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Two-year letterwinner at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio ... helped Moeller to the Greater Catholic League championship as a senior in 2010 ... played with former Irish quarterback Andrew Hendrix at Moeller ... played for coach John Rodenberg at Moeller ... son of Doug and Lisa Fiessinger ... born in Cincinnati ... enrolled in the College of Science, majoring in applied and computational mathematics and statistics.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
TACKLES 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
UT-AT TT 3-0 3 5-1 6 1-3 4 1-1 2 4-5 9 1-0 1 3-0 3 1-1 2 4-4 8 0-0 0 0-3 3 2-6 8 0-0 0 25-24 49
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 49 49 3.8 0 0 0 0 39 39 3.0 0 0 0 0 87 87 7.2 0 0 0 0 175 175 4.6
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BOWL HISTORY
ALL PURPOSE 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
PBU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FARLEY'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS G-GS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2012 13-11 1 49 0 49 49.0 3.8 2013 13-8 2 39 0 29 19.5 3.0 2014 12-4 4 87 0 39 21.8 7.2 TOTALS 38-23 7 175 0 49 25.0 4.6
INT 1-6 0-0 0-0 1-15 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-27 1-39 0-0 0-0 4-87
COACHES & STAFF
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Led Christian High School to 2010 North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association state football title ... selected to NCISAA Division I all-state team as a wide receiver by Charlotte Observer following senior season in 2010 ... did not start playing football until junior year in high school ... played soccer first two years at Christian ... helped North Carolina defeat South Carolina 31-24 in Oasis All-Star Shrine Classic ... ranked 18th on MaxPrep Top 25 Safeties list ... tabbed first-team all-conference wide receiver in 2010 by Charlotte Observer ... named to 2010 all-Mecklenburg Team first team by Charlotte Observer as a defensive back after totaling 39 tackles and two interceptions in 2010 at Christian High School in Charlotte, North Carolina ... registered 49 tackles and one interception during senior season ... caught 37 passes for more than 600 yards and registered 10 TDs in 2010 ... named one of top 25 players in North Carolina in 2010 by Charlotte Observer ... recorded 37 receptions for more than 900 yards and 12 TDs as a junior in 2009 ... helped guide Christian to state runner-up spot in North Carolina playoffs as a junior in 2009 ... played for coach Jason Estep at Charlotte Christian High School ... son of Mark and Falinda Farley ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre.
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season.
2013 *Temple *at Michigan *at Purdue Michigan State Oklahoma vs. Arizona State *USC *at Air Force *Navy *at Pittsburgh BYU *at Stanford vs. Rutgers TOTALS * - games started
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GAME NOTES
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in all 13 games, starting 11 ... made the largest leap of any safety during fall practice ... first year at the position after playing wide receiver during his freshman campaign (entirely on the scout team as he did not see any game action) ... recorded 49 tackles, 23 of them solo stops ... replaced senior safety Jamoris Slaughter when he tore his Achilles tendon against Michigan State (Sept. 15) ... collected an interception against Stanford (Oct. 13) with just over a minute left in the first half ... returned the interception for 49 yards ... collected a career-best eight tackles, including one for a sevenyard loss on a critical third-down stop in the fourth quarter that forced the Cardinal to kick a field goal ... registered nine tackles, five of which were solo stops, against USC (Nov. 24) to close out the regular season ... tallied six tackles in BCS National Championship Game vs. Alabama.
FARLEY’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK Rice 4-1 5 0.5-1 0.5-1 *Michigan 3-0 3 1.0-2 0.0-0 vs. Purdue 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Syracuse 4-1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 Stanford 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 North Carolina 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Florida State 1-2 3 1.0-1 0.0-0 vs. Navy 3-0 3 2.0-18 2.0-18 *at Arizona State 3-0 3 2.0-8 1.0-7 Northwestern 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 Louisville 3-4 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 at USC 6-2 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 38-13 51 6.5-30 3.5-26 * - games started
MEDIA INFORMATION
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games with eight starts at safety ... recorded 49 tackles on the year, including 25 solo stops ... the 49 tackles ranked second to Bennett Jackson amongst defensive backs ... ranked second on the team with two interceptions, recorded a tackle for loss and broke up three passes for five total pass defenses ... made eight tackles and broke up a pass in the regular season finale at Stanford (Nov. 30) ... also had eight tackles in the win over Navy (Nov. 2) ... had three solo tackles against USC (Oct. 19) ... stalled a fourth-quarter Arizona State drive on Oct. 5 with a clutch interception in a game Notre Dame would win 37-34 ... made a season-high nine tackles against Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... recorded his first interception of the year, returning it 29 yards, against Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... had a tackle for loss among his six stops at Michigan (Sept. 7).
57 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 57
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The Fighting Irish
TAREAN FOLSTON RB • 5-9.5 • 209 • So. Cocoa, Florida (Cocoa)
25
FOLSTON'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Game Rushing Yards by Freshman (Nov. 2, 2013 vs. Navy, 140, 3rd) • Single-Season Rushing Yards by Freshman (470, 6th) FOLSTON'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Offensive Newcomer of the Year (2013) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention All Purpose (10.13.2014) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.12.14) • Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Offensive Player of the Week (11.4.13) FOLSTON'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 18, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 TDs: 3, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Rush attempts: 21, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 Rush yards: 149, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (20 carries) Rush TDs: 2, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Long rush: 43, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 Receptions: 5, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Receiving yards: 71, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (5 receptions) Receiving TDs: 1, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Long reception: 37, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Total offense attempts: 21, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 (21 rush, 0 pass) Total offense yards: 149, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (149 rush, 0 pass) All-purpose yards: 187, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Tackles: 1, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014; vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (1-0) SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started nine contests (Michigan, Purdue, Syracuse, Florida State, Navy, Arizona State, Northwestern, Louisville and USC) ... leads the Irish in carries (154), rushing yards (816) and rushing yards per game (68.0) ... second on the team with five rushing TDs ... his 816 rushing yards are the most by an Irish sophomore since Darius Walker ran for 1,196 yards in 2006 ... rushed for 100 or more yards in four of the team's last six regular-season games ... did not start in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30), but tied for the Irish lead in both rushes (12) and rushing yards (71) ... averaged 5.9 yards per carry against the Owls ... collected first start of 2014 in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... managed 17 yards on nine carries in the victory over the Wolverines ... started in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... ran for 22 yards on nine carries and added a pair of receptions for 26 yards against the Boilermakers ... registered fifth career start in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... rushed for 41 yards on nine carries and added a pair of receptions for 25 yards, including a career-best 18-yard grab ... did not start in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... had 14 yards rushing on three carries ... added a six-yard reception ... scored three TDs, including two on the ground and his first career TD reception, in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... rushed for 98 yards on a career-high-equaling 18 carries ... rushed for 56 yards in the fourth quarter alone ... registered a career-best 37-yard reception ... collected 169 all-purpose yards (98 rushing, 71 receiving) against the Tar Heels, which was a career high ... his 71 yards receiving marked the best total by an Irish running back since 2006 (Darius Walker, 73, vs. Purdue) ... picked up his first 100-yard rushing game of the year with a 120-yard effort at No. 2 Florida State ... toted the ball a career-high 21 times against the Seminoles ... his 120 yards marked the first 100-yard rushing performance in 2014 against defending national champion Florida State ... rushed for a career-best 149 yards, including a 25-yard TD run, on 20 carries in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... added a pair of receptions for 38 yards, including a 30-yard catch that set up an Irish TD ... registered a career-best 187 all-purpose yards against the Midshipmen ... became the first Notre Dame player to rush for at least 120 yards in consecutive games since Darius Walker against Air Force (153 yards) and Army (162) on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, 2006 ... Folston's 149 rushing yards were the most by any Irish player since Cierre Wood scampered for 150 at Wake Forest on Nov. 17, 2012, and most by a Notre Dame player against Navy since 2003 when Julius Jones ran for 221 ... ran for 30 yards on 11 carries in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State ... rushed for 106 yards on 20 carries, including a six-yard TD, against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... it marked the third time in the last four games that he surpassed the 100-yard barrier ... ran for 134 yards on 18 carries with a TD run against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... his 134 yards were the most allowed this season by the Cardinal
defense ... just the third running back to eclipse 70 yards on the ground vs. Louisville (joining Duke Johnson of Miami, Florida, and Dalvin Cook of Florida State) ... the Cardinals entered the game giving up 87.4 yards rushing per game ... his 134 yards were the most by any running back against Louisville since Jerome Smith of Syracuse rushed for 144 yards in November of 2012 ... recorded 14 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving at USC (Nov. 29). FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Played in 12 games, including a starting role against BYU (Nov. 23) and Rutgers (Dec. 28)... gained 470 rushing yards on 88 carries, ranking third on the team in both categories, but tied for the team high with three rushing TDs ... also caught five passes for 35 yards ... ran for 73 yards on 17 carries, including a three-yard TD run in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... added a career-high three catches, including a career-long 15-yard grab ... ran for 50 yards at Stanford (Nov. 30), the most ground yards anyone had gained against the No. 8 Cardinal since its Oct. 12 upset loss at Utah ... ran for 78 yards on just 13 carries (6.0 average) against BYU in his first career start, also scoring a TD ... had his season-long rush of 43 yards in that win over the Cougars ... breakthrough performance came against Navy (Nov. 2) when he ran for 140 yards on 18 carries (7.8 average) and a score ... the 140 rushing yards were the most by a Notre Dame freshman since 1999 and were only eight shy of matching Jerome Heavens' school freshman record established in 1975 ... saw his first significant action at Air Force (Oct. 26) where he carried the ball 11 times for 47 yards after having 11 carries over the first seven games of the year combined ... gained 43 yards on two carries against Oklahoma (Sept. 28) including a 36-yard scamper ... ran four times for 12 yards against Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... carried the ball five times for 14 yards in the season opener against Temple (Aug. 31) while also making a nine-yard catch. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Associated Press Florida Class 4A first-team all-state running back for 2012 ... named offensive player of the year by Florida Today ... rushed for 1,186 yards and 13 TDs in 2012 on Cocoa High School team in Cocoa, Florida, that advanced to Florida state semifinals ... also caught eight passes for 85 yards and one TD and had four interceptions (one returned for a TD) as a defensive back (and also punted) ... returned two kickoffs for TDs in 2012 ... helped Cocoa to wins over Clewiston (55-7) and Jones (35-7) in 2012 Florida Class 4A playoffs before loss to eventual state champion Washington in semifinal round ... ranked 66th player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... rated 119th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked 122nd on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... ranked 13th on Rivals.com list of running backs ... ranked 198th overall and 24th among running backs on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... chosen for Under Armour All-America Game and intercepted one pass and broke up another and made one tackle while playing corner and safety in his team’s 16-3 victory in St. Petersburg ... played for coach John Wilkinson ... son of James Folston and Tarita Rhynes ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters. FOLSTON'S CAREER STATS RUSHING G-GS ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2013 12-2 88 470 3 43 5.3 39.2 2014 12-9 154 816 5 26 5.3 68.0 TOTALS 24-11 242 1286 8 43 5.3 53.6 TOTAL OFFENSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 470 0 470 39.2 816 0 816 68.0 1286 0 1286 53.6
RECEIVING 2013 2014 TOTALS
REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 5 35 0 15 0.4 7.0 2.9 16 178 1 37 1.3 11.1 14.8 21 213 1 37 0.9 10.1 8.9
SCORING 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.5 6 5 1 0 0 0 0 36 3.0 9 8 1 0 0 0 0 54 2.2
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV 470 35 816 178 1286 213
PR 0 0 0
KR 0 0 0
IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 505 42.1 0 994 82.8 0 1499 62.5
TACKLES 2013 2014 TOTALS
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0.0 0 0 0 0
58 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 58
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The Fighting Irish
FULLER'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 18, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 TDs: 3, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Rush attempts: 1, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013; USC, Oct. 19, 2013 Rush yards: 5, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 (1 carry) Long rush: 5, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 Receptions: 9, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014; Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Receiving yards: 159, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (9 receptions) FULLER'S CAREER STATS Receiving TDs: 3, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Long reception: 75, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS Total offense attempts: 1, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013 (1 rush, 0 pass); USC, 2013 13-3 6 160 Oct. 19, 2013 (1 rush, 0 pass) 2014 12-12 71 1037 TOTALS 25-15 77 1197 Total offense yards: 5, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 (5 rush, 0 pass) All-purpose yards: 159, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Tackles: 1, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (1-0); Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1-0); Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0) 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches
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TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 1 47 0.5 26.7 12.3 14 75 5.9 14.6 86.4 15 75 3.1 15.5 47.9
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team receiver on 2012 Pennsylvania Sports Writers AAAA All-State football team ... named as a receiver to Philadelphia Daily News All-City squad for 2012 ... first-team receiver on Philadelphia Inquirer All-Southeastern Pennsylvania team ... named MVP of Philadelphia Catholic League 4A ... rated 176th player nationally on Rivals 250 list ... ranked 28th on Rivals.com list of wide receivers ... ranked 179th overall and 22nd among wide receivers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... made 57 receptions in 2012 for 932 yards and eight TDs for Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ... had 10 catches for 232 yards and two TDs in 2012 win over Cardinal O’Hara ... also played cornerback ... honorable mention Pennsylvania all-state pick as a junior ... grabbed 46 receptions in 2011 for 758 yards and 10 TDs on 8-3 Roman Catholic team ... allCatholic League 4A pick in 2011 as both a receiver and defensive back ... a first-team All-City selection as a sophomore in 2010 by Philadelphia Daily News ... caught 39 passes for 650 yards and nine TDs in 2010 ... chosen for Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and played for East squad ... played for coach Joe McCort ... son of Bill Fuller and Megan Mitchell ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FULLER'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Sports Illustrated Honorable Mention All-American (2014) • Notre Dame Offensive Player of the Year (2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.12.2014)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games ... started three contests, Oklahoma (Sept. 28), USC (Oct. 19) and Air Force (Oct. 26) ... had six catches on the year for 160 yards (26.7 average) and a TD ... also had two carries for eight yards ... caught a 14-yard pass at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... hauled in two passes for 93 yards at Air Force, including his first career TD reception ... catches at Air Force were good for 46 and 47 yards ... made a five-yard catch against USC ... caught an 11-yard pass against Oklahoma ... first career catch was good for 37 yards in the win over eventual Big Ten champion Michigan State (Sept. 21).
BOWL HISTORY
FULLER'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Game Touchdown Receptions (Nov. 15, 2014 vs. Northwestern, 3, t-2nd) • Single-Season Touchdown Receptions (2014, 14, 4th) • Single-Season Receptions (2014, 71, 7th) • Single-Season 100-Yard Receiving Games (2014, 4, t-8th) • Single-Season Receiving Yards (2014, 1,037, 9th) • Single-Season Touchdowns (2014, 14, t-11th) • Career Touchdown Receptions (2013-, 15, t-10th) • Career 100-Yard Receiving Games (2013-, 4, t-11th)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
7
COACHES & STAFF
WR • 6-0 • 180 • So. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Roman Catholic)
THE FIGHTING IRISH
WILL FULLER
GAME NOTES
RUSHING RECEIVING ALL 2013 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE Temple 5 14 0 8 1 9 0 9 23 at Michigan Did Not Play at Purdue 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Michigan State 4 12 0 5 0 0 0 0 12 Oklahoma 2 43 0 36 0 0 0 0 43 vs. Arizona State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 USC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 at Air Force 11 47 0 16 0 0 0 0 47 Navy 18 140 1 15 0 0 0 0 140 at Pittsburgh 4 13 0 5 0 0 0 0 13 *BYU 13 78 1 43 1 5 0 5 83 at Stanford 14 50 0 15 0 0 0 0 50 *vs. Rutgers 17 73 1 12 3 21 0 15 94 TOTALS 88 470 3 43 5 35 0 15 505 * - games started
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Started at wide receiver in all 12 regular-season games ... leads Notre Dame in receptions (71), receiving yards (1,037) and receiving TDs (14) ... ranks second in the FBS in TD catches, tied for 20th in total TD (14), 17th in receiving yards, 21st in receiving yards per game (86.4) and 30th in receptions per game (5.9) ... his 14 TD receptions, 71 catches and 1,037 receiving yards are the most in single-season school history by a sophomore ... eight of his 14 TD catches this season have gone for at least 20 yards ... has at least one touchdown catch in 10 of the 12 games this year ... has three multi-receiving TD games this season ... eclipsed 100 yards receiving in four games, including two of the last three regular-season contests ... has a catch of at least 30 yards in seven of Notre Dame’s 12 games in 2014 ... had two of Notre Dame's five receptions of at least 50 yards ... fourth player in school history with a pair of TD receptions of 72 yards or longer (Nick Eddy, 1964, Tim Brown, 1986, and Golden Tate, 2009) ... had five of the Irish 11 receptions of at least 40 yards ... registered 19 receptions of at least 20 yards ... 48 of his 71 receptions went for a first down or touchdown ... 14 of his 16 third-down receptions went for a first down or touchdown ... his 15 career TD grabs already rank 11th in school history ... opened the season with a TD grab in four straight games -- longest streak to open a season for the Irish since Jeff Samardzija began the 2005 season with a TD in each of the first eight games ... paced the Irish receiving group with four catches for 85 yards, including a 75-yard TD pass from Everett Golson, in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... the 75-yard TD grab was the longest at Notre Dame Stadium since Michael Floyd had an 80-yard TD catch against Western Michigan Oct. 16, 2010 ... against Michigan (Sept. 6), had nine catches for 89 yards, including a 24-yard TD grab that gave the Irish a 21-0 lead just before halftime ... hauled in six catches for 51 yards, including a six-yard TD pass from Golson on Notre Dame's opening drive against Purdue (Sept. 13) ... hauled in six catches for 119 yards and two TDs, including a 72-yard strike from Golson ... that marked first career 100-yard receiving game ... against Syracuse (Sept. 27), hauled in a career-best nine receptions for 89 yards ... registered three catches for 27 yards in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... registered his second career multi-TD reception game in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... caught seven passes for a career-best 133 yards (second career 100-yard receiving day) ... tied for the team lead with his eight grabs at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... amassed 79 receiving yards against the Seminoles, including an 11-yard TD grab ... had three catches for 16 yards, including a four-yard TD pass vs. Navy (Nov. 1) ... registered a team-high six receptions for 95 yards and a nine-yard TD at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... recorded a 44-yard grab against the Sun Devils ... caught a career-high three TD passes vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... had nine catches for 159 yards (his third 100-yard receiving game of the season) against the Wildcats, both career highs ... his 159 receiving yards were the most since DaVaris Daniels collected 167 yards against Purdue on September 14, 2013 ... recorded the first threereceiving TD game for the Irish since 2010 when Michael Floyd had a hat trick against Western Michigan ... had five catches for 109 yards, including a 48-yard grab and a 28-yard TD reception, against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... second straight contest and fourth time this season in which Fuller totaled over 100 receiving yards ... registered five catches for 75 yards, including a 26-yard grab, at USC (Nov. 29).
MEDIA INFORMATION
FOLSTON'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS RUSHING RECEIVING ALL 2014 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE Rice 12 71 0 19 0 0 0 0 71 *Michigan 9 17 0 6 0 0 0 0 17 *vs. Purdue 9 22 0 12 2 26 0 16 48 *vs. Syracuse 9 41 0 14 2 25 0 18 66 Stanford 3 14 0 7 1 6 0 6 20 North Carolina 18 98 2 20 5 71 1 37 169 *at Florida State 21 120 0 20 0 0 0 0 120 *vs. Navy 20 149 1 26 2 38 0 30 187 *at Arizona State 11 30 0 8 0 0 0 0 30 *Northwestern 20 106 1 13 2 -1 0 0 105 *Louisville 18 134 1 26 0 0 0 0 134 *at USC 4 14 0 9 2 13 0 14 27 TOTALS 154 816 5 26 16 178 1 37 994 * - games started
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The Fighting Irish RUSHING 2013 2014 TOTALS TOTAL OFFENSE 2013 2014 TOTALS SCORING 2013 2014 TOTALS
ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2 8 0 5 4.0 0.6 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2 8 0 5 4.0 0.3 RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 8 0 8 0.6 0 0 0 0.0 8 0 8 0.3 TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 14 0 14 0 0 0 0 84 7.0 15 0 15 0 0 0 0 90 3.6
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 8 160 0 0 0 168 12.9 0 1037 0 0 0 1037 86.4 8 1197 0 0 0 1205 48.2
TACKLES 2013 2014 TOTALS
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 0.0 0 0 0 0
FULLER’S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS RECEIVING 2014 NO. YDS TD LG *Rice 4 85 1 75 *Michigan 9 89 1 24 *vs. Purdue 6 51 1 17 *vs. Syracuse 6 119 2 72 *Stanford 3 27 0 11 *North Carolina 7 133 2 35 *at Florida State 8 79 1 30 *vs. Navy 3 16 1 11 *at Arizona State 6 95 1 44 *Northwestern 9 159 3 42 *Louisville 5 109 1 48 *at USC 5 75 0 26 TOTALS 71 1037 14 75 * - games started RECEIVING 2013 NO. YDS TD LG Temple 0 0 0 0 at Michigan 0 0 0 0 at Purdue 0 0 0 0 Michigan State 1 37 0 37 *Oklahoma 1 11 0 11 vs. Arizona State 0 0 0 0 *USC 1 5 0 5 *at Air Force 2 93 1 47 Navy 0 0 0 0 at Pittsburgh 1 14 0 14 BYU 0 0 0 0 at Stanford 0 0 0 0 vs. Rutgers 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 6 160 1 47 * - games started
EVERETT GOLSON
QB • 6-0 • 200 • Sr. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Myrtle Beach)
5
GOLSON'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Game Consecutive Completions (Sept. 27, 2014 vs. Syracuse, 25, 1st) • Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns by Quarterback (Aug. 30, 2014 vs. Rice, 3, t-1st) • Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns by Quarterback (Nov. 1, 2014 vs. Navy, 3, t-1st) • Single-Game Points Responsibility (Nov. 1, 2014 vs. Navy, 36, 2nd) • Single-Game Passing Yards (Nov. 8, 2014 at Arizona State, 446, 5th) • Single-Game Passing Yards Per Attempt (Aug. 30, 2014 vs. Rice, 13.41, 5th) • Single-Game Completions (Sept. 27, 2014 vs. Syracuse, 32, t-5th) • Single-Game Total Offensive Yards (Nov. 8, 2014 at Arizona State, 435, 7th) • Single-Game Passing Touchdowns (Sept. 27, 2014 vs. Syracuse, 4, t-7th) • Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns (Aug. 30, 2014 vs. Rice, 3, t-7th) • Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns (Nov. 1, 2014 vs. Navy, 3, t-7th) • Single-Game Pass Attempts (Oct. 18, 2014 at Florida State, 52, t-7th) • Single-Game Completion Percentage (Sept. 27, 2014 vs. Syracuse, 82.1, 8th) • Single-Game Completions (Oct. 18, 2014 at Florida State, 31, t-8th) • Single-Season Consecutive Completions (2014, 25, 1st) • Single-Season Two-Point Conversions (2014, 2, t-1st) • Single-Season Total Offensive Yards Per Game (2014, 302.7, 2nd) • Single-Season Points Responsibility Per Game (2014, 18.8, 1st) • Single-Season Pass Attempts Per Game (2014, 34.7, 4th) • Single-Season Points Responsibility (2014, 226, 2nd) • Single-Season 300-Yard Passing Games (2014, 5, t-2nd) • Single-Season Completions Per Game (2014, 20.8, 4th) • Single-Season Passing Yards Per Game (2014, 279.6, 3rd) • Single-Season Total Offensive Yards (2014, 3,632, 2nd) • Single-Season Touchdown Passes (2014, 29, 3rd) • Single-Season Total Offensive Plays (2014, 529, 2nd) • Single-Season Pass Completions (2014, 250, 6th) • Single-Season Passing Yards (2014, 3,355, 4th) • Single-Season Pass Attempts (2014, 416, 5th) • Single-Season Completion Percentage (2014, 60.1, 10th) • Single-Season Pass Completions (2012, 187, 9th) • Single-Season Total Offensive Plays (2012, 412, 9th) • Single-Season 300-Yard Passing Games (2012, 1, t-9th) • Single-Season Pass Attempts (2012, 318, 10th) • Single-Season Total Offensive Yards (2012, 2,703, 10th) • Lowest Career Interception Percentage (2012, 2014-, 2.72, 5th) • Lowest Single-Season Interception Percentage (2012, 1.89, 7th) • Career Points Responsibility Per Game (2012, 2014-, 13.9, 1st) • Career Total Offensive Yards Per Game (2012, 2014-, 264.0, 1st) • Career Passing Yards Per Game (2012, 2014-, 240.0, t-1st) • Career Pass Attempts Per Game (2012, 2014-, 30.6, 3rd) • Career Pass Completions Per Game (2012, 2014-, 18.2, 3rd) • Career Completion Percentage (2012, 2014-, 59.5, 4th) • Career 300-Yard Passing Games (2012, 2014-, 6, 4th) • Career Passing Efficiency (2012, 2014-, 138.4, 5th) • Career Total Offensive Yards Per Attempt (2012, 2014-, 6.87, t-5th) • Career Touchdown Passes (2012, 2014-, 41, t-5th) • Career Pass Completions (2012, 2014-, 437, 6th) • Career Pass Attempts (2012, 2014-, 734, 6th) • Career Passing Yards (2012, 2014-, 5,760, 7th) • Career Points Responsibility (2012, 2014-, 334, 6th) • Career Total Offensive Yards (2012, 2014-, 6,335, 7th) • Career Total Offensive Plays (2012, 2014-, 941, 7th) • Career Passing Yards Per Attempt (2012, 2014-, 7.85, t-9th) • Consecutive Victories To Open Starting Career (2012, 10, t-2nd)
60 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 60
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The Fighting Irish
THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Was not enrolled at the University during the fall semester. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Appeared in 12 games ... started 11 games and led the Irish to victories in 10 contests ... the 10 straight wins to open his starting career were the second most in school history ... first quarterback in school history to lead the Irish to road victories over top-10 foes in his first two road starts ... completed 58.8 percent of his passes (187 of 318) for 2,405 yards and 12 TDs with six interceptions ... also rushed for 298 yards, the most by an Irish signal caller since Carlyle Holiday had 666 yards in 2001 ... joined Joe Theismann (1970) and Jarious Jackson (1999) as the only Irish quarterbacks to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 300 in one season ... registered team-high six rushing TDs ... the six rushing TDs were the most by an Irish quarterback since Jarious Jackson had seven in 1999 ... passed for at least 200 yards in six games, including each of the last five games ...
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Started all 12 regular-season games ... ranks eighth in the FBS in point responsibility (224), ninth in point responsibility per game (18.8), 11th in passing TDs (29), 17th in total offense (302.7), 13th in passing yards (3,355), 13th in passing yards per game (279.6), 21st in completions per game (20.83), 23rd in passing yards per attempt (8.06), 31st in passing efficiency (144.1), 25th in passing yards per completion (13.42), 48th in completions percentage (60.1) and 80th in rushing TDs (eight) ... fourth quarterback in school history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in a single season ... owns a 17-6 (.739) record as a starting quarterback at Notre Dame ... threw for at least three TD passes in six of Notre Dame's 12 regular-season games, tossing four against Syracuse (Sept. 27) and three against Michigan (Sept. 6), North Carolina (Oct. 11), Florida State (Oct. 18), Navy (Nov. 1) and Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... threw for at least two TDs in 11 of 12 regular-season games and 14 times in his Irish career ... has eclipsed 300 yards passing six times in his career and five times in 2014 (only three other Irish passers have more 300-yard games) ... threw for at least 200 yards in 11 of 12 regular-season games and 16 of the last 17 contests overall ... threw 29 TD passes in the regular season, which ranks fourth in single-season school history ... ranks third on the team with 277 rushing yards and tops the Irish with eight rushing TDs ... his eight rushing TDs are third best in single-season QB school history -- only Rick Mirer (1991) and Tony Rice (1988) have collected more and each registered nine ... his eight rushing TDs tie for 14th in the nation among quarterbacks ... responsible for 68.1 percent of Notre Dame's yards this season ... one of four Notre Dame quarterbacks with at least six career 300-yard games, joining Brady Quinn, Jimmy Clausen and Tommy Rees ... responsible for 37 TDs over Notre Dame's first 12 games (29 TD passes and eight TD runs) ... his 18.8 points responsibility per game to date eclipses Brady Quinn's school record of 18.0 set in 2006 ... started the season opener against Rice (Aug. 30) .. completed 14 of 22 passes for 295 yards and two TDs (three dropped passes and three throw-a-ways were included among his eight incomplete passes) ... added 41 yards rushing and three TDs, which tied the Notre Dame
GAME NOTES
GOLSON'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 18, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 TDs: 3, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Rush attempts: 16, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014; vs. Purdue, Sept. 8, 2012 Rush yards: 78, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (10 carries) Rush TDs: 3, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014; vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Long rush: 61, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Pass attempts: 52, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 Pass completions: 32, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Pass yards: 446, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Pass TDs: 4, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Had intercepted: 4, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Long pass: 78, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Total offense attempts: 63, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 (11 rush, 52 pass) Total offense yards: 435, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (-11 rush, 446 pass) All-purpose yards: 78, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Tackles: 1, Michigan, Sept. 22, 2012 (0-1)
record by a quarterback ... three rushing TDs by an Irish quarterback had been accomplished twice before, first by Paul Hornung against North Carolina (Nov. 17, 1956) and again by Jarious Jackson against Stanford (Oct. 3, 1998) ... no Irish player, regardless of position, had run for three TDs in a game since Jonas Gray scored three times on the ground against Navy (Oct. 29, 2011) ... his 75-yard TD pass to Will Fuller was the longest of his career and also was the longest TD pass at Notre Dame Stadium since Dayne Crist hit Michael Floyd for an 80-yard TD against Western Michigan (Oct. 16, 2010) ... also threw the second-longest TD of his career, a 53-yard strike to C.J. Prosise, with five seconds remaining in the first half ... equaled his then career high with three touchdown passes in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... completed 23 of 34 passes for 226 yards and no interceptions against the Wolverines ... completed 25 of 40 passes for 259 yards and two TDs in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... ran for 56 yards on 14 carries against the Boilermakers ... led Notre Dame in rushing vs. Purdue (first Irish quarterback to lead the team in rushing since Andrew Hendrix in 2011) ... completed a then career-high 25 passes against Purdue ... went 32 of 39 for 362 yards and four TDs in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... completed 25 consecutive passes between the second and fourth quarters, falling one shy of matching the Football Bowl Subdivision record established by Dominique Davis of East Carolina against Navy on Oct. 22, 2011 ... the 25 consecutive completions shattered the school record of 14, a mark established by Ron Powlus against Michigan State (Sept. 20, 1997) and matched by Brady Quinn against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2, 2006) and Tommy Rees against Maryland (Nov. 12, 2011) ... his 32 completions were a career high and tied for the fifth-best single-game showing in school history (most by a Notre Dame passer since Tommy Rees completed 34 passes against Tulsa on Oct. 30, 2010) ... his 362 passing yards were the most by an Irish signal caller since Dayne Crist threw for 369 in an overtime loss to Michigan State on Sept. 18, 2010 ... his completion percentage of 82.1 ranked eighth in single-game school history ... his late first-quarter interception against the Orange snapped a streak of 120 consecutive pass attempts without an interception (dating back to the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama on Jan. 7, 2013) ... threw for 241 yards and ran for another 34 in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... added a pair of TD passes ... led the Irish on a nineplay, 65-yard gamewinning TD drive in the waning minutes against the Cardinal ... hooked up with Ben Koyack on fourth and 11 for a 23-yard TD pass with 1:01 left in the fourth quarter ... completed 21 of 38 passes for 300 yards and three TDs in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... did throw an interception and fumbled, but also ran for a season-high 71 yards ... threw for at least three TDs in a game for the fourth time in his career ... stood toe to toe with 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston in a tight game at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... completed 31 of 52 passes for 313 yards with three TDs and a pair of interceptions against the Seminoles ... also gained 33 yards on the ground in Tallahassee ... in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1), became the first Irish quarterback in school history to throw for three TDs and run for three TDs in the same game ... his three rushing TDs equaled the school record for a quarterback, shared by Paul Hornung (vs. North Carolina, 1956), Jarious Jackson (vs. Stanford, 1998) and himself earlier this season against Rice (Aug. 30) ... Golson's three TDs passing give him six career games with at least three TD passes and five this season ... completed 18 of 25 passes for 315 yards and added 33 yards rushing vs. Navy ... completed 22 of 41 passes for 446 yards and two TDs at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... his 446 passing yards were the fifth most in school history and the most since Jimmy Clausen threw for 452 against Navy on Nov. 7, 2009 ... completed passes to 10 different receivers vs. the Sun Devils with three (Will Fuller-95, Amir Carlisle-92 and C.J. Prosise-85) gaining at least 85 yards ... registered 11 passing plays of at least 21 yards, including five of at least 30 yards ... threw a career-worst four interceptions against Arizona State ... completed 21 of 40 passes for 287 yards and three TDs (added 78 yards rushing, including a 61-yard TD run) against Northwestern on Nov. 15 ... his 61-yard rush was the longest run of the season by Notre Dame and the longest TD run by a Notre Dame quarterback since Carlyle Holiday scored from 67 yards out against Pittsburgh on Oct. 6, 2001 ... completed 16 of 24 passes for 236 yards and two TDs against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... efficiency rating of 168.4 was by far the best against Louisville in 2014 (minimum 20 passes), topping the 130.4 posted by Florida State's Jameis Winston ... completed just seven of his 18 passes for 75 yards at USC (Nov. 29).
MEDIA INFORMATION
GOLSON'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Maxwell Award Watch List (2014) • Maxwell Award Semifinalist (2014) • Davey O'Brien Award Watch List (2014) • Davey O'Brien Award Semifinalist (2014) • Walter Camp Award Watch List (2014) • Manning Award Stars of the Week (11.3.2014) • FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (11.3.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Offensive Player of the Week (11.3.2014) • College Football Performance Awards National Quarterback of the Week (11.3.2014) • Davey O'Brien Award Co-Quarterback of the Week (10.21.2014) • FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.20.2014) • FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (10.6.2014) • FBS Independent Offensive Player of the Week (9.29.2014) • Athlon Independent Player of the Week (9.29.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Offensive Player of the Week (9.29.2014) • Davey O'Brien Award QB of the Week Honorable Mention (9.29.2014) • Davey O'Brien Award Quarterback of the Week Honorable Mention (9.9.2014) • Athlon Independent Player of the Week (9.8.2014) • Manning Award Stars of the Week (9.2.2014) • Athlon Independent Player of the Week (9.2.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Offensive Player of the Week (9.2.2014)
61 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 61
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The Fighting Irish tossed multiple TD passes in three games, each over the last five outings ... recorded both a rushing TD and passing TD in the same game on four occasions (Purdue, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Boston College) ... first Irish signal caller to lead his team to a victory over a top-10 opponent in his first career road start since Kevin McDougal on Sept. 11, 1993 ... threw for 317 yards in the first half against Wake Forest (Nov. 17), which is the most yards passing ever for a Notre Dame quarterback in the first half ... bested the previous record of 300 set by Jimmy Clausen in the opening half of the 2008 Hawai'i Bowl against Hawai'i ... his 317 yards passing in the opening half is the second most in any half in school history as Jimmy Clausen had 340 in the second stanza against Navy in 2009 ... finished 20 of 30 for 346 yards and three TDs ... the 346 yards passing was the most by an Irish signal caller since Dayne Crist (368) against Michigan State on Sept. 18, 2010 ... only one Notre Dame quarterback in his first season of competition has ever passed for more yards in a game (Brady Quinn, 350 yards vs. Boston College as a true freshman in 2003) ... only six Notre Dame quarterbacks have ever passed for more yards in a game (Terry Hanratty, Theismann, Joe Montana and Dayne Crist - all once; Clausen - five times; Quinn - six times) ... tossed a career-best three TD passes, all in the opening half against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) ... 12 of his first 14 completions against Wake Forest resulted in first downs - the only two completions that did not result in first downs - a nine-yard pass play to John Goodman and two-yard TD pass to Tyler Eifert ... completed 21 of 31 passes for 289 yards and scored two TDs, one of which was on the ground, in the victory over Purdue (Sept. 8) ... the 289 yards passing were the second most by a Notre Dame quarterback making his first start in Notre Dame Stadium ... Hanratty owns the record with 304 in a 26-14 victory against No. 6 Purdue in 1966, and Golson just nudged ahead of Tom Clements' 1972 effort of 287 yards in a 35-14 Irish win against the Boilermakers ... threw for 186 yards and ran for another 51 in the victory over Miami (Oct. 6) ... completed 17 of 22 passes, including 15 of his first 20 for 153 yards in the first half alone against the Hurricanes ... connected passes to eight different receivers before halftime ... rushed for 45 yards on four carries in the opening 15 minutes against the Hurricanes ... completed all six of his passes for 75 yards in the first quarter against Miami ... ran for 64 yards and threw for 177 more as the Irish knocked off No. 8 Oklahoma, 30-13 ... completed 13 of 25 passes, including three on third-down throws ... recorded a then career-long 50-yard pass to Chris Brown in the fourth quarter against the Sooners ... went nine of 18 for 94 yards and two TDs in the fourth quarter to help the Irish rally from a 20-6 fourth-quarter deficit against Pittsburgh (Nov. 3) ... threw for 105 yards and two TDs in the fourth quarter and overtime sessions; also ran for 59 yards on nine carries, including a TD and two-point conversion ... accounted for 164 of Notre Dame's 223 total yards in the fourth quarter and overtime (73.5 percent) against the Panthers ... rushed for a career-best 74 yards against Pittsburgh ... had the game-winning rushing TD - a one-yard plunge on the final play of overtime ... against Boston College (Nov. 10), threw for 200 yards and scored three TDs (two of them rushing) as the team claimed a 21-6 victory ... came out of the locker room in the opening quarter on fire against USC (Nov. 24) ... completed seven of eight passes for 100 yards ... his only incompletion was a throwaway on third down out of the end zone ... completed 21 of 36 pass attempts for 270 yards with one TD and one interception vs. Alabama in BCS National Championship Game ... scored a TD on a two-yard rush ... completed 13 of 20 passes for 177 yards with one TD and one interception in the second half vs. Alabama. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Finalist for Mr. Football of South Carolina in 2010 ... ranked sixth all-time in national high school history with 151 career TD passes ... tabbed SCPrep.com co-player of year following senior season in 2010 ... rated 79th-best player in nation for 2010 by MaxPreps ... named SuperPrep All-American in 2010 ... selected to allSouthern first-team offense in 2010 by Orlando Sentinel ... named second-team all-state by SCVarsity.com in 2010 ... led South Carolina to victory in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas ... ranked 16th on Rivals.com dual-threat quarterback list ... rated 12th on Rivals.com South Carolina postseason top 30 list ... finished 44-5 in his career as starting quarterback at Myrtle Beach High School in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ... threw for 11,634 yards and 151 TDs in his career ... led Myrtle Beach to 14-1 record and South Carolina Class AAA state championship vs. South Pointe in 2010 ... missed half of 2010 season due to injury, but still threw for 1,770 yards and 25 TDs as a senior ... led Myrtle Beach to South Carolina Class AAA state runner-up finish in junior season in 2009, completing 224 of 356 passes for 3,529 yards with 47 TDs and three interceptions ... named MaxPreps junior All-American in 2009 ... 2009 Associated Press South Carolina all-state selection ... two-time recipient of WPDE Zoneman award as top player in Florence/Myrtle Beach area in 2008 and 2009 ... as a sophomore in 2008 guided Myrtle Beach to 13-1 record and South Carolina Class AAA State Championship, throwing for 3,570 yards with 44 TDs and 10 interceptions ... led Seahawks to 12-1 record as a freshman in 2007 and completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 2,765 yards with 35 TDs and 11 interceptions ... played point guard for Myrtle Beach basketball team and led team to 2008 South Carolina Class AAA state championship ... named all-state in basketball by South Carolina basketball coaches association after averaging 19.6 points, 5.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game as junior in 2009-10 ... plays piano and drums with his father at Mount Olive AME Church ... played piano at Champs Sports Bowl luncheon talent show ... graduated from high school in December 2010 and enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2011 ... played for coach Mickey Wilson at Myrtle Beach High School ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-entrepreneurship.
GOLSON'S CAREER STATS PASSING G-GS CMP-ATT-INT YARDS TD LONG 2012 12-11 187-318-6 2405 12 50 2014 12-12 250-416-14 3355 29 78 TOTALS 24-23 437-734-20 5760 41 78 RUSHING 2012 2014 TOTALS TOTAL OFFENSE 2012 2014 TOTALS SCORING 2012 2014 TOTALS ALL PURPOSE 2012 2014 TOTALS
ATT YARDS 94 298 113 277 207 575
TD 6 8 14
PCT AVG/P AVG/G EFFIC 58.8 7.6 200.4 131.0 60.1 8.1 279.6 144.1 59.5 7.8 240.0 138.4
LONG AVG/C AVG/G 27 3.2 24.8 61 2.5 23.1 61 2.8 24.0
RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 298 2405 2703 225.2 277 3355 3632 302.7 575 5760 6335 264.0 TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 6 6 0 0 0 1 0 38 3.2 8 8 0 0 0 1 0 50 4.2 14 14 0 0 0 2 0 88 3.7 RUSH RCV 298 0 277 0 575 0
PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 298 24.8 0 0 0 277 23.1 0 0 0 575 24.0
GOLSON’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS PASSING RUSHING 2014 CMP-ATT-INT YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG *Rice 14-22-0 295 2 75 12 41 3 14 *Michigan 23-34-0 226 3 24 3 -14 0 1 *vs. Purdue 25-40-0 259 2 32 14 56 1 15 *vs. Syracuse 32-39-2 362 4 72 10 21 0 22 *Stanford 20-43-1 241 2 26 7 34 0 33 *North Carolina 21-38-1 300 3 37 12 71 0 17 *at Florida State 31-52-2 313 3 30 11 33 0 12 *vs. Navy 18-25-1 315 3 78 9 33 3 12 *at Arizona State 22-41-4 446 2 59 16 -11 0 13 *Northwestern 21-40-1 287 3 42 10 78 1 61 *Louisville 16-24-1 236 2 48 6 -48 0 5 *at USC 7-18-1 75 0 23 3 -14 0 0 TOTALS 250-416-14 3355 29 78 113 277 8 61 * - games started PASSING RUSHING 2012 CMP-ATT-INT YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG *vs. Navy 12-18-1 144 1 35 1 -8 0 0 *Purdue 21-31-0 289 1 41 16 -10 1 8 *at Michigan State 14-32-0 178 1 36 3 7 1 6 *Michigan 3-8-2 30 0 16 1 0 0 0 vs. Miami 17-22-0 186 0 24 6 51 0 15 *Stanford 12-24-0 141 1 24 15 41 0 23 BYU Did Not Play *at Oklahoma 13-25-0 177 0 50 11 64 1 16 *Pittsburgh 23-42-1 227 2 45 15 74 1 27 *at Boston College 16-24-0 200 2 23 11 39 1 10 *Wake Forest 20-30-1 346 3 50 1 0 0 0 *at USC 15-26-0 217 0 36 9 47 0 12 *vs. Alabama 21-36-1 270 1 31 5 -7 1 5 TOTALS 187-318-6 2405 12 50 94 298 6 27 * - games started
62 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 62
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The Fighting Irish LB • 6-2.5 • 253 • Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio (Colerain)
59
GRACE'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Butkus Award Watch List (2014) • Notre Dame Rockne Student-Athlete Award (2013)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season.
KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 12 0 12 0.9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 12 0 12 0.6
GRACE’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU BLK Rice Did Not Play - Injury Michigan Did Not Play - Injury vs. Purdue Did Not Play - Injury vs. Syracuse Did Not Play - Injury Stanford Did Not Play - Injury North Carolina Did Not Play - Injury at Florida State Did Not Play - Injury vs. Navy Did Not Play - Injury at Arizona State Did Not Play - Injury Northwestern Did Not Play - Injury Louisville Did Not Play - Injury at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 * - games started
2012 UT-AT TT vs. Navy 3-1 4 Purdue 0-0 0 at Michigan State 0-0 0 Michigan 0-0 0 vs. Miami 0-1 1 Stanford 1-0 1 BYU 0-1 1 at Oklahoma 0-0 0 Pittsburgh 1-0 1 at Boston College 0-0 0 Wake Forest 1-2 3 at USC 1-0 1 vs. Alabama 0-0 0 TOTALS 7-5 12 * - games started
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0
1
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR Temple 4-3 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Michigan 2-1 3 1.0-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Purdue 6-4 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Michigan State 0-8 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Oklahoma 3-6 9 0.0-0 0-0.0 0 0-0 *vs. Arizona State 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 USC Did Not Play - Injury at Air Force Did Not Play - Injury Navy Did Not Play - Injury at Pittsburgh Did Not Play - Injury BYU Did Not Play - Injury at Stanford Did Not Play - Injury vs. Rutgers Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 17-23 40 1.0-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 * - games started
BOWL HISTORY
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team Associated Press Division I Ohio allstate linebacker as a senior in 2010 ... Greater Miami Conference defensive player of the year for 2010 ... helped Colerain High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, to 11-1 record and GMC cochampionship in 2010, with only loss coming by 24-23 count to St. Xavier in second round of Ohio state playoffs ... regional playoff win over Hamilton marked 59th straight Colerain victory at home ... made 92 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and added four sacks and four passes broken up in 2010 ... had 15 tackles in 48-6 win over Oak Hills to end the regular season ... Cincinnati Enquirer first-team Division I All-Star at linebacker for both 2010 and 2009 ... also an Associated Press Ohio first-team all-Southwest district selection and an Cincinnati Enquirer all-GMC first-team linebacker ... made team-leading 95 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, caused five fumbles and had four sacks and two interceptions as a junior in 2009 ... all-league middle linebacker in 2009 when he led team to eight straight wins to end season ... secondteam all-Ohio Central District as a junior ... . had 10 tackles and recovered a fumble as a sophomore in 2008 ... made five tackles, one tackle for loss and a fumble recovery in OffenseDefense All-American Bowl in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while playing with future Irish classmate Eilar Hardy ... three-year letterwinner in football ... four-year letterwinner in both basketball and track and field ... earned one letter in tennis (only time ever playing the sport) ... received 2010 Colerain Multi-Sport Award as he earned 11 varsity letters in high school career ... captured the "That’s Our Boy" award from the Southwest Ohio National Football Foundation ... received the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete Award ... named a Buckeye Blue Chip award winner by the TD Club of Columbus ... won the 2010 Colerain LaRosa MVP Male Athlete of the Year ... graduated top 10 in his class and summa cum laude ... played for coach Tom Bolden at Colerain High School ... son of Joel and Monica Grace ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting.
RUSH RCV PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in all 13 games, predominantly on multiple special teams ... registered 12 tackles, seven of them solo stops ... led Notre Dame with 10 special teams tackles, including eight on kickoff returns and two on punt returns ... the eight tackles on kickoff returns led all Irish players ... only Nicky Baratti (three) recorded more tackles on punt returns ... registered four tackles against Navy (Sept. 1) ... recorded one tackle apiece against Miami (Oct. 6), Stanford (Oct. 13), BYU (Oct. 20) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 3) ... credited with three tackles against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) ... closed out the regular season with one solo tackle against USC (Nov. 24).
ALL PURPOSE 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 12 12.0 0.9 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 12 12.0 0.6
COACHES & STAFF
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in each of the first six games before missing the rest of the season with a broken leg suffered vs. Arizona State (Oct. 5) ... started the last three of those contests, vs. Michigan State (Sept. 21), Oklahoma (Sept. 28) and the Sun Devils ... his 40 tackles tied for the team lead at the time of his injury ... also broke up a pass and had one tackle for loss ... led Notre Dame in tackles in two of his five complete games played ... made three stops against Arizona State before breaking his leg ... recorded nine stops against Oklahoma ... matched Carlo Calabrese for the team lead with eight tackles against Michigan State ... topped the Irish with 10 tackles in the win at Purdue (Sept. 14) ... had a TFL among his three stops at Michigan (Sept. 7) ... started the season with a seven-tackle effort against Temple (Aug. 31).
G-GS NO. YARDS 13-0 1 12 6-3 0 0 0-0 0 0 19-3 1 12
THE FIGHTING IRISH
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Has yet to play this season ... still recovering from a leg injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2013 season.
KICK RETURNS 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
FR BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GAME NOTES
GRACE'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: 12, Purdue, Sept. 8, 2012 Kick returns: 1, Purdue, Sept. 8, 2012 Kick return yards: 12, Purdue, Sept. 8, 2012 (1 return) Long kick return: 12, Purdue, Sept. 8, 2012 Tackles: 10, at Purdue, Sept. 14, 2013 (6-4) Tackles for loss: 1.0, at Michigan, Sept. 7, 2013 (1-0) Pass breakups: 1, at Purdue, Sept. 14, 2013
GRACE'S CAREER STATS TACKLES UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 2012 7 5 12 0.0-0 0 0 2013 17 23 40 1.0-3 1 0 2014 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 TOTALS 24 28 52 1.0-3 1 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
JARRETT GRACE
63 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 63
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The Fighting Irish
CONOR HANRATTY OL • 6-4.5 • 310 • Sr. New Canaan, Connecticut (New Canaan)
65
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in 11 of the 12 regular-season games ... started each of the first three games of the season at left guard (Rice, Michigan and Purdue) ... missed the game at Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... has played on special teams or as a reserve lineman in each of the last eight games. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in each of the final six games, making four starts ... was Notre Dame's starter at right guard against BYU (Nov. 23) and Stanford (Nov. 30) ... made his first career start against Navy (Nov. 2) at left guard ... started at left guard in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed ... no team in the nation allowed fewer sacks and attempted more passes than Notre Dame (eight sacks on 429 pass attempts) in '13 in area of great improvement for the Fighting Irish ... in 2012, Notre Dame allowed more than twice as many sacks (18) on 41 fewer passing attempts (388) ... helped the Irish run the ball for a season-high 235 yards while not allowing a sack on 28 passing attempts in the victory over BYU (Nov. 23). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Played in six games (Navy, Michigan, Boston College, Wake Forest, USC and Alabama) on special teams and as a reserve offensive lineman. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked third-best player in Connecticut by Rivals. com ... named first-team all-state by Connecticut High School Coaches Association as a senior in 2010 ... selected all-Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference ... landed on 2010 Walter Camp Foundation All-Connecticut Team ... tabbed one of top 30 players in Connecticut for 2010 by New Haven Register ... second-team offensive selection for MaxPreps Junior All-American Team in 2009 ... named first-team all-state as a junior by Connecticut High School Football Coaches Association and New Haven Register ... aided New Canaan High School in New Canaan, Connecticut, to 11-2 record as a senior in 2010 ... assisted offense in rushing for 233 yards against Trinity Catholic in 48-8 victory in 2010 ... helped open rushing lanes as New Canaan gained 292 rushing yards in 49-0 triumph over Seymour in 2010 ... started as a sophomore and junior in 2008 and 2009 and helped guide New Canaan to Connecticut state titles both years ... threw discus for first time on track and field team as junior in 2010 ... father, Terry, played as starting quarterback at Notre Dame from 1966-68 and was sophomore standout on 1966 Irish national championship squad ... Terry earned consensus All-America honors as a senior in 1968 and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting ... Terry set Notre Dame career marks for pass completions, passing yards and passing TDs, completing 304 of 550 career passes for 4,152 yards and 27 TDs ... Terry was second-round 1969 NFL Draft selection (30th overall pick) and went on to play for NFL Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969-75 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976 ... played for coach Lou Marinelli at New Canaan High School ... son of Terry and Kelly Hanratty ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting. HANRATTY'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 6-0 2013 6-4 2014 11-3 TOTALS 23-7
EILAR HARDY
S • 5-11.5 • 202 • Sr. Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Pickerington Central)
4
HARDY'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 8, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (5-3); BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (4-4) Tackles for loss: 1.0, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013 (1-0) SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in the final four games of the regular season (Arizona State, Northwestern, Louisville and USC) ... saw the majority of his game action on special teams before injuries to Austin Collinsworth and Max Redfield against USC ... registered a career-high equalling eight tackles against the Trojans ... recorded nine tackles on the season. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in 10 games, making starts at safety against both Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) and BYU (Nov. 23) ... recorded 26 tackles, including 14 solos ... contributed one tackle for loss ... his two starts accounted for 15 of his 26 tackles on the year ... made a career-high eight tackles against BYU ... tackled seven Panthers at Pittsburgh ... recorded four tackles, including his first career TFL, against Navy (Nov. 2) ... posted a pair of solo stops at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... turned in a three-tackle day against USC (Oct. 19) ... shared on his first collegiate tackle at Michigan (Sept. 7). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Did not see any action during the season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see any action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team Associated Press Ohio Division I allstate pick as a defensive back for 2010 ... first-team defensive back on Columbus Dispatch all-metro team ... first-team defensive back on Associated Press Ohio Central All-District squad ... rated 209th on Rivals.com list of top 250 players nationally ... four-year starter at safety for Central High School in Pickerington, Ohio ... made 63 tackles as a senior in 2010 to go with five tackles for loss and six passes broken up ... intercepted four passes as a senior and returned one for a score ... also played at running back ... helped Pickerington Central to 11-1 record mark as a senior, with only loss coming 13-6 to Hilliard Davidson in Ohio state playoffs, with Hilliard Davidson becoming first team in nine games to score 10 or more points against Central defense ... rushed for 60 yards vs. Grove City ... scored on 70-yard punt return vs. Lancaster in win that also included 55-rushing yards and eight tackles ... scored on 37-yard rushing play and ran an interception back for a TD in first round of Ohio playoffs vs. Troy ... helped Central record six shutout wins in 2010 ... ran opening kickoff back 98 yards and later scored on 26-yard run in playoff win over Westerville South that also included six tackles on defense ... made 75 tackles, three interceptions and forced three fumbles as a junior in 2009 ... second-team defensive back on Associated Press Ohio All-Central District squad as junior in 2009 ... played cornerback in Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, playing along with future Irish classmate Jarrett Grace ... brother, Eisen, made 61 tackles and seven pass breakups as senior defensive back at Ohio Dominican in 2012 ... brother, Terrance Brown, played wide receiver at Michigan State in 1998-2001 ... played for coach Jay Sharrett at Pickerington Central High School ... son of Bill and Tina Hardy ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. HARDY'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2011 0-0 0 2012 0-0 0 2013 10-2 14 2014 4-0 6 TOTAL 14-2 20
A TOTAL TFL PD FF 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 12 26 1.0-2 0 0 3 9 0.0-0 0 0 15 35 1.0-2 0 0
FR BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
64 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 64
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The Fighting Irish INT
PBU BLK
JAY HAYES
DL • 6-3 • 265 • Fr. Brooklyn, New York (Poly Prep Country Day)
93
HAYES' CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 1, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0) 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0
0 0
0 0
MARK HARRELL
75
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in two regular-season games (Rice and Michigan) ... serves as the backup center ... also provides potential depth at either guard position. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action during the season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see any game action during the season.
FR
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
MATT HEGARTY
PBU BLK
0 0 0 0 0 0
77
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started the final 10 games, eight at the center position ... did not start in either of the first two games of the season (Rice and Michigan), but saw extensive playing time on special teams and right guard in a reserve role ... started for an injured Christian Lombard at right guard in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... Irish underwent overhaul on the offensive line prior to Syracuse (Sept. 27) and moved to center ... has remained in the starting lineup for each of the last eight games.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
HARRELL'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 0-0 2013 0-0 2014 2-0 TOTALS 2-0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
C • 6-4.5 • 295 • Sr. Aztec, New Mexico (Aztec)
INT
BOWL HISTORY
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team pick on MaxPreps 2011 U.S. Air Force All-American team as offensive lineman ... second-leading vote-getter among offensive linemen on 2011 Associated Press North Carolina all-state team ... first-team offensive lineman on all-Observer squad named by Charlotte Observer in both 2011 and 2010 ... rated 16th among North Carolina players by SuperPrep ... ranked 17th-best prospect in North Carolina and 25th-best offensive lineman in the nation by Rivals.com ... helped Catholic average 333 rushing yards and 43 points per game in 2011 to go with 5,197 yards of total offense and also played some at tight end ... two-time first-team all-Mecklenburg selection by Charlotte Observer in 2011 and 2010 for players in immediate Charlotte area ... three-time all-MEGA 7 3A/4A selection ... helped 2010 Catholic team to 14-1 record in junior campaign that featured 4,904 team rushing yards and included advancement to North Carolina Class 3AA playoff semifinals ... played in Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix ... chosen to play in North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl ... also played basketball and throw the shot in track and field ... coached by Jim Oddo at Charlotte Catholic High School ... son of Hayden and Carol Harrell ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in marketing.
HAYES' GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice Did Not Play Michigan Did Not Play vs. Purdue Did Not Play vs. Syracuse Did Not Play Stanford Did Not Play North Carolina Did Not Play at Florida State Did Not Play vs. Navy Did Not Play at Arizona State Did Not Play Northwestern Did Not Play Louisville 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 * - games started
2014 SEASON REVIEW
OL • 6-4 • 306 • Jr. Charlotte, North Carolina (Catholic)
HAYES' CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 2014 2-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0 0 0 0
COACHES & STAFF
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 192nd best player nationally by 247Sports and 233rd by Rivals.com and Scout.com ... named to USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA New York team for 2013 ... helped Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, New York, to 7-1 mark in 2013 as team outscored opponents 272-107 ... three-time first-team all-city pick by MSG Varsity ... all-Northeast Region preseason pick for 2013 ... first-team all-metro selection as a junior defensive tackle in 2012 ... named to MaxPreps U.S. Air Force Sophomore All-America second team ... all-city selection as a sophomore by New York Post ... played for United States Under-19 National team in International Bowl against Team Canada ... from same high school as former Irish center and current Tennessee Titan Eric Olsen, center JW Jordan and back Marcus Wilson ... helped teach football in BedfordStuyvesant communities via his participation with Gridiron Group led by former NFL defensive lineman Damian Gregory ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
FR INT PBU BLK 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in the final two regular-season games (Louisville and USC) ... spent most of his first year on Notre Dame's scout team ... moved off the scout team and into the regular defensive line rotation following the injuries to Jarron Jones and Sheldon Day ... picked up a solo tackle vs. Louisville (Nov. 22).
GAME NOTES
2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Temple 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Michigan 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Purdue Did Not Play Michigan State Did Not Play Oklahoma 0-0 0 0.0-0 0-0.0 0 vs. Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 USC 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Air Force 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Navy 2-2 4 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 *at Pittsburgh 4-3 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 *BYU 4-4 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Stanford Did Not Play vs. Rutgers 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 14-12 26 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 * - games started
FR
MEDIA INFORMATION
HARDY'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice Did Not Play Michigan Did Not Play vs. Purdue Did Not Play vs. Syracuse Did Not Play Stanford Did Not Play North Carolina Did Not Play at Florida State Did Not Play vs. Navy Did Not Play at Arizona State 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Northwestern 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at USC 5-3 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 6-3 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 * - games started
65 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 65
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The Fighting Irish JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in 12 games ... made first career start at Stanford (Nov. 30) as the Irish center in place of an injured Nick Martin ... started at center in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... saw action in every game except for Navy (Nov. 2) ... part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed ... no team in the nation allowed fewer sacks and attempted more passes than Notre Dame (eight sacks on 429 pass attempts) in '13 in area of great improvement for the Fighting Irish ... in 2012, Notre Dame allowed more than twice as many sacks (18) on 41 fewer passing attempts (388) ... helped the Irish run the ball for a season-high 235 yards while not allowing a sack on 28 passing attempts in the victory over BYU (Nov. 23) ... Michigan State entered the game against Notre Dame (Sept. 21) ranked 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks – averaging 3.0 per game, but the Irish did not allow a single sack in 34 pass attempts against the Spartans ... Notre Dame struggled to run the ball against Purdue (Sept. 14), but the Irish were successful on their final drive to run out the clock (ran for 42 yards on final drive; just 49 prior to the drive) ... Notre Dame ran the final 7:22 off the game clock and the Irish converted four third-down plays on the final drive ... Arizona State and Stanford both rank tied for seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks per game (3.08) yet the duo managed a combined one sack against the Irish. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in the first nine games, predominantly on the Irish special teams ... played behind veteran center Braxston Cave after moving positions in 2012 spring drills. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked 43rd nationally on Sporting News Top 100 list for 2010 ... rated 36th on ESPNU Top 150 list and 40th in Rivals.com national prospect rankings ... top-rated player out of New Mexico and sixth-best offensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... selected for Team USA vs. The World all-star game in Austin, Texas ... RivalsHigh.com second-team All-American ... finalist for Anthony Munoz Lineman of the Year Award at U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... named first-team all-state as a junior and senior in 2009 and 2010 ... Sports Illustrated High School Player of the Week for Dec. 18, 2010 ... helped Aztec High School in Aztec, New Mexico, to 13-1 record and New Mexico state runner-up finish in 2010 ... totaled 81 pancake blocks while not giving up a sack in senior season ... also played on defensive line where he made 11 tackles and half a sack ... helped Aztec rushing attack tally 2,340 yards and 36 TDs in 2010 ... member of offense that generated 4,176 passing yards and 48 TDs overall in 2010 ... helped pave way for 242 yards rushing and 521 yards passing in 35-28 win over Durango (Colo.) in 2010 ... helped opened holes for Aztec running backs for 280 yards and three TDs vs. Kirtland in 2010 ... played for coach Brad Hirsch at Aztec High School ... son of Bryan and Stacy Hegarty ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting. HEGARTY'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 9-0 2013 12-2 2014 12-10 TOTALS 33-12
MIKE HEUERMAN TE • 6-3.5 • 225 • So. Naples, Florida (Barron Collier)
9
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Did not see game action during the regular season ... underwent hernia surgery prior to the start of the season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see game action during the season.
KOLIN HILL
43
LB • 6-1.5 • 230 • Fr. Schertz, Texas (Samuel Clemens) HILL'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 3, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-2) Sacks: 1.5, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-1) Tackles for loss: 2.0, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-1)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in eight regular-season games ... did not play in the season opener vs. Rice (Aug. 30), at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18), at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) or vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... recorded seven tackles, two and a half for loss and two sacks ... became the 11th different Irish freshman to see the field when he debuted in the rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... recorded three tackles, two for loss, and one and a half sacks against the Wolverines ... registered two tackles, including a half sack, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... saw action on third-down passing situations, but did not register any statistics in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... collected an assisted tackle in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... played in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11), but did not register any stats ... picked up a solo tackle in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... saw action against Louisville (Nov. 22), but did not record any stats ... played at USC (Nov. 29), but did not register any stats. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team defensive lineman on San Antonio Express-News All-Area Sub-5A team ... Texas University Interscholastic League District 27-4A defensive MVP ... honorable mention defensive lineman on 2013 Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 4A all-state team ... made 96 tackles and 13 sacks, forced two fumbles and knocked down 10 passes as a senior defensive end in 2013 at Clemens High School in Schertz, Texas ... helped Clemens to 8-3 campaign and first playoff berth in four years in 2013 after 0-10 mark in 2012 as a junior ... Texas UIL District 27-4A second-team defensive lineman as a junior in 2012 ... played at Clemens alongside twin brother and fellow defensive end Kaleb ... enrolled in First Year of Studies. HILL'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2014 8-0 3 SACKS 2014
A TOTAL TFL PD 4 7 2.5-20 0
FF 0
FR BLK 0 0
UA A TOTAL YARDS 1 2 2.0 20
HILL'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice Did Not Play Michigan 1-2 3 2.0-11 1.5-11 0 vs. Purdue 1-1 2 0.5-9 0.5-9 0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Stanford 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 North Carolina 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Florida State Did Not Play vs. Navy 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Arizona State Did Not Play Northwestern Did Not Play Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 3-4 7 2.5-20 2.0-20 0 * - games started
FR
INT
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0-0
0-0
0
0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
PBU BLK
0 0 0 0 0 0
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team defensive end on Naples Daily News all-area squad for 2012 ... caught three passes for 118 yards and two TDs as 2012 tight end at Barron Collier High School in Naples, Florida ... tonsillectomy sidelined him parts of senior campaign ... ranked 264th player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... ranked 215th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... ranked eighth on Rivals.com list of tight ends ... ranked 245th overall and 10th among tight ends on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... had 23 receptions as a junior in 2011 for 340 yards and five scores ... made four receptions as a sophomore in 2010 for 77 yards and one TD ... played in Rotary Club of Naples North All-Star Football Classic in December ... brother Jeff is a senior tight end at Ohio State for the 2014 season after catching 26 passes for 466 yards and for TDs as junor in 2013 ... enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2013 ... played for coach Dan Pallante ... son of Paul and Melissa Heuerman ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting.
66 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 66
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The Fighting Irish WR • 6-0.5 • 184 • Fr. Pembroke Pines, Florida (St. Thomas Aquinas)
15
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in two regular-season games (Rice and Michigan) ... provided the Irish wide receiving corps with practice depth ... aided the Notre Dame offensive scout team as one of its top wideouts ... regularly played the Irish opponent's top wide receiver.
50
HOUNSHELL'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 4, Air Force, Oct. 8, 2011 (1-3)
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Missed the entire season with an injury. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in the season opener against Navy but missed the rest of the season due to injury.
HUNTER JR.'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Newcomer of the Year: Offense (2014) • Notre Dame Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year (2013) HUNTER JR.'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Touchdowns: 1, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Rush attempts: 2, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Rush yards: 13, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (2 carries) Long rush: 7, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Receptions: 2, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014; at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Receiving yards: 24, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (2 receptions) Receiving TDs: 1, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Long reception: 14, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Total offense attempts: 2, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (2 rush, 0 pass) Total offense yards: 13, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 (13 rush, 0 pass) All-purpose yards: 26, vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in nine regular-season games ... missed each of the first three games of the season (Rice, Michigan and Purdue) due to a groin injury suffered early in fall camp ... recorded seven receptions for 65 yards and one touchdown on the year ... added a couple rushes for 13 yards ... made his Irish debut in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... caught a 13-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Orange ... added a pair of rushes for 13 yards ... recorded two receptions for 24 yards, including a critical 12-yard catch on a third down to extend a fourth-quarter scoring drive, in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... did not catch a pass but did play in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... appeared in the narrow loss at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) but did not make a catch ... hauled in one catch for seven yards in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... had two receptions for 14 yards at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... saw action against Northwestern (Nov. 15) but did not record a reception ... caught one pass for seven yards against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... played at USC (Nov. 29) but did not record a reception. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked 95th player nationally on ESPN 300 list rated 181st on Rivals 250 list ... ranked 21st on Rivals.com list of wide receivers ... ranked 41st among wide receivers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... named to Waco Tribune-Herald Top 50 ... helped Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas, to 10-3 mark in 2012 and Class AAAA Division II regional third-round playoff game ... second-team all-state pick for 2012 on Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 4A squad ... caught 71 passes for 1,235 yards and 14 TDs and rushed 11 times for 89 yards in 2012 as a senior ... caught 43 passes for 749 yards and 11 TDs as junior in 2011 ... MVP of 7-on-7 event The Opening in summer of 2012 ... also played baseball in high school, hitting .393 with six home runs, 27 RBI and 13 stolen bases as a junior outfielder ... son of Major League Baseball outfielder Torii Hunter, now with the Minnesota Twins, and formerly with the Twins (1997-2007), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2008-12) and Detroit Tigers (2013-14) ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl but suffered broken leg while working out for West squad ... played for coach Kent Scott ... son of Torii Hunter Sr. and Katrina Hunter ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.
RUSHING 2014
G-GS REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 9-0 7 65 1 14 0.8 9.3 7.2 ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2 13 0 7 6.5 1.4
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING 2014
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Associated Press Ohio Division II co-defensive player of the year for 2010 ... standout two-way lineman at Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, Ohio ... helped Cougars reach Ohio Division II state semifinals in both 2009 and 2010, as Lake Catholic finished 12-2 both years ... had 36 tackles, five sacks, nine tackles for loss and three forced fumbles as senior in 2010 ... first-team defensive lineman on Associated Press Ohio Division II all-state squad as a senior ... Northeast Lakes District Division II Defensive player of the year for 2010 ... named Willoughby News-Herald Ohio Division II player of the year ... first-team defensive lineman on Cleveland Plain-Dealer prep all-star team for 2010 ... one of five finalists for Tony Fisher Award (named after former Notre Dame running back) that goes to top high school player in area ... first-team offensive lineman on News-Herald all-star team ... Cleveland Plain-Dealer made him North Coast League preseason defensive MVP for 2010 ... had six sacks and 18 tackles for loss on defense as junior in 2009, helping offense rushing for 215 yards per game and allowing only three sacks ... first-team offensive lineman on Associated Press Ohio Division II all-state squad as junior in 2009 ... first-team offensive lineman on Cleveland Plain-Dealer prep all-star team as junior in 2009 ... brother, Chad, was offensive guard letterman in 2009 at Central Florida ... twin sister, Colette, is a senior forward on the 2014-15 basketball team at St. Francis (N.Y.) ... played for Mike Bell at Lake Catholic High School ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management consulting.
16
BOWL HISTORY
FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Competed in seven games in a reserve role for the Irish, tallying four tackles ... played against Air Force, USC, Navy, Maryland, Boston College, Stanford and Florida State ... all four tackles came in a victory vs. Air Force ... had one solo and three assisted tackles.
WR • 6-0 • 190 • So. Prosper, Texas (Prosper)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in three regular-season games (Rice, Louisville and USC) ... moved into the defensive line rotation late in the regular season following injuries to Sheldon Day, Jarron Jones and Daniel Cage ... registered two tackles at USC (Nov. 29).
TORII HUNTER JR.
COACHES & STAFF
DL • 6-4.5 • 275 • Sr. Kirtland, Ohio (Lake Catholic)
TFL PD FF FR BLK 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
CHASE HOUNSHELL
A TOTAL 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 6
GAME NOTES
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 94th best player nationally by ESPN, 200th by Scout.com and 224th by Rivals.com ... honorable mention all-Broward County selection for Classes 8A-7A-6A by South Florida Sun-Sentinel ... played wide receiver at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ... helped team to 10-3 mark as a senior in 2013, catching 24 passes for 432 yards and four TDs ... helped St. Thomas Aquinas to Florida Class 7A playoff quarterfinals ... had three catches for 94 yards and three TDs in 66-0 victory versus South Broward in 2013 ... rated sixth in Miami Herald Broward County preseason listing of top 25 players for 2013 ... ranked 22nd on 2014 Orlando Sentinel Florida Top 100 list ... caught 28 passes for 511 yards and five TDs as a junior in 2012 ... had four catches for 167 yards in Florida Class 7A state title game ... grabbed six passes for 94 yards and two TDs as a sophomore in 2011 ... played in Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Florida ... father, David, played as defensive back at Syracuse, helped Orange to Sugar Bowl and Outback Bowl wins, then became fourth-round NFL Draft pick of Miami Dolphins in 1989 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
HOUNSHELL'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2011 7-0 1 2012 1-0 0 2013 0-0 0 2014 3-0 1 TOTALS 11-0 2
MEDIA INFORMATION
COREY HOLMES
67 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 67
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The Fighting Irish TOTAL OFFENSE 2014 SCORING 2014
RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 13 0 13 1.4
FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see any action during the season.
TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 0.7
ALL PURPOSE 2014
RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 13 65 0 0 0 78 8.7
HUNTER JR.'S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS RECEIVING 2014 NO. YDS Rice Did Not Play - Injury Michigan Did Not Play - Injury vs. Purdue Did Not Play - Injury vs. Syracuse 1 13 Stanford 2 24 North Carolina 0 0 at Florida State 0 0 vs. Navy 1 7 at Arizona State 2 14 Northwestern 0 0 Louisville 1 7 at USC 0 0 TOTALS 7 65 * - games started
TD LG
1 13 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 14 0 0 0 7 0 0 1 13
JARRON JONES
DL • 6-5.5 • 315 • Jr. Rochester, New York (Aquinas Institute)
94
JONES' CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 7, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (4-3); BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (4-3) Sacks: 1.0, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 3.0, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 (3-0) Fumbles forced: 1, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013; Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-0) Pass breakups: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Blocked kicks: 1, four times JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played and started on the defensive line in each of the first 11 regular-season games ... suffered a season-ending foot injury in the first quarter vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) and did not play at USC (Nov. 29) ... led all defensive linemen in tackles with 40 ... tied for second on the team with seven and a half tackles for loss ... had at least a half tackle for loss in each of Notre Dame's first three games ... registered three tackles, two solo, and a half sack against Rice (Aug. 30) ... also recorded a quarterback hurry vs. the Owls ... recorded six tackles, including three solo stops, one for loss, and forced a fumble in the victory over Michigan (Sept. 6) ... registered three tackles, including a half sack, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... blocked an extra-point attempt (his third career blocked kick) and made a pair of tackles in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... registered an assisted tackle in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... collected five tackles, two quarterback hurries and blocked an extra-point attempt in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... attacked No. 2 Florida State's offensive line on Oct. 18, recording three tackles for loss among his six total stops ... also had a pass pressure against Jameis Winston ... the Seminoles went three and out on each of the three possessions that Jones collected a TFL ... collected five tackles, including four solo stops, in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... lone tackle in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) was a three-yard TFL ... equaled his career high with seven tackles against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... added a PBU and TFL against the Wildcats as well ... shared a sack with Isaac Rochell against Louisville (Nov. 22) before leaving the game with a season-ending foot injury. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Appeared in 12 games with one start (Stanford on Nov. 30) ... made 20 tackles, one for loss, one sack and one forced a fumble ... blocked two kicks ... registered a pair of solo tackles, including his first career sack, in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... recorded four tackles at Stanford (Nov. 30) ... had his breakthrough performance against BYU (Nov. 23) ... made a season-high seven tackles against the Cougars and blocked a short fourth-quarter field-goal attempt that would have made it a one-score game ... collected four tackles against Navy (Nov. 2) and also forced a fumble ... made his first two tackles in the win over Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... blocked an extra-point attempt against Temple (Aug. 31).
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated number-20 player nationally by MaxPreps and Tom Lemming ... listed 107th on 247Sports rating of national prospects ... ranked number-10 offensive tackle in the nation and second-best player in New York by 247Sports ... rated number-102 player nationally on 2012 ESPNU 150 list ... listed as 11th-best offensive tackle in the nation, second-best player in New York and 13th-best prospect in Northeast region by ESPNU ... rated 199th nationally on Rivals.com Rivals250 list ... listed as secondbest player in New York and 14th-best defensive tackle in his class by Rivals.com ... listed 229th nationally on the Scout.com Scout 300 rankings ... rated best player in New York and 43rd-best offensive lineman nationally by SuperPrep ... first-team defensive lineman on allGreater Rochester team for 2011 by Rochester Democrat and Chronicle ... helped Little Irish win New York Section V Class A title again in 2011 ... standout defensive lineman at Aquinas Institute in Rochester, New York ... made 71 tackles, five sacks, recovered a fumble, broke up nine passes and blocked two field goals in 2011 ... made nine tackles in 19-16 state playoff semifinal loss to Mane-Endwell ... as a junior in 2010 made 68 tackles (32 unassisted), 14 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one interception, four passes broken up, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery on team that finished 13-0 and claimed New York Class A state crown ... two-time first-team defensive lineman on New York State Sportswriters Association Class A all-state team ... played basketball at Aquinas ... recorded a triple-double on Jan. 27, 2012, recording a school record 33 rebounds to go with 20 points and 11 blocks ... played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio ... coached by Chris Battaglia at Aquinas Institute ... son of Matthew and Lakiescha Jones ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters. JONES' CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2013 12-1 10 2014 11-11 23 TOTALS 23-12 33 SACKS 2013 2014 TOTALS
A TOTAL TFL PD 10 20 1.0-7 0 17 40 7.5-33 1 27 60 8.5-40 1
FF 1 1 2
FR BLK 0 2 0 2 0 4
UA A TOTAL YARDS 1 0 1.0 7 0 3 1.5 6 1 3 2.5 13
JONES' GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR *Rice 2-1 3 0.5-0 0.5-0 0 0-0 *Michigan 3-3 6 1.0-12 0.0-0 1 0-0 *vs. Purdue 1-2 3 0.5-4 0.5-4 0 0-0 *vs. Syracuse 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Stanford 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *North Carolina 2-3 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Florida State 5-1 6 3.0-10 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Navy 4-1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Arizona State 1-0 1 1.0-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Northwestern 4-3 7 1.0-3 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Louisville 0-1 1 0.5-2 0.5-2 0 0-0 at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 23-17 40 7.5-34 1.5-6 1 0-0 * - games started 2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Temple 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Michigan Did Not Play at Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Michigan State 0-2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Oklahoma 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Air Force 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Navy 2-2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 at Pittsburgh 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 BYU 4-3 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 *at Stanford 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Rutgers 2-0 2 1.0-7 1.0-7 0 TOTALS 10-10 20 1.0-7 1.0-7 1 * - games started
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0
1
BLK 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
FR INT PBU BLK 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
68 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 68
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The Fighting Irish QB • 6-4.25 • 220 • Fr. Toledo, Ohio (Central Catholic)
14
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Did not see game action during the season ... served as Notre Dame's third-string quarterback ... split time between the Irish regulars and the offensive scout team during game preparation.
TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 18 1.4 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 14 1.2 5 0 5 0 0 1 0 32 0.7
RUSH RCV PR SENIOR SEASON (2014): Started at tight end in each of Notre Dame's 12 regular-season ALL PURPOSE 0 5 0 games ... fourth on the team in receptions (29), fourth in receiving TDs (two) and fifth in 2011 0 39 0 receiving yards (305) ... hauled in three passes for 51 yards, including a 28-yard grab, in the 2012 0 171 0 season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... caught two passes for 14 yards against 2013 0 305 0 Michigan (Sept. 6) ... collected a career-best five receptions (for 32 yards) in the 30-14 vic- 2014 0 520 0 tory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... chipped in with three receptions for 16 yards in the 31-15 vic- TOTALS 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches
42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 69
KR 0 0 0 0 0
IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 5 0.4 0 39 3.2 0 171 13.2 0 305 25.4 0 520 10.6
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SCORING 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
KOYACK'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, five times, last vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 TDs: 1, five times, last vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Receptions: 5, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014; vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 Receiving yards: 76, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 (4 receptions) Receiving TDs: 1, five times, last vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Long reception: 38, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 All-purpose yards: 76, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 Kick returns: 1, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Kick return yards: -3, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (1 return) Tackles: 1, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 (1-0)
KOYACK'S CAREER STATS RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2011 12-1 1 5 0 5 0.1 5.0 0.4 2012 12-2 3 39 0 23 0.3 13.0 3.2 2013 13-5 10 171 3 38 0.8 17.1 13.2 2014 12-12 29 305 2 28 2.4 10.5 25.4 TOTALS 49-20 43 520 5 38 0.9 12.1 10.6
BOWL HISTORY
KOYACK’S HONORS AND AWARDS • Senior Bowl Watch List (2014) • Mackey Award Semifinalist (2014) • Mackey Award Midseason Watch List (2014) • Notre Dame Tire Rack Play of the Year • Mackey Award Watch List (2013, 2014) • Phil Steele 2014 Preseason Third Team All-American • Athlon 2014 Sports Preseason Fourth Team All-American • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Tight End of the Week (10.6.2014) • John Mackey Tight End of the Week Honorable Mention (10.8.2014) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Tight End (11.10.13)
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Received first-team Pennsylvania all-state honors from Pennsylvania Sportswriters and Associated Press in 2010 ... also Pennsylvania Football News/Coaches AAA first-team Pennsylvania all-state in 2010 ... named SuperPrep Northeast Offensive Player of the Year ... rated best tight end in country and 25th-best prospect overall by Scout.com ... ranked 34th on Sporting News Top 100 list ... named to ESPNU Top 150 and MaxPreps Top100 recruiting lists ... named to Rivals100 list ... chosen to play in Under Armour All-America Bowl ... Pennsylvania Region 5 all-star in 2010 ... selected top player in Pennsylvania by Pittsburgh Sports Report and second-best player in state by Pittsburgh PostGazette prior to 2010 season ... guided Oil City Senior High School in Oil City, Pennsylvania, to 9-3 record as senior in 2010 ... recorded 62 receptions for 1,031 yards and 11 TDs as a senior ... averaged 16.6 yards per catch ... totaled 65.5 tackles and six and a half tackles for loss on defense in 2010, adding one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups ... set Pennsylvania District 10 records with 152 career receptions for 2,591 yards ... caught eight passes for 135 yards and a TD in a 35-21 win over DuBois in 2010 ... made 11 tackles in 49-28 victory vs. Girard in 2010 ... had four receptions for 121 yards and two TDs while making nine tackles on defense vs. Franklin in 2010 ... caught eight passes for 171 yards and two TDs in 42-26 win over Slippery Rock in 2010 ... played in seven games as a junior in 2009 and caught 43 passes for 748 yards and seven TDs ... averaged 17.4 yards per catch in 2009 ... registered nine receptions for 249 yards and two TDs in 2009 season opener vs. Meadville ... won Pennsylvania state title in javelin with personal best throw of 192-11 in 2010 ... caught 47 passes for 812 yards and 10 TDs as a sophomore in 2008 ... besides tight end, played quarterback, wide receiver, defensive end and linebacker ... hails from family of musicians and is proficient playing trombone, piano and euphonium ... mother is a music teacher ... played for coach Matt LaVerde at Oil City High School ... son of David and Karen Koyack ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in marketing.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
18
FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Played in 12 games, while starting the game vs. Air Force (Oct. 8) ... did not play vs. USF ... caught one pass for five yards in win at Pittsburgh.
COACHES & STAFF
TE • 6-5 • 254 • Sr. Oil City, Pennsylvania (Oil City)
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Appeared in 12 games during the season and started one game (vs. Alabama) ... registered three receptions for 39 yards ... made a splash in the season opener against Navy (Sept. 1) with a 23-yard catch ... also had grabs against Purdue (Sept. 8) and Wake Forest (Nov. 17) for five and 11 yards, respectively ... started as part of a three-tight end package in BCS National Championship Game vs. Alabama.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
BEN KOYACK
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in all 13 games with five starts at tight end ... caught 10 passes for 171 yards and three TDs ... the Irish won all three games when he had a TD ... enjoyed his most productive day as a receiver at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) when he had four grabs for 76 yards, including a career-long reception of 38 yards ... had two catches for 34 yards and a TD against Navy ... caught a 22-yard TD and had a seven-yard catch at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... first catch of the season was a 19-yard TD reception against Arizona State (Oct. 5).
GAME NOTES
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 40th best player nationally by Tom Lemming/CBS Sports, 161st by 247Sports and 263rd by Scout.com ... named Associated Press Ohio Division III co-offensive player of the year as a senior in 2013 ... first-team quarterback on AP Division III All-Ohio team ... Toledo Blade 2013 Player of the Year and first-team All-Blade quarterback ... completed 150 of 245 passes as he threw for 2,847 yards and 30 TDs (six interceptions) as a senior for second-ranked Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio ... rushed 62 times in 2013 for 539 yards and six TDs and punted for 41.2-yard average ... three-year starter helped team to combined 34-6 overall record in 2011-13 (8-2 in playoff games), including 14-1 mark and Ohio Division II state title in 2012 ... helped Central Catholic to 12-1 mark in 2013, number-two statewide ranking and spot in Division III regional final, as well as school’s first Three Rivers Athletic Conference title ... threw for 217 yards and ran for another 127 in Central Catholic’s playoff loss to Clyde in 2013 ... first-team quarterback on Three Rivers Athletic Conference all-league squad for 2013 ... led Central Catholic to 2012 Ohio Division II state title while completing 108 of 179 passes for 1,611 yards and 17 TDs with only two interceptions ... also ran 63 times for 442 yards and eight TDs as a junior in 2012 for team that averaged 42 points per game—and punted for 37.8-yard average ... led Irish to 16-12 victory over defending state champion Trotwood-Madison in state title game ... career totals included 345 of 584 passing for 5,684 yards and 56 TDs to go with 151 rushing attempts for 1,211 yards and 17 TDs ... also played basketball and baseball for Central Catholic ... started in basketball as a freshman on Irish team that advanced to Ohio Division I state semifinals in 2011 ... played outfield and hit cleanup in baseball and helped team to Three Rivers Athletic Conference crown in 2012 ... from same high school as former Notre Dame standout tight end Dean Masztak (1978-81) ... father, Derek, played basketball at Bowling Green ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
tory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... had just two catches for 28 yards, but his 23-yard TD grab on a fourth-down play with 1:01 left in the fourth quarter gave the Irish a 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... caught a nine-yard pass and recovered a critical onside kick that helped the Irish defeat North Carolina, 50-43 (Oct. 11) ... caught a pair of passes for 29 yards at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... hauled in a team-best and career-high tying five receptions (54 yards) in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... two-yard TD reception gave the Irish a second-quarter 14-7 lead over the Midshipmen ... made two catches, good for 34 yards, in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... had a pair of receptions for 22 yards against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... had a five-yard catch against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... registered an 11-yard reception at USC (Nov. 29).
MEDIA INFORMATION
DeSHONE KIZER
69
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The Fighting Irish KOYACK'S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS RECEIVING 2014 NO. YDS TD LG *Rice 3 51 0 28 *Michigan 2 14 0 9 *vs. Purdue 5 32 0 9 *vs. Syracuse 3 16 0 6 *Stanford 2 28 1 23 *North Carolina 1 9 0 9 *at Florida State 2 29 0 23 *vs. Navy 5 54 1 21 *at Arizona State 2 34 0 23 *Northwestern 2 22 0 14 *Louisville 1 5 0 5 *at USC 1 11 0 11 TOTALS 29 305 2 28 * - games started RECEIVING 2013 NO. YDS TD LG Temple 0 0 0 0 at Michigan 0 0 0 0 *at Purdue 0 0 0 0 Michigan State 0 0 0 0 Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 *vs. Arizona State 1 19 1 19 USC 0 0 0 0 *at Air Force 2 29 1 22 *Navy 2 34 1 17 at Pittsburgh 4 76 0 38 *BYU 0 0 0 0 at Stanford 0 0 0 0 vs. Rutgers 1 13 0 13 TOTALS 10 171 3 38 * - games started
ERIC LEE
WR • 5-8 • 170 • Sr. West Des Moines, Iowa (Dowling Catholic)
37
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in one regular-season game (Rice) ... provided Irish with immeasurable service on the offensive scout team each week ... served as a wide receiver, running back, kick returner and punt returner on respective scout teams. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Did not see game action during the season. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Played in one game during the season against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Three-sport athlete at Dowling Catholic High School, excelling in football, basketball and baseball ... helped his teams to three straight undefeated seasons and conference championships ... as a senior, football team also won the sectional championship, regional championship and state championship ... in state championship, had game-clinching interception ... went on to be named all-conference, all-city, allregion, all-county, all-state and All-America ... in basketball was team captain junior and senior years and earned all-conference honors as well ... helped Dowling Catholic win conference championship, sectional championship and regional championship on the diamond ... in senior campaign also won the state championship in baseball ... was consecutively named all-conference, all-city, all-region and all-county all three years he participated with baseball team ... coached by Tom Wilson at Dowling Catholic ... son of Bernard and Denise Lee ... enrolled in the College of Science as a science pre-professional major. LEE'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 1-0 2013 0-0 2014 1-0 TOTAL 2-0
CHRISTIAN LOMBARD
OL • 6-5 • 311 • Gr. Inverness, Illinois (Fremd)
74
LOMBARD'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Father Lange Iron Cross (2014) GRADUATE SEASON (2014): Played in and started 11 regular-season games (missed the game vs. Purdue with an ankle injury) ... started the first two games of the season (Rice and Michigan) at right guard ... moved back to right tackle against Syracuse (Sept. 27) as the Irish underwent an overhaul on the offensive line ... remained as the starting right tackle for the last nine games ... has nine career starts at right guard and 22 at right tackle. SENIOR SEASON (2013): Started each of the first seven games at right guard before suffering a season-ending back injury ... part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed ... no team in the nation allowed fewer sacks and attempted more passes than Notre Dame (eight sacks on 429 pass attempts) in '13 in area of great improvement for the Fighting Irish ... in 2012, Notre Dame allowed more than twice as many sacks (18) on 41 fewer passing attempts (388) ... Michigan State entered the game against Notre Dame (Sept. 21) ranked 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks – averaging 3.0 per game, but the Irish did not allow a single sack in 34 pass attempts against the Spartans ... Notre Dame struggled to run the ball against Purdue (Sept. 14), but the Irish were successful on their final drive to run out the clock (ran for 42 yards on final drive; just 49 prior to the drive) ... Notre Dame ran the final 7:22 off the game clock and the Irish converted four third-down plays on the final drive. JUNIOR SEASON (2012): Started all 13 games at right offensive tackle ... part of an offensive line that started the same five players for every game ... helped Irish run for at least 200 yards seven times in 2012, including six of the last nine contests ... Notre Dame had not posted more 200+ yard rushing games in a single season since 1996 when the Irish registered nine games with at least 200 yards rushing ... over last nine games, Notre Dame combined to rush for 1,901 yards (359 attempts) for 5.3 yards per carry, 211.2 yards per game and 15 rushing TDs ... the Irish rushed for more yards in their last nine games combined than 51 Football Bowl Subdivision teams totaled in their entire 2012 season. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011): Backup offensive tackle and special teams performer who played in all 13 games. FRESHMAN SEASON (2010): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: USA Today first-team prep All-America offensive lineman ... EA Sports first-team All-American ... named to Parade All-America team for 2009 as one of 18 offensive and defensive linemen ... MaxPreps #30 national prospect and secondteam All-American ... played offensive right tackle for Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois ... Gatorade Player of the Year for state of Illinois in 2009 ... selected to Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 8A all-state football squad for 2009 (one of 18) ... named to Chicago Tribune all-state team as a senior in 2009 after helping Fremd to perfect regular season and final 11-1 finish after falling in Illinois Class 8A quarterfinals ... first-team pick on Champaign News-Gazette all-state squad for 2009 ... rated #13 offensive lineman nationally by SuperPrep ... rated 103rd nationally on The Kickoff Top 120 ... made 32 tackles on defense as a senior in 2009 ... played in 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio ... named to Daily Herald Northwest Suburban all-area team for 2009 and 2008 ... helped team average 331 yards per game ... helped Fremd to 8-3 record as junior in 2008 ... attended U.S. Army All-American Combine in January 2009 and Notre Dame football camp in summer of 2009 ... earned special mention on all-area team as a sophomore in 2007 ... played for coach Mike Donatucci at Fremd ... son of Greg and Erin Lombard ... graduated in May 2014 from the Mendoza College of Business with a degree in management consulting. LOMBARD'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2011 13-0 2012 13-13 2013 7-7 2014 11-11 TOTALS 44-31
70 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 70
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The Fighting Irish TE • 6-2.5 • 260 • Fr. Paramount, California (La Mirada)
13
COLE LUKE
CB • 5-11 • 190 • So. Chandler, Arizona (Hamilton)
36
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS SACKS 2013 2014 TOTALS
NO. YARDS 0 0 4 13 4 13
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 16 3.2 1.1 0 16 3.2 0.5
RUSH RCV PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0.0 0 13 13 1.1 0 13 13 0.5
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 1.0 2 1 0 1.0 2
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Started at cornerback in all 12 regular-season games ... sixth on the Irish in tackles (46) ... fifth on the team in solo tackles (31) ... tied for the team lead with four interceptions ... leads the Irish with 11 pass breakups and 15 passes defended ... collected the most PBUs in a single season by a Notre Dame player since Raeshon McNeil in 2008 (11) ... an Irish player has not registered more than 11 PBUs since Dave Waymer had
INTERCEPTIONS 2013 2014 TOTALS
FR BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
LUKE'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: 16, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Interceptions: 2, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 Long interception return: 16, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Tackles: 7, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (5-2) Sacks: 1.0, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014; Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1-0) Fumbles forced: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014; Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 Pass breakups: 3, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014
LUKE'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 2013 13-0 8 7 15 0.5-1 2 0 2014 12-12 31 15 46 2.0-6 15 2 TOTALS 25-12 39 22 61 2.5-7 17 2
BOWL HISTORY
LUKE'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Athlon National Defensive Player of the Week (10.5.2014) • FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.6.2014) • College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention Defensive Back of the Week (10.6.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.6.2014) • Jim Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week Honorable Mention (10.8.2014)
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team cornerback on prep All-America team for 2013 selected by 247Sports ... first-team defensive back on Arizona Football Coaches Association 2012 Arizona all-state squad ... first-team defensive back on All-Arizona squad by Phoenix Gazette ... also a first-team defensive back on AZFCA Division I all-state team for 2012 ... helped Hamilton High School team in Chandler, Arizona, rebound from 0-2 start to 31-16 win over Phoenix Mountain Pointe in Arizona Division I 2012 state title game for final 12-2 record ... East Valley Tribune two-time All-Tribune selection as defensive back ... ranked 77th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated 133rd on Rivals 250 list ... ranked ninth on Rivals.com list of cornerbacks ... ranked 185th overall and 21st among cornerbacks on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... also a dangerous punt returner ... as a junior in 2011 made 63 tackles, broke up 12 passes and returned all three of his interceptions for TDs ... his Hamilton team fell to Desert Vista in 2011 Arizona Division I title game ... chosen for Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and broke up one pass for West squad ... high school head coach was former Notre Dame quarterback Steve Belles (1986-89), who has coached five Hamilton teams to Arizona state titles ... his Hamilton team played against Sherman Oaks (California) in Dublin the same weekend the Irish played Navy in 2012 ... uncle is former Dallas Cowboy safety Darren Woodson ... son of Freddie and Monica Luke ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
LUKE'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Season Passes Broken Up (2014, 11, t-3rd)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games ... made 15 tackles on the year, eight of them solo ... split a tackle for loss and broke up two passes in coverage ... posted a half of a tackle for loss and a pass breakup against Navy (Nov. 2) ... had a season-best six tackles at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... contributed three tackles to the win over No. 22 Arizona State (Oct. 5) ... had a pair of solo stops and a PBU at Purdue (Sept. 14) ... made a tackle in his collegiate debut against Temple (Aug. 31).
COACHES & STAFF
LUATUA'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2014 9-0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 38th best player nationally by Tom Lemming/CBS Sports and 107th by ESPN ... second-team Long Beach Press-Telegram 2013 Football Dream Team selection at tight end ... played tight end and linebacker at La Mirada High School in La Mirada, California ... made 33 receptions as a senior in 2013 for 412 yards and four TDs ... caught 43 passes for 594 yards and eight TDs as a junior in 2012 ... helped La Mirada to 9-2 overall record in 2012 as well as 5-0 league mark good for Suburban League title ... brother, Isaac, will be a redshirt junior offensive lineman at Alabama in 2014 ... played in Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Florida ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
GAME NOTES
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in nine regular-season games ... did not play vs. North Carolina, Florida State and Navy ... did not catch a pass in the regular season ... majority of his action came in multiple tight end sets ... made his Irish debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... saw limited action in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) and victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... saw regular action at tight end as Notre Dame went to a number of two-tight end sets in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) and 17-14 triumph over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... did not play in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) or the tight loss at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... returned to the field in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... played at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), Northwestern (Nov. 15), Louisville (Nov. 22) and at USC (Nov. 29).
12 in 1978 ... tied for 19th in the FBS with 15 passes defended ... one of 10 players in the FBS with at least 11 PBUs and four interceptions ... forced two fumbles, collected a pair of TFLs and one sack ... one of five Irish players who made his first career start in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... collected two solo tackles and one pass breakup against the Owls ... recorded three tackles in the 31-0 rout of the Wolverines (Sept. 6) ... registered three tackles, including two solo stops, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... recorded a season-high five tackles, including four solo stops, and one pass breakup in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... rebounded from a difficult game against Syracuse with his best career performance vs. No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... picked off two passes, the first two of his career, added a sack, forced fumble, pass breakup and four tackles in the 17-14 victory over the Cardinal ... registered four tackles, a pass breakup and one interception in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... the interception halted a potential Tar Heel scoring drive (Notre Dame scored on the ensuing possession to open a 14-point fourth-quarter lead) ... started and made six tackles at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... also broke up a Jameis Winston pass against the Seminoles ... did not register any statistics in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... credited with three pass break-ups in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... also made three solo tackles against the Sun Devils ... registered a career-high seven tackles, including one TFL, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... broke up two passes and made three solo tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... registered six tackles and collected a PBU at USC (Nov. 29).
MEDIA INFORMATION
TYLER LUATUA
71 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 71
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The Fighting Irish LUKE'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Michigan 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Purdue 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Syracuse 4-1 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Stanford 3-1 4 1.0-2 1.0-2 *North Carolina 2-2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Florida State 4-2 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 3-0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Northwestern 5-2 7 1.0-4 0.0-0 *Louisville 3-0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at USC 1-5 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 31-15 46 2.0-6 1.0-2 * - games started 2013 Temple at Michigan at Purdue Michigan State Oklahoma vs. Arizona State USC at Air Force Navy at Pittsburgh BYU at Stanford vs. Rutgers TOTALS * - games started
UT-AT TT 1-0 1 0-0 0 2-0 2 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-2 3 1-0 1 3-3 6 0-2 2 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 8-7 15
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 2-(-3) 1 1-0 1 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 3 1-16 0 0-0 2 0-0 1 4-13 11
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 2
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NICK MARTIN
OL • 6-4.5 • 295 • Sr. Indianapolis, Indiana (Bishop Chatard)
72
MARTIN'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Rimington Trophy Watch List (2014) • Lombardi Award Watch List (2014) • Team Captain (2014) SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in and started all 12 regular-season games ... named a season-long captain at the end of fall camp ... started at center in each of the first three games of the season (Rice, Michigan and Purdue), but moved to left guard before the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... that marked first career start at any other position than center ... has remained the starting left guard and has started each of the last nine games in that role. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Started each of the first 11 games at center ... was lost for the season against BYU (Nov. 23) due to a knee injury ... played on same Irish offensive line with older brother, senior offensive tackle and captain Zack Martin ... part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed ... no team in the nation allowed fewer sacks and attempted more passes than Notre Dame (eight sacks on 429 pass attempts) in '13 in area of great improvement for the Fighting Irish ... in 2012, Notre Dame allowed more than twice as many sacks (18) on 41 fewer passing attempts (388) ... helped the Irish run the ball for a season-high 235 yards while not allowing a sack on 28 passing attempts in the victory over BYU (Nov. 23) ... Michigan State entered the game against Notre Dame (Sept. 21) ranked 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks – averaging 3.0 per game, but the Irish did not allow a single sack in 34 pass attempts against the Spartans ... Notre Dame struggled to run the ball against Purdue (Sept. 14), but the Irish were successful on its final drive to run out the clock (ran for 42 yards on final drive; just 49 prior to the drive) ... Notre Dame ran the final 7:22 off the game clock and the Irish converted four third-down plays on the final drive. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Saw action in all 13 games ... majority of action came on multiple Irish special teams units ... by end of the season was primary backup at both tackle positions but also had versatility to play guard ... joined brother Zack as one of four brothers on the Irish roster.
72
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team Indiana all-state pick on Associated Press Class 3A team as offensive lineman ... also named to Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 all-state team as one of 10 offensive linemen ... named to 2010 Super Team by Indianapolis Star ... second-team offensive lineman on U.S. Air Force Medium Schools Prep All-America squad ... helped fourth-ranked Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, to 2010 Indiana Class 3A state title with 28-14 win over South Bend St. Joseph’s in state title contest that marked Chatard’s record 10th state title ... Chatard ended season with 11-4 record and 10 straight wins after early three-game losing streak ... helped team to number-three state ranking in IFCA final regular-season poll for 2010 ... starter on both offensive and defensive lines ... rated second-best Class 3A defensive player in Indianapolis area in preseason listings by Indianapolis Star ... . helped Chatard to 12-2 mark as a junior in 2009 before losing to Evansville Memorial in Indiana state playoff semi-state round ... father, Keith, played football at Kentucky and was 1982 Academic All-Southeastern Conference pick as team’s top defensive tackle while also earning NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1983 ... played for coach Vincent Lorenzano at Bishop Chatard High School ... son of Pam and Keith Martin ... brother Zack having a solid rookie season as the starting right guard for the Dallas Cowboys after being a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management consulting. MARTIN'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 13-0 2013 11-11 2014 12-12 TOTALS 36-23
GREER MARTINI
LB • 6-2.5 • 230 • Fr. Cary, North Carolina (Woodberry Forest)
48
MARTINI'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 9, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (6-3) Sacks: 1.0, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0); at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (1-0) FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started two contests (Navy and USC) ... one of five true freshmen (Nyles Morgan, Drue Tranquill, Andrew Trumbetti and Grant Blankenship) to register at least 10 tackles in the regular season ... one of six true freshmen (Morgan, Tranquill, Trumbetti, Blankenship and Cage) on defense who played in at least 11 regular-season games ... one of three true freshmen (Morgan and Tranquill) to start on defense this season ... registered 26 tackles, 17 solo stops, two TFLs and one sack in the regular season ... made his Irish debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... picked up a pair of solo tackles ... saw extensive playing time on the second-team defense against the Owls ... did not record any stats against Michigan (Sept. 6), Purdue (Sept. 13) or Syracuse (Sept. 27), but did see action on defense and special teams ... registered one solo tackle in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... made one solo tackle against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... shared a tackle at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... made his first career start vs. Navy (Nov. 1) and collected a career-best and team-high nine tackles, including six solo stops ... saw action at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) but did not record a tackle ... registered five tackles, including three solo stops, vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... recorded his first career sack, good for a 14-yard loss, against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... had two total tackles against the Cardinals ... collected five tackles, three solo stops, and one TFL before leaving the game at USC (Nov. 29) with an injury. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 255th best player nationally by ESPN ... named to USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA Virginia team for 2013 ... firstteam linebacker on all-Central Virginia team for 2013 by Charlottesville Progress ... played linebacker and tight end at Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia ... helped team to 8-1 record and Virginia Prep League crown in 2013 while leading team with 92 tackles ... made 17 tackles in win over Bethesda Landon ... Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I all-state pick at linebacker as both a senior in 2013 and junior in 2012 ... three-time first-team linebacker on all-Virginia Prep League team ... helped Woodberry Forest to 8-2 mark as a sophomore in 2011 when he made 74 tackles, five fumble recoveries (two for TDs), three interceptions and six tackles for loss ... played for United States Under-19 National team in International Bowl against Team Canada ... high school teammate of current Irish receiver C.J. Prosise and linebacker Doug Randolph ... brother Zack having a solid rookie season as the starting right guard for the Dallas Cowboys after being a first-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see any action during the season.
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 72
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The Fighting Irish
SACKS 2014
A TOTAL TFL PD 9 26 2.0-17 0
FF FR BLK 0 0 0
UA A TOTAL YARDS 1 0 1.0 14
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
JACOB MATUSKA
89
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see game action during the season.
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
CAM McDANIEL RB • 5-10 • 205 • Sr. Coppell, Texas (Coppell)
33
MCDANIEL’S HONORS AND AWARDS • National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy Semifinalist (2014) • Team Captain (2014) • Notre Dame Nick Pietrosante Award (2014)
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 games regular-season games and started three (Rice, Stanford and North Carolina) ... named a season-long captain at the end of fall camp ... rushed for 274 yards and four TDs in the regular season ... added nine receptions for 76 yards ... started at running back in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... rushed for 40 yards on eight carries, including a 23-yard dash, against the Owls ... added a tackle on a Rice fake punt attempt ... rushed for 25 yards and a TD on eight carries in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... added a couple of receptions for 17 yards against the Wolverines ... added a tremendous play on special teams vs. Michigan ... his sliding effort kept a punt out of the end zone that was downed at the two-yard line ... ran for 32 yards on nine carries in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... collected a season-high 11 touches (eight carries and three receptions) in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... rushed for 33 yards on those eight carries ... three receptions garnered 21 yards ... started at running back in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... grinded out 41 yards on 15 carries in the triumph over the Cardinal ... started against North Carolina (Oct. 11) and toted the ball three times for 10 yards and a TD ... made a reception against the Tar Heels ... had three kickoff returns for 49 yards at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... ran the ball once for three yards against the Seminoles ... carried the ball six times for 21 yards in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... added a sevenyard reception against the Midshipmen ... had his first career multiple-TD game in the loss at
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FR BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0
MCDANIEL'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 12, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 TDs: 2, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Rush attempts: 24, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 Rush yards: 117, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (24 carries) Rush TDs: 2, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Long rush: 36, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 Receptions: 3, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013; vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Receiving yards: 29, vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 2013 (3 receptions) Long reception: 24, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Total offense attempts: 24, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (24 rush,0 pass) Total offense yards: 117, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (117 rush,0 pass) All-purpose yards: 165, vs. Arizona State, Oct. 5, 2013 Kick returns: 5, vs. Arizona State, Oct. 5, 2013 Kick return yards: 83, vs. Arizona State, Oct. 5, 2013 (5 returns) Long kick return: 26, BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 Tackles: 1, 14 times
BOWL HISTORY
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team end on Associated Press All-Ohio Division IV team for 2012 ... AP All-Central District tight end in Division IV for 2012 ... firstteam tight end on 2012 Columbus Dispatch All-Metro team ... ranked 17th nationally on Rivals.com list of tight ends ... ranked 299th overall and 32nd among defensive ends on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... helped Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio, to Ohio Division IV state semifinals and overall 13-1 record ... Hartley finished first in final Associated Press Division IV poll with 10-0 regular-season mark ... made 16 catches for 348 yards and four TDs on run-oriented team that scored 42.5 points per game as senior in 2012 and also dominated as outside linebacker in Hawks’ 3-5 system ... made nine receptions, four for TDs, as a junior tight end in 2011 ... also played at defensive end ... played for coach Brad Burchfield ... son of Jim and Beth Matuska ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 1.0 5 1 0 1.0 5
0 0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in six regular-season games and made his first career start at USC (Nov. 29) ... one of 10 first-year players to debut on defense this season ... saw limited playing time prior to the final three weeks of the season (Northwestern, Louisville and USC) ... moved into a prominent role following the injuries on the defensive line to Jarron Jones, Sheldon Day and Daniel Cage ... recorded a career-best five tackles, including four solo stops, and one sack against Louisville (Nov. 22).
SACKS 2013 2014 TOTALS
0 0
MCDANIEL’S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Game Rushes on Consecutive Plays (Oct. 6, 2012 vs. Miami, Florida, 9, 1st) • Single-Game Rushes on Consecutive Plays (Sept. 14, 2013 at Purdue, 8, t-2nd)
MATUSKA'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 5, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (4-1) Sacks: 1.0, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0)
MATUSKA'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 2013 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 2014 6-1 5 1 6 1.0-5 0 0 TOTALS 6-1 5 1 6 1.0-5 0 0
0-0 0-0
COACHES & STAFF
DL • 6-4.5 • 289 • So. Columbus, Ohio (Bishop Hartley)
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0-0 0-0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR INT PBU BLK 0-0 0-0 0 0
GAME NOTES
MARTINI'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK Rice 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Stanford 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 North Carolina 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Florida State 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Navy 6-3 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Northwestern 3-2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 Louisville 1-1 2 1.0-14 1.0-14 *at USC 3-2 5 1.0-3 0.0-0 TOTALS 17-9 26 2.0-17 1.0-14 * - games started
MATUSKA'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Michigan Did Not Play vs. Purdue Did Not Play vs. Syracuse Did Not Play Stanford Did Not Play North Carolina Did Not Play at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Arizona State Did Not Play Northwestern 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Louisville 4-1 5 1.0-5 1.0-5 0 *at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 5-1 6 1.0-5 1.0-5 0 * - games started
MEDIA INFORMATION
MARTINI'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2014 12-2 17
73 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 73
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The Fighting Irish No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... ran for a pair of scores against the Sun Devils, carrying the ball nine times for 24 yards ... also had a career-long 24-yard reception at Arizona State ... rushed for 12 yards on four carries against Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... had fumbled once over his first 285 career touches (rushes, receptions or kick returns) before doing so late in the fourth quarter against the Wildcats ... ran the ball twice for 22 yards against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... had three carries for 11 yards at USC (Nov. 29).
RECEIVING 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2 41 0 21 0.2 20.5 3.2 6 34 0 14 0.5 5.7 2.6 9 76 0 24 0.8 8.4 6.3 17 151 0 24 0.4 8.9 3.3
JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in all 13 games with four starts (USC, Navy, Stanford and Rutgers) ... led the Irish in carries (152) and rushing yards (705) ... led Notre Dame in rushing in a team-high seven contests ... tied for the team lead in TD runs with three ... ran for a team-high 80 yards on 17 carries in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... added a career-best three receptions for career-high 29 yards vs. the Scarlet Knights ... gained a career-high 117 yards on the ground against BYU (Nov. 23), plus a three-yard reception and two kick returns for 43 yards, accounting for 163 all-purpose yards ... ran for a crucial fourth-quarter TD as the Irish beat Navy (Nov. 2) ... gained 52 yards on just seven carries against the Midshipmen ... went over 100 all-purpose yards in the win over USC (Oct. 19), gaining 97 on the ground while catching a five-yard pass ... racked up a season-high 165 all-purpose yards against No. 22 Arizona State (Oct. 5) ... ran for 82 yards on 15 carries (5.5 average) and returned five kickoffs for 83 more yards ... had the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter as the Irish became the only team to defeat Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... scored his first TD of the season as a part of a 56-yard showing at Purdue (Sept. 14) ... opened the season by rushing for 65 yards on 12 carries against Temple (Aug. 31).
SCORING 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 18 1.4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 24 2.0 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 48 1.0
KICK RETURNS 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
NO. YARDS 2 24 7 135 8 137 3 49 20 345
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Played in all 13 games ... saw action at both running back and cornerback, as well as serving as one of the team’s top special teams players ... rushed for 125 yards on 23 carries with one TD ... had nine rushes for a career-best 59 yards against Navy (Sept. 1) ... added a 20-yard reception against the Midshipmen as well ... collected his first career TD on Notre Dame’s final drive of the game against Miami (Oct. 6) ... accounted for 75 of the 93 yards on the drive, including 54 on the ground ... set a school record with rushes on nine consecutive Irish offensive plays ... his 11 carries against the Hurricanes were a career high ... added a 21-yard shovel-pass reception ... rushed three times for 11 yards against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) ... serves as a pivotal player on punt and kickoff return as well as punt and kickoff return defense ... registered one kickoff return for 25 yards against Purdue (Sept. 8) ... collected 77 yards on four kickoff returns against Oklahoma (Oct. 27) ... collected five tackles on special teams. FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Played in eight games during the season, primarily on special teams ... did not play in first four games or against Navy ... saw time on special teams and at running back in a reserve role ... had three carries for nine yards and two kick returns for 24 yards ... also tallied a pair of tackles. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team all-state running back as senior on 2010 Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 5A team ... MVP of District 7-5A by Fort Worth Star-Telegram ... second-team running back pick on Dallas Morning News all-area squad ... rushed 301 times for 1,906 yards and 32 TDs as a senior in 2010 at Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas ... also caught 40 passes for 492 yards and three TDs ... . led Dallas area 5A players in scoring with 37 TDs and ranked third in rushing ... helped Coppell to 13-1 record and #2 ranking in Texas Class 5A, losing only 41-40 to Euless Trinity in state quarterfinals ... Coppell finished regular season 10-0 and ranked fifth in Texas Associated Press Class 5A poll ... rated one of top 100 players in Dallas area (one of six running backs) coming into 2010 by Dallas Morning News ... helped 2009 Cowboys team as junior to 11-2 record ending in 5A playoff loss to Arlington ... played for coach Joe McBride at Coppell High School ... son of Danny and Diane McDaniel ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in psychology and minoring in philosophy. MCDANIEL'S CAREER STATS RUSHING G-GS ATT YARDS 2011 8-0 3 9 2012 13-0 23 125 2013 13-3 152 705 2014 12-3 76 274 TOTALS 46-6 254 1113 TOTAL OFFENSE 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 0 12 3.0 1.1 1 19 5.4 9.6 3 36 4.6 54.2 4 23 3.6 22.8 8 36 4.4 24.2
RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 9 0 9 1.1 125 0 125 9.6 705 0 705 54.2 274 0 274 22.8 1113 0 1113 24.2
ALL PURPOSE 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS TACKLES 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV 9 0 125 41 705 34 274 76 1113 151
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 18 12.0 3.0 0 25 19.3 11.2 0 26 17.1 11.4 0 20 16.3 4.1 0 26 17.2 7.5
PR KR 0 24 0 135 0 137 0 49 0 345
IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 33 4.1 0 301 23.2 0 876 67.4 0 399 33.2 0 1609 35.0
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 1 1 2 0.0-0 0 0 5 0 5 0.0-0 0 0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0 0 2 2 4 0.0-0 0 0 9 4 13 0.0-0 0 0
FR 0 0 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0
MCDANIEL’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS RUSHING RECEIVING KICK RETURNS ALL 2014 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE *Rice 8 40 0 23 1 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 47 Michigan 8 25 1 6 2 17 0 11 0 0 0 0 42 vs. Purdue 9 32 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 vs. Syracuse 8 33 0 8 3 21 0 12 0 0 0 0 54 *Stanford 15 41 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 41 *North Carolina 3 10 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 at Florida State 1 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 49 0 20 52 vs. Navy 6 21 0 10 1 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 28 at Arizona State 9 24 2 12 1 24 0 24 0 0 0 0 48 Northwestern 4 12 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Louisville 2 22 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 at USC 3 11 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 TOTALS 76 274 4 23 9 76 0 24 3 49 0 20 399 * - games started RUSHING RECEIVING KICK RETURNS ALL 2013 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE Temple 12 65 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 at Michigan 1 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 at Purdue 16 56 1 10 1 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 53 Michigan State 16 40 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 Oklahoma 3 12 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 vs. Arizona State 15 82 0 29 0 0 0 0 5 83 0 22 165 *USC 18 97 0 36 1 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 102 at Air Force 10 61 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 *Navy 7 52 1 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 52 at Pittsburgh 9 22 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 11 0 11 33 BYU 24 117 0 32 1 3 0 3 2 43 0 26 163 *at Stanford 4 17 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 *vs. Rutgers 17 80 0 13 3 29 0 14 0 0 0 0 109 TOTALS 152 705 3 36 6 34 0 14 8 137 0 26 876 * - games started
74 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 74
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The Fighting Irish
68
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see action during the season.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team Illinois Class 5A all-state pick for 2012 by Illinois Football Coaches Association ... named to 2012 Chicago Tribune all-state team ... first-team offensive lineman on Chicago Sun-Times all-area squad for 2012 ... ranked 37th player nationally on Rivals.com list of offensive tackles ... ranked 133rd overall and ninth among offensive tackles on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... played left offensive tackle at LincolnWay West High School in New Lenox, Illinois ... . helped Warriors reach quarterfinals in 2012 state 5A playoffs ... made 70 pancake blocks as a senior and did not allow a sack his junior or senior year ... transferred from Lincoln-Way Central after his sophomore campaign ... selected for Under Armour All-America Game but did not participate ... played for coach Dave Ernst ... son of Brian and Dawn McGovern ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business. MCGOVERN'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2013 0-0 2014 2-0 TOTAL 2-0
EAMON McOSKER S • 5-11.5 • 205 • Jr. San Pedro, California (Loyola)
46
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Did not see action during the regular season ... provides the Irish depth in practice at the safety position ... helps the Notre Dame scout team on both defense and special teams. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Did not see action during the season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Participated in both track and football at Loyola High School in San Pedro, California ... named team captain and received the most valuable player award as a senior in football ... added all-conference honors in football ... played for head coach Mike Christensen at Loyola ... son of Tim and Connie McOsker ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in finance.
PETER MOKWUAH
96
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of three freshman defensive linemen who spent the regular season on scout team and did not see the field ... joined Jonathan Bonner and Jhonny Williams as rookies who helped the Irish on their defensive scout team.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team New York all-city pick as a senior in 2013 by MSG Varsity ... honorable mention all-metro selection by MSG Varsity for 2013 ... one of 10 picks on New York Daily News Catholic High School Football League/Private allstar team for 2013 ... two-year starter at defensive end at St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School in Staten Island, New York ... helped Vikings to 4-7 record in 2013 and CHSFL of metropolitan New York Class AAA quarterfinals ... named CHSFL player of the week for games week of Sept. 29 after making seven tackles, including four tackles for loss, in St. Joseph by-the-Sea’s 22-14 victory over Mount St. Michael ... selected for United Healthcare Empire Challenge, a June all-star game between New York City and Long Island standouts benefitting Boomer Esiason Foundation and New York area youth football ... uncle Gabe Mokwuah played defensive tackle at American International and was the 11th-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in 1992 NFL Draft ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DL • 6-2.75 • 325 • Fr. Staten Island, New York (St. Joseph by-the-Sea)
BOWL HISTORY
MCGLINCHEY'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2013 0-0 2014 12-0 TOTAL 12-0
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see action during the season.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team offensive lineman on 2012 Pennsylvania Sports Writers AAAA All-State football team ... first-team offensive lineman on Philadelphia Inquirer All-Southeastern Pennsylvania team ... first-team offensive lineman on Philadelphia Daily News All-City squad for William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ... ranked 131st player nationally on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... ranked 24th on Rivals. com list of offensive tackles ... ranked 90th overall and eighth among offensive tackles on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... captain of team as a senior in 2012 ... began as a high school tight end but shifted to offensive tackle ... has played virtually everywhere on the field on both sides of the ball, other than secondary ... also played basketball for Penn Charter ... selected for Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and played for East squad ... first cousin of former Penn Charter, Boston College and current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan ... played for coach Jeff Humble ... son of Mike Sr. and Janet McGlinchey ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Reserve offensive guard who played in two regular-season games (Rice and Michigan) ... one of 20 Irish players who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30).
COACHES & STAFF
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games, predominantly on special teams ... one of 20 Irish players who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... also saw action at right tackle ... earned a spot on field goal/ PAT block unit midway through the season and registered his first career field-goal block vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... played the most offensive snaps of his season at right tackle at USC (Nov. 29).
62
THE FIGHTING IRISH
OL • 6-7.5 • 310 • So. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (William Penn Charter)
OL • 6-4.5 • 313 • So. New Lenox, Illinois (Lincoln-Way West)
GAME NOTES
MIKE McGLINCHEY
COLIN McGOVERN
MEDIA INFORMATION
RUSHING RECEIVING KICK RETURNS ALL 2012 NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG PURPOSE vs. Navy 9 59 0 19 1 20 0 10 0 0 0 0 79 Purdue 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 25 0 25 25 at Michigan State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Michigan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vs. Miami 11 55 1 15 1 21 0 21 0 0 0 0 76 Stanford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BYU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 at Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 77 0 21 77 Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 0 16 16 at Boston College 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wake Forest 3 11 0 7 0 0 0 0 1 17 0 17 28 at USC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 vs. Alabama 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 23 125 1 19 2 41 0 21 7 135 0 25 301
75
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 75
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The Fighting Irish
JOHN MONTELUS OL • 6-4 • 310 • So. Everett, Massachusetts (Everett)
60
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in one regular-season game (Michigan) ... one of 27 Irish players who made his career debut this season ... helped the Irish on their offensive scout team. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Named to 2012 Boston Globe All-Scholastic team ... three-year offensive line starter at Everett High School in Everett, Mass. ... first-team offensive lineman on Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association All-State Super 26 team for 2012 ... first lineman ever to be a finalist for ESPN Boston Mr. Football Award ... ranked 82nd player nationally on MaxPreps/Tom Lemming Top100 list ... rated 74th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked first on Rivals.com list of offensive guards ... ranked 51st overall and second among offensive guards on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... played left tackle as a junior and senior ... helped Everett to three straight Massachusetts Division IA Super Bowl crowns his final three seasons, including a 20-19 win over unbeaten Barnstable in 2012 at Gillette Stadium ... helped Everett defeat top-seeded Masconomet Regional 42-14 in 2012 IA East semifinals ... played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio ... weighed only about 200 pounds when he entered high school ... born in Haiti, moved to Canada at age 2, then to Massachusetts when he was 9 ... played for coach John DiBiaso ... son of Eldridge Fabre ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters. MONTELUS' CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2013 0-0 2014 1-0 TOTAL 1-0
NYLES MORGAN LB • 6-0.75 • 230 • Fr. Crete, Illinois (Crete-Monee)
5
MORGAN'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Season Tackles by Freshman (2014, 43, t-12th) MORGAN'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 11, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (6-5) Tackles for loss: 1.0, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (1-0); Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1-0) Pass breakups: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in 11 regular-season games and started three (at No. 11 Arizona State, Northwestern and Louisville) ... one of five true freshmen (Martini, Tranquill, Trumbetti and Blankenship) to register at least 10 tackles in the regular season ... one of six true freshmen (Martini, Tranquill, Trumbetti, Blankenship and Cage) on defense who played in at least 11 regular-season games ... one of three true freshmen (Martini and Tranquill) to start on defense this season ... seventh on the team with 43 tackles ... added three TFLs, one PBU and one quarterback hurry ... along with sophomore LB Jaylon Smith has collected at least 10 tackles in three consecutive games ... last Irish player with 10 or more tackles in three straight games was Manti Te'o in 2012 (had 10+ tackles in four straight games) ... has at least a half TFL in last three games and four of the last five contests ... one of 10 Irish freshmen who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... saw action with the second-team defense and special teams ... picked up a pair of solo tackles against the Owls ... did not play in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... picked up an assisted tackle in the victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... collected a solo tackle in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... saw action on special teams in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... played on special teams in the victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... participated on special teams at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... replaced injured senior LB Joe Schmidt in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... registered four tackles, including three solo stops, and one TFL (the first of his career) against the Midshipmen ... made his first career start at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... made four solo tackles against the Sun Devils ... registered a career-best 10 tackles vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... added a TFL and PBU against the Wildcats ... recorded 10 tackles, half of a TFL and a QB hurry against Louisville
(Nov. 22) before being ejected in the third quarter for a targeting foul ... recorded all 11 tackles at USC (Nov. 29) in the second half - suspended for the first half following ejection for targeting against Louisville ... added a half TFL against the Trojans. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team linebacker on USA Today All-USA prep All-America squad for 2013 ... ranked as 34th player nationally by Scout.com, 54th by both Tom Lemming/CBS Sports, 75th by both ESPN and Rivals.com and 97th by 247Sports ... Chicago Tribune and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 6A first-team all-state linebacker ... chosen for Chicago Sun-Times all-area squad for 2013 ... two-time pick as Northwest Indiana Times Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior in 2012 and 2013 ... named to Northwest Indiana Times all-area squad as both a junior and senior ... all-Southland Athletic Conference pick for 2013 and first-team all-area linebacker by Southtown Star ... made 115 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and had four sacks, two forced fumbles as senior in 2013 on 8-2 squad at Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Illinois ... returned his only 2013 interception for a TD in a playoff game versus Providence ... helped Crete-Monee to Illinois Class 6A state title as a junior in 2012 with 14-0 record, as his forced fumble in the championship game shifted momentum ... Crete-Monee defense in 2012 allowed only four regular-season TDs ... made 107 tackles, 73 of them solo, to go with 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a junior in 2012 ... three-year starter who helped Crete-Monee to 40-2 record over those seasons ... played in U.S. Army All-America Bowl in San Antonio, making three tackles and sharing a tackle for loss for West squad ... father Thomas played football at Western Illinois ... enrolled in First Year of Studies. MORGAN'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2014 11-3 22
A TOTAL TFL PD 21 43 3.0-6 1
MORGAN'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Michigan Did Not Play vs. Purdue 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Syracuse 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 North Carolina 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Navy 3-1 4 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 *at Arizona State 4-0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 *Northwestern 3-7 10 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 *Louisville 3-7 10 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 at USC 6-5 11 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 TOTALS 22-21 43 3.0-6 0.0-0 0 * - games started
FR BLK 0 0
FR INT PBU BLK 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
SAM MUSTIPHER OL • 6-2 • 305 • Fr. Olney, Maryland (Good Counsel)
FF 0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
53
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of four freshman offensive linemen who spent the regular season on scout team and did not see the field ... joined Quenton Nelson, Jimmy Byrne and Alex Bars as rookies who helped the Irish on their offensive scout team. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated 134th best player nationally by Scout.com and 203rd by Rivals.com ... named to 2013 Maryland consensus all-state squad on offensive line ... played on both offensive and defensive lines at Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland, helping Falcons finish 6-5 in 2013 ... first-team pick as offensive lineman on Washington Post All-Met squad for 2013 ... named to Maryland Private School all-state squad as a senior ... named to USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA D.C. team for 2013 ... Montgomery Gazette first-team all-star selection for Montgomery County as both a junior and senior ... first-team offensive lineman on Washington Catholic Athletic Conference all-league squad for 2013 ... all-Northeast Region preseason pick for 2013 ... second-team Washington Post All-Met pick as a junior in 2012 as he helped top-ranked Falcons rush for 2,374 yards and capture fourth straight WCAC title ... anchored line that helped average 5.4 yards per rushing carry in 2012 and allow only 16 sacks ... named to MaxPreps U.S. Air Force Sophomore All-America first team for 2011 as defensive lineman ... played in Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Florida ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
76 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 76
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The Fighting Irish OL • 6-4.5 • 325 • Fr. Holmdel, New Jersey (Red Bank Catholic)
56
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of four freshman offensive linemen who spent the regular season on scout team and did not see the field ... joined Sam Mustipher, Jimmy Byrne and Alex Bars as rookies who helped the Irish on their offensive scout team.
85
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Did not see action during the regular season ... serves as the backup placekicker, punter and kickoff specialist.
DL • 6-4 • 260 • Jr. Charlotte, North Carolina (Ardrey Kell)
45
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Started on the defensive line in 11 of the 12 regular-season games (played but did not start vs. Navy) ... registered 33 tackles, four TFLs, four sacks, one PBU and two forced fumbles ... leads the team in sacks ... started in the season-opening
FR 0 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 1
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A TOTAL YARDS 0 0.0 0 1 0.5 3 2 4.0 38 3 4.4 41
OKWARA’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 1-1 2 1.0-4 1.0-4 *Michigan 1-1 2 1.0-17 1.0-17 *vs. Purdue 3-8 11 0.5-8 0.5-8 *vs. Syracuse 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *North Carolina 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Florida State 1-1 2 1.0-8 1.0-8 vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Northwestern 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Louisville 1-2 3 0.5-1 0.5-1 *at USC 4-2 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 14-19 33 4.0-38 4.0-38 * - games started
FF 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
OKWARA'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 11, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 (3-8) Sacks: 1.0, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014; Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 (1-0); Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, five times; last time at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 Fumbles forced: 1, at Oklahoma, Oct. 27, 2012; Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014; vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 Pass breakups: 1, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014
UA 0 0 3 3
FF 1 0 2 3
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
OKWARA'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Football Bowl Subdivision Defensive Player of the Week (9.15.14)
SACKS 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
A TOTAL TFL PD 3 7 1.5-1 0 9 19 1.5-5 0 19 33 4.0-38 1 31 59 7.0-44 1
BOWL HISTORY
ROMEO OKWARA
OKWARA'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2012 13-0 4 2013 13-1 10 2014 12-11 14 TOTALS 38-12 28
2014 SEASON REVIEW
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Named to Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia Class AAAA all-state squad in 2013 ... handled kicks and punts for Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Georgia ... connected on all five field-goal attempts as a senior, nine of 11 as a junior in 2012 and three of four as a sophomore ... hit all 78 PATs as a senior, 52 of 53 as a junior and 22 of 24 as a sophomore ... 76 of 100 kickoffs in 2013 were touchbacks and 142 of 213 in career carried into end zone ... punted 20 times for 38.65-yard average in 2013 ... helped Carrollton to Georgia Class AAAA title game in 2013 and final 13-2 record ... kicked 34-yard field goal for 24-14 lead and later hit 23-yarder in 56-35 loss to Griffin in championship game ... helped Carrollton win semifinal round 46-44 over Marist in four overtimes ... played in Semper-Fidelis All-American Game in Carson, California ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team defensive lineman on all-Observer squad by Charlotte Observer for 2011 ... considered the 13th-best player in North Carolina by 247Sports ... rated 15th-best player in North Carolina by SuperPrep ... ranked number-19 player in North Carolina by Rivals.com ... led team with 76 tackles, 14 sacks and 27 tackles for loss, to go with 18 quarterback pressures, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a field-goal block ... two-time all-Mecklenburg selection by Charlotte Observer ... as junior in 2010 recorded 70 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal ... an allleague selection on 8-5 Ardrey Kell team as a junior ... chosen to play in North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl ... from same high school that produced former Irish defender Prince Shembo ... moved to United States from Nigeria as sixth-grader ... coached by Adam Hastings at Ardrey Kell High School ... son of Julius and Melda Okwara ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in accountancy.
COACHES & STAFF
P/K • 6-2.5 • 190 • Fr. Carrollton, Georgia (Carrollton)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Appeared in all 13 games of rookie season, primarily as a special-teams contributor ... registered seven tackles, four of which were unassisted ... logged at least one stop in five of the final six games ... posted first career tackle for loss in the win at Oklahoma (Oct. 27), forcing a fumble on the play ... credited with a half tackle for loss against Wake Forest (Nov. 17).
THE FIGHTING IRISH
TYLER NEWSOME
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Played in all 13 games and made his first career start against Navy (Nov. 2) ... credited with 19 tackles on the year, 10 solo and nine assisted ... had 1.5 tackles for loss including a half of a sack ... matched his career high with five tackles in the regular season finale at Stanford (Nov. 30) ... also had five tackles in the win over Navy, including a share of his first career sack ... had a TFL amongst his two tackles at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... recorded single solo tackles in five games.
GAME NOTES
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team offensive lineman on USA Today All-USA prep All-America squad for 2013 ... honorable mention selection on Parade prep All-America squad ... ranked as 29th best player nationally by Rivals.com, 46th by Scout.com, 50th by Tom Lemming/CBS Sports, 74th by 247Sports and 175th by ESPN ... second-team offensive lineman on MaxPreps 2013 All-America team ... named to USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA New Jersey team for 2013 ... played offensive line for Red Bank Catholic High School in Red Bank, New Jersey ... named to MSG Varsity all-New Jersey squad ... team finished 9-1 in 2013 and averaged 279 rushing yards and 43.5 points per game ... had 61 tackles and three sacks on defense ... all-Northeast Region preseason pick for 2013 ... named to MaxPreps Junior All-America 2012 second team ... helped Red Bank Catholic to New Jersey state title game with 42 tackles and seven sacks while winning Newark StarLedger second-team all-state honors ... helped Red Bank Catholic average 38 points and 341 yards per game on offense in 2012 ... played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered two tackles and a sack against the Owls ... collected a pair of tackles, including a sack (for a loss of 17 yards), and forced a fumble in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... registered 11 tackles in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... easily surpassed his previous career high for tackles in a game (had five against both Navy and Stanford in 2013) ... added a half sack and a forced fumble against the Boilermakers ... totaled three tackles in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... started and played extensively but did not record a tackle in the win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... started and made three stops in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... made two tackles, including an eight-yard sack of Jameis Winston, at No. 2 Florida State ... did not start in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... failed to collect any statistics against the Midshipmen ... started at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) but did not record a tackle ... registered an assisted tackle vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... made three tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... split a sack with Jarron Jones against the Cardinals ... recorded six tackles, including a season-high four solo stops, and one PBU at USC (Nov. 29).
MEDIA INFORMATION
QUENTON NELSON
77 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 77
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The Fighting Irish 2013 Temple at Michigan at Purdue Michigan State Oklahoma vs. Arizona State USC at Air Force *Navy at Pittsburgh BYU at Stanford vs. Rutgers TOTALS * - games started
UT-AT TT 1-0 1 1-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-0 1 1-1 2 1-4 5 1-0 1 1-1 2 2-3 5 1-0 1 10-9 19
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.5-3 0.5-3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-5 0.5-3
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 UT-AT TT vs. Navy 0-0 0 Purdue 0-0 0 at Michigan State 0-0 0 Michigan 0-0 0 vs. Miami 0-0 0 Stanford 0-0 0 BYU 0-1 1 at Oklahoma 1-0 1 Pittsburgh 2-0 2 at Boston College 1-0 1 Wake Forest 0-2 2 at USC 0-0 0 vs. Alabama 0-0 0 TOTALS 4-3 7
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
JAMES ONWUALU
LB • 6-1 • 220 • So. Saint Paul, Minnesota (Cretin-Derham Hall)
17
ONWUALU'S CAREER HIGHS Receptions: 1, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013; at Stanford, Nov. 30, 2013 Receiving yards: 23, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 (1 reception) Long reception: 23, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 All-purpose yards: 23, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 Punt returns: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Punt return yards: 6, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1 return) Long punt return: 6, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Tackles: 7, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (5-2) Tackles for loss: 2.0, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (2-0) SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started seven contests (Rice, Purdue, Stanford, North Carolina, Northwestern, Louisville and USC) when Notre Dame opened with a 4-3 defense ... recorded 20 tackles, 12 solo stops, and two TFLs in the regular season ... started four games at wide receiver in 2013, but picked up his first career start at linebacker in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered three tackles, including a solo stop, against the Owls ... did not start in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6), but recorded one tackle ... returned to the starting lineup in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... picked up a tackle against the Boilermakers ... did not start but played in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... started at linebacker in the 17-14 win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) and made one solo tackle ... started and recorded one solo tackle against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... split a tackle at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... did not start against Navy (Nov. 1) but collected a career-best seven tackles and career-best two TFLs ... appeared against No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) but did not make a tackle ... made four tackles, two solo stops, vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... started against Louisville (Nov. 22) and made one solo tackle ... started at USC (Nov. 29) but did not make a tackle.
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started four (Michigan, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Stanford) as rookie receiver ... caught two passes for 34 yards ... also made six tackles on special teams, all solo ... had a 23-yard catch against the Panthers and an 11-yard catch against the Cardinal ... recorded single tackles in six different contests. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team running back on both Associated Press and Minnesota Football Coaches Association 2012 all-state squads ... named to All-Pioneer Press 2012 all-star squad as running back/wide receiver/defensive back for 2012 by Saint Paul Pioneer-Press ... ranked 22nd player nationally on Rivals.com list in “athlete” category ... listed as top player in Minnesota on Detroit Free Press Best in the Midwest ratings ... ranked 296th overall and 39th among wide receivers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... finished senior season at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 2012 with 574 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs on 74 attempts, plus 26 catches for 421 yards and five more TDs ... led Suburban East Conference in scoring in 2012 with 116 points ... averaged 26.1 yards (209 total yards) on kickoff returns ... also made 10 tackles in 2012 and returned an interception 94 yards for a TD ... had 246 all-purpose yards in 2012 season-opening win over East Ridge, including that 94-yard interception return for a TD and a 45-yard TD reception ... piled up 428 receiving yards on 27 catches and five TD catches as a junior in 2011 ... rushed 71 times for 549 yards and eight TDs in 2011 ... scored 80 points in 2011 and added an interception and eight tackles ... finished with 420 rushing yards, 95 receiving yards, 70 kickoff returns yards and five tackles as a sophomore in 2010 while scoring three TDs ... from long list of Cretin-Derham Hall players to attend Notre Dame, most recently Michael Floyd and Ryan Harris ... enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2013 ... played for coach Mike Scanlan ... son of Francis Onwualu and Ann Perry ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management consulting. ONWUALU'S CAREER STATS RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2013 12-4 2 34 0 23 0.2 17.0 2.8 2014 12-7 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 TOTALS 24-11 2 34 0 23 0.1 17.0 1.4 PUNT RETURNS 2013 2014 TOTALS ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS TACKLES 2013 2014 TOTALS
NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 1 6 0 6 6.0 0.5 1 6 0 6 6.0 0.2 RUSH RCV PR 0 34 0 0 0 6 0 34 6
KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 34 2.8 0 0 6 0.5 0 0 40 1.7
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 6 0 6 0.0-0 0 0 12 8 20 2.0-4 0 0 18 8 26 2.0-4 0 0
ONWUALU'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 Michigan 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Purdue 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Stanford 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *North Carolina 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Florida State 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Navy 5-2 7 2.0-4 0.0-0 at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Northwestern 2-2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Louisville 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 12-8 20 2.0-4 0.0-0 * - games started
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
FR 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
78 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 78
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The Fighting Irish RB • 5-8.5 • 219 • Gr. Frankfort, Illinois (Providence Catholic)
49
PLANTZ'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Scout Team Player of the Year: Offense (2014)
SENIOR SEASON (2013): Played against BYU (Nov. 23). JUNIOR SEASON (2012): Appeared in six games as a special-teams contributor during the season.
WR • 6-0.5 • 220 • Jr. Petersburg, Virginia (Woodberry Forest)
20
PROSISE'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Special Teams Player of the Year (2014)
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started six times (Syracuse, Stanford, North Carolina, Florida State, Navy and Northwestern) ... leads the Irish in total special teams tackles (10), kickoff return tackles (seven) and punt return tackles (three) ... caught 26 passes for 482 yards and two TDs ... led all receivers with an average of 18.5 yards per catch ... had three of Notre Dame's five receptions of at least 50 yards ... had four of the Irish 11 receptions of at least 40 yards ... registered nine receptions of at least 20 yards ... fourth on the team in receiving yards and fifth in receptions ... 15 of his 26 receptions went for a first down or touchdown ... added 57 yards rushing on seven carries ... recorded his first career touchdown and longest career reception on a 53-yard TD grab from Everett Golson just before halftime in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... added an 18-yard recep-
SCORING 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSHING 2013 2014 TOTALS TOTAL OFFENSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0.0 51 0 51 4.2 51 0 51 2.0 TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 12 1.0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 12 0.5 RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 72 0 0 0 72 5.5 51 482 0 0 0 533 44.4 51 554 0 0 0 605 24.2
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 7 51 0 26 7.3 4.2 7 51 0 26 7.3 2.0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
PROSISE'S CAREER STATS RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2013 13-3 7 72 0 20 0.5 10.3 5.5 2014 12-6 26 482 2 78 2.2 18.5 40.2 TOTALS 25-9 33 554 2 78 1.3 16.8 22.2
BOWL HISTORY
PROSISE'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014; Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Touchdowns: 1, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014; Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Rush attempts: 2, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Rush yards: 26, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1 carry) Long rush: 26, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 Receptions: 6, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 Receiving yards: 85, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (2 receptions) Receiving TDs: 1, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014; Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Long reception: 78, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Total offense attempts: 2, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (2r,0p) Total offense yards: 26, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (26r, 0p) All-purpose yards: 91, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Tackles: 3, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (3-0)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
C.J. PROSISE
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Earned first-team Virginia all-state honors in both 2011 and 2010 ... named Central Virginia defensive player of the year for 2011 by Charlottesville Daily Progress ... first-team defensive back on all-Central Virginia squad ... listed as ninth-best player in Virginia and 24th defensive back nationally by SuperPrep ... ranked 276th on Scout.com Scout 300 list and 21st-best safety in the nation by Scout.com ... rated the 13th-best player in Virginia and 22nd-best safety nationally by 247Sports ... Prep League player of the year and first-team defensive back on Richmond Times-Dispatch Prep League all-district team for 2011 ... receiver, safety and kick returner at Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia ... credited with 51 tackles, six interceptions and 10 passes defended as a senior safety in 2011 ... scored seven TDs on returns in 2011, five on kicks, one on an interception, one on a fumble ... helped Tigers to 8-2 record and Virginia Prep League crown in 2011 ... made 42 tackles and seven interceptions as junior in 2010 ... returned four kicks for scores as a junior ... won the long jump and 55-meter dash at Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association indoor state track and field championship in 2012 ... placed second in 100-meter dash at VISAA state outdoor track meet as a junior and senior ... coached by Clint Alexander at Woodberry Forest School ... son of Calvin and Ginin Prosise ... from same high school as 2014 Irish sophomore Doug Randolph and freshman Greer Martini ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting.
COACHES & STAFF
PLANTZ'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 6-0 2013 1-0 2014 0-0 TOTALS 7-0
FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see game action during the season.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Three-year letterwinner at Providence Catholic High School ... also earned two letters in wrestling ... helped Providence to Chicago Catholic League Blue title, as well as a sectional and regional championship ... Providence reached the state title game in 2009 ... collected 139 tackles, 10 sacks and 14 tackles for loss as a senior ... led Illinois in tackles (148) as a junior in 2008 ... also collected 10 TFLs, nine sacks and one interception in '08 ... coached by Mark Coglianese at Providence Catholic High School . . . member of the National Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity and Augustinian Youth Ministry ... born in Chicago ... son of Ron and Laura Plantz ... father graduated from Notre Dame in 1986 and earned three football monograms as a center ... graduated in May 2014 from the Mendoza College of Business with a degree in finance.
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Played in all 13 games both as a wide receiver and on special teams ... started as a receiver against Temple (Aug. 31), Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) and Rutgers (Dec. 28) ... caught seven passes on the year for 72 yards ... also made four tackles ... had a career-best two receptions for career-high 25 yards, including a career-long 20-yard grab, in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl ... had a single catch in five different games ... longest regular-season grab was a 16-yarder at Michigan (Sept. 7) on his first career reception ... recorded a tackle in each of the season's final four contests.
GAME NOTES
GRADUATE SEASON (2014): Did not see game action during the regular season ... walk-on earned a scholarship at the end of fall camp ... helped the Irish on their offensive scout team.
tion in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... registered four receptions for 51 yards, including a 25-yard grab, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... started in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27), collected three catches for 20 yards and provided outstanding perimeter blocking ... earned a start in the 17-14 triumph over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... caught two passes for 16 yards and had a 26-yard rush in the victory over the Cardinal ... had a 12-yard rush and a career-high three tackles in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... set career highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (59) at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... hauled in a career-long 78 yard TD pass from Everett Golson on the second offensive play from scrimmage in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... the 78-yard reception was the longest of the season for Notre Dame ... added a 14-yard run ... the TD came at 14:02 of the first quarter, which marked Notre Dame's earliest score since Oct. 1, 2011, when Michael Floyd caught a 35-yard TD pass from Tommy Rees at the 14:36 mark to spur the Irish to a 38-10 win at Purdue ... caught two passes for 85 yards at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... hauled in a 59-yard pass against the Sun Devils ... registered a 33-yard reception vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... caught a pair of passes for 25 yards against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... had a four-yard rush and 45 yards on two receptions, including a 40-yard grab, at USC (Nov. 29).
MEDIA INFORMATION
TYLER PLANTZ
79 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 79
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The Fighting Irish TACKLES 2013 2014 TOTALS
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 3 1 4 0.0-0 0 0 6 4 10 0.0-0 0 0 9 5 14 0.0-0 0 0
FR 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0
PROSISE'S GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS R ECEIVING 2014 NO. YDS TD LG Rice 1 53 1 53 Michigan 1 18 0 18 vs. Purdue 4 51 0 25 *vs. Syracuse 3 20 0 9 *Stanford 2 16 0 18 *North Carolina 0 0 0 0 *at Florida State 6 59 0 26 *vs. Navy 2 77 1 78 at Arizona State 2 85 0 59 *Northwestern 1 33 0 33 Louisville 2 25 0 21 at USC 2 45 0 40 TOTALS 26 482 2 78 * - games started
ANTHONY RABASA DL • 6-2.5 • 250 • Sr. Miami, Florida (Columbus)
56
following his junior campaign in 2009 ... played for coach Chris Merritt at Christopher Columbus High School ... son of Gus and Olga Rabasa ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. RABASA'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2012 2-0 0 2013 5-0 4 2014 3-0 0 TOTALS 10-0 4
A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 1 1 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 2 6 1.0-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0-0 1 0 0 0 3 7 1.0-2 1 0 0 0
RABASA'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF Rice 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 Michigan Did Not Play vs. Purdue Did Not Play vs. Syracuse Did Not Play Stanford Did Not Play North Carolina 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 vs. Navy Did Not Play at Arizona State Did Not Play Northwestern Did Not Play Louisville Did Not Play at USC Did Not Play TOTALS 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 * - games started
FR INT PBU BLK 0-0 0-0 0 0
0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0
DOUG RANDOLPH
RABASA'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 3, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 (3-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 (1-0) Pass breakups: 1.0, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014
LB • 6-2 • 240 • So. Richmond, Virginia (Woodberry Forest)
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Played in three regular-season games (Rice, North Carolina and Florida State) ... saw extensive playing time on third down as a situational pass rusher in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... did not see the field in any of the next four games (Michigan, Purdue, Syracuse or Stanford) ... returned to action against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... batted down a Jameis Winston pass at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... did not play over the final five games of the regular season. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Played in five games as outside linebacker ... made six tackles on the year, including his first career tackle for loss ... had a solo stop against BYU (Nov. 23) ... shared on a pair of tackles against Navy (Nov. 2) ... credited with three solo stops, including a TFL, at Air Force (Oct. 26). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Appeared in two games (Boston College and Wake Forest) during the season ... logged first career tackle against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) . FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see any game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked 11th nationally on Rivals weak-side defensive end list ... selected to Florida Times-Union Super 75 team of Florida’s top players ... listed 123rd on ESPN 150 list of top players nationally for 2010 ... selected to play in Team USA vs. The World game in Austin, Texas ... tabbed as best defensive lineman and fifth-best prospect in Miami-Dade County by Miami Herald ... named to Orlando Sentinel Florida Top 100 list as fourth-best defensive end in state ... led Columbus High School team in Miami, Florida, to 6A regional quarterfinals of 2010 Florida state playoffs ... registered 80 tackles and 10 sacks for Columbus as a junior defensive end in 2009 ... named first-team all-county in 2010 by Miami Herald ... 2009 first-team all-Dade County selection ... named second team all-state defensive line by Florida sportswriters and first team all-county by Miami Herald
0 1
0 0
1
0
44
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in six regular-season games (Michigan, Purdue, Navy, Northwestern, Louisville and USC) predominantly on special teams ... aided the Irish on defensive scout team during much of the regular season ... picked up an assisted tackle against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... one of 10 first-year players to debut on defense this season. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see game action during the season. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Helped Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Virginia, to 7-3 mark as senior in 2012, making 33 tackles (12 solo), 10.5 sacks, 12 hurries, one fumble caused and one pass broken up ... ranked 142nd player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... rated 134th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked 10th on Rivals.com list of outside linebackers ... ranked 31st among outside linebackers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... only pass reception in 2012 went for 41 yards and a TD vs. Collegiate ... had nine tackles and 4.5 sacks in 52-13 win over Kiski in 2012 ... as a junior in 2011 made 47 tackles, nine tackles for loss, seven sacks and forced a fumble ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl and played for East squad ... also played as long-stick middie in lacrosse ... from same high school as current Irish junior C.J. Prosise and freshman Greer Martini ... played for coach Clint Alexander ... son of David and Renita Randolph ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business. RANDOLPH'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2013 0-0 0 2014 6-0 0 TOTALS 6-0 0
A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.0-0 0 0 0 0
80 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 80
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The Fighting Irish
10
S • 6-1 • 198 • So. Mission Viejo, California (Mission Viejo)
KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0.0 0 17 17 1.4 0 17 17 0.7
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 3 9 12 0.0-0 0 0 30 24 54 0.5-0 3 0 33 33 66 0.5-0 3 0
FR BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0
CODY RIGGS
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
CB • 5-9 • 185 • Gr. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (St. Thomas Aquinas)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2
RIGGS' HONORS AND AWARDS • Senior Bowl Watch List (2014) RIGGS' CAREER HIGHS (FLORIDA) Tackles: 7, Georgia Southern, Nov. 23, 2013 (3-4) Tackles for loss: 2.5, at Kentucky, Sept. 28, 2013 (2-1); Arkansas, Oct. 5, 2013 (2-1) Sacks: 1.0, Arkansas, Oct. 5, 2013 (1-0) Forced Fumbles: 1, Bowling Green, Sept. 1, 2012 Interceptions: 1, vs. Penn State, Jan. 1, 2011 Pass breakups: 1, eight times RIGGS' CAREER HIGHS (NOTRE DAME) All-purpose yards: 49, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Punt returns: 3, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014; Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Punt return yards: 49, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 (2 returns) Long punt return: 25, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Interceptions: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Tackles: 6, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (4-2); North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (5-1) Tackles for loss: 1.0, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (1-0) Fumbles forced: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Pass breakups: 1, vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014; Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 GRADUATE SEASON (2014): Played in and started 10 regular-season games (missed contests against No. 11 Arizona State and USC due to injury) ... registered 33 tackles, including 24 solo stops, one TFL, one interception, four passes defended, three PBUs, one forced fumble and one quarterback hurry ... one of 20 players who made his Notre Dame debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered an assisted tackle against the Owls (Aug. 30) ... made instant impact on special teams ... recorded 49 yards on two punt returns (24.5 yards per return) ... registered three tackles, picked off a pass and broke up another in the 31-0 rout over Michigan (Sept. 6) ... also returned three punts for 20 yards ... had three
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
TACKLES 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU BLK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0
BOWL HISTORY
REDFIELD'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS G-GS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2013 12-1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2014 12-10 1 17 0 17 17.0 1.4 TOTALS 24-11 1 17 0 17 17.0 0.7
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Second-team USA Today All-USA high school All-American ... second-team safety on prep All-America team for 2013 selected by 247Sports ... first-team defensive back on Los Angeles Times All-Star team for 2012 ... Orange County Register defensive player of the year for 2012 ... South Coast League MVP in 2012 at Mission Viejo High School in Mission Viejo, California ... ranked 23rd player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... ranked 41st on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated 30th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked third on Rivals.com list of safeties ... ranked 57th overall and fifth among safeties on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... made 65 tackles as a senior in 2012 to go with two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries ... made 45 receptions as a wide receiver in 2012 for 757 yards and six TDs ... had four interceptions and blocked four punts as a senior in 2012 ... helped his Mission Viejo team climb to number one in Orange County rankings as senior ... three-sport standout at Mission Viejo, also playing basketball and soccer ... all-Orange County pick as junior in 2011 ... selected for Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg and played for West team ... aunt is former United States soccer defender Joy Fawcett, an Olympic and World Cup champion ... mother Kathy played soccer in college ... played for coach Bob Johnson ... son of Floyd Sr. and Kathy Mora ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.
PBU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
COACHES & STAFF
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Played in 12 games, started vs. Rutgers (Dec. 28) and missed only Michigan (Sept. 7) ... made 12 tackles on the season ... collected a pair of stops in his first career start in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl ... made three tackles against BYU (Nov. 23) to match his high ... had two tackles against Navy (Nov. 2) ... enjoyed a three tackle evening at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... had single assisted tackles against both Temple (Aug. 31) and Michigan State (Sept. 21).
2013 UT-AT TT Temple 0-1 1 at Michigan Did Not Play at Purdue 0-0 0 Michigan State 0-1 1 Oklahoma 0-0 0 vs. Arizona State 0-0 0 USC 0-0 0 at Air Force 2-1 3 Navy 0-2 2 at Pittsburgh 0-0 0 BYU 0-3 3 at Stanford 0-0 0 *vs. Rutgers 1-1 2 TOTALS 3-9 12 * - games started
INT 0-0 1-17 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-17
THE FIGHTING IRISH
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started 10 contests ... started at safety in each of the first nine games of the season ... did not start vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) or Louisville (Nov. 22) but returned to the starting lineup at USC (Nov. 29) ... fourth on the team, and second among defensive backs, with 54 tackles in the regular season ... added an interception, three passes defended and two PBUs ... picked up three tackles in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered a career-best six tackles and recorded his first career interception in the 31-0 rout over Michigan (Sept. 6) ... collected an assisted tackle in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... ejected in the first half against the Boilermakers following a targeting penalty ... recorded five tackles, including three solo stops, in the 31-15 victory over Stanford (Sept. 27) ... recorded three tackles, including a half of a tackle for loss, along with a pass breakup, in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... second on the team with both his career-high 10 tackles and seven solo stops in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... made three tackles at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... registered seven tackles and a pass breakup in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... matched his career-high with a team-high 10 tackles in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... recorded a solo tackle vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... saw action against Louisville (Nov. 22) but did not record any stats ... registered five tackles before an injury forced him to the sidelines in the second quarter against USC.
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
GAME NOTES
REDFIELD'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: 17, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Interceptions: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Long interception return: 17, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Tackles: 10, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (7-3); at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (9-1) Tackles for loss: 0.5, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (0-0) Pass breakups: 1, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014; Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
MAX REDFIELD
REDFIELD'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Michigan 2-4 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Purdue 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Syracuse 3-2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Stanford 2-1 3 0.5-0 0.0-0 *North Carolina 7-3 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Florida State 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Navy 3-4 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 9-1 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 Northwestern 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at USC 1-4 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 30-24 54 0.5-0 0.0-0 * - games started
81
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 81
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The Fighting Irish tackles and a pass breakup in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... registered three solo tackles and recorded a 16-yard punt return in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... made six tackles, four of them solo, in the 17-14 win over No. 14 Stanford ... had a pass pressure and three punt returns for 10 yards against the Cardinal ... matched his season high with six tackles against North Carolina (Oct. 11), five of them solos ... recorded his first Notre Dame tackle for loss against the Tar Heels and also broke up a pass ... recorded four tackles, all solo, at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... picked up a couple tackles in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... collected four tackles, including three solo stops, and forced a fumble (that Austin Collinsworth scooped up and scored a TD) vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... started against Louisville (Nov. 22) but saw limited action due to foot injury and only made one tackle. SENIOR SEASON (2013): Returned from injury and started all 12 games at safety at Florida, after converting from cornerback ... finished fourth on the team with 51 tackles ... according to coaches film breakdown, he had 10 tackles for loss and one sack ... led the team in tackles against Toledo (six) and Arkansas (six) ... had a career-high seven tackles against Georgia Southern ... named a team captain for the Miami, South Carolina and Georgia Southern games. JUNIOR SEASON (2012): Played in two games at Florida before fracturing his foot and being sidelined for the remainder of the season ... recorded seven tackles, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011): Played in all 13 games at Florida, making 10 starts ... registered 31 tackles on the season, including 1.5 for loss and a half sack. FRESHMAN SEASON (2010): One of six true freshmen to play in all 13 games, while starting three (Kentucky, South Carolina, Penn State) ... started on the punt and kickoff coverage teams all season ... usually the first corner to sub in on defense throughout the season ... thirteen of his 18 tackles were solo and he had two pass breakups ... started at corner in the 2011 Outback Bowl win vs. Penn State, notching his first career interception and making two tackles ... made his first career start in the win vs. Kentucky, recording a then-career-high four tackles and a pass breakup. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked No. 9 cornerback in the country by Scout. com ... participated in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Game ... recorded 25 tackles, picked off eight passes and batted down an Aquinas team-record 24 others during his senior season ... received honorable mention for defensive backs at the U.S. Army National AllCombine ... had 25 tackles and eight interceptions during his junior season ... also ran track in high school ... coached by George F. Smith ... nephew of former Notre Dame WR Bobby Brown … enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, pursuing a masters of science in management… earned a bachelor’s degree in family youth and community sciences from the University of Florida in May, 2014. RIGGS' CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA @2010 13-3 13 @2011 13-10 20 @2012 2-1 5 @2013 12-12 30 2014 10-10 24 TOTAL 51-36 92 SACKS @2010 @2011 @2012 @2013 2014 TOTAL
A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 5 18 1.0-5 3 0 0 0 11 31 1.5-3 2 0 0 0 2 7 0.0-0 1 1 0 0 21 51 6.5-35 3 0 0 0 9 33 1.0-1 4 1 0 0 48 140 10.0-44 13 2 0 0
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0.5 1 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 1.5 15 0 0 0.0 0 1 2 2.0 16
INTERCEPTIONS NO. YARDS @2010 1 0 @2011 0 0 @2012 0 0 @2013 0 0 2014 1 0 TOTAL 2 0 @ indicates stats from Florida
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0
PUNT RETURNS ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 2014 13 95 0 25 7.3 9.5
82
ALL PURPOSE RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 2014 0 0 95 0 0 95 9.5 RIGGS’ GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR *Rice 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Michigan 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Purdue 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Syracuse 3-0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Stanford 4-2 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *North Carolina 5-1 6 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 *at Florida State 4-0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Navy 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Arizona State Did Not Play - Injury *Northwestern 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 *Louisville 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 24-9 33 1.0-1 0.0-0 1 0-0 * - games started 2013 UT-AT TT *Toledo 5-1 6 *at Miami, Florida 0-1 1 *Tennessee 2-1 3 *at Kentucky 3-3 6 *Arkansas 4-2 6 *at LSU 2-4 6 *at Missouri 1-0 1 *vs. Georgia 4-2 6 *Vanderbilt 1-0 1 *at South Carolina 3-1 4 *Georgia Southern 3-4 7 *Florida State 2-2 4 TOTALS 30-21 51 * - games started
INT PBU 0-0 0 1-0 1 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0-0 0-0
0 0 0 0
1-0
3
0
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-6 0.0-0 2.5-15 0.5-5 2.5-12 1.0-10 0.5-2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 6.5-35 1.5-15
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 3
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 Bowling Green *at Texas A&M TOTALS * - games started
UT-AT TT TFL SCK 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 5-2 7 0.0-0 0.0-0
FF 1 0 1
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU BLK 0-0 1 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 1 0
2011 *Florida Atlantic *UAB *Tennessee *at Kentucky *Alabama *at LSU *at Auburn vs. Georgia Vanderbilt at South Carolina *Furman *Florida State *vs. Ohio State TOTALS * - games started
UT-AT TT 0-1 1 2-0 2 3-1 4 1-2 3 1-0 1 1-0 1 0-4 4 3-1 4 3-0 3 0-0 0 4-1 5 0-0 0 2-1 3 20-11 31
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-3 0.5-1
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 2
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010 UT-AT TT Miami, Ohio 1-1 2 USF 1-0 1 at Tennessee 0-0 0 *Kentucky 2-2 4 at Alabama 0-0 0 LSU 0-0 0 Mississippi State 0-0 0 vs. Georgia 3-0 3 at Vanderbilt 2-0 2 *South Carolina 1-1 2 Appalachian State 1-0 1 at Florida State 1-0 1 *vs. Penn State 1-1 2 TOTALS 13-5 18 * - games started
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-5 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-0 0 1-0 2
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 82
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The Fighting Irish WR • 6-4.5 • 215 • So. San Antonio, Texas (San Antonio Christian)
88
ROBINSON'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Capital One CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American (2014) • Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team (2014) • Notre Dame Rockne Student-Athlete Award
RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 157 0 0 0 157 12.1 0 539 0 0 0 539 44.9 0 696 0 0 0 696 27.8
ROBINSON’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS RECEIVING 2014 NO. YDS TD LG Rice 1 25 0 25 *Michigan 1 22 0 22 vs. Purdue 3 52 1 32 *vs. Syracuse 8 91 1 22 Stanford 4 46 0 17 North Carolina 2 24 0 15 at Florida State 8 99 2 23 vs. Navy 2 34 0 19 at Arizona State 3 57 0 23 Northwestern 2 14 0 14 Louisville 3 41 1 22 at USC 3 34 0 19 TOTALS 40 539 5 32 * - games started
DL • 6-3.5 • 287 • So. McDonough, Georgia (Eagle's Landing Christian)
90
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
ROCHELL'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 9, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (5-4) Sacks: 1.0, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014; Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 2.0, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (2-0); North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (2-0) Fumbles recovered: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Pass breakups: 2, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
ISAAC ROCHELL
BOWL HISTORY
RECEIVING 2013 NO. YDS TD LG *Temple 0 0 0 0 at Michigan 1 12 0 12 at Purdue 0 0 0 0 Michigan State 3 54 0 24 Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 *vs. Arizona State 0 0 0 0 USC 0 0 0 0 *at Air Force 1 35 1 35 Navy 0 0 0 0 at Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 BYU 1 17 0 17 at Stanford 2 29 0 22 vs. Rutgers 1 10 0 10 TOTALS 9 157 1 35 * - games started
2014 SEASON REVIEW
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team Division II all-state wide receiver on Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools team for 2012 ... ranked as number four player in San Antonio area for 2012 by San Antonio Express-News ... a first-team wide receiver on San Antonio Express-News Sub-5A all-area team for 2012 ... ranked 80th nationally on Rivals.com list of wide receivers ... ranked 43rd among wide receivers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... had 67 receptions as a senior in 2012 for 1,414 yards and 20 scores ... caught nine passes for 151 yards and four TDs in 2012 game against Navarro ... caught nine balls for 229 yards and three TDs (including game-winning score) in win over Blanco ... helped Christian High School in San Antonio, Texas, to 8-4 record and Texas Division II area title in 2012 ... made 42 catches for 660 yards and 10 TDs as a junior in 2011 ... named to Texas academic all-state team ... named to U.S. Army All-American Bowl and played for West squad ... son of former Naval Academy and San Antonio Spurs basketball great and Hall of Famer David Robinson ... received National Merit Scholarship ... enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2013 ... played for coach Bryan Marmion ... son of David and Valerie Robinson ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in liberal studies.
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
COACHES & STAFF
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games and started three contests (Temple, Arizona State and Air Force) as rookie wide receiver ... registered nine receptions for 157 yards and one TD ... hauled in a career-best 35-yard TD pass against Air Force (Oct. 26) ... recorded the first ever multi-reception game of his career against Michigan State (Sept. 21) with three catches for a career-best 54 yards ... added a 17-yard catch against BYU (Nov. 23) and two grabs for 29 yards, including a 22-yard reception, against Stanford (Nov. 30) ... registered three receptions of at least 20 yards.
TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 0.5 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 30 2.5 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 36 1.4
THE FIGHTING IRISH
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started against both Michigan and Syracuse ... caught 40 passes for 539 yards and five TDs ... second on the Irish in receptions, receiving yards and TD catches ... registered 10 receptions of at least 20 yards ... 32 of his 40 receptions went for first downs or touchdowns ... 10 of his 11 receptions on third down went for first downs or touchdowns ... first sophomore at an NCAA Division I institution to earn first-team Academic All-America honors since 2008 ... just the fourth sophomore to attain first-team status since 2002, joining Pittsburgh defensive lineman Vince Crochunis (2002), Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (2007) and South Dakota State running back Kyle Minett (2008) ... first Irish player named a first-team Academic All-American since Manti Te'o and Mike Golic Jr. in 2012 ... second Irish sophomore football player to earn first-team Academic All-America status and the first since Joe Heap in 1952 ... boasts a 3.83 cumulative grade-point average in the College of Arts and Letters ... named to the dean's list following each of his four semesters on campus ... had a 25-yard catch in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... hauled in a 22-yard grab in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... the catch set up a first-and-goal situation that ultimately led to an Irish touchdown ... had three catches for 52 yards, including a 15-yard TD catch, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... recorded a 32-yard grab that set up another Irish score against the Boilermakers ... registered career-bests with eight receptions, 91 yards and one TD in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... made four catches in the 17-14 win against No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4), all coming on the final two drives of the game with the Irish either tied or trailing ... three of his four fourth-quarter catches against the Cardinal resulted in first downs ... caught two passes for 24 yards in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... led the Irish at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) with 99 receiving yards and matched Will Fuller for the team lead with eight receptions ... caught two TD passes, both in the first half, against the Seminoles - his first career multiple-TD game ... had a couple catches for 34 yards in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... caught three passes at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), good for 57 yards ... collected two catches for 14 yards vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... caught three passes for 41 yards against Louisville (Nov. 22), including a third quarter TD pass that put the Irish on top, 20-17 ... hauled in three receptions for 34 yards, including a 19-yard grab, at USC (Nov. 29).
SCORING 2013 2014 TOTALS
TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 1 35 0.7 17.4 12.1 5 32 3.3 13.5 44.9 6 35 2.0 14.2 27.8
GAME NOTES
ROBINSON'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 12, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 TDs: 2, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 Receptions: 8, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014; vs. Syracuse, Sept. 27, 2014 Receiving yards: 99, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 (8 receptions) Receiving TDs: 2, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014 Long reception: 35, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 All-purpose yards: 99, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014
ROBINSON'S CAREER STATS RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS 2013 13-3 9 157 2014 12-2 40 539 TOTALS 25-5 49 696
MEDIA INFORMATION
COREY ROBINSON
83
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 83
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The Fighting Irish SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Started on the defensive line in all 12 regular-season games ... one of three Irish defensive players to start all 12 regular-season games (Jaylon Smith and Cole Luke) ... third among all defensive linemen in tackles with 37 ... tied for second on the team with seven and a half tackles for loss ... fourth on the Irish with two and a half sacks ... added nine quarterback hurries and three PBUs ... one of four Irish players who made his first career start in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered an assisted tackle against the Owls ... equaled his career high of four tackles in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... added a quarterback hurry and fumble recovery ... recorded a career-best six tackles in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... added his first career tackle for loss, sack and pass breakup against the Boilermakers ... registered a pair of tackles, including one for loss, in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... credited with two quarterback hurries in the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... both of his tackles against North Carolina (Oct. 11) were for a loss, costing the Tar Heels eight yards ... had two forced hurries against the Tar Heels ... credited with one tackle at No. 2 Florida State ... registered four tackles in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... had four tackles, including one TFL, at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... registered his first career solo sack, two TFLs, two PBUs (entered the game with just one over his 20-game career) and a career-high nine tackles vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... recorded a sack for a 10-yard loss against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... had three tackles against the Cardinals, two solo, and a forced hurry ... picked up a solo tackle at USC (Nov. 29). FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Saw action in 11 games ... registered 10 total tackles, including five solo stops ... recorded a career-best four tackles at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... registered three tackles in his Irish debut against Temple (Aug. 31) ... added two tackles against Navy (Nov. 2). HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team Georgia Class A all-state pick by Atlanta Journal-Constitution ... helped Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, to 12-1 record and Georgia Class A private state title in 2012 with 33-0 win over Prince Avenue Christian in championship game ... played both defensive and offensive tackle in 2012 ... first-team defensive lineman on Atlanta Journal-Constitution South Metro all-area team for 2012 ... second-team Georgia Class A all-state pick on 2012 Georgia Sportswriters Association team ... helped ELCA out-score its opponents 618-109 in 2012 ... helped ELCA to earlier playoff wins over Our Lady of Mercy (42-14), Savannah Christian (42-7) and George Walton Academy (27-14) in 2012 ... ranked 139th player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... ranked 127th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated 124th on Rivals 250 list ... ranked ninth on Rivals.com list of defensive ends ... ranked 153rd overall and 17th among defensive ends on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... made 97 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and seven sacks as junior in 2011 ... played in Offense-Defense Bowl in Houston in December 2012 ... brother Matt is a junior offensive lineman at Air Force in 2014 after starting every game in 2013 ... played for coach John Gess ... son of Steve and Gina Rochell ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters. ROCHELL'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2013 11-0 5 2014 12-12 19 TOTALS 23-12 24 SACKS 2013 2014 TOTAL
A TOTAL TFL PD 5 10 0.0-0 0 18 37 7.5-31 3 23 47 7.5-31 3
FF 0 0 0
FR 0 1 1
BLK 0 0 0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 3
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 2 1 2.5 20 2 1 2.5 20
ROCHELL'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Michigan 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Purdue 1-5 6 0.5-3 0.5-3 *vs. Syracuse 1-1 2 1.0-1 0.0-0 *Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *North Carolina 2-0 2 2.0-8 0.0-0 *at Florida State 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Navy 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 4-0 4 1.0-2 0.0-0 *Northwestern 5-4 9 2.0-7 1.0-7 *Louisville 2-1 3 1.0-10 1.0-10 *at USC 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 19-18 37 7.5-31 2.5-20 * - games started
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0
2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR Temple 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Michigan State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Oklahoma 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Air Force 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Navy 1-4 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Pittsburgh 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 BYU 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Stanford Did Not Play - Injury vs. Rutgers Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 5-5 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 * - games started
JOE SCHMIDT LB • 6-0.5 • 235 • Sr. Orange, California (Mater Dei)
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0
0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
38
SCHMIDT'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Most Valuable Player (2014) • AFCA Good Works Team Nominee (2014) • Eugene D. Fanning Award in Business Communication (2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.19.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.12.2014) • FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.12.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (9.15.2014) SCHMIDT'S CAREER HIGHS Interceptions: 1, at Florida State, Oct. 18, 2014; vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 Tackles: 11, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 (8-3) Tackles for loss: 1.0, at Pittsburgh, Nov. 9, 2013 (1-0); BYU, Nov. 23, 2013 (1-0) Fumbles forced: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Pass breakups: 1, USC, Oct. 19, 2013; North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 SENIOR SEASON (2014): Started at linebacker in each of the first eight games of the season ... led the Irish in tackles (65) and solo tackles (42) at the time of a season-ending injury suffered at Navy (Nov. 1) ... one of four Irish players who made his first career start in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... recorded a team-high eight tackles, including four solo stops, against the Owls ... registered seven tackles and forced a fumble in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... equaled his career high of eight tackles in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... added his first career interception late in the fourth quarter ... collected seven tackles, including five solo stops, in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... contributed seven tackles and two quarterback hurries in the 17-14 win over Stanford (Oct. 4) ... led Notre Dame with both 11 tackles and eight solo tackles against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... against the Tar Heels, also had a half of a tackle for loss, forced a fumble, broke up a pass and registered a forced hurry ... topped Notre Dame with nine tackles, eight of them solo stops, at No. 2 Florida State ... intercepted a Jameis Winston pass (second pick of the season) that set up an Irish touchdown ... registered eight tackles, including four solo stops, in the 49-39 victory over Navy ... suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the second quarter of the victory over the Midshipmen. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games ... registered 15 total tackles, including 10 solo stops, and two tackles for loss ... registered a career-best three tackles in the victory over Temple (Aug. 31) ... had a tackle and critical fourth-quarter pass breakup in the victory over USC (Oct. 19) ... collected two tackles against Michigan (Sept. 7), Air Force (Oct. 26) and BYU (Nov. 23) ... had a tackle for loss (18 yards) at Pittsburgh (Nov. 9). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Made appearances primarily on special teams in final 10 games ... credited with six total tackles, including two assisted stops at USC (Nov. 24). FRESHMAN SEASON (2011): Did not see any game action.
84 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 84
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The Fighting Irish
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 1-0 0 0-0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2-0
1
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1
0 BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started 10 contests ... did not start vs. North Carolina or Louisville ... third on the Irish with 64 tackles -- most among defensive backs ... added two and a half tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, four passes defended, three PBUs, two quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery ... moved into a starting role following the injury to senior captain Austin Collinsworth two days prior to the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered three tackles and one pass breakup against the Owls ... led the Irish with a career-best 10 tackles, interception, pass breakup and quarterback hurry in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... had an interception return for touchdown called back as time expired against the Wolverines ... collected five tackles, three solo stops, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... registered three solo tackles in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... made six tackles in the 17-14 win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... sacked Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan for a 16-yard loss on the final play of the three-point Irish victory ... did not start against North Carolina (Oct. 11) but finished the game third on the team with eight tackles ... recorded his first career fumble recovery in the win over the Tar Heels ... also shared on a tackle for loss against North Carolina ... returned to the starting lineup at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) and made five tackles against the Seminoles ... did not start vs. Navy (Nov. 1) but registered a pair of tackles, including one for loss and one pass breakup, in the 49-39 victory over the Midshipmen ... returned to the starting lineup at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... made six tackles, including five solos, against the Sun Devils ... registered three tackles vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... saw action against Louisville (Nov. 22) but did not record any stats ... collected a career-best 13 tackles, including nine solo stops, at USC (Nov. 29). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Saw action in nine games and started four (Sept. 7 vs. Michigan, Sept. 21 vs. Michigan State, Sept. 28 vs. Oklahoma and Oct. 5 vs. Arizona State) ... missed three games due to injury ... registered 23 total tackles, including 14 solo stops ... added one tackle for loss and one pass breakup ... made a career-best seven tackles against Oklahoma (Sept. 28) ... added five tackles against Michigan (Sept. 7) and Michigan State (Sept. 21) ... added a tackle for loss against the Wolverines ... recorded four stops in the victory over Arizona State (Oct. 5).
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-0 0.0-0 1.0-18 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 2.0-19 0.0-0
FR 0 0 0 0
BOWL HISTORY
UT-AT TT 2-1 3 2-0 2 0-0 0 0-1 1 0-1 1 1-0 1 1-0 1 1-1 2 0-0 0 1-0 1 2-0 2 0-1 1 0-0 0 10-5 15
FF 0 0 2 2
SHUMATE'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: 16, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Interceptions: 1, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Long interception return: 16, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 Tackles: 13, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (9-4) Sacks: 1.0, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 (1-0); Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1-0); at Michigan, Sept. 7, 2013 (1-0) Fumbles recovered: 1, North Carolina, Oct. 11, 2014 Pass breakups: 2, at Michigan State, Sept. 15, 2012
2014 SEASON REVIEW
SCHMIDT’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR *Rice 4-4 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Michigan 3-4 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 *vs. Purdue 5-3 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Syracuse 5-2 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *Stanford 5-2 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *North Carolina 8-3 11 0.5-0 0.0-0 1 0-0 *at Florida State 8-1 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 *vs. Navy 4-4 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Arizona State Did Not Play - Injury Northwestern Did Not Play - Injury Louisville Did Not Play - Injury at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 42-23 65 0.5-0 0.0-0 2 0-0 * - games started 2013 Temple at Michigan at Purdue Michigan State Oklahoma vs. Arizona State USC at Air Force Navy at Pittsburgh BYU at Stanford vs. Rutgers TOTALS * - games started
SHUMATE'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Jim Thorpe Honorable Mention Defensive Back of the Week (9.10.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (9.8.2014) • FBS Independent Defensive Player of the Week (9.8.2014)
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0
A TOTAL TFL PD 4 6 0.0-0 0 5 15 2.0-19 1 23 65 0.5-0 3 32 86 2.5-19 4
22
COACHES & STAFF
G-GS UA 10-0 2 13-0 10 8-8 42 31-8 54
S • 6-0 • 208 • Jr. East Orange, New Jersey (Don Bosco Prep)
THE FIGHTING IRISH
TACKLES 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
ELIJAH SHUMATE
GAME NOTES
SCHMIDT'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS NO. YARDS 2012 0 0 2013 0 0 2014 2 0 TOTALS 2 0
2012 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU BLK vs. Navy Did Not Play Purdue Did Not Play at Michigan State Did Not Play Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 vs. Miami 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 Stanford 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 BYU 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 at Oklahoma 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 Pittsburgh 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 at Boston College 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 Wake Forest 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 at USC 0-2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 vs. Alabama 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 TOTALS 2-4 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 * - games started
MEDIA INFORMATION
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Three-year letterwinner at Mater Dei High School ... three-year starter at middle linebacker ... recorded 229 career tackles ... helped lead Mater Dei to three straight appearances in the CIF Southern Section Playoffs ... as a senior captain in ‘10, helped lead Mater Dei to the CIF semifinals, including a victory over national powerhouse Long Beach Poly High School ... registered 98 total tackles, including 72 unassisted stops, 10 tackles for loss and six and a half sacks as a senior ... named all-CIF Southern Conference in 2010 ... earned all-state nomination, all-CIF Southern Section first team as well as first-team honors from the prestigious Trinity League ... named to second team all-orange county ... named team MVP and received 2010 Monarch of the Year Award as a senior on a team that included prep standouts and current USC players Max Wittek and Victor Blackwell ... received award from National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame in recognition for outstanding achievements both on the field and in the classroom ... awarded the prestigious 2010 Man of the Year Award for all Mater Dei High School students for his achievements in athletics, academics and extracurricular activities ... attended same high school as former Notre Dame great and 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte ... attended only high school in the country with two former players being awarded the Heisman Trophy (Matt Leinart, USC) ... played Pop Warner football with former Notre Dame TE Troy Niklas ... also son of Joseph and Debra Schmidt ... father, Joseph II, was football captain and safety at the University of San Diego ... sister, Catherine, was a 2006 Notre Dame graduate and competed for the Irish track and field program ... sister, Mary Grace, played for the Texas A&M women's soccer team prior to graduation in 2013 ... brother-in-law, Greg Lopez, was a 2006 Notre Dame graduate and captain of the Irish baseball team ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-entrepreneurship.
85 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 85
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The Fighting Irish FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Made appearances in all 13 games, primarily as the nickel back and also on special teams ... totaled nine tackles (seven unassisted) and broke up three passes during his rookie campaign ... finished with two tackles in the home opener against Purdue (Sept. 8) ... had three tackles (two unassisted) against Miami (Oct. 6) at Soldier Field ... tallied two solo stops against Wake Forest (Nov. 17) ... recorded one solo tackle vs. Alabama in BCS National Championship Game. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated 37th player nationally on SuperPrep Elite 50 squad ... listed seventh nationally among defensive backs and third-best player in New Jersey by SuperPrep ... ranked 55th on Scout.com Scout 300 list and considered fourth-best safety in the nation by Scout.com ... rated 103rd on 247Sports list of top prospects nationally ... ranked the sixth-best safety in the nation and fourth-best prospect from New Jersey by 247Sports ... listed 113th on Rivals.com Rivals250 ... ranked eighth-best defensive back in nation and fourth-best recruit in New Jersey by Rivals.com ... rated number-136 player nationally and ninth-best safety in his class by MaxPreps and Tom Lemming ... listed the 14th-best safety nationally by ESPNU ... rated number-four player in New Jersey in Newark Star-Ledger The Ledger 50 listing ... played defensive back and running back for Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2011 ... first-team all-state pick on defense by Star-Ledger ... first-team selection on Star-Ledger all-Non-Public squad ... first-team all-Suburban by Bergen Record ... scored 14 rushing TDs on 60 attempts for 361 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry as a senior running back ... helped Don Bosco to sixth straight New Jersey SIAA Non-Public Group 4 title, with Don Bosco finishing the 2011 season as the top-rated high school team in the country according to USA Today ... had 41 tackles and two interceptions in 2011 ... returned an interception 21 yards for a score as Don Bosco defeated Bergen Catholic 42-14 in 2011 New Jersey title game for final 11-0 mark ... made 67 tackles, five sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception as a junior in 2010 ... played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio ... also a track standout who ran 49.6 leg on championship 4x400 relay squad ... coached by Greg Toal at Don Bosco Prep High School ... son of Maurice and Debra Shumate ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. SHUMATE'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS G-GS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2012 13-0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2013 9-4 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 2014 12-10 1 16 0 16 16.0 1.3 TOTALS 34-14 1 16 0 16 16.0 0.5 ALL PURPOSE 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
RUSH RCV PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF 7 2 9 0.0-0 3 0 14 9 23 1.0-4 1 0 40 24 64 2.5-18 4 0 61 35 96 3.5-22 8 0
SACKS 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 1.0 16 1 0 1.0 16
SHUMATE’S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Michigan 4-6 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Purdue 3-2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Syracuse 3-0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Stanford 4-2 6 1.0-16 1.0-16 North Carolina 5-3 8 0.5-1 0.0-0 *at Florida State 3-2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Navy 1-1 2 1.0-1 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 5-1 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Northwestern 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at USC 9-4 13 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 40-24 64 2.5-18 1.0-16 * - games started
FR 0 0 1 1
2012 vs. Navy Purdue at Michigan State Michigan vs. Miami Stanford BYU at Oklahoma Pittsburgh at Boston College Wake Forest at USC vs. Alabama TOTALS
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU BLK 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1-1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 2-1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 7-2 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0
HUNTER SMITH
LS • 6-3 • 213 • Jr. Raleigh, North Carolina (Cardinal Gibbons)
KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 16 16 1.3 0 16 16 0.5
TACKLES 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
2013 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU Temple 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 *at Michigan 5-0 5 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 *Michigan State 3-2 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 *Oklahoma 3-4 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 *vs. Arizona State 2-2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 USC Did Not Play - Injury at Air Force Did Not Play - Injury Navy Did Not Play - Injury at Pittsburgh 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 BYU 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Stanford Did Not Play vs. Rutgers 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 TOTALS 14-9 23 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 * - games started
99
JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in eight of the 12 regular-season games ... one of 20 Irish players who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... served as the holder on three field-goal attempts and six point-after attempts against the Owls ... executed holds on one field-goal attempt and four point-after attempts in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... performed holds on four field-goal attempts and three point-after attempts without issue in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... executed holds on one field-goal attempt and four point-after attempts in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... bobbled two holds of field-goal attempts on a rainy day against No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) but recovered to hold successfully for both a fourth-quarter field goal and point-after attempt that helped seal the 17-14 win ... had flawless holds on six point-after attempts in the 50-43 victory over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... held for three point-after attempts and two field goals, all successful, at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... served as the holder on two field-goal attempts and seven point-after attempts against Navy (Nov. 1) ... held successfully for a field goal and four point-after attempts at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) but dropped a snap on a fourth-quarter field-goal attempt.
BLK 0 0 0 0
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action.
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0
INT 0-0 1-16 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-16
PBU 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Three-year letterwinner at Cardinal Gibbons High School ... helped team capture three sectional and conference championships ... named allCarolina 6 at center in 2011 ... team captain as a senior ... captured Crusader Award, which recognized the Cardinal Gibbons football student-athlete that best exemplifies the school’s mission both on and off the field ... member of the Boy Scouts of America, National Honor Society and Franciscan Youth International Service Organization ... earned Eagle Scout designation… served as vice president and president of the NHS at Cardinal Gibbons ... played for coach Steven Wright at Cardinal Gibbons ... son of Brandon and Bertha Smith ... grandfather, Alburtus “Buddy" Smith, played football at Elon College ... enrolled in the College of Engineering as a chemical engineering major. HUNTER SMITH'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2014 8-0
86 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 86
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The Fighting Irish LB • 6-2.5 • 235 • So. Fort Wayne, Indiana (Bishop Luers)
9
JAYLON SMITH'S PLACE IN THE IRISH RECORD BOOKS • Single-Season Tackles by Freshman (2013, 63, 3rd)
PR 0 0 0
KR 0 0 0
IR TOTAL AVG/G -1 -1 -0.1 0 0 0.0 -1 -1 0.0
UA A TOTAL TFL PD 41 26 67 6.5-22 4 60 43 103 8.5-40 2 101 69 170 15.0-62 6
SACKS 2013 2014 TOTALS
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 3 0 3.0 29 3 0 3.0 29
FF FR BLK 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 0
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
TACKLES 2013 2014 TOTALS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
RUSH RCV 0 0 0 0 0 0
BOWL HISTORY
ALL PURPOSE 2013 2014 TOTALS
2014 SEASON REVIEW
JAYLON SMITH'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS G-GS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2013 13-13 1 -1 0 0 -1.0 -0.1 2014 12-12 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 TOTALS 25-25 1 -1 0 0 -1.0 0.0
COACHES & STAFF
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in and started all 12 regular-season games ... one of three Irish defensive players to start all 12 regular-season games (Isaac Rochell and Cole Luke) ... leads the Irish in total tackles (103), solo tackles (60) and assisted tackles (43) ... leads the Irish with eight and a half tackles for loss ... third on the team with three sacks ... has forced a fumble, recorded two PBUs and registered six quarterback hurries ... spent first season at a new position ... reached the double-digit tackle barrier on four separate occasions, including each of the last three games of the regular season ... along with freshman LB Nyles Morgan, has collected at least 10 tackles in three consecutive games ... last Irish player with 10 or more tackles in three straight games was Manti Te'o in 2012 (had 10+ tackles in four straight games) ... first Irish player to record 100 tackles in a season since Manti Te'o had 113 in 2012 ... first Irish sophomore to record 100 tackles in a season since Manti Te'o had 133 in 2010 ... recorded three solo tackles, including one for loss, against Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered a team-high 10 tackles, including one for loss, in the 31-0 rout over Michigan (Sept. 6) ... reached the 10-tackle plateau for the first time this season and second time in his career ... registered nine tackles, including eight solo stops, in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... added two tackles for loss and one sack (the first of his career) against the Boilermakers ... recorded nine tackles, including five solo stops, and a quarterback hurry in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... named the Lott IMPACT Trophy's Player of the Week for his efforts in the 17-14 win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... made a careerhigh 14 tackles against the Cardinal with 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack ... stopped four Tar Heels and credited with a pass pressure in the win over North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... had four stops at No. 2 Florida State and forced a Jameis Winston hurry ... all four tackles against the Seminoles were solos ... collected six tackles in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... recorded eight tackles, all solo, in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... registered 10 tackles, a forced fumble and QB hurry vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... led the Irish with 11 tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... also had a TFL, pass break up and two forced hurries against the Cardinals ... equaled his career high of 14 tackles at USC (Nov. 29).
THE FIGHTING IRISH
JAYLON SMITH'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: -1, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 Interceptions: 1, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 Tackles: 14, at USC, Nov 29, 2014 (6-8); Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (7-7) Sacks: 1.0, at USC, Nov 29, 2014 (1-0); Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1-0); vs. Purdue, Sept. 13, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 2.5, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (2-0) Fumbles forced: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014; vs. Arizona State, Oct. 5, 2013 Fumbles recovered: 1, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 Pass breakups: 1, five times, last at USC, Nov. 29, 2014
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Winner of 2012 Butkus Award presented by Pro Football Weekly to top high school linebacker in the country ... first-team linebacker on the Parade prep All-America squad ... first-team USA Today All-USA high school All-American ... finalist for American Family Insurance All-USA Defensive Player of the Year ... first-team linebacker on prep All-America team for 2013 selected by 247Sports ... Indiana Mr. Football award winner for 2012 season, receiving more than twice as many votes as the runner-up ... rated top player in Indiana on Detroit Free Press Best in the Midwest ratings ... ranked seventh player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... ranked 18th on MaxPreps/Tom Lemming Top100 list ... ranked fifth on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... rated third on Rivals 250 list ... ranked first on Rivals.com list of outside linebackers ... ranked third overall and first among outside linebackers on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... helped Bishop Luers Knights in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to four straight Indiana Class 2A state titles as linebacker and running back ... firstteam linebacker on Associated Press Indiana Class 2A all-state team as senior ... member of 2012 Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 all-state squad ... named to that same team as a junior in 2011 at running back ... first-team linebacker on Fort Wayne JournalGazette all-star team for 2012 ... helped Bishop Luers to 40-28 win over Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter in 2012 Indiana 2A title game while rushing for 150 yards and scoring three TDs ... rushed for 147 yards and added nine tackles and a sack in state semifinal win over Andrean ... helped Knights to 11-4 mark in 2012 as Bishop Luers became first Indiana 2A school to win four straight state titles ... finished with 1,265 rushing yards and 18 TDs on 176 attempts as a senior in 2012 to go with 10 receptions for 66 yards and two more TDs—and added 72 tackles (43 solo), 19.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and seven pass deflections on defense ... won Euell A. Wilson Award as top senior player in Summit Athletic Conference in 2012 ... rushed 168 times for 1,319 yards and 25 TDs as a junior in 2011 to go with 17 catches for 191 yards and four TDs ... made 51 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, eight sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries as junior in 2011 ... threetime first-team all-state selection ... played basketball at Bishop Luers as a freshman, sophomore and junior—including one season with former Ohio State star Deshaun Thomas ... selected for U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, was named team captain for West squad and made four tackles, shared a tackle for a loss and blocked a field-goal attempt as a starter at linebacker ... older brother Rod was a senior running back at Ohio State in 2014 with career rushing yards and four TDs to his credit… played for coach Steve Keefer ... son of Roger Smith and Sophia Woodsen ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters.
GAME NOTES
JAYLON SMITH'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Associated Press Second Team All-American (2014) • Notre Dame Defensive Player of the Year (2014) • Bednarik Award Semifinalist (2014) • Bednarik Award Watch List (2014) • Butkus Award Finalist (2014) • Butkus Award Semifinalist (2014) • Butkus Award Watch List (2014) • Nagurski Trophy Watch List (2014) • Lombardi Award Watch List (2014) • Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List (2014) • Sports Illustrated Midseason Second Team All-American • Sports Illustrated Preseason Second Team All-American • CBSSports.com Preseason Second Team All-American • Athlon Sports Preseason Third Team All-American • Phil Steele Preseason Third Team All-American • Notre Dame Defensive Newcomer of the Year (2013) • Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (9.9.2014) • Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week (10.7.2014) • College Sports Madness Independent Defensive Player of the Week (10.27.13)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Started all 13 games at outside linebacker ... became the first Notre Dame freshman linebacker to start a season opener since Kory Minor in 1995 ... ranked third on the squad with 67 total tackles, including 41 solo stops ... second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss ... added one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, one quarterback hurry and three pass breakups ... his 67 tackles are the third most ever by an Irish freshman and most since Bob Golic set the rookie record with 82 in 1975 ... registered six tackles, three solo stops, in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28) ... recorded a career-best 11 tackles, including one for loss, against Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... credited with his first career forced fumble against Arizona State (Oct. 5) and registered nine tackles, including one and a half for loss ... recorded a tackle for loss in five consecutive games Arizona State (Oct. 5) through Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... registered first career interception in the victory over USC (Oct. 19) ... made eight tackles, one for loss and picked up a fumble recovery at Air Force (Oct. 26) ... 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up and unanimous AllAmerican Manti Te'o needed 39 career games at Notre Dame to record an interception, fumble recovery and forced fumble ... Smith accomplished the same feat by his eighth career game ... collected seven tackles against Oklahoma (Sept. 28).
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAYLON SMITH
87 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 87
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The Fighting Irish JAYLON SMITH'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK *Rice 3-0 3 1.0-1 0.0-0 *Michigan 5-5 10 1.0-3 0.0-0 *vs. Purdue 8-1 9 2.0-15 1.0-13 *vs. Syracuse 5-4 9 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Stanford 7-7 14 2.5-11 1.0-9 *North Carolina 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Florida State 4-0 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Navy 3-3 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at Arizona State 8-0 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Northwestern 4-6 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 *Louisville 5-6 11 1.0-2 0.0-0 *at USC 6-8 14 1.0-7 1.0-7 TOTALS 60-43 103 8.5-39 3.0-29 * - games started 2013 UT-AT TT *Temple 0-1 1 *at Michigan 4-1 5 *at Purdue 1-0 1 *Michigan State 2-2 4 *Oklahoma 2-5 7 *vs. Arizona State 6-3 9 *USC 1-3 4 *at Air Force 5-3 8 *Navy 2-1 3 *at Pittsburgh 7-4 11 *BYU 3-0 3 *at Stanford 5-0 5 *vs. Rutgers 3-3 6 TOTALS 41-26 67 * - games started
TFL SCK 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-9 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 1.0-6 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 6.5-22 0.0-0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 1 0-0 2
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FF 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0
INT 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1--1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1--1
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DURHAM SMYTHE TE • 6-4.5 • 242 • So. Belton, Texas (Belton)
PBU 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
80
SMYTHE'S CAREER HIGHS Receptions: 1, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 Receiving yards: 7, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (1 reception) Long reception: 7, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 All-purpose yards: 7, at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games ... one of 20 Irish players who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... first career catch was a seven-yard grab at No. 11 Arizona State which was good for a first down. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Caught 37 passes for 547 yards and six TDs as senior in 2012 at Belton High School in Belton, Texas ... helped Tigers to 6-4 record as senior on team that averaged 31.6 points per game ... one of two tight ends on Waco Tribune-Herald Top 50 ... rated number two on Waco Tribune-Herald list of Central Texas prospects for 2012 ... two-time first-team tight end on Texas District 8-5A squad in 2012 and 2011 ... rated sixth tight end nationally by 247Sports and 15th tight end by Rivals ... Rivals rates him 40th among state of Texas prospects ... ranked 188th on 247Sports list of top 247 players ... ranked 170th overall and sixth among tight ends on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... Texas High School Coaches Association named him to its all-state academic first team for 2012 ... caught 22 passes as junior in 2011 for 341 yards and three TDs and also caught three two-point conversion throws ... added eight receptions for 120 yards and two TDs as a sophomore in 2010 ... played defensive end as a high school freshman before moving to tight end ... father Roy was offensive lineman on 1980 Baylor Southwest Conference champion football squad ... played for coach Rodney Southern ... son of Roy and Terri Smythe ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business. SMYTHE'S CAREER STATS RECEIVING G-GS REC YARDS TD LONG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2014 12-0 1 7 0 7 0.1 7.0 0.6
ERNIE SOTO
S • 5-9 • 200 • Sr. Davie, Florida (St. Thomas Aquinas)
37
SENIOR SEASON (2014): Did not see action during the regular season ... provides the Irish depth in practice at the safety position ... helps the Notre Dame scout team on both defense and special teams. JUNIOR SEASON (2013): Did not see any game action. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2012): Did not see game action. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Two-year football letterwinner at St. Thomas Aquinas High School ... St. Thomas Aquinas went undefeated three times in his four years and captured two conference championships, two regional championships and one state title ... attended same high school as former Irish players Jordan Cowart, Ben Turk, Dan Wenger and Sam Young ... born in Boca Raton, Florida ... son of Ernie and Paula Soto ... played for coach George Smith at St. Thomas Aquinas ... enrolled in the College of Engineering as a chemical engineering major.
RONNIE STANLEY OL • 6-5.5 • 315 • Jr. Las Vegas, Nevada (Bishop Gorman)
78
STANLEY'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Offensive Lineman of the Year (2014) STANLEY'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 1, USC, Oct. 19, 2013 (0-1) JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Started all 12 regular-season games at left tackle ... previous 13 career starts came at right tackle ... first Notre Dame player other than Zack Martin to start at left tackle since Matt Romine started against Western Michigan Oct. 16, 2010. SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Started all 13 games at right offensive tackle ... part of an offensive line that allowed just eight sacks and ranked second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in fewest sacks allowed ... no team in the nation allowed fewer sacks and attempted more passes than Notre Dame (eight sacks on 429 pass attempts) in '13 in area of great improvement for the Fighting Irish ... in 2012, Notre Dame allowed more than twice as many sacks (18) on 41 fewer passing attempts (388) ... helped the Irish run the ball for a season-high 235 yards while not allowing a sack on 28 passing attempts in the victory over BYU (Nov. 23) ... Michigan State entered the game against Notre Dame (Sept. 21) ranked 14th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks – averaging 3.0 per game, but the Irish did not allow a single sack in 34 pass attempts against the Spartans ... Notre Dame struggled to run the ball against Purdue (Sept. 14), but the Irish were successful on its final drive to run out the clock (ran for 42 yards on final drive; just 49 prior to the drive) ... Notre Dame ran the final 7:22 off the game clock and the Irish converted four third-down plays on the final drive ... Arizona State and Stanford both rank tied for seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks per game (3.08) yet the duo managed a combined one sack against the Irish. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Appeared in a reserve role on the offensive line against Navy (Sept. 1) and Michigan (Sept. 22). HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked the 11th-best offensive tackle in the country and 66th-best prospect nationally by Scout.com ... rated number-118 player nationally and 17th-best offensive tackle in the country by MaxPreps and Tom Lemming ... ranked the 145th-best player in the nation by 247Sports ... rated the best player from Nevada and 16th-best offensive tackle prospect nationally by 247Sports ... listed 176th on Rivals.com Rivals250 ... ranked as best player in Nevada and 15th-best offensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com ... rated 17th nationally among offensive linemen and 12th-best player in California/Hawaii/Nevada by SuperPrep ... named to Tacoma News Tribune Western 100 list as one of the 100 best players in 13 western U.S. states ... first-team offensive lineman on Nevada Class 4A all-state team for 2011 ... selected first-team all-Southwest League as a senior in 2011 ... honorable mention pick on SI.com High School All-America team ... helped
88 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 88
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The Fighting Irish pated in U.S. Army All-American Bowl combine as junior ... . honorable mention Associated Press Class 5A all-state pick as junior in 2012 at defensive back ... also an outstanding baseball player ... named to Fort Wayne News-Sentinel 2013 all-area baseball squad after hitting .403 with four home runs, 21 runs scored, 19 RBI and 16 stolen bases ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
STANLEY'S CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2012 2-0 2013 13-13 2014 12-12 TOTALS 27-25
TACKLES 2014
UA A TOTAL TFL PD FF FR BLK 16 17 33 1.0-1 0 0 1 1
SACKS 2014
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 1 0.5 1
23
TRANQUILL'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Newcomer of the Year: Defense (2014)
98
TRUMBETTI'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 4, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-3); at Arizona State, Nov. 8, 2014 (4-0) Sacks: 1.0, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, four times, last vs. Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 (1-0)
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 85th player nationally by 247Sports, 97th by ESPN and 166th by Scout.com ... named to USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA New Jersey team for 2013 ... first-team pick as defensive lineman on Newark StarLedger All-Ledger All-Bergen County squad ... honorable mention defensive lineman on MSG Varsity all-New Jersey squad for 2013 ... played defensive end, wide receiver and running
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in 11 of the 12 regular-season games (missed the game vs. Purdue due to injury) ... one of five true freshmen (Greer Martini, Nyles Morgan, Drue Tranquill and Grant Blankenship) to register at least 10 tackles in the regular season ... one of six true freshmen (Martini, Morgan, Tranquill, Blankenship and Cage) on defense who played in at least 11 regular-season games ... registered 18 tackles, including 12 solo stops, four and a half tackles for loss, one sack and four quarterback hurries ... ranks sixth on the team in TFLs ... one of 10 Irish freshmen who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... recorded a tackle against the Owls ... recorded a career-high four tackles and collected a quarterback hurry in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... did not play due to injury in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... returned to his home state and lineup against Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... registered a pair of tackles, including one for loss, in the 31-15 victory ... made two solo tackles, including his first career sack, in the 17-14 win over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... had a quarterback hurry against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... recorded a pass pressure of Jameis Winston at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... contributed to the win over Navy (Nov. 1) ... had a career-high four solo tackles at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... also made a TFL against the Sun Devils ... recorded two tackles, including a half TFL, vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... had a TFL and a pass pressure, along with three tackles, against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... did not register a tackle at USC (Nov. 29).
BOWL HISTORY
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated as 171st best player nationally by Scout. com ... named to Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 for 2013 ... first-team Indiana Class 6A all-state at linebacker by Associated Press ... named Fort Wayne News-Sentinel Football Player of the Year for 2013 ... made 75 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss, to go with four sacks and an interception as a senior linebacker in 2013 at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana ... carried 114 times for 1,420 yards and 28 TDs while averaging 12.3 yards per carry ... caught 16 passes for 348 yards and five TDs in 2013 and also threw 29-yard TD pass ... helped Carroll to 9-3 campaign in 2013 in its first season in Indiana Class 6A and spot in playoff semifinals ... pushed Carroll to two straight state sectional titles in 2012 and ‘13 ... rushed for 245 yards and five TDs in one 51-34 victory in 2013 against Homestead ... named to Fort Wayne News-Sentinel all-area team as a senior as a running back ... partici-
DL • 6-3.5 • 251 • Fr. Demarest, New Jersey (Northern Valley Regional)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in 11 regular-season games and started three (Navy, Northwestern and Louisville) ... suffered a torn ACL vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) and will miss the rest of the season... saw the majority of his action for the Irish in a number of their third-down and other sub packages ... one of five true freshmen (Martini, Morgan, Trumbetti and Blankenship) to register at least 10 tackles in the regular season ... one of six true freshmen (Martini, Morgan, Trumbetti, Blankenship and Daniel Cage) on defense who played in at least 11 regular-season games ... one of three true freshmen (Martini and Morgan) to start on defense this season ... registered 33 tackles, one TFL, half a sack, one interception, one fumble recovery, one blocked bunt, one pass defended and one quarterback hurry ... one of 10 Irish freshmen who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... registered three tackles against the Owls ... recorded a pair of tackles, including a half sack, in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... took the most snaps of his Irish career in the 30-14 victory over Purdue (Sept. 13) ... registered a career-best four tackles against the Boilermakers ...picked up an assisted tackle in the 31-15 victory over Syracuse (Sept. 27) ... blocked a punt against No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4), the first blocked punt for the Irish since 2010 ... made two solo tackles against the Cardinal ... had three assisted tackles against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... split a tackle for loss against the Tar Heels and hurried a pass ... played at No. 2 Florida State but did not make any tackles ... registered a career-high five tackles, all solo stops, in the 49-39 victory over Navy (Nov. 1) ... made a single tackle in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State ... registered seven tackles, including four solo stops, and recovered one fumble in his second career start vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... credited with five tackles against Louisville (Nov. 22) and made his first career interception ... injured his knee on the interception return.
ANDREW TRUMBETTI
1
COACHES & STAFF
TRANQUILL'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: -2, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 Interceptions: 1, Louisville, Nov. 22, 2014 Tackles: 7, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (4-3) Sacks: 0.5, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (0-1) Tackles for loss: 1.0, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-0) Fumbles recovered: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Blocked kicks: 1, Stanford, Oct. 4, 2014
BLK 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
S • 6-1.5 • 225 • Fr. Fort Wayne, Indiana (Carroll)
TRANQUILL'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR INT PBU Rice 1-2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Michigan 1-1 2 0.5-1 0.5-1 0 0-0 0-0 0 vs. Purdue 0-4 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 vs. Syracuse 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 Stanford 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 North Carolina 0-3 3 0.5-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 *vs. Navy 5-0 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 at Arizona State 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 *Northwestern 4-3 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-5 0-0 0 *Louisville 2-3 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-(-2) 0 at USC Did Not Play - Injury TOTALS 16-17 33 1.0-1 0.5-1 0 1-5 1-(-2) 0 * - games started
GAME NOTES
DRUE TRANQUILL
TRANQUILL'S CAREER STATS INTERCEPTIONS G-GS NO. YARDS TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 2014 11-3 1 -2 0 0 -2.0 -0.2
MEDIA INFORMATION
Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nevada, finish 15-1 in 2011 and win third straight Nevada Class 4A state crown with 72-28 win over Reed in title matchup ... three-year starter who helped Gorman to combined 43-3 record and final number-five ranking in 2011 by USA Today ... played in Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix ... also a standout in basketball, averaging 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game as a junior on Gorman team that reached state semifinals ... helped lead Gorman to Nevada class 4A state title as a senior ... helped basketball team to No. 11 final ranking by ESPN and No. 14 by USA Today ... coached in football by Tony Sanchez at Bishop Gorman High School ... son of Ron and Juli Stanley ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management-consulting.
89 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 89
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The Fighting Irish back at Demarest High School in Demarest, New Jersey ... had 47 tackles and four sacks in 2013, after 40 and 5.5 as a junior in 2012, and 25 and one as a sophomore in 2011 ... carried 51 times as a running back in 2013 for 454 yards and three TDs ... caught 12 passes for 277 yards and six TDs in 2013, after grabbing 13 for 201 as a junior and 28 for 356 and three TDs as sophomore in 2011 ... scored four TDs in a 61-26 victory over Tenafly in 2013 while accounting for 305 yards of total offense (rushed for 145 yards with TD runs of 80 and 25 yards and had 160 receiving yards including TD receptions of 80 and 30 yards). . . helped Demarest to 7-3 record as a sophomore in 211 ... played in Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Florida ... track and field standout with indoor best of 61-8 and outdoor best of 60-2 1/2 in shot put and outdoor best of 177-3 in discus ... brother Joe is a junior safety at Johns Hopkins in 2014… enrolled early at the University and began taking classes in January 2014 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies. TRUMBETTI'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2014 11-0 12 SACKS 2014
A TOTAL TFL PD 6 18 4.5-21 0
FF 0
FR BLK 0 0
UA A TOTAL YARDS 1 0 1.0 7
TRUMBETTI'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK FF FR Rice 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 Michigan 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Purdue Did Not Play - Injury vs. Syracuse 2-0 2 1.0-5 0.0-0 0 0-0 Stanford 2-0 2 1.0-7 1.0-7 0 0-0 North Carolina 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 vs. Navy 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 at Arizona State 4-0 4 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 Northwestern 1-1 2 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 Louisville 1-2 3 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 TOTALS 12-6 18 4.5-21 1.0-7 0 0-0 * - games started
INT PBU BLK 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
JOHN TURNER
LB • 6-0.5 • 225 • Jr. Indianapolis, Indiana (Cathedral)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31
TURNER'S CAREER HIGHS Tackles: 2, Navy, Nov. 2, 2013 (0-2) JUNIOR SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games, predominantly on special teams ... converted linebacker from safety registered an unassisted tackle against Rice (Aug. 30) ... shared a tackle at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... made a solo tackle against Navy (Nov. 1) ... registered a solo tackle vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15). SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games, predominantly on special teams ... recorded four tackles, including a season-high two against Navy (Nov. 2) ... added tackles against Michigan State (Sept. 21) and USC (Oct. 19) while playing at safety. FRESHMAN SEASON (2012): Did not see game action for the Irish. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Named to Indianapolis Star Super Team for 2011 ... first-team defensive back on 2011 Indianapolis Star all-city team ... first-team defensive back on Associated Press Indiana Class 4A all-state squad for 2011 ... ranked the fifth-best prospect in Indiana by 247Sports ... rated 62nd-best player in Midwest by SuperPrep ... made 49 tackles and broke up six passes as senior defensive back in 2011 for Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana ... helped Cathedral to second straight Indiana Class 4A title in 2011 with championship game win over South Bend Washington ... made 55 tackles and four interceptions as a junior in 2010 in Cathedral’s state title season ... won AAU national championship in tae kwon do as a junior high competitor ... coached by Rick Streiff at Cathedral High School ... son of Troy and Stephanie Turner ... enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in marketing.
TURNER'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2013 13-0 1 2014 12-0 3 TOTALS 25-0 4
A TOTAL TFL PD 3 4 0.0-0 0 1 4 0.0-0 0 4 8 0.0-0 0
TURNER'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK Rice 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 Michigan 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 North Carolina 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Florida State 0-1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Navy 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Arizona State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Northwestern 1-0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 Louisville 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 at USC 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 3-1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 * - games started
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
JUSTIN UTUPO
DL • 6-0.5 • 290 • Gr. Lakewood, California (Lakewood)
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
FF 0 0 0
FR 0 0 0
BLK 0 0 0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
53
UTUPO'S HONORS AND AWARDS • Notre Dame Next Man In (2014) UTUPO'S CAREER HIGHS All-purpose yards: 11, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Kick returns: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Kick return yards: 11, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 (1 return) Long kick return: 11, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014 Interceptions: 1, Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Long interception return: 7, Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 Tackles: 6, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (2-4) Sacks: 1.0, Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-0) Tackles for loss: 1.0, at Air Force, Oct. 26, 2013 (1-0); Michigan, Sept. 6, 2014 (1-0) Pass breakups: 1, Northwestern, Nov. 15, 2014; vs. Navy, Nov. 1, 2014 GRADUATE SEASON (2014): Played in all 12 regular-season games and started three on the Irish defensive line (Navy, Louisville and USC) ... moved into the starting rotation following injuries to Sheldon Day, Jarron Jones and Daniel Cage ... had fifth-most tackles among Irish defensive linemen with 23 ... added two TFLs, one sack, one interception, three passes defended, two PBUs and two quarterback hurries ... registered a pair of assisted tackles against Rice (Aug. 30) ... recorded a pair of tackles, including his first career sack, in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... recorded two tackles against North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... shared in a tackle for loss and added a quarterback hurry against the Tar Heels ... made his first career start against Navy (Nov. 1) and recorded four tackles ... made his first career interception against the Midshipmen and also broke up another pass ... made two solo tackles in the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... had three tackles, including a half TFL, and PBU vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... started against Louisville (Nov. 22) and shared a pair of tackles with one pass pressure ... registered a career-best six tackles at USC (Nov. 29). SENIOR SEASON (2013): Saw action in all 13 games, predominantly on special teams, but gained more significant snaps on defense toward the end of the season following the injuries to DL Sheldon Day, DL Louis Nix III and OLB Ishaq Williams ... registered seven total tackles, including four solo stops ... made a season-high three tackles against Pittsburgh (Nov. 9) ... collected two tackles, including first career tackle for loss, in the victory at Air Force (Oct. 26). JUNIOR SEASON (2012): Saw action in the last 10 games of the regular season in a reserve role.
90 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 90
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The Fighting Irish QB • 6-0 • 215 • Fr. Buford, Georgia (Buford)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2010): Did not see game action in 2010.
NO. YARDS 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 1 7
TD LONG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 7 7.0 0.6 0 7 7.0 0.1
FF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FR 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0
INT PBU 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-7 1 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 1-7 2
BLK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CB • 6-0.25 • 194 • Fr. DeSoto, Texas (Bishop Dunne)
19
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Played in 10 of the 12 regular-season games, predominantly on special teams ... one of eight true freshmen on defense to play in at least eight games in the regular season (Nyles Morgan, Greer Martini, Drue Tranquill, Andrew Trumbetti, Grant Blankenship, Kolin Hill and Daniel Cage) ... one of 10 Irish freshmen who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... did not see the field in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) or the 17-14 victory over No. 14 Stanford (Oct. 4) ... played in the victories over Purdue (Sept. 13), Syracuse (Sept. 27) and North Carolina (Oct. 11) ... saw action at No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 18) ... contributed on special teams in the win over Navy (Nov. 1) ... played at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8), vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15), vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) and at USC (Nov. 29), but did not register any statistics. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked as 123rd best player nationally by ESPN, 186th by Rivals.com and 205th by Scout.com ... named to USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA Texas team for 2013 ... first-team Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Division I all-state pick for 2013 ... TAPPS District I Division I Defensive MVP ... standout in secondary at Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas, Texas ... one of 27 defensive backs and eighth player overall on Dallas Morning News rating of top 100 area players ... helped team to 7-5 mark in 2013 and spot in TAPPS Division I state quarterfinals ... had three interceptions as a senior versus North Dallas ... an academic all-state selection in 2013 ... made four interceptions as a junior and caught 54 passes for 724 yards and 12 TDs ... first-team all-district three straight seasons ... honorable mention all-state as a sophomore and junior in 2011 and 2012 ... as a sophomore made 49 tackles, five interceptions (two returned for scores), two fumble recoveries and a sack ... all-district honorable mention as a freshman in 2010 ... played in Under Armour All-American Game in St. Petersburg, Florida ... father, Bobby Sr., played at Southwest Texas (now Texas State) and with NFL’s Detroit Lions (1982-88) ... father was 1982 second-round NFL Draft pick who went on to make 20 career NFL interceptions and recover six fumbles ... older brother, Bobby, was a senior defensive back at Air Force in 2013 ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WATKINS' CAREER STATS PARTICIPATION G-GS 2014 10-0
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
UTUPO'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS 2014 UT-AT TT TFL SCK Rice 0-2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 Michigan 1-1 2 1.0-5 1.0-5 vs. Purdue 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 vs. Syracuse 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 Stanford 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 North Carolina 1-1 2 0.5-1 0.0-0 at Florida State 0-0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 *vs. Navy 1-3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 at Arizona State 2-0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 Northwestern 1-2 3 0.5-1 0.0-0 *Louisville 0-2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 *at USC 2-4 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 TOTALS 8-15 23 2.0-7 1.0-5 * - games started
NICK WATKINS
BOWL HISTORY
INTERCEPTIONS 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
BLK 0 0 0 0 0
2014 SEASON REVIEW
UA A TOTAL YARDS 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 1.0 8 1 0 1.0 8
FR 0 0 0 0 0
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Two-year letter-winner for Buford High School football coach Jess Simpson ... helped win back-to-back Georgia Class 3A State Championships as a junior (2012) and senior (2013) ... Buford went a combined 29-1 over the span, including 15-0 in 2013 and ended the season ranked No. 24 in the nation by USA Today ... three-year letter-winner in basketball and served as the sixth man on a team that reached the state championship game in 2014 ... captain during his senior seasons in both football and basketball ... involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in high school ... attended the same high school as former Notre Dame running back Darius Walker ... son of Brian VanGorder and Paula VanGorder ... father, Brian, serves as the Irish defensive coordinator/ inside linebackers coach ... Brian was a four-year letter-winning linebacker at Wayne State and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2013 ... three older siblings either played or currently play collegiate sports: brother Malloy played football at Georgia (’07); sister, Morgan ran track/cross country at Georgia (‘14); brother Mack is a junior defensive back at Auburn ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
COACHES & STAFF
SACKS 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTALS
FF 0 0 0 0 0
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Spent the regular season on the offensive scout team and did not see any game action ... acted as Notre Dame's opposing quarterback during game preparation.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
A TOTAL TFL PD 0 0 0.0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0 3 7 1.0-2 0 15 23 2.0-7 3 18 30 3.0-9 3
19
GAME NOTES
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team defensive lineman on California Division I all-state squad as a senior in 2009 ... named Lineman of the Year for 2009 by Los Angeles Times ... first-team defensive lineman on Los Angeles Times All-Star team for 2009 ... defensive player of the year on all-Southland team named by Los Angeles Times ... named Moore League defensive player of the year as a senior in 2009 ... recorded 67 total tackles, 11.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, 29 tackles for loss and forced four fumbles as senior defensive tackle and tight end in 2009 at Lakewood High School in Lakewood, California ... made seven receptions for TDs as a tight end in 2009 as Lancers finished 11-2 ... helped Lakewood to final #9 Southern California overall top-25 ranking and final #4 ranking in CIF Division I South by CalHiSports.com ... recovered a pair of fumbles to help Lakewood end Long Beach Poly’s 80-game conference win streak with 21-14 victory in 2009 and ensure Lakewood’s first outright Moore League title since 1974 ... had four sacks in Lancers’ CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division quarterfinal win over #23 La Puente Bishop Amat ... firstteam all-conference selection as defensive lineman as a junior in 2008 on Lakewood squad that finished 10-3 ... made 70 tackles and six sacks as a junior in 2008 while leading conference in tackles for loss ... helped Lakewood to CIF Southern Section Pac-5 semifinals in 2008 ... played in Offense-Defense All-American game in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in January 2010 ... played for coach Thadd Macneal at Lakewood ... son of Dennis and Maria Utupo ... graduated in May 2014 from the College of Arts and Letters with a degree in anthropology. UTUPO'S CAREER STATS TACKLES G-GS UA 2011 12-0 0 2012 10-0 0 2013 13-0 4 2014 12-3 8 TOTALS 47-3 12
MONTGOMERY VANGORDER
MEDIA INFORMATION
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2011): Saw action in 12 games on the year, primarily on special teams ... did not play vs. USF.
91 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 91
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The Fighting Irish
NIC WEISHAR
82
TE • 6-4 • 237 • Fr. Midlothian, Illinois (Marist)
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): Spent the regular season on the offensive scout team and did not see any game action. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: First-team tight end on Parade prep All-America squad ... first-team MaxPreps All-America selection ... ranked as 212th player nationally by 247Sports and 274th by ESPN ... all-time leading receiver in Illinois high school football history with 237 catches ... his 3,050 career receiving yards rank eighth in Illinois history ... first-team all-state tight end by Chicago Tribune and two-time Class 8A pick by Illinois High School Football Coaches Association (in 2013 as wide receiver/tight end) ... named to Illinois Class 8A Academic All-State team by IHSFCA as both a junior and senior. . . two-time East Suburban Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2013 and 2012 ... chosen for Chicago Sun-Times all-area squad for both 2012 and 2013 ... Southtown Star 2013 Football Player of the Year ... first-team all-area wide receiver by Southtown Star ... made 86 catches for 1.044 yards and 10 TDs as a senior in 2013 for Marist High School in Chicago ... also made 48 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and had three interceptions on defense ... helped Marist to 9-4 record and 2013 Illinois Class 8A semifinal before losing to eventual state champion Naperville Central ... had nine catches for 155 yards in 55-14 win over Brother Rice in 2013, including TD grabs of 31, 27 and four yards ... senior season also featured 11 receptions for 170 yards and three TDs vs. Niles Notre Dame ... three-year starter at Marist ... caught 89 passes as a junior in 2012 for 1,100 yards and five TDs for 8-2 Marist team ... named to MaxPreps Junior All-America 2012 first team ... caught 77 passes for 1,160 yards and 13 TDs as sophomore in 2011 on 7-3 team ... named to MaxPreps U.S. Air Force Sophomore All-America second team ... played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio ... also played basketball at Marist, averaging 13 points and nine rebounds as sophomore on 23-7 team ... late brother, Andrew, played football at Illinois Wesleyan ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
JHONNY WILLIAMS DL • 6-4 • 252 • Fr. Benton Harbor, Michigan (Berrien Springs)
33
FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of three freshman defensive linemen that spent the regular season on scout team and did not see the field ... joined Pete Mokwuah and Jonathan Bonner as rookies who helped the Irish on their defensive scout team. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Associated Press and Detroit News Michigan Division 5-6 first-team all-state defensive lineman for 2013 ... named to Detroit Free Press Michigan All-State Dream Team defense ... made 68 tackles, 12.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a blocked kick and a blocked punt as senior defensive end at Berrien Springs High School in Berrien Springs, Michigan ... played defensive end as well as working as tight end, wide receiver and linebacker ... first-team all-league twice in basketball ... averaged 17 points and eight rebounds during junior basketball season ... earned all-state honors at 6-4 in high jump and 53-9 in shot put ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.
MALIK ZAIRE
QB • 6-0 • 210 • So. Kettering, Ohio (Archbishop Alter)
92
ZAIRE'S CAREER HIGHS Points scored: 6, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Touchdowns: 1, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Rush attempts: 6, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Rush yards: 58, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 (2 carries) Rush TDs: 1, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Long rush: 56, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014 Pass attempts: 20, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Pass completions: 9, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Pass yards: 170, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Long pass: 49, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 Total offense attempts: 26, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (6r, 20p) Total offense yards: 188, at USC, Nov. 29, 2014 (18r, 170p) All-purpose yards: 58, Rice, Aug. 30, 2014
8
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2014): Played in six of the 12 regular-season games ... took over holding duties on field goals and PATs vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) ... completed nine of 20 passes for 170 yards in the regular season .. added 91 yards rushing on 11 carries, including an 11-yard TD run and 56-yard scamper ... one of 20 Irish players who made his career debut in the season-opening victory over Rice (Aug. 30) ... on first career snap recorded a 56-yard run ... longest rush by a Notre Dame quarterback since Oct. 8, 2011, when Andrew Hendrix had a 78-yard rush against Air Force ... added a couple carries for nine yards in the 31-0 rout of Michigan (Sept. 6) ... played the final minute of the loss at No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 8) ... had a six-yard carry against the Sun Devils ... executed holds on four PATs and two field-goal attempts, against the Wildcats ... held for three field-goal attempts and a pair of PAT tries against Louisville (Nov. 22) ... saw the most extensive playing time of his career at USC (Nov. 29), leading the Irish on five drives in relief of Everett Golson ... led the Irish on a pair of touchdown drives ... completed nine of 20 passes for 170 yards, including a 49-yard pass play with junior WR Chris Brown ... also ran for 18 yards on six carries, including a long run of 14 yards and an 11-yard TD rush. FRESHMAN SEASON (2013): Did not see game action for the Irish. HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Ranked 194th player nationally on ESPN 300 list ... rated 122nd on Rivals 250 list ... listed 189th nationally on ESPN 300 ... ranked third on Rivals.com list of dual-threat quarterbacks ... ranked 172nd overall and 14th among quarterbacks on Scout 300 by Scout.com ... lefthander earned 2012 Associated Press Ohio Division III Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year accolades with 1,990 yards passing, 1,120 yards on the ground and 33 total TDs (24 passing TDs and nine rushing TDs) for Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio ... threw five TD passes and for 251 yards in 2012 seasonopening win over Kettering Fairmont while running for another 171 yards and another TD ... first-team quarterback in 2012 on AP Ohio Southwest All-District Division III team ... led Alter to 10-0 regular-season record as a junior in 2011 before losing in first round of playoffs ... completed 36 of 82 throws for 729 yards and five TDs and also rushed for 1,093 yards and 15 TDs in 2011 as a junior ... took part in Elite 11 quarterback competition in Redondo Beach, California, in summer of 2012 ... selected for Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and completed two of five passes for 12 yards and rushed nine times for 20 yards for East squad ... enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2013 ... played for coach Ed Domsitz ... son of Imani Zaire and Stacy Carter ... enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. ZAIRE'S CAREER STATS PASSING G-GS CMP-ATT-INT YARDS TD LONG PCT AVG/P AVG/G EFFIC 2014 6-0 9-20-0 170 0 49 45.0 8.5 28.3 116.4 RUSHING 2014 TOTAL OFFENSE 2014 SCORING 2014 ALL PURPOSE 2014
ATT YARDS TD LONG AVG/C AVG/G 11 91 1 56 8.3 15.2 RUSH PASS TOTAL AVG/G 91 170 261 43.5 TD RUSH RCV RET PAT 2PAT FG TOTAL AVG/G 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 1.0 RUSH RCV PR KR IR TOTAL AVG/G 91 0 0 0 0 91 15.2
ZAIRE'S GAME-BY-GAME STATS PASSING RUSHING 2014 CMP-ATT-INT YDS TD LG NO. YDS TD LG Rice 0-0-0 0 0 0 2 58 0 56 Michigan 0-0-0 0 0 0 2 9 0 14 vs. Purdue Did Not Play vs. Syracuse Did Not Play Stanford Did Not Play North Carolina Did Not Play at Florida State Did Not Play vs. Navy Did Not Play at Arizona State 0-0-0 0 0 0 1 6 0 6 Northwestern 0-0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Louisville 0-0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 at USC 9-20-0 170 0 49 6 18 1 14 TOTALS 9-20-0 170 0 49 11 91 1 56 * - games started
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 42-92TheFightingIrish.indd 92
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Brian Kelly HEAD COACH
32ND YEAR COACHING 24TH YEAR AS A HEAD COACH FIFTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
When Kelly was hired at Notre Dame he said two things needed to be addressed and done quickly. The defense needed drastic improvement and the players needed to mature both mentally and physically in order to compete for all four quarters of all 13 games. The Irish defense is one of 16 in the FBS that allowed fewer than 21 points per game during the fiveyear stretch of 2010-14. Notre Dame’s defense has allowed two offensive touchdowns or less in 34 of its last 55 games. The Irish have actually allowed one offensive touchdown or less in 23 of those outings, including 17 of the last 38 games. The Irish saw an offensive Renaissance in 2014 with Notre Dame averaging 33.0 points per game as it enters the Music City Bowl, its best mark since 2005. The Irish improved by an average of over 46 yards per game from their 2013 total offense mark, running an average of 7.6 more snaps per contest. Notre Dame's 444.6 yards per game of total offense are also the highest average of Kelly's tenure. Notre Dame scored at least 27 points in 10 games of its first 11 games in 2014, a feat that had not happened since 2005 and one which has never been eclipsed in school history. The Irish were particularly hot at the start of the 2014 season. Notre Dame scored at least 30 points in each of its first four games for the first time since 1943. Meanwhile, the Irish defense allowed just 46 points over those first four games, all victories by at least 16 points. It marked the first time since 1972 that Notre Dame
THE FIGHTING IRISH
KELLY’S HEAD COACHING RESUME • Among college coaches with at least five years of service or 50 victories at a school that was classified as a major college at the time, Kelly was the 23rd to reach 200 career victories. He was the second-youngest and fifth-fastest to ever reach 200 career victories. • Kelly is the first coach in Notre Dame history to lead the Irish to bowl games during each of his first five seasons. He is the first coach to take Notre Dame to bowl games in five straight seasons at any stage in his career since Lou Holtz (1987-95). • Kelly has led Notre Dame to at least eight victories over each of his first four seasons. He is the second coach in school history to accomplish the feat (Dan Devine). • With one more win in 2014, Kelly would become the first Irish coach to win eight games in each of his first five seasons. No Notre Dame head coach has posted five consecutive eight-win seasons since Lou Holtz reached the milestone seven straight years from 1987-93. • Since 2006, Kelly is tied for the seventh most wins of any active NCAA FBS coach. Kelly has won 80 contests (87-30) over that span. • Kelly's .748 winning percentage since 2007 ranks as the seventh-best among active NCAA FBS coaches. • Kelly ranks third and eighth among active NCAA FBS coaches in both victories (215) and winning percentage (.735), respectively. • In 2012, Kelly led Notre Dame to its first undefeated regular season in 24 years (1988), a spot in the BCS title game and the highest national ranking (No. 4/3) to close a season since 1993 (No. 2/2). • He is the only two-time winner of The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2009, 2012). • Kelly swept just about every possible coach of the year award in 2012. He earned the nod from the Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sporting News, Liberty Mutual and American Football Coaches Association. • Kelly became only the second Irish coach to win 12 games in a season (Lou Holtz also did it in 1988). • Notre Dame won the 2014 American Football Coaches Association Academic Achievement Award with a 100 percent graduation rate for the freshman football student-athlete class of 2007. In 2012, the Irish became the first team to be ranked number one in the football polls and first in NCAA GSR graduation rates while also playing for the BCS title. • Kelly's record also includes five seasons at Notre Dame where he has fashioned a 44-20 record that has included nine losses by a combined 29 points. He has helped the Irish win 36 of their last 49 games dating back to 2011. • Three seasons at Cincinnati from 2007-09, including a 34-6 record (.850) and two straight outright BIG EAST Conference title teams that earned BCS appearances in 2008 (FedEx Orange Bowl) and 2009 (Allstate Sugar Bowl). At the time he accepted the position at Notre Dame, he qualified as the winningest active BIG EAST football coach and the only league coach with more than 150 wins. • Three seasons at Central Michigan University from 2004-06, including a 19-16 overall record (.542) featuring a 9-4 mark and Mid-American Conference title in 2006. • Thirteen seasons at Grand Valley State University from 1991-2003, including a 118-35-2 record (.767) highlighted by NCAA Division II national championships in 2002 (14-0) and 2003 (14-1). • An overall record of 215-77-2 (.735) in those 23 seasons as a head coach.
GAME NOTES
Brian Kelly, a veteran of 24 seasons as a collegiate head coach, brings a championship tradition to his fifth year as the 29th head football coach at the University of Notre Dame. Currently the third-winningest active coach in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, Kelly has guided the Irish to 44 wins over his tenure. Only Lou Holtz has ever collected more victories (46) over his first five seasons. His 138 victories as a head coach since 2001 are more than all but two active FBS head coaches – Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Ohio State's Urban Meyer.
started a season 4-0 with each win coming by 16 points or more. The highlight of the dominant early season run came under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 6 when Notre Dame shut out Michigan, 31-0, in the final scheduled meeting between the teams. The Wolverines saw an NCAA-record streak of 365 games without being shut out snapped that night. In addition to being Michigan's first time being shut out since 1984, it was the school's most lopsided shutout loss since 1967 and its first non-conference shutout loss since 1926. Kelly's ideal of well-rounded student-athlete values were on display when sophomore Corey Robinson became the first sophomore since 2008, and just the fourth since 2002, to earn first-team Capital One Academic All-America honors. The wide receiver caught 40 passes on the year for 539 yards and five touchdowns. Robinson boasts a 3.83 cumulative grade-point average and has an extensive record of community service work, including holding leadership positions on the University's Student Government Executive Cabinet and the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Council. The 2013 defense saw an unusually high number of players gain valuable experience. Twenty-six different Notre Dame players made at least 10 tackles. The Irish last had at least 26 different players reach double digits when 29 different Irish tacklers reached that milestone in 1962. Over that 51-year span, Notre Dame has seen no more than 23 double digit tacklers, a sum reached four other times (1977, 1991, 2003 and 2011). Eleven different Notre Dame defensive players that opened the year in the twodeep depth chart missed at least three games due to injury, and 19 different Notre Dame defensive players started a game in 2013. Notre Dame underwent all this turnover against arguably the most challenging schedule in the nation. The Irish were the only team to defeat Big Ten and Rose Bowl champion Michigan State. Notre Dame played five teams that won 10 games (Michigan State, Oklahoma, Arizona State, USC and Stanford). Eleven of Notre Dame's 13 opponents in 2013 played in bowl games, including three BCS bowl participants (Michigan State-Rose, Stanford-Rose, Oklahoma-Sugar). The Irish were the only team in the country to play three different BCS bowl participants during the 2013 regular season. Notre Dame played the champions of both the Big Ten (Michigan State) and Pac-12 (Stanford), and was the only team to defeat two different teams that played in championship games of BCS AQ conferences. Irish foes collected 86 wins last season, which using the NCAA strength of schedule metric, was third best in the nation. The 2012 defense led the nation in two different categories and ranked among the top 10 in 10 more, including total rushing touchdowns allowed (four, 1st), red-zone rushing touchdowns allowed (four, t-1st), scoring defense (12.77, 2nd), points allowed per red-zone trip (3.4, 2nd), passing yards/completion (9.95, 2nd), red-zone touchdowns allowed percentage (34.21%, 3rd), total red-zone touchdowns allowed (13, t-3rd), red-zone points allowed (130, 4th), total passing touchdowns (10, t-6th), total defense (305.46, 7th), red-zone defense (68.4%, t-7th) and first downs/allowed (17.00, t-8th). Notre Dame allowed just 12.77 points per game in ‘12. The Irish were one of only three FBS top-10 scoring defenses to exclusively face FBS competition. Notre Dame allowed only 16 touchdowns (15 offensive) – four touchdowns fewer than any other FBS school. The Irish allowed 166 points over their 13 games. Notre Dame has never surrendered fewer points over a 13-game season in school history. The Irish allowed 12 offensive touchdowns over their last 11 games. In fact, the Irish held six opponents without an offensive touchdown and nine foes to one or fewer offensive touchdowns. Notre Dame won all five of its games decided by a touchdown or less in ’12 – one shy of the singleseason school record of six (1939). Notre Dame has gone undefeated in at least four games decided by seven points or less in the same season on just two previous occasions in school history (1929 and 1974;
MEDIA INFORMATION
BRIAN KELLY
93 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 93
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Brian Kelly
both went 4-0). The Irish have never had a larger fourth-quarter comeback victory in Notre Dame Stadium’s history than in 2012 in the 14-point deficit against Pittsburgh. Notre Dame rallied from halftime deficits in back-to-back weeks against Stanford and against BYU. The Irish in 2012 also had not recorded comeback victories when trailing at the half in consecutive weeks since Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, 1920 (nearly 92 years to the day). Notre Dame also won all six of its 2012 regular-season games away from Notre Dame Stadium by at least nine points. The Irish had not won six games away from Notre Dame Stadium by at least a touchdown since 1949. Notre Dame's closest margin of victory in '49 was a seven-point triumph over SMU (27-20). The month of November had not been kind to Notre Dame in the three years that preceded Kelly’s arrival in South Bend. The Irish had won only three of 13 games in the final month of the regular season. However, Notre Dame has posted a 17-7 combined record in November games since 2010. The Irish also had a hard time hanging onto leads prior to Kelly’s arrival. Notre Dame was a combined 9-6 when leading at halftime in 2008 and 2009 but improved under Kelly to 35-6 when taking an advantage into the halftime locker room. The 2012 offense averaged 189.4 yards rushing (2,462 yards in 13 games) and 222.8 yards passing (2,896). Notre Dame nearly became the third team in school history to ever average 200-yards in both categories. The two teams to accomplish the feat were the 1977 national champions (231.9 rushing and 208.1 passing), and the 1970 squad that finished No. 2 (257.8 rushing and 252.7 passing). Notre Dame was one of 26 teams in the FBS to average at least 189 yards on the ground and 200 yards in the air. The Irish averaged 4.9 yards/rush, their highest per carry average over the last 16 years. The 189.4 rushing yards/game is the third-highest per game average over the last 15 years. Only the 2000 (213.5) and 1998 (212.5) Irish squads averaged more per game. Notre Dame ran for at least 200 yards seven times, including six of the last nine contests. The Irish have not posted more 200+ yard rushing games in a single season since 1996. Notre Dame has rushed for at least 200 yards 10 different times over the last two seasons—more than the previous five years combined (2006-10). In 2012, Manti Te'o became the 33rd unanimous All-American in Notre Dame history. He became the first Irish defensive player to earn such an honor since cornerback Shane Walton in 2002. Te'o was named a first-team All-American as the Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Sporting News, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Associated Press selected him to their respective All-America squads. Te'o qualified as Notre Dame's fourth-ever unanimous All-America linebacker and first since Michael Stonebreaker in 1990 - also joining the likes of Jim Lynch (1966) and Bob Golic (1978). Te'o became Notre Dame's first Heisman Trophy finalist since quarterback Brady Quinn in 2006. He finished second with 321 first-place votes and 1,706 points - the most ever by a defensive player in college football history. Te'o nearly became the third player to ever be named a first-team Academic AllAmerican and win the Heisman Trophy in the same year joining Pete Dawkins (Army) in 1958 and Danny Wuerffel (Florida) in 1996. Te'o captured the Lott Trophy, Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award. He became the first player in college football history to sweep
the aforementioned seven awards. In fact, no other player in college football history had ever captured more than five major awards in one season. Tyler Eifert finished his career as the most prolific tight end in Notre Dame history. The 2012 John Mackey Award winner, Eifert holds the school record for career receptions (140) and career receiving yards (1,840) by an Irish tight end. He bested Ken MacAfee's school records in both career categories that had stood since 1977. Eifert also holds single-season school records for receptions (63) and receiving yards (803) by a Notre Dame tight end. Eifert was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly and second-team All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and CBSSports.com. Following the season, Eifert was selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was taken with the 21st overall pick by Cincinnati. Eifert was the first Notre Dame tight end to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since Irv Smith in 1993 (20th overall by the New Orleans Saints). Te'o was selected with the 38th overall pick by San Diego. He was the highest-drafted linebacker from Notre Dame since Demetrius DuBose was the 34th overall selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1993 draft. Te'o is the fourth-highest drafted Irish linebacker since 1960. Bob Crable was chosen with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, while Myron Pottios was the 19th overall selection of the 1961 NFL draft (second round). The 2011 defense ranked 30th in the nation in yards allowed per game, a vast improvement from the defense Kelly inherited that ranked 86th in that category in 2009. The Irish ranked in the top 50 nationally in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and passing defense in 2011, marking just the second time in the last nine seasons Notre Dame had ranked that high in all four categories. Notre Dame was one of 24 schools that opened 2011 with a 0-2 record but was one of only three teams (Georgia and Western Kentucky being the others) to rebound and have a winning season. In the eleven years from 2001-11, 275 FBS teams started 0-2 and Notre Dame became one of only 27 schools that won at least eight of its next 10 games. The Irish offense that Kelly directed eclipsed 500 yards of offense in five games, equal to the combined number of 500-yard games Notre Dame tallied in the previous five seasons. Notre Dame scored at least 45 points in three games in 2011, the most by an Irish offense since 1996. The Irish were led on offense by wide receiver Michael Floyd’s school-record 100 receptions and the running back duo of Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray who combined for 1,893 yards and 21 touchdowns. Floyd capped his career by breaking former teammate Golden Tate’s two-year-old school record of singleseason receptions. Wood and Gray formed a potent one-two punch out of the backfield. The tandem was one of only three running back duos in the FBS that featured each player having at least nine rushing TDs in the 2011 regular season. The other two running back teammates played on the high-octane offenses at Oregon and Oklahoma State. Defensively, Notre Dame held 12 of 13 teams below their season scoring average and held 11 of 13 schools below their season rushing average. When Kelly arrived at Notre Dame, the Irish were coming off a season where the defense ranked 86th in the nation in total defense at 397.8 yards per game. Two years later, Notre Dame’s defense ranked 30th in yards allowed per game at 344.7 and was 25th in scoring defense. Linebacker Te’o was named a finalist for the 2011 Butkus Award and Lott Trophy after leading Notre Dame with 128 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Senior safety and team captain Harrison Smith paced the secondary with 90 tackles and 10 pass breakups. Following the season, Floyd and Smith both were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Floyd was taken with the 13th overall pick by Arizona, while Minnesota tabbed Smith with the 29th selection. It marked the first time since 1994 that Notre Dame had multiple first-round NFL draft picks. Combined with Kyle Rudolph being drafted 43rd overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, Kelly became the first Notre Dame coach in 17 seasons to produce three combined players selected in the first 43 picks of consecutive NFL drafts. Despite enduring a slew of injuries at key positions, Kelly’s first Irish squad in 2010 came on strong to play perfectly in November. In addition to a convincing 28-3 victory over once-beaten and 15th-ranked Utah (Notre Dame’s widest margin over an Associated Press top 20 opponent in 14 years), the Irish
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Brian Kelly MEDIA INFORMATION GAME NOTES THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
defeated Army in the first football game played at the new Yankee Stadium – then ended an eight-game losing streak to archrival USC with a come-from-behind win at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Then, in the convincing 33-17 Hyundai Sun Bowl triumph against Miami, the Irish charged to a 30-3 lead after three periods, as Kelly became the first Notre Dame football coach to record a bowl victory in his first season on the Notre Dame sidelines. The Irish success down the stretch came mainly because of their defense, as Notre Dame went 13 consecutive periods over one late four-game stretch without allowing an offensive touchdown (the best sequence in that category in 30 years). In those final four wins Notre Dame’s defense limited the Utes, Black Knights, Trojans and Hurricanes to combined averages of 9.8 points (best stretch for an Irish team since 1989), 91.8 yards on the ground and 276.5 total yards. In the last four contests, the Irish defense faced teams that were averaging 38 (Tulsa), 41 (Utah), 31 (Army) and 32 (USC) points per game, yet yielded only two offensive touchdowns, combined, to that quartet. Among individual defensive leaders was Te’o, Notre Dame’s top tackler in 2010 with 133 and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Butkus Award. Each of those four victories came in the first four career starts by Tommy Rees, following a season-ending injury to Dayne Crist. Among the pacesetters for Kelly’s spread offense was Floyd who caught 79 balls in 2010 for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns and was named the MVP of the Hyundai Sun Bowl (six catches for 109 yards and two TDs in that contest). Meanwhile, the Irish kicking game also sparkled in 2010, thanks to placekicker David Ruffer, who successfully converted his first 18 field-goal attempts (18-of-19 overall in 2010 and 23-of-24 in his career). Ruffer became one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award as the top placekicker in the nation. Kelly’s debut season in South Bend saw the 2010 Irish play arguably the most difficult schedule in the country, as all but one of the Notre Dame opponents finished .500 or better – something no other team could claim. Notre Dame’s agenda ranked first nationally in the official NCAA schedule strength standings at the end of the regular season, with Irish opponents playing at a .652 clip (79-42). On the academic side, Kelly’s first season at Notre Dame featured a first-team ESPN Academic AllAmerica honor for Ruffer, an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship for offensive lineman Chris Stewart (he attended law school at Notre Dame during the 2010 season) as a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete selection – and a first-place finish by Notre Dame among all FBS programs in the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate standings with a 96 mark. In 2011, Te’o was named a second-team ESPN Academic All-American, and Notre Dame, once again, led all FBS programs in NCAA Graduation Success Rate standings with a 97 score. Te'o and Mike Golic Jr. were selected as first-team members an the 2012 Capital One Academic AllAmerica® Football Team which is selected annually by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). The last time Notre Dame had two football players earn first-team academic honors in the same year was in 1987 (Ted Gradel and Vince Phelan). Architect of two consecutive BCS appearances at the University of Cincinnati, including a perfect 12-0 regular season in 2009 that earned him national-coach-of-the-year honors. Kelly earned the ESPN/Home Depot National Coach of the Year Award in 2009, was the BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2009 (the first time a BIG EAST football coach won the award three straight years) -- and received the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year Award in both 2002 and 2003. He was also a finalist for four other national awards in 2009 – the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award (Football Writers Association of America), Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award (National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association), Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award and the George Munger Coach of the Year Award (Maxwell Football Club). He boasted a 2-1 record at Cincinnati in postseason bowl games – including a 27-24 win over Western Michigan in the International Bowl after the 2006 season (he coached in that game immediately after taking the job at Cincinnati), a 31-21 win over Southern Mississippi in the Papajohns.com Bowl after the ’07 season and a 20-7 loss to Virginia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl after the ’08 campaign. Kelly’s ’06 Central Michigan team finished 9-4 and qualified for the Motor City Bowl (Central Michigan defeated Middle Tennessee 31-14, though he did not coach after accepting the head coaching position at Cincinnati) – and his 12-0 team in ’09 earned an Allstate Sugar Bowl assignment against once-beaten Florida. In six NCAA Division II playoff appearances at Grand Valley State, Kelly’s teams combined for an 11-4 (.733) postseason record – including four straight victories in winning both the ’02 and ’03 NCAA titles. His ’01 Grand Valley State team fell 17-14 to North Dakota in the Division II national title game.
Kelly’s ’09 team at Cincinnati finished third in the final BCS standings and fourth in both the final regular-season Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls. His ’08 team ended up 11-3 and 17th in both polls – and his ‘07 Bearcat squad finished 10-3 and 17th (AP) and 20th (USA Today/ESPN) in the final polls. Through the end of the 2009 regular season, his Cincinnati team won all 12 of its games, led the nation in passing efficiency (166.19), ranked second in kickoff returns (29.2 each) and sixth in total offense (464.25 yards per game), passing yardage (320.33) and scoring (39.83 points). Meanwhile, Kelly’s Bearcat defense rated third nationally in tackles for losses (8.42 per game) and eighth in sacks (2.92). The ’09 Cincinnati squad set Bearcat single-season records for points (495), passing yards (3,844), fewest fumbles (10), fewest fumbles lost (two) and fewest turnovers (10). Cincinnati concluded the ’09 campaign with a record 18 straight regular-season victories. Among the standouts Kelly coached on the ’09 Bearcat roster were first-team All-America receiver Mardy Gilyard (he ranked second nationally in all-purpose yards at 203.5 per game at the end of the regular season) and quarterback Tony Pike (ninth in passing efficiency at 155.36). Eleven Cincinnati players merited all-BIG EAST honors for ’09 (five first-team selections), including Gilyard, the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year for the second straight season. In three years at the helm of the program, Kelly put together a 34-6 record and led the Bearcats to their first two BIG EAST championships in 2008 and ‘09. Cincinnati achieved a then-school-record 11 victories in 2008, followed that up with a dozen wins in ’09 and had back-to-back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history. Kelly’s Bearcats in ’08 won the school’s first outright conference championship since 1964 and earned the school’s first berth in a BCS game, playing against Virginia Tech in the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl. In ’08 Cincinnati achieved its then-highest ranking to close the regular season – 12th in the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls and the BCS standings entering the Orange Bowl. The Bearcats held a postseason ranking of 17th in both polls, tying the top postseason ranking in school history. Following the close of the ’08 regular season, Kelly was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year for the second straight season. He also was named the American Football Monthly Schutt Sports FBS Coach of the Year, earned AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors and was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year by Sporting News. Cincinnati placed 10 players on the 2008 all-BIG EAST teams (including first-team selection Connor Barwin) – with kick returner Gilyard named the BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year and punter Kevin Huber earning the first AFCA All-America nod in program history. Huber became the first two-time AP first-team All-America selection in Bearcat football history. The Bearcats’ 27-24 bowl victory over Western Michigan in 2006 came just 34 days after Kelly was hired. Then, in his first full season at the helm in ‘07, he put Cincinnati on the national radar by jumping out to a 6-0 start and earning the Bearcats their first appearance in the polls in more than 30 years. By winning 10 games for the first time since 1951, Cincinnati earned its 10th bowl appearance in program history and sixth bowl appearance in eight years. The Bearcats finished 17th in the AP poll and 20th in the USA Today/ESPN rankings, earning their first appearances in the final polls. Along the way to the 2007 Papajohns.com Bowl victory, the Bearcats’ third straight bowl win, Kelly earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors. Cincinnati listed seven individuals on the all-BIG EAST teams, including BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year and consensus All-America punter Huber. The national leader in punting, Huber was one of three Bearcats to be named to an All-America team. Cincinnati ranked second in the BIG EAST and 24th nationally in passing offense (254.1), and also was second in the league and 27th nationally in passing efficiency (139.4). At the same time, the Bearcat defense led the BIG EAST in sacks (2.9) and tackles for a loss (6.5). Kelly’s Bearcats led the FBS in net punting (41.5 yards per punt), and Cincinnati also paced the BIG EAST in kickoff returns (24.2). During his three years at Central Michigan, he transformed a Chippewa program that had won more than three games only once in the past four seasons into a conference champion. Central Michigan
95
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Brian Kelly YEAR-BY-YEAR WITH BRIAN KELLY Year School Position 1983 Assumption Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 1984 Assumption Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 1985 Assumption Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 1986 Assumption Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 1987 Grand Valley State Graduate Assistant/Defensive Backs 1988 Grand Valley State Graduate Assistant/Defensive Backs 1989 Grand Valley State Defensive Coordinator/ Recruiting Coordinator 1990 Grand Valley State Defensive Coordinator/ Recruiting Coordinator 1991 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1992 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1993 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1994 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1995 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1996 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1997 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1998 Grand Valley State Head Coach 1999 Grand Valley State Head Coach 2000 Grand Valley State Head Coach 2001 Grand Valley State Head Coach 2002 Grand Valley State Head Coach 2003 Grand Valley State Head Coach 2004 Central Michigan Head Coach 2005 Central Michigan Head Coach 2006 Central Michigan Head Coach 2006 Cincinnati Head Coach 2007 Cincinnati Head Coach 2008 Cincinnati Head Coach 2009 Cincinnati Head Coach 2010 Notre Dame Head Coach 2011 Notre Dame Head Coach 2012 Notre Dame Head Coach 2013 Notre Dame Head Coach 2014 Notre Dame Head Coach
96
Record/Postseason 4-5 4-4 5-3 1-8 7-4 7-4 11-1/NCAA Division II playoffs (0-1) 10-2/NCAA Division II playoffs (0-1) 9-3/NCAA Division II playoffs (0-1) 8-3 6-3-2 8-4/NCAA Division II playoffs (0-1) 8-3 8-3 9-2 9-3/NCAA Division II playoffs (0-1) 5-5 7-4 13-1/NCAA Division II runner-up (3-1) 14-0/NCAA Division II champion (4-0) 14-1/NCAA Division II champion (4-0) 4-7 6-5 9-4/qualified for Motor City Bowl vs. Middle Tennessee 1-0/International Bowl: W 27-24 vs. Western Michigan 10-3/Papajohns.com Bowl: W 31-21 vs. Southern Mississippi 17th AP, 20th USA Today 11-3/FedEx Orange Bowl: L 7-20 vs. Virginia Tech 17th AP, USA Today 12-0/qualified for Allstate Sugar Bowl vs. Florida 4th AP, USA Today 8-5/Hyundai Sun Bowl: W 33-17 vs. Miami (Fla.) 8-5/Champs Sports Bowl: L 14-18 vs. Florida State 12-1/ qualified for BCS National Championship: L 42-14 vs. Alabama 4th AP, 3rd USA Today 9-4/Pinstripe Bowl: W 29-16 vs. vs. Rutgers 20th AP, 24th USA Today 7-5/Music City Bowl
posted a 9-4 regular-season record in 2006 en route to winning the MAC title and qualifying for its first bowl game in 12 years. Kelly inherited a program that had produced a mere 12 wins over its previous four seasons when he took the helm at Central Michigan in 2004. He guided the Chippewas to a 4-7 record in 2004 and a 6-5 slate – the school’s first winning season in seven years – in 2005. The Chippewas in 2005 defeated both defending MAC divisional champions, Miami and Toledo, and also knocked off eventual ‘05 league champ Akron. Central Michigan ranked first nationally in fewest turnovers (10) and fewest fumbles lost (four), while the team’s rushing defense ranked 20th and led the MAC at 113.7 yards per game (compared to 245.8 in ’03 – the year before Kelly arrived). In 2006 Central Michigan rolled to a 7-1 record in conference play to win the MAC West and then dominated Ohio, 31-10, in the league championship game. Central Michigan boasted the 19th-most prolific passing attack in the nation, averaging 252.4 yards per game, set a Chippewa season mark with 28 TD passes and led the MAC in total offense (375.3 yards per game) and scoring (29.7 points). MAC Freshman of the Year Dan LeFevour passed for 2,869 yards and 25 TDs to rank 20th nationally in passing efficiency and 14th in total offense. Kelly had 12 of his players achieve first-team all-conference honors over his three years at Central Michigan (including ’05 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Daniel Bazuin) – and three advanced to the NFL (including 2005 draftees Eric Ghiacuic and Adam Kieft and free agent Tory Humphrey). Bazuin, who led the nation in ’05 in tackles for losses, also was a ’06 first-team Academic All-American. Kelly arrived at Central Michigan after winning back-to-back NCAA Division II national titles at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. The all-time winningest program in NCAA Division II history, the Lakers were 41-2 in Kelly’s final three seasons, at one point winning 32 consecutive games. Grand Valley State went 14-0 in 2002 en route to its first national title and was 14-1 in 2003 when it claimed its second crown. Kelly was named the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year after both seasons. Kelly led the Lakers to five conference titles (1992-97-98-2001-02) and six Division II playoff appearances in his 13 seasons at Grand Valley. The Lakers never finished lower than third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. Kelly mentored a pair of finalists for the Harlon Hill Award, presented annually to the top player in Division II. Quarterback Curt Anes won the award in 2002 after finishing as runner-up in 2001. He threw for 10,581 career yards and 114 TD passes – 48 in ’01 and 47 in ‘02 (12 games with at least five TD passes). Anes still holds the NCAA Division II single-season passing efficiency record for ’01 at 221.6 (189 for 271 for 3,086 yards, with 21 TDs, three interceptions). Quarterback Jeff Fox was third in the balloting in 1998, as he became the first Laker quarterback to throw for more than 2,000 yards in multiple seasons. Kelly’s Grand Valley State players earned 77 All-America awards (11 in 2002 alone). Four players moved on to the NFL and another three to the Canadian Football League. His 2001 national runner-up squad set 77 NCAA, GLIAC and school records, including the Division II scoring record by averaging 58.4 points per game (and an average victory margin of 48.0 points). The 2001 team also became the first Division II unit in 53 years to average more than 600 yards per game in total offense (600.8), leading the nation in that category. Grand Valley State followed its record-shattering 2001 season by averaging 497.5 yards and a nationleading 46.7 points during its undefeated 2002 national championship run in which Kelly’s squad went wire-to-wire as the top-rated Division II squad. That ’02 campaign ended with a 31-24 championship game win over second-ranked and unbeaten Valdosta State – as All-America receiver David Kircus caught passes for 270 yards and three TDs. Kircus holds the NCAA Division II season record for TD receptions with 35 in ’02, catching at least one TD pass in 24 straight games in 2001-02. He ended his career with 4,142 receiving yards and 76 TD catches and led the nation (Division II) in scoring in both ’01 and ’02. The 2003 team, meanwhile, became more noted for its defense, leading the country in rushing defense at 62.0 yards per game. The Lakers defeated North Dakota 10-3 in the 2003 national title game (played annually in Florence, Ala.). In 10 of his 13 seasons at Grand Valley State, Kelly’s teams won eight or more games – and he finished with a 103-22-2 mark in GLIAC contests. The seniors on his final team in ’03 won 47 of their final 49 games (and finished 34-4 in four seasons of GLIAC play) and won 20
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Brian Kelly
Name, School 1. Chris Petersen, Washington 2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 3. Les Miles, LSU Urban Meyer, Ohio State 5. Nick Saban, Alabama 6. Gary Patterson, TCU 7. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 8. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 9. Mark Richt, Georgia Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech Gary Pinkel, Missouri
W L T Pct. 100 17 0 0.855 94 27 0 0.777 92 26 0 0.780 92 15 0 0.860 91 16 0 0.850 88 27 0 0.765 87 30 0 0.744 84 32 0 0.724 83 35 0 0.703 83 37 0 0.692 83 33 0 0.716
WINNINGEST ACTIVE NCAA FBS COACHES (BY WIN PERCENTAGE, SINCE 2007) Name, School 1. Urban Meyer, Ohio State 2. Nick Saban, Alabama 3. Chris Petersen, Washington 4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 5. Les Miles, LSU 6. Gary Patterson, TCU 7. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 8. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 9. Gary Pinkel, Missouri 10. Mark Richt, Georgia Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
W L T Pct. 79 14 0 0.850 90 16 0 0.849 87 17 0 0.837 83 24 0 0.776 81 24 0 0.771 77 25 0 0.755 77 26 0 0.748 73 30 0 0.709 75 31 0 0.708 74 31 0 0.705 74 31 0 0.705
WINNINGEST ACTIVE NCAA FBS COACHES (BY VICTORIES) Name, School 1. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 2. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 3. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 4. Dennis Franchione, Texas State 5. Bill Snyder, Kansas State 6. Gary Pinkel, Missouri 7. Nick Saban, Alabama 8. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 9. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech 10. Jerry Kill, Minnesota
Years 34 25 25 30 23 24 19 16 18 20
W 271 225 215 210 187 184 177 169 164 152
L 139 85 77 126 93 103 58 43 74 98
T 4 2 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 0
Pct. 0.659 0.724 0.735 0.624 0.667 0.640 0.752 0.797 0.689 0.608
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
L 15-38 vs. East Texas State L 27-35 vs. Indiana (Pa.) L 14-37 vs. Slippery Rock W 42-13 vs. Bloomsburg* W 33-30 vs. Saginaw Valley State* W 34-16 vs. Catawba* L 14-17 vs. North Dakota#
WINNINGEST ACTIVE NCAA FBS COACHES (BY VICTORIES, SINCE 2006)
BOWL HISTORY
1991 Grand Valley State NCAA Div. II Playoffs 1994 Grand Valley State NCAA Div. II Playoffs 1998 Grand Valley State NCAA Div. II Playoffs 2001 Grand Valley State NCAA Div. II Playoffs
W L T Pct. 149 38 0 0.797 140 26 0 0.843 138 44 0 0.758 135 48 0 0.738 131 49 0 0.728 131 28 0 0.824 131 45 0 0.744 130 55 0 0.703 115 67 0 0.632 112 66 0 0.629
2014 SEASON REVIEW
BRIAN KELLY’S POSTSEASON RECORD (15-7)
Name, School 1. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 2. Urban Meyer, Ohio State 3. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 4. Mark Richt, Georgia 5. Les Miles, LSU Nick Saban, Alabama Gary Patterson, TCU 8. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 9. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech 10. Gary Pinkel, Missouri
COACHES & STAFF
.768 .543 .850 .688 .735
WINNINGEST ACTIVE NCAA FBS COACHES (BY VICTORIES, SINCE 2001) THE FIGHTING IRISH
118-35-2 19-16 34-6 44-20 215-77-2
GAME NOTES
BRIAN KELLY’S OVERALL RECORD Grand Valley State Totals (13 seasons) Central Michigan Totals (3 seasons) Cincinnati Totals (3 seasons) Notre Dame Totals (5 seasons) Overall Totals (24 seasons)
2002 Grand Valley State NCAA Div. II Playoffs W 62-13 vs. C.W. Post* W 62-21 vs. Indiana (Pa.)* W 44-7 vs. Northern Colorado* W 31-24 vs. Valdosta State# 2003 Grand Valley State NCAA Div. II Playoffs W 65-36 vs. Bentley W 10-3 vs. Saginaw Valley State W 31-3 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville W 10-3 vs. North Dakota# 2006 Cincinnati International Bowl W 27-24 vs. Western Michigan 2007 Cincinnati Papajohns.com Bowl W 31-21 vs. Southern Mississippi 2008 Cincinnati Orange Bowl L 7-20 vs. Virginia Tech 2010 Notre Dame Sun Bowl W 33-17 vs. Miami 2011 Notre Dame Champs Sports Bowl L 14-18 vs. Florida State 2012 Notre Dame BCS National Championship Game L 14-42 vs. Alabama 2013 Notre Dame Pinstripe Bowl W 29-16 vs. Rutgers 2014 Notre Dame Music City Bowl vs. LSU * home games played in Allendale, Mich. # NCAA Division II championship games
MEDIA INFORMATION
straight games in 2002-03. Kicker David Hendrix led the nation in ’03 with 25 field goals. Born in Everett, Massachusetts, and raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Kelly attended St. John’s Prep School in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was a four-year letter-winner at Assumption College (Worcester, Massachusetts) as a linebacker, captaining the squad in both ’81 and ’82 under coach Paul Cantiani on teams that finished 8-3 and 7-1-1. After graduating from Assumption in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, he served as linebacker coach and defensive coordinator (as well as softball coach) from 1983-86 at Assumption under head football coach Bernie Gaughan. Kelly was invited back to Assumption in 2012 where he served as commencement speaker and received an honorary degree from his alma mater. Kelly also endowed a $250,000 scholarship for Assumption football players. Kelly joined the Grand Valley State staff in 1987 as a graduate assistant and defensive backs coach. He became the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 1989 and took over (at age 28) as head coach in 1991 (replacing Tom Beck, who left to become running backs coach at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz). His first Laker team finished 9-3 and qualified for the NCAA playoffs. In 2009 Kelly was inducted into the Grand Valley State Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2011 Grand Valley State renamed its Laker Turf Building the Kelly Family Sports Center. The Kelly Family Sports Center is a 138,000 square foot building that houses a regulation football field, a six-lane, 300-meter track, all of the amenities for field events, batting cages that drop from the ceiling, an athletic training room, locker rooms, multi-purpose rooms, classrooms, bleacher seating for 800 in the grandstand and bleachers on the field level for another 260 spectators. In addition to intercollegiate athletics, the movement science department, campus recreation/intramurals and club sports also use the facility. Kelly was announced as the Notre Dame head coach on Dec. 10, 2009. He signed a five-year contract to coach the Irish. On Jan. 10, 2012, the University announced it extended Kelly’s contract two seasons through the 2016 campaign. Kelly received another contract extension, this one extending through 2017, following the 2013 season-opening victory over Temple. In June 2010, Kelly and his wife Paqui made a $250,000 gift to the University of Notre Dame in support of endeavors in research, academics and community engagement. The benefaction directly supports three Notre Dame initiatives -- cancer research, the Hesburgh Libraries and the Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC). In the area of cancer research – the fight against breast cancer is a deeply personal cause for the Kelly family – the gift benefits the Mike and Josie Harper Cancer Research Institute that opened in 2011 in Notre Dame’s new Harper Hall. The institute brings together scientists from Notre Dame and Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend to collaborate to advance basic and clinical research as it pertains to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer. The gift also provides financial support for the Hesburgh Libraries, which consist of the main Hesburgh Library and 11 subject branches across campus. The funding enables senior library personnel to identify and purchase the learning and teaching materials most in demand by Notre Dame scholars. At the RCLC, the gift underwrites innovative tutoring, violence-prevention, youth entrepreneurship and performing arts projects for adults and children in South Bend’s Northeast Neighborhood. Sponsored by Notre Dame in partnership with local residents, the RCLC serves an estimated 500 youths and adults each week, in addition to another 8,000 children annually through its outreach programs. In conjunction with the gift, Kelly launched the “Coach Kelly Challenge,” an effort aimed to encourage all members of the Notre Dame family to offer financial support to the University through one of its annual giving programs: the Notre Dame Annual Fund, the MBA and Law School annual funds, and the Rockne Heritage Fund. Notre Dame’s head football coach and his wife play host to a series of events benefitting the Kelly Cares Foundation, established by Brian and Paqui Kelly to support organizations, initiatives and programs that closely align with the goals and values of the Kelly family in three main areas: personal involvement, with emphasis on breast cancer research, prevention, education and awareness; education and institutional advancement; and community involvement in selected initiatives and projects. In addition to several charity golf events, Kelly co-hosts the annual Irish Legends Golf Classic with former Notre Dame coaches Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz. Proceeds from that event are split evenly among the charities of the three coaches. Football 101 has become a must-attend event as more than 1,200 women have had the opportunity to meet the Notre Dame football coaching staff, learn fun facts about Fighting Irish football and enjoy an upscale taste of South Bend. The participants also get a behind-the-scenes look at the Notre Dame football facilities – with proceeds benefitting breast cancer prevention, awareness and early detection initiatives. Kelly and his wife Francisca (Paqui) are parents of three children – Patrick, Grace and Kenzel.
97 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 97
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Brian Kelly • Notre Dame had eight players chosen in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Irish have not had a larger haul in the draft since 1994 when Notre Dame had 10 players selected. • Notre Dame had five players chosen in the first three rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft. It’s the most since the Irish had a school-record seven players selected in the top three rounds of the 1994 draft. • Notre Dame in 2013 and 2014 had at least six players drafted in consecutive years for the first time since 2002-03. • The Wall Street Journal did an interesting report card following the draft. It listed the schools who put the most talent in this year’s NFL Draft, based on how high their players were chosen (256 points for the top pick and one point for the last selection). Team Picks (Pts) LSU 9 (1,268) Notre Dame 8 (1,255) Florida State 7 (1,251) Alabama 8 (1,183) Ohio State 6 (978) Louisville 4 (879) UCLA 5 (828) Clemson 5 (748) Texas A&M 3 (736) North Carolina 5 (727)
WINNINGEST ACTIVE NCAA FBS COACHES (BY WIN PERCENTAGE) Name, School 1. Chris Petersen, Washington 2. Urban Meyer, Ohio State 3. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 4. Nick Saban, Alabama 5. Gary Patterson, TCU 6. Mark Richt, Georgia 7. Bobby Petrino, Louisville 8. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 9. Les Miles, LSU 10. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Years 9 13 16 19 15 14 10 25 14 25
W 100 140 169 177 131 135 92 215 131 225
L 17 26 43 58 45 48 33 77 49 85
T 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2
Pct. 0.855 0.843 0.797 0.752 0.744 0.738 0.736 0.735 0.728 0.724
Kelly has been a college head coach for 24 seasons; however the NCAA lists him for 25 because of the 2006 season when he coached at Central Michigan during the regular season and at Cincinnati for a bowl game. THE NFL DRAFT UNDER BRIAN KELLY • Brian Kelly has had a first-round pick in three straight NFL Drafts: Michael Floyd (2012), Harrison Smith (2012), Tyler Eifert (2013) and Zack Martin (2014). The Irish program had not previously accomplished the feat since 1991-94. • Kelly and Notre Dame have had 18 players selected in the NFL Draft since 2012. Only three schools in the nation have had more NFL draft pics over the same span. Kelly has done this while also maintaining a program that ranks among the top in the NCAA's annual Graduation Success Rate. Rank 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Team Alabama LSU Florida State Notre Dame Oklahoma
Players Drafted 25 23 22 18 17
Graduation Success Rate 45th (73) 39th (74) 102nd (58) 3rd (94) 117th (51)
AP Final Rank 14th 20th 1st 7th 12th 15th 16th 8th 18th --
Top Selection WR Odell Beckham (12th New York Giants) OT Zack Martin (16th Dallas Cowboys) WR Kelvin Benjamin (28th Carolina Panthers) LB C.J. Mosley (17th Baltimore Ravens) LB Ryan Shazier (15th Pittsburgh Steelers) S Calvin Pryor (18th New York Jets) LB Anthony Barr (9th Minnesota Vikings) WR Sammy Watkins (4th Buffalo Bills) OT Jake Matthews (6th Atlanta Falcons) TE Eric Ebron (10th Detroit Lions)
• Notre Dame’s eight drafted players were tied for the second most of any school in the nation. LSU led the country with nine selections, while the Irish were tied with Alabama. • Notre Dame has now had eight starters drafted from its 2012 defense that led the Irish to the BCS National Championship Game. • Troy Niklas marked the seventh Notre Dame tight end since 1992 to be chosen in the top two rounds of the NFL Draft. No other school in the nation has had more than four over that span. • Each of Notre Dame's starting tight ends under Kelly has been selected in the top two rounds of the draft: Kyle Rudolph (2nd, 2011), Tyler Eifert (1st, 2013) and Troy Niklas (2nd, 2014). • Notre Dame had three players chosen in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft for the first time since 1990 when the Irish had four selected. • Zack Martin is the first Notre Dame offensive lineman selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Jeff Faine in 2003. Martin is the highest drafted Irish offensive lineman since Andy Heck went No. 15 in the 1989 draft. • Sixth-round pick Bennett Jackson and second-round selection Troy Niklas continue a trend that has followed Kelly at his previous coaching stops at Central Michigan and Cincinnati. Jackson and Niklas joined the Notre Dame program as a wide receiver and linebacker, respectively. Jackson played one season (2010) as a wideout before Kelly and the Irish staff felt his future was at cornerback. Niklas played in 12 games as a reserve in 2011. He totaled 20 tackles, including eight solo stops, before his shift to tight end. • Thus, Jackson and Niklas join the likes of Joe Staley from Central Michigan, as well as Jason Kelce and Connor Barwin from Cincinnati. All five opened their respective careers under Kelly at one position before ultimately getting drafted into the NFL at another position. Staley was a firstround choice in 2007, while Barwin (2009) and Niklas (2014) were second-round picks and Kelce (2011) and Jackson (2014) were sixth-round selections. • That group does not include NFL All-Pro and former first-round selection J.J. Watt, who Kelly recruited to Central Michigan. Watt ultimately transferred and walked on at Wisconsin. • Notre Dame had five former players sign free-agent contracts with NFL clubs immediately after the 2014 draft. That group included George Atkinson III (Oakland Raiders), Carlo Calabrese (Cleveland Browns), Dan Fox (New York Giants), Tommy Rees (Washington Redskins) and Kona Schwenke (Kansas City Chiefs). • Notre Dame had 28 players participate in its last two NFL pro days and all 28 players ultimately signed a professional contract (excluding specialists).
• Zack Martin (Dallas Cowboys, 16th overall pick of 2014 NFL Draft) gave Kelly four first-round picks in the last three years of the draft. The Irish had a total of four first-round picks in the previous 17 NFL drafts. • Kelly has produced more first-round NFL Draft picks (four) than the three previous Notre Dame head coaches combined (three). In fact, only Ara Parseghian (12), Lou Holtz (12), Frank Leahy (10), Terry Brennan (five) and Dan Devine (five) have produced more first-round picks during their entire Irish coaching tenures. Of course, Kelly's total has come over just four NFL drafts.
98
Rank 1. 3. 4. 6. 8. 9.
Coach (Tenure) Lou Holtz (1986-96) Ara Parsegian (1964-74) Frank Leahy (1941-43, 46-53) Dan Devine (1975-80) Terry Brennan (1954-58) Brian Kelly (2010-) Gerry Faust (1981-85) Joe Kuharich (1959-63) Tyrone Willingham (2002-04) Charlie Weis (2005-09) Bob Davie (1997-2001) Elmer Layden (1934-40)
First Rounders 12 12 10 5 5 4 4 2 1 1 1 1
NFL Drafts 11 11 11 5 5 4 5 5 3 5 5 5
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 98
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Mike Denbrock OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/WIDE RECEIVERS 29TH YEAR COACHING EIGHTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE DENBROCK FILE PERSONAL INFO Homer, Michigan Homer High School Grand Valley State (Communications, 1987) Dianne Son: Chance
COACHING CAREER
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES Gator Aloha NCAA Division II First Round NCAA Division II First Round AFL Playoffs Seattle Gator Insight Sun Champs Sports BCS National Championship Pinstripe Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE Grand Valley State
Tight End
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
TE John Carlson (Notre Dame) Arizona Cardinals u 2008 second-round NFL Draft pick by Seattle OT Ryan Harris (Notre Dame), Dallas Texans u 2007 third-round NFL Draft pick by Denver TE Anthony Fasano (Notre Dame), Kansas City Chiefs u 2006 second-round NFL Draft pick by Dallas OT Kwame Harris (Stanford) u 2002 first-round NFL Draft pick by San Francisco
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
u Denbrock was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2014. u Denbrock guided an Irish offense that averaged 33.0 points per game -- most since 2005 (36.7) -- and 444.6 yards of total offense per game -- most since 2009 (451.75). u Denbrock coached WR Will Fuller to arguably the greatest sophomore receiving season in school history. Fuller set school sophomore records in TD receptions (14) and catches (71), as well as ranking second in sophomore school history with 1,037 receiving yards. He ranks second in the FBS in TD catches, 17th in receiving yards, tied for 20th in total TD (14), 21st in receiving yards per game (86.4) and 30th in receptions per game (5.9). u Denbrock moved to coach the outside wide receivers and serve as passing game coordinator in 2012. u Denbrock served as the interim offensive coordinator during preparation for the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The Irish knocked off Rutgers, 29-16, and rolled up 494 total yards over a season-high 90 offensive plays. The 494 total yards of offense against the Scarlet Knights was the third-most by the Irish in a game in '13. Notre Dame also racked up 175 yards on the ground against the nation's fourth-best rushing defense. u Denbrock was critical in the development of wide receiver TJ Jones. Jones led the Irish in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2013. He was the seventh wide out in school history to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in a single season. His 70 catches, 1,108 yards and nine touchdown catches rank seventh, seventh and tied for ninth, respectively, in single-season school history. u Jones recorded 100-yard receiving games on five different occasions in 2013 - tied for the fourth-most in school history. He also registered a touchdown grab in seven consecutive games during one stretch of the season, which is the second-longest streak in school history. u Earlier in Denbrock's career he spent a combined eight seasons with head coach Brian Kelly at Grand Valley State where he learned Kelly’s offense. Kelly served as the Lakers’ head coach and Denbrock was on his coaching staff from 1992-98. From 1992-95, Denbrock wore multiple hats – serving as offensive coordinator for Kelly as well as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at different times. The two were graduate assistants together at Grand Valley State in 1987. u Selected one of Tom Lemming’s Assistant Coaches of the Year in 2011. Named one of top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com (2012) and selected one of top 50 recruiters by 247Sports.com following 2012 signing day.
TE Kyle Rudolph (Notre Dame), Minnesota Vikings u 2011 second-round NFL Draft pick and first tight end selected
BOWL HISTORY
1982-85
TE Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame), Cincinnati Bengals u 2013 first-round NFL Draft pick and first tight end selected u 2012 Mackey Award Winner u 2012 first-team All-American; set school record for receptions and receiving yards in a season by a tight end
2014 SEASON REVIEW
1989 Michigan State 1989 Michigan State 1994 Grand Valley State 1998 Grand Valley State 2000 Buffalo 2001 Stanford 2003 Notre Dame 2004 Notre Dame 2010 Notre Dame 2011 Notre Dame 2012 Notre Dame 2013 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
COACHES & STAFF
Graduate Assistant Graduate Assistant Offensive Tackles/Tight Ends Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/ Offensive and Defensive Line Offensive Tackles/Tight Ends Offensive Tackles/Tight Ends Offensive Line Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Linebackers Tight Ends Outside Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
THE FIGHTING IRISH
1986-87 Grand Valley State 1988-89 Michigan State 1990-91 Illinois State 1992-95 Grand Valley State 1996-98 Grand Valley State 1999-2000 Buffalo (AFL) 2001 Stanford 2002-04 Notre Dame 2005-08 Washington 2009 Indiana State 2010-11 Notre Dame 2012-13 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
GAME NOTES
Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
u Coached junior tight end Tyler Eifert in 2011 to one of the best seasons ever by a Notre Dame tight end. Eifert ranked second on the team with 63 receptions for 803 yards and five TDs. u A Mackey Award finalist in 2011, Eifert led all FBS tight ends in receptions and receiving yards. He also set Notre Dame single-season records for receptions and receiving yards by a Notre Dame tight end. u Eifert was selected to the 2011 Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America first team. He became Notre Dame’s first Irish tight end named first-team All-American since Derek Brown in 1991. u Coached 2010 preseason All-American Kyle Rudolph as he collected 28 receptions for 328 yards and three touchdowns in first six games before a hamstring injury ended his season. u Developed Eifert in Rudolph’s absence and turned the sophomore tight end into a reliable receiving option for the Irish. Eifert snagged 27 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns. u Coached offensive line at Washington and in 2007, the Husky line helped running back Louis Rankin become the first 1,000-yard rusher at Washington since 1997. Quarterback Jake Locker also nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in 2007 as he gained 986 yards on the ground. Rankin and Locker ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in rushing yards per game among Pac-10 players. u Denbrock’s offensive line paved the way for the Huskies to average 203.1 rushing yards per game in 2007. Washington ranked 18th nationally in rushing and second in the Pac-10 Conference. u Coached several Notre Dame players who became NFL Draft selections, including offensive tackles Ryan Harris (2007, third round, Denver), Jim Molinaro (2004, seventh round, Washington), Jordan Black (2003, fifth round, Kansas City) and Brennan Curtin (2003, sixth round, Green Bay) plus tight ends Tyler Eifert (2013, first round, Cincinnatti), Kyle Rudolph (2011, second round, Minnesota), John Carlson (2008, second round, Seattle), Anthony Fasano (2006, second round, Dallas) and Jerome Collins (2005, fifth round, St. Louis). u Prior to coming to Notre Dame, Denbrock worked in a similar capacity with the offensive tackles and tight ends at Stanford. His line helped lead the way for a Stanford rushing attack which ranked 23rd in the nation, averaging more than 200 yards per game and scoring 27 TDs. u Developed Kwame Harris into one of the top offensive tackles in the Pac-10 Conference. Harris was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. u Prior to his two years in Buffalo, Denbrock returned to Grand Valley State, where he coached with Kelly. u Denbrock served as the Lakers’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1996-98 and his defensive unit ranked among the nation’s top 30 in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense each season. u Eight of his players earned first-team All-America honors during his seven years at Grand Valley State. u Denbrock’s first full-time coaching assignment came in 1990-91 as the tackles and tight ends coach at Illinois State. u He focused on the offensive line as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 1989 and helped with the quarterbacks and receivers on the 1988 Spartans' squad. u He broke into coaching as a graduate assistant from 1986-87 at Grand Valley State where he worked with the offensive tackles and tight ends.
MEDIA INFORMATION
MIKE DENBROCK
99 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 99
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Brian VanGorder
BRIAN VANGORDER DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/ INSIDE LINEBACKERS
26TH YEAR COACHING FIRST YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE VANGORDER FILE PERSONAL INFO Hometown: High School: College: Children:
Jackson, Michigan West Bloomfield High School Wayne State (Criminal Justice, 1992) Sons: Mack and Montgomery; Daughters: Molloy, Morgan and Malone
COACHING CAREER 1989-90 1991 1992-94 1995-96 1997 1998-99 2000 2001-04 2005 2006 2007 2008-11 2012 2013 2014
Grand Valley State Grand Valley State Wayne State Central Florida Central Florida Central Michigan Western Illinois Georgia Jacksonville Jaguars Georgia Southern Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons Auburn New York Jets Notre Dame
Linebackers Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Head Coach Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Defensive Coordinator Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Linebackers Head Coach Linebackers Defensive Coordinator Defensive Coordinator Linebackers Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED 1989 Grand Valley State 1990 Grand Valley State 1991 Grand Valley State 2000 Western Illinois 2001 Georgia 2002 Georgia 2003 Georgia 2004 Georgia 2005 Jacksonville Jaguars 2008 Atlanta Falcons 2010 Atlanta Falcons 2011 Atlanta Falcons 2014 Notre Dame
NCAA Division II First Round NCAA Division II First Round NCAA Division II First Round NCAA Division I-AA First Round Music City Sugar Capital One Outback NFL Playoffs NFL Playoffs NFL Playoffs NFL Playoffs Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1977-80
Wayne State
Linebacker
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
100
u VanGorder, who originally worked with Kelly as his defensive coordinator on the Grand Valley State staff more than two decades ago, brings to the Irish college head coaching experience at Wayne State (1992-94) and Georgia Southern (2006), seven seasons of NFL work, plus five combined years as a defensive coordinator at both Georgia and Auburn in the SEC. u VanGorder has been challenged by a rash of injuries and youthful players on defense. The Irish opened the season with seven first-year starters. Notre Dame has been forced to play nine true freshmen on defense. The Irish depth chart on defense includes 23 players, 17 of which are first or second-year players. u He has been instrumental in the breakthrough season of senior LB Joe Schmidt, who led the Irish in tackles prior to suffering a season-ending injury vs. Navy on Nov. 1. Schmidt registered 65 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions over Notre Dame's first eight games. He still ranks second on the Irish in tackles despite missing four full games. u He aided in the development of a pair of true freshmen -- Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan -- in Schmidt's absence. Morgan leads all Irish rookies in tackles with 43, including 10 or more over each of the regular-season's final three games. Martini has 26 tackles with a couple for loss and one sack. Morgan has started three games, while Martini has started one. u VanGorder served as the New York Jets linebacker coach during the 2013 season. He mentored the tandem of David Harris (123) and DeMario Davis (107), which combined for 230 tackles this past season. Only two teams across the league had a pair of inside linebackers combine for more tackles: San Francisco 49ers (NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis, 249) and Philadelphia Eagles (DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks, 233). u VanGorder was also instrumental in the re-emergence of outside linebacker Calvin Pace as a dominant pass rusher. The 2003 first-round choice of the Arizona Cardinals totaled 13 sacks over the three seasons before VanGorder arrived in Gotham. Yet, under VanGorder, Pace finished the 2013 season with 10 sacks and reached double digits for the first time in his 11-year NFL career. u Prior to his stint as the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2012, VanGorder guided the Atlanta Falcons’ defense from 2008-11. The Falcons achieved unprecedented heights, posting four consecutive winning seasons (a franchise first), including playoff appearances in 2008, 2010 and 2011. u Helping the Falcons to a 10-6 regular-season record in 2011, VanGorder’s defense finished the regular season second in the NFL in red-zone defense, sixth in rushing defense (97.0 yards per game) and 12th in total defense (333.6 yards per game).
u In 2010, the Falcons finished 10th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 105.9 yards per game, which ranked fifth in the NFC. VanGorder’s defense ranked in the top five in the NFL in scoring defense (18.0, fifth), turnover differential (+14, third) and interceptions (22, fourth), marking highs for VanGorder’s defense during his tenure. u With the leadership of VanGorder, cornerback Brent Grimes earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2010 after posting a single-season franchise-high 23 passes defensed, and tying for the team lead in interceptions (five), while adding 82 tackles. His 23 pass breakups ranked second in the NFL in 2010. u John Abraham earned his fourth career Pro Bowl selection in 2010 as he led all defensive ends in sacks (13.0), and added 43 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one interception. He also garnered his third selection to the All-Pro team under the guidance of VanGorder. u In 2009, Atlanta’s rush defense finished tied for 10th best in the NFL (sixth in the NFC), allowing an average of only 106.8 yards per game. The ranking was 15 spots better than the previous 2008 campaign. Under VanGorder’s leadership, the Falcons’ 2009 rush defense only allowed one 100-yard rusher all season. u In 2008, VanGorder started the retooling process to transform the Falcons’ defense into a unit that played with intensity, passion, aggression and toughness. The Falcons, under VanGorder’s guidance, finished 11th in the NFL in points allowed at an average of just 20.3 per contest. u With VanGorder’s direction, linebacker Curtis Lofton played a pivotal role in developing the defense. He earned a starting spot in the middle of the defense as a rookie, garnering NFL All-Rookie accolades from Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly, and finished second in the league among all rookies with 108 stops. u Prior to his arrival with the Falcons, VanGorder was the head coach at Georgia Southern in 2006. VanGorder spent the 2005 season coaching the linebackers for the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars under current Falcons head coach Mike Smith. Jacksonville ranked sixth in the NFL in total defense that season with VanGorder's help. u During VanGorder’s tenure in Athens (2001-04), Georgia won one SEC title, two SEC East Division championships, captured three bowl games and ended up with three straight top-10 finishes in the final national polls. VanGorder’s Bulldog defenses included four first-round NFL draft picks (Thomas Davis, Charles Grant, David Pollack and Johnathan Sullivan) while also seeing four players earn All-America recognition (Boss Bailey, Davis, Sean James and Pollack). u Georgia posted a 42-10 record over VanGorder’s four seasons with the Bulldogs. In his last year at Georgia in 2004, the Bulldogs went 10-2 and finished the season ranked seventh in the nation. Georgia produced a defense that ranked eighth overall and ninth in scoring defense. VanGorder’s 2003 defensive unit finished third nationally in scoring defense, fourth in total defense and sixth in passing defense. u In 2002, Georgia’s defense allowed only 31 points during the final seven games, propelling the Bulldogs to a Sugar Bowl win over Florida State (26-13) and a number three ranking overall in the polls. His strong defense also led the SEC in scoring defense and finished fourth nationally. u VanGorder also had college coaching stints as an assistant at Western Illinois (2000), Central Michigan (199899), Central Florida (1995-1997), Wayne State (1992-1994) and Grand Valley State (1989-91).
PERSONAL INFORMATION u A four-year letter-winner as a linebacker at Wayne State, VanGorder played for the Tartars from 1977-80. He collected 335 career tackles, which ranks seventh in school history. u VanGorder was inducted into the Wayne State University Hall of Fame in 2013.
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES OLB Calvin Pace, New York Jets u Finished the 2013 season with 10 sacks and reached double digits for the first time in his 11-year NFL career DE John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons u Led all defensive ends in sacks in 2010 with 13 en route to a Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro honoree LB Curtis Lofton, Atlanta Falcons u NFL All-Rookie accolades from Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly in 2008; finished second in the league among all rookies with 108 stops CB Brent Grimes, Atlanta Falcons u Earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2010 after posting a single-season franchise-high 23 passes defensed. He also tied for the team lead in interceptions (five) u Grimes' 23 pass breakups ranked second in the NFL in 2010 LB Thomas Davis (Georgia), Carolina Panthers u 2005 first-round (14th overall) NFL Draft pick by Carolina u First-team All-SEC selection and a consensus first-team All-American in 2004 DE David Pollack (Georgia) u 2005 first-round (17th overall) NFL Draft pick by Cincinnati u Three-time first-team All-American (2002-04), including two-time NCAA consensus first-team honoree u Captured SEC Player of the Year Award (2004), SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award (2004), Chuck Bednarik Award (2004), Ted Hendricks Award (2003, 2004), Lombardi Award (2004) and Lott Trophy (2004) DE Charles Grant (Georgia) u 2002 first-round (25th overall) NFL Draft pick by New Orleans u Three-year letterman and two-year starter who ended career with 15 sacks, which ranks 11th in school history LB Boss Bailey (Georgia) u 2003 second-round NFL Draft pick by Detroit u First-team All-American in 2002 and semifinalist for the Butkus and Lombardi Trophies DT Johnathan Sullivan (Georgia) u 2003 first-round (sixth overall) NFL Draft pick by New Orleans
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 100
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Tony Alford BOWLS/PLAYOFFS PLAYED
20TH YEAR COACHING SIXTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
RUNNING BACKS/RECRUITING COORDINATOR
THE ALFORD FILE PERSONAL INFO
COACHING CAREER Fort Collins (Colo.) H.S. Lake Wales (Fla.) H.S. Mount Union Kent State Iowa State Washington Iowa State Louisville Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
Running Backs Running Backs Running Backs Running Backs Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Running Backs Running Backs Wide Receivers Running Backs/Slot Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator
Insight.com Holiday Humanitarian Independence Houston Sun Champs Sports BCS National Championship Pinstripe Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1987-90
Colorado State
Running Back
2014 SEASON REVIEW
2000 Iowa State 2001 Washington 2002 Iowa State 2004 Iowa State 2005 Iowa State 2010 Notre Dame 2011 Notre Dame 2012 Notre Dame 2013 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
BOWL HISTORY
u Returned to running backs coach in 2012 and coached the Irish slot wide receivers from 2012-13. u Added the role of recruiting coordinator in 2012. u Notre Dame's three running backs in 2014 (Tarean Folston, Cam McDaniel and Greg Bryant) combined to run for 1.377 yards on 282 attempts (4.9 avg.) with 12 TDs. u Notre Dame lost only four fumbles in 2013, which was tied with Bowling Green, Wisconsin, Utah, Virginia Tech and South Alabama for tops in the FBS, and only two were lost by Irish running backs. u Notre Dame's running backs only lost three fumbles in 13 games in 2012. In total, Alford's group has lost just five fumbles in the last two seasons combined (26 games). u Mentored Cam McDaniel, George Atkinson III, Amir Carlisle and Tarean Folston in 2013. The quartet ran for 1,934 yards (5.1 per carry) and nine touchdowns. u Folson gained 470 yards during his freshman campaign, which is the sixth-best single-season total by a freshman in school history (most since Darius Walker in 2004). u Notre Dame ran for at least 200 yards seven times in 2012, including six of its last nine contests. The Irish had not posted more 200+ yard rushing games in a single season since 1996. u Notre Dame had two running backs average at least 67.0 yards rushing per game in Theo Riddick (70.54/game) and Cierre Wood (67.45/game) in '12. They ranked 84th and 94th, respectively, in rushing in the FBS. u Notre Dame was one of four FBS schools from a BCS conference to have a pair of running backs average at least 67.0 yards rushing per game. u The quartet of Wood, Riddick, George Atkinson III and Cam McDaniel averaged 5.7 yards per tote. u Tutored running backs the first 15 seasons of his coaching career before moving to wide receivers from 2010-11. u Notre Dame wide receivers accounted for 165.8 yards of 252.6 receiving yards per game (66 percent) in 2011. u Michael Floyd led the Irish with a Notre Dame single-season record 100 receptions for 1,147 yards and nine TDs in '11. He became just the second Irish player to record multiple seasons of at least 60 catches. Floyd set career records for receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs, yards per game and 100-yard games. u Floyd was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and an honorable mention selection to Pro Football Weekly’s AllAmerica team. u Named one of six finalists for national recruiter of the year by 247Sports.com following 2011 signing day and was tabbed one of nation’s top 25 recruiters in 2011 by Rivals.com. u With Alford’s coaching, Floyd recorded a breakthrough season at Notre Dame in 2010. Floyd led the Irish with 79 receptions for 1,025 yards and 12 TDs. Those totals all rank in the top 10 on Notre Dame’s single-season records list. u Notre Dame’s running backs Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, Riddick and Jonas Gray averaged 4.8 yards on 293 carries in 2009 while the top four Irish rushers in 2008 averaged 3.9 yards per carry. u Prior to Notre Dame Alford spent his entire 14-year coaching career working with running backs at five different schools and produced a 1,000-yard rusher seven times. u During the 2008 season, one of Alford’s pupils, redshirt freshman Victor Anderson, rushed for 1,047 yards with eight touchdowns and became the first Louisville running back to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards since 2005. Anderson was named the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Year and second-team all-BIG EAST. He was also placed on Sporting News’ Freshman All-America squad. u Spent nine years during two stints as running backs coach at Iowa State (1997-2000, 2002-06) where he developed three of the school’s top six career rushing leaders (the last five years at Iowa State he also held the title of assistant head coach). Darren Davis, Ennis Haywood and Stevie Hicks combined for five 1,000-yard seasons with Alford as their position coach. u Iowa State had a 200-yard rushing effort by one of Alford's running backs eight times during his nine-year stint. u Iowa State was one of only three FBS schools that produced a 1,000-yard rusher annually from 1995-2001. u Haywood led the Big 12 Conference and ranked 10th nationally with 1,237 rushing yards. He was a first-team all-Big 12 running back as the Cylcones’ rushing attack averaged 209.0 yards/game and totaled 27 rushing TDs. u During his initial four years in Ames (1997-2000), Iowa State improved from 103rd to 17th nationally in rushing. u Under Alford’s guidance, Davis produced three consecutive seasons over 1,000 yards en route to becoming the second-most prolific rusher in school history. u Davis gained 1,005 yards as a sophomore in 1997, 1,116 yards in 1998 and ranked ninth in the nation in 1999 with a Big 12-best 1,388 rushing yards. u Sandwiched between Alford’s stints at Iowa State was a year as Washington’s running backs coach in 2001. Under Alford, Husky tailback Willie Hurst became the ninth back in school history to rush for more than 2,000 career yards.
COACHES & STAFF
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED
Freedom Bowl
THE FIGHTING IRISH
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997-2000 2001 2002-06 2007-08 2009 2010-11 2012-13 2014
Colorado State
GAME NOTES
Hometown Colorado Springs, Colorado High School Doherty High School College Colorado State (Exercise and Sports Science, 1992) Wife Trina Children Sons: Rylan, Kyler and Braydon
1990
MEDIA INFORMATION
TONY ALFORD
PERSONAL INFORMATION
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame), Arizona Cardinals u Career record holder at Notre Dame for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns; 13th overall selection of 2012 NFL Draft by Arizona RB Victor Anderson (Louisville) u 2008 BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Year; ’08 Freshman All-American RB Ennis Haywood (Iowa State) u 2000 all-Big 12 first team
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
u Alford was a first-team all-Western Athletic Conference running back as a player for Colorado State in 1989 and was an honorable mention selection on USA Today’s All-America team. He played for the Rams from 1987-90 and was a 1989 Doak Walker Award nominee. Alford ran for a school-record 310 yards versus Utah during the 1989 season. u He participated in Denver Broncos training camp in 1991 and played for the World League of American Football’s Birmingham Fire in 1992.
RB Darren Davis (Iowa State) u 1999 all-Big 12 first team; Iowa State’s No. 2 career rusher
101 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 101
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Scott Booker
SCOTT BOOKER
TIGHT ENDS/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR NINTH YEAR COACHING FIFTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
the 2008 NFL Draft. Young received second-team all-MAC accolades in 2006 and was selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. u Under Booker’s tutelage, Kent State ranked first or second in the MAC in pass defense efficiency, pass defense and interceptions in 2006. u In 2005, the Golden Flashes allowed only 190.5 passing yards per game to rank 24th in the nation. u Served as a graduate assistant at Kent State in 2004 and was a student assistant in 2003.
PERSONAL INFORMATION THE BOOKER FILE PERSONAL INFO Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Shady Side Academy Kent State (Business Administration, 2003); Kent State (Master's in Sports Studies, 2006) Jen Daughter: Morgan
COACHING CAREER 2003 2004 2005-08 2009 2010-11 2012-14
Kent State Kent State Kent State Western Kentucky Notre Dame Notre Dame
Student Assistant Graduate Assistant Defensive Backs Defensive Backs Intern Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED 2012 2013 2014
Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
BCS National Championship Game Pinstripe Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1999-2002
u Four-year regular at safety and on special teams for Kent State from 1999-2002. u Named to the MAC all-academic team in 2001.
Kent State
Safety
TE Troy Niklas (Notre Dame), Arizona Cardinals u 2014 second-round NFL Draft pick by Arizona u 2013 Mackey Award Semifinalist K/P Kyle Brindza (Notre Dame) u 2013 Notre Dame Special Teams Player of the Year u 2013 Lou Groza Award Watch List u 2013 Ray Guy Midseason Watch List u 2013 ESPN.com All-Bowl Team (Pinstripe Bowl) u 2013 CBSSports.com All-Bowl Team (Pinstripe Bowl) u 2013 NFL.com All-Bowl Team (Pinstripe Bowl) TE Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame), Cincinnati Bengals u 2013 first-round NFL Draft pick by Cincinnati and first tight end selected u 2012 Mackey Award Winner u 2012 Pro Football Weekly First Team All-American u 2012 AP Second Team All-American u 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American u 2012 Sporting News Second Team All-American u 2012 Sports Illustrated Second Team All-American u 2012 CBSSports.com Second Team All-American S Usama Young (Kent State), Oakland Raiders u 2006 second-team all-MAC honoree; Third-round selection in 2007 NFL Draft by New Orleans
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS u Finishing his fifth season with Notre Dame and third year as an assistant coach. u Coaches tight ends and serves as special teams coordinator after learning the Irish offense as an intern from 2010-11. u Mentored senior TE Ben Koyack to another productive season. Koyack was named a semifinalist for the 2014 Mackey Award, which is given to the nation's top collegiate tight end. Koyack had 29 receptions for 305 yards and two TDs. u Each of Notre Dame's last five starting tight ends, two under the tutelage of Booker, have been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. Tyler Eifert went in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals, while Troy Niklas went in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals. u Kyle Brindza was 20 for 26 on field goals in 2013. Brindza holds the school record with 56 career field goals. u Among Brindza's 56 career field goals are a school record four of at least 50 yards, including three in 2013 (53 vs. Arizona State, 51 at Air Force and 51 vs. BYU). He is the only Notre Dame kicker ever to make a field goal of at least 51 yards in a true road game, accomplishing this feat twice (2012 at USC and 2013 at Air Force). u Brindza's 53-yard field goal vs. Arizona State equaled the longest in school history (Dave Reeve vs. Pittsburgh, Sept. 11, 1976). u Brindza tied a school and NCAA bowl-game record with five field goals in the 29-16 victory over Rutgers in the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. His 17 points kicking also equaled the school record for points in a single game. u Brindza averaged 41.1 yards per punt (43 punts for 1,769 yards) in 2013 – his first year in the role. u Brindza averaged 62.6 yards per kickoff in '13 (4,692 yards on 75 kickoffs) with 35 touchbacks. u Brindza bested his own school record (97 in 2012) for points by a place kicker (98) in 2013. u Troy Niklas was a Mackey Award semifinalist in '13. He had 32 receptions for 498 yards (both third on the team). Niklas averaged 15.6 yards/catch and his five touchdown receptions were the second-most ever by an Irish tight end in single-season school history. u Tyler Eifert captured the 2012 John Mackey Award. He has also garnered second-team AP, Walter Camp, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and CBSSports.com All-America honors. u Eifert finished career ranked first in school history in both career receptions (140) and career receiving yards (1,840) by a tight end. u Brindza set single-season school records for field goals made (23), field goals attempted (31) and points by a place kicker (97). Brindza also ranked tied for sixth in the Football Subdivision in field goals made in 2012. u Brindza equaled the single-game school record with five field goals against USC on Nov. 24, 2012, and his 16 points tied for the fifth-most in school history. Brindza belted a 52-yard field goal against the Trojans. The field goal is tied with David Ruffer (Maryland, 2011) for the third-longest in school history. u Under Booker's tutelage, Notre Dame registered a 38.6 net punting average in 2012 – the program's highest such average since 1997. u As an intern with Notre Dame, he assisted the offensive coaches in a variety of areas including film breakdowns, scouting reports, playbooks and other duties assigned by head coach Brian Kelly and his staff. u Part of an offensive coaching staff that helped the Irish register over 500 yards of offense in five games, equal to the combined number of 500-yard offensive games Notre Dame recorded from 2006-10. u The Irish offense in 2011 scored at least 45 points in three games, the most by a Notre Dame team since 1996. u Part of a staff that helped Eifert become a finalist for the Mackey Award (top collegiate tight end) and Michael Floyd set nearly every career receiving record at Notre Dame. u Prior to Notre Dame, coached defensive backs for five seasons at two schools. He worked with the secondary at Western Kentucky in 2009 and was the defensive backs coach at his alma mater, Kent State, from 2005-08. u Also worked with all four special teams units at both Western Kentucky and Kent State. u At Kent State, helped develop two NFL draft picks in Jack Williams and Usama Young. Williams earned secondteam all-Mid-American Conference honors in 2007 and was a fourth-round selection by the Denver Broncos in
CB Jack Williams (Kent State) u 2007 second-team all-MAC selection; fourth-round selection in 2008 NFL Draft by Denver
102 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 102
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Kerry Cooks SECONDARY
12TH YEAR COACHING FIFTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE COOKS FILE PERSONAL INFO Irving, Texas Nimitz High School Iowa (Sociology, 2000) Elvern Daughters: Kerrington and Kenadee
COACHING CAREER Kansas State Western Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
Graduate Assistant Defensive Backs/Assistant Special Teams Defensive Backs Defensive Backs/Assistant Special Teams Outside Linebackers Cornerbacks Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks Secondary
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED Fiesta Music City Capital One Bowl Outback Champs Sports Champs Sports Sun Champs Sports BCS National Championship Pinstripe Music City
1993-97
Iowa
Strong Safety
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS PLAYED 1993 Iowa 1995 Iowa 1996 Iowa 1997 Iowa
Alamo Sun Alamo Sun
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES CB Bennett Jackson (Notre Dame), New York Giants u Converted wide receiver was 2014 sixth-round NFL Draft pick by New York Giants S Chris Maragos (Wisconsin), Seattle Seahawks u Former walk-on earned honorable mention all-Big Ten (2009) u Four-year NFL veteran CB Robert Blanton (Notre Dame), Minnestoa Vikings u 2012 fifth-round NFL Draft pick by Minnesota CB Darrin Walls (Notre Dame), New York Jets u Played in all 16 games, started three, for the New York Jets in 2013 CB Allen Longford (Wisconsin) u 2008 first-team all-Big Ten u 2006 and 2007 first-team all-Big Ten; 2008 fourth-round NFL Draft pick by Philadelphia
BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
u Former all-Big Ten Conference safety and National Football League veteran coached the secondary in 2014. Cooks has worked with either cornerbacks or safeties in 10 of his 11 years as an assistant coach. u Cooks was critical in the development of a youthful Irish secondary. u Cooks aided sophomore CB Cole Luke during his first season as a starter. Luke is tied for the team lead with four interceptions. He leads the Irish with 11 pass breakups, which is the most by a Notre Dame player in a single season since Raeshon McNeil in 2008 (11). Luke's also tied for 19th in the FBS with 15 passes defended and remains one of 10 players in the FBS with at least 11 PBUs and four interceptions. u Cooks tutored first-year starting safeties Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate, as well as freshman S Drue Tranquill and sophomore CB Devin Butler, both of whom were called to duty following injuries to senior S Austin Collinsworth and graduate CB Cody Riggs. u Elevated to interim defensive coordinator for the 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. u Served as the co-defensive coordinator and coached cornerbacks for the Irish in 2012-13. u In 2013, Notre Dame ranked 15th in the FBS in fewest passing yards allowed/game (198.2), 16th in passing yards allowed/completion (10.73) and 17th in passing yards allowed/attempt (6.31). u Bennett Jackson ranked tied for 39th in the FBS in interceptions (0.31/game) in 2012 despite being in his second season at the position and first as a starter. u KeiVarae Russell switched from running back to cornerback in the '12 preseason and became the first freshman at Notre Dame to start at cornerback in the opening game of a season (Sept. 1 against Navy). u Russell collected two interceptions in '12 and was named a freshman All-American by Sporting News and Scout. com powered by FOX Sports NET. u Cooks was critical in the development of Notre Dame’s inexperienced secondary in '12. The Irish ranked among the top 20 FBS schools in the following pass defensive categories: fewest passing yards/completion (9.95, 2nd), fewest TD passes (11, t-6th), pass efficiency defense (111.36, 16th), interceptions (16, t-20th), fewest passing yards/attempt (5.98, 13th) interception percentage (3.69, 24th), and pass defense (199.77, 25th). u Coached the cornerbacks in 2011 and helped the Irish improve 17 spots in pass efficiency defense and 16 positions in pass defense. Notre Dame’s secondary helped limit opponents to 205.8 passing yards per game and ranked 38th in the FBS. u Robert Blanton had the best season of his Irish career in 2011 as he ranked third on the team with 70 tackles, ranked second with eight tackles for loss and added six pass breakups, two interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery.
u A four-year letter-winner and two-year starter as a strong safety at Iowa, Cooks played for the Hawkeyes from 1993-97. u As a senior, he was a team captain and earned all-Big Ten honors. u A fifth-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1998 NFL Draft, Cooks also played for Green Bay, Atlanta and Jacksonville before retiring from the NFL in 2001. He also played for the XFL’s Chicago Enforcers in 2001. u He graduated from Iowa in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
PERSONAL INFORMATION
COACHES & STAFF
2004 Kansas State 2005 Minnesota 2006 Wisconsin 2007 Wisconsin 2008 Wisconsin 2009 Wisconsin 2010 Notre Dame 2011 Notre Dame 2012 Notre Dame 2013 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
THE FIGHTING IRISH
2003 2004 2005 2006-09 2010 2011 2012-13 2014
GAME NOTES
Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
u Invited to attend 2011 NCAA Champion Forum, a seminar for minority coaches where they learn from current athletics directors how to interview for head coaching jobs and run a football program. u Worked with the outside linebackers in his first season at Notre Dame. u Coached defensive backs at Wisconsin for four seasons and helped develop 10 all-Big Ten honorees, including three first-team selections. u Helped lead the Badgers to a 38-14 record from 2006-09, with Wisconsin finishing the season ranked in the top 25 three times. u In 2009, two members of Cooks’ secondary received all-Big Ten accolades and a third player burst onto the scene as a first-year starter. u Safeties Jay Valai and Chris Maragos directed the Badgers' defensive backfield and ranked in the top 10 in tackles on the team in 2009. u Valai was named a second-team all-Big Ten performer for the second year in a row in 2009 while Maragos garnered honorable mention all-conference accolades. u Cooks’ star pupil in 2008 was cornerback Allen Langford who earned first-team all-Big Ten plaudits and was named the team’s MVP after recording 47 tackles, two interceptions and a team-best 13 pass breakups. u Cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu led the Badgers and tied for third in the conference in 2007 with 16 passes defended en route to being named first-team all-Big Ten. u Free safety Shane Carter was a consensus honorable mention all-conference pick in 2007 after his seven interceptions led the Big Ten and tied for sixth nationally. u In his first season at Wisconsin in 2006, Cooks helped the Badgers lead the nation in pass efficiency defense (84.19 rating), and the 138.3 passing yards allowed per game ranked second in the nation. u Cooks helped Wisconsin allow 111.5 fewer passing yards per game in 2006 than 2005 and opposing quarterbacks only completed 47.8 percent of their passes against the Badgers. u Wisconsin finished 12-1 in 2006 and ranked fifth in the final coaches’ poll after defeating Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl. u Each of Cooks’ four starting defensive backs in 2006 received postseason recognition from the Big Ten, including Ikegwuonu who earned first-team honors after tallying 41 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. u Cooks spent one season at Minnesota coaching defensive backs in 2005. His defensive backs allowed opponents to complete just 55.3 percent of their passes during the Big Ten season, second best in the league. u Prior to his year at Minnesota, Cooks coached defensive backs and assisted on special teams for one season at Western Illinois in 2004. The Leathernecks limited opponents to a Gateway Conference-best 157.2 passing yards per game, held opponents to the lowest completion percentage (45.4) in the conference and finished second in the league with 17 interceptions. u Cooks began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas State for the 2003 campaign.
MEDIA INFORMATION
KERRY COOKS
103
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 103
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Bob Elliott
BOB ELLIOTT OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
36TH YEAR COACHING THIRD YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE ELLIOTT FILE PERSONAL INFO Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
Iowa City, Iowa West High School Iowa (History, 1976) Joey Son: Grant; Daughter: Jessica
COACHING CAREER 1976 Iowa 1977 Kent State 1978-79 Ball State 1980 Ball State 1981-82 Iowa State 1983-86 North Carolina 1987-94 Iowa 1996-97 Iowa 1998 Iowa 2000-01 Iowa State 2002-05 Kansas State 2006-07 San Diego State 2008 San Diego State 2010-11 Iowa State 2012-13 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
Graduate Assistant Secondary Secondary Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Secondary Wide Receivers/Tight End Secondary Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Associate Head Coach/Secondary/Special Teams Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Secondary Safeties Outside Linebackers
BOWLS COACHED 1983 North Carolina 1986 North Carolina 1987 Iowa 1988 Iowa 1991 Iowa 1991 Iowa 1993 Iowa 1996 Iowa 1997 Iowa 2000 Iowa State 2001 Iowa State 2002 Kansas State 2004 Kansas State 2011 Iowa State 2012 Notre Dame 2013 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
Peach Aloha Holiday Peach Rose Holiday Alamo Alamo Sun Insight.com Independence Holiday Fiesta Pinstripe BCS National Championship Pinstripe Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1972-75
Iowa
Defensive Back
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS u Spent 31 of his 35 seasons coaching defense, primarily as a defensive backs coach or defensive coordinator. Served as defensive coordinator for a combined 11 years at San Diego State, Kansas State, Iowa and Ball State. u Worked with the Irish outside linebackers in 2014. u In 2013, Notre Dame ranked 15th in the FBS in fewest passing yards allowed/game (198.2), 16th in passing yards allowed/completion (10.73) and 17th in passing yards allowed/attempt (6.31). u Austin Collinsworth ranked tied for 136th in the FBS in interceptions (0.20/game) in 2013. He became the first Irish player with an interception in three consecutive games since Kyle McCarthy in 2009. u Elliott was critical in the development of Notre Dame’s inexperienced secondary in '12. The Irish ranked among the top 20 FBS schools in the following pass defense categories: fewest passing yards/completion (9.95, 2nd), fewest touchdown passes (11, t-6th), pass efficiency defense (111.36, 16th), interceptions (16, t-20th), fewest passing yards/attempt (5.98, 13th) interception percentage (3.69, 24th), and pass defense (199.77, 25th). u Has had three two-year coaching stints at Iowa State in the last 30 years and most recently served as the Cyclones’ secondary coach from 2010-11. u Helped improve Iowa State, which ranked 84th in pass efficiency defense the season before he arrived to 46th after his arrival. He also helped Iowa State improve 29 spots in the pass defense rankings from 2009 to 2011. u Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for three seasons at San Diego State from 2006-08. Added the duties of inside linebackers coach in 2008. He worked in the Aztecs athletics department in 2009. u In his first year at San Diego State, Elliott’s defense allowed only 171.0 passing yards/game and ranked second in pass defense in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs allowed scores on only 67.3 percent of opponent red zone trips to rank second in the conference. u Defensive coordinator at Kansas State from 2002-05 and helped the Wildcats to a 31-19 record, including four wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
u Kansas State recorded two 11-win seasons, claimed the school’s first Big 12 championship and advanced to the 2003 Fiesta Bowl – the first BCS bowl appearance in school history. u In his four seasons as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator, Elliott’s defenses allowed an average of 111.6 rushing yards/game and 194.1 passing yards/game. u Kansas State intercepted 58 passes from 2002-05 and returned 12 interceptions for touchdowns. u Twelve of Elliott’s players received all-Big 12 accolades and four players were drafted. u The 2002 defense directed by Elliott led the nation in scoring defense (11.8 points/game), ranked second in total defense (249.0 yards) and rushing defense (69.5 yards) and was third in pass efficiency defense (91.7). u The 69.5 rushing yards allowed/game in 2002 was a school record while the 11.8 points/game were the secondfewest allowed by a Kansas State defense. The 249.0 total yards permitted was third-best in Wildcats history. u Cornerback Terence Newman was a consensus All-American at Kansas State in 2002 and was recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award. Newman was named 2002 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and became the fifth overall selection in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. u Elliott’s defense intercepted 20 passes in '02 and five picks were returned for touchdowns to set a school record. u The 40 combined interceptions in Elliott’s first two seasons as Kansas State defensive coordinator were the second most in school history. u Elliott’s defense in his second season at Kansas State ranked sixth nationally in total defense (283.1 yards/ game), seventh in pass defense (174.6), eighth in scoring defense (16.3 points) and 17th in rushing defense (108.8 yards). The Wildcats set a school record with 51 sacks in 2003. u Linebacker Josh Buhl broke the school record with 184 tackles in 2003 en route to being named a first-team All-American by Sporting News and a second-team All-American by Associated Press and Sports Illustrated. u From 2000-01, Elliott was the Iowa State associate head coach and worked with the Cyclones' secondary and coordinated the special teams. u Elliott’s secondary recorded 18 interceptions in 2001, the most by an Iowa State secondary in 25 years. The Cyclones ranked fourth nationally in passing defense (151.8 yards/game) and 21st in pass efficiency defense. u Iowa State defensive backs intercepted 10 passes in 2000, the most in eight years. u The Cyclone special teams shined in 2000, blocking seven kicks to lead the Big 12. Kick returner J.J. Moses earned first-team all-Big 12 accolades. u Member of the Iowa athletics department from 1987-99. He was on Hayden Fry’s coaching staff from 1987-94 and from 1996-98. In 1999, Elliott served as a special assistant to Iowa athletics director Bob Bowlsby. Elliott was executive director of the University of Iowa Alumni Association in 1995. u Served as secondary coach from 1987-94. He returned as defensive coordinator from 1996-98 and added the title assistant head coach in 1998. Elliott’s position group switched to the outside linebackers from 1996-98. u Elliott coached seven first-team all-Big Ten selections and eight second-team all-conference players at Iowa. The Hawkeyes were 74-52-5 (.584) in his tenure and helped Iowa appear in seven bowl games. u In his 11 seasons coaching at Iowa, opposing quarterbacks completed only 51.6 percent of passes and averaged only 176.9 yards/game. Six of Elliott’s players rank in the top 10 in career interceptions at Iowa. u The 1997 defense coordinated by Elliott ranked among the best in the Big Ten and the nation. The Hawks ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense, seventh in total defense and 11th in rushing defense. Iowa recorded three shutouts in 1997 and held two other opponents to only one touchdown. u Defensive lineman Jared DeVries was named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1997 and was a consensus All-American in 1998 en route to setting the career school record for tackles for loss and sacks. u Iowa led the Big Ten in pass defense in two seasons between 1987-94 and had the best third-down defense four times in that eight-year window. u Former NFL All-Pro safety Merton Hanks was a top defensive back for Elliott and helped Iowa win the Big Ten in 1990 and play in the 1991 Rose Bowl. Hanks was a first-team All-American. u Only stint coaching offense came at North Carolina from 1983-86 (wide receivers and tight ends). u Prior to North Carolina, made his first stop at Iowa State as the secondary coach from 1981-82. The Cyclones pass defense in 1982 led the Big Eight and produced professionals Ron Osborne and John Arnaud. u Earned his first defensive coordinator position at Ball State in 1980 after serving as the Cardinals’ secondary coach the previous two seasons. u First full-time coaching job was as the secondary coach at Kent State in 1977 and he served as a graduate assistant at Iowa in 1976.
PERSONAL INFORMATION u Son of former Iowa athletics director and Michigan head football coach Bump Elliott. u Graduated with high distinction from Iowa. u Candidate for Rhodes Scholarship in 1976 and was named an Academic All-American in 1974 and 1975. u NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES Josh Buhl, LB (Kansas State) u First-Team All-American; Butkus Award semifinalist Terence Newman, DB (Kansas State), Dallas Cowboys u 2002 Consensus All-American; Thorpe Award winner; Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year; fifth overall pick in 2003 NFL Draft Merton Hanks, DB (Iowa) u First-Team All-American Tom Knight, DB (Iowa) u First-round NFL Draft pick in 1997 by Arizona
104 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 104
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Mike Elston DEFENSIVE LINE
16TH YEAR COACHING FIFTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE ELSTON FILE PERSONAL INFO St. Marys, Ohio Memorial High School Michigan (Sport Management and Communications, 1998) Beth (Broyles) Daughters: Olivia, Sophia and Isabella
COACHING CAREER Michigan Michigan Michigan Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Cincinnati Cincinnati Notre Dame Notre Dame
Student Assistant Video Intern Graduate Assistant (Outside Linebackers) Defensive Ends Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator Defensive Line Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator Tight Ends/ Special Teams Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line/Special Teams Coordinator Defensive Line/Special Teams Coordinator Defensive Line
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1993-96
Michigan
Outside Linebacker
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS PLAYED
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Stephon Tuitt (Notre Dame), Pittsburgh Steelers u Second-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh u 2012 Athlon First Team All-American u 2012 CBS Sports First Team All-American u 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American Louis Nix III (Notre Dame) u Third-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Houston u 2012 CBS Sports Third Team All-American David Ruffer (Notre Dame) u 2010 Lou Groza Award finalist Dan Bazuin (Central Michigan) u Led NCAA with 26.5 tackles for loss in 2005 and tied MAC record with 16 sacks; second-round NFL Draft pick of Chicago Bears in 2007 Kevin Huber (Cincinnati), Cincinnati Bengals u 2007 and 2008 first-team All-American; 2007 BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati), St. Louis Rams u 2008 and 2009 BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
u Aided in the mentorship of numerous young defensive linemen, including freshmen Jay Hayes, Daniel Cage, Andrew Trumbetti and Grant Blankenship -- all four of whom have played significantly as rookies in 2014. u Developed Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix III into second and third-round NFL Draft picks. Tuitt and Nix III were the first tandem of Notre Dame defensive linemen to be chosen in the top three rounds of the same draft since 1997. u Injuries mostly prevented the defensive line trio of Sheldon Day, Nix III and Tuitt in 2013 from working together. The trio were on the field together for a total of 23 plays over Notre Dame's final 10 games of the season. u After the season-ending injuries to Chase Hounshell and Tony Springmann, Elston was critical in the development of sophomore Jarron Jones, freshman Isaac Rochell and senior Kona Schwenke. u Led a defensive line unit that helped permit only four rushing touchdowns in 2012 (and the first did not come until the eighth game of the year). The Irish led the FBS in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed. u Coached defensive line that included the All-America tandem of Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix III. Tuitt and Nix III were first set of Notre Dame defensive linemen to earn All-America status in same season since 1989. u Notre Dame held eight different opponents to under 100 yards rushing in '12. No FBS school held more BCS automatically-qualifying schools to sub-100 yard rushing games than Notre Dame in '12. u Notre Dame limited its foes to 3.47 yards per rush, which ranked 17th in the FBS. The Irish had not completed a season with a lower yards allowed per rush since 2004 when Notre Dame allowed 2.7 yards per carry. u George Atkinson III ranked 19th in the nation in kickoff return average at 26.1 and was a key reason the Irish kick returns moved from 75th in the NCAA in 2010 to 36th in 2011. u Kicker David Ruffer converted more PATs without a miss in 2011 than anyone in Notre Dame history (47-47). u In first season at Notre Dame, helped turn around Irish defense as well as coordinated special-teams efforts that included an All-America caliber placekicker. u The defensive line aided the Irish efforts in holding opponents to 4.0 yards per carry in 2010, almost a yard fewer than the ’09 Irish defense permitted.
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES
BOWL HISTORY
1993 Michigan Hall of Fame 1994 Michigan Holiday 1995 Michigan Alamo 1996 Michigan Outback
u Elston was a member of Michigan’s football team from 1993-96 and lettered for the Wolverines as an outside linebacker from 1994-96. Michigan finished in the top 20 each year he lettered, and he helped the Wolverines to a 25-12 record in his four seasons.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
1998 Michigan Rose 1999 Michigan Citrus 2000 Michigan Orange 2001 Michigan Citrus 2006 Central Michigan Motor City 2007 Cincinnati Papajohns.com 2009 Cincinnati Orange 2010 Cincinnati Sugar 2010 Notre Dame Sun 2011 Notre Dame Champs Sports 2012 Notre Dame BCS National Championship 2013 Notre Dame Pinstripe 2014 Notre Dame Music City
PERSONAL INFORMATION
COACHES & STAFF
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED
THE FIGHTING IRISH
1997 1998 1999-2000 2001 2002-03 2004 2005 2006 2007-08 2009 2010-11 2012-14
GAME NOTES
Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
u Ruffer flourished with Elston’s tutelage as he was named one of three finalists for the Groza Award, presented annually to college football’s top kicker. He converted his first 18 field-goal attempts of 2010 before missing his final kick of the season, snapping his school record streak for most consecutive made field goals in a season (18) and career (23). u In his only season as Cincinnati’s defensive line coach, Elston was forced to replace all of his starters while helping to implement a new defensive scheme. u The results were an attacking defensive front in 2009 that limited its opponents to 3.6 rushing yards per carry and helped lead Cincinnati’s defense to the third-most tackles for loss and 10th-most sacks in the nation. u The Bearcats’ defensive line combined for 57 tackles for losses and 25.5 of the team’s 37 sacks for the season. u Cincinnati was led in 2009 by Ricardo Mathews and Alex Daniels, two first-year starters at defensive end. Mathews received second-team all-BIG EAST honors and led Cincinnati with 12.5 tackles for loss. Daniels paced the defensive line with 56 tackles and led the team with 8.5 sacks. u Elston served as special teams coordinator in 2009 for the third straight season and helped Mardy Gilyard earn the BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year. Gilyard averaged 30.5 yards on 42 kickoff returns and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He also averaged 12.6 yards on 16 punt returns, including one punt return for TD. u Elston’s kickoff return unit ranked second in the nation, averaging 28.5 yards per kickoff return, and only three schools returned more kickoffs for TDs than Cincinnati’s three returns. His punt return unit averaged 13.0 yards per return which ranked 17th in the nation. u Under Elston’s direction, Kevin Huber was selected as the first-team punter on the Associated Press All-America team in 2007 and 2008. Huber was also tabbed a first-team All-American in 2008 by the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America. u Cincinnati became only the fourth team in FBS history to lead the nation in net punting in consecutive seasons. u Gilyard also was named BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year in 2008 after leading the BIG EAST and ranking 11th nationally by averaging 27.6 yards on 36 kickoff returns. u In 2007, Huber was named a consensus All-American and recipient of the BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year award after he led the nation averaging 46.9 yards per punt. u In 2006, he served as Central Michigan’s special teams coordinator and linebackers coach and instructed two all-Mid-American Conference linebackers, including the top tackler in the league. u Spent 2005 as the Central Michigan co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. He worked directly with defensive end Dan Bazuin, who led the nation with 26.5 tackles for loss and tied a MAC record with 16 sacks.
MEDIA INFORMATION
MIKE ELSTON
105 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 105
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Harry Hiestand
HARRY HIESTAND OFFENSIVE LINE
32ND YEAR COACHING THIRD YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE HIESTAND FILE PERSONAL INFO Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
Malvern, Pennsylvania Radnor High School East Stroudsburg (Pa.) (Health and Physical Education, 1983) Terri Sons: Michael, Matthew and Mark; Daughter: Sarah
COACHING CAREER 1982 1983 1984-85 1986 1987 1988 1989-91 1992 1993 1994-96 1997-99 2000-04 2005-09 2010-11 2012-14
East Stroudsburg (Pa.) East Stroudsburg (Pa.) East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Pennsylvania USC Toledo Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Missouri Illinois Illinois Chicago Bears Tennessee Notre Dame
Student Assistant Assistant Offensive Line Offensive Line Tight Ends Graduate Assistant Tight Ends Offensive Line Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator Offensive Line/Offensive Coordinator Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line/Assistant Head Coach Offensive Line Offensive Line Offensive Line
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED 1988 USC 1999 Illinois 2001 Illinois 2005 Chicago Bears 2006 Chicago Bears 2010 Tennessee 2012 Notre Dame 2013 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
Rose Micron PC Sugar NFL Divisional Round Super Bowl XLI Music City BCS National Championship Pinstripe Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1978-79 1980-81
Springfield (Mass.) East Stroudsburg (Pa.)
Offensive Line Offensive Line
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS u A 31-year coaching veteran who has directed the offensive lines at football programs in the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference and National Football League for the past 20 seasons. u Heistand has coached the offensive line for 25 consecutive seasons. u Four of his pupils were chosen in the 2014 NFL Draft. Zack Martin and Chris Watt of Notre Dame were chosen in the first and third rounds, respectively, while Tennessee's Ja’Wuan James and Zach Fulton went in the first and sixth rounds. u Notre Dame allowed just eight sacks in 2013 and ranked tied for second in the FBS in fewest sacks allowed. u Critical in the development of first-year starters center Nick Martin (missed last two games of '13 season), center Matt Hegarty, guard Steve Elmer, tackle Ronnie Stanley and guard Conor Hanratty. Notre Dame finished season with four first-year starting lineman. u Two of his Notre Dame pupils, Zack Martin and Chris Watt, participated in the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine. u Tennessee sent four offensive linemen to the combine – all of whom were tutored under Heistand during his time with the Volunteers. In all, Hiestand mentored six of the 50 offensive line participants at this year's event. u Coached an offensive line in 2012 that nearly helped the Irish average over 200 yards per game in both rushing and passing, which had previously happened only twice in school history (1977, 1970).
u Notre Dame averaged 4.9 yards per rush in 2012 – the highest per carry average for the Irish since 1996 (5.2). Notre Dame ran for at least 200 yards seven times in '12, including six of the last nine contests. The Irish had not posted more 200+ yard rushing games in a single season since 1996. u Only two offensive lines from a Bowl Championship Series automatically-qualifying conference, including Notre Dame, could lay claim to averaging at least 200 yards on the ground, 200 yards in the air and yielding 16 sacks or less in the '12 regular season. u Coached at Tennessee for two years (2010-11) after working with the offensive line of the Chicago Bears from 2005-09. He coached the offensive line at Illinois from 1997-2004 and at Missouri from 1994-96. u Tennessee was one of only seven schools in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision that did not start a senior on the offensive line in any game in 2011. u The Volunteers allowed only 18 sacks while attempting 400 passes in 2011—and only Alabama, among conference schools, allowed fewer sacks in 2011 than Tennessee. u In his first season with the Volunteers in 2010, only one player in his group had starting experience and that amounted to only three career starts. Three true freshmen started on the 2010 offensive line that helped running back Tauren Poole tie for the SEC lead with six 100-yard rushing games. He recorded just the 16th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history with 1,034 yards. u Prior to his arrival in Knoxville, spent five seasons coaching the offensive line of the Chicago Bears. The Bears were division champions in 2005 and 2006, advancing to Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season. u His offensive line helped Bears' running backs eclipse 1,200 rushing yards three times in five seasons. u Thomas Jones gained 1,335 rushing yards in 2005 and 1,210 yards in 2006, while Matt Forte totaled 1,238 yards on the ground in 2008. Jones and Forte joined an exclusive list of Bears' running backs to gain at least 1,200 rushing yards in a season: Neal Anderson, Walter Payton and Gale Sayers. u Two of Hiestand’s players made the Pro Bowl while in Chicago. Center Olin Kreutz was selected in 2005 and 2006—and guard Ruben Brown earned the honor following the 2006 campaign. u Kreutz was named first-team All-Pro in 2006 and became the first Bears' offensive lineman to receive that honor in 17 years. u Worked with the offensive line at Illinois from 1997-2004 and held the title of assistant head coach for his final five seasons in Champaign. u During his tenure at Illinois, Hiestand tutored 12 all-Big Ten selections on the offensive line, and every senior starting offensive lineman in his first seven years with the Illini signed with an NFL team. u Hiestand had six offensive linemen drafted during his eight seasons at Illinois. u Coached the offensive line at Missouri from 1994-96 and in his final season with the Tigers helped them average 250.7 rushing yards per game, the ninth-best rushing average in the NCAA in 1996. u In his three seasons at Missouri, he helped the Tigers average 184.1 rushing yards per game, and four of his offensive linemen received all-Big 12 honors in 1996 (the first year of that conference’s existence). u Coached the offensive line at Cincinnati from 1989-93. In 1992, he added the title of run game coordinator and the duties of offensive coordinator in 1993 when the Bearcats won eight games, the most in 17 seasons. u First coaching job at the FBS level occurred at Toledo where he worked with the tight ends in 1988. u Worked with the offensive line as a graduate assistant at Pac-10 champion USC in 1987. u Coached the tight ends at Ivy League champion Penn (10-0) in 1986. u First assistant coach role came at alma mater, East Stroudsburg. Coached offensive line from 1984-85 and was assistant offensive line coach in 1983 at the NCAA Division II school after serving as a student assistant in 1982. Helped Stroudsburg to a pair of eastern division titles in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference ('82-'83).
PERSONAL INFORMATION u Began his college career as an offensive lineman at Springfield College (Mass.) before transferring to East Stroudsburg where an injury ended his playing career. u Graduated from East Stroudsburg in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. u Oldest son, Michael, is in his first year as a defensive graduate assistant for the Irish.
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES OT Zack Martin (Notre Dame), Dallas Cowboys u First-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Dallas u 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American u Two-time captain u 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Most Valuable Player u 2013-14 ESPN.com All-Bowl Team u Participated in the 2014 Senior Bowl Game u 2013 College Sports Madness Third Team All-American u 2013 Phil Steele Fourth Team All-American OG Chris Watt (Notre Dame), San Diego Chargers u Third-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by San Diego OT Ja'Wuan James (Tennessee), Miami Dolphins u First-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Miami C Olin Kreutz, Chicago Bears u 2005 and 2006 Pro Bowl selection; Named to All-Pro team in 2006 u Four-time captain G Ruben Brown, Chicago Bears u 2006 Pro Bowl selection LT David Diehl (Illinois) u 2003 fifth-round draft choice; 2009 Pro Bowl selection; Two-time Super Bowl champion RT Tony Pashos (Illinois), Oakland Raiders u Nine-year NFL veteran started 82 of 104 career games played for five NFL teams C Roberto Garza, Chicago Bears u Current captain of Chicago Bears; one of only 13 active players who have started in at least 170 games
106 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 106
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Matt LaFleur QUARTERBACKS
12TH YEAR COACHING FIRST YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE LAFLEUR FILE PERSONAL INFO Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mt. Pleasant High School Saginaw Valley State (Physical and Health Education, 2003), Central Michigan (Master's in Administration, 2011) BreAnne Sons: Luke and Ty
COACHING CAREER Saginaw Valley State Central Michigan Northern Michigan Ashland Houston Texans Washington Redskins Notre Dame
Offensive Assistant Offensive Assistant Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers Offensive Assistant Quarterbacks Quarterbacks
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED Saginaw Valley State Ashland Washington Redskins Notre Dame
NCAA Division II Quarterfinals NCAA Division II First Round NFL Playoffs Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 2000-02 1998-99
Saginaw Valley State Western Michigan
Quarterback Quarterback/Wide Receiver
u LaFleur earned a bachelor’s degree in physical and health education from Saginaw Valley State in 2003. He achieved a master’s degree in science in administration from Central Michigan in 2011. u LaFleur played quarterback for three years at Saginaw Valley State (2000-02). He guided the Cardinals to a 29-8 (9-3, 11-2, 9-3) record over his three seasons and led Saginaw Valley to three straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances. u The program has not bettered the 9-3 marks either before or since.
QB Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins u LaFleur developed vital depth at the quarterback position with fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins, whose play was crucial in Washington’s seven-game winning streak to seal a division title. u With Griffin III sidelined by an injury, Cousins led the Redskins to an eight-point fourth-quarter comeback and a win in overtime vs. Baltimore in Week 14. Cousins returned a week later against Cleveland in his first ever start, passing for team-season-high 329 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 15 road victory. QB Rex Grossman, Washington Redskins u In 2011, LaFleur helped veteran quarterback Rex Grossman establish a single-season career high in completions (265). Grossman also set career highs for yards per game (242.4) and completion percentage (57.9). QB Matt Schaub, Houston Texans u In 2009, LaFleur helped Schaub lead the NFL with 4,770 passing yards and 396 completions. Schaub ranked fifth in the league with 29 touchdowns and seventh with a 98.6 passer rating. WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans u In 2008, under the aid of LaFleur, Johnson led the NFL with 115 catches and 1,575 receiving yards.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
QB Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins u Griffin III, who became the first Redskins rookie quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl, led Washington to the 2012 NFC East title – its first division title in 13 years. u Griffin III established Redskins rookie records in pass completions (258), passing yards (3,200), passing touchdowns (20) and rushing yards by a quarterback (815). u Griffin III set NFL rookie records for passer rating (102.4), percentage of passes had intercepted (1.3) and rushing yards by a quarterback (815).
BOWL HISTORY
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES
2014 SEASON REVIEW
PERSONAL INFORMATION
COACHES & STAFF
2003 2007 2012 2014
THE FIGHTING IRISH
2003 2004-05 2006 2007 2008-09 2010-13 2014
u LaFleur serves as the Irish quarterbacks coach in 2014. u Helped Everett Golson to one of the top statistical seasons in school history in 2014. Golson ranks fourth in passing yards (3.355), sixth in completions (250) and third in TD passes (29). u LaFleur came to Notre Dame after spending the past four seasons in the same capacity with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. u LaFleur spent two seasons on Brian Kelly’s staff at Central Michigan (2004-05) as an offensive assistant, but garnered the most praise during his tenure with the Redskins (2010-13) under Mike Shanahan. u LaFleur was instrumental in the development of quarterbacks, especially the growth of a pair of rookie signal callers Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins. u In 2012, LaFleur performed one of the most challenging coaching jobs in the NFL that season. He had the task of developing the Heisman Trophy winner and Cousins into starting signalcallers. u Griffin III, who became the first Redskins rookie quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl, led Washington to its first NFC East title in 13 years. He established Redskins rookie records in pass completions (258), passing yards (3,200), passing touchdowns (20) and rushing yards by a quarterback (815). Griffin III set NFL rookie records for passer rating (102.4), percentage of passes had intercepted (1.3) and rushing yards by a quarterback (815). u In addition to overseeing Griffin III’s meteoric rise in 2012, LaFleur developed vital depth at the position with fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins, whose play was crucial in Washington’s seven-game winning streak to seal a division title. With Griffin III sidelined by an injury, Cousins led the Redskins to an eight-point fourth-quarter comeback and a win in overtime vs. Baltimore in Week 14. Cousins returned a week later against Cleveland in his first start, passing for team-season-high 329 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 15 road victory. u In 2011, LaFleur helped veteran quarterback Rex Grossman establish a single-season career high in completions (265). Under LaFleur’s tutelage, Grossman also set career highs for yards per game (242.4) and completion percentage (57.9), and helped facilitate career years for receiver Jabar Gaffney and tight end Fred Davis. u In his first season in Washington in 2010, LaFleur helped the Redskins’ quarterbacks set a franchise season record for completions (349) and amass the third-highest gross passing yards total in franchise history (4,261). In addition, his quarterbacks threw a touchdown pass in 15 consecutive games for the first time in team history and led the league with nine completions of at least 50 yards. In working with LaFleur, quarterback Rex Grossman posted two of his three career 300-yard passing games in his three starts in 2010. u Prior to joining the Redskins, LaFleur spent the 2008-09 seasons as offensive assistant for the Houston Texans. In 2009, LaFleur worked with the Texans’ quarterbacks. That season, Matt Schaub led the NFL with 4,770 passing yards and 396 completions and ranked fifth with 29 touchdowns and seventh with a 98.6 passer rating. Under their guidance, Houston’s offense finished first in the NFL in passing (4,654 yards) and fourth in total offense (6,129 yards). u LaFleur worked with the wide receivers in his first season in Houston. That year, Andre Johnson led the NFL with 115 catches and 1,575 receiving yards. In addition, fellow receiver Kevin Walter totaled 60 catches for 899 yards and eight touchdowns. u Prior to joining the Texans, LaFleur worked at Ashland University as the offensive coordinator, coaching the quarterbacks and wide receivers. LaFleur began his coaching career at Saginaw Valley State as an offensive assistant in 2003 before taking the same position at Central Michigan from 2004-05. He coached the quarterbacks and wide receivers at Northern Michigan in 2006. u LaFleur remained at Saginaw Valley State as an offensive assistant in 2003 and played a part in a 34-20 victory over Grand Valley State (Kelly’s only defeat during his back-to-back NCAA Division II national championship seasons).
GAME NOTES
Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS MEDIA INFORMATION
MATT LAFLEUR
107 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 107
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Paul Longo
PAUL LONGO
DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING 28TH YEAR IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS FIFTH YEAR AT NOTRE DAME
THE LONGO FILE PERSONAL INFO Hometown: High School: College: Wife: Children:
Sterling Heights, Michigan Adlai Stevenson High School Wayne State (Physical Education, 1983) Shannon Son: Anthony; Daughter: Natalie
PERSONAL INFORMATION
COACHING CAREER 1987 1988-92 1993-98 1999-2003 2004-06 2007-09 2010-14
Wisconsin Iowa Iowa Iowa Central Michigan Cincinnati Notre Dame
Assistant Strength Coach Assistant Football Strength Coach Head Football Strength Coach Olympic Sports Strength Coach Head Strength Coach Director of Football Strength and Conditioning Director of Football Strength and Conditioning
BOWLS/PLAYOFFS COACHED 1988 Iowa 1991 Iowa 1991 Iowa 1993 Iowa 1995 Iowa 1996 Iowa 1997 Iowa 2006 Central Michigan 2007 Cincinnati 2007 Cincinnati 2009 Cincinnati 2010 Cincinnati 2010 Notre Dame 2011 Notre Dame 2012 Notre Dame 2013 Notre Dame 2014 Notre Dame
Peach Rose Holiday Alamo Sun Alamo Sun Motor City International Papajohns.com Orange Sugar Sun Champs Sports BCS National Championship Pinstripe Music City
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1978-81
Wayne State
u Staley caught 11 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in his freshman season. Longo arrived with Kelly prior to the 2004 season and helped Staley pack on 80 pounds during his Chippewa career as he grew into an offensive tackle. He started 11 games at right tackle as a sophomore and moved to left tackle where he started all 25 games from 2005-06 and allowed only one combined sack in his final two seasons. u From 1988-2003, Longo served on the strength and conditioning staff at Iowa and worked primarily with football from 1988-98. u Worked with Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry as Longo served as the assistant strength coach for the football program from 1988-92 before being promoted to head strength coach for the Hawkeye football team in 1993. u Longo played a critical role in helping the Hawkeyes to seven bowl games including the 1991 Rose Bowl after Iowa claimed the Big Ten Conference championship in 1990. u The 1991 Hawkeyes compiled a 10-1-1 record and finished second in the Big Ten with a 7-1 ledger. Iowa was ranked 10th in the final polls after tying BYU in the Holiday Bowl. u Longo also made two trips to the Sun and Alamo bowls and one appearance in the Peach Bowl. u Longo began his career as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Wisconsin in 1987.
Wide Receiver
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS u Veteran strength and conditioning coach with 27 years of experience at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools. u He trained championship-caliber teams in the Big Ten, BIG EAST, Mid-American Conference and Notre Dame (reached BCS title game in 2012). u Six Notre Dame players drafted in 2013 and eight more in 2014. u Worked in a similar capacity from 2007-09 at Cincinnati and has worked alongside Brian Kelly as his speed, strength and conditioning coach since Kelly’s first season at Central Michigan in 2004. u Longo has instilled a grueling strength and conditioning program at Notre Dame that has helped the Irish become one of the top closing teams in the nation. u Through five years at Notre Dame, Longo and Kelly have helped the Irish secure a 34-4 record when leading after three quarters and are 35-6 when entering halftime with a lead. In the two seasons prior to Kelly’s and Longo’s arrival, Notre Dame was only 9-6 in games it led at halftime. u Notre Dame is 13-7 in the month of November under Longo and Kelly. Notre Dame had lost eight of its last nine November games before their arrival in 2010. u Under Kelly’s watch at Cincinnati, the Bearcats were 32-0 when entering a fourth quarter with a lead and 29-2 when leading at halftime. u Since 2005, Kelly’s teams are 74-5 when leading after three quarters and 73-8 when leading at halftime. u Stops at Wisconsin (1987), Iowa (1988-98), Central Michigan (2004-06), Cincinnati (2007-09) and Notre Dame have helped Longo produce more than 100 NFL draft picks. u Helped develop Michael Floyd, Harrison Smith and Tyler Eifert into first-round NFL Draft picks (2012-13). Floyd and Smith became first Irish teammates selected in first round of NFL Draft in 18 years. u In his first four seasons at Notre Dame, has helped produce seven players drafted in the first 46 picks of the NFL Draft. u Eight Cincinnati players were selected in 2008 and 2009 combined, equal to the combined total of NFL draft picks from Cincinnati in the previous five drafts. u At Central Michigan, Longo served as the head strength coach and helped develop five NFL draft selections, including his prized pupil, Joe Staley. Staley entered Central Michigan in 2003 as a tight end, graduated as a left tackle and became the first Chippewa to be chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft. u After becoming just the fifth Central Michigan player to participate in the Senior Bowl, Staley became the 28th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, picked by the San Francisco 49ers.
u He was a four-year starter at wide receiver on the Warriors’ football team, set season and career receiving records and twice was the MVP. u Totaled 91 career receptions for 1,154 yards at Wayne State and paced the Warriors in receiving from 1978-80. u Longo went to training camps as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1982, Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 1983 and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 1984.
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES OT Zack Martin (Notre Dame), Dallas Cowboys u First-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Dallas u Two-time captain u 2013-14 ESPN.com All-Bowl Team u 2013 College Sports Madness Third Team All-American
u 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American u 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl MVP u Participated in the 2014 Senior Bowl Game u 2013 Phil Steele Fourth Team All-American
Stephon Tuitt (Notre Dame), Pittsburgh Steelers u Second-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh u 2012 CBS Sports First Team All-American
u 2012 Athlon First Team All-American u 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American
Troy Niklas (Notre Dame), Arizona Cardinals u 2014 second-round NFL Draft pick by Arizona
u 2013 Mackey Award Semifinalist
Chris Watt (Notre Dame), San Diego Chargers u Third-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by San Diego
Louis Nix III (Notre Dame), Houston Texans u Third-round pick in 2014 NFL Draft by Houston u 2012 CBS Sports Third Team All-American
LB Manti Te’o (Notre Dame), San Diego Chargers u 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year u 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up u 2012 winner of the Butkus, Nagurski, Lombardi, Bednarik, Lott and Maxwell Awards TE Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame), Cincinnati Bengals u 2012 Mackey Award Winner u 2012 AP Second Team All-American u 2012 Sporting News Second Team All-American u 2012 CBSSports.com Second Team All-American
u 2012 Pro Football Weekly First Team All-American u 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American u 2012 Sports Illustrated Second Team All-American
DE Connor Barwin (Cincinnati), Philadelphia Eagles u Second-round pick in 2009 NFL Draft by Houston WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame), Arizona Cardinals u First-round pick in 2012 NFL Draft by Arizona S Harrison Smith (Notre Dame), Minnesota Vikings u First-round pick in 2012 NFL Draft by Minnesota OT Joe Staley (Central Michigan), San Francisco 49ers u First-round pick in 2007 NFL Draft by San Francisco u Three-time All-Pro WR Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati), St. Louis Rams OT Ross Verba (Iowa) u 2009 All-American; 2008-09 first-team all-BIG EAST u First-round pick in 1997 NFL Draft by Green Bay
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Support Staff DAVE ANDREWS
JACOB FLINT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Jacob Flint is in his fifth year as assistant director of strength and conditioning at the University of Notre Dame. He is a registered strength and conditioning coach by the NSCA and certified by USAW as a level one sports performance coach. Prior to joining Notre Dame’s staff in January 2010, Flint was a member of the strength and conditioning staff at the University of Cincinnati from 2007-09. While at Cincinnati, Flint helped the Bearcats to a 33-6 record, while winning back-to-back BIG EAST championships in 2008 and 2009. Flint played for Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly at Central Michigan University as a walk-on and was rewarded for his dedication to the football program with a scholarship in his last season in 2005. Following his senior season, Flint worked as a staff assistant, serving primarily in the weight room while also assisting with the development of the running backs in the 2006 Mid-American Conference championship season. Flint competes in the 85-kilogram weight class of USA weightlifting and is a national level lifter. A native of Shepherd, Michigan, Flint was a four-sport letterwinner at Shepherd High School and was twice named an all-league running back. He graduated with honors from Central Michigan University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in education. Flint is married to the former Katie Schafer and they have three daughters.
Ryan Grooms is in his fifth season at Notre Dame as the head football equipment manager. In his position, Grooms directs all facets of athletic equipment management for the Irish football team and oversees one assistant equipment manager and 50 student managers. Grooms came to Notre Dame following two years at the University of Minnesota where he served in a similar capacity. Prior to Minnesota, he spent five seasons as an equipment specialist for the United States Air Force Academy football program. During his time at Air Force, Grooms supervised 30 Cadet student managers and oversaw the daily football operations that included laundry for more than 240 Cadet varsity and junior varsity football players. He was responsible for organization and upkeep of the Falcon Athletic Center equipment room and bi-annual inventory. Grooms also handled equipment for boxing, cross country, track and field and water polo at the Air Force Academy. Grooms has been involved in equipment management since 2000, when he was a student at Ohio University. He spent two seasons with the Bobcat football team working with equipment and also taking part in film exchange and highlight videos. Following graduation, Grooms was an equipment intern for the New Orleans Saints’ summer training camp. He spent one year as a graduate assistant equipment manager at Marshall University where he supervised 12 student managers and assisted in the organization of equipment travel. Grooms is a member of the Athletic Equipment Manager Association and was a 2008 nominee for the Knight Pickard Award as the District 7 Equipment Manager of the Year. He also serves on the McDavid Advisory Committee. He and his wife Lynzee have two sons, Easton and Brecken, and live in Granger.
BOWL HISTORY
Mike Bean is an associate athletic trainer at Notre Dame, working with the Irish football team since 1996. He also supervises the student-athletic trainer program. A native of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, he has been at Notre Dame since 1991 as a full-time member of the sports medicine staff after a one-year internship. During his tenure at Notre Dame, he also has served as the athletic trainer for the University’s baseball, women’s and men’s soccer, hockey and men’s and women’s tennis teams. While obtaining his master’s degree in sports medicine at Western Michigan University, Bean served as the head athletic trainer at Kalamazoo College, as well as working as a part-time assistant athletic trainer at the Southwestern Michigan Sports Medicine Clinic. During his undergraduate days at Southwest Missouri State Univer-
SENIOR STAFF ASSISTANT, ASSISTANT COACHES Julie DeBuysser is in her 31st season as the secretary for the assistant coaching staff in the Irish football office. In her role, DeBuysser serves as the primary assistant to Notre Dame’s assistant coaches. A native of South Bend, DeBuysser is married to Denny DeBuysser and the couple has a son, Chris Martin, a 2003 Notre Dame graduate, and two daughters: Cara DeBuysser and Deanne Burton.
HEAD FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT MANAGER
2014 SEASON REVIEW
MIKE BEAN ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC TRAINER
RYAN GROOMS
JULIE DEBUYSSER
COACHES & STAFF
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON Dr. Chris Balint is a board certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. He is in his 12th year as an orthopedic surgeon for the University of Notre Dame football team and other Irish athletic squads. Balint received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1990. He is a 1996 graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, and completed his orthopedic residency at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Michigan. He also performed a fellowship specializing in sports medicine (shoulder and knee arthroscopy) at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston. Balint not only serves as the chairman of the Notre Dame Orthopaedic Society, but is an active member of the following medical societies: Diplomate of American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery, American Academy of Osteopathic Orthopedic Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Indiana Orthopedic Society, Indiana State Medical Association, St. Joseph County Medical Society, Arthroscopic Association of North America, American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners. Balint has previous professional and collegiate athletic physician experience with the Boston Celtics, and Harvard and Northeastern universities. Balint and his wife, the former Susan Gomez, have four children: Emma, Owen, Evan and Ella. The family resides in Granger.
The 2014 football season is Tim Collins’ 24th year in charge of all video and filming needs for Notre Dame’s athletic department as its video systems coordinator. In addition to traveling to shoot Irish football games, Collins compiles all video packages utilized by Notre Dame’s football coaches in their scouting and game preparation. Collins and his staff also tape men’s and women’s home basketball games as well as hockey. A native of South Bend, Collins is a 1987 graduate of John Adams High School and attended Indiana Vocational Technical College. He also spent three years as a part-time news photographer at WNDU-TV, the NBC affiliate in South Bend. Collins was named the independent conference video coordinator of the year in 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2004 by the Collegiate Sports Video Association. In 2001, Collins was elected an executive officer of the CSVA, serving as secretary, and in 2002 was named treasurer of the organization. In 2004, the Notre Dame Monogram Club awarded Collins an honorary monogram in recognition of his years of service. Collins and his wife, the former Michelle Williamson, married in 1990, and have one son, Carson.
Former Notre Dame football captain David Grimes returned to the Fighting Irish football family in 2011 as an intern in the player development department and started his role as assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2012. In his current role, Grimes works with Paul Longo and Jake Flint as a member of the football strength and conditioning staff. He is a registered strength and conditioning coach by the NSCA. As the player development intern in 2011, Grimes reported to Tim McDonnell and served as a resource for the current Notre Dame football players. Grimes acted as a liaison between the players and coaching staff and served as a primary contact between Notre Dame’s student welfare and development office and academic services for student-athletes department. Through the student welfare and development office, Grimes helped coordinate community service projects through the “Irish Around the Bend” program. He also helped coordinate and monitor the study hall sessions at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. Grimes graduated from Notre Dame in 2009 with a degree in marketing and participated in the training camps of the Denver Broncos in 2009 and Kansas City Chiefs in 2010. Voted one of three team captains as a senior, Grimes played wide receiver for the Irish from 2005-08 and caught 90 passes for 900 yards with seven touchdowns. He played in 45 games during his Notre Dame career and started 24 contests. Grimes played in three bowl games, including two Bowl Championship Series games (2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl), and he helped the Irish snap their nine-game bowl losing streak by winning his final collegiate game in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (defeated Hawaii 49-21). Born in Los Angeles, Grimes graduated from St. Martin DePorres High School in Detroit, Michigan, and was valedictorian at his senior year commencement. Grimes resides in South Bend.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
DR. CHRIS BALINT
TIM COLLINS VIDEO COORDINATOR
DAVID GRIMES ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH
GAME NOTES
Dave Andrews is in his first year as assistant director of strength and conditioning at the University of Notre Dame. He is a registered strength and conditioning coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) and certified by USA Weightlifting (USAW) as a level one sports performance coach. Andrews spent the previous two years (2012-13) as the associate football strength and conditioning coach at the University of Illinois. Andrews is no stranger to Irish head coach Brian Kelly and director of football strength and conditioning Paul Longo. He worked at the University of Cincinnati for four years (2008-12) as the head olympic strength and conditioning coach where he directed the strength and conditioning programs for 17 of the Bearcats’ 18 sports. Andrews was a part of the Cincinnati strength training staff for a total of eight years. He started in 2005 as an assistant strength coach where he worked with all the Bearcats’ varsity teams. Andrews originally went to Cincinnati as a graduate assistant football coach in 2004 and served in that role during the ‘04 season. A native of Washington Court House, Ohio, Andrews was a three-year member and eventual letter-winner on the Ohio State 2002 national championship football team. He launched his strength and conditioning coaching career with the Buckeyes in 2003, serving as a student intern on the Ohio State staff. Andrews earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Ohio State in 2004. He secured a master's degree in education from the University of Cincinnati in 2011. Andrews and his wife, Hallie, have two sons, Emerson and Eli, and one daughter, Ella.
sity (now Missouri State University), Bean was a student athletic trainer for the Bears’ football, baseball and volleyball teams. He also spent time at Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri, working with the school’s football and basketball squads. Bean began his athletic training education at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota, working with its football, basketball and wrestling programs. He received his bachelor’s degree in education from Southwest Missouri State in 1989. He also received an honorary monogram from the Notre Dame Monogram Club in 2006. Bean is married to the former Colleen Waldron of South Bend, and they have two daughters: Taylor and Courtney.
MEDIA INFORMATION
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
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Support Staff RYAN GOULD
ROB HUNT
ASSISTANT VIDEO COORDINATOR
HEAD FOOTBALL ATHLETIC TRAINER
Ryan Gould is in his fourth season as the assistant video coordinator for the Notre Dame football team, serving as the primary assistant to video coordinator Tim Collins. In this role, Gould assists Collins with all video and filming needs for the football team in addition to traveling to all football games. Gould helps compile all video packages utilized by Notre Dame’s football coaches in their scouting and game preparation and also works on special assignments within the program, such as highlight videos. A 2011 graduate from State University of New York-Cortland with a bachelor’s degree in sports management, Gould worked with the Irish as a temporary employee during spring practices before being hired full time in June. Gould worked as an intern in the Syracuse University football video department during the 2010 season where he filmed practice and filled other requests. As a student at SUNY-Cortland, Gould was a member of the sports management club where he volunteered in a variety of roles at sporting events, including selling tickets, fundraising and working as security for events. A native of Newburgh, New York, Gould attended Burke Catholic High School. He is single and resides in South Bend. Gould is a member of the Collegiate Sports Video Association.
The 2014 football season is Rob Hunt’s fourth at Notre Dame as head football athletic trainer. Hunt joined Notre Dame in March 2011 and has 17 years of experience as an athletic trainer at NCAA institutions. Prior to Notre Dame, Hunt worked at Oklahoma State University for five years, serving as the head football athletic trainer from 2006-07 and the head athletic trainer for the Cowboys starting in 2007. At Oklahoma State, Hunt served as athletic trainer for the football team all five years and in his final four years in Stillwater he coordinated all aspects of medical care for the athletic department’s 16 athletics teams as well as supervised six assistant athletic trainers, eight graduate assistants and two insurance coordinators. Hunt spent 10 years in the state of Missouri prior to moving to Oklahoma State. From 2004-06 he was the head athletic trainer at Southeast Missouri State after serving as an assistant athletic trainer with the University of Missouri football team from 19992004. In his final year with the Tigers, Hunt also served as director of rehabilitation services. A graduate of Ball State in 1997 with a major in athletic training, Hunt earned his master’s degree in education at Missouri and served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer from 1997-99. In 1996 Hunt worked as an athletic trainer during the preseason with the New England Patriots. A native of West Lafayette, Indiana, Hunt is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association. He and his wife Krista are parents of four children: Robbie, Alexa, Rachel and Cole.
MIKE HIESTAND GRADUATE ASSISTANT - DEFENSE Mike Hiestand is in his first season as a defensive graduate assistant coach for the Irish in 2014. He spent the 2013 campaign as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Florida International. Hiestand played linebacker at Illinois State (2008-10). He played mostly on special teams during his three seasons before an injury during his junior campaign ended his career. Hiestand returned a blocked punt for a 28-yard touchdown against rival Southern Illinois in 2010. Following his injury, Hiestand worked as a football student assistant coach for the remainder of Spring '11. Off the field, Hiestand was a Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll student all three seasons. He graduated from Illinois State ('11) in just three years with a bachelor's degree in history and minor in politics and government. In 2012, Hiestand served as a graduate assistant at Miami University. He worked with the linebackers and special teams along with running the offensive scout team. Mike Hiestand's father, Harry, is in his third year as the Irish offensive line coach.
DR. JERRY HOFFERTH CHIROPRACTOR Dr. Jerry Hofferth, D.C., is in his 10th year in 2014 as the chiropractor for Notre Dame football and all other Irish athletic teams. He also enters his 23rd year of private practice at Hofferth Chiropractic Center in Mishawaka. Hofferth earned his undergraduate degree from North Central College (Naperville Illinois) in 1988. He's a 1992 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Hofferth collected a post-graduate certification in spinal trauma from the International Chiropractors Association in 1996. Hofferth has been a board member of the Indiana State Chiropractic Association since 2007. A native of Munster, Indiana, Hofferth is married to the former Kelly Day and the couple has two daughters: Sydney and Madison. The family resides in South Bend.
CHAD KLUNDER ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR, FOOTBALL OPERATIONS Chad Klunder is in his 12th season at Notre Dame and second as associate athletics director for football operations. In his role, Klunder coordinates and oversees all day-to-day administrative and operational details including team travel, budgets, preseason camp arrangements, the annual coaches clinic and summer camps. A former graduate assistant coach at Notre Dame in 2003-04, Klunder worked with the Irish offense for two seasons. He previously served as running backs coach and coordinator of football operations at Harvard from 1998 through 2002. During his tenure at Harvard, his running backs led the Ivy League in rushing on three occasions. He coached three all-Ivy League players, including Chris Menick, Harvard’s all-time leading rusher. Harvard in 2001 finished 9-0 in the Ivy League and became the first Harvard team to go unbeaten or untied in conference play since 1913. Klunder also served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at Minnesota – and worked as a graduate assistant football coach at St. Cloud State. At St. Cloud, he coached Randy Martin, who was a finalist in 1995 and ’96 for the Harlon Hill Trophy that goes to the NCAA Division II player of the year. The Waverly, Iowa, native played defensive back at Wartburg College in Waverly. He earned four letters, was twice a unanimous all-league pick and gained honorable mention All-America recognition. He served as a Wartburg co-captain in 1994 when his team advanced to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Klunder received a degree in sports management from Wartburg in 1995 and has done master’s degree coursework at St. Cloud State, Minnesota and Notre Dame. He is married to the former Lisa Malin, who is executive director of the Kelly Cares Foundation. The couple has one daughter, Allyson, and resides in Granger.
MATT LEISZLER TEAM PHYSICIAN Dr. Matt Leiszler, D.O., is in his first year at Notre Dame as the head football team physician. Leiszler graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with a degree in biology. He finished medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2008. After his residency with the University of Colorado (HealthONE Rose Medical Center) Program (2009-11), Leiszler did a sports medicine fellowship with the University of Colorado Hospital in 2012. Leiszler was on the faculty at the University of Colorado Hospital, splitting his time between primary care family medicine and sports medicine, for two years (2013-14). Leiszler was a varsity letterwinner as a running back on the football team at Harvard. He ran for six touchdowns and 483 yards during his sophomore season. Leiszler was projected to be the starting running back as a junior but he suffered a career-ending repeat ACL injury before the season started.
RYAN MAHAFFEY GRADUATE ASSISTANT - OFFENSE Ryan Mahaffey is in his first season with Notre Dame as a graduate assistant. He will primarily work with the receiving corps, assisting Irish offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock and tight ends coach Scott Booker. Mahaffey spent 2013 as the tight ends coach at the University of Northern Iowa. Mahaffey graduated from Northern Iowa in the spring of 2011 with a degree in economics. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in June of 2011 and spent time with the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins prior to volunteering as an assistant coach during spring drills at UNI in 2013. As a member of the Colts, Mahaffey saw action in five games with one reception for five yards in 2011. Mahaffey played in 51 career games at Northern Iowa. He finished his collegiate career with 25 catches for 227 yards. Mahaffey was twice named second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) and was named to the league's all-Newcomer team as a redshirt freshman in 2007. He was also named to the MVFC All-Academic team twice in his career.
KAYLA MATRUNICK SPORTS NUTRITION PROGRAM DIRECTOR Kayla Matrunick is in her fourth year with the Fighting Irish sports performance team and in her second year as Notre Dame's sports nutrition program director. She oversees and coordinates performance nutrition needs for all 26 Irish sports programs. Matrunick ran cross country and track and field at Penn State University where she earned her undergraduate degree in nutritional sciences. She earned a master's degree in sports psychology at the University of Tennessee. While at Tennessee, Matrunick served as the primary recruiting track and field coordinator for the distance program and assisted with both the collegiate and professional track program development. Matrunick completed her Level I Track and Field Coaching Certification and completed her clinical fulfillment for her nutrition degree at The Mayo Clinic. She has continued to meld the triad of nutrition, sport and psychology together in order to help her athletes achieve optimal performance.
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Support Staff
TYLER McDERMOTT GRADUATE ASSISTANT - OFFENSE
ADAM MYERS ASSISTANT FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT MANAGER
Luke Pitcher is in his first season with the Notre Dame football program. He coordinates the graphical identity for recruiting and promotional materials, while also overseeing many of the team's social media efforts and exploring emerging technologies. Pitcher joined the Irish in the summer of 2014 after three years as the director of digital media for the Orange Bowl Committee. Pitcher oversaw strategical planning and implementation of digital and social media for the 2012-14 Discover Orange Bowl game and the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. Prior to the Orange Bowl, Pitcher held graphic, multimedia and web-focused positions for both the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic, including the Magic's run to the 2009 NBA Finals. He began his professional career in Baltimore as a multimedia designer for Under Armour. A native of Painted Post, New York, Pitcher earned a bachelor's degree in graphic design with a concentration in multimedia from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2006.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
A former assistant equipment manager at the University of Minnesota, Adam Myers is in his fifth season in a similar role at the University of Notre Dame. Myers assisted head football equipment manager Ryan Grooms at Minnesota and was hired at Notre Dame shortly after Grooms arrived in South Bend. Myers spent two years at Minnesota where he managed the Golden Gophers’ student equipment managers, repaired damaged equipment and packed team trunks for travel to away games. Prior to joining the Minnesota staff, Myers served as a graduate assistant equipment manager at Marshall University where he was responsible for fitting student-athletes with helmets, shoulder pads, footwear and other equipment. He was also charged with equipment repair, inventory, laundry, transportation assistance and other duties at Marshall. He served as a student manager at Marshall from 2002 through 2007 and worked with the wide receivers and quarterbacks in addition to handling laundry duties. Myers completed a summer internship in 2005 with the New York Jets and was involved in laundry, maintenance of protective equipment, packing trunks for home preseason games and sideline and locker room setup for home preseason games. A member of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association since 2006, Myers was certified by the AEMA in June 2006.
LUKE PITCHER FOOTBALL RECRUITING CREATIVE LEAD
BOWL HISTORY
Tyler McDermott is in his second season working with the Notre Dame football team as a graduate assistant. He will primarily work with the offensive line, assisting Fighting Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. McDermott came to Notre Dame in February 2013 following a one-year stint as offensive technical intern at Colorado State. He worked with the Rams’ offensive staff preparing cut-ups for players and reports on opposing schools. McDermott broke down film on both future opponents and Colorado State for self-scouting purposes. He also played a role in the Rams’ recruiting efforts. McDermott was a four-year player at Colorado State from 200711 as an offensive lineman. He played in 24 games over his career, predominantly at center, and registered five starts. McDermott is a native of Lake Worth, Florida. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science in May 2012.
Jason Michelson enters his third season with the Notre Dame football program and first as coordinator of football operations. He spent the 2012 campaign as the program’s operations intern. In his current role, Michelson coordinates and oversees all day-to-day administrative and operational details including team travel, preseason camp arrangements, the annual coaches clinic and summer camps. Prior to his arrival at Notre Dame, Michelson was an operations intern with the Detroit Lions during the 2011 campaign. Michelson graduated from Ohio University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but was raised in Lebanon, Ohio.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Joy McCausland is in her seventh year in the Irish football office and her 15th year overall at the University of Notre Dame. She serves as the primary contact for all general communication and donation requests at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. Prior to joining the Irish football office, McCausland worked at Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Library for five years and the chemistry/physics library for three years. A native of Lakeville, Indiana, she has three sons: Kyle, Kayne and Michael.
JASON MICHELSON COORDINATOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS
The 2014 football season is Dave Peloquin’s 11th year with the Notre Dame football program and his second year as director of player personnel. In this role, Peloquin’s responsibilities include serving as a liaison between the football program and various University departments, including admissions, academic services for student-athletes and campus housing. Peloquin also works with the program’s recruiting efforts, handles special projects assigned by head coach Brian Kelly and assists in the social media strategies and execution of the football program. Peloquin played a critical role in helping the Irish secure four top-10 recruiting classes in a six-year period. Prior to being promoted to director of football development, Peloquin served as coordinator of player personnel development for two seasons in numerous administrative duties regarding Notre Dame’s recruiting. In 2004, Peloquin served in a similar capacity as a recruiting assistant, a role in which he worked with the coaching staff assisting in all recruiting aspects. A 2003 Notre Dame graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from the Mendoza College of Business, Peloquin served as a student manager from 2000 to 2002 and was named head senior manager for the 2002 season. Peloquin is a native of Blue Island, Illinois, and is married to the former Jamie Meisenhelder. Their first child, Mackenzie, was born in July, 2013.
COACHES & STAFF
SENIOR STAFF ASSISTANT
Dustin Melvin is in his third year as an assistant athletic trainer at Notre Dame and works primarily with the Irish football team. Melvin helps with treatment and rehabilitation of student-athlete injuries plus covers practices and games. A native of Lebanon, Indiana, Melvin joined Notre Dame after working in the athletic training staff at Oklahoma State University from 2010-12. Melvin was a graduate assistant athletic trainer with the Cowboys' football team for two years and worked under current Notre Dame head football athletic trainer Rob Hunt from 2010-11. While at Oklahoma State, Melvin earned a master’s degree in applied exercise science. Melvin graduated in 2010 from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and worked with the Boilermakers' football team as a senior. He was a member of the athletic training club at Purdue from his freshman through senior years. In summer 2009, he was an intern with the New York Jets athletic training department and also assisted the team at the 2010 AFC championship game when the Jets played the Indianapolis Colts. Melvin is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association as well as Indiana Athletic Trainers Association. He and his wife Gina reside in South Bend.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
JOY MCCAUSLAND
DAVE PELOQUIN DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL
GAME NOTES
Kyle McCarthy is in his first season as a graduate assistant for the defensive coaching staff at the University of Notre Dame. A former safety for the Irish (2005-09), McCarthy will work with secondary coach Kerry Cooks and his group this year. McCarthy spent four years (2010-13) in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders before his career was cut short by multiple knee injuries. McCarthy led Notre Dame with 101 total tackles as a senior in 2009. His 240 career tackles rank second on the all-time Irish list for defensive backs. McCarthy tied for 19th in the nation in '09 with five interceptions and was the first defensive back in school history to post consecutive 100-plus tackle seasons (110 in 2008, 101 in 2009). He was also one of only two players from a Bowl Championship Series school to rank in the top 100 in interceptions, total tackles and solo tackles that season. McCarthy signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He appeared in 12 games, primarily on special teams, over the 2010 and 2011 seasons and totaled seven tackles. McCarthy then joined the Chiefs in February 2012, but was with the team for just a few months before he injured his knee in August. He was placed on injured reserve and ultimately released following the 2013 season. McCarthy then signed with Oakland in December 2013 before another knee injury ended his NFL career. McCarthy graduated from the University in 2009 with a degree in finance from the Mendoza College of Business. A native of Youngstown, Ohio, McCarthy has a pair of brothers who both attended Notre Dame, including his younger brother Dan - who played safety for the Irish from 2008-12.
DUSTIN MELVIN ASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINER
MEDIA INFORMATION
KYLE McCARTHY GRADUATE ASSISTANT - DEFENSE
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Support Staff DUKE PRESTON DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT Duke Preston is in his first season with the Notre Dame football program as the director of player development. Preston is responsible for helping develop the Irish football players in three of the five core areas head coach Brian Kelly uses to develop complete student-athletes: intellectual development, social development and spiritual development (the coaching staff is charged with skill development and the strength and conditioning staff is responsible for physical development). Preston acts as a liaison between the football players and coaching staff plus serve as primary contact between both the student welfare and development office and academic services for student-athletes department. Through the athletics department's student welfare and development office, Preston helps coordinate community service projects via the "Irish Around the Bend" initiative. He also helps coordinate and monitor the study hall sessions with the associate director and senior academic counselor of the academic services for studentathletes department. Preston served the University's athletic department as the program director for student-athlete welfare and development in 2013. Preston came to Notre Dame from Dallas, Texas, where he attended Dallas Theological Seminary working towards a master’s degree in christian education. Preston also served on staff with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as the northwest Dallas area director. His position there included the oversight of more than 100 area high schools, middle schools, and college campus groups. With Dallas FCA, he also fulfilled the role of area spokesman for the One Way 2 Play – Drug Free initiative, speaking at school assemblies and to sports teams throughout the Metroplex. Preston received his undergraduate degree in speech communications from the University of Illinois where he was a scholarship athlete, playing football as an offensive lineman from 2000-04. During his senior campaign, Preston was voted as Illinois' offensive player of the year, team captain and honorable mention all-Big Ten. Preston was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He was voted to the Sporting News All-Rookie team in 2005 and spent four seasons in Buffalo. He was honored three times for his commitment with the Northwest Buffalo Community Center. Preston signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers in 2009 before being released and then signed with the Dallas Cowboys where he spent his fifth and final season in the NFL. Preston and his wife, Lisa, were married in February of 2007 and are parents four children: daughters Maya and Liberty, and sons Raymond and Deacon.
DR. BRIAN RATIGAN
Ratigan and his wife, the former Maura Fenningham (’93, ’96), have five children: Sean, Conor, Kelly, Austin and Reese. Maura is an adjunct professor in the Notre Dame Law School. The family resides in Granger.
BETH REX DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL ADMINISTRATION Beth Rex is in her fifth year as director of football administration at Notre Dame after serving as the football program associate from 2008-09 at the University of Cincinnati. Rex served as the assistant to current Irish head football coach Brian Kelly at Cincinnati and that continues to be part of her duties at Notre Dame where she serves as the primary contact person in all matters for Kelly. Rex coordinates Kelly’s schedule, is responsible for all football staff and office operations and assists in event planning. Rex has been a driving force behind the very successful Football 101 initiative that benefits Kelly Cares Foundation and introduces women over the age of 21 to the game of football. She also has organized the Notre Dame Football Awards Show each of the last three seasons that replaced the year-end celebratory banquet. Rex has worked in athletics for 16 years, primarily as an athletics trainer. She served as an athletics trainer at Cincinnati from 2001-08 and worked with the football, baseball, women’s basketball, men’s soccer, tennis, men’s and women’s golf, cheerleading and dance teams. Among her various duties, Rex managed the administrative responsibilities of the athletics training room, oversaw the budget, handled all purchases and inventory and processed all medical claims for Cincinnati’s student-athletes. Rex also served as an adjunct professor at Cincinnati from 2006-08 and taught medical terminology, sports administration and athletics training. Prior to Cincinnati, Rex was an assistant athletics trainer at the University of Memphis for two years (1999-2001) and one year at the College of Wooster (1998-99). She worked with the baseball, women’s basketball and men’s soccer teams at Memphis and at Wooster she managed the athletic training duties for 21 varsity sports. While living in Memphis, she assisted the Memphis Maniax of the Xtreme Football League in the spring of 2001. From 1997-98, Rex worked at the National Athletic Trainers Association in Dallas where she was a continuing education assistant. Rex graduated in 1996 from Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in education. She began her career as a graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky where she earned her master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration. A native of Tiffin, Ohio, Rex is married to Byron Rex and the couple resides in Granger.
MEGAN WHITT COORDINATOR OF RECRUITING OPERATIONS Megan Whitt is in her first year with the Notre Dame football program as the coordinator of recruiting operations. In her current role, Whitt assists recruiting coordinator Tony Alford and director of player personnel Dave Peloquin in the recruiting department. She organizes all official and unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes, manages compliance and academic records for recruits, oversees student workers and helps organize and direct gameday recruiting efforts. Whitt most recently served as the recruiting and operations coordinator at Ohio State University. She planned and organized all official and unofficial prospect visits, as well as facilitated prospect correspondence through mailers, personal letters, email and social media. Whitt managed recruit room operations on game days and supervised dozens of student employees and the University host program. Whitt also executed assistant coaches' recruiting travel and official visit travel accommodations. She also assisted in the coordination of the Buckeyes' football youth summer camps, pro day, coaches’ clinic and spring practices. Whitt earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio State. She graduated with a sport leadership and sport humanities degree in 2012. While an undergraduate, Whitt did internships with both the University camps office and ProCamps Worldwide – the group that runs the Chris Spielman Football Camp and Buckeye Stars Camp. A native of Ida, Michigan, Whitt also participated in an internship with the Buckeyes' athletic department event management office. She organized timing sheets, assisted in promotions, managed crowd control, met and took care of visiting teams and management of officials. She also facilitated many on-campus championships, including Big Ten Women's Gymnastics, NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship, Big Ten Baseball Tournament, American Lacrosse Conference Championship, NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship and NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
PRYCE TRACY RECRUITING & PERSONNEL ASSISTANT
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON Dr. Brian Ratigan, M.D., is in his seventh year in 2014 as head of orthopaedic sports medicine for Notre Dame football and baseball. Ratigan, a four-year monogram winner and linebacker at Notre Dame (1989-92), continued his professional football career with the Indianapolis Colts (1993-95). Ratigan earned his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 2002. In 2007, he completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, affiliated with The Rothman Institute. Ratigan performed his fellowship in sports medicine at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He is a 1993 Notre Dame graduate. Ratigan, board certified in orthopaedic surgery, is an active member of national and local medical societies, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy Association of North America, Indiana State Medical Association, Indiana Orthopaedic Society and the Notre Dame Orthopaedic Society. Ratigan is in private practice with South Bend Orthopaedics and specializes in arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle. Ratigan has previous professional and collegiate athletic physician experience with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles Sparks, Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the University of Southern California and Fullerton College football programs.
Pryce Tracy is in his second year as a recruiting and personnel assistant for the Notre Dame football team. In this role, Tracy works with recruiting efforts, handles projects assigned by the Irish coaches and assists in the day-to-day strategies of the program. Prior to his time at Notre Dame, Tracy spent the 2011 season with the University of Alabama football team. He directly worked under then Crimson Tide director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, who is now the assistant director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles. Tracy served as a recruiting specialist for Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Tracy assisted in player evaluation breakdowns and compiled the recruiting prospect board. He also helped in the daily operations for the 2011 and 2012 Nick Saban Summer Camps. During his time in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide captured the 2011 Bowl Championship Series title and brought in the top-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to Rivals.com, ESPN and 247Sports.com. Prior to his tenure at Alabama, Tracy spent two seasons (2009-10) as an assistant coach at Clay High School in South Bend. The Colonials had five players who signed national letters of intent with Football Bowl Subdivision schools during his stay.
STUDENT MANAGERS Three Notre Dame seniors, Elizabeth Lombard, Ted Williams and Ryan Harvey, lead the student manager program that works with the 2014 football team. This trio oversees the entire student manager organization and tends to various matters regarding Irish players and coaches. The program also includes a group of seven junior managers and 14 sophomore managers. The junior managers include Alex Wilcox, Matt Schade, Drew Vista, Patrick Demetrio, Shannon Kearney, Emily Morgan and Bekah Stanton. The sophomore managers are Rachel Wimsatt, Rachel Lombard, Colleen Turner, Colleen Naumovich, Courtney Thompson, Sarah Devitt, Danny McKee, Sam Baker, CJ Harvey, Matt Grazzini, Chris Scully, Anthony Tucker, Kennedy Ricci and Kirk Dettmer.
112 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 93-112Coaches&Staff.indd 112
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2014 Game Summaries MEDIA INFORMATION
Game 1 (Rice): Aug. 30, 2014 • Notre Dame, Ind. • Notre Dame Stadium Score by Quarters Rice #17/17 Notre Dame
1 7 14
2 3 14
Golson ties Irish record for rushing touchdowns in a game by a quarterback with his three.
Record: 0-1 Record: 1-0
Third Quarter 4:07 ND 0:17 ND
Brindza 36 field goal, 13-53 5:30 Golson 4 run (Brindza kick), 6-34 2:23
Fourth Quarter 7:47 ND 4:57 RICE 3:32 ND
Brindza 29 field goal, 9-72 5:01 Mayden 53 pass from Stehling (Hairston kick), 6-75 2:50 Bryant 17 run (Brindza kick), 3-75 1:25 RICE ND 16 23 40-141 42-281 226 295 26-15-1 22-14-0 66-367 64-576 0-0 0-0 0-0 5-80 1-29 2-49 0-0 1-6 5-48.2 3-48.0 1-1 0-0 5-30 2-10 29:51 30:09 6 of 15 6 of 13 0 of 1 0 of 0 2-2 6-6 1-8 2-5
RUSHING: Rice-Jackson 11-61; Davis 14-33; Hamilton 6-29; Dillard 6-18; Turner 2-2; Team 1-(-2). Notre Dame-Folston 12-71; Bryant 8-71; Zaire 2-58; Golson 12-41; McDaniel 8-40. PASSING: Rice-Jackson 13-24-1-163; Stehling 2-2-0-63. Notre Dame-Golson 14-22-0-295.
INTERCEPTIONS: Rice-None. Notre Dame-Farley 1-6. FUMBLES: Rice-Decell 1-1. Notre Dame-None.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Second Quarter 5:51 RICE Hairston 33 field goal, 9-64 3:29 2:33 ND Golson 14 run (Brindza kick), 7-86 3:18 0:05 ND Prosise 53 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 2-53 0:16
TACKLES: Rice-Patt 5-1; Baker 5-1; Finner 4-2; White 3-2; Elder 2-2; Callahan 2-1; White 2-1; Lyons 2-1; Hill 2-1; Nordstrom 1-2; Radcliffe 1-2; Schantz 2-0; Ellerbee 1-1; Covington 1-1; Espinoza 1-1; Womac 1-0; Turner 1-0; Pollard 1-0; Peterson 1-0; Mayden 1-0; Hairston 1-0; Jones 1-0; Farrimond 1-0; McGaskey 1-0; Henessee 1-0; Hamilton 1-0; Dillard 0-1; Green 0-1; Jackson 0-1. Notre Dame-Schmidt 4-4; Day 2-4; Farley 4-1; Smith 3-0; Jones 2-1; Shumate 2-1; Onwaulu 1-2; Redfield 1-2; Tranquill 1-2; Luke 2-0; Martini 2-0; Blankenship 2-0; Morgan 2-0; Okwara 1-1; Utupo 0-2; Brindza 1-0; Turner 1-0; Matuska 1-0; Trumbetti 1-0; Butler 1-0; Rochell 0-1; Cage 0-1; Riggs 0-1; McDaniel 0-1.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
SACKS: Rice-Patt 1-8. Notre Dame-Okwara 1-4; Farley 0.5-1; Jones 0.5-0. Golson 11 run (Brindza kick), 7-47 3:04 Wright 26 pass from Jackson (Hairston kick), 8-65 3:49 Fuller 75 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 1-75 0:12
BOWL HISTORY
RECEIVING: Rice-Parks 3-37; Dillard 3-30; Wright 2-39; Turner 2-33; Davis 2-8; Mayden 1-53; Pollard 1-16; Decell 1-10. Notre Dame-Fuller 4-85; Koyack 3-51; Carlisle 2-54; Brown 2-20; Prosise 1-53; Robinson 1-25; McDaniel 1-7.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
COACHES & STAFF
First Quarter 6:02 ND 2:13 RICE 2:01 ND
F 17 48
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - Everett Golson looked better after a year off than he ever did in helping Notre Dame get to the national championship two seasons ago. In his first game back after missing last season for academic impropriety, Golson threw touchdown passes of 75 and 53 yards and became just the third Notre Dame quarterback to run for three touchdowns in a game as the Irish beat Rice 48-17 on Saturday. "Everett Golson was electric," coach Brian Kelly said. "He kept his eyes down field. He knew when to run. He knew when to throw it." Golson was 14-of-22 passing for 295 yards and ran for 41 yards on 12 carries. He threw the ball away on purpose three times and three other times Irish receivers dropped passes. His only big mistake was a pass early in the second quarter that Rice safety Gabe Baker should have intercepted but dropped. Golson said it was the type of comeback he envisioned while spending a semester away from Notre Dame. "That's what inspired me through all the training and all the days of me just working out by myself. I think that's what helped me get through it," he said. Golson's most exciting throw was a 75-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller that traveled nearly 60 yards in the air. Fuller was in a full sprint and wide open and needed to slow down to catch the pass near the 25-yard line. Fuller then made Rice safety Julius White miss as he raced into the end zone. It was the longest TD pass for Notre Dame since 2010. The 53-yard touchdown pass was a little better timed as Golson scrambled and threw a perfect pass to a wide-open C.J. Prosise in the end zone with 5 seconds left in the half, giving the Irish 28-10 lead. Golson was hit hard just after throwing the pass. Rice coach David Bailiff said Golson is amazing in his ability to extend plays. "We left our corner on an island for too long and he got separation. Because that's what great quarterbacks do," Bailiff said. Golson scored on an 11-yard run on a planned keeper, a 14-yard scramble and a 4-yard run on a blown handoff. Kelly said Golson had shown a lot of confidence in recent days. "There's a lot of things that he will tell you that he's got to continue to improve on, but there's a confidence that he carries with him that is starting to emanate, and that's going to only get better and better as he gains more confidence," Kelly said. Driphus Jackson, making his second career start at quarterback for Rice, was 13 of 24 passing for 163 yards and one touchdown and the key interception. "I've just got to be better managing the ball, and understand it's OK to throw the ball away," Jackson said. "I don't have to try and make plays all the time." Rice backup quarterback Tyler Stehling threw a 53-yard TD pass to James Mayden.
4 7 10
GAME NOTES
Golson Returns and Leads No. 17 Notre Dame Past Rice, 48-17
3 0 10
113 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 113-124SeasonReview.indd 113
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2014 Game Summaries
Game 2 (Michigan): Sept. 6, 2014 • Notre Dame, Ind. • Notre Dame Stadium Score by Quarters Michigan #16/15 Notre Dame
1 0 7
2 0 14
No. 16 Notre Dame Records Program's First Shutout of Michigan, 31-0 Irish snap Wolverines' NCAA-record 365-game streak without being shutout, dating back to 1984 NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - Everett Golson threw three touchdown passes and No. 16 Notre Dame beat the Wolverines 31-0, snapping Michigan's NCAA record streak of games without being shut out at 365 before the rivalry goes into hiatus. Coach Brian Kelly tried to downplay the win a little. "It only counts for one," he said, before adding: "I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't feel great to shut out Michigan, 31-tonothing," stressing the 31. Game No. 42 in a rivalry that has been off-and-on for more than 100 years is the last scheduled. Notre Dame broke off the series a couple years ago to make room on its schedule to accommodate its new arrangement with the Atlantic Coast Conference. Michigan didn't take it well. Coach Brady Hoke jokingly accused the Fighting Irish of chickening out before last year's game at Ann Arbor. Then after Michigan beat the Irish, "The Chicken Dance" blared through the sound system at the Big House. No hard feelings? "It was great revenge," Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith said. The previous most lopsided victory for Notre Dame against Michigan as 35-12 in 1943. The last time the Wolverines were shut out was 26-0 by Iowa on Oct. 20, 1984. This one will probably sting longer, considering the circumstances. "We will bounce back," Hoke said. "This is a very resilient, hard-working group of young men, who know what it takes to win." Golson was 23 for 34 for 226 yards. Devin Gardner was 19 for 32 for 189 yards and committed four second-half turnovers for Michigan. Maybe it was just a coincidence that this week Notre Dame announced a future home-and-home with Ohio State, Michigan's hated rival - and a team that has owned the Wolverines in recent years. Still, this is a rivalry that has been generally quite civil in recent years. Two of the bluest of bloods in college football history, they are the winningest programs ever by percentage. They have combined for 1,787 victories. In fact, Michigan had a chance to take back the top spot by beating the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame and Michigan always seemed to like being associated with one another. Classic uniforms. Recognizable fight songs (they sound a little alike to an untrained ear). They both tout their high academic standards and doing things the right way. The traditional early season meeting between the Irish and Wolverines has always been a measuring stick. But things change. Notre Dame now has artificial turf and an interlocking ND logo at midfield. And Michigan has now been shut out for the first time in 30 years. Kelly came to Notre Dame five years ago, promising to recruit better athletes and install an uptempo spread offense. Notre Dame went to a national championship game in 2012 on the strength of its defense. Golson was a redshirt freshman starter who Kelly said just "rode the bus" to the BCS title game. He didn't even finish the 13-6 victory against Michigan that year. Then Golson watched last season while serving a suspension. Now, Golson is in the driver's seat. He was pinpoint and poised in the first half, leading Notre Dame to a 21-0 lead. Golson mostly worked the intermediate and short middle of the field, until he went deep down on a third-and-1 to Will Fuller, who stretched to make the catch and still keep a foot inbounds for a 24-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. Notre Dame still looks as if it can play some defense, though it's hard to tell just how good the Irish are on that side of the ball from this game. Michigan's offense, a mess last year, still looks out of sorts under new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. The offense devolved into Gardner needing to make a play under pressure far too often. It didn't work in 2013 and it had no chance against Smith, Sheldon Day and Notre Dame's feisty defense. When Golson slipped an inside screen to Carlisle, who scooted 12 yards for a TD, it was 28-0 with 3:02 left in the third quarter.
3 0 7 First Quarter 1:50 ND
4 0 3
F 0 31
Record: 1-1 Record: 2-0
McDaniel 1 run (Brindza kick), 8-71 3:45
Second Quarter 3:58 ND Carlisle 1 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 13-80 5:14 0:34 ND Fuller 24 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 6-56 0:50 Third Quarter 3:02 ND
Carlisle 12 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 8-61 3:37
Fourth Quarter 12:03 ND
Brindza 43 field goal, 7-0 2:07
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
UM ND 18 20 35-100 31-54 189 226 32-19-3 34-23-0 67-289 65-280 0-0 0-0 0-0 4-26 1-16 1-16 0-0 3-33 4-42.5 6-38.3 2-1 0-0 5-50 3-20 33:04 26:56 4 of 13 7 of 15 1 of 2 1 of 1 0-0 4-4 1-16 3-17
RUSHING: Michigan-Smith 7-30; Green 13-25; Norfleet 2-20; Hayes 2-20; Gardner 11-5. Notre DameMcDaniel 8-25; Bryant 8-19; Folston 9-17; Zaire 2-9; Team 1-(-2); Golson 3-(-14). PASSING: Michigan-Gardner 19-32-3-189. Notre Dame-Golson 23-34-0-226. RECEIVING: Michigan-Funchess 9-107; Chesson 3-30; Norfleet 3-16; Darboh 2-23; Hill 1-9; Kerridge 1-4. Notre Dame-Fuller 9-89; Carlisle 7-61; McDaniel 2-17; Koyack 2-14; Robinson 1-22; Prosise 1-18; Brown 1-5. INTERCEPTIONS: Michigan-None. Notre Dame-Riggs 1-0; Tranquill 1-16; Redfield 1-17. FUMBLES: Michigan-Gardner 2-1. Notre Dame-None. SACKS: Michigan-Beyer 1-16. Notre Dame-Hill 1.5-11; Utupo 1-5; Tranquill 0.5-1. TACKLES: Michigan-Ryan 5-6; Bolden 1-9; Hollowell 3-3; Countess 2-2; Beyer 1-3; Wilson 1-3; Lewis 1-2; Mone 0-3; Henry 0-3; J. Clark 0-3; Norfleet 1-1; Taylor 1-1; Stribling 1-1; Charlton 1-1; F. Clark 1-1; Jenkins-Stone 0-2; Pipkins 0-2; Chesson 0-2; Thomas 1-0; Hurst Jr. 1-0; D. Hill 1-0; Ojemudia 1-0; Houma 0-1; K. Hill 0-1; Godin 0-1; Glasgow 0-1; Gedeon 0-1; Wormley 0-1. Notre Dame-Smith 5-5; Shumate 4-6; Schmidt 3-4; Jones 3-3; Redfield 2-4; Day 2-3; Trumbetti 1-3; Rochell 1-3; Farley 3-0; Luke 2-1; Riggs 1-2; Tranquill 2-0; Okwara 1-1; Hill 1-1; Cage 1-1; Utupo 1-1; Blankenship 0-1; Onwualu 0-1.
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2014 Game Summaries MEDIA INFORMATION
Game 3 (Purdue): Sept. 13, 2014 • Indianapolis, Ind. • Lucas Oil Stadium Score by Quarters Purdue #11/11 Notre Dame
1 7 7
2 7 10
Everett Golson throws two touchdown passes and runs for another score for the 3-0 Irish
F 14 30
Record: 1-2 Record: 3-0
Fuller 6 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 6-45 2:37 Cottom 7 pass from Etling (Griggs kick), 9-67 5:00
Second Quarter 11:57 ND Brindza 19 field goal, 12-76 4:53 3:00 PU Yancey 19 pass from Etling (Griggs kick), 3:26 0:47 0:13 ND Golson 15 run (Brindza kick), 8-70 2:47
Robinson 15 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 7-62 1:56
Fourth Quarter 9:31 ND 5:30 ND
Brindza 48 field goal, 10-39 5:08 Brindza 39 field goal, 10-27 2:49 PU ND 17 27 26-56 38-139 234 259 40-27-2 40-25-0 66-290 78-398 0-0 0-0 2-24 1-(-5) 1-33 3-86 0-0 2-0 4-42.5 4-48.2 1-1 1-1 5-41 7-43 27:00 33:00 6 of 15 8 of 17 1 of 3 0 of 0 2-4 4-4 4-18 3-37
2014 SEASON REVIEW
RUSHING: Purdue-Mostert 14-47; Hunt 5-32; Team 1-(-2); Etling 6-(-21). Notre Dame-Golson 14-56; McDaniel 9-32; Bryant 6-29; Folston 9-22.
BOWL HISTORY
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
COACHES & STAFF
Third Quarter 4:05 ND
THE FIGHTING IRISH
PASSING: Purdue-Etling 27-40-2-234. Notre Dame-Golson 25-40-0-259. RECEIVING: Purdue-Sinz 5-26; Hunt 5-14; Anthrop 4-61; Posey 4-28; Mostert 3-30; Yancey 2-48; Holmes 2-14; Cottom 1-7; Macarthy 1-6. Notre Dame-Fuller 6-51; Koyack 5-32; Prosise 4-51; Robinson 3-52; Bryant 2-34; Folston 2-26; Carlisle 2-2; Brown 1-11. INTERCEPTIONS: Purdue-None. Notre Dame-Butler 1-0; Schmidt 1-0. FUMBLES: Purdue-Hunt 1-1. Notre Dame-Koyack 1-1.
TACKLES: Purdue-Feichter 5-5; Robinson 3-7; Bentley 2-7; Williams 5-3; Phillips 2-5; Lewis 4-2; Brown 4-1; Russell 3-2; Richards 2-1; Howard 1-2; Watson 1-2; Robinson 1-2; Ezechukwu 1-1; Replogue 0-2; Hart 1-0; Knox 1-0; Garcia 0-1; Gilliam 0-1; Clark 0-1; Link 0-1. Notre Dame-Okwara 3-8; Smith 8-1; Schmidt 5-3; Rochell 1-5; Shumate 3-2; Butler 4-0; Tranquill 0-4; Luke 2-1; Riggs 1-2; Jones 1-2; Day 0-3; Farley 2-0; Hill 1-1; Onwualu 1-0; Morgan 0-1; Redfield 0-1.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SACKS: Purdue-Brown 1.5-6; Phillips 1-5; Robinson 1-5; Ezechukwu 0.5-2. Notre Dame-Smith 1-13; Hill 0.5-9; Okwara 0.5-8; Jones 0.5-4; Rochell 0.5-3.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Everett Golson was quick on his feet Saturday night. He had to be. With Amir Carlisle out with an injured right knee and an already short-handed defense getting even thinner, Golson did what he does best - tucked the ball and improvised. The senior quarterback scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown just before halftime to erase Notre Dame's first deficit of the season, kept a second-half TD drive going with a 17-yard completion on the run and helped the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish score the final 20 points to pull away from rival Purdue 30-14. "He just understands the game," coach Brian Kelly said. "The game is slower for him than it was when he was here in his first year. The game has slowed down. He sees the field better. He can see it better. He's not there yet. We missed some things tonight that would have changed the complexion of the game." No, it wasn't easy for the Irish to get to 3-0 for the second time in three years, the first time Notre Dame has done that since four straight years from 1987-90. And there wasn't much celebrating, either. "They play so well every year," Kelly said. "We knew it was going to be a battle, we lost some players and we battled through it." Carlisle left in the first quarter with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee and did not return. Safety Max Redfield was ejected in the second quarter after being called for targeting, safety Nicky Baratti re-injured his shoulder on the next play and starting cornerback Cole Luke left later with a neck injury. So Golson put the burden to do more on his shoulders - and legs - and the guy who led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game two seasons ago took control as one of the few offensive players in sync. Golson finished 25 of 40 for 259 yards with two touchdown passes and ran 18 times for a season-high 56 yards and one touchdown, the nifty scramble that gave Notre Dame the lead for good. With No. 6 Georgia losing to No. 24 South Carolina and Boston College knocking off No. 9 USC in a matchup of Irish rivals, Notre Dame could crack the Top 10 for the first time this season - though Kelly isn't convinced his team is playing that well yet. "We're still not a finished product by any means, we're still such a young team," Kelly said. "At 3-0, we're extremely pleased with where we are, but we know we're nowhere close to where we need to be." That may partially explain why this game again failed to follow the expected script. Purdue (1-2), which has traditionally played some of its best football against the Irish, delivered another strong performance exactly one week after a poor showing in a loss to Central Michigan. Quarterback Danny Etling kept the starting job and rewarded coach Darrell Hazell by going 27 of 40 for 234 yards with two touchdowns. He also had two interceptions. Brandon Cottom scored on a 7-yard TD pass in the first quarter to tie the score at 7, and Etling somehow managed to fit in a 19-yard TD pass to DeAngelo Yancey, who tip-toed the end line despite drawing a pass interference call, to give the Boilermakers a 14-10 lead with 3 minutes left in the first half. But against Golson's improv act, it wasn't enough. "That's where he hurts you," Hazell said. "You watched it the first two weeks against Rice and Michigan. Whether he ran it or whether he found a guy down the field, those play-making capabilities he has can really keep you off-balance." Purdue hung around until late in the third quarter when Golson avoided the pass rush by sprinting right and found Greg Byrant for a 17-yard completion. Two plays later, Golson hooked up with Corey Robinson for a 15-yard TD pass to make it 24-14. Golson then directed two time-consuming drives in the fourth quarter, both of which ended with field goals, to end any lingering comeback hopes for the Boilermakers. "I had confidence through it all," Golson said. "For me, never was there a point, and I'm not saying this to be cocky or anything like that, but there never was a point that I thought we were going to lose. That's just because I knew everybody was looking at me and you can't have that mindset or any doubt that you're going to lose."
First Quarter 12:23 ND 1:50 PU
4 0 6
GAME NOTES
No. 11 Notre Dame Races Past Purdue, 30-14
3 0 7
115 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 113-124SeasonReview.indd 115
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2014 Game Summaries
Game 4 (Syracuse): Sept. 27, 2014 • East Rutherford N.J. • MetLife Stadium Score by Quarters #8/8 Notre Dame Syracuse
1 0 0
2 14 3
No. 8 Notre Dame Gains 523 Yards in 31-15 Victory Over Syracuse Everett Golson sets Notre Dame record by completing 25 consecutive passes EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - This was the best type of learning experience for Everett Golson and Notre Dame. Golson offset a four-turnover performance with some pinpoint passing, setting a school record for consecutive completions and throwing a career-high four touchdown passes to lead the eighthranked Fighting Irish to a 31-15 victory against Syracuse on Saturday night. Golson threw his first two interceptions of the season, including one returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter by Durell Eskridge. He fumbled the ball away deep in Syracuse territory and bumbled an attempt to spike the ball late in the first half into another giveaway. "Pretty weird for me," Golson said. "Definitely got to get better. Got to clean up a lot of things." A total of five turnovers by the Irish (4-0) allowed Syracuse (2-2) to linger. Terrel Hunt's 7-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter cut the lead to 21-9. "You could tell in the locker room there was not the normal chatter, excitement. They knew they did not play the kind of football necessary to win each and every week," Irish coach Brian Kelly said. "This game will get you beat week in and week out. We made enough big plays to overcome it." Golson came right back with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Torii Hunter Jr., son of the major league outfielder, for his 25th straight completion. Golson was 32 for 39 for a career-best 362 yards, coming one completion short of matching the FBS record for consecutive completions in a game set by Dominique Davis in 2011 with East Carolina. Corey Robinson, the son of former San Antonio Spurs star David Robinson, caught eight passes for 91 yards a touchdown. For the first time since 1943, Notre Dame has scored at least 30 points in each of its first four games. Syracuse has tried to turn MetLife Stadium into a home away from home, but it's not working out so well for the university that calls itself New York's college team. The Orange have played Southern California, Penn State and Notre Dame at the home of the Jets and Giants over the past three seasons, and lost each time. "We want our kids to understand that they played hard, gave good effort, but still gave up 523 (total yards)," Syracuse coach Scott Shafer said. "We can't misunderstand effort for victories. The only ones that count are the ones that end up in the win column." The Irish's fourth turnover, a fumble by Greg Bryant inside the Syracuse 30 late in the third quarter, led to the Orange's first touchdown. After Hunt's TD run, Jarron Jones blocked the extra point for the Irish. A nice start to the season has put Golson in the Heisman Trophy discussion, for what it's worth in September. This uneven performance in a win probably didn't hurt the cause too much. Golson had two turnovers in the first quarter, losing a fumble after a nifty scramble and throwing an interception on a pass that sailed badly. The junior got it together in the second quarter, when Notre Dame went to its "now game" to combat Syracuse's blitzes. Zipping quick screens from side to side and working underneath, Golson directed a 95-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 23-yard pass to Will Fuller, who took a screen into the end zone to make it 7-0. "He did a lot of really, really good things," Kelly said. "He threw the ball on target down the field and his perimeter throws were outstanding." Golson showed off his long-range game next. Fuller beat cornerback Corey Winfield to the inside and Golson hit the receiver in stride. Fuller skipped past the end-zone pylon for a 72-yard touchdown to make it 14-0. Fuller had six catches for 119 yards.
3 7 0
4 10 12
F 31 15
Record: 4-0 Record: 2-2
Second Quarter 10:56 ND Fuller 23 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 11-95 3:54 8:31 ND Fuller 72 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 1-72 0:12 3:07 SU Murphy 38 field goal, 13-55 5:24 Third Quarter 9:39 ND
Robinson 8 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 9-60 3:51
Fourth Quarter 14:54 SU 10:19 ND 5:09 SU 1:57 ND
Hunt 7 run (Murphy kick blocked), 7-72 2:35 Hunter Jr. 13 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 10-50 4:35 Eskridge 29 interception return (Hunt pass failed) Brindza 37 field goal, 7-24 3:12
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
ND SU 29 17 41-161 30-135 362 294 39-32-2 38-22-1 80-523 68-429 0-0 0-0 1-16 0-0 2-33 2-38 1-15 2-29 2-40.0 5-38.8 4-3 0-0 8-80 10-85 33:17 26:43 9 of 14 3 of 15 0 of 0 2 of 4 3-4 2-3 0-0 1-9
RUSHING: Notre Dame-Bryant 11-55; Folston 9-41; McDaniel 8-33; Golson 10-21; Hunter Jr. 2-13; Team 1-(-2). Syracuse-Dixon 1-42; Gulley 8-29; Hunt 7-26; Philips 6-22; Ameen-Moore 5-15; Morris 2-3; Team 1-(-2). PASSING: Notre Dame-Golson 32-39-2-362. Syracuse-Hunt 22-38-1-294. RECEIVING: Notre Dame-Robinson 8-91; Fuller 6-119; Brown 6-57; McDaniel 3-21; Prosise 3-20; Koyack 3-16; Folston 2-25; Hunter Jr. 1-13. Syracuse-West 8-103; Estime 4-58; Lewis 3-58; Gulley 3-12; Flemming 2-24; Ishmael 1-25; Moore 1-14. INTERCEPTIONS: Notre Dame-Farley 1-15. Syracuse-Eskridge 1-29; Reddish 1-0. FUMBLES: Notre Dame-Golson 3-2; Bryant 1-1. Syracuse-None. SACKS: Notre Dame-None. Syracuse-Johnson 1-9. TACKLES: Notre Dame-Smith 5-4; Schmidt 5-2; Farley 4-1; Day 4-1; Luke 4-1; Redfield 3-2; Riggs 3-0; Blankenship 3-0; Shumate 3-0; Okwara 1-2; Trumbetti 2-0; Jones 1-1; Rochell 1-1; Morgan 1-0; Folston 1-0; Tranquill 0-1. Syracuse-Davis 8-3; Desir 6-3; Eskridge 5-4; Hodge 4-4; Kelly 5-2; Robinson 4-2; Whigham 3-1; Thompson 2-2; Reddish 3-0; Winfield 3-0; Crume 2-1; Lynch 1-2; Sloan 1-2; Welsh 1-2; Kirkland 2-0; Estime 1-0; Johnson 1-0; Arciniega 1-0; Coleman 1-0; Cornelius 0-1; Philips 0-1.
116 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 113-124SeasonReview.indd 116
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2014 Game Summaries MEDIA INFORMATION
Game 5 (Stanford): Oct. 4, 2014 • Notre Dame, Ind. • Notre Dame Stadium Score by Quarters #14/13 Stanford #9/8 Notre Dame
1 7 0
2 0 7
23-yard TD pass to Ben Koyack on fourth and 11 with 1:01 remaining pushes Notre Dame to 5-0.
F 14 17
Record: 3-2 Record: 5-0
First Quarter 3:50 STAN Hogan 10 run (Williamson kick), 2-12 0:44 Second Quarter 3:06 ND Brown 17 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 6-62 1:20 Fourth Quarter 7:32 ND Brindza 45 field goal, 9-50 3:39 3:01 STAN Wright 11 run (Williamson kick), 9-58 4:31 1:01 ND Koyack 23 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 9-65 2:00 STAN ND 14 21 32-47 32-129 158 241 36-18-2 43-20-1 68-205 75-370 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-10 2-45 0-0 1-0 2-(-3) 8-36.9 6-36.8 2-0 2-1 9-66 1-10 30:12 29:48 5 of 16 6 of 18 0 of 1 1 of 2 2-2 2-4 2-8 4-34
COACHES & STAFF
RUSHING: Stanford-Wright 8-29; Young 7-18; Sanders 3-14; Montgomery 5-14; Seale 1-1; Team 1-(-13); Hogan 7-(-16). Notre Dame-McDaniel 15-41; Golson 7-34; Prosise 1-26; Folston 3-14; Bryant 6-14.
RECEIVING: Stanford-Cajuste 5-68; Montgomery 4-12; Trojan 3-12; Wright 2-21; McCaffrey 1-18; Skov 1-16; Pratt 1-6; Rector 1-5. Notre Dame-Brown 4-60; Robinson 4-46; Fuller 3-27; Carlisle 2-34; Koyack 2-28; Hunter Jr. 2-24; Prosise 2-16; Folston 1-6.
FUMBLES: Stanford-Hogan 1-0; Team 1-0. Notre Dame-Golson 1-1; Riggs 1-0. SACKS: Stanford-Anderson 2-8. Notre Dame-Shumate 1-16; Smith 1-9; Trumbetti 1-7; Luke 1-2.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
TACKLES: Stanford-Tarpley 2-7; Anderson 4-4; Richards 4-3; Martinez 5-1; Lyons 3-2; Hoffpauir 4-0; Anderson 4-0; Olugbode 3-1; Carter 2-1; Vaughters 2-1; Parry 1-2; Harris 2-0; Shittu 0-2; Davis 1-0; Kalambay 1-0; McCaffrey 1-0; Pippens 0-1. Notre Dame-Smith 7-7; Schmidt 5-2; Riggs 4-2; Shumate 4-2; Day 3-1; Luke 3-1; Farley 3-1; Redfield 2-1; Trumbetti 2-0; Tranquill 2-0; Brindza 1-0; Onwualu 1-0; Martini 1-0; Jones 0-1; Collinsworth 0-1; Hill 0-1.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
INTERCEPTIONS: Stanford-Richards 1-0. Notre Dame-Luke 2-(-3).
BOWL HISTORY
PASSING: Stanford-Hogan 18-36-2-158. Notre Dame-Golson 20-43-1-241.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - Everett Golson spotted tight end Ben Koyack alone in the back of the end zone just in time. On fourth-and-11 from the 23 and trailing 14-10, Golson dropped back to pass and managed to avoid the Stanford rush just long enough to find Koyack as two Cardinal defensive backs tried to recover from the blown assignment. Koyack caught the pass as he fell out of bounds, while safety Jordan Richards dove to try to break it up, and scored the winning touchdown with 61 seconds left to give the Irish the 17-14 victory on a cold, rainy Saturday. "I went to my first read and it wasn't there and I needed to begin improvising a little bit," Golson said. "I guess they busted the coverage a little bit and I found Koyack in the back of the end zone." Koyack said he broke off his route when he saw the coverage and hoped Golson would see him. "He did," he said. "It felt like the ball was in the air for about an hour." Stanford coach David Shaw was asked what coverage the Cardinal were in on the play. "There was no coverage on Notre Dame's touchdown pass," he said. "That sounds sarcastic but he was wide open. There was nobody on him." Richards said Koyack got behind the Cardinal defense. "I was just trying to head over there as fast as I could but I just couldn't do it," he said. Golson struggled with accuracy at times and threw an interception and had a fumble that was hard to overcome, but still managed to pull it out. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly called Golson a winner, pointing out he is 15-1 as a starting quarterback. That 93.8 percent winning percentage is the best in school history. "The kid's a winner and he keeps competing and he keeps playing," Kelly said. "And he has a bunch of winners around him. So you never feel like you're out of it. You just keep playing and keep giving it a shot." The Fighting Irish improved to 5-0 for just the third time since Lou Holtz left in 1996 and the second time in three seasons. The Cardinal (3-2) have two losses this early in the season for the first time since opening 1-2 in 2008 in Jim Harbaugh's second season as coach. Golson also threw a 17-yard TD pass to Chris Brown and Notre Dame amassed 370 yards of total offense against the nation's top defense. The game wasn't as exciting as Notre Dame's 20-13 overtime victory two years ago on a goal-line stand, but it was close. The Irish defense held the Cardinal to 139 yards total offense and just 47 yards rushing. Stanford receiver Ty Montgomery, who entered the game averaging 69 yards a game receiving, was held to four catches for 12 yards. But he did have a 42-yard kickoff return that helped set up a Stanford touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Shaw was disappointed the Cardinal defense couldn't hold on. "We had a chance to seal it and we didn't," he said. Stanford entered the game giving up 198 yards a game total offense and had given up only two runs of 25 yards or more. The Irish had 192 yards total offense at halftime and Golson had a career-long 33-yard run to set up a touchdown and C.J. Prosise had a 26-yard run that set up a scoring chance. Amir Carlisle had a 26-yard catch. Golson was 20-of-43 passing for 241 yards with one interception and a fumble a week after having four turnovers against Syracuse. Kevin Hogan was 18 of 36 for 158 yards with two interceptions for Stanford. Notre Dame had a chance to take the lead with 12 minutes left in the game, but holder Hunter Smith bungled the snap on a 27-yard try. Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza kicked the ball into the line and Stanford's A.J. Tarpley returned it 39 yards to the Stanford 44. The Irish also had a failed field goal attempt in the first quarter when Smith bobbled another snap and Brindza missed wide right on a 41-yard attempt. But Smith got the ball down for a 45-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter after putting gloves on. Kelly sarcastically called putting gloves on the holder "a revolutionary idea that will probably be now the biggest thing in college football."
4 7 10
GAME NOTES
Golson Rallies No. 9 Notre Dame To Win Over No. 14 Stanford, 17-14
3 0 0
117 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 113-124SeasonReview.indd 117
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2014 Game Summaries
Game 6 (North Carolina): Oct. 11, 2014 • Notre Dame, Ind. • Notre Dame Stadium Score by Quarters North Carolina #6/5 Notre Dame
1 14 7
2 12 21
No. 6 Notre Dame Pulls Out Victory Over North Carolina, 50-43 Golson throws three touchdown passes to keep Notre Dame undefeated at 6-0. NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - Everett Golson threw three touchdown passes and No. 6 Notre Dame remained unbeaten with a 50-43 victory over North Carolina. The 50-43 victory, the highest-scoring game in the 84-year-history of Notre Dame Stadium, wasn't secure for the Irish until Ben Koyack recovered the Tar Heels' onside kick with 47 seconds left. "We managed to find a way to battle back and get up on them and score 15 points late in the game and get a win," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "There are many, many things I could delve into, but I would say the thing that points up for me is that our guys know how to win football games. They found a way to win this one." It marked the second straight game the Irish (6-0) rallied to win in the fourth quarter. Last week, they beat Stanford with a touchdown with 61 seconds left. North Carolina (2-4) lost its fourth straight and fell to 0-12 all-time at Notre Dame Stadium. "I just left a team whose guts are ripped out of them right now," North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said. "They came here believing they were going to win a football game, and they came up short." Golson threw three touchdowns passes to overcome his three turnovers, giving him a total of nine turnovers in the past three games. He was 21-of-38 passing for 300 yards. "If you take away those three turnovers that I had, the score looks a little bit more relaxed. I will do better," Golson said. North Carolina's Marquise Williams threw two touchdown passes, ran for another score and caught a 23-yard TD pass from receiver Quinshad Davis late in the third quarter to give the Tar Heels a 36-35 lead. But mistakes hurt the Tar Heels as they have all season. A roughing-the-center penalty on North Carolina's Norkeithus Otis kept alive a drive that led to a 9-yard TD pass from Golson to Tarean Folston early in the fourth quarter and the Irish added a two-point conversion. But Kelly said the Notre Dame coaches alerted officials earlier that North Carolina was doing it. North Carolina was driving when Williams' short pass was intercepted by cornerback Cole Luke at the 26. That set up Folston's 6-yard scoring run, his third touchdown. Fedora called the interception unfortunate. "That guy played his heart out," Fedora said. "He really gave everything he had out there." Williams rushed for a career-high 132 yards and was 24-of-41 passing for 303 yards. "We couldn't tackle him," Kelly said. "We had two or three ties where we couldn't get him down." Fedora said Williams played as hard as he could. "He ran hard, he threw the ball. He gave us a chance," Fedora said. "He gave his team a chance to win a football game tonight." Fedora abandoned his practice of rotating quarterbacks. Mitch Trubisky, a redshirt freshman, had entered each game on the third offensive series, but didn't play against the Irish. Williams said that helped him get in a rhythm. "I was going with the flow and the guys were behind me," he said. Folston finished with 98 yards rushing for the Irish on 18 carries for Notre Dame. Will Fuller had seven catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. First Quarter 13:28 UNC 8:48 UNC 7:09 ND
3 10 7
4 7 15
F 43 50
Record: 2-4 Record: 6-0
Second Quarter 14:57 ND 9:56 ND 4:16 UNC 2:25 ND 1:20 UNC
McDaniel, 1 run (Brindza kick), 12-58 4:13 Bryant 7 run (Brindza kick), 7-77 3:12 Williams 3 run (Weiler kick blocked), 16-75 5:40 Folston 6 run (Brindza kick), 1-6 0:03 Davis 20 pass from Williams (Hibbard pass failed), 7-75 1:05
Third Quarter 11:52 ND 3:37 UNC 3:11 UNC
Fuller 35 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 5-62 1:46 Weiler 19 field goal, 8-78 2:34 Williams 23 pass from Davis (Weiler kick), 1-23 0:09
Fourth Quarter 10:39 ND Folston 9 pass from Golson (Koyack pass from Golson), 15-81 7:32 2:19 ND Folston 6 run (Brindza kick), 10-81 4:55 0:47 UNC Hollins 18 pass from Williams (Weiler kick), 10-75 1:32 FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
UNC ND 30 27 42-184 43-219 326 300 42-25-1 38-21-1 84-510 81-519 0-0 0-0 3-(-13) 0-0 2-35 5-57 1-29 1-0 5-39.0 5-41.8 2-1 2-2 9-94 10-76 27:23 32:37 9 of 17 7 of 15 0 of 0 1 of 1 5-6 6-6 1-6 0-0
RUSHING: North Carolina-Williams 18-132; Hood 17-27; Logan 4-13; Switzer 2-7; Morris 1-5. Notre Dame-Folston 18-98; Golson 12-71; Carlisle 3-19; Bryant 4-13; Prosise 1-12; McDaniel 3-10; Team 2-(-4). PASSING: North Carolina-Williams 24-41-1-303; Davis 1-1-23-1. Notre Dame-Golson 21-38-1-300. RECEIVING: North Carolina-Hollins 6-84; Morris 3-59; Davis 3-57; Tabb 3-30; Howard 3-23; Logan 3-10; Switzer 1-24; Williams 1-23; Proehl 1-11; Washington 1-5. Notre Dame-Fuller 7-133; Folston 5-71; Brown 2-30; Robinson 2-24; Bryant 2-12; Carlisle 1-21; Koyack 1-9; McDaniel 1-0. INTERCEPTIONS: North Carolina-Schoettmer 1-29. Notre Dame-Luke 1-0.
Hood 6 run (Weiler kick), 3-37 0:43 Schoettmer 29 interception return (Weiler kick) Fuller 13 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 5-88 1:39
FUMBLES: North Carolina-Hood 1-1; Williams 1-0. Notre Dame-Golson 2-2. SACKS: North Carolina-Rogers 1-0. Notre Dame-None. TACKLES: North Carolina-Lawrence 8-0; Scott 3-4; Hughes 3-2; Schoettmer 2-3; Farmer 1-4; Walker 4-0; Thomason 3-1; Stewart 2-2; Miles 3-0; Otis 1-2; Staub 2-0; Rogers 2-0; Jones 2-0; Bart 1-0; Powell 1-0; Rashad 1-0; Simmons 1-0; Tomlin 1-0; Collins 1-0; Brown 0-1; Drennon 0-1; Green 0-1; Smiley 0-1; Washington 0-1; Gnonkonde 0-1. Notre Dame-Schmidt 8-3; Redfield 7-3; Shumate 5-3; Riggs 5-1; Jones 2-3; Farley 3-1; Luke 2-2; Smith 1-3; Prosise 3-0; Okwara 2-1; Tranquill 0-3; Butler 2-0; Rochell 2-0; Utupo 1-1; Blankenship 0-2; Onwualu 1-0; Collinsworth 1-0; Councell 1-0; Martini 1-0; Day 0-1; Folston 0-1.
118 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 113-124SeasonReview.indd 118
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2014 Game Summaries MEDIA INFORMATION
Game 7 (Florida State): Oct. 18, 2014 • Tallahassee, Fla. • Doak Campbell Stadium Score by Quarters #5/5 Notre Dame #2/2 Florida State
1 7 7
2 10 3
Everett Golson throws for 313 yards and three touchdowns in loss to the Seminoles.
F 27 31
Record: 6-1 Record: 7-0
Robinson 1 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 12-84 6:43 Rudolph 11 pass from Winston (Aguayo kick), 4-65 1:51
Second Quarter 12:00 ND Robinson 9 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 2-31 0:40 4:46 FSU Aguayo 28 field goal, 10-39 3:41 0:39 ND Brindza 34 field goal, 14-67 4:01
Greene 10 pass from Winston (Aguayo kick), 9-70 4:17 Fuller 11 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 7-83 3:06 Williams 2 run (Aguayo kick), 7-75 3:48
Fourth Quarter 11:40 ND 7:39 FSU
Brindza 46 field goal,10-29 4:01 Williams 1 run (Aguayo kick), 10-75 4:01 ND FSU 26 18 35-157 26-50 313 273 52-31-2 31-23-1 87-470 57-323 0-0 0-0 1-5 1-17 4-67 3-64 1-0 2-5 3-43.7 5-42.2 2-0 0-0 9-67 9-84 32:51 27:09 7 of 18 2 of 8 2 of 5 0 of 0 4-5 5-5 1-8 3-13
2014 SEASON REVIEW
RUSHING: Notre Dame-Folston 21-120; Golson 11-33; McDaniel 1-3; Bryant 1-2; Carlisle 1-(-1). Florida State-Williams 8-25; Cook 12-20; Winston 4-8; Stevenson 1-0; Team 1-(-3).
RECEIVING: Notre Dame-Robinson 8-99; Fuller 8-79; Prosise 6-59; Brown 5-38; Koyack 2-29; Carlisle 2-9. Florida State-Greene 8-108; Rudolph 6-80; Wilson 4-45; O'Leary 3-13; Williams 2-27. INTERCEPTIONS: Notre Dame-Schmidt 1-0. Florida State-Pugh 2-5. FUMBLES: Notre Dame-Golson 1-0; Carlisle 1-0. Florida State-None.
TACKLES: Notre Dame-Schmidt 8-1; Jones 5-1; Luke 4-2; Shumate 3-2; Smith 4-0; Riggs 4-0; Farley 1-2; Redfield 1-2; Day 2-0; Prosise 1-1; Okwara 1-1; Rochell 1-0; Koyack 1-0; Blankenship 1-0; Martini 0-1; Onwualu 0-1; Turner 0-1; McDaniel 0-1. Florida State-Smith 7-4; Andrews 10-0; Darby 6-1; Hunter 6-0; Thomas 5-1; Northrup 2-3; Goldman 3-1; Edwards 2-2; Williams 1-3; Featherston 2-0; Ramsey 2-0; Pugh 1-1; Casher 1-1; Brutus 1-1; Mitchell 0-2; Vickers 1-0; Walker 1-0.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SACKS: Notre Dame-Okwara 1-8. Florida State-Smith 1-6; Casher 1-5; Goldman 1-2.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
PASSING: Notre Dame-Golson 31-52-2-313. Florida State-Winston 23-31-1-273
BOWL HISTORY
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
COACHES & STAFF
Third Quarter 10:37 FSU 7:26 ND 3:38 FSU
THE FIGHTING IRISH
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - For a few seconds, it looked as if Everett Golson and Notre Dame had another streak-busting victory, this time against the defending national champions from Florida State. As the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish celebrated an apparent goahead touchdown with 13 seconds left, flags flew. The call: offensive pass interference. The touchdown was gone. Golson's last pass was nowhere close and Notre Dame was done. After leading for most of the game, the Irish lost 31-27 to No. 2 Florida State. Golson was 31 for 52 for 313 yards and three touchdowns, an effort worthy of keeping him in the Heisman Trophy discussion. And Notre Dame will likely stay in contention for the College Football Playoff if it keeps winning. But ultimately Jameis Winston and the Seminoles had just enough to remain unbeaten and run their winning streak to 23. On its last drive, Notre Dame faced fourth-and-18 from its 43 after a sack by Terrance Smith. Golson bought a little time, rolled right and found Corey Robinson right at that first down marker for a first down, silencing the Florida State crowd for a moment. Golson did it again with a 17-yard pass to Will Fuller that gave the Irish a first down at the 20. Then a Golson run up the middle made it first-and-goal Irish at the 8 with 45 second left. Florida State shut down a screen on first down and broke up a slant on second. Golson faced a huge blitz and complete to Prosise for 6. On fourth-and-ball game, Golson found Robinson all by himself, but flags flew as the Irish celebrated, and the crowd exploded when pass interference was called on C.J. Prosise, who locked up Florida State safety Jalen Ramsey in the end zone, helping Robinson get free. After the last Irish play misfired, Winston took a knee to end it. Notre Dame has a long history of snapping winning streaks, including Oklahoma's NCAA record 47game winning streak back in 1957. Florida State's streak was modest by comparison, but still the best in the nation. As the Irish harassed Winston with defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder's blitzes and the Notre Dame offensive line opened up running lanes in Florida State's defense in the first half, it looked as if `Noles streak might become seventh of at least 20 games to be halted by the Irish. But the Seminoles had Winston. The Heisman showed off his NFL arm on Florida State's first drive of the second half, driving the `Noles to a tying touchdown on 10-yard slant to Rashad Greene. Golson and the Irish's response: an 83-yard touchdown drive, an inside screen Will Fuller took 11 yards to the end zone. Golson went to the locker room after the score to get an apparent leg problem checked. The junior came away a little gimpy after scrambling to avoid a rush and pushing a pass to Prosise for 13 yards on the play right before the touchdown. Sophomore backup Malik Zaire began warming up on the sideline, but before Florida State completed its second touchdown drive of the quarter and tied the score at 24, Golson had jogged back to the sideline. He never missed a play. Kyle Brindza's 46-yard field goal with 11:40 left in the fourth quarter gave Notre Dame a 27-24 lead, but Winston was just about unstoppable in the second half. The blitzes that got to him in the first, he stared down in the second half. The Irish secondary couldn't stay with Greene, Jesus Wilson and freshman Travis Rudolph. Winston picked the Irish apart and Karlos Williams' second short scoring run gave Florida State its first lead, 31-27, with 7:23 left in the fourth quarter. Winston finished with 273 yards and two touchdowns.
First Quarter 2:10 ND 0:19 FSU
4 3 7
GAME NOTES
No. 5 Notre Dame Falls At No. 2 Florida State, 31-27
3 7 14
119 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 113-124SeasonReview.indd 119
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2014 Game Summaries
Game 8 (Navy): Nov. 1, 2014 • Landover, Md. • FedEx Field Score by Quarters #6/7 Notre Dame Navy
1 14 7
2 14 10
No. 6 Notre Dame Defeats Navy, 49-39 Everett Golson threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in win over Navy. LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - On a night in which Notre Dame blew a 21-point lead and its youthful defense surrendered 454 yards, coach Brian Kelly still found reason to smile. Mostly because the sixth-ranked Fighting Irish somehow found a way to beat Navy 49-39. "As a coach that's really all you can ask for, to win a football game and give a lot of young guys experience," Kelly said Saturday night. "And then, not have to play Navy against until next year." Everett Golson became the first player in Notre Dame history to throw for three touchdowns and run for three scores. The Irish (7-1, No. 10 CFP) needed that kind of performance to win, because their defense had no answer for Navy's triple option. "It ended up being a game where we outscored them," Kelly said. After Notre Dame ended its first four possessions with touchdowns, the Midshipmen (4-5) tallied 24 straight points to move ahead 31-28 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. "It's a long game," Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds said. "You see time and time again, teams fighting back from 20-something points down. It's just one play at a time. Just keep fighting." Golson put Notre Dame back in front with a 3-yard burst into the end zone, and a 25-yard touchdown run by Tarean Folston made it 42-31 with 12:22 remaining. No, it wasn't over yet. Two missed field goals by the Irish kept Navy's hopes alive. The Midshipmen took advantage by scoring a touchdown and 2-point conversion to close to 42-39 with 4:18 remaining, but the onside kick failed and Golson wrapped it up with an 8-yard TD run with 1:27 to go. The game was quite similar to last year's, a 38-34 Notre Dame win. Painfully similar, as far as Reynolds was concerned. "It's disappointing," he said. "I'm tired of being almost close to beating Notre Dame. We just didn't make enough plays. We have to point the finger at ourselves." "I challenge anyone to put these guys on their schedule," Kelly said, "anybody that thinks Navy is an easy team to play. It's very difficult." Off last week, Notre Dame had two weeks to agonize over a 31-27 loss at Florida State. Needing a victory to stay relevant in the college football playoff, the Irish averaged nearly 10 yards on their 35 plays during the opening 30 minutes and finished with 533 yards. The defense wasn't nearly as impressive. Navy ran for 336 yards - most against Notre Dame this season - and the Irish have now yielded a total of 113 points in their last three games. Golson, however, was virtually unstoppable. He completed 18 for 25 passes for 315 yards and ran for 33 yards on nine carries to help Notre Dame to its highest point total of the season. Just like last year, when Notre Dame allowed 419 yards, the Irish counted on their offense to compensate for a defense that had all sorts of trouble. After cutting a 21-point deficit to 28-17 at halftime, Navy took the second-half kickoff and held the ball for 7 1/2 minutes before Geoffrey Whiteside scored on a 13-yard run. The Midshipmen then forced Notre Dame into its first punt in this series since 2012. Mids coach Ken Niumatalolo kept his offense on the field for a fourth-and-2 from the Navy 42, and Noah Copeland justified the decision with a 54-yard run around left end to set up a 4-yard touchdown by Chris Swain for a 31-28 lead. Golson's 3-yard TD run put the Irish back in front, and Navy tried to keep pace by pulling out a trick play on a third-and-7 from its own 39. Quarterback Keenan Reynolds pitched the ball to Copeland, who passed it to a wide-open Reynolds. But the ball went through Reynold's hands, and the Midshipmen had to punt. After Golson hit Chris Brown for a 42-yard gain, Folston scored for an 11-point cushion.
3 0 14 Second Quarter 14:06 ND 7:15 ND 2:30 NAVY 0:00 NAVY
4 21 8
F 49 39
Record: 7-1 Record: 4-5
Golson 5 run (Brindza kick), 11-76 4:47 Fuller 4 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 8-84 3:34 Brown 18 run (Grebe kick), 10-78 4:45 Grebe 44 field goal, 5-45 0:24
Third Quarter 7:29 NAVY Whiteside 13 run (Grebe kick), 15-75 7:31 4:09 NAVY Swain 4 run (Grebe kick), 6-66 2:12 Fourth Quarter 14:55 ND 12:22 ND 4:18 NAVY 1:27 ND
Golson 3 run (Brindza kick), 10-70 4:14 Folston 25 run (Brindza kick), 2-86 0:23 Swain 12 pass from Reynolds (Whiteside pass from Reynolds), 5-73 1:25 Golson 8 run (Brindza kick), 5-48 2:51
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
ND NAVY 25 23 39-218 60-336 315 118 25-18-1 17-6-1 64-533 77-454 0-0 0-0 2-0 0-0 3-67 3-54 1-7 1-14 1-45.0 3-48.3 1-0 0-0 1-5 3-56 26:53 33:07 7 of 10 7 of 16 0 of 0 3 of 5 5-6 4-4 2-18 1-15
RUSHING: Notre Dame-Folston 20-149; Golson 9-33; McDaniel 6-21; Prosise 1-14; Carlisle 1-5; Team 2-(-4). Navy-Copeland 16-138; Whiteside 5-52; Reynolds 18-47; Williams 6-24; Brown 2-21; Swain 5-21; Sanders 3-17; Romine 3-15; Gulley 1-2; Cass Jr. 1-(-1). PASSING: Notre Dame-Golson 18-25-1-315. Navy-Reynolds 6-15-1-118; Team 0-1-0-0; Copeland 0-10-0. RECEIVING: Notre Dame-Koyack 5-54; Fuller 3-16; Brown 2-82; Prosise 2-77; Folston 2-38; Robinson 2-34; McDaniel 1-7; Hunter Jr. 1-7. Navy-Williams 1-42; Wilson 1-26; Tillman 1-21; Dudeck 1-12; Swain 1-12; Brown 1-5. INTERCEPTIONS: Notre Dame-Utupo 1-7. Navy-Jamison 1-14. FUMBLES: Notre Dame-Team 1-0. Navy-None. SACKS: Notre Dame-Farley 2-18. Navy-Sarra 0.5-8; Uzoma 0.5-7.
First Quarter 14:08 ND Prosise 78 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 2-79 0:52 8:00 NAVY Wilson 26 pass from Reynolds (Grebe, Austin kick), 11-75 6:08 4:53 ND Koyack 2 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 8-65 3:07
TACKLES: Notre Dame-Martini 6-3; Schmidt 4-4; Onwualu 5-2; Redfield 3-4; Smith, J. 3-3; Tranquill 5-0; Day 4-1; Jones 4-1; Morgan 3-1; Utupo 1-3; Rochell 1-3; Farley 3-0; Riggs 2-0; Shumate 1-1; McDaniel 1-0; Prosise 1-0; Hill 1-0; Turner 1-0. Navy-Jamison 5-3; Drake 5-2; Clements 4-1; Adams 2-2; Sarra 1-3; Gonzales 3-0; Tuider 3-0; Johnson 3-0; Harris 2-1; Gaines 2-1; Uzoma 2-1; Goble 2-1; Palmore 2-0; Anthony 0-2; White, She. 1-0; White, Sha. 1-0; Tillman 1-0; Quessenberry 1-0; Singleton 0-1.
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2014 Game Summaries MEDIA INFORMATION
Game 9 (Arizona State): Nov. 8, 2014 • Tempe, Ariz. • Sun Devil Stadium Score by Quarters #8/8 Notre Dame #11/12 Arizona State
1 3 17
2 7 17
Everett Golson finished with 446 yards and two touchdowns in loss to the Sun Devils.
Second Quarter 14:20 ASU 11:12 ASU 1:09 ASU 0:11 ND
Randall 59 interception return (Gonzalez kick) Smith 43 pass from Kelly (Gonzalez kick), 5-64 1:54 Gonzalez 28 field goal, 14-61 5:19 Fuller 9 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 4-75 0:52
Third Quarter 5:12 ND
McDaniel 1 run (Brindza kick), 7-56 3:44
Fourth Quarter 9:12 ND 6:37 ND 4:29 ASU 3:41 ASU 0:52 ASU
McDaniel 1 run (Brindza kick), 7-50 2:29 Carlisle 25 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 2-59 0:41 Richard 4 pass from Kelly (Gonzalez kick), 5-75 2:08 Carrington 58 interception return (Gonzalez kick) Kelly 2 run (Gonzalez kick), 4-8 2:20 ND ASU 24 22 38-41 45-188 446 224 41-22-4 28-17-1 79-487 73-412 0-0 1-6 2-3 0-0 4-102 2-33 1-27 4-123 4-44.2 6-39.3 3-1 1-0 5-43 3-19 30:33 29:27 5 of 13 5 of 15 1 of 3 1 of 1 4-6 5-5 1-7 7-64
RUSHING: Notre Dame-Folston 11-30; McDaniel 9-24; Zaire 1-6; Team 1-(-8); Golson 16-(-11); . Arizona State-Foster 21-120; Richard 13-50; Kelly 7-18; Ballage 2-6; Team 2-(-6).
BOWL HISTORY
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
2014 SEASON REVIEW
PASSING: Notre Dame-Golson 22-41-4-446. Arizona State-Kelly 17-28-1-224. RECEIVING: Notre Dame-Fuller 6-95; Carlisle 3-92; Robinson 3-57; Prosise 2-85; Koyack 2-34; Hunter 2-14; Brown 1-34; McDaniel 1-24; Smythe 1-7; Bryant 1-4. Arizona State-Strong 5-58; Smith 4-67; Richard 3-51; Kohl 2-12; Gammage 1-17; Foster 1-10; Nelson 1-9. INTERCEPTIONS: Notre Dame-Farley 1-27. Arizona State-Randall 1-59; Carrington 1-58; Brown 1-6; Hardison 1-0. FUMBLES: Notre Dame-Golson 2-1; Team 1-0. Arizona State-Team 1-0.
TACKLES: Notre Dame-Redfield 9-1; Smith 8-0; Shumate 5-1; Day 5-0; Trumbetti 4-0; Morgan 4-0; Rochell 4-0; Farley 3-0; Luke 3-0; Butler 2-0; Utupo 2-0; Hardy 1-0; Fuller 1-0; Prosise 1-0; Jones 1-0; Folston 1-0; Tranquill 1-0. Arizona State-Simone 9-0; Carrington 8-0; Fiso 6-1; Moeakiola 6-0; Randall 6-0; Longino 3-2; Brown 3-0; Latu 2-1; Garoutte 2-0; Perry 2-0; Smallwood 2-0; Cherry 1-1; Hardison 1-0; Latu 1-0; Johnson 1-0; Kohl 1-0; Fraboni 1-0; Sam 0-1.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SACKS: Notre Dame-Farley 1-7. Arizona State-Simone 1-1; Carrington 1-11; Moeakiola 1-4; Longino 1-9; Latu 1-22; Smallwood 1-13; Hardison 1-4.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Brindza 46 field goal, 14-59 6:30 Gonzalez 47 field goal, 9-45 2:33 Strong 13 pass from Kelly (Gonzalez kick), 1-13 0:06 Richard 1 run (Gonzalez kick), 3-23 0:57
Record: 7-2 Record: 8-1
COACHES & STAFF
First Quarter 6:19 ND 3:46 ASU 3:19 ASU 2:16 ASU
F 31 55
THE FIGHTING IRISH
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - What appeared to be a program-defining win in the first half had turned on Arizona State. The Sun Devils were on their heels, a 31-point lead down to three with a few minutes left, another spirit-crushing loss seemingly on the way. Regaining composure after Notre Dame's furious second-half rally, No. 11 Arizona State scored three late touchdowns and bolstered its playoff hopes with a 55-31 victory over the eighth-ranked Irish. "You're not going to be great without facing adversity," Arizona State coach Todd Graham said. "But I sure wish it was easier." Playing in one of the biggest home games in program history, Arizona State (8-1, No. 9 CFP) appeared to be headed toward a dominating victory, harassing Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson into three turnovers in a 4-minute span in the first half. Spurred by the momentum-swinging plays, including Damarious Randall's 59-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Sun Devils raced to a 34-3 lead against one of the nation's premier programs. But before they could celebrate, Notre Dame charged back. With Golson leading the way, the Irish (7-2, No. 10 CFP) picked apart Arizona State's defense, scoring three straight second-half touchdowns, the last a 25-yard touchdown pass from Golson to Amir Carlisle that made it 34-31 with 6 1/2 minutes left. The Sun Devils fought back. Taylor Kelly threw his third touchdown pass of the game, a 4-yarder to Demario Richard. Lloyd Carrington came up with Arizona State's second interception for a touchdown, turning a bobbled pass into a 58-yard score. Kelly capped it with a 2-yard scoring run around the right end. If it wasn't the biggest win in Sun Devils' history, it's right up there. "Getting a win on a national stage like that is big for this program," said Kelly, who threw for 224 yards. The Irish can point to turnovers for their demise. Golson threw for 446 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but, as has been the case over the past six games, had a hard time holding onto the ball. He had three turnovers in a four-minute span of the first half, allowing Arizona State to race out to a 24-3 lead by the first minute of the second quarter. Golson also lost a fumble, giving him 17 turnovers in six games. Holder Hunter Smith added to Notre Dame's problems, dropping a fourth-quarter snap on a short field goal. "It's all on me, really," said Golson, who was sacked seven times. "You play with fire as much as I did today you are going to get burned eventually." After losing to Notre Dame 37-34 last season in Texas, the Sun Devils appeared to be on their way to a rout in the rematch, jumping out to a 21-point lead with the help of two turnovers in 12 seconds. "This game was set up for our offense to win the game," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "We put our defense in such a bad situation today." Once the second half got going, so did the Irish. Cam McDaniel scored a pair of 1-yard runs and Carlisle was left wide open for his touchdown catch, pulling the Irish within 34-31. "You could feel the momentum change," Graham said Unlike many of their previous big games, the Sun Devils found a way to pull this one out. The offense, shut down most of the second half, finally found its rhythm on the late scoring drive. The defense, on its heels after halftime, came up with one more big play.
4 14 21
GAME NOTES
No. 8 Notre Dame Falls at No. 11 Arizona State, 55-31
3 7 0
121 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 113-124SeasonReview.indd 121
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2014 Game Summaries
Game 10 (Northwestern): Nov. 15, 2014 • Notre Dame, Ind. • Notre Dame Stadium Score by Quarters 1 Northwestern 9 #15/16 Notre Dame 20
2 14 7
No. 15 Notre Dame Falls to Northwestern, 43-40, in Overtime Will Fuller catches three touchdown passes. NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - No. 15 Notre Dame made way too many mistakes to beat even a team struggling as much as Northwestern. It started with a blocked extra point that was returned for a two-point conversion by the Wildcats. Twice Notre Dame turned the ball over in the second half on plays that started at the 5-yard line. Then there were two missed field goals and defensive blunders. In the end, a Northwestern team that hadn't scored 30 points all season pulled out a 43-40 win in overtime. "They weren't errors. They were critical errors," coach Brian Kelly said. There was also a decision by Kelly to go for the two-point conversion when the Irish took an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter. "At that point, it was a coin toss of one or two, so we decided to go for two," Kelly said. Kelly said the chart he has said they should go for one, but the coaching staff felt because Notre Dame has been struggling with field goals he wanted to try to expand the lead. But he couldn't say why a 13-point lead was better than a 12-point lead. "There's no advantage in retrospect," he said. Northwestern's Jack Mitchell forced the game into overtime with a 45-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in regulation, then hit a 41-yard field goal for the victory. Even the hardiest of Wildcats fans might have given up hope when the Irish took the lead when Will Fuller caught his third touchdown pass with 10:34 left. Northwestern's next drive stalled at the Notre Dame 26 and a 43-yard attempt from Mitchell was blocked by Mike McGlinchey. But the Wildcats gave themselves a chance when they drove 73 yards in less than two minutes and quarterback Trevor Siemian scored untouched on a 6-yard run with 4:10 left. Warren Long made a twopoint conversion on a run after Notre Dame (7-3, No. 18 CFP) was called for pass interference. Mitchell then kicked a 45-yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Overtime. Then he nailed a 41-yard field goal for the game-winner after Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza missed from 42 yards. Ultimately, it might be an even more shocking outcome than the 1995 game. Sure, the Wildcats were 28-point underdogs in that game, but they finished the season 10-2, played in the Rose Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 8. This year's Wildcats had lost four straight and were floundering offensively. The Irish defense struggled as it gave up 30 or more points for a fifth straight game, only the second time that's happened. The other time was in the first five games of 2007, when the Irish finished 3-9 in one of the worst season's in Notre Dame history. "So many things happened in that game that it's hard to put them all in perspective as I'm standing here right now," Kelly said. "We had the game pretty much in our hands and we turned the ball over." Northwestern (4-6, 2-4 Big Ten) which had minus 9 yards rushing last week against Michigan, rushed for 263 yards and had 547 yards of total offense, both season highs. Justin Jackson, who led Northwestern with 149 yards and a touchdown, said it was a big win for the seniors. Everett Golson threw three touchdown passes to Will Fuller and scored on a 61-yard run, but he also threw an interception and had a fumble. He has 19 turnovers in the past seven games. Tarean Folston rushed for 106 yards. First Quarter 14:16 ND 11:28 NU 7:15 ND 7:15 NU 2:26 ND
Golson 61 run (Brindza kick), 4-75 0:44 Alviti 2 run (Mitchell kick) 9-74 2:48 Collinsworth 32 fumble recovery (Brindza kick blocked) VanHoose PAT return Folston 6 run (Brindza kick) 4-64 1:24
Second Quarter 14:54 NU Prater 4 pass from Siemian (Mitchell kick), 8-75 2:32 9:12 NU Jackson 4 run (Mitchell kick), 1-4 0:06 5:27 ND Fuller 23 pass from Golson (Brindza kick) 11-84-3:45
3 3 7
4 OT F 14 3 43 Record: 4-6 6 0 40 Record: 7-3
Third Quarter 11:11 NU 3:36 ND
Mitchell 31 field goal, 10-60-3:49 Fuller 23 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 9-55 3:06
Fourth Quarter 14:18 NU 10:34 ND 4:10 NU 0:19 NU
Mitchell 46 field goal, 10-46-4:18 Fuller 11 pass from Golson (Golson pass failed), 3-13 0:49 Siemian 6 run (Long rush), 9-73 1:58 Mitchell 45 field goal, 9-44 1:09
Overtime 15:00 NU
Mitchell 41 field goal, 4-1 0:00
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
NU ND 28 28 48-263 40-211 284 287 48-30-2 40-21-1 96-547 80-498 0-0 2-37 1-(-3) 1-0 5-97 7-133 1-65 2-55 1-47.0 3-35.8 3-2 4-3 5-62 4-47 31:48 28:12 8 of 20 7 of 15 1 of 3 1 of 1 5-6 2-4 0-0 2-17
RUSHING: Northwestern-Jackson 23-149; Green 10-67; Siemian 10-32; Jones 1-14; Long 1-4; Team 1-(-1); Alviti 2-(-2). Notre Dame-Folston 20-106; Golson 10-78; Carlisle 1-16; McDaniel 4-12; Bryant 1-5; Brown 1-5; Prosise 2-(-3); Team 1-(-8). PASSING: Northwestern-Siemian 30-48-2-284. Notre Dame-Golson 21-40-1-287. RECEIVING: Northwestern-Prater 10-81; Dickerson, C. 6-97; Jones 4-21; Vitale 2-24; Long 2-18; Dickerson, G. 2-14; Green 2-10; Hanrahan 1-10; Jackson 1-9. Notre Dame-Fuller 9-159; Brown 5-60; Koyack 2-22; Robinson 2-14; Folston 2-(-1); Prosise 1-33. INTERCEPTIONS: Northwestern-Walker 1-65. Notre Dame-Farley 1-39; Luke 1-16. FUMBLES: Northwestern-Jackson 1-1; Dickerson, C. 1-0; Dickerson, G. 1-1. Notre Dame-McDaniel 1-1; Robinson 1-0; Brown 1-1; Golson 1-1. SACKS: Northwestern-None. Notre Dame-Day 1-10; Rochell 1-7. TACKLES: Northwestern-Henry 4-8; Igwebuike 7-1; Campbell 6-1; Hall 4-3; Harris 4-2; Lowry 3-3; Walker 2-4; Ariguzo 3-1; Smith 2-1; VanHoose 2-0; Washington 2-0; Odenigbo 0-2; Robbins 0-2; Chapman 0-2; Szott 1-0; Jones 1-0; Vitable 1-0; Prater 1-0; Kuhar 0-1; Carter 0-1. Notre Dame-Smith 4-6; Morgan 3-7; Rochell 5-4; Luke 5-2; Jones 4-3; Tranquill 4-3; Butler 6-0; Martini 3-2; Riggs 3-1; Farley 3-1; Onwualu 2-2; Collinsworth 2-1; Utupo 1-2; Shumate 1-2; Trumbetti 1-1; Day 1-1; Prosise 0-2; Fuller 1-0; Turner 1-0; Redfield 1-0; Cavalaris 0-1; Okwara 0-1; Blankenship 0-1.
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2014 Game Summaries MEDIA INFORMATION
Game 11 (Louisville): Nov. 22, 2014 • Notre Dame, Ind. • Notre Dame Stadium Score by Quarters Louisville Notre Dame
1 14 3
2 3 3
Golson throws for 236 yards and two touchdowns in loss.
F 31 28
Record: 8-3 Record: 7-4
Brindza 28 field goal, 6-43 3:06 Bonnafon 12 run (Wallace kick), 10-75 4:53 Bonnafon 8 run (Wallace kick), 8-93 3:43
Second Quarter 14:51 ND Brindza 37 field goal, 5-53 1:03 9:01 UofL Wallace 26 field goal, 4-2 1:54
Folston 6 run (Brindza kick), 3-51 0:45 Robinson 7 pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 3-3 1:26 Parker 21 pass from Bonnafon (Wallace kick), 8-81 3:34
Fourth Quarter 14:55 UofL 11:17 ND
Radcliff 15 run (Wallace kick), 6-80 3:11 Fuller 28 pass from Golson (Golson rush), 7-73 3:38 UofL ND 23 16 50-229 29-99 180 236 21--8-1 24-16-1 71-409 53-335 0-0 0-0 1-14 1-61 2-44 6-151 1-12 1-(-2) 4-41.5 4-46.8 0-0 1-0 8-57 3-36 35:31 24:29 6 of 14 4 of 11 0 of 0 0 of 0 4-5 4-5 3-20 4-32
2014 SEASON REVIEW
RUSHING: Louisville-Radcliff 17-136; Dyer 13-61; Bonnafon 15-35; Brown 1-4; Quick 1-(-3); Team 1-(-4). Notre Dame-Folston 18-134; McDaniel 2-22; Prosise 1-(-2); Team 2-(-7); Golson 6-(-48).
RECEIVING: Louisville-Parker 4-65; de la Cruz 2-70; Christian 1-38; Rogers 1-7. Notre Dame-Fuller 5-109; Brown 4-49; Robinson 3-41; Prosise 2-25; Hunter 1-7; Koyack 1-5. INTERCEPTIONS: Louisville-Gaines 1-12. Notre Dame-Tranquill 1-(-2). FUMBLES: Louisville-None. Notre Dame-Golson 1-0.
TACKLES: Louisville-Floyd 6-2; Kelsey 4-2; Sample 4-1; Reve 4-1; Rankins 3-0; Gaines 3-0; Mount 3-0; D. Brown 2-1; Burgess 1-2; Mauldin 2-0; K. Brown 0-2; Williams 1-0; Ross 1-0; Wallace 1-0; Cannon 0-1; Young 0-1; Vatuvei 0-1; Scott 0-1; Holliman 0-1. Notre Dame-Smith 5-6; Morgan 3-7; Farley 3-4; Collinsworth 3-3; Matuska 4-1; Tranquill 2-3; Luke 3-0; Rochell 2-1; Okwara 1-2; Trumbetti 1-2; Prosise 1-1; Martini 1-1; Utupo 0-2; Onwualu 1-0; McDaniel 1-0; Fuller 1-0; Riggs 1-0; Hayes 1-0; Randolph 0-1; Jones 0-1; Butler 0-1. | Percent Graduation Rate College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 99 44
113-124SeasonReview.indd 123
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
SACKS: Louisville-Burgess 1-10; D. Brown 1-6; Kelsey 1-4. Notre Dame-Martini 1-14; Rochell 1-10; Matuska 1-5; Jones 0.5-2; Okwara 0.5-1.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
PASSING: Louisville-Bonnafon 8-21-1-180. Notre Dame-Golson 16-24-1-236.
BOWL HISTORY
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
COACHES & STAFF
Third Quarter 12:47 ND 9:20 ND 5:46 UofL
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) - Louisville didn't panic when Notre Dame, aided by a 61-yard punt return, scored two quick touchdowns early in the third quarter to take the lead. The Cardinals answered with a pair of touchdowns of their own, stopped Notre Dame at the nine-yard line and avoided overtime when Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza kicked a 32-yard field goal as the Cardinals held on for a 31-28 victory. "Things were a bit rough there for a minute," Louisville quarterback Reggie Bonnafon said. "We just kept our composure and knew that we were going to turn it back around and keep executing our game plan and that's what happened." Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said he was happy for his players. "We knew it was going to be a fourth-quarter game," Petrino said. "They competed extremely hard. I think our assistant coaches on offense did a great job on the sideline of calming our guys down, keeping our poise." The Irish had a chance to force overtime but Kyle Brindza missed a 32-yard field goal wide right with 51 seconds left. It was the second straight time a missed field goal cost Notre Dame a game. Brindza missed a field goal in overtime a week earlier against Northwestern. "We've lost back to back games because we couldn't put down a ball and kick it 32 yards," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. Bonnafon ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw a 21-yard scoring pass to DeVante Parker for the Cardinals. Bonnafon was 8-of-31 passing for 180 yards with one interception. "Reggie did an unbelievable job in the fourth quarter of leading us down the field," Petrino said. The Cardinals (8-3) kept alive their hopes for a third straight season of at least 10 wins. The Irish (7-4), after starting the season 6-0 and being ranked No. 5, have lost four of their last five, and the three straight losses is the longest losing streak for the Irish since Kelly's first season as coach in 2010. "It definitely hurts," Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson said. The Irish gave up 30 or more points for the sixth straight game, the first time that's happened in 126 seasons of football. The 242 points Notre Dame has given up in the span is the most ever by Notre Dame in six games. The Irish - already playing without defensive lineman Sheldon Day, a captain, and middle linebacker Joe Schmidt, a leader, because of injuries - lost defensive lineman Jarron Jones and cornerback Cody Riggs early in the game because of injuries. "We played a lot of freshmen in there and a lot of young guys. They battled as best they could," Kelly said Radcliff rushed for 136 yards as Louisville amassed 229 yards rushing while holding the Irish to 99 yards running. "We felt like we could run the ball, and we did it late in the game, which is real important to winning games," Petrino said. Golson passed for two touchdowns and rallied the Irish from an 11-point deficit to within three points. He drove the Irish down to the 9-yard line. But he was sacked for a 6-yard loss with 61 seconds left and then his pass to C.J. Prosise was incomplete. Golson was 16-of-24 passing for 236 yards and threw his 13th interception of the season. The Irish closed to 31-28 early in the fourth quarter when Golson scrambled for time and threw to Corey Robinson in the end zone. The ball ricocheted off Robinson and Will Fuller caught it for his 14th TD of the season. Fuller had five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Tarean Folston ran for 134 yards and a touchdown for the Irish. Fuller said the Irish were disappointed they couldn't get a win for the seniors in their final home game. "I wish we could do something to have that moment back and win," he said.
First Quarter 11:54 ND 7:01 UofL 0:54 UofL
4 7 8
GAME NOTES
Notre Dame Rally Falls Short Against Louisville, 31-28
3 7 14
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2014 Game Summaries
Game 12 (USC): Nov. 29, 2014 • Los Angeles, Calif. • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Score by Quarters Notre Dame USC
1 0 21
2 7 14
Notre Dame Falls to USC, 49-14 Malik Zaire led the Irish with 170 yards in loss to USC. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Cody Kessler passed for 372 yards and threw two of his six touchdown passes to George Farmer, leading Southern California to a 49-14 victory over Notre Dame in the 86th edition of the intersectional rivalry. Adoree Jackson, Darreus Rogers and Nelson Agholor also caught TD passes in a dynamic first half for the Trojans (8-4), who jumped to a 35-0 lead in the second quarter. USC easily reclaimed the Jeweled Shillelagh after two straight losses to the Irish, piling up 577 yards against Notre Dame's injury-plagued defense. With Kessler's second-half scoring throw to Randall Telfer, Notre Dame yielded six touchdown passes for the first time in the program's 127-year history. That defensive low caps a miserable second-half slide for the Irish (7-5), who have lost five of their last six games. Everett Golson struggled mightily before Malik Zaire replaced him late in the first half with Notre Dame already trailing by 35. Zaire led a scoring drive and finished with 170 yards passing, providing hope for Notre Dame's future. But the present in this rivalry belongs to the Trojans, who rebounded from their lifeless effort last week in a blowout loss to UCLA in their other big rivalry game. "These guys have been such a resilient group all year," said USC coach Steve Sarkisian, who won his first shot at Notre Dame. "They have been through so much, and they keep working." Kessler, who went 32 for 40, also became the first quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a half against Notre Dame while completing 16 straight passes in a stretch spanning halftime. After setting his career high in completions, the junior finished the regular season with 3,505 yards passing and 36 TDs against just four interceptions. Agholor caught 12 passes for 120 yards in perhaps his final game at USC, while Justin Davis rushed for 81 yards and a 16-yard score in the third quarter. Javorius Allen added 93 yards rushing. Before the final regular-season game of its NCAA sanctions era, USC said farewell to a small senior class. Several upperclassmen left with memorable games: J.R. Tavai matched his previous season total with 3 1/2 sacks, including a fourth-down sack with 4 minutes to play, while Gerald Bowman had an interception and Hayes Pullard recovered a fumble as USC built its lead. Greg Bryant rushed for 79 yards and a late TD for Notre Dame. The low stakes didn't matter to fans as USC and Notre Dame closed out two disappointing regular seasons on a brilliant sunny day at the Coliseum, which hosted the schools' first meeting on Dec. 4, 1926. Obviously aware of Notre Dame's injury woes on defense, USC opened the game at a high offensive tempo, running the ball right at the depleted Irish front. After a TD throw was overturned on video review in USC's first drive, Kessler hit Farmer in stride for a beautiful 48-yard TD moments later. Jackson, USC's two-way freshman star, came out of the backfield for a 16-yard TD catch before Farmer capped the first quarter with a 31-yard TD catch down the seam. Rogers and Agholor caught scoring passes while USC ran away from Notre Dame, which mounted nothing on offense with Golson behind center. Zaire sparked the Irish, getting a 49-yard completion on his first collegiate throw before rushing for an 11-yard score shortly before halftime. Jackson sat out the second half with an apparent concussion.
3 7 14 First Quarter 6:50 USC 3:36 USC 0:43 USC
4 0 0
F 14 49
Record: 7-5 Record: 8-4
Farmer 48 pass from Kessler (Heidari kick), 5-80 1:38 Jackson 16 pass from Kessler (Heidari kick), 7-51 2:01 Farmer 31 pass from Kessler (Heidari kick), 5-55 1:25
Second Quarter 10:51 USC Rogers 6 pass from Kessler (Heidari kick), 6-51 1:26 5:15 USC Agholor 14 pass from Kessler (Heidari kick), 7-51 2:58 4:11 ND Zaire 11 run (Brindza kick), 3-64 0:58 Third Quarter 11:19 USC 6:02 USC 2:48 ND
Telfer 9 pass from Kessler (Heidari kick), 11-75 3:41 Davis 16 run (Heidari kick), 11-70 3:58 Bryant 1 run (Brindza kick), 9-75 3:14
FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards
ND USC 20 35 25-104 53-205 245 372 39-16-1 40-32-0 64-349 93-577 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 5-94 0-0 0-0 1-24 5-40.0 2-35.5 2-1 0-0 3-35 6-45 22:21 37:39 6 of 14 13 of 18 0 of 1 2 of 3 2-3 5-6 2-15 4-25
RUSHING: Notre Dame-Bryant 7-79; Zaire 6-18; Folston 4-14; McDaniel 3-11; Prosise 1-4; Team 1-(-8); Golson 3-(-14). USC-Allen 19-93; Davis 19-81; Toland IV 6-20; Neyer 2-5; Farmer 1-4; Kessler 5-3; Team 1-(-1). PASSING: Notre Dame-Zaire 9-20-0-170; Golson 7-18-1-75; Team 0-1-0-0. USC-Kessler 32-40-0-372. RECEIVING: Notre Dame-Fuller 5-75; Robinson 3-34; Brown 2-53; Prosise 2-45; Folston 2-13; Carlisle 1-14; Koyack 1-11. USC-Agholor 12-120; Smith 5-48; Farmer 4-85; Telfer 3-28; Dixon 3-27; Rogers 2-20; Allen 1-17; Jackson 1-16; Mitchell 1-11. INTERCEPTIONS: Notre Dame-None. USC-Bowman 1-24. FUMBLES: Notre Dame-Team 1-0; Golson 1-1. USC-None. SACKS: Notre Dame-Blankenship 1-8; Smith 1-7. USC-Tavai 3.5-23; Pelon 0.5-2. TACKLES: Notre Dame-Smith 6-8; Shumate 9-4; Morgan 6-5; Farley 6-2; Hardy 5-3; Butler 6-1; Okwara 4-2; Utupo 2-4; Luke 1-5; Martini 3-2; Redfield 1-4; Blankenship 2-0; Collinsworth 2-0; Hounshell 1-1; Hegarty 1-0; Rochell 1-0; Koyack 0-1; Cage 0-1; Martin 0-1. USC-Plattenburg 4-3; Bowman 3-4; Cravens 4-2; Tavai 4-1; Sarao 2-3; Williams 2-3; Woods 0-4; Jackson 2-1; Pullard 1-2; Hawkins 2-0; Pelon 1-1; Katrib 0-2; Seymour 1-0; Vainuku 1-0; McQuay III 1-0; Smith 0-1; Powell 0-1; Shaw 0-1; Simmons 0-1.
124 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 113-124SeasonReview.indd 124
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2014 Statistics Opponent RICE MICHIGAN vs. Purdue vs. Syracuse #14 STANFORD NORTH CAROLINA at #2 Florida State vs. Navy at #11 Arizona State NORTHWESTERN LOUISVILLE at USC
Result W W W W W W L W L L (OT) L L
Score Overall Time Attend 48-17 1-0 3:07 80795 31-0 2-0 3:17 80795 30-14 3-0 3:28 56832 31-15 4-0 3:45 76802 17-14 5-0 3:28 80795 50-43 6-0 3:44 80795 27-31 6-1 3:27 82431 49-39 7-1 3:25 36807 31-55 7-2 3:35 65870 40-43 7-3 4:12 80795 28-31 7-4 3:19 80795 14-49 7-5 3:14 79586
PASSING Everett Golson Malik Zaire Team Total Opponents
G-GS Effic Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg / G 12-12 144.12 250-416-14 60.1 3355 29 78 279.6 6-0 116.40 9-20-0 45.0 170 0 49 28.3 8-0 0.00 0-1-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 12 142.52 259-437-14 59.3 3525 29 78 293.8 12 131.42 242-399-16 60.7 2878 22 60 239.8
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Score By Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total Notre Dame 82 128 80 106 0 396 Opponents 110 86 62 90 3 351
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long Cody Riggs 13 95 7.3 0 25 Greg Bryant 7 95 13.6 0 61 James Onwualu 1 6 6.0 0 6 Total 21 196 9.3 0 61 Opponents 8 39 4.9 0 17
BOWL HISTORY
RECEIVING G-GS No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg / G Will Fuller 12-12 71 1037 14.6 14 75 86.4 Corey Robinson 12-2 40 539 13.5 5 32 44.9 Chris Brown 12-10 35 499 14.3 1 49 41.6 Ben Koyack 12-12 29 305 10.5 2 28 25.4 C.J. Prosise 12-6 26 482 18.5 2 78 40.2 Amir Carlisle 11-6 20 287 14.4 3 35 26.1 Tarean Folston 12-9 16 178 11.1 1 37 14.8 Cam McDaniel 12-3 9 76 8.4 0 24 6.3 Torii Hunter Jr. 9-0 7 65 9.3 1 14 7.2 Greg Bryant 11-0 5 50 10.0 0 17 4.5 Durham Smythe 12-0 1 7 7.0 0 7 0.6 Total 12 259 3525 13.6 29 78 293.8 Opponents 12 242 2878 11.9 22 60 239.8
2014 SEASON REVIEW
G-GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg / G 12-9 154 831 15 816 5.3 5 26 68.0 11-0 52 298 11 287 5.5 3 27 26.1 12-12 113 526 249 277 2.5 8 61 23.1 12-3 76 286 12 274 3.6 4 23 22.8 6-0 11 109 18 91 8.3 1 56 15.2 12-6 7 57 6 51 7.3 0 26 4.2 11-6 6 40 1 39 6.5 0 16 3.5 9-0 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 7 1.4 12-10 1 5 0 5 5.0 0 4 0.4 8-0 11 0 43 -43 -3.9 0 0 -5.4 12 433 2165 355 1810 4.2 21 61 150.8 12 487 2275 335 1940 4.0 19 54 161.7
COACHES & STAFF
RUSHING Tarean Folston Greg Bryant Everett Golson Cam McDaniel Malik Zaire C.J. Prosise Amir Carlisle Torii Hunter Jr. Chris Brown Team Total Opponents
ND OPP SCORING 396 351 Points Per Game 33.0 29.2 Points Off Turnovers 114 233 FIRST DOWNS 286 261 Rushing 103 113 Passing 159 132 Penalty 24 16 RUSHING YARDAGE 1810 1940 Yards gained rushing 2165 2275 Yards lost rushing 355 335 Rushing Attempts 433 487 Average Per Rush 4.2 4.0 Average Per Game 150.8 161.7 TDs Rushing 21 19 PASSING YARDAGE 3525 2878 Comp-Att-Int 259-437-14 242-399-16 Average Per Pass 8.1 7.2 Average Per Catch 13.6 11.9 Average Per Game 293.8 239.8 TDs Passing 29 22 TOTAL OFFENSE 5335 4818 Total Plays 870 886 Average Per Play 6.1 5.4 Average Per Game 444.6 401.5 KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 41-858 24-488 PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 21-196 8-39 INT RETURNS: #-Yards 16-138 14-301 KICK RETURN AVERAGE 20.9 20.3 PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 9.3 4.9 INT RETURN AVERAGE 8.6 21.5 FUMBLES-LOST 23-12 12-6 PENALTIES-Yards 56-472 77-689 Average Per Game 39.3 57.4 PUNTS-Yards 47-1957 52-2141 Average Per Punt 41.6 41.2 Net punt average 37.8 36.6 KICKOFFS-Yards 76-4812 63-3895 Average Per Kick 63.3 61.8 Net kick average 40.8 40.7 TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 29:15 30:45 3RD-DOWN Conversions 79/173 74/182 3rd-Down Pct 46% 41% 4TH-DOWN Conversions 7/14 11/23 4th-Down Pct 50% 48% SACKS BY-Yards 24-190 28-208 MISC YARDS 16 39 TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 51 45 FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS 13-23 12-19 ON-SIDE KICKS 0-0 0-4 RED-ZONE SCORES (46-57) 81% (41-48) 85% RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS (37-57) 65% (34-48) 71% PAT-ATTEMPTS (47-48) 98% (39-41) 95% ATTENDANCE 484770 227887 Games/Avg Per Game 6/80795 3/75962 Neutral Site Games 3/56814
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Individual Stats
Team Stats
GAME NOTES
Date Aug. 30 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Results (7-5)
125 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 125
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2014 Statistics Individual Stats INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg TD Long Matthias Farley 4 87 21.8 0 39 Cole Luke 4 13 3.2 0 16 Joe Schmidt 2 0 0.0 0 0 Devin Butler 1 0 0.0 0 0 Cody Riggs 1 0 0.0 0 0 Justin Utupo 1 7 7.0 0 7 Max Redfield 1 17 17.0 0 17 Drue Tranquill 1 -2 -2.0 0 0 Elijah Shumate 1 16 16.0 0 16 Total 16 138 8.6 0 39 Opponents 14 301 21.5 4 65 KICK RETURNS Amir Carlisle Greg Bryant Cam McDaniel Justin Utupo Total Opponents
No. Yds Avg TD Long 33 713 21.6 0 47 4 85 21.2 0 29 3 49 16.3 0 20 1 11 11.0 0 11 41 858 20.9 0 47 24 488 20.3 0 42
FUMBLE RETURNS No. Yds Elijah Shumate 1 6 Drue Tranquill 1 5 Austin Collinsworth 1 32 Total 3 43 Opponents 3 4
Avg TD Long 6.0 0 6 5.0 0 5 32.0 1 32 14.3 1 32 1.3 0 6
PATs SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf Points Kyle Brindza 0 13-23 47-48 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 86 Will Fuller 14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 84 Everett Golson 8 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 1-2 0 0 50 Tarean Folston 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 36 Corey Robinson 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 30 Cam McDaniel 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 24 Greg Bryant 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 18 Amir Carlisle 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 18 Ben Koyack 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0 14 C.J. Prosise 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12 Malik Zaire 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6 Chris Brown 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6 Torii Hunter Jr. 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6 Austin Collinsworth 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6 Total 51 13-23 47-48 1-1 1 1-2 0 0 396 Opponents 45 12-19 39-41 1-1 1 1-3 1 0 351 TOTAL OFFENSE Everett Golson Tarean Folston Greg Bryant Cam McDaniel Malik Zaire C.J. Prosise Amir Carlisle Torii Hunter Jr. Chris Brown Team Total Opponents
G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg / G 12 529 277 3355 3632 302.7 12 154 816 0 816 68.0 11 52 287 0 287 26.1 12 76 274 0 274 22.8 6 31 91 170 261 43.5 12 7 51 0 51 4.2 11 6 39 0 39 3.5 9 2 13 0 13 1.4 12 1 5 0 5 0.4 8 12 -43 0 -43 -5.4 12 870 1810 3525 5335 444.6 12 886 1940 2878 4818 401.5
FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk Kyle Brindza 13-23 56.5 1-1 2-3 5-8 5-10 0-1 48 1 FIELD GOAL SEQUENCE Notre Dame Opponents Rice 39,(36),(29) (33),47 Michigan (43) 46,48 Purdue 50,(19),(48),(39) Syracuse (37) (38),37 Stanford 41,27,(45) North Carolina - 32,(19) Florida State (34),(46) (28) Navy 46,44 (44) Arizona State (46) (47),(28) Northwestern 38,42 (31),(46),43,(45),(41) Louisville (28),(37),32 (26),37 USC 44 Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made. PUNTING Kyle Brindza Total Opponents
No. Yds Avg Long TB FC 47 1957 41.6 55 7 20 47 1957 41.6 55 7 20 52 2141 41.2 67 2 18
KICKOFFS Kyle Brindza Total Opponents
No. 76 76 63
Yds 4812 4812 3895
Avg 63.3 63.3 61.8
TB 49 49 19
I20 50+ Blkd 14 12 0 14 12 0 15 5 1
OB Retn Net YdLn 3 3 20.3 40.8 24 3 20.9 40.7 24
ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR IR Tot Avg / G Amir Carlisle 11 39 287 0 713 0 1039 94.5 Will Fuller 12 0 1037 0 0 0 1037 86.4 Tarean Folston 12 816 178 0 0 0 994 82.8 Corey Robinson 12 0 539 0 0 0 539 44.9 C.J. Prosise 12 51 482 0 0 0 533 44.4 Greg Bryant 11 287 50 95 85 0 517 47.0 Chris Brown 12 5 499 0 0 0 504 42.0 Cam McDaniel 12 274 76 0 49 0 399 33.2 Ben Koyack 12 0 305 0 0 0 305 25.4 Everett Golson 12 277 0 0 0 0 277 23.1 Cody Riggs 10 0 0 95 0 0 95 9.5 Malik Zaire 6 91 0 0 0 0 91 15.2 Matthias Farley 12 0 0 0 0 87 87 7.2 Torii Hunter Jr. 9 13 65 0 0 0 78 8.7 Justin Utupo 12 0 0 0 11 7 18 1.5 Max Redfield 12 0 0 0 0 17 17 1.4 Elijah Shumate 12 0 0 0 0 16 16 1.3 Cole Luke 12 0 0 0 0 13 13 1.1 Durham Smythe 12 0 7 0 0 0 7 0.6 James Onwualu 12 0 0 6 0 0 6 0.5 Drue Tranquill 11 0 0 0 0 -2 -2 -0.2 Team 8 -43 0 0 0 0 -43 -5.4 Total 12 1810 3525 196 858 138 6527 543.9 Opponents 12 1940 2878 39 488 301 5685 473.8
126 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 126
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2014 Statistics
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Player Kickoff Player Punt C.J. Prosise, WR 7 C.J. Prosise, WR 3 Greer Martini, LB 4 Greer Martini, LB 1 Matthias Farley, S 3 Matthias Farley, S 1 Drue Tranquill, S 3 James Onwualu, LB 1 John Turner, LB 3 Kyle Brindza, PK 1 James Onwualu, LB 2 Cam McDaniel, RB 1 Tarean Folston, RB 2 Devin Butler, CB 1 Nyles Morgan, LB 2 TOTALS 9 Kyle Brindza, PK 1 Cam McDaniel, RB 1 Doug Randolph, LB 1 Jaylon Smith, LB 1 Max Redfield, S 1 Connor Cavalaris, CB 1 Eilar Hardy, S 1 TOTALS 33
COACHES & STAFF
Player Total KO Punt C.J. Prosise, WR 10 7 3 Greer Martini, LB 5 4 1 Matthias Farley, S 4 3 1 Drue Tranquill, S 3 3 0 John Turner, LB 3 3 0 James Onwualu, LB 3 2 1 Tarean Folston, RB 2 2 0 Kyle Brindza, PK 2 1 1 Cam McDaniel, RB 2 1 1 Nyles Morgan, LB 2 2 0 Doug Randolph, LB 1 1 0 Jaylon Smith, LB 1 1 0 Max Redfield, S 1 1 0 Connor Cavalaris, CB 1 1 0 Devin Butler, CB 1 0 1 Eilar Hardy, S 1 1 0 TOTALS 42 33 9
Passing Plays Cole Luke, CB 31 Elijah Shumate, S 29 Jaylon Smith, LB 26 Matthias Farley, S 26 Cody Riggs, CB 23 Max Redfield, S 22 Joe Schmidt, LB 14 Devin Butler, CB 12 Drue Tranquill, S 11 Romeo Okwara, DL 6 Issac Rochell, DL 6 Nyles Morgan, LB 6 Austin Collinsworth, S 5 Sheldon Day, DL 4 James Onwualu, LB 4 Eilar Hardy, S 3 Greer Martini, LB 3 Justin Utupo, DL 2 Grant Blankenship, DL 1 Kolin Hill, LB 1 Andrew Trumbetti, DL 1 TOTALS 236
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Special Teams Tackles
72 49 36 35 34 33 31 28 21 20 18 17 17 16 13 13 10 9 9 8 5 5 4 3 2 1 1 1 511
GAME NOTES
G-GS Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds Sck-Yds Int-Yds PBU PD QBH FR-Yds FF Blk Saf 9 Jaylon Smith, LB 12-12 60 43 103 8.5-39 3.0-29 . 2 2 6 . 1 . . 38 Joe Schmidt, LB 8-8 42 23 65 0.5-0 . 2-0 1 3 3 . 2 . . 22 Elijah Shumate, S 12-9 40 24 64 2.5-18 1.0-16 1-16 3 4 2 1-6 . . . 10 Max Redfield, S 12-10 30 24 54 0.5-0 . 1-17 2 3 . . . . . 41 Matthias Farley, S 12-4 38 13 51 6.5-30 3.5-26 4-87 1 5 2 . . . . 36 Cole Luke, CB 12-12 31 15 46 2.0-6 1.0-2 4-13 11 15 . . 2 . . 5 Nyles Morgan, LB 11-3 22 21 43 3.0-6 . . 1 1 1 . . . . 94 Jarron Jones, DL 11-11 23 17 40 7.5-34 1.5-6 . 1 1 7 . 1 2 . 91 Sheldon Day, DL 10-10 23 15 38 7.5-25 1.0-10 . 2 2 9 1-0 . . . 90 Issac Rochell, DL 12-12 19 18 37 7.5-31 2.5-20 . 3 3 9 1-0 . . . 23 Drue Tranquill, S 11-3 16 17 33 1.0-1 0.5-1 1-(-2) . 1 1 1-5 . 1 . 45 Romeo Okwara, DL 12-11 14 19 33 4.0-38 4.0-38 . 1 1 . . 2 . . 2 Cody Riggs, CB 10-10 24 9 33 1.0-1 . 1-0 3 4 1 . 1 . . 48 Greer Martini, LB 12-2 17 9 26 2.0-17 1.0-14 . . . 1 . . . . 53 Justin Utupo, DL 12-3 8 15 23 2.0-7 1.0-5 1-7 2 3 2 . . . . 12 Devin Butler, CB 12-2 21 2 23 . . 1-0 4 5 . . 1 . . 17 James Onwualu, LB 12-7 12 8 20 2.0-4 . . . . . . . . . 98 Andrew Trumbetti, DL 11-0 12 6 18 4.5-21 1.0-7 . . . 4 . . . . 28 Austin Collinsworth, S 5-2 8 5 13 1.5-3 . . . . . 1-32 . . . 92 Grant Blankenship, DL 11-0 8 4 12 1.0-8 1.0-8 . . . . . . . . 20 C.J. Prosise, WR 12-6 6 4 10 . . . . . . . . . . 4 Eilar Hardy, S 4-0 6 3 9 . . . . . . . . . . 43 Kolin Hill, LB 8-0 3 4 7 2.5-20 2.0-20 . . . 1 . . . . 89 Jacob Matuska, DL 6-1 5 1 6 1.0-5 1.0-5 . . . . . . . . 33 Cam McDaniel, RB 12-3 3 2 5 . . . . . . . . . . 31 John Turner, LB 12-0 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . . . 75 Daniel Cage, DL 11-0 1 3 4 0.5-0 . . . . . . . . . 25 Tarean Folston, RB 12-9 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . . . 7 Will Fuller, WR 12-12 3 . 3 . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ben Koyack, TE 12-12 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . . . 27 Kyle Brindza, PK 12-0 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . . . 50 Chase Hounshell, DL 3-0 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . . . 30 Ben Councell, LB 11-0 1 . 1 1.0-1 . . . . . . . 1 . 77 Matt Hegarty, OL 12-10 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . . 72 Nick Martin, OL 12-12 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . 47 Connor Cavalaris, CB 10-0 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . 44 Doug Randolph, LB 6-0 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . . . 93 Jay Hayes, DL 2-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . . . 68 Mike McGlinchey, OL 12-0 . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . 56 Anthony Rabasa, DL 3-0 . . . . . . 1 1 . . . . . 29 Nicky Baratti, S 2-0 . . . . . . . . . 1-0 . . . Total 12 507 331 838 70-315 24-190 16-138 38 54 49 6-43 10 5 . Opponents 12 491 324 815 76-336 28-208 14-301 33 47 40 12-4 18 2 .
TACKLES BREAKDOWN Running Plays Jaylon Smith, LB Joe Schmidt, LB Jarron Jones, DL Nyles Morgan, LB Elijah Shumate, S Sheldon Day, DL Max Redfield, S Issac Rochell, DL Romeo Okwara, DL Justin Utupo, DL Drue Tranquill, S Matthias Farley, S Greer Martini, LB Andrew Trumbetti, DL Cole Luke, CB James Onwualu, LB Grant Blankenship, DL Devin Butler, CB Cody Riggs, CB Austin Collinsworth, S Jacob Matuska, DL Eilar Hardy, S Daniel Cage, DL Kolin Hill, LB Chase Hounshell, DL Cam McDaniel, RB John Turner, LB Jay Hayes, DL TOTALS
MEDIA INFORMATION
Defensive Stats
127 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches
125-144Season Stats.indd 127
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame Game-by-Game Starters OFFENSE Rice Michigan Purdue Syracuse Stanford North Carolina Florida State Navy Arizona State Northwestern Louisville USC
WR LT LG C RG RT TE RB QB WR WR Fuller Stanley Hanratty Martin Lombard Elmer Koyack McDaniel Golson Carlisle C. Brown Fuller Stanley Hanratty Martin Lombard Elmer Koyack Folston Golson Carlisle Robinson Fuller Stanley Hanratty Martin Hegarty Elmer Koyack Folston Golson Carlisle C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Prosise Robinson Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack McDaniel Golson Prosise C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack McDaniel Golson Prosise C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Prosise C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Prosise C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Carlisle C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Prosise C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Carlisle C. Brown Fuller Stanley Martin Hegarty Elmer Lombard Koyack Folston Golson Carlisle C. Brown
DEFENSE Rice Michigan Purdue Syracuse Stanford North Carolina Florida State Navy Arizona State Northwestern Louisville USC
DL DL DL DL LB LB LB CB S S CB Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Onwualu Luke Shumate Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Farley (S) Luke Shumate Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Onwualu Luke Shumate Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Farley (S) Luke Shumate Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Onwualu Luke Shumate Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Onwualu Luke Collinsworth Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Farley (S) Luke Shumate Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Schmidt J. Smith Martini Luke Tranquill Redfield Riggs Day Jones Rochell Okwara Morgan J. Smith Farley (S) Luke Shumate Redfield Butler Day Jones Rochell Okwara Morgan J. Smith Onwualu Luke Shumate Tranquill Riggs Utupo Jones Rochell Okwara Morgan J. Smith Onwualu Luke Tranquill Collinsworth Riggs Utupo Matuska Rochell Okwara Martini J. Smith Onwualu Luke Shumate Redfield Butler
SPECIALISTS Rice Michigan Purdue Syracuse Stanford North Carolina Florida State Navy Arizona State Northwestern Louisville USC
P PK KO H LS SS Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza H. Smith Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza Zaire Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza Zaire Daly Daly Brindza Brindza Brindza Zaire Daly Daly
128 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 128
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2014 Statistics
GAME NOTES THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
## Player gp / gs rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc 29 Nicky Baratti 2/- XXX ... XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 70 Hunter Bivin 5/- XXX XXX ... ... XXX XXX XXX ... ... ... ... ... 92 Grant Blankenship 11/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX 11 Justin Brent 8/- XXX XXX XXX ... ... ... ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 27 Kyle Brindza 12/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 2 Chris Brown 12/10 START XXX START XXX START START START START START START START START 1 Greg Bryant 11/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX 12 Devin Butler 12/2 XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX START XXX XXX START 75 Daniel Cage 11/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... XXX 3 Amir Carlisle 11/6 START START START ... XXX XXX XXX XXX START XXX START START 47 Connor Cavalaris 10/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... XXX XXX ... XXX 28 Austin Collinsworth 5/2 ... ... ... ... XXX START ... ... ... XXX START XXX 30 Ben Councell 11/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 61 Scott Daly 12/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 91 Sheldon Day 10/10 START START START START START START START START START START ... ... 42 Michael Deeb 1/- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... XXX 79 Steve Elmer 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 41 Matthias Farley 12/4 XXX START XXX START XXX XXX START XXX START XXX XXX XXX 25 Tarean Folston 12/9 XXX START START START XXX XXX START START START START START START 7 Will Fuller 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 5 Everett Golson 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 65 Conor Hanratty 11/3 START START START ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 4 Eilar Hardy 4/- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... XXX XXX XXX XXX 75 Mark Harrell 2/- XXX XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 93 Jay Hayes 2/- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... XXX XXX 77 Matt Hegarty 12/10 XXX XXX START START START START START START START START START START 43 Kolin Hill 8/- ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... XXX ... ... XXX XXX 15 Corey Holmes 2/- XXX XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 50 Chase Hounshell 3/- XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... XXX XXX 16 Torii Hunter Jr. 9/- ... ... ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 94 Jarron Jones 11/11 START START START START START START START START START START START ... 18 Ben Koyack 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 52 Austin Larkin 1/- ... ... ... ... ... ... ... XXX ... ... ... ... 37 Eric Lee 1/- XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 74 Christian Lombard 11/11 START START ... START START START START START START START START START 13 Tyler Luatua 9/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... ... ... XXX XXX XXX XXX 36 Cole Luke 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 72 Nick Martin 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 48 Greer Martini 12/2 XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX START XXX XXX XXX START 89 Jacob Matuska 6/1 XXX ... ... ... ... ... XXX XXX ... XXX XXX START 33 Cam McDaniel 12/3 START XXX XXX XXX START START XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 68 Mike McGlinchey 12/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 62 Colin McGovern 2/- XXX XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 60 John Montelus 1/- ... XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 Nyles Morgan 11/3 XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX START START START XXX 45 Romeo Okwara 12/11 START START START START START START START XXX START START START START 17 James Onwualu 12/7 START XXX START XXX START START XXX XXX XXX START START START 20 C.J. Prosise 12/6 XXX XXX XXX START START START START START XXX START XXX XXX 56 Anthony Rabasa 3/- XXX ... ... ... ... XXX XXX ... ... ... ... ... 44 Doug Randolph 6/- ... XXX XXX ... ... ... ... XXX ... XXX XXX XXX 10 Max Redfield 12/10 START START START START START START START START START XXX XXX START 2 Cody Riggs 10/10 START START START START START START START START ... START START ... 88 Corey Robinson 12/2 XXX START XXX START XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 90 Isaac Rochell 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 38 Joe Schmidt 8/8 START START START START START START START START ... ... ... ... 22 Elijah Shumate 12/9 START START START START START XXX START XXX START START XXX START 99 Hunter Smith 8/- XXX XXX XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX ... ... ... 9 Jaylon Smith 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 80 Durham Smythe 12/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 78 Ronnie Stanley 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START 23 Drue Tranquill 11/3 XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX START XXX START START ... 98 Andrew Trumbetti 11/- XXX XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 31 John Turner 12/- XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 53 Justin Utupo 12/3 XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX START XXX XXX START START 19 Nick Watkins 10/- XXX ... XXX XXX ... XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX 8 Malik Zaire 6/- XXX XXX ... ... ... ... ... ... XXX XXX XXX XXX
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Participation Report
129 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 129
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame Game-by-Game Stats Date Opponent Aug. 30 RICE Sept. 6 MICHIGAN Sept. 13 vs. Purdue Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse Oct. 4 STANFORD Oct. 11 NORTH CAROLINA Oct. 18 at Florida State Nov. 1 vs. Navy Nov. 8 at Arizona State Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN Nov. 22 LOUISVILLE Nov. 29 at USC Notre Dame Opponent
RUSHING No. Yds TD Lg 42 281 4 56 31 54 1 14 38 139 1 16 41 161 0 22 32 129 0 33 43 216 4 20 35 157 0 20 39 218 4 26 38 41 2 13 40 211 2 61 29 99 1 26 25 104 2 27 433 1810 21 61 487 1940 19 54
RECEIVING No. Yds TD Lg 14 295 2 75 23 226 3 24 25 259 2 32 32 362 4 72 20 241 2 26 21 300 3 37 31 313 3 30 18 315 3 78 22 446 2 59 21 287 3 42 16 236 2 48 16 245 0 49 259 3525 29 78 242 2878 22 60
TACKLES Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds 34 24 58 4.0-7 32 42 74 8.0-52 32 34 66 4.0-39 41 16 57 4.0-10 38 20 58 7.0-38 47 28 75 6.0-12 37 16 53 6.0-24 49 26 75 6.0-25 56 2 58 6.0-19 51 43 94 7.0-28 34 36 70 8.0-42 56 44 100 4.0-19 507 331 838 70.0-315 491 324 815 76.0-336
SACKS No-Yds 2.0-5 4.0-34 3.0-37 0.0-0 4.0-34 0.0-0 1.0-8 2.0-18 1.0-7 2.0-17 4.0-32 2.0-15 25.0-207 28.0-208
PASSING Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Lg 14-22-0 295 2 75 23-34-0 226 3 24 25-40-0 259 2 32 32-39-2 362 4 72 20-43-1 241 2 26 21-38-1 300 3 37 31-52-2 313 3 30 18-25-1 315 3 78 22-41-4 446 2 59 21-40-1 287 3 42 16-24-1 236 2 48 16-39-1 245 0 49 259-437-14 3525 29 78 242-399-16 2878 22 60
KICK RET No Yds TD Lg 2 49 0 36 1 16 0 16 3 86 0 47 2 33 0 17 0 0 0 0 4 60 0 21 4 67 0 20 3 67 0 30 4 102 0 32 7 133 0 30 6 151 0 36 5 94 0 23 41 858 0 47 24 488 0 42
PUNT RET No Yds TD Lg 5 80 0 25 4 26 0 12 1 -5 0 0 1 16 0 16 3 10 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 5 2 0 0 0 2 3 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 61 0 61 0 0 0 0 21 196 0 61 8 39 0 17
tot off 576 280 398 523 370 516 470 533 487 498 335 349 5335 4818
Games played: 12 Avg per rush: 4.2 Avg per catch: 13.6 Pass efficiency: 142.52 Kick ret avg: 20.9 Punt ret avg: 9.3 All purpose avg / game: 543.9 Total offense avg / game: 444.6 Date Opponent Aug. 30 RICE Sept. 6 MICHIGAN Sept. 13 vs. Purdue Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse Oct. 4 STANFORD Oct. 11 NORTH CAROLINA Oct. 18 at Florida State Nov. 1 vs. Navy Nov. 8 at Arizona State Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN Nov. 22 LOUISVILLE Nov. 29 at USC Notre Dame Opponent Date Opponent Aug. 30 RICE Sept. 6 MICHIGAN Sept. 13 vs. Purdue Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse Oct. 4 STANFORD Oct. 11 NORTH CAROLINA Oct. 18 at Florida State Nov. 1 vs. Navy Nov. 8 at Arizona State Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN Nov. 22 LOUISVILLE Nov. 29 at USC Notre Dame Opponent
FUMBLE FF FR-Yds 1 1-0 3 1-0 1 1-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 1 1-6 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 3 2-37 0 0-0 0 0-0 10 6-43 18 12-4
PUNTING No Yds Avg Long Blkd TB FC 50+ I20 3 144 48.0 55 0 2 1 2 0 6 230 38.3 47 0 0 4 0 2 4 193 48.2 52 0 0 2 2 2 2 80 40.0 43 0 0 2 0 1 6 221 36.8 51 0 2 2 1 2 5 209 41.8 55 0 1 0 1 1 3 131 43.7 52 0 0 1 1 2 1 45 45.0 45 0 0 1 0 0 4 177 44.2 53 0 0 3 1 2 4 140 35.0 52 0 0 1 1 1 4 187 46.8 54 0 1 1 2 1 5 200 40.0 52 0 1 2 1 0 47 1957 41.6 55 0 7 20 12 14 52 2141 41.2 67 1 2 18 5 15
PASS DEFENSE Int-Yds QBH Brk 1-6 1 2 3-33 9 2 2-0 4 3 1-15 4 1 2--3 7 2 1-0 11 4 1-0 3 2 1-7 2 4 1-27 0 5 2-55 2 5 1--2 6 4 0-0 0 4 16-138 49 38 14-301 40 33
Blkd Kick 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 2
FIELD GOALS A-M Lg Blkd 3-2 36 0 1-1 43 0 4-3 48 0 1-1 37 0 3-1 45 0 0-0 0 0 2-2 46 0 2-0 0 1 1-1 46 0 2-0 0 0 3-2 37 0 1-0 0 0 23-13 48 1 19-12 47 2
PAT ATTEMPTS A-M Run Rcv Saf Pts 6-6 0 0 0 48 4-4 0 0 0 31 3-3 0 0 0 30 4-4 0 0 0 31 2-2 0 0 0 17 6-6 0 1 0 50 3-3 0 0 0 27 7-7 0 0 0 49 4-4 0 0 0 31 5-4 0 0 0 40 2-2 1 0 0 28 2-2 0 0 0 14 48-47 1 1 0 396 41-39 1 1 0 351 KICKOFFS No Yds Avg TB OB 9 580 64.4 7 1 6 390 65.0 5 0 7 448 64.0 5 1 6 387 64.5 4 0 4 234 58.5 2 0 8 505 63.1 6 0 6 376 62.7 2 1 8 498 62.2 5 0 6 390 65.0 4 0 7 419 59.9 2 0 6 390 65.0 4 0 3 195 65.0 3 0 76 4812 63.3 49 3 63 3895 61.8 19 3
130 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 130
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2014 Statistics
RECEIVING PASSING No. Yds TD Lg Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Lg 15 226 2 53 15-26-1 226 2 53 19 189 0 33 19-32-3 189 0 33 27 234 2 29 27-40-2 234 2 29 22 294 0 46 22-38-1 294 0 46 18 158 0 23 18-36-2 158 0 23 25 326 3 26 25-42-1 326 3 26 23 273 2 33 23-31-1 273 2 33 6 118 2 42 6-17-1 118 2 42 17 224 3 43 17-28-1 224 3 43 30 284 1 60 30-48-2 284 1 60 8 180 1 52 8-21-1 180 1 52 32 372 6 48 32-40-0 372 6 48 242 2878 22 60 242-399-16 2878 22 60 259 3525 29 78 259-437-14 3525 29 78
KICK RET PUNT RET No Yds TD Lg No Yds TD Lg 1 29 0 29 0 0 0 0 1 16 0 16 0 0 0 0 1 33 0 33 2 24 0 17 2 38 0 19 0 0 0 0 2 45 0 42 0 0 0 0 2 35 0 20 3 -13 0 0 3 64 0 30 1 17 0 17 3 54 0 20 0 0 0 0 2 33 0 18 0 0 0 0 5 97 0 26 1 -3 0 0 2 44 0 25 1 14 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 488 0 42 8 39 0 17 41 858 0 47 21 196 0 61
tot off 367 289 290 429 205 516 323 454 412 547 409 577 4818 5335
SACKS FUMBLE No-Yds FF FR-Yds 1.0-8 0 0-0 1.0-16 0 0-0 4.0-18 1 1-0 1.0-9 3 3-0 2.0-8 2 1-0 1.0-5 2 2--3 3.0-13 1 0-0 1.0-15 0 0-0 7.0-64 2 1-6 0.0-0 4 3-0 3.0-27 2 0-0 4.0-25 1 1-1 28.0-208 18 12-4 25.0-207 10 6-43
Blkd Kick 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 5
KICKOFFS No Yds Avg TB OB 4 258 64.5 2 0 1 65 65.0 0 0 3 174 58.0 0 0 2 124 62.0 0 0 3 194 64.7 2 1 7 450 64.3 3 0 6 370 61.7 2 0 5 308 61.6 1 1 10 623 62.3 5 1 8 455 56.9 1 0 6 365 60.8 0 0 8 509 63.6 3 0 63 3895 61.8 19 3 76 4812 63.3 49 3
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
FIELD GOALS A-M Lg Blkd 2-1 33 0 2-0 0 1 0-0 0 0 2-1 38 0 0-0 0 0 2-1 19 0 1-1 28 0 1-1 44 0 2-2 47 0 5-4 46 1 2-1 26 0 0-0 0 0 19-12 47 2 23-13 48 1
PAT ATTEMPTS A-M Run Rcv Saf Pts 2-2 0 0 0 17 0-0 0 0 0 0 2-2 0 0 0 14 1-0 0 0 0 15 2-2 0 0 0 14 5-4 0 0 0 43 4-4 0 0 0 31 4-4 0 1 0 39 7-7 0 0 0 55 3-3 1 0 0 43 4-4 0 0 0 31 7-7 0 0 0 49 41-39 1 1 0 351 48-47 1 1 0 396
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
PUNTING No Yds Avg Long Blkd TB FC 50+ I20 5 241 48.2 67 0 0 0 2 2 4 170 42.5 48 0 0 0 0 1 4 170 42.5 48 0 0 2 0 1 5 194 38.8 44 0 0 3 0 2 8 295 36.9 43 1 0 4 0 0 5 195 39.0 44 0 1 3 0 0 5 211 42.2 54 0 0 2 1 1 3 145 48.3 51 0 0 0 1 2 6 236 39.3 49 0 0 2 0 3 1 47 47.0 47 0 0 0 0 0 4 166 41.5 51 0 0 1 1 2 2 71 35.5 36 0 1 1 0 1 52 2141 41.2 67 1 2 18 5 15 47 1957 41.6 55 0 7 20 12 14
PASS DEFENSE Int-Yds QBH Brk 0-0 5 1 0-0 2 1 0-0 6 5 2-29 0 2 1-0 11 2 1-29 7 5 2-5 1 10 1-14 0 1 4-123 0 3 1-65 7 0 1-12 0 1 1-24 1 2 14-301 40 33 16-138 49 38
BOWL HISTORY
Date Opponent Aug. 30 RICE Sept. 6 MICHIGAN Sept. 13 vs. Purdue Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse Oct. 4 STANFORD Oct. 11 NORTH CAROLINA Oct. 18 at Florida State Nov. 1 vs. Navy Nov. 8 at Arizona State Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN Nov. 22 LOUISVILLE Nov. 29 at USC Opponent Notre Dame
TACKLES Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds 44 24 68 4.0-16 23 54 77 8.0-31 36 46 82 9.0-30 54 30 84 5.0-14 39 24 63 6.0-18 42 24 66 6.0-19 51 20 71 5.0-16 40 18 58 2.0-16 55 6 61 10.0-69 43 32 75 5.0-12 36 16 52 9.0-59 28 30 58 7.0-36 491 324 815 76.0-336 507 331 838 70.0-315
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Date Opponent Aug. 30 RICE Sept. 6 MICHIGAN Sept. 13 vs. Purdue Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse Oct. 4 STANFORD Oct. 11 NORTH CAROLINA Oct. 18 at Florida State Nov. 1 vs. Navy Nov. 8 at Arizona State Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN Nov. 22 LOUISVILLE Nov. 29 at USC Opponent Notre Dame
COACHES & STAFF
Games played: 12 Avg per rush: 4.0 Avg per catch: 11.9 Pass efficiency: 131.42 Kick ret avg: 20.3 Punt ret avg: 4.9 All purpose avg / game: 473.8 Total offense avg / game: 401.5
THE FIGHTING IRISH
RUSHING No. Yds TD Lg 40 141 0 19 35 100 0 15 26 56 0 11 30 135 1 42 32 47 2 11 42 190 2 41 26 50 2 10 60 336 3 54 45 188 2 15 48 263 3 45 50 229 3 41 53 205 1 16 487 1940 19 54 433 1810 21 61
GAME NOTES
Date Opponent Aug. 30 RICE Sept. 6 MICHIGAN Sept. 13 vs. Purdue Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse Oct. 4 STANFORD Oct. 11 NORTH CAROLINA Oct. 18 at Florida State Nov. 1 vs. Navy Nov. 8 at Arizona State Nov. 15 NORTHWESTERN Nov. 22 LOUISVILLE Nov. 29 at USC Opponent Notre Dame
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Opponent Game-by-Game Stats
131 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 131
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2014 Statistics Game-by-Game Comparison First Downs Rushing Passing Total Offense Return Opponent Score Total Rush Pass Pen Number-Yards Comp-Att-Int Yards Plays-Yards Yards TO RICE 48-17 23/16 14/7 9/9 0/0 42-281/40-141 14-22-0/15-26-1 295/226 64-576/66-367 135/29 0/2 MICHIGAN 31-0 20/18 3/6 14/12 3/0 31-54/35-100 23-34-0/19-32-3 226/189 65-280/67-289 75/16 0/4 vs. Purdue 30-14 27/17 8/5 17/11 2/1 38-139/26-56 25-40-0/27-40-2 259/234 78-398/66-290 81/57 1/3 vs. Syracuse 31-15 29/17 10/6 17/9 2/2 41-161/30-135 32-39-2/22-38-1 362/294 80-523/68-429 64/67 5/1 STANFORD 17-14 21/14 5/4 13/10 3/0 32-129/32-47 20-43-1/18-36-2 241/158 75-370/68-205 7/45 2/2 NORTH CAROLINA 50-43 27/30 11/10 12/17 4/3 43-216/42-190 21-38-1/25-42-1 300/326 81-516/84-516 66/48 3/2 at Florida State 27-31 26/18 12/4 11/12 3/2 35-157/26-50 31-52-2/23-31-1 313/273 87-470/57-323 72/86 2/1 vs. Navy 49-39 25/23 13/18 11/5 1/0 39-218/60-336 18-25-1/6-17-1 315/118 64-533/77-454 74/68 1/1 at Arizona State 31-55 24/22 5/10 19/10 0/2 38-41/45-188 22-41-4/17-28-1 446/224 79-487/73-412 132/162 5/1 NORTHWESTERN 40-43 28/28 10/14 15/12 3/2 40-211/48-263 21-40-1/30-48-2 287/284 80-498/96-547 225/159 4/4 LOUISVILLE 28-31 16/23 6/14 9/7 1/2 29-99/50-229 16-24-1/8-21-1 236/180 53-335/71-409 210/70 1/1 at USC 14-49 20/35 6/15 12/18 2/2 25-104/53-205 16-39-1/32-40-0 245/372 64-349/93-577 94/25 2/0 Totals 396-351 286/261 103/113 159/132 24/16 433-1810/487-1940 259-437-14/242-399-16 3525/2878 870-5335/886-4818 1235/832 26/22 3rd Down 4th Down Opponent Conversions Conversions RICE 6-13/6-15 0-0/0-1 MICHIGAN 7-15/4-13 1-1/1-2 Purdue 8-17/6-15 0-0/1-3 Syracuse 9-14/3-15 0-0/2-4 STANFORD 6-18/5-16 1-2/0-1 NORTH CAROLINA 7-15/9-17 1-1/0-0 Florida State 7-18/2-8 2-5/0-0 Navy 7-10/7-16 0-0/3-5 Arizona State 5-13/5-15 1-3/1-1 NORTHWESTERN 7-15/8-20 1-1/1-3 LOUISVILLE 4-11/6-14 0-0/0-0 USC 6-14/13-18 0-1/2-3 Totals 79-173/74-182 7-14/11-23
Time of TOP Avg Avg Avg Possession Margin Yds / Rush Yds / Pass Yds / Play 30:09/29:51 0:18 6.7/3.5 13.4/8.7 9.0/5.6 26:56/33:04 -6:08 1.7/2.9 6.6/5.9 4.3/4.3 33:00/27:00 6:00 3.7/2.2 6.5/5.8 5.1/4.4 33:17/26:43 6:34 3.9/4.5 9.3/7.7 6.5/6.3 29:48/30:12 -0:24 4.0/1.5 5.6/4.4 4.9/3.0 32:37/27:23 5:14 5.0/4.5 7.9/7.8 6.4/6.1 32:51/27:09 5:42 4.5/1.9 6.0/8.8 5.4/5.7 26:53/33:07 -6:14 5.6/5.6 12.6/6.9 8.3/5.9 30:33/29:27 1:06 1.1/4.2 10.9/8.0 6.2/5.6 28:12/31:48 -3:36 5.3/5.5 7.2/5.9 6.2/5.7 24:29/35:31 -11:02 3.4/4.6 9.8/8.6 6.3/5.8 22:21/37:39 -15:18 4.2/3.9 6.3/9.3 5.5/6.2 351:06/368:54 -17:48 4.2/4.0 8.1/7.2 6.1/5.4
Punting Penalties Number-Avg Number-Yards 3-48.0/5-48.2 2-10/5-30 6-38.3/4-42.5 3-20/5-50 4-48.2/4-42.5 7-43/5-41 2-40.0/5-38.8 8-80/10-85 6-36.8/8-36.9 1-10/9-66 5-41.8/5-39.0 10-76/9-94 3-43.7/5-42.2 9-67/9-84 1-45.0/3-48.3 1-5/3-56 4-44.2/6-39.3 5-43/3-19 4-35.0/1-47.0 4-47/5-62 4-46.8/4-41.5 3-36/8-57 5-40.0/2-35.5 3-35/6-45 47-41.6/52-41.2 472/689
Note: Game totals are displayed in the format TEAM/OPPONENT for each category.
132 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 132
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2014 Statistics
Total Rush Pass FGs Failed to score inside RZ Pts TDs TDs TDs Made FGA Down Int Fumb Half Game 34 4 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 14 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 43 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 3 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 35 5 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 24 3 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 13 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 20 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 286 37 19 18 9 2 2 3 3 1 0
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Totals 46 of 57 (80.7%) TD Totals 37 of 57 (64.9%)
Opponents Inside Notre Dame Red-Zone
BOWL HISTORY
Totals 41 of 48 (85.4%) TD Totals 34 of 48 (70.8%)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Total Rush Pass FGs Failed to score inside RZ Pts TDs TDs TDs Made FGA Down Int Fumb Half Game 10 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 31 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 4 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 24 3 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 35 5 1 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 258 34 19 15 7 3 1 2 1 0 0
COACHES & STAFF
Times Times Date Opponent Score in RZ Scored Aug. 30 Rice W 48-17 2 2 Sept. 6 Michigan W 31-0 0 0 Sept. 13 vs. Purdue W 30-14 4 2 Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse W 31-15 3 2 Oct. 4 Stanford W 17-14 2 2 Oct. 11 North Carolina W 50-43 6 5 Oct. 18 at Florida State L 27-31 5 5 Nov. 1 vs. Navy W 49-39 4 4 Nov. 8 at Arizona State L 31-55 5 5 Nov. 15 Northwestern L 40-43 6 5 Nov. 22 Louisville L 28-31 5 4 Nov. 29 at USC L 14-49 6 5 Totals 48 41
GAME NOTES
Times Times Date Opponent Score in RZ Scored Aug. 30 Rice W 48-17 6 6 Sept. 6 Michigan W 31-0 4 4 Sept. 13 vs. Purdue W 30-14 4 4 Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse W 31-15 4 3 Oct. 4 Stanford W 17-14 4 2 Oct. 11 North Carolina W 50-43 6 6 Oct. 18 at Florida State L 27-31 5 4 Nov. 1 vs. Navy W 49-39 6 5 Nov. 8 at Arizona State L 31-55 6 4 Nov. 15 Northwestern L 40-43 4 2 Nov. 22 Louisville L 28-31 5 4 Nov. 29 at USC L 14-49 3 2 Totals 57 46
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Inside Opponent Red-Zone
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
133 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 133
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame 3rd-Down Conversions Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Overtime Aug. 30 Rice W 48-17 6-13 46.2% 1-3 33.3% 1-3 33.3% 4-5 80.0% 0-2 0.0% Sept. 6 Michigan W 31-0 7-15 46.7% 2-3 66.7% 2-4 50.0% 2-3 66.7% 1-5 20.0% Sept. 13 vs. Purdue W 30-14 8-17 47.1% 1-2 50.0% 2-5 40.0% 4-6 66.7% 1-4 25.0% Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse W 31-15 9-14 64.3% 1-4 25.0% 3-3 100.0% 3-3 100.0% 2-4 50.0% Oct. 4 Stanford W 17-14 6-18 33.3% 1-4 25.0% 2-5 40.0% 0-3 0.0% 3-6 50.0% Oct. 11 North Carolina W 50-43 7-15 46.7% 2-5 40.0% 0-2 0.0% 1-4 25.0% 4-4 100.0% Oct. 18 at Florida State L 27-31 7-18 38.9% 3-6 50.0% 3-6 50.0% 0-1 0.0% 1-5 20.0% Nov. 1 vs. Navy W 49-39 7-10 70.0% 3-3 100.0% 2-2 100.0% 1-2 50.0% 1-3 33.3% Nov. 8 at Arizona State L 31-55 5-13 38.5% 2-3 66.7% 1-4 25.0% 1-4 25.0% 1-2 50.0% Nov. 15 Northwestern L 40-43 7-15 46.7% 1-2 50.0% 2-5 40.0% 1-3 33.3% 3-4 75.0% 0-1 0.0% Nov. 22 Louisville L 28-31 4-11 36.4% 0-2 0.0% 0-3 0.0% 1-2 50.0% 3-4 75.0% Nov. 29 at USC L 14-49 6-14 42.9% 1-5 20.0% 3-5 60.0% 1-2 50.0% 1-2 50.0% Notre Dame 79-173 45.7% 18-42 42.9% 21-47 44.7% 19-38 50.0% 21-45 46.7% 0-1 0.0% Opponents 74-182 40.7% 20-44 45.5% 19-46 41.3% 14-43 32.6% 21-48 43.8% 0-1 0.0%
Notre Dame 4th-Down Conversions Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Overtime Aug. 30 Rice W 48-17 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Sept. 6 Michigan W 31-0 1-1 100.0% 0-0 0.0% 1-1 100.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Sept. 13 vs. Purdue W 30-14 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse W 31-15 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Oct. 4 Stanford W 17-14 1-2 50.0% 0-1 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 1-1 100.0% Oct. 11 North Carolina W 50-43 1-1 100.0% 1-1 100.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Oct. 18 at Florida State L 27-31 2-5 40.0% 1-2 50.0% 0-1 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 1-2 50.0% Nov. 1 vs. Navy W 49-39 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Nov. 8 at Arizona State L 31-55 1-3 33.3% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 1-1 100.0% 0-2 0.0% Nov. 15 Northwestern L 40-43 1-1 100.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 1-1 100.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Nov. 22 Louisville L 28-31 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% Nov. 29 at USC L 14-49 0-1 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-0 0.0% 0-1 0.0% Notre Dame 7-14 50.0% 2-4 50.0% 1-2 50.0% 2-2 100.0% 2-6 33.3% 0-0 0.0% Opponents 11-23 47.8% 1-2 50.0% 1-4 25.0% 5-8 62.5% 4-9 44.4% 0-0 0.0%
Notre Dame Time of Possession Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Overtime Aug. 30 Rice W 48-17 30:09 6:19 7:09 8:13 8:28 Sept. 6 Michigan W 31-0 26:56 6:56 7:37 5:31 6:52 Sept. 13 vs. Purdue W 30-14 33:00 7:50 9:00 7:03 9:07 Sept. 27 vs. Syracuse W 31-15 33:17 8:09 7:00 7:21 10:47 Oct. 4 Stanford W 17-14 29:48 6:45 6:21 8:18 8:24 Oct. 11 North Carolina W 50-43 32:37 8:03 6:18 8:13 10:03 Oct. 18 at Florida State L 27-31 32:51 10:34 8:55 4:48 8:34 Nov. 1 vs. Navy W 49-39 26:53 7:52 6:34 5:17 7:10 Nov. 8 at Arizona State L 31-55 30:33 9:13 6:20 9:36 5:24 Nov. 15 Northwestern L 40-43 28:12 4:18 10:36 4:30 8:48 0:00 Nov. 22 Louisville L 28-31 24:29 6:24 5:24 4:51 7:50 Nov. 29 at USC L 14-49 22:21 6:24 7:58 4:33 3:26 Notre Dame Total 351:06 88:47 89:12 78:14 94:53 0:00 Avg. 29:15 7:23 7:26 6:31 7:54 0:00 Opponents Total 368:54 91:13 90:48 101:46 85:07 0:00 Avg. 30:44 7:36 7:34 8:28 7:05 0:00
134 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 134
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2014 Statistics
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
OPPONENT SCORING DRIVES Qtr Pts Plays Yds TOP How 1 7 8 65 3:49 Wright 26 yd pass from Jackson 2 3 9 64 3:29 Hairston 33 yd field goal 4 7 6 75 2:50 Mayden 53 yd pass from Stehling 1 7 9 67 5:00 Cottom 7 yd pass from Etling 2 7 3 26 0:47 Yancey 19 yd pass from Etling 2 3 13 55 5:24 Murphy 38 yd field goal 4 6 7 72 2:35 Hunt 7 yd run 4 6 - - - Eskridge 29 yd interception return 1 7 2 12 0:44 Hogan 10 yd run 4 7 9 58 4:31 Wright 11 yd run 1 7 3 37 0:43 Hood 6 yd run 1 7 - - - Schoettmer 29 yd interception return 2 6 16 75 5:40 Williams 3 yd run 2 6 7 75 1:05 Davis 20 yd pass from Williams 3 3 8 78 2:34 Weiler 19 yd field goal 3 7 1 23 0:09 Williams 23 yd pass from Davis 4 7 10 75 1:32 Hollins 18 yd pass from Williams 1 7 4 65 1:51 Rudolph 11 yd pass from Winston 2 3 10 39 3:41 Aguayo 28 yd field goal 3 7 9 70 4:17 Greene 10 yd pass from Winston 3 7 7 75 3:48 Williams 2 yd run 4 7 10 75 4:01 Williams 1 yd run 1 7 11 75 6:08 Wilson 26 yd pass from Reynolds 2 7 10 78 4:45 Brown 18 yd run 2 3 5 45 0:24 Grebe 44 yd field goal 3 7 15 75 7:31 Whiteside 13 yd run 3 7 6 66 2:12 Swain 4 yd run 4 8 5 73 1:25 Swain 12 yd pass from Reynolds 1 3 9 45 2:33 Gonzalez 47 yd field goal 1 7 1 13 0:06 Strong 13 yd pass from Kelly 1 7 3 23 0:57 Richard 1 yd run 2 7 - - - Randall 59 yd interception return 2 7 5 64 1:54 Smith 43 yd pass from Kelly 2 3 14 61 5:19 Gonzalez 28 yd field goal 4 7 5 75 2:08 Richard 4 yd pass from Kelly 4 7 - - - Carrington 58 yd interception return 4 7 4 8 2:20 Kelly 2 yd run 1 7 9 74 2:48 Alviti 2 yd run 1 2 - - - VanHoose PAT return 2 7 8 75 2:32 Prater 4 yd pass from Siemian 2 7 1 4 0:06 Jackson 4 yd run 3 3 10 60 3:49 Mitchell 31 yd field goal 4 3 10 46 4:18 Mitchell 46 yd field goal 4 8 9 73 1:58 Siemian 6 yd run 4 3 9 44 1:09 Mitchell 45 yd field goal OT 3 4 1 - Mitchell 41 yd field goal 1 7 10 75 4:53 Bonnafon 12 yd run 1 7 8 93 3:43 Bonnafon 8 yd run 2 3 4 2 1:54 Wallace 26 yd field goal 3 7 8 81 3:34 Parker 21 yd pass from Bonnafon 4 7 6 80 3:11 Radcliff 15 yd run 1 7 5 80 1:38 Farmer 48 yd pass from Kessler 1 7 7 51 2:01 Jackson 16 yd pass from Kessler 1 7 5 55 1:25 Farmer 31 yd pass from Kessler 2 7 6 51 1:26 Rogers 6 yd pass from Kessler 2 7 7 51 2:58 Agholor 14 yd pass from Kessler 3 7 11 75 3:41 Telfer 9 yd pass from Kessler 3 7 11 70 3:58 Davis 16 yd run
COACHES & STAFF
Game Rice Rice Rice Purdue Purdue Syracuse Syracuse Syracuse Stanford Stanford North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina Florida State Florida State Florida State Florida State Florida State Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Louisville Louisville Louisville Louisville Louisville USC USC USC USC USC USC USC
THE FIGHTING IRISH
NOTRE DAME SCORING DRIVES Qtr Pts Plays Yds TOP How 1 7 7 47 3:04 Golson 11 yd run 1 7 1 75 0:12 Fuller 75 yd pass from Golson 2 7 7 86 3:18 Golson 14 yd run 2 7 2 53 0:16 Prosise 53 yd pass from Golson 3 3 13 53 5:50 Brindza 36 yd field goal 3 7 6 34 2:23 Golson 4 yd run 4 3 9 72 5:01 Brindza 29 yd field goal 4 7 3 75 1:25 Bryant 17 yd run 1 7 8 71 3:45 McDaniel 1 yd run 2 7 13 80 5:14 Carlisle 1 yd pass from Golson 2 7 6 56 0:50 Fuller 24 yd pass from Golson 3 7 8 61 3:37 Carlisle 12 yd pass from Golson 4 3 7 0 2:07 Brindza 43 yd field goal 1 7 6 45 2:37 Fuller 6 yd pass from Golson 2 3 12 76 4:53 Brindza 19 yd field goal 2 7 8 70 2:47 Golson 15 yd run 3 7 7 62 1:56 Robinson 15 yd pass from Golson 4 3 10 39 5:08 Brindza 48 yd field goal 4 3 10 27 2:49 Brindza 39 yd field goal 2 7 11 95 3:54 Fuller 23 yd pass from Golson 2 7 1 72 0:12 Fuller 72 yd pass from Golson 3 7 9 60 3:51 Robinson 8 yd pass from Golson 4 7 10 50 4:35 Hunter Jr. 13 yd pass from Golson 4 3 7 24 3:12 Brindza 37 yd field goal 2 7 6 62 1:20 Brown 17 yd pass from Golson 4 3 9 50 3:39 Brindza 45 yd field goal 4 7 9 65 2:00 Koyack 23 yd pass from Golson 1 7 5 88 1:39 Fuller 13 yd pass from Golson 2 7 12 58 4:13 McDaniel 1 yd run 2 7 7 77 3:12 Bryant 7 yd run 2 7 1 6 0:03 Folston 6 yd run 3 7 5 62 1:46 Fuller 35 yd pass from Golson 4 8 15 81 7:32 Folston 9 yd pass from Golson 4 7 10 81 4:55 Folston 6 yd run 1 7 12 84 6:43 Robinson 1 yd pass from Golson 2 7 2 31 0:40 Robinson 9 yd pass from Golson 2 3 14 67 4:01 Brindza 34 yd field goal 3 7 7 83 3:06 Fuller 11 yd pass from Golson 4 3 10 29 4:01 Brindza 46 yd field goal 1 7 2 79 0:52 Prosise 78 yd pass from Golson 1 7 8 65 3:07 Koyack 2 yd pass from Golson 2 7 11 76 4:47 Golson 5 yd run 2 7 8 84 3:34 Fuller 4 yd pass from Golson 4 7 10 70 4:14 Golson 3 yd run 4 7 2 86 0:23 Folston 25 yd run 4 7 5 48 2:51 Golson 8 yd run 1 3 14 59 6:30 Brindza 46 yd field goal 2 7 4 75 0:52 Fuller 9 yd pass from Golson 3 7 7 56 3:44 McDaniel 1 yd run 4 7 7 50 2:29 McDaniel 1 yd run 4 7 2 59 0:41 Carlisle 25 yd pass from Golson 1 7 4 75 0:44 Golson 61 yd run 1 6 - - - Collinsworth 32 yd fumble return 1 7 4 64 1:24 Folston 6 yd run 2 7 11 84 3:45 Fuller 23 yd pass from Golson 3 7 9 55 3:06 Fuller 23 yd pass from Golson 4 6 3 13 0:49 Fuller 11 yd pass from Golson 1 3 6 43 3:06 Brindza 28-yd field goal 2 3 5 53 1:03 Brindza 37-yd field goal 3 7 3 51 0:45 Folston 6 yd run 3 7 3 3 1:26 Robinson 7 yd pass from Golson 4 8 7 73 3:38 Fuller 28 yd pass from Golson 2 7 3 64 0:58 Zaire 11 yd run 3 7 9 75 3:14 Bryant 1 yd run
GAME NOTES
Game Rice Rice Rice Rice Rice Rice Rice Rice Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Purdue Purdue Purdue Purdue Purdue Purdue Syracuse Syracuse Syracuse Syracuse Syracuse Stanford Stanford Stanford North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina Florida State Florida State Florida State Florida State Florida State Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Northwestern Louisville Louisville Louisville Louisville Louisville USC USC
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame / Opponent Scoring Drives
135
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 135
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame Game-by-Game Rushing no-yds / td rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc Tarean Folston, RB 154-816/5 12-71/0 9-17/0 9-22/0 9-41/0 3-14/0 18-98/2 21-120/0 20-149/1 11-30/0 20-106/1 18-134/1 4-14/0 Greg Bryant, RB 52-287/3 8-71/1 8-19/0 6-29/0 11-55/0 6-14/0 4-13/1 1-2/0 DNP - 1-5/0 - 7-79/1 Everett Golson, QB 113-277/8 12-41/3 3--14/0 14-56/1 10-21/0 7-34/0 12-68/0 11-33/0 9-33/3 16--11/0 10-78/1 6--48/0 3--14/0 Cam McDaniel, RB 76-274/4 8-40/0 8-25/1 9-32/0 8-33/0 15-41/0 3-10/1 1-3/0 6-21/0 9-24/2 4-12/0 2-22/0 3-11/0 Malik Zaire, QB 11-91/1 2-58/0 2-9/0 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-6/0 - - 6-18/1 C.J. Prosise, WR 7-51/0 - - - - 1-26/0 1-12/0 - 1-14/0 - 2--3/0 1--2/0 1-4/0 Amir Carlisle, WR 6-39/0 - - - DNP - 3-19/0 1--1/0 1-5/0 - 1-16/0 - Torii Hunter Jr., WR 2-13/0 DNP DNP DNP 2-13/0 - - - - - - - Chris Brown, WR 1-5/0 - - - - - - - - - 1-5/0 - Team 11--43/0 - 1--2/0 - 1--2/0 - 2--4/0 - 2--4/0 1--8/0 1--8/0 2--7/0 1--8/0
Notre Dame Game-by-Game Receiving no-yds / td Will Fuller, WR 71-1037/14 Corey Robinson, WR 40-539/5 Chris Brown, WR 35-499/1 C.J. Prosise, WR 26-482/2 Ben Koyack, TE 29-305/2 Amir Carlisle, WR 20-287/3 Tarean Folston, RB 16-178/1 Cam McDaniel, RB 9-76/0 Torii Hunter Jr., WR 7-65/1 Greg Bryant, RB 5-50/0 Durham Smythe, TE 1-7/0
rice 4-85/1 1-25/0 2-20/0 1-53/1 3-51/0 2-54/0 - 1-7/0 DNP - -
mich 9-89/1 1-22/0 1-5/0 1-18/0 2-14/0 7-61/2 - 2-17/0 DNP - -
pur 6-51/1 3-52/1 1-11/0 4-51/0 5-32/0 2-2/0 2-26/0 - DNP 2-34/0 -
cuse 6-119/2 8-91/1 6-57/0 3-20/0 3-16/0 DNP 2-25/0 3-21/0 1-13/1 - -
stan 3-27/0 4-46/0 4-60/1 2-16/0 2-28/1 2-34/0 1-6/0 - 2-24/0 - -
unc 7-133/2 2-24/0 2-30/0 - 1-9/0 1-21/0 5-71/1 1-0/0 - 2-12/0 -
fsu 8-79/1 8-99/2 5-38/0 6-59/0 2-29/0 2-9/0 - - - - -
navy 3-16/1 2-34/0 2-82/0 2-77/1 5-54/1 - 2-38/0 1-7/0 1-7/0 DNP -
asu 6-95/1 3-57/0 1-34/0 2-85/0 2-34/0 3-92/1 - 1-24/0 2-14/0 1-4/0 1-7/0
nu 9-159/3 2-14/0 5-60/0 1-33/0 2-22/0 - 2--1/0 - - - -
lou 5-109/1 3-41/1 4-49/0 2-25/0 1-5/0 - - - 1-7/0 - -
usc 5-75/0 3-34/0 2-53/0 2-45/0 1-11/0 1-14/0 2-13/0 -
Notre Dame Game-by-Game Returns PUNT no-yds Cody Riggs, CB 13-95 Greg Bryant, RB 7-95 James Onwualu, LB 1-6
rice 2-49 3-31 -
mich 3-20 - 1-6
pur 1--5 - -
cuse 1-16 - -
stan 3-10 - -
unc - - -
fsu 1-5 - -
navy 2-0 DNP -
asu DNP 2-3 -
nu - 1-0 -
lou - 1-61 -
usc DNP -
KICK no-yds Amir Carlisle, WR 33-713 Greg Bryant, RB 4-85 Cam McDaniel, RB 3-49 Justin Utupo, DL 1-11
rice 2-49 - - -
mich 1-16 - - -
pur 2-57 1-29 - -
cuse DNP 2-33 - -
stan - - - -
unc 4-60 - - -
fsu 1-18 - 3-49 -
navy 3-67 DNP - -
asu 4-102 - - -
nu 6-122 - - 1-11
lou 6-151 - - -
usc 4-71 1-23 -
INTERCEPTION Cole Luke, CB Matthias Farley, S Joe Schmidt, LB Max Redfield, S Elijah Shumate, S Cody Riggs, CB Devin Butler, CB Drue Tranquill, S Justin Utupo, DL
no-yds 4-13 4-87 2-0 1-17 1-16 1-0 1-0 1--2 1-7
rice - 1-6 - - - - - - -
mich - - - 1-17 1-16 1-0 - - -
pur - - 1-0 - - - 1-0 - -
cuse - 1-15 - - - - - - -
stan 2--3 - - - - - - - -
unc 1-0 - - - - - - - -
fsu - - 1-0 - - - - - -
navy - - - - - - - - 1-7
asu - 1-27 DNP - - DNP - - -
nu 1-16 1-39 DNP - - - - - -
lou - - DNP - - - - 1--2 -
usc DNP DNP DNP -
FUMBLE no-yds Austin Collinsworth, S 1-32 Elijah Shumate, S 1-6 Drue Tranquill, S 1-5
rice DNP - -
mich DNP - -
pur DNP - -
cuse DNP - -
stan - - -
unc - 1-6 -
fsu DNP - -
navy DNP - -
asu DNP - -
nu 1-32 - 1-5
lou - - -
usc DNP
136 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 136
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2014 Statistics
MALIK ZAIRE Att-Comp-Int USC 20-9-0 TOTALS 20-9-0
Pct Yards TD 45.0 170 0 45.0 170 0
TEAM Att-Comp-Int USC 1-0-0 TOTALS 1-0-0
Pct Yards TD Long Sack-Yds Effic 0.0 0 0 0 0-0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0-0 0.0
Long Sack-Yds Effic 49 1-11 116.4 49 1-11 116.4
BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
total rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc 1039 103 77 59 DNP 34 100 26 72 194 138 151 85 1037 85 89 51 119 27 133 79 16 95 159 109 75 994 71 17 48 66 20 169 120 187 30 105 134 27 539 25 22 52 91 46 24 99 34 57 14 41 34 533 53 18 51 20 42 12 59 91 85 30 23 49 517 102 19 92 88 14 25 2 DNP 7 5 61 102 504 20 5 11 57 60 30 38 82 34 65 49 53 399 47 42 32 54 41 10 52 28 48 12 22 11 305 51 14 32 16 28 9 29 54 34 22 5 11 277 41 -14 56 21 34 68 33 33 -11 78 -48 -14 95 49 20 -5 16 10 - 5 - DNP - - DNP 91 58 9 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 6 - - 18 87 6 - - 15 - - - - 27 39 - 78 DNP DNP DNP 26 24 - - 7 14 - 7 18 - - - - - - - 7 - 11 - 17 - 17 - - - - - - - - - 16 - 16 - - - - - - - - - 13 - - - - -3 - - - - 16 - 7 - - - - - - - - 7 - - 6 - 6 - - - - - - - - - -2 - - - - - - - - - - -2 DNP -43 - -2 - -2 - -4 - -4 -8 -8 -7 -8
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Amir Carlisle, WR Will Fuller, WR Tarean Folston, RB Corey Robinson, WR C.J. Prosise, WR Greg Bryant, RB Chris Brown, WR Cam McDaniel, RB Ben Koyack, TE Everett Golson, QB Cody Riggs, CB Malik Zaire, QB Matthias Farley, S Torii Hunter Jr., WR Justin Utupo, DL Max Redfield, S Elijah Shumate, S Cole Luke, CB Durham Smythe, TE James Onwualu, LB Drue Tranquill, S Team
COACHES & STAFF
Notre Dame Game-by-Game All-Purpose Yards
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Pct Yards TD Long Sack-Yds Effic 63.6 295 2 75 1-8 206.3 67.6 226 3 24 1-16 152.6 62.5 259 2 32 4-18 133.4 82.1 362 4 72 1-9 183.6 46.5 241 2 26 2-8 104.3 55.3 300 3 37 1-5 142.4 59.6 313 3 30 3-13 121.5 72.0 315 3 78 1-15 209.4 53.7 446 2 59 7-64 141.6 52.5 287 3 42 0-0 132.5 66.7 236 2 48 3-27 168.4 38.9 75 0 23 3-14 62.8 60.1 3355 29 78 27-197 144.1
GAME NOTES
EVERETT GOLSON Att-Comp-Int Rice 22-14-0 Michigan 34-23-0 Purdue 40-25-0 Syracuse 39-32-2 Stanford 43-20-1 North Carolina 38-21-1 Florida State 52-31-2 Navy 25-18-1 Arizona State 41-22-4 Northwestern 40-21-1 Louisville 24-16-1 USC 18-7-1 TOTALS 416-250-14
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Game-by-Game Passing
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
137 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 137
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame Game-by-Game Tackles Jaylon Smith, LB Joe Schmidt, LB Elijah Shumate, S Max Redfield, S Matthias Farley, S Cole Luke, CB Nyles Morgan, LB Jarron Jones, DL Sheldon Day, DL Isacc Rochell, DL Romeo Okwara, DL Cody Riggs, CB Drue Tranquill, S Greer Martini, LB Justin Utupo, DL Devin Butler, CB James Onwualu, LB Andrew Trumbetti, DL Austin Collinsworth, S Grant Blankenship, DL C.J. Prosise, WR Eilar Hardy, S Kolin Hill, LB Jacob Matuska, DL Cam McDaniel, RB Daniel Cage, DL John Turner, LB Will Fuller, WR Tarean Folston, RB Kyle Brindza, PK Chase Hounshell, DL Ben Koyack, TE Connor Cavalaris, CB Ben Councell, LB Nick Martin, OL Matt Hegarty, C Jay Hayes, DL Doug Randolph, LB
ua-a total rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc 60-43 103 3-0 5-5 8-1 5-4 7-7 1-3 4-0 3-3 9-0 4-6 5-6 6-8 42-23 65 4-4 3-4 5-3 5-2 5-2 8-3 8-1 4-4 DNP DNP DNP DNP 40-24 64 2-1 4-6 3-2 3-0 4-2 5-3 3-2 1-1 5-1 1-2 - 9-4 30-24 54 1-2 2-4 0-1 3-2 2-1 7-3 1-2 3-4 9-1 1-0 - 1-4 38-13 51 4-1 3-0 2-0 4-1 3-1 3-1 1-2 3-0 3-0 3-1 3-4 6-2 31-15 46 2-0 2-1 2-1 4-1 3-1 2-2 4-2 - 3-0 5-2 3-0 1-5 22-21 43 2-0 DNP 0-1 1-0 - - - 3-1 4-0 3-7 3-7 6-5 23-17 40 2-1 3-3 1-2 1-1 0-1 2-3 5-1 4-1 1-0 4-3 0-1 DNP 23-15 38 2-4 2-3 0-3 4-1 3-1 0-1 2-0 4-1 5-0 1-1 DNP DNP 19-18 37 0-1 1-3 1-5 1-1 - 2-0 1-0 1-3 4-0 5-4 2-1 1-0 14-19 33 1-1 1-1 3-8 1-2 - 2-1 1-1 - - 0-1 1-2 4-2 24-9 33 0-1 1-2 1-2 3-0 4-2 5-1 4-0 2-0 DNP 3-1 1-0 DNP 16-17 33 1-2 1-1 0-4 0-1 2-0 0-3 - 5-0 1-0 4-3 2-3 DNP 17-9 26 2-0 - - - 1-0 1-0 0-1 6-3 - 3-2 1-1 3-2 8-15 23 0-2 1-1 - - - 1-1 - 1-3 2-0 1-2 0-2 2-4 21-2 23 1-0 - 4-0 - - 2-0 - - 2-0 6-0 0-1 6-1 12-8 20 1-2 0-1 1-0 - 1-0 1-0 0-1 5-2 - 2-2 1-0 12-6 18 1-0 1-3 DNP 2-0 2-0 - - - 4-0 1-1 1-2 8-5 13 DNP DNP DNP DNP 0-1 1-0 DNP DNP DNP 2-1 3-3 2-0 8-4 12 2-0 0-1 - 3-0 - 0-2 1-0 DNP - 0-1 - 2-0 6-4 10 - - - - - 2-0 1-1 1-0 1-0 0-2 1-1 6-3 9 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-0 - - 5-3 3-4 7 DNP 1-2 1-1 - 0-1 - DNP 1-0 DNP DNP - 5-1 6 1-0 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP - - DNP - 4-1 3-2 5 0-1 - - - - 1-0 0-1 1-0 - - 1-0 1-3 4 0-1 1-1 - - - - - - - - DNP 0-1 3-1 4 1-0 - - - - - 0-1 1-0 - 1-0 - 3-0 3 - - - - - - - - 1-0 1-0 1-0 2-1 3 - - - 1-0 - 0-1 - - 1-0 - - 2-0 2 1-0 - - - 1-0 - - - - - - 1-1 2 - DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP - 1-1 1-1 2 - - - - - - 1-0 - - - - 0-1 0-1 1 - - - - - - - DNP - 0-1 DNP 1-0 1 - - - - - 1-0 DNP - - - - 0-1 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 0-1 1-0 1 - - - - - - - - - - - 1-0 1-0 1 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-0 0-1 1 DNP - - DNP DNP DNP DNP - DNP - 0-1 -
Notre Dame Game-by-Game Sacks ua-a total rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc Romeo Okwara, DL 3-2 4.0 1.0-4 1.0-17 0.5-8 - - - 1.0-8 - - - 0.5-1 Matthias Farley, S 3-1 3.5 0.5-1 - - - - - - 2.0-18 1.0-7 - - Jaylon Smith, LB 3-0 3.0 - - 1.0-13 - 1.0-9 - - - - - - 1.0-7 Isaac Rochell, DL 2-1 2.5 - - 0.5-3 - - - - - - 1.0-7 1.0-10 Kolin Hill, LB 1-2 2.0 DNP 1.5-11 0.5-9 - - - DNP - DNP DNP - Jarron Jones, DL 0-3 1.5 0.5-0 - 0.5-4 - - - - - - - 0.5-2 DNP Elijah Shumate, S 1-0 1.0 - - - - 1.0-16 - - - - - - Jacob Matuska, DL 1-0 1.0 - DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP - - DNP - 1.0-5 Justin Utupo, DL 1-0 1.0 - 1.0-5 - - - - - - - - - Cole Luke, CB 1-0 1.0 - - - - 1.0-2 - - - - - - Andrew Trumbetti, DL 1-0 1.0 - - DNP - 1.0-7 - - - - - - Grant Blankenship, DL 1-0 1.0 - - - - - - - DNP - - - 1.0-8 Greer Martini, LB 1-0 1.0 - - - - - - - - - - 1.0-14 Sheldon Day, DL 1-0 1.0 - - - - - - - - - 1.0-10 DNP DNP Drue Tranquill, S 0-1 0.5 - 0.5-1 - - - - - - - - - DNP
138 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 138
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2014 Statistics
RECOVERED Austin Collinsworth, S Drue Tranquill, S Elijah Shumate, S Sheldon Day, DL Isaac Rochell, DL Nicky Baratti, S
number rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc 1 DNP DNP DNP DNP - - DNP DNP DNP 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - DNP 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - 1 - - - - - - - DNP DNP 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 1 DNP - DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
number rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc 2 - 1 - - - 1 - - DNP DNP DNP DNP 2 - 1 1 - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - 1 - - - - 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - DNP 1 - DNP 1 1 - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 - - - - - - - - - DNP
BOWL HISTORY
FORCED Joe Schmidt, LB Romeo Okwara, DL Cole Luke, CB Cody Riggs, CB Devin Butler, CB Jaylon Smith, LB Jarron Jones, DL
2014 SEASON REVIEW
no-lost rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc 12-8 - - - 3-2 1-1 2-2 1-0 - 2-1 1-1 1-0 1-1 4-0 - - - - - - - 1-0 1-0 1-0 - 1-0 1-1 - - - 1-1 - - - DNP - - - 1-1 - - - - - - - - - 1-1 - 1-1 - - - - - - - - - 1-1 - 1-0 - - - - 1-0 - - - DNP - - DNP 1-0 - - - DNP - - 1-0 - - - - 1-1 - - 1-1 - - - - - - - - 1-0 - - - - - - - - - 1-0 - -
COACHES & STAFF
LOST Everett Golson, QB Team Greg Bryant, RB Cam McDaniel, RB Chris Brown, WR Cody Riggs, CB Amir Carlisle, WR Ben Koyack, TE Corey Robinson, WR
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame Game-by-Game Fumbles
GAME NOTES
ua-a total rice mich pur cuse stan unc fsu navy asu nu lou usc Jaylon Smith, LB 8-1 8.5 1.0-1 1.0-3 2.0-15 - 2.5-11 - - - - - 1.0-2 1.0-7 Jarron Jones, DL 5-5 7.5 0.5-0 1.0-12 0.5-4 - - - 3.0-10 - 1.0-3 1.0-3 0.5-2 DNP Sheldon Day, DL 7-1 7.5 1.0-1 0.5-1 - 2.0-4 1.0-2 - 1.0-5 - 1.0-2 1.0-10 DNP DNP Isacc Rochell, DL 6-3 7.5 - - 0.5-3 1.0-1 - 2.0-8 - - 1.0-2 2.0-7 1.0-10 Matthias Farley, S 6-1 6.5 0.5-1 1.0-2 - - - - 1.0-1 2.0-18 2.0-8 - - Andrew Trumbetti, DL 4-1 4.5 - - DNP 1.0-5 1.0-7 - - - 1.0-4 0.5-1 1.0-4 Romeo Okwara, DL 3-2 4.0 1.0-4 1.0-17 0.5-8 - - - 1.0-8 - - - 0.5-1 Nyles Morgan, LB 1-4 3.0 - DNP - - - - - 1.0-2 - 1.0-2 0.5-1 0.5-1 Kolin Hill, LB 1-3 2.5 DNP 2.0-11 0.5-9 - - - DNP - DNP DNP - Elijah Shumate, S 2-1 2.5 - - - - 1.0-16 0.5-1 - 1.0-1 - - - Justin Utupo, DL 1-2 2.0 - 1.0-5 - - - 0.5-1 - - - 0.5-1 - James Onwualu, LB 2-0 2.0 - - - - - - - 2.0-4 - - - Greer Martini, LB 2-0 2.0 - - - - - - - - - - 1.0-14 1.0-3 Cole Luke, CB 2-0 2.0 - - - - 1.0-2 - - - - 1.0-4 - Austin Collinsworth, S 1-1 1.5 DNP DNP DNP DNP - - DNP DNP DNP - 1.5-3 Grant Blankenship, DL 1-0 1.0 - - - - - - - DNP - - - 1.0-8 Jacob Matuska, DL 1-0 1.0 - DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP - - DNP - 1.0-5 Ben Councell, LB 1-0 1.0 - - - - - 1.0-1 DNP - - - - Cody Riggs, CB 1-0 1.0 - - - - - 1.0-1 - - DNP - - DNP Drue Tranquill, S 0-2 1.0 - 0.5-1 - - - 0.5-0 - - - - - DNP Joe Schmidt, LB 0-1 0.5 - - - - - 0.5-0 - - DNP DNP DNP DNP Max Redfield, S 0-1 0.5 - - - - 0.5-0 - - - - - - Daniel Cage, DL 0-1 0.5 - - - - - - - - - - DNP 0.5-0
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Game-by-Game Tackles for Loss
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
139 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 139
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2014 Statistics Turnover Results NOTRE DAME GAME FUM INT TOTAL OPP POINTS OFF Rice 0 0 0 0 Michigan 0 0 0 0 vs. Purdue 1 0 1 7 vs. Syracuse 3 2 5 12 Stanford 1 1 2 7 North Carolina 2 1 3 21 at Florida State 0 2 2 0 vs. Navy 0 1 1 3 at Arizona State 1 4 5 28 Northwestern 3 1 4 10 Louisville 0 1 1 3 at USC 1 1 2 14 TOTALS 12 14 26 105
OPPONENTS GAME FUM INT TOTAL ND POINTS OFF Rice 1 1 2 7 Michigan 1 3 4 3 vs. Purdue 1 2 3 3 vs. Syracuse 0 1 1 7 Stanford 0 2 2 0 North Carolina 1 1 2 14 at Florida State 0 1 1 7 vs. Navy 0 1 1 0 at Arizona State 0 1 1 7 Northwestern 2 2 4 12 Louisville 0 1 1 0 at USC 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 6 16 22 60
Drive Charts NOTRE DAME GAME NO. 3&OUT PCT. SCORE PCT. TD PCT. Rice 13 3 23.1% 8 61.5% 6 46.2% Michigan 12 4 33.3% 5 41.7% 4 33.3% vs. Purdue 12 3 25.0% 6 50.0% 3 25.0% vs. Syracuse 13 1 7.7% 5 38.5% 4 30.8% Stanford 14 2 14.3% 3 21.4% 2 14.3% North Carolina 16 3 18.8% 7 43.8% 7 43.8% at Florida State 12 2 12.5% 5 41.7% 3 25.0% vs. Navy 12 0 0.0% 7 58.3% 7 58.3% at Arizona State 17 3 17.6% 5 29.4% 4 23.5% Northwestern 15 2 13.3% 6 40.0% 6 40.0% Louisville 12 1 8.3% 5 41.7% 3 25.0% at USC 11 3 27.3% 2 18.2% 2 18.2% TOTALS 159 27 17.0% 64 40.3% 51 32.1%
OPPONENTS GAME NO. 3&OUT PCT. SCORE PCT. TD PCT. Rice 13 4 30.8% 3 23.1% 2 15.4% Michigan 12 1 8.3% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% vs. Purdue 13 3 23.1% 2 15.4% 2 15.4% vs. Syracuse 13 3 23.1% 3 23.1% 2 15.4% Stanford 15 8 53.3% 2 13.3% 2 13.3% North Carolina 14 3 21.4% 7 50.0% 6 42.9% at Florida State 13 5 38.5% 5 38.5% 4 30.8% vs. Navy 12 1 8.3% 6 50.0% 5 41.7% at Arizona State 15 3 20.0% 7 46.7% 5 33.3% Northwestern 16 1 6.3% 8 50.0% 4 25.0% Louisville 12 3 25.0% 5 41.7% 4 33.3% at USC 12 0 0.0% 7 58.3% 7 58.3% TOTALS 160 35 21.9% 55 34.4% 43 26.9%
Third Down Conversions NOTRE DAME GAME 1-3 4-6 7-9 10-14 15-19 20+ TOT. PCT. Rice 2-3 1-6 3-3 0-0 0-1 0-0 6-13 46.2 Michigan 4-6 2-6 0-0 1-2 0-1 0-0 7-15 46.7 vs. Purdue 3-6 3-3 2-4 0-2 0-1 0-1 8-17 47.1 vs. Syracuse 4-5 4-6 1-2 0-0 0-0 0-1 9-14 64.3 Stanford 0-1 2-7 1-4 3-5 0-1 0-0 6-17 35.3 North Carolina 1-3 1-2 2-4 2-5 0-0 1-1 7-15 46.7 at Florida State 6-9 0-5 0-3 1-1 0-0 0-0 7-18 38.9 vs. Navy 2-2 5-5 0-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 7-10 70.0 at Arizona State 3-4 1-1 0-3 1-4 0-1 0-0 5-13 38.5 Northwestern 4-4 0-2 1-5 1-3 0-0 1-1 7-15 46.7 Louisville 1-1 0-3 1-2 1-1 1-2 0-2 4-11 36.4 at USC 1-1 1-2 0-1 4-10 0-0 0-0 6-14 42.9 TOTALS 31-45 20-48 11-33 14-34 1-7 2-6 79-172 45.9
OPPONENTS GAME 1-3 4-6 7-9 10-14 15-19 20+ TOT. PCT. Rice 2-2 2-5 1-3 1-4 0-1 0-0 6-15 40.0 Michigan 1-2 1-4 1-4 1-2 0-0 0-1 4-13 30.8 vs. Purdue 5-6 1-5 0-1 0-1 0-1 0-1 6-15 40.0 vs. Syracuse 2-5 1-3 0-3 0-2 0-1 0-1 3-15 20.0 Stanford 2-2 1-3 1-5 1-4 0-2 0-0 5-16 31.3 North Carolina 4-4 3-7 1-3 1-1 0-2 0-0 9-17 52.9 at Florida State 2-2 0-0 0-1 0-4 0-1 0-0 2-8 25.0 vs. Navy 3-4 3-6 1-2 0-3 0-0 0-1 7-16 43.8 at Arizona State 3-7 1-5 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 5-15 33.3 Northwestern 3-5 2-5 4-5 0-4 0-0 0-1 9-20 45.0 Louisville 2-2 1-3 0-0 2-8 1-1 0-0 6-14 42.9 at USC 4-6 7-8 0-1 1-2 1-1 0-0 13-18 72.2 TOTALS 33-45 23-54 10-30 7-36 2-10 0-5 75-182 41.2
140 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 140
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2014 Statistics
Opponent Navy Rice Syracuse Northwestern Louisville Arizona State Rice Rice USC Louisville Purdue Navy Arizona State Northwestern USC Northwestern Navy North Carolina Navy Rice Louisville
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
OPPONENT EXPLOSIVE RUNNING PLAYS (15+ YARDS) Yards Player(s) Opponent 54 Noah Copeland Navy 45 Treyvon Green Northwestern 44 Justin Jackson Northwestern 42 Riley Dixon (fake punt) Syracuse 41 Brandon Radcliff Louisville 41 Marquise Williams North Carolina 33 Noah Copeland Navy 24 Geoffrey Whiteside Navy 22 Reggie Bonnafon Louisville 21 Michael Dyer Louisville 19 Justin Jackson Northwestern 19 Driphus Jackson Rice 18 DeBrandon Sanders Navy 18 Demond Brown Navy 16 Justin Davis USC 16 Trevor Siemian Northwestern
COACHES & STAFF
OPPONENT BIG PLAYS (35+ YARDS) Yards Type Player(s) Opponent 60 Pass Cameron Dickerson from Trevor Siemian Northwestern 54 Rush Noah Copeland Navy *53 Pass James Mayden from Tyler Stehling Rice 52 Pass Kai DeLa Cruz from Reggie Bonnafon Louisville *48 Pass George Farmer from Cody Kessler USC 46 Pass Ben Lewis from Terrel Hunt Syracuse 45 Rush Treyvon Green Northwestern 44 Rush Justin Jackson Northwestern *43 Pass Cameron Smith from Taylor Kelly Arizona State 42 Pass Ryan Williams from Keenan Reynolds Navy 42 KR Ty Montgomery Stanford 42 Run Riley Dixon (fake punt) Syracuse 41 Rush Brandon Radcliff Louisville 41 Run Marquise Williams North Carolina 40 Pass Demario Richard from Taylor Kelly Arizona State 38 Pass Brisly Estime from Terrel Hunt Syracuse 38 Pass Gerald Christian from Reggie Bonnafon Louisville
EXPLOSIVE RUNNING PLAYS (15+ YARDS) Yards Player(s) Opponent *61 Everett Golson Northwestern 56 Malik Zaire Rice 33 Everett Golson Stanford 27 Greg Bryant USC 26 Tarean Folston Louisville 26 Tarean Folston Navy 26 C.J. Prosise Stanford *25 Tarean Folston Navy 23 Cam McDaniel Rice 22 Tarean Folston Louisville 22 Everett Golson Syracuse 20 Greg Bryant USC 20 Tarean Folston Louisville 20 Tarean Folston Florida State 20 Tarean Folston North Carolina 19 Tarean Folston Rice 18 Cam McDaniel Louisville *17 Greg Bryant Rice 17 Everett Golson North Carolina 17 Tarean Folston Florida State 16 Greg Bryant USC 16 Amir Carlisle Northwestern 16 Greg Bryant Michigan
THE FIGHTING IRISH
BIG PLAYS (35+ YARDS) Player(s) C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Will Fuller from Everett Golson Will Fuller from Everett Golson Everett Golson Greg Bryant C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Malik Zaire C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Chris Brown from Malik Zaire Will Fuller from Everett Golson Amir Carlisle Chris Brown from Everett Golson Will Fuller from Everett Golson Will Fuller from Everett Golson C.J. Prosise from Malik Zaire Matthias Farley Tarean Folston from Everett Golson Tarean Folston from Everett Golson Chris Brown from Everett Golson Amir Carlisle Amir Carlisle
GAME NOTES
Yards Type *78 Pass *75 Pass *72 Pass *61 Rush 61 PR 59 Pass 56 Run *53 Pass 49 Pass 48 Pass 47 KR 46 Pass 44 Pass 42 Pass 40 Pass 39 INT 37 Pass 37 Pass 36 Pass 36 KR 36 KR
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Big Plays
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
* touchdown scored on play
* touchdown scored on play
141
99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 125-144Season Stats.indd 141
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame Big Plays
142
EXPLOSIVE PASSING PLAYS (20+ YARDS) Yards Player(s) Opponent *78 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Navy *75 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Rice *72 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Syracuse 59 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Arizona State *53 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Rice 49 Chris Brown from Malik Zaire USC 48 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Louisville 46 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Navy 44 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Arizona State 42 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Northwestern 40 C.J. Prosise from Malik Zaire USC 37 Tarean Folston from Everett Golson North Carolina 36 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Navy 35 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Arizona State *35 Will Fuller from Everett Golson North Carolina 34 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Arizona State 33 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Northwestern 32 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Arizona State 32 Will Fuller from Everett Golson North Carolina 32 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Purdue 32 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Rice 31 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Northwestern 30 Tarean Folston from Everett Golson Navy 30 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Florida State *28 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Louisville 28 Ben Koyack from Everett Golson Rice 27 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Louisville 26 Will Fuller from Malik Zaire USC 26 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Arizona State 26 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Florida State 26 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Stanford 25 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Louisville 25 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Arizona State 25 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Purdue 25 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Rice 24 Cam McDaniel from Everett Golson Arizona State *24 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Michigan 23 Will Fuller from Everett Golson USC *23 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Northwestern *23 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Northwestern 23 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Arizona State 23 Ben Koyack from Everett Golson Arizona State 23 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Florida State 23 Ben Koyack from Everett Golson Florida State 23 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Florida State 23 Will Fuller from Everett Golson North Carolina *23 Ben Koyack from Everett Golson Stanford 23 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Syracuse *23 Will Fuller from Everett Golson Syracuse 22 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Louisville 22 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Florida State 22 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Michigan 22 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Syracuse 22 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Rice 21 C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson Louisville 21 Chris Brown from Everett Golson Northwestern 21 Corey Robinson from Everett Golson Arizona State 21 Ben Koyack from Everett Golson Navy 21 Will Fuller from Everett Golson North Carolina 21 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson North Carolina 21 Amir Carlisle from Everett Golson Michigan * touchdown scored on play
OPPONENT EXPLOSIVE PASSING PLAYS (20+ YARDS) Yards Player(s) Opponent 60 Cameron Dickerson from Trevor Siemian Northwestern *53 James Mayden from Tyler Stehling Rice 52 Kai DeLa Cruz from Reggie Bonnafon Louisville *43 Cameron Smith from Taylor Kelly Arizona State *48 George Farmer from Cody Kessler USC 46 Ben Lewis from Terrel Hunt Syracuse 42 Ryan Williams from Keenan Reynolds Navy 40 Demario Richard from Taylor Kelly Arizona State 38 Gerald Christian from Reggie Bonnafon Louisville 38 Brisly Estime from Terrel Hunt Syracuse 33 Rashaad Greene from Jameis Winston Florida State 33 Jarrod West from Terrel Hunt Syracuse 33 Devin Funchess from Devin Gardner Michigan *31 George Farmer from Cody Kessler USC 30 Dennis Parks from Driphus Jackson Rice 29 Kyle Prater from Trevor Siemian Northwestern 28 Jarrod West from Terrel Hunt Syracuse *26 Thomas Wilson from Keenan Reynolds Navy 26 Romar Morris from Marquise Williams North Carolina *26 Zach Wright from Driphus Jackson Rice 26 Luke Turner from Driphus Jackson Rice 25 Mack Hollins from Marquise Williams North Carolina 25 Steve Ishmael from Terrel Hunt Syracuse 24 Ryan Switzer from Marquise Williams North Carolina 23 Rashaad Greene from Jameis Winston Florida State 23 Quinshad Davis from Marquise Williams North Carolina 23 Marquise Williams from Quinshad Davis North Carolina 23 Devon Cajuste from Kevin Hogan Stanford 22 JuJu Smith from Cody Kessler USC *21 DaVonte Parker from Reggie Bonnafon Louisville 21 Jamir Tillman from Keenan Reynolds Navy 21 Karlos Williams from Jameis Winston Florida State 21 Romar Morris from Marquise Williams North Carolina * touchdown scored on play NOTRE DAME’S LONGEST PLAYS OF THE SEASON Rushing: 61, Everett Golson vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) Rushing Touchdown: 61, Everett Golson vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) Passing: 78, C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson vs. Navy (Nov. 1) Passing Touchdown: 78, C.J. Prosise from Everett Golson vs. Navy (Nov. 1) Punt Return: 61, Greg Bryant vs. Louisville (Nov. 22) Kick Return: 47, Amir Carlisle vs. Purdue (Sept. 13) Interception Return: 39, Matthias Farley vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) Fumble Return: 32, Austin Collinsworth vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15) Punt: 55, Kyle Brindza vs. Rice (Aug. 30) 55, Kyle Brindza vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11) Field Goal: 48, Kyle Brindza vs. Rice (Aug. 30) OPPONENTS’ LONGEST PLAYS OF THE SEASON Rushing: 54, Noah Copeland; Navy (Nov. 1) Rushing Touchdown: 18, Demond Brown; Navy (Nov. 1) Passing: 60, Cameron Dickerson from Trevor Siemian; Northwestern (Nov. 15) Passing Touchdown: 53, James Mayden from Tyler Stehling; Rice (Aug. 30) Punt Return: 17, Frankie Williams; Purdue (Sept. 13) 17, Rashaad Greene; Florida State (Oct. 18) Kick Return: 42, Ty Montgomery; Stanford (Oct. 4) Interception Return: 65, Anthony Walker; Northwestern (Nov. 15) Fumble Return: 1, Hayes Pullard; USC (Nov. 29) Punt: 67, James Farrimond; Rice (Aug. 30) Field Goal: 47, Zane Gonzalez; Arizona State (Nov. 8)
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 125-144Season Stats.indd 142
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2014 Statistics
INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS
TEAM GAME HIGHS
Rushes
21
Tarean Folston at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Rushes
43
vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
Yards Rushing
149
Tarean Folston vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Yards Rushing
281
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
3
Everett Golson vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Yards Per Rush
6.7
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Everett Golson vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
TD Rushes
4
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
TD Rushes
61
Everett Golson vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
Pass attempts
52
Everett Golson at Florida State (Oct. 18)
vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
32
Everett Golson vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Yards Passing
446
Everett Golson at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Pass attempts
52
at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Pass completions
32
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
TD Passes
4
Everett Golson vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Long Pass
78
Everett Golson vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Yards Passing
446
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Yards Per Pass
13.4
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Receptions
9
Will Fuller vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
TD Passes
4
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Will Fuller vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Total Plays
87
at Florida State (Oct. 18)
159
Will Fuller vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Total Offense
576
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
TD Receptions
3
Will Fuller vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Yards Per Play
9.0
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Long Reception
78
C.J. Prosise vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Points
50
vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
Field Goals
3
Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Sacks By
4
vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Long Field Goal
48
Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
vs. Louisville (Nov. 22)
Punts
6
Kyle Brindza vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
First Downs
29
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Kyle Brindza vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Penalties
10
vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
Punting Avg
48.2
Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Penalty Yards
80
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Long Punt
55
Turnovers
5
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
2
Kyle Brindza vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
Interceptions By
3
vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
Kyle Brindza vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Punts
6
vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
Kyle Brindza vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Kyle Brindza at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Punting Avg
48.2
vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Kyle Brindza at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Long Punt
55
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Long Punt Return
61
Greg Bryant vs. Louisville (Nov. 22)
Long Kickoff Return
47
Amir Carlisle vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Punts inside 20
2
vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
Tackles
14
Jaylon Smith vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Jaylon Smith at USC (Nov. 29)
vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Sacks
2.0
Matthias Farley vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Tackles For Loss
3.0
Jarron Jones at Florida State (Oct. 18)
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Interceptions
2
Cole Luke vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Long Punt Return
61
vs. Louisville (Nov. 22)
BOWL HISTORY
vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Punts inside 20
Kyle Brindza vs. Rice (Aug. 30) Kyle Brindza vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
COACHES & STAFF
Yards Receiving
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Pass completions
GAME NOTES
Long Rush
MEDIA INFORMATION
Notre Dame Superlatives
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
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2014 Statistics Notre Dame Opponent Superlatives INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS
TEAM GAME HIGHS
Rushes
23
Justin Jackson vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Rushes
60
vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Yards Rushing
149
Justin Jackson vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Yards Rushing
336
vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
2
Karlos Williams at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Yards Per Rush
5.6
vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Reggie Bonnafon vs. Louisville (Nov. 22)
TD Rushes
3
vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
vs. Louisville (Nov. 22)
TD Rushes Long Rush
54
Noah Copeland vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Pass attempts
48
Trevor Siemian vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Pass completions
32
Cody Kessler at USC (Nov. 29)
Yards Passing
372
Cody Kessler at USC (Nov. 29)
TD Passes
6
Cody Kessler at USC (Nov. 29)
Long Pass
60
Trevor Siemian vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Receptions
12
Yards Receiving
120
Pass attempts
48
vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Pass completions
32
at USC (Nov. 29)
Yards Passing
372
at USC (Nov. 29)
Nelson Agholor at USC (Nov. 29)
Yards Per Pass
9.3
at USC (Nov. 29)
Nelson Agholor at USC (Nov. 29)
TD Passes
6
at USC (Nov. 29)
Total Plays
96
vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
TD Receptions
2
George Farmer at USC (Nov. 29)
Long Reception
60
Cameron Dickerson vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Total Offense
577
at USC (Nov. 29)
Field Goals
4
Jack Mitchell vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Yards Per Play
6.3
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Long Field Goal
47
Zane Gonzalez at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Points
55
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Punts
7
Ben Rhyne vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Sacks By
7
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Punting Avg
48.3
Pablo Beltran vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
First Downs
35
at USC (Nov. 29)
Long Punt
67
James Farrimond vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Punts inside 20
3
Matt Haack at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Penalties
10
vs. Syracuse (Sept. 27)
Long Punt Return
17
Frankie Williams vs. Purdue (Sept. 13)
Penalty Yards
94
vs. North Carolina (Oct. 11)
Turnovers
4
vs. Michigan (Sept. 6)
vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Rashaad Greene at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Long Kickoff Return
42
Ty Montgomery vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Tackles
12
Traveon Henry vs. Northwestern (Nov. 15)
Sacks
3.5
J.R. Tavai at USC (Nov. 29)
Tackles For Loss
4.5
J.R. Tavai at USC (Nov. 29)
Interceptions
2
Jacob Pugh at Florida State (Oct. 18)
Interceptions By Punts
4
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
8
vs. Stanford (Oct. 4)
Punting Avg
48.3
vs. Navy (Nov. 1)
Long Punt
67
vs. Rice (Aug. 30)
Punts inside 20
3
at Arizona State (Nov. 8)
Long Punt Return
17
vs. Purdue (Sept. 13) at Florida State (Oct. 18)
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Bowl Summaries
1925 ROSE BOWL Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10
January 1, 1925
1970 COTTON BOWL Texas 21, Notre Dame 17
January 1, 1970
1971 COTTON BOWL Notre Dame 24, Texas 11
January 1, 1971
1973 ORANGE BOWL Nebraska 40, Notre Dame 6
January 1, 1973
Nebraska came in with an 8-2-1 record, ranked ninth according to United Press International. Notre Dame, 8-2, came in ranked 12th in the UPI poll. The Nebraska victory vaulted the Huskers to fourth in the final AP poll after the bowls, while Notre Dame dropped to 14th.
1976 GATOR BOWL Notre Dame 20, Penn State 9
December 27, 1976
Penn State came in tied for 20th in the polls with a 7-4 record. Notre Dame came in 13th in the United Press International poll and 15th in the Associated Press poll with an 8-3 record. The Notre Dame victory left the Irish 12th in both the final AP and UPI polls after the bowl games.
1978 COTTON BOWL Notre Dame 38, Texas 10
January 2, 1978
Texas came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with its perfect 11-0 record. Notre Dame came in ranked fifth by both AP and UPI with a 10-1 record. The Notre Dame victory elevated the Irish to first in both the AP and UPI polls taken after the bowls, while Texas dropped to fourth in AP and fifth in UPI.
1979 COTTON BOWL Notre Dame 35, Houston 34
January 1, 1979
Houston came in ranked ninth according to the Associated Press and 11th according to United Press International with a 9-2 record. Notre Dame came in ranked ninth according to UPI and 10th according to AP with an 8-3 record. The Notre Dame victory left the Irish sixth in UPI and seventh in AP, while Houston dropped to 10th in AP and remained 11th in UPI.
1981 SUGAR BOWL Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10
January 1, 1981
Georgia came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with a perfect 11-0 record. Notre Dame came in seventh in AP and eighth in UPI with a 9-1-1 record. The Georgia victory kept the Bulldogs first in both polls, while Notre Dame dropped to ninth in AP and 10th in UPI.
1983 LIBERTY BOWL Notre Dame 19, Boston College 18
December 29, 1983
Boston College came in ranked 12th according to United Press International and 13th according to the Associated Press with a 9-2 record. Notre Dame came in unranked with a 6-5 record. The Notre Dame victory dropped the Eagles to 19th in AP and 20th in UPI, while Notre Dame remained unranked. The Irish, however, did finish 18th in the final New York Times computer rankings.
1984 ALOHA BOWL SMU 27, Notre Dame 20
December 29, 1984
SMU came in ranked 10th according to both the Associated Press and United Press International with a 9-2 record. Notre Dame came in ranked 17th by AP and 18th by UPI with a 7-4 record. The SMU victory boosted the Mustangs to eighth in both final wire service polls, while Notre Dame dropped out of both polls.
1988 COTTON BOWL Texas A&M 35, Notre Dame 10
January 1, 1988
Texas A&M came in ranked 13th according to both the Associated Press and United Press International with a 9-2 record. Notre Dame came in ranked 12th by AP and 14th by UPI with an 8-3 record. The Texas A&M victory boosted the Aggies to ninth in the final UPI polls and 10th according to AP. Notre Dame fell to 17th in the final AP poll and dropped out of the UPI rankings completely.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Texas again came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with a 10-0 mark and 30-game winning streak. Notre Dame stood 9-1 and was fifth in the UPI poll and sixth according to the AP. The Notre Dame victory dropped Texas to third in the final AP poll after the bowl games, while Notre Dame moved up to second behind Nebraska.
Alabama came in ranked first in the United Press International poll and second in the Associated Press poll with its 11-0 record. Notre Dame came in standing eighth in the UPI poll and ninth according to AP with its 9-2 record. The Notre Dame victory left Notre Dame sixth and Alabama fifth in the AP poll after the bowls. UPI also took its final tabulation after the bowl games for the first time and rated Alabama second and Notre Dame fourth.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Texas came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with a perfect 10-0 record. Notre Dame stood eighth in the AP poll and ninth according to UPI with its 8-1-1 mark. Texas earned the national championship with its victory, but Notre Dame moved up to fifth in the final AP poll taken after the bowl games.
January 1, 1975
BOWL HISTORY
Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne and the famed Four Horsemen brought a perfect 9-0 record to the West Coast to take on coach Pop Warner and Ernie Nevers of Stanford. Notre Dame’s victory earned the Irish their first national championship and the first of four national crowns to come via bowl wins.
1975 ORANGE BOWL Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Score 27-10 17-21 24-11 6-40 24-23 13-11 20- 9 38-10 35-34 10-17 19-18 20-27 10-35 34-21 21-6 9-10 39-28 28-3 24-21 24-41 26-31 9-27 28-35 9-41 6-28 21-38 20-34 14-41 49-21 33-17 14-18 14-42 29-16
COACHES & STAFF
W/L W L W L W W W W W L W L L W W L W W W L L L L L L L L L W W L L W
Alabama came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with an 11-0 record. Notre Dame came in ranked third according to AP and fourth in the UPI poll with a 10-0 record. The Notre Dame victory left the Irish first in the AP poll after the bowls, while Alabama dropped to fourth.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Opponent Stanford Texas Texas Nebraska Alabama Alabama Penn State Texas Houston Georgia Boston College SMU Texas A&M West Virginia Colorado Colorado Florida Texas A&M Texas A&M Colorado Florida State LSU Georgia Tech Oregon State North Carolina State Oregon State Ohio State LSU Hawai’i Miami (Fla.) Florida State Alabama Rutgers
December 31, 1973
GAME NOTES
Season Bowl 1924 Rose (Jan. 1, 1925) 1969 Cotton (Jan. 1, 1970) 1970 Cotton (Jan. 1, 1971) 1972 Orange (Jan. 1, 1973) 1973 Sugar (Dec. 31, 1973) 1974 Orange (Jan. 1, 1975) 1976 Gator (Dec. 27, 1976) 1977 Cotton (Jan. 2, 1978) 1978 Cotton (Jan. 1, 1979) 1980 Sugar (Jan. 1, 1981) 1983 Liberty (Dec. 29, 1983) 1984 Aloha (Dec. 29, 1984) 1987 Cotton (Jan. 1, 1988) 1988 Fiesta (Jan. 2, 1989) 1989 Orange (Jan. 1, 1990) 1990 Orange (Jan. 1, 1991) 1991 Sugar (Jan. 1, 1992) 1992 Cotton (Jan. 1, 1993) 1993 Cotton (Jan. 1, 1994) 1994 Fiesta (Jan. 2, 1995) 1995 Orange (Jan. 1, 1996) 1997 Independence (Dec. 28, 1997) 1998 Gator (Jan. 1, 1999) 2000 Fiesta (Jan. 1, 2001) 2002 Gator (Jan. 1, 2003) 2004 Insight (Dec. 28, 2004) 2005 Fiesta (Jan. 2, 2006) 2006 Sugar (Jan. 3, 2007) 2008 Hawai’i (Dec. 24, 2008) 2010 Sun (Dec. 31, 2010) 2011 Champs Sports (Dec. 29, 2011) 2012 BCS National Champ. Game (Jan. 7, 2013) 2013 Pinstripe (Dec. 28, 2013)
Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23
MEDIA INFORMATION
1973 SUGAR BOWL
Notre Dame Bowl Record Won 16, Lost 17
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Bowl Summaries 1989 FIESTA BOWL
2001 FIESTA BOWL
Notre Dame 34, West Virginia 21
January 2, 1989
West Virginia came in ranked third according to both the Associated Press and United Press International with an 11-0 record. Notre Dame came in ranked first by both AP and UPI with an 11-0 record. The Notre Dame victory left the Irish atop both polls in the final rankings. West Virginia dropped to fifth in both final polls.
1990 ORANGE BOWL Notre Dame 21, Colorado 6
January 1, 1990
Colorado came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with its perfect 11-0 record. Notre Dame came in ranked fourth in both polls with an 11-1 record. The Notre Dame victory boosted the Irish to second in the final AP poll and third according to UPI. Colorado dropped to fourth in both polls.
1991 ORANGE BOWL Colorado 10, Notre Dame 9
January 1, 1991
Colorado came in ranked first in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls with its 10-1-1 record. Notre Dame came in ranked fifth by AP and sixth by UPI with a 9-2 record. The Colorado victory left the Buffs first according to AP and second by UPI. Notre Dame finished sixth in both polls.
Oregon State 41, Notre Dame 9
Oregon State came in ranked fifth by the Associated Press and sixth by USA Today/ESPN with a 10-1 record. Notre Dame came into the contest with a 9-2 mark and was ranked 10th by both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN. The victory by Oregon State gave the Beavers a final ranking of fourth in the AP and fifth in the USA Today/ESPN poll. Notre Dame was ranked 15th in the AP poll and 16th in the final USA Today/ESPN poll.
2003 GATOR BOWL North Carolina State 28, Notre Dame 6
2004 INSIGHT BOWL Oregon State 38, Notre Dame 21
December 28, 2004
Both teams (Notre Dame 6-5, Oregon State 6-5) entered the contest unranked by both national polls. Neither team appeared in the national rankings after the game.
2006 FIESTA BOWL
Notre Dame 39, Florida 28
January 1, 1992
Florida came in ranked third according to the Associated Press and fourth according to USA Today/CNN with a 10-1 record. Notre Dame came in ranked 18th in both polls with a 9-3 record. The Notre Dame victory left the Gators seventh according to AP and eighth by USA Today/CNN. The Irish finished 12th according to USA Today/CNN and 13th by AP.
1993 COTTON BOWL Notre Dame 28, Texas A&M 3
January 1, 1993
Texas A&M came in ranked third by USA Today/CNN and fourth by the Associated Press with a 12-0 record. Notre Dame came in ranked fifth in both polls with a 9-1-1 mark. The Irish victory put them fourth in the final polls and placed the Aggies sixth according to USA Today/ CNN and seventh by AP.
1994 COTTON BOWL Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 21
January 1, 1994
Texas A&M came in ranked sixth by USA Today/CNN and seventh by the Associated Press with a 10-1 record. Notre Dame came in rated fourth by both Associated Press and USA Today/CNN with a 10-1 mark. The Notre Dame victory pushed the Irish to second in both polls. The Aggies dropped to eighth in both polls.
1995 FIESTA BOWL Colorado 41, Notre Dame 24
January 2, 1995
Colorado came in ranked fourth by the Associated Press and fifth by USA Today/CNN with a 10-1 record. Notre Dame came in unranked with a 6-4-1 record. The Colorado victory left the Buffs third in both polls, while Notre Dame remained unranked.
1996 ORANGE BOWL Florida State 31, Notre Dame 26
January 1, 1996
Florida State came in ranked eighth by both the Associated Press and USA Today/CNN with a 9-2 record. Notre Dame came in with a 9-2 mark and was ranked sixth by AP and ninth in USA Today/CNN. The victory by Florida State put the Seminoles fourth in the final AP poll and fifth in USA Today/CNN. Notre Dame finished 11th in AP and 13th in the USA Today/CNN.
1997 INDEPENDENCE BOWL December 28, 1997
LSU came in ranked 15th by both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN with an 8-3 record. Notre Dame came into the contest with a 7-5 mark and was unranked. The victory by LSU gave the Tigers a final ranking of 13th in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN poll.
1999 GATOR BOWL Georgia Tech 35, Notre Dame 28
January 1, 2003
North Carolina State came in ranked 17th by both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN with a 10-3 record. Notre Dame came into the contest with a 10-2 mark and was ranked 11th by the Associated Press and 12th by USA Today/ESPN. The victory by North Carolina State boosted the Wolfpack to a final ranking of 12th in the AP and 11th in the USA Today/ESPN poll. Notre Dame was ranked 17th in both the AP poll and final USA Today/ESPN poll.
1992 SUGAR BOWL
LSU 27, Notre Dame 9
January 1, 2001
January 1, 1999
Georgia Tech came in ranked 12th by the Associated Press and 14th by USA Today/ESPN with a 9-2 record. Notre Dame came into the contest with a 9-2 mark and was ranked 17th by the Associated Press and 14th by USA Today/ESPN. The victory by Georgia Tech gave the Yellow Jackets a final ranking of ninth in the AP and 11th in the USA Today/ESPN. Notre Dame was ranked 22nd in both final polls.
Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20
January 2, 2006
Notre Dame entered the game with a 9-2 record and ranked fifth in the Associated Press and Harris polls, sixth in the USA Today and BCS standings. Ohio State entered the game with a 9-2 record and ranked fourth in the AP, Harris, USA Today and BCS standings. Ohio State’s victory ended up ranking the Buckeyes fourth in both the AP and USA Today top 25. The Irish fell to ninth in the final AP voting and 11th in the USA Today listing.
2007 SUGAR BOWL LSU 41, Notre Dame 14
January 3, 2007
Notre Dame entered the game with a 10-2 record and ranked 10th in the Harris Poll and BCS Standings, as well as 11th in the Associated Press and USA Today polls. LSU entered the game with a 10-2 record and ranked fourth in the AP, Harris, USA Today and BCS standings. The Tigers’ victory ended up ranking LSU third in both the AP and USA Today top 25. The Irish fell to 17th in the final AP voting and 19th in the USA Today listing.
2008 HAWAI’I BOWL Notre Dame 49, Hawai’i 21
December 24, 2008
Both teams (Notre Dame 6-6, Hawaii 7-5) entered the contest unranked by both national polls. The Irish snapped their NCAA-record nine-game bowl losing streak. Neither team appeared in the national rankings after the game.
2010 SUN BOWL Notre Dame 33, Miami (Fla.) 17
December 31, 2010
Both teams (Notre Dame 7-5 Miami 7-5) entered the contest unranked by both national polls. Neither team appeared in the national rankings after the game.
2011 CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14
December 29, 2011
Notre Dame (8-4) entered the contest unranked by both national polls, while Florida State (8-4) was ranked 25th by both goals. The victory by the Seminoles gave Florida State a final ranking of 23rd in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls.
2013 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14
January 7, 2013
Notre Dame entered the game with a 12-0 record and ranked first in the BCS standings, Associated Press and USA Today polls. Alabama entered the game with a 12-1 record and ranked second in the BCS standings, AP and USA Today polls. The Crimson Tide victory ended up ranking Alabama first in both the AP and USA Today top 25. The Irish fell to fourth in the final AP voting and third in the USA Today listing.
2013 PINSTRIPE BOWL Notre Dame 29, Rutgers 16
December 28, 2013
Notre Dame (8-4) entered the game 25th in the Associated Press and BCS rankings. Rutgers was unranked at 6-6 entering the contest. The victorious Irish climbed to 20th in the final AP poll and 24th in the USA Today listing. The Scarlet Knights remained unranked.
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Bowl Records
RUSHING
PASSING
RECEIVING
TOTAL OFFENSE
SCORING
Most Unassisted Tackles: 18, Rod Smith vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar Most Assisted Tackles: 9, Jay Case vs. Houston, ’79 Cotton; Zeke Motta vs. Alabama, '13 BCS National Championship Most Total Tackles: 18, Rod Smith vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar
INTERCEPTIONS
PUNT RETURNS Punt Returns: 4, Dave Waymer (15 yards) vs. Houston, ’79 Cotton; Joe Howard (42 yards) vs SMU, ’84 Aloha; Raghib Ismail (68 yards) vs. Colorado, ’91 Orange Punt Return Yards: 68, Raghib Ismail (4 returns) vs. Colorado, ’91 Orange Longest Punt Return: 41, Michael Floyd (1 return) vs. Florida State, ’11 Champs Sports
PASSING Pass Attempts: 109, Brady Quinn (completed 59) in ‘04 Insight, ‘06 Fiesta, ‘07 Sugar Pass Completions: 59, Brady Quinn (attempted 109) in ‘04 Insight, ‘06 Fiesta, ‘07 Sugar Completion Percentage (min. 20 attempts): .846, Jimmy Clausen (22 of 26) in ’08 Hawai’i Passing Yards: 683, Tommy Rees (58 of 103) in ‘10 Sun, '11 Champs Sports, '13 Pinstripe Passes Had Intercepted: 5, Joe Montana in ’78 Cotton, ’79 Cotton Touchdown Passes: 5, Jimmy Clausen in ’08 Hawai’i
RECEIVING Pass Receptions: 19, Jeff Samardzija (207 yards) in ‘04 Insight, ‘06 Fiesta, ‘07 Sugar Pass Reception Yards: 207, Jeff Samardzija (19 receptions) in ‘04 Insight, ‘06 Fiesta, ‘07 Sugar Touchdown Receptions: 4, Derrick Mayes in ’93 Cotton, ’94 Cotton, ’95 Fiesta, ’96 Orange
TOTAL OFFENSE Total Offense Attempts: 126, Brady Quinn (632 yards) in ‘04 Insight, ‘06 Fiesta, ‘07 Sugar Total Offense Yards: 663, Tommy Rees (110 att.) in ‘10 Sun, '11 Champs Sports, '13 Pinstripe
SCORING Points: 36, Jerome Bettis (6 TDs) in ’92 Sugar, ’93 Cotton Touchdowns: 6, Jerome Bettis in ’91 Orange, ’92 Sugar, ’93 Cotton Kicking Points: 20, Scott Cengia (5 FGs, 5 PATs) in ’95 Fiesta, ’96 Orange, ’97 Independence Extra Points: 11, Dave Reeve in ’75 Orange, ’76 Gator, ’78 Cotton Field Goals: 5, Scott Cengia in ’95 Fiesta, ’96 Orange, ’97 Independence; Kyle Brindza in '13 Pinstripe
RETURNS Interceptions: 3, Harrison Smith (16 yards) vs. Miami, Fla., ’10 Sun Interception Yards: 148, Elmer Layden (2 returns) in ’25 Rose Punt Returns: 4, Dave Waymer (15 yards) in ’76 Gator, ’78 Cotton, ’79 Cotton; Joe Howard (42 yards) in ’83 Liberty, ’84 Aloha; Raghib Ismail (68 yards) in ’91 Orange Punt Return Yards: 68, Raghib Ismail (4 returns) in ’91 Orange Kickoff Returns: 8, Tim Brown (217 yards) in ’84 Aloha, ’88 Cotton; Clint Johnson (203 yards) in ’92 Sugar, ’94 Cotton; George Atkinson III (140 yards) in '11 Champs Sports, '13 BCS National Championship Game Kickoff Return Yards: 217, Tim Brown (8 returns) in ’84 Aloha, ’88 Cotton
PUNTING Punts: 16, Ben Turk (658 yards) in ’10 Sun, ’11 Champs Sports, ’13 National Championship Game Punting Average: 48.5, Elmer Layden in ’25 Rose
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Interceptions: 3, Harrison Smith (16 yards) vs. Miami, Fla., ’10 Sun Interception Yards: 148, Elmer Layden (2 returns) vs. Stanford, ’25 Rose Longest Interception: 78, Elmer Layden vs. Stanford, ’25 Rose
Rushing Attempts: 57, Autry Denson (298 yards) in ’96 Orange, ’97 Independence, ’99 Gator Rushing Yards: 298, Autry Denson (57 attempts) in ’96 Orange, ’97 Independence, ’99 Gator Rushing Yards Per Attempt (min. 20 attempts): 5.7, Darius Walker (38 for 218) in ’06 Fiesta, ’07 Sugar Rushing Touchdowns: 5, Jerome Bettis in ’91 Orange, ’92 Sugar, ’93 Cotton
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DEFENSE
RUSHING
BOWL HISTORY
Points: 18, Elmer Layden (3 TDs) vs. Stanford, ’25 Rose; Vagas Ferguson (3 TDs) vs. Texas, ’77 Cotton; Jerome Bettis (3 TDs) vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar; Bettis (3 TDs) vs. Texas A&M, ’93 Cotton; Autry Denson (3 TDs) vs. Georgia Tech, ’99 Gator; Darius Walker (3 TDs) vs. Ohio State, ‘06 Fiesta Bowl; Golden Tate (3 TDs) vs. Hawai’i, ‘08 Hawai’i Touchdowns: 3, Elmer Layden vs. Stanford, ’25 Rose; Vagas Ferguson vs. Texas, ’77 Cotton; Jerome Bettis vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar; Bettis vs. Texas A&M, ’93 Cotton; Autry Denson vs. Georgia Tech, ’99 Gator; Darius Walker, ‘06 Fiesta; Golden Tate vs. Hawai’i, ‘08 Hawai’i Kicking Points: 17, Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers (5 FGs, 2 XPs), ’13 Pinstripe Extra Points: 7, Brandon Walker vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i Field Goals: 5, Kyle Brindza vs. Rutgers, ’13 Pinstripe Longest Field Goal: 51, John Carney vs. SMU, ’84 Aloha
Individual Career Records
2014 SEASON REVIEW
Total Offense Attempts: 55, Brady Quinn (254 yards) vs. Ohio State, ‘06 Fiesta Total Offense Yards: 395, Jimmy Clausen (28 attempts) vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i
Punts: 8, Jim Yoder (366 yards) vs. Texas, ’71 Cotton Punting Average: 48.5, Elmer Layden vs. Stanford, ’25 Rose Longest Punt: 80, Elmer Layden vs. Stanford, ’25 Rose
COACHES & STAFF
Pass Receptions: 10, Arnaz Battle (84 yards) vs. North Carolina State, ’03 Gator Pass Reception Yards: 177, Golden Tate vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i Touchdown Receptions: 3, Golden Tate vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i Longest Pass: 69, Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i
PUNTING
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Pass Attempts: 47, Tommy Rees (completed 27) vs. Rutgers, '13 Pinstripe Pass Completions: 29, Brady Quinn (attempted 45) vs. Ohio State, ‘06 Fiesta Completion Percentage (min. 10 attempts): .846, Jimmy Clausen (22 of 26) vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i Passing Yards: 401, Jimmy Clausen (22 of 26) vs. Hawai’i, ‘08 Hawai’i Most Yards Per Attempt: 19.4, Tony Rice vs. West Virginia (11 for 213), ’89 Fiesta Most Yards Per Completion: 30.4, Tony Rice vs. West Virginia (7 for 213), ’89 Fiesta Passes Had Intercepted: 4, Joe Montana vs. Houston, ’79 Cotton Touchdown Passes: 5, Jimmy Clausen vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i
Kickoff Returns: 6, Tim Brown (129 yards) vs. Texas A&M, ’88 Cotton Kickoff Return Yards: 144, Clint Johnson (5 returns) vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar Longest Kickoff Return: 96, Armando Allen vs. Hawai’i, ’08 Hawai’i
GAME NOTES
Rushing Attempts: 28, Allen Pinkett (111 yards) vs. Boston College, ’83 Liberty Rushing Yards: 150, Jerome Bettis (16 attempts) vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar Rushing Yards Per Attempt (min. 10 attempts): 9.4, Jerome Bettis (16 for 150) vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar Rushing Touchdowns: 3, Jerome Bettis vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar; Autry Denson vs. Georgia Tech, ’99 Gator; Darius Walker vs. Ohio State, ‘06 Fiesta Longest Rush: 49, Jerome Bettis vs. Florida, ’92 Sugar
KICKOFF RETURNS
MEDIA INFORMATION
Individual Game Records
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Bowl Records
Opponent Individual Records RUSHING Rushing Attempts: 36, Herschel Walker (150 yards), Georgia, ’81 Sugar Rushing Yards: 222, Rondell Mealey (34 attempts), LSU, ’97 Independence Rushing Yards Per Attempt (min. 10 attempts): 7.1, Eddie Phillips (23 for 164), Texas, ’71 Cotton Rushing Touchdowns: 3, Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, ’73 Orange; Rashaan Salaam, Colorado, ’95 Fiesta Longest Rush: 78, Rondell Mealey, LSU, ’97 Independence
KICKOFF RETURNS Kickoff Returns: 6, Eugene Napoleon, West Virginia, ’89 Fiesta Kickoff Return Yards: 127, Janarion Grant, Rutgers, '13 Pinstripe Longest Kickoff Return: 77, LaMarcus Joyner, Florida State, ‘11 Champs Sports
PUNTING Punts: 11, Mark Malkiewicz (424 yards), Georgia, ’81 Sugar Punting Average: 49.2, Cody Mandell (4 for 197), Alabama, ’13 BCS National Championship Game Longest Punt: 69, Greg Gantt, Alabama, ’73 Sugar
Team Records
PASSING Pass Attempts: 58, Shane Matthews (completed 28), Florida, ’92 Sugar Pass Completions: 28, Shane Matthews (attempted 58), Florida, ’92 Sugar; Derek Anderson (attempted 45), Oregon State, ‘04 Insight Completion Percentage (min. 10 attempts): .714, AJ McCarron (20 of 28), Alabama, ’13 BCS National Championship Game Passing Yards: 370, Shane Matthews (28 of 58), Florida, ’92 Sugar Passes Had Intercepted: 3, Randy McEachern, Texas, ’78 Cotton; Jacory Harris, Miami, Fla., ‘10 Sun; Chas Dodd, Rutgers, '13 Pinstripe Touchdown Passes: 4, Danny Kanell, Florida State, ’96 Orange; Derek Anderson, Oregon State, ‘04 Insight; AJ McCarron, Alabama, ’13 BCS National Championship Game
RECEIVING Pass Reception: 10, Jerricho Cotchery (127 yards), North Carolina State, ’03 Gator Pass Reception Yards: 167, Ted Ginn Jr. (8 receptions), Ohio State, ‘06 Fiesta Touchdown Receptions: 3, Andre Cooper, Florida State, ’96 Orange Longest Pass: 85, Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes, Ohio State, ’06 Fiesta
TOTAL OFFENSE Total Offense Attempts: 65, Shane Matthews (397 yards), Florida, ’92 Sugar Total Offense Yards: 397, Shane Matthews (65 attempts), Florida, ’92 Sugar
SCORING Points: 24, Johnny Rodgers (4 TDs), Nebraska, ’73 Orange Touchdowns: 4, Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, ’73 Orange Kicking Points: 16, Arden Czyzewski (5 FGs, 1 PAT), Florida, ’92 Sugar Extra Points: 6, Jeremy Shelley, Alabama, ’13 BCS National Championship Game Field Goals: 5, Arden Czyzewski, Florida, ’92 Sugar Longest Field Goal: 47, Brandy Brownlee, SMU, ’84 Aloha; Kyle Federico, Rutgers, '13 Pinstripe
INTERCEPTIONS Interceptions: 3, Rod Johnson (36 yards), North Carolina State, ’03 Gator Interception Yards: 37, Aric Williams (one interception), Oregon State, ‘04 Insight Longest Interception: 37, Aric Williams (one interception), Oregon State, ‘04 Insight
First Downs: 31 vs. Rutgers, '13 Pinstripe Rushing Attempts: 66 vs. Alabama (185 yards), ’75 Orange Rushing Yards: 290 vs. Texas A&M (64 attempts), ’93 Sugar Pass Attempts: 47 vs. Rutgers (27 completions), ‘13 Pinstripe Pass Completions: 29 vs. Ohio State (45 attempts), ‘06 Fiesta Completion Percentage (min. 10 attempts): .857 vs. Hawai’i (24 of 28), ’08 Hawai’i Passing Yards: 413 vs. Hawai’i (24 of 28), ‘08 Hawai’i Passes Had Intercepted: 4 vs. Houston, ’79 Cotton Touchdown Passes: 5 vs. Hawai’i, ‘08 Hawai’i Total Offense Attempts: 90 vs. Rutgers (494 yards), ’13 Pinstripe Total Offense Yards: 494 vs. Rutgers (90 plays), ‘13 Pinstripe Fumbles Lost: 3 vs. Alabama, ’73 Sugar; vs. Houston, ’79 Cotton Total Turnovers: 7 vs. Houston (4 interceptions, 3 fumbles), ’79 Cotton
Opponent Team Records First Downs: 31 by LSU, ’07 Sugar Rushing Attempts: 67 by Texas (331 yards), ’70 Cotton Rushing Yards: 331 by Texas (67 carries), ’70 Cotton Pass Attempts: 58 by Florida (completed 28), ’92 Sugar Pass Completions: 28 by Florida (attempted 58), ’92 Sugar; by Oregon State (attempted 45), ‘04 Insight Completion Percentage (min. 10 attempts): .714 by Alabama (20 of 28), ’13 BCS National Championship Game Game Passing Yards: 370 by Florida (28 of 58), ’92 Sugar Passes Had Intercepted: 5 by Stanford, ’25 Rose Touchdown Passes: 4 by Florida State, ’96 Orange; by Oregon State, ‘04 Insight; by Alabama '13 BCS National Championship Game Total Offense Attempts: 91 by Florida (511 yards), ’92 Sugar Total Offense Yards: 617 by Ohio State (64 plays), ‘06 Fiesta Fumbles Lost: 5 by Texas, ’71 Cotton Total Turnovers: 8 by Stanford (5 interceptions, 3 fumbles), ’25 Rose
PUNT RETURNS Punt Returns: 5, Willie Shelby (34 yards), Alabama, ’75 Orange Punt Return Yards: 61, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Oregon State, ’01 Fiesta Longest Punt Return: 52, Samie Stroughter, Oregon State, ‘04 Insight
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1925 Rose Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters Notre Dame Stanford
1 0 3
4 7 0
Score 27 10 FIRST QUARTER
8:00
SU
Cuddeback 27 yd field goal SECOND QUARTER
13:30 ND 8:00 ND
Layden 3 yd run (Crowley kick failed) Layden 78 yd interception return (Crowley kick) THIRD QUARTER
5:00 1:00
ND SU
Hunsinger 20 yd fumble return (Crowley kick) Walker 7 yd pass from Shipkey (Cuddeback kick) FOURTH QUARTER
0:30
ND
Layden 70 yd interception return (Crowley kick)
COACHES & STAFF 2014 SEASON REVIEW
SU ND First Downs 17 7 Yards Rushing 193 137 Yards Lost Rushing 15 7 Net Yards Rushing 178 130 Net Yards Passing 138 56 Passes Attempted 17 7 Passes Completed 12 3 Had Intercepted 5 3 Total Net Yards 316 186 Fumbles Lost 3 1 Penalties-Yards 1-15 4-30 Average Per Punt 42.5 48.5 Interceptions 3-7 5-139
THE FIGHTING IRISH BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
outcome was almost assured. Elmer Layden shone as a sparkling jewel in the Notre Dame crown all afternoon. The skinny fullback scored three touchdowns for the Irish, including two on interception returns. He also helped the Notre Dame cause with his punting that forced Stanford into poor field position on many occasions. Layden’s first score, a three-yard plunge across the goal line, capped a 46-yard drive by Notre Dame. Although Jim Crowley’s kick failed, Notre Dame owned a 6-3 lead early in the second quarter. Late in the second period, Layden stunned the capacity crowd of 53,000 in the Rose Bowl by intercepting an Ernie Nevers pass and galloping downfield for 78 yards for another touchdown. This time Crowley, another one of the Horsemen, converted the extra-point attempt. Even though the stronger, more physical Stanford Indians were controlling the line play, Rockne’s swift and crafty Irish kept putting points on the scoreboard. Late in the third quarter, Stanford fumbled an Elmer Layden punt on its own 20-yard line. A quick-thinking Ed Hunsinger picked up the ball and ran untouched into the end zone for another Notre Dame score. With Crowley’s kick, Notre Dame held a commanding 20-3 lead. Stanford finally staged a late rally and threatened to dash the Irish hopes of a Midwest victory. Nevers, a star on both offense and defense, provided the heroics as he intercepted a Notre Dame pass on the Stanford 20-yard line, thwarting an Irish scoring drive. He then guided the Indians downfield to the Notre Dame seven. Another Stanford back, Ed Walker, passed to Ted Shipkey, a two-way star for the Indians, for the score. Cuddeback’s kick brought Stanford back to within 10 points at 20-10. The Indians moved into scoring territory again in the final stanza. Nevers brought Stanford all the way to the Notre Dame eight-inch line. But an inspired Irish line made a superb defensive stance on Nevers’ final plunge, and the Notre Dame advantage stayed intact. Notre Dame crossed the goal line a final time with only 30 seconds left in the contest that was played in 89-degree heat. Layden again intercepted a Nevers pass and took it 70 yards into the end zone. Crowley added the final touches with his kick. Layden and Crowley proved the Irish standouts of the afternoon, but the two other Horsemen-Don Miller and quarterback Harry Stuhldreher-also played a big part in the Notre Dame win. Stuhldreher broke an ankle early in the contest but continued to play despite the painful injury. Captain Adam Walsh anchored the line play at center. The story of the game proved to be Notre Dame’s penchant for turning Stanford mistakes into Notre Dame scores. “‘It is true that we got the breaks, but we would have won anyway,’’ said Rockne. ‘‘It is one thing to get the breaks and another thing to take advantage of them. Stanford played a wonderful game, but we won fairly, playing the ball as it came to us, and we hope to be given credit for that.’’
3 7 7
GAME NOTES
PASADENA, Calif. – With the fabled Four Horsemen making their final appearance together, Notre Dame ventured to the distant West Coast and proved its worth by downing Stanford 27-10 in the 1925 Rose Bowl. The win gave Notre Dame a 10-0 record for the 1924 season and the national championship. Although Pop Warner’s Indians won the battle of the statistics-besting Notre Dame in virtually every offensive category-the Irish, coached by Knute Rockne, capitalized on Stanford miscues and came up on top on the scoreboard. Stanford opened the scoring in the first quarter as Murray Cuddeback kicked a 27-yard field goal. But that was all the Indians could manage until late in the game when the
2 13 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1925 • PASADENA, CALIF. • ROSE BOWL
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
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1970 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 1970 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL Score by Quarters #8 Notre Dame #1 Texas
1 3 0
DALLAS -- After a 45-year absence, Notre Dame reappeared on the bowl scene. The Irish, who headed into the battle with a respectable 8-1-1 record, drew the unenviable assignment of challenging the nation’s number-one team - the unbeaten Longhorns of Texas. With visions of the Four Horsemen dancing in their heads, the Irish almost pulled off the upset. Only a 76-yard drive late in the final period, capped by Billy Dale’s one-yard scoring plunge, gave the Longhorns a hard fought 21-17 victory and insured their claim to the national title. Although Texas won the annual Cotton Bowl Classic on this sundrenched but chilly New Year’s Day before a packed house of 73,000, Notre Dame, coached by Ara Parseghian, matched the powerful Longhorns yard for yard until the final gun. The Irish opened the scoring in the first quarter as Scott Hempel converted a 26yard field goal. After the opening kickoff junior quarterback Joe Theismann guided the Irish 82 yards downfield, eating up six minutes on the clock, to set the stage for Hempel’s kick. Notre Dame scored again early in the second period as Theismann shocked the Longhorns by tossing a 54-yard touchdown bomb to Tom Gatewood on the first play from scrimmage after a Texas punt. Hempel’s kick made it 10-0 for Notre Dame. The Longhorns first lit the scoreboard in the second quarter as they drove 74 yards in nine plays. Behind the running of Ted Koy and Jim Bertelsen and the passing of James Street, the Longhorns moved into Notre Dame territory and ended the scoring march on Bertelsen’s one-yard dash into the end zone. Happy Feller converted the PAT and the Longhorns trailed 10-7. Neither team crossed the goal line again until the final period. Texas jumped out in front of the Irish in the fourth quarter on a bruising 77-yard drive. Steve Worster, the game’s leading rusher with 155 yards, barreled his way through the Irish defense for long gains of eight, nine and seven yards, while Bertelsen, who finished the afternoon with 81 yards, added carries of five and six yards to the Longhorn effort. Koy took the ball in from the three, and Feller’s kick gave Texas a 14-10 lead. Notre Dame fought right back. With Theismann at the controls, Notre Dame went 80 yards in eight plays to go ahead 17-14. The feisty Theismann put together scampers of 14 and 11 yards and tossed an 11-yard pass to Dennis Allen. The Irish finally scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Theismann to Jim Yoder. With still seven minutes left in the battle, coach Darrell Royal and his Longhorns weren’t about to watch their national championship dreams be snuffed out by an upstart group of Irishmen from Notre Dame. Texas made the most of its final surge. Twice the Longhorns needed conversions on fourth down to maintain possession, and the final one dashed Notre Dame’s hopes. Street, on fourth and two from the Irish 10-yard line, threw low and wide to end Cotton Speyrer, but the lanky redhead snared it at the two. The Irish defense then halted a pair of Longhorn rushing plays, but on the third try, Dale found the end zone and the Longhorns had their national championship with only 1:08 left on the clock. Notre Dame tried another comeback attempt with the seconds ticking away. Theismann brought the Irish all the way to the Texas 39, but with 28 seconds left, Tom Campbell intercepted Theismann’s final pass. Worster earned the game’s offensive player award, while Notre Dame’s captain Bob Olson won the most valuable defensive player honor. Theismann’s efforts established Cotton Bowl records in two categories. His 231 yards passing broke Roger Staubach’s previous mark of 228 (1964) and his 279 yards total offense surpassed Duke Carlisle’s 267 standard, also set in 1964.
2 7 7
3 0 0
4 7 14
Score 17 21
OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER Bob Olson, Linebacker FIRST QUARTER 8:41
ND
Hemple 26 yd field goal, 16-82 6:14 SECOND QUARTER
14:40 ND 11:12 UT
Gatewood 54 yd pass from Theismann (Hempel kick), 1-54 0:08 Bertelsen 1 yd run (Feller kick), 9-74 3:22 FOURTH QUARTER
10:05 UT 6:52 ND 1:08 UT
Koy 3 yd run (Feller kick), 18-77 8:10 Yoder 24 yd pass from Theismann (Hempel kick), 8-80 2:56 Dale 1 yd run (Feller kick), 17-76 5:39
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
UT ND 25 25 19 13 6 12 0 0 67 43 333 213 2 24 331 189 107 231 11 27 6 17 1 2 78 70 448 420 5.7 6.0 2-1 0-0 1-5 2-10 2-9 1-0 4-159 7-256 39.8 36.5 3-24 0-0 3-31 5-97
RUSHING: Texas-Worster 20-155; Bertelsen 18-81; Koy 12-40; Street 10-31; Speyrer 1-13; Dale 6-11. Notre Dame-Barz 10-49; Theismann 11-48; Allan 7-47; Huff 11-39; Yoder 2-4; Crotty 2-2. PASSING: Texas-Street 6-11-1-107. Notre Dame-Theismann 17-27-2-231. RECEIVING: Texas-Speyrer 4-70; Bertelsen 1-21; Peschel 1-16. Notre Dame: Gatewood 6-112; Allan 3-43; Crotty 3-19; Huff 2-15; Yoder 1-24; Poskon 1-22; Barz 1-7.
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1971 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #6 Notre Dame #1 Texas
1 14 3
4 0 0
Score 24 11
OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER Clarence Ellis, Left Halfback FIRST QUARTER 11:28 UT 7:58 ND 5:11 ND
Feller 23 yd field goal, 5-67 1:33 Gatewood 26 yd pass from Theismann (Hempel kick), 10-80 3:39 Theismann 3 yd run (Hempel kick), 6-13 5:11 SECOND QUARTER
13:28 ND 1:52 UT 0:24 ND
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Theismann 15 yd run (Hempel kick), 5-53 1:37 Bertelsen 2 yd run (Lester pass from Phillips), 18-84 7:02 Hempel 36 yd field goal, 8-78 1:21 UT ND 20 16 10 9 9 7 1 0 55 43 260 192 44 46 216 146 210 213 27 19 10 10 1 1 82 72 426 359 5.2 5.0 9-5 1-1 3-33 5-52 1-0 1-0 5-163 8-366 32.6 45.7 4-26 0-0 4-41 3-58
2014 SEASON REVIEW
RUSHING: Texas-Phillips 23-164; Worster 16-42; Wiggington 6-10; Bertelsen 8-5; Dale 1-2; Lester 1-(-7). Notre Dame-Cieszkowski 13-52; Parker 13-48; Gulyas 9-24; Theismann 18-22.
RECEIVING: Texas-Speyrer 4-70; Bertelsen 1-21; Peschel 1-16. Notre Dame-Gatewood 6-112; Allan 3-43; Crotty 3-19; Huff 2-15; Yoder 1-24; Poskon 1-22; Barz 1-7.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
PASSING: Texas-Phillips 9-17-0-199; Wiggington 1-10-1-11. Notre Dame-Theismann 9-16-1176; Bulger 1-2-0-37; Steenberge 0-1-0-0.
BOWL HISTORY
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
up until the final buzzer. Texas cracked the scoring barrier early in the first period on Happy Feller’s 23-yard field goal. On the first play of the Texas possession, quarterback Eddie Phillips rambled 63 yards downfield on an option play. But the Notre Dame defense stiffened its resistance and the Longhorns had to settle for only the three-pointer. Then, Theismann ignited the Notre Dame charge by rallying the Irish to three touchdowns on their next four possessions. The senior all-star guided the Irish 80 yards in only 10 plays and tossed a 26-yard pass to Tom Gatewood for the touchdown. The scoring march included another Theismann pass to Gatewood (this one for 17 yards) and a Theismann scamper of 12 yards, along with runs of seven, 11 and six yards by John Cieszkowski. Scott Hempel’s kick gave the Irish a 7-3 lead, and they never looked back. Notre Dame increased its lead by seven 2 1/2 minutes later. Tom Eaton recovered a Texas fumble on the kickoff at the Longhorn 13-yard line. Six plays later, Theismann took the ball in himself on a three-yard run. Hempel again converted the PAT. The Irish scored again on another Theismann run - this one from 15 yards - early in the second period. He helped the Irish march the 53 yards in the drive by tossing a 19-yard pass to Mike Creaney. Ed Gulyas contributed a 12-yard run. Although the Longhorns had trouble getting their famed Wishbone attack off the ground because of a unique Notre Dame defensive alignment, Texas did manage another score in the second period. Phillips abandoned the run and went to the most rusty weapon in the Longhorn arsenal - the pass. He hit tight end Deryl Comer three times (for eight, 36 and 10 yards) in an 84-yard drive that climaxed on Jim Bertelsen’s two-yard run. A Phillips pass to Danny Lester added two points. The Irish wrapped up the scoring on a 36-yard field goal by Hempel with 24 seconds remaining on the clock before intermission. The second half turned into a defensive struggle as Notre Dame played it conservatively, and Texas tried to figure out the Irish defensive setup that featured six men on the line of scrimmage - with three across from the Longhorn center. Neither team mounted much of a scoring threat. However, in the third period, the fired-up Notre Dame defense took the steam out of a promising Longhorn drive. Irish linebacker Jim Musuraca met Bertelsen head-on at the Notre Dame 35-yard line and forced another fumble, one of five recovered by the Irish, that gave the ball and the momentum to Notre Dame. Texas, who entered the game as the nation’s top-ranked rushing team with an average of 374 yards per game, managed only 216 yards against the Irish. Phillips accumulated 164 of those yards. Notre Dame’s ground game netted only 146 yards, paced by Cieszkowski’s 52. Phillips, who combined for 363 yards total offense, erased Theismann’s standard of 279, set the previous year. He was voted the top offense player, while Notre Dame’s Clarence Ellis earned the defensive honor.
3 0 0
GAME NOTES
DALLAS – Notre Dame’s defense caused nine Texas fumbles and All-America quarterback Joe Theismann personally accounted for three scores in the first 16 1/2 minutes en route to a 24-11 Irish victory in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic. The victory, Notre Dame’s 10th against only one loss during the season, stopped the Longhorns’ 30-game winning string and knocked top-ranked Texas out of the race for its second consecutive national championship. The decisive win was the first bowl victory in 46 years for Notre Dame, who returned to the postseason scene the year before after a 45-year absence. Both teams displayed their offensive fireworks in the first half as the Irish built up a 24-11 advantage that held
2 10 8
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1971 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
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1973 Orange Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 1973 • MIAMI, FLA. • ORANGE BOWL Score by Quarters #12 Notre Dame #9 Nebraska
1 0 7
MIAMI – Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers proved the award was justified by scoring four touchdowns and passing for another as ninth-ranked Nebraska smashed Notre Dame 40-6 in the 1973 Orange Bowl. Although he left the game in the third period with 81 yards rushing on 15 carries, Rodgers scored on runs of eight, four and five yards, galloped down the sidelines on a 50-yard touchdown pass play from quarterback David Humm and tossed a 52-yard scoring aerial to Frosty Anderson as the Cornhuskers rolled to their third consecutive Orange Bowl conquest. The defeat was the worst for the Irish since Ara Parseghian took over the Notre Dame coaching reins in 1964. Nebraska, a Big Eight power, bolted to a 20-0 halftime lead and added three more touchdowns - all by Rodgers - in the third period before Notre Dame managed a meaningless touchdown in the final quarter. That six-pointer, a five-yard scoring pass from Tom Clements to Pete Demmerle, kept Notre Dame’s streak of scoring in 72 straight games alive. Rodgers scored his first touchdown in the first quarter on an eight-yard run that capped a 76-yard drive. That march also included scampers of 13 and 10 yards by Rodgers as well as runs of 12 and six yards by Dave Goeller. Rick Sanger’s kick made it Nebraska 7, Notre Dame 0. In the second quarter, Gary Dixon helped the Huskers go 80 yards in 11 plays with a 36yard burst. He then plunged over from the one-yard line and Sanger’s kick gave Nebraska a 14-0 lead. On Nebraska’s next possession, Humm lateraled to Rodgers on the first play from scrimmage. Rodgers then heaved his 52-yard pass to Frosty Anderson. That put the Irish in a 20-0 hole, and they never recovered. Notre Dame’s first-half problems resulted mainly from its inability to take advantage of excellent field position. During the first 30 minutes the Irish had first downs at the Nebraska 30, 29 and 25-yard lines but couldn’t score. On two other occasions Clements’ passes were intercepted, once at the Husker 18 and once at the Nebraska 41. The Rodgers extravaganza continued after intermission. He scored on runs of four and five yards. He then took a screen pass from Humm and dashed 50 yards down the right sideline for the final Nebraska touchdown, its sixth of the day. Rodgers then retreated to the bench for the rest of the game. The Huskers already had inflicted enough damage on the Irish, who finished the year at 8-3. Nebraska bested Notre Dame in just about every statistical category. The Huskers rolled up 560 yards total offense to Notre Dame’s 207. Nebraska had 300 yards on the ground and 260 through the air, while the Irish had 104 yards rushing and 103 yards passing. Notre Dame managed only 13 first downs to Nebraska’s 30. Humm completed 13 of 19 passes for 185 yards, while his Irish counterpart Tom Clements was successful on nine of 22 attempts for 103. In addition to his 81 yards rushing, Rodgers caught three passes for 71 yards. Nebraska ended the year at 9-2-1, losing only to UCLA and Oklahoma and tying Iowa State. The victory proved a fitting end to the 11-year Nebraska career of head coach Bob Devaney.
2 0 13
3 0 20
4 6 0
Score 6 40 FIRST QUARTER
11:19 NU
Rodgers 8 yd run (Sanger kick), 11-76 3:41 SECOND QUARTER
14:21 NU 12:20 NU
Dixon 1 yd run (Sanger kick), 11-80 4:04 Anderson 52 yd pass from Rodgers (Sanger kick failed), 1-52 0:09 THIRD QUARTER
11:17 NU 7:33 NU 6:00 NU
Rodgers 4 yd run (Humm pass failed), 6-42 1:55 Rodgers 5 yd run (Sanger kick), 9-80 2:52 Rodgers 50 yd pass from Humm (Sanger kick), 1-50 0:12 FOURTH QUARTER
13:51 ND
Demmerle 24 yd pass from Clements (Clements pass failed), 15-77
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Avg. Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Avg. Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
NU ND 30 13 20 6 9 5 1 2 64 44 328 145 28 41 300 104 260 103 26 23 17 9 1 3 90 67 560 207 6.2 3.1 1-1 3-0 5-68 1-15 3-0 1-0 4-153 6-223 38.3 37.2 2-3 2-18 2-34 6-84
RUSHING: Nebraska-Rodgers 15-81; Dixon 9-69; Goeller 11-43; Bahe 6-27; Runty 3-19; Damkroger 3-18; Moran 4-11; Garson 4-10; Powell 1-9; Humm 4-7; Olds 2-5; Westbrook 1-1. Notre Dame-Penick 8-48; Huff 11-22; Cieszkowski 3-21; Dewan 7-18; Best 7-15; Dimmick 1-2; Samuel 1-0; Clements 6-(-22). PASSING: Nebraska-Humm 13-19-0-185; Rodgers 1-1-0-52; Runty 3-6-1-23. Notre Dame: Clements 9-22-3-103; Dewan 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING: Nebraska-Rodgers 3-71; Revelle 3-62; List 3-25; Anderson 2-67; Garson 2-16; Damkroger 2-13; Longwell 1-4; Goeller 1-2. Notre Dame-Dewan 3-46; Creaney 2-28; Roolf 1-15; Demmerle 1-5; Diminick 1-5; Huff 1-4.
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1973 Sugar Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #3 Notre Dame #1 Alabama
1 6 0
4 3 6
Score 24 23 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Tom Clements, Quarterback FIRST QUARTER 3:19
ND
Bullock 6 yd run (Thomas kick failed), 7-64 2:32 SECOND QUARTER
7:30 7:17 0:39
UA ND UA
Billingsley 6 yd run (Davis kick), 7-52 2:40 Hunter 93 yd kickoff return (Demmerle pass from Clements) Davis 39 yd field goal, 7-69, 2:40
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 11:02 UA 2:30 ND
Jackson 5 yd run (Davis kick), 11-93 3:57 Penick 12 yd run (Thomas kick), 1-12 0:07 FOURTH QUARTER
9:33 4:26
UA ND
Todd 24 yd pass from Stock (Davis kick failed), 5-39 2:14 Thomas 19 yd field goal, 11-79, 5:13 UA ND 23 20 15 12 7 6 1 2 52 59 233 257 43 5 190 252 127 169 15 12 10 7 1 0 67 71 317 421 4.7 5.9 5-2 4-3 3-32 5-45 0-0 1-0 6-278 7-169 46.3 35.8 2-6 1-3 4-59 4-150
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Alabama-Jackson 11-62; Billingsley 7-54; Spivey 11-44; Todd 3-32; Stock 3-13; Beck 2-5; Culliver 2-5; Shelby 3-1; Rutledge 10-(-25). Notre Dame-Bullock 19-79; Clements 15-74; Best 12-45; Penick 9-28; Hunter 4-26. PASSING: Alabama-Rutledge 12-7-1-88; Todd 2-2-0-14; Stock 1-1-0-25. Notre DameClements 12-7-0-169.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING: Pugh 2-28; Jackson 2-22; Sharpless 2-22; Todd 1-25; Stock 1-15; Wheeler 1-13; Billingsley 1-2. Notre Dame: Casper 3-75; Demmerle 3-59; Weber 1-35.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
finished the season at 11-0. The record crowd of 85,161 was treated to a pulsating battle that went to the wire. With three minutes to play, Alabama’s punting specialist, Greg Gantt, booted a 69-yard punt that backed up the Irish to their own one-yard line. However, Gantt was fouled on the play and Alabama was entitled to keep the ball with fourth down and five yards to go. But Alabama’s Paul ‘‘Bear’’ Bryant elected to decline the penalty, hoping his defense could force an Irish turnover deep in their own territory. Moments later, Notre Dame quarterback Tom Clements rifled a pass to tight end Robin Weber at the 38 and secured the national championship. The Irish opened the contest with a superb defensive effort that held the Tide without a yard gained in the first period. Led by Clements, who shot passes of 19, 26 and 14 yards to split end Pete Demmerle, the Irish offense drew first blood in the opening period. Fullback Wayne Bullock capped a 64-yard scoring drive with a six-yard gallop into the end zone. Alabama’s thoroughbred backs made it out of the starting gate in the second period. They produced three long drives that resulted in a pair of scores - the first coming with 7:30 remaining. Randy Billingsley scored on a six-yard run and Bill Davis added the extra point that put Alabama up by one at 7-6. On the ensuing kickoff, Notre Dame’s Al Hunter stunned the crowd with his dazzling 93-yard return, the longest in Sugar Bowl history. The Irish went for two and converted as Clements hit Demmerle in the end zone for a 14-7 Notre Dame lead. Alabama moved deep into Notre Dame territory late in the second quarter, but had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Davis. At the start of the second half, Alabama marched 93 yards and took the lead on Wilbur Jackson’s five-yard scoring plunge. Again Notre Dame charged back, but a 54-yard field goal try by Thomas fell by the wayside. Notre Dame excited the crowd again when linebacker Drew Mahalic recovered a Tide fumble in mid-air and took the ball to the Alabama 12-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Eric Penick dashed 12 yards for the score. Thomas’ kick gave the Irish a 21-17 lead. Early in the fourth period, the game took a zany turn with three turnovers in 90 seconds. Alabama took charge and put in its own version of the razzle-dazzle. With the ball on the Notre Dame 25, second-string quarterback Richard Todd handed off to halfback Mike Stock, then raced to the sidelines where he took a return pass from Stock and went in for the score. But Davis missed the conversion try and Bryant’s Tide, which hadn’t won a bowl game in its last four appearances, hung on to a slim two-point advantage. Notre Dame then marched 79 yards in 11 plays. Strong runs by Hunter, Penick and Clements and a 30-yard pass from Clements to Dave Casper carried the drive to the Alabama 15-yard line. The Irish got to the three, but couldn’t get any closer when the call went to Thomas. This time he didn’t miss and the Irish had a 24-23 win.
3 7 7
GAME NOTES
NEW ORLEANS – It was to be a dream game. Two undefeated, highly-ranked teams with long and storied gridiron traditions were set to battle for the national championship. It was billed as a classic confrontation - the game of the century. The prognosticators’ predictions rang true as the 1973 Sugar Bowl saw Notre Dame emerge a 24-23 winner over Alabama in a thriller that saw the lead change hands six times. Bob Thomas, who had missed two attempts earlier in the game, kicked a 19-yard field goal with 4:26 remaining to give the Fighting Irish and coach Ara Parseghian the one-point upset over top-rated Alabama. The win also clinched the national championship for Notre Dame which
2 8 10
MEDIA INFORMATION
DEC. 31, 1973 • NEW ORLEANS, LA. • TULANE STADIUM
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1975 Orange Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 1975 • MIAMI, FLA. • ORANGE BOWL Score by Quarters #9 Notre Dame #1 Alabama
1 7 0
MIAMI – Alabama and Notre Dame locked horns again. Although the stakes weren’t as high (only Alabama was ranked number one, undefeated and looking for a national championship), the atmosphere was just as electric and frenzied as the 1973 Sugar Bowl. And this game was to be Ara Parseghian’s last as head coach at Notre Dame. After 11 successful seasons and two national championships, he was hanging up his coach’s playbook. The Fighting Irish, though decided underdogs with their 9-2 ledger, gave Parseghian a proper going-away present - a 13-11 victory that denied the Tide the national title for the second straight year and gave Alabama and coach Paul ‘‘Bear’’ Bryant its eighth consecutive non-win
in bowl competition. Notre Dame staked itself to a 13-0 lead midway through the opening half and withstood the Tide’s offensive thrust until the final gun sounded. The Irish got their first touchdown in the opening period. Alabama fumbled a Tony Brantley punt and Al Samuel recovered the ball at the Tide’s 16-yard line. Three plays later Notre Dame faced a fourth-and-one call at the seven. Wayne Bullock powered his way over the left side for three yards and a crucial first down. On the next play, he slithered into the end zone on a four-yard jaunt for the first Irish score. Dave Reeve added the extra point. With 50 seconds left in the first quarter, the Notre Dame offense took control at its own 23-yard line and quarterback Tom Clements engineered another scoring drive - this one encompassing 77 yards in 17 plays and taking 7:21 off the clock. The Irish attempted only one pass in the march, a nine-yard completion to Mark McLane. The running game featured McLane and Samuel working the sweeps and Bullock picking up his yardage up the middle. The drive almost stalled at the Alabama 28-yard line when the Irish faced a fourth-andfour situation. But an offsides call on the Tide on the Irish field-goal attempt gave Notre Dame new life. The Irish made the most of that resurrection, as McLane took a pitchout and ran 12 yards. Two plays later he twisted loose from the Alabama defense and went nine yards for the score. Reeve’s kick was off the mark and Notre Dame had to settle for a 13-0 lead. The Irish fumbled on their next possession and gave the Tide the football on the Notre Dame 40-yard line. Alabama’s game plan was to go to the air, and quarterback Richard Todd hit Ozzie Newsome for 11 yards and Jerry Brown for 12 yards to help the Tide move to the Notre Dame eight-yard mark. But the Irish defense dug in, and Alabama could manage only a 21-yard field goal by Danny Ridgeway. After a scoreless third quarter in which the Irish held Alabama to just three first downs, all by passing, Notre Dame took over at its own eight. The offense, dormant since the second quarter, surged to life. Samuel picked up 20 yards on a pair of sweeps to get the Irish out of the hole. But the Tide stopped a fourth-down try and immediately went to work. Again, Alabama, which had averaged only 11 passes a game during the season, went to the air. Todd carried the Tide to the Irish 12-yard line but then delivered an interception to John Dubenetzky, who returned the ball 16 yards to the 26. The Irish couldn’t put together a sustained drive and turned the ball over to Alabama with 4:29 left. On fourth down and five yards to go, Todd let loose a 48-yard touchdown pass to Russ Schamun. The Tide added two points on a conversion pass from Todd to George Pugh. Alabama got the ball back with just under two minutes remaining. Needing only a field goal to avenge the 24-23 loss in the ’73 Sugar Bowl, Todd tossed to Schamun for a 16-yard gain and to Randy Billinsley for an eight-yard reception. But Reggie Barnett intercepted Todd’s next throw and sealed the verdict in favor of the Irish.
2 6 3
3 0 0
4 0 8
Score 13 11
OFFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Wayne Bullock, Fullback FIRST QUARTER 6:41
ND
Bullock 4 yd run (Reeve kick), 5-16 1:30 SECOND QUARTER
8:29 1:45
ND UA
McLane 9 yd run (Reeve kick failed), 17-77 7:21 Ridgeway 21 yd field goal, 10-36 4:01 FOURTH QUARTER
3:13
UA
Schamun 48 yd pass from Todd (Pugh pass from Todd), 4-53 1:16
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
UA ND 14 15 3 14 11 0 0 1 33 66 107 215 45 30 62 185 223 19 29 8 15 4 2 2 62 74 285 204 4.6 2.6 5-2 1-1 1-5 1-15 2-0 2-26 7-280 6-228 40.0 38.0 5-34 0-0 2-32 3-54
RUSHING: Alabama-Culliver 11-60; Shelby 5-25; Todd 9-4; Billingsley 2-3; Taylor 1-1; Pugh 1-(-8); Stock 1-(-9); Rutledge 3-(-14). Notre Dame-Bullock 24-83; Samuel 10-39; McLane 8-30; Clements 11-26; Penick 6-15; Parise 3-4; Goodman 1-2; Allocco 3-(-14). PASSING: Alabama-Todd 13-24-2-194; Rutledge 2-5-0-29. Notre Dame-Clements 4-7-1-19; Goodman 0-1-1-0. RECEIVING: Alabama-Newsome 6-68; Schamun 5-126; Billingsley 3-17; Brown 1-12. Notre Dame-Demmerle 2-12; McLane 1-9; Goodman 1-(-2).
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1976 Gator Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #15 Notre Dame #20 Penn State
1 7 3
3 0 0
4 0 6
Score 20 9 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Al Hunter, Left Halfback
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 7:15 2:26
PSU ND
Capozzoli 26 yd field goal, 12-55 5:44 Hunter 1 yd run (Reeve kick), 10-35 4:38 SECOND QUARTER
8:49 2:20 0:02
ND ND ND
Reeve 23 yd field goal, 6-23 1:25 Hunter 1 yd run (Reeve kick), 10-51 4:45 Reeve 23 yd field goal, 3-32 0:15
THE FIGHTING IRISH
FOURTH QUARTER 8:37
PSU
Suhey 8 yd pass from Fusina (Torrey run failed), 2-8 0:37 PSU ND 16 17 9 9 6 6 1 2 40 48 180 143 24 11 156 132 118 141 33 20 14 10 2 0 73 68 274 273 3.8 4.0 4-1 2-0 6-55 5-62 0-0 2-32 5-146 5-166 29.2 33.2 2-21 3-2 2-28 3-109
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Al Hunter ignited the Notre Dame offense and tallied a pair of first-half touchdowns to spark the Fighting Irish to a 20-9 win over Penn State in the Gator Bowl before a crowd of 67,827. Hunter, who became the first Notre Dame back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season, scored in each of the initial two periods. After the Nittany Lions jumped out to a short-lived 3-0 lead on Tony Capozzoli’s 26-yard field goal, Terry Eurick helped the Irish effort with a kickoff return of 65 yards. Hunter put together runs of six and nine yards before crossing the goal line on a one-yard dive. Dave Reeve added the extra point and the Irish were ahead for good. In the second quarter Jim Browner recovered a Penn State fumble at the Nittany Lion 23-yard line. Six plays later, including a 12-yard pass from quarterback Rick Slager to Dan Kelleher, Reeve added three points to the Notre Dame total with a 23-yard field goal. Notre Dame’s offense continued its surge with another touchdown by Hunter. This time the Irish covered 51 yards in 10 plays. Slager tossed a pair of 12-yard passes to tight end Ken MacAfee and a 13-yarder to Hunter to move the Irish downfield. Hunter contributed an 11-yard gallop before scoring on a one-yard run. Reeve’s kick made it Notre Dame 17, Penn State 3. With only two seconds remaining on the clock before halftime, the Irish boosted their lead to 20-3 on another 23-yard field goal by Reeve. That Irish drive was helped by a punt interference call against Penn State, one of six penalties assessed against the Nittany Lions during the game. Led by linebackers Bob Golic, Doug Becker and Steve Heimkreiter and strong safety Jim Browner, the Irish defense clamped down on Penn State’s usually proficient offense. Notre Dame never allowed the Lions beyond their own 32 in the first half after their initial possession. And despite good yardage totals in the second half, Penn State was unable to score a touchdown until Bruce Clark blocked a punt deep in Notre Dame territory with 9:14 left in the game. Quarterback Chuck Fusina tossed an eight-yard pass to Matt Suhey on the second play from scrimmage for the score. The Nittany Lions’ two-point conversion attempt failed. Penn State edged the Irish in total offense by one yard - gaining 274 yards to 273 for Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions gained 156 yards on the ground compared to the Irish total of 132. But 15th-ranked Notre Dame edged the Lions 141-118 in the passing department. Hunter was the leading rusher in the game, gaining 102 yards on 26 carries. Bob Torrey paced the Nittany Lions with 63 yards in 12 tries. Suhey added 40. Slager completed 10 of 19 passes for 141 yards, while Fusina was successful on 14 of 33 attempts. He also threw two interceptions. MacAfee headed the Irish receiving corps with five catches for 78 yards. Kelleher hauled in three receptions for 46 yards. The victory, Notre Dame’s third consecutive win in postseason competition, gave coach Dan Devine a 9-3 record for the 1975 campaign, his second season with the Irish. Penn State, under the direction of coach Joe Paterno, fell to 7-5.
2 13 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
DEC. 27, 1976 • JACKSONVILLE, FLA. • GATOR BOWL
PASSING: Penn State-Fusina 14-33-2-118. Notre Dame-Slager 10-19-0-141; Browner 0-10-0. RECEIVING: Penn State-Cefalo 5-60; Torrey 3-(-3); Suhey 2-17; Mauti 1-21; Donovan 1-11; Shuler 1-10; Guman 1-2. Notre Dame: MacAfee 5-78; Kelleher 3-46; Hunter 1-13; Orsini 1-4.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
RUSHING: Penn State-Torrey 12-63; Suhey 9-40; Geise 12-36; Cefalo 3-18; Fusina 2-1; Guman 2-(-2). Notre Dame-Hunter 26-102; Ferguson 10-22; Browner 3-10; Orsini 3-7; Slager 6-(-9).
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
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1978 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 2, 1978 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL Score by Quarters #5 Notre Dame #1 Texas
1 3 3
DALLAS – And then there were none. Not one unbeaten football team in major college football remained. Dan Devine’s Fighting Irish of Notre Dame took care of the last one, using an unrelenting defense to force six Texas turnovers and an opportunistic offense which capitalized on five of them to rout the previously unbeaten Longhorns 38-10 in the Cotton Bowl and claim the national championship for themselves. The victory elevated Notre Dame into the top spot in both the AP and UPI final polls. Meanwhile, Texas - which had held the number-one ranking in both polls coming into the game - slipped to fourth in AP and fifth in UPI. The Irish were devastating, particularly in the trenches, where the Irish defensive line threw a lasso around Texas Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell. Though Campbell did gain 116 yards on 29 carries, they were all tough yards. His longest run from scrimmage was only 18 late in the second quarter. The Irish also forced the Longhorns into six turnovers, three fumbles and three interceptions, and took advantage of what Texas gave them with an offensive line performance which was awesome. Backs Jerome Heavens and Vagas Ferguson gained 102 and 100 yards, respectively, by going where the Longhorns weren’t. Ferguson, who also scored three touchdowns, won the outstanding offensive player honor. Defensively, the top honor went to Irish middle linebacker Bob Golic, who made 17 tackles and blocked a field-goal attempt by Russell Erxleben. After the teams had traded field goals in the first quarter - Notre Dame’s Dave Reeve hit a 47-yarder (after a Texas fumble) before Erxleben connected on a 42-yarder into a 12 mph wind - Golic and teammates Mike Calhoun and Doug Becker forced a Ham Jones fumble on a screen pass from Randy McEachern and Jim Browner recovered at the Longhorn 27. Senior captain Terry Eurick scored on the fifth play after that turnover to give the Irish a 10-3 lead on the first play of the second quarter. Defensive tackle Ken Dike then got into the act on Texas’ next possession, stripping a scrambling McEachern of the ball, which Willie Fry recovered at the Longhorn 35. Five plays later, Eurick scampered in from the 10 for a 17-3 lead. An interception by linebacker Becker set up Notre Dame’s third touchdown of the period, a 17-yard pass from Joe Montana to Ferguson. But the Longhorns threw a scare into the Irish late in the quarter when McEachern directed a 68-yard, six-play drive in just 22 seconds to score. The touchdown came on a 13yard aerial from McEachern to Mike Lockett after Irish safety Jim Browner had been called for interference on the last play of the first half. The Irish regained the lost momentum when linebacker Steve Heimkreiter intercepted a McEachern pass midway through the third quarter. Ferguson went the final three yards on the 29-yard drive off left tackle to score, making it 31-10. The loss ended a storybook season for first-year coach Fred Akers whose Longhorns had won 11 straight games. Notre Dame survived an early loss to Mississippi to finish 11-1 with 10 straight victories.
2 21 7
3 7 0
4 7 0
Score 38 10
MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE PLAYER Vagas Ferguson, Running Back MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER Bob Golic, Linebacker FIRST QUARTER 11:35 ND 6:07 UT
Reeve 47 yd field goal, 4-32 0:59 Erxleben 42 yd field goal, 11-80 5:18 SECOND QUARTER
14:56 11:37 7:28 0:00
ND ND ND UT
Eurick 6 yd run (Reeve kick), 5-27 1:06 Eurick 10 yd run (Reeve kick), 5-35 1:32 Ferguson 17 yd pass from Montana (Reeve kick) 3-20 0:39 Lockett 13 yd pass from McEachern (Erxleben kick) 6-68 2:20 THIRD QUARTER
6:49
ND
Ferguson 3 yd run (Reeve kick) 7-29 2:20 FOURTH QUARTER
9:41
ND
Ferguson 26 yd run (Reeve kick), 5-50 2:01
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Avg. Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Avg. Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
UT ND 16 26 6 15 9 11 1 0 50 53 190 250 59 7 131 243 160 156 24 32 11 14 3 1 74 85 291 399 3.9 4.7 3-3 0-0 1-5 4-37 1-0 3-20 3-120 5-152 40.0 30.4 1-1 0-0 8-81 1-17
RUSHING: Texas-Campbell 29-116; Jones 11-63; Thompson 1-2; Johnson 1-2; McEachern 8-(-52). Notre Dame-Heavens 22-101; Ferguson 21-100; Eurick 4-16; Lisch 2-16; Stone 2-4; Mitchell 1-3; Montana 1-3. PASSING: Texas-McEachern 11-24-3-160. Notre Dame-Montana 10-25-1-111; Lisch 4-70-45. RECEIVING: Texas-Harris 4-57; Jackson 3-33; Jones 1-34; Miksch 1-18; Lockett 1-13; Jones 1-5. Notre Dame: MacAfee 4-45; Waymer 3-38; Ferguson 3-23; Haines 2-29; Eurick 1-12; Pallas 1-9.
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1979 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #10 Notre Dame #9 Houston
1 12 7
3 0 14
4 23 0
Score 35 34
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Joe Montana, Quarterback
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 6:55 4:40 0:17
ND ND UH
Montana 3 yd run (Unis kick failed), 9-66 3:41 Buchanan 1 yd run (Montana pass failed), 6-25 2:15 Adams 15 yd pass from Davis (Hatfield kick), 3-12 1:14 SECOND QUARTER
6:27 3:00 0:03
UH UH UH
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Love 1 yd run (Hatfield kick), 6-21 2:05 Hatfield 21 yd field goal, 6-21 2:16 Hatfield 34 yd field goal, 7-39 1:08 THIRD QUARTER
6:29 4:40
UH UH
Davis 2 yd run (Hatfield kick), 8-30 3:46 Davis 5 yd run (Hatfield kick), 3-19 1:18 COACHES & STAFF
FOURTH QUARTER 7:25 4:15 0:00
ND ND ND
Cichy 33 yd blocked punt return (Ferguson pass from Montana) Montana 2 yd run (Haines pass from Montana), 5-61 1:22 Haines 8 yd pass from Montana (Unis kick), 4-29 0:28 UH ND 16 13 12 4 3 7 1 2 63 40 253 144 24 13 239 131 60 163 13 37 4 13 0 4 76 77 289 294 3.8 3.8 6-3 3-3 6-38 8-74 4-43 0-0 10-255 7-184 25.5 26.3 2-(-2) 5-48 2-33 6-136
BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Houston-Davis 19-76; King 21-74; Love 22-73; Brown 1-6. Notre Dame-Heavens 16-71; Montana 7-26; Ferguson 10-19; Pallas 4-11; Mitchell 1-3; Buchanan 2-1.
RECEIVING: Houston-Adams 2-35; Herring 2-25. Notre Dame: Heavens 4-60; Haines 4-31; Masztak 3-49; Holohan 1-14; Ferguson 1-9.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
PASSING: Houston-Davis 4-12-0-60; Brown 0-1-0-0. Notre Dame-Montana 13-34-3-163; Koegel 0-3-0-0.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
DALLAS – Notre Dame utilized a miracle rally beginning midway through the fourth period to shock Houston 35-34 and capture the 43rd and coldest Cotton Bowl. It featured a comeback that many longtime observers called the greatest in Irish football history. Quarterback Joe Montana, who missed most of the third quarter because of below-normal body temperature, captained an Irish rescue mission which saw the gold and green put 23 points on the board in the final seven minutes and 37 seconds, erasing a 34-12 Cougar lead in the process. What happened in the last 7:37 was mind-boggling. For starters, the tide turned when freshman reserve fullback Tony Belden blocked a Jay Wyatt punt and classmate Steve Cichy picked it up in a crowd and rambled 33 yards for an Irish score. Notre Dame, electing to go for two, narrowed the deficit to 34-20 when Montana connected with tailback Vagas Ferguson in the end zone. After his team had forced another Wyatt punt, Montana shifted into overdrive when the Irish regained possession at their own 39-yard line with 5:40 remaining on the clock. On three straight plays the senior signal caller connected with freshman tight end Dean Masztak, fullback Jerome Heavens and flanker Pete Holohan for respective gains of 17, 30 and 11 (the last one on pass interference) yards. Two plays later Montana swept left end for two yards and a touchdown. Two points were once again a must for the Irish, who brought the score to 34-28 with a Montana-to-Haines completion. The once dumfounded Notre Dame legions suddenly had reason to cheer. Their Irish were rolling, or so it seemed, until all momentum seemed gone with 2:05 left in the game. It was then when Montana fumbled after a 16-yard run to the Houston 20 and Cougar Tommy Ebner recovered. The Irish defense stiffened, and with a fourth-and-one from the Cougar 29 and 35 seconds left, Yeoman overruled a possible punt to go for the first down that would seal a win for the Southwest Conference champions. But Notre Dame held on a great stop by freshman Joe Gramke and the Irish took over with 28 ticks of the clock left, just 29 yards short of paydirt. Montana, who needed a dose of chicken soup to help erase his hypothermic condition, started the last-ditch Irish effort by running for 11 yards and then throwing to Kris Haines for a gain of 10. On the next play Montana, the same Montana who had earlier thrown four interceptions, wasted little time getting rid of the ball, tossing it quickly to the right corner of the end zone and in the direction of Haines. The pass was incomplete, but Montana’s quickness in releasing stopped the clock with two seconds remaining and gave the Irish one last chance. Montana, calling for the same play twice in a row, then proceeded to hit Hines with the tying touchdown pass. Joe Unis, a Dallas native, came on to kick the extra point. An illegal procedure penalty nullified the winning point, so Unis had to do it all over. He did, and the miracle was history.
2 0 13
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1979 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL
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1981 Sugar Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 1981 • NEW ORLEANS, LA. • LOUISIANA SUPERDOME Score by Quarters #7 Notre Dame #1 Georgia
1 3 10
NEW ORLEANS – The day before Georgia met Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, Vince Dooley was hoping his football players would spend New Year’s Eve night ‘‘in their hotel rooms, watching whatever it is they drop in New York, that ball or whatever.” By the time the two teams had played out Georgia’s 17-10 win over Notre Dame in the 47th Sugar Bowl, Georgia had watched and claimed everything that fell from the heavens of the Superdome, including its first national championship. The Bulldogs capitalized on two critical Notre Dame mistakes in the first half for touchdown drives of one and 22 yards, then fought back repeated Notre Dame threats in the second half giving 12-0 Georgia its first unbeaten
season since 1946. After seventh-ranked Notre Dame took a 3-0 lead on the game’s first possession, the Irish drove to the Georgia 31 the next time they had the ball. But freshman Terry Hoage shot through the middle to block Harry Oliver’s 48-yard field goal attempt. The play did two things. It led to Georgia’s first score and warned Notre Dame of the strange perils that lay ahead. The game’s most valuable player, Herschel Walker, ran the ball six times to the Notre Dame 19 before the drive stopped and Rex Robinson kicked a 46-yard field goal to make it 3-3. Robinson kicked off and drove the ball high and deep. Notre Dame deep backs Jim Stone and Ty Barber drifted away from the ball before it hit near the goal and began bouncing laterally. Stone had called for Barber to take the kick, but the crowd noise drowned out the call. Stone went after the ball but Georgia’s Bob Kelly recovered at the one. Two plays later Walker dove over from the one and Georgia was ahead to stay 10-3. If the 59-yard onsides kick hadn’t done enough damage, Notre Dame gave Georgia the eventual game-winning score in the first minute of the second quarter. Notre Dame fullback John Sweeney’s only carry of the game ended in a fumble when he was hit by linebacker Frank Ros at the Notre Dame 20. Chris Welton recovered for Georgia at the 22, the first of four Notre Dame turnovers. Walker ran off right tackle for 12 yards and quarterback Buck Belue scrambled for seven more to the three. Walker took it over from there, scooting around right end untouched. Georgia had only three first downs and a 17-3 lead. After Georgia went ahead on Walker’s run, Notre Dame drove to the Bulldog 13 but again came away frustrated. Quarterback Mike Courey’s lob pass for Pete Holohan was intercepted by Scott Woerner in the end zone. Midway through the third period the game’s next serious threat developed when Notre Dame again drove to the Georgia 13. It was stopped when Woerner tipped away a Blair Kiel pass to Holohan in the end zone. If Georgia’s special teams ignited the win, the Bulldog defense fanned the flames in the second half. Belue went almost 58 minutes of the game without a completion and finished one-for-12. Walker, who gained 95 yards on 17 first-half carries managed only 55 on 19 second-half attempts. As the third period wore on, Notre Dame’s size began taking its toll on the smaller Bulldogs. Hanging in became an obvious chore. With five minutes rem aining in the third period Kiel - who quarterbacked the entire second half after Courey broke his right hand just before halftime - drove Notre Dame 57 methodical yards in 10 impressive plays. Phil Carter scored from one yard out and Oliver’s kick made it 17-10 with :54 left in the third period. On its next possession Notre Dame drove from its 46 to the Georgia 27 in five quick plays. But just when it appeared the Irish had the Bulldogs on the ropes, Woerner made another big play. On third and three at the Bulldog 20, the Georgia safety sliced through and dropped Phil Carter for a one-yard loss. Oliver - who had a one-for-four day on field goals - missed a 38-yard attempt. Georgia defensive coordinator Erk Russell watched the mounting Irish momentum with a degree of concern. Notre Dame’s domination - the Irish outgained Georgia 328 yards to 127 and had a 78-65 edge in plays - appeared to be mounting with each possession. With nine minutes remaining Georgia had an opportunity to put Notre Dame out of reach of a one-touchdown comeback. Kiel’s deep sideline pass from Hunter was intercepted by Mike Fisher at the Notre Dame 37. An incomplete long pass and two running plays by Walker gained six yards. Robinson pushed his 48-yard field goal wide to the right.
2 0 7
3 7 0
4 0 0
Score 10 17 FIRST QUARTER
10:41 ND 1:45 UGA 1:04 UGA
Oliver 50 yd field goal, 9-48 4:19 Robinson 46 yd field goal, 8-20 3:38 Walker 1 yd run (Robinson kick), 2-1 0:41 SECOND QUARTER
13:49 UGA
Walker 3 yd run (Robinson kick), 3-22 0:17 THIRD QUARTER
0:54
ND
Carter 1 yd run (Oliver kick) 10-57 4:25
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushed Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
UGA ND 17 10 10 8 7 1 0 1 50 52 206 181 16 61 190 120 138 7 28 13 14 1 3 0 78 65 328 127 4.2 1.9 1-1 0-0 8-69 6-32 0-0 3-19 5-210 11-424 42.0 38.5 3-2 3-25 2-52 3-55
RUSHING: Georgia-Walker 36-150; Womack 1-2; Norris 2-2; Belue 13-(-34). Notre DameCarter 27-109; Courey 5-40; Kiel 10-27; Stone 6-12; Sweeney 1-2; Buchanan 1-0. PASSING: Georgia-Belue 1-12-0-7; Walker 1-0-0-0. Notre Dame-Kiel 14-27-2-138; Courey 0-1-1-0. RECEIVING: Georgia-Arnold 1-7. Notre Dame: Holohan 4-44; Hunter 3-29; Carter 2-24; Masztak 2-22; Vehr 2-14; Buchanan 1-5.
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1983 Liberty Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #12 Boston College Notre Dame
1 6 7
3 6 0
4 0 0
Score 18 19
DEFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Tony Furjanic, Linebacker
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 12:07 BC 4:24 ND
Brennan 17 pass from Flutie (Waldron kick failed), 7-63 2:53 Pinkett 1 yd run (Johnston kick), 16-87 7:43 SECOND QUARTER
11:49 ND 8:19 ND 7:02 BC
Miller 13 yd pass from Kiel (Johnston kick blocked), 6-4 1:02 Pinkett 3 yd run (Johnston kick blocked), 6-53 2:11 Phelan 28 yd pass from Flutie (Flutie pass failed), 4-69 1:08
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 7:20
BC
Gieselman 3 yd pass from Flutie (Flutie pass failed), 10-85 4:00 ND BC 19 15 12 6 7 9 0 0 54 29 253 126 28 33 225 93 151 287 19 38 11 16 1 2 73 67 376 380 5.14 5.66 10 0 3-1 1-0 5-47 7-55 2-3 1-0 6-17 16-168 28.5 28.0 2-7 1-0 4-55 4-83
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Per Play Return Yards Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
RUSHING: Boston College-Stradford 16-51, Flutie 5-32; Browne 4-13, Biestek 2-8, Bell 1-3, Team 1-(-14). Notre Dame-Pinkett 28-111, Smith 18-104, Brooks 2-26, Miller 1-7, Kiel 5-23. PASSING: Boston College-Flutie 16-37-1-287, Brennan 0-1-0-0. Notre Dame-Kiel 11-19-1151. RECEIVING: Boston College-Brennan 4-91, Phelan 4-52, Geiselman 3-19, Stradford 2-17, Biestek 1-42, Martin 1-36, Murphy 1-30. Notre Dame: Bavaro 5-52, Miller 3-31, Jackson 2-25, Howard 1-43.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Notre Dame risked being labeled a ‘‘Scrooge’’ by finally shedding its charitable image in the 1983 Liberty Bowl. After literally giving away victory and a chance at a major bowl bid to Penn State and Air Force in the waning seconds of the last two games of the regular season, the Irish defense tightened its money clip and emphatically refused Boston College’s request for a 10-2 record and residency among the nation’s top 10 teams. With just 1:08 left on the clock and the Irish clinging to a perilously slim 19-18 advantage, Boston College faced a crucial fourth-and-four situation at the Notre Dame 35-yard line. Quarterback Doug Flutie, the Eagles’ shifty 5-9 junior who already had completed 16 of 36 passes for 287 yards, was threatening to pull off another magical comeback. But Flutie’s last attempt fell incomplete. The Notre Dame defense blitzed and forced Flutie, who had slipped on the frozen turf, to unload the ball a bit sooner than planned. Freshman cornerback Troy Wilson smothered intended receiver Joe Giaquinto, who dove for Flutie’s pass and missed. The Irish took possession with just a minute left and needed only to run out the clock for the 19-18 victory in Memphis. The Notre Dame defense had clung to its final margin of victory for 22 minutes-an eternity for Irish players, coaches and fans who were shivering with the thought of deja vu. Senior quarterback Blair Kiel, who was relegated to relief duties after the first three games of the season, regained the starting nod on the basis of his off-the-bench performance in the last game against Air Force. He responded by completing 11 of 19 passes for 151 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to freshman Alvin Miller. Kiel’s accurate passing complemented Notre Dame’s two-pronged running attack which somehow managed to establish a strong footing on the icy field that was slippery between the hash marks and soft on the sides. Instead of the usual I-formation, fullback Chris Smith and tailback Allen Pinkett shared time behind the huge Irish offensive line. The set-up was new, but the plays were the same. And the wrinkles caused the Eagle defense plenty of problems. Pinkett skated for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 28 carries, while it took Smith 18 tries to gain his personal best of 104 yards. But despite the offensive displays of Flutie and Kiel and Company and the last-minute heroics of the Irish defense, the difference in the game proved to be Mike Johnston’s one successful extra point. His next two attempts were blocked, but he still fared better than the Eagles. Brian Waldron slipped on his only try and both two-point conversion attempts failed. Flutie’s pinpoint passing (three completions for 64 yards) moved Boston College into the end zone in just seven plays after the opening kickoff. Flutie’s favorite receiver, Brian Brennan, dove for a 17-yard touchdown catch to put the Eagles on the board. But the Irish came right back with a 15-play, 87-yard drive that consumed nearly eight minutes. On fourth and one, Pinkett crossed the goal line. Johnston kicked the only successful PAT of the evening and Notre Dame led 7-6. Holding penalties thwarted Notre Dame’s next two scoring opportunities and nearly wiped out a third after Golic blocked a John Mihalik punt and Stacey Toran recovered at the Eagles’ six. But on third and 14, Kiel lofted a scoring pass to Miller, who had only caught two the entire season. On their next possession, the Irish marched 53 yards in six plays as Pinkett scored from the three around right end. Notre Dame moved in front 19-6. But Flutie got back on track after the ensuing kickoff with a 42-yard pass to fullback Bob Biestek. Three plays later he connected with flanker Gerard Phelan for a 28-yard touchdown. The Irish opened the second half by driving to the Eagles’ 15 but were forced to give up the football when Pinkett was stopped short on fourth and one. Flutie then directed the Eagles 85 yards downfield and tossed a three-yard scoring pass to tight end Scott Gieselman. But Tony Furjanic, Notre Dame’s defensive MVP with seven tackles and an interception, batted Flutie’s two-point conversion pass away from Gieselman, and the Irish were still ahead, 19-18.
2 6 12
MEDIA INFORMATION
DEC. 29, 1983 • MEMPHIS, TENN. • LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM
159 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 159
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1984 Aloha Bowl Game Summary
DEC. 29, 1984 • HONOLULU, HAWAII • ALOHA STADIUM Score by Quarters #17 Notre Dame #10 SMU
1 0 7
HONOLULU – It had all the earmarks of a classic Notre Dame comeback. In fact, the Irish already had done it once that dayrebounding from a quick 14-0 deficit to tie the contest at 17 heading into the final period of the Aloha Bowl against SMU. This time, the Ponies had grabbed a 27-17 advantage with 6:13 remaining. With SMU expecting a pass, Notre Dame ran nine straight times in a 2:57 period before John Carney’s 31-yard field goal at the 3:15 mark. The Irish defense then did the job, halting Reggie Dupard on a third-and-four attempt from the SMU 26. Mike Kovaleski stopped him after only a single yard. After SMU’s punt, quarterback Steve Beuerlein went to work from the Irish 23 with 2:42 left on the clock. Beuerlein had thrown only 12 passes to that point in the game. He would throw 11 in the next 2:19, almost enough for a patented Notre Dame finish. But he finished one short. A second down Beuerlein run for 14 yards gave the Irish a first down at the SMU 17. Mark Bavaro grabbed a first-down pass for one yard and the clock kept moving. On second down, Beuerlein’s throw for Joe Howard near the goal line caught Howard leaning the wrong direction. On third down, Beuerlein threw for Tim Brown, only to have the ball tipped into the air and knocked to the ground by SMU safety Tim Green. On fourth down, Beuerlein scrambled out of the pocket to his right and found Milt Jackson open in the end zone. For the 10th-ranked Mustangs, it marked the moment of their 27-20 victory. Beuerlein’s throw was just past the outstretched hands of Jackson with 23 seconds remaining. SMU took advantage of its quickness to put touchdowns on the board on its initial two possessions. Junior quarterback Don King threw for 24 yards on the first SMU play from scrimmage, then Dupard ran for 11 yards the next down. A sprained ankle quickly put Dupard on the sidelines, but it mattered little. Sophomore Jeff Atkins-who eventually earned the offensive MVP award-caught a key 16-yard pass on third down and eventually scored on a seven-yard run. The next time they had the ball, the Mustangs drove 80 yards in 14 plays-with King throwing to Cobby Morrison for a 21-yard score. King made the key play of that drive, throwing for 21 yards to Ron Morris on a third-and-18 call from the Irish 29. Brown returned the SMU kickoff 53 yards to the SMU 47 - and Pinkett went to work. He carried five times down to the Pony 17 before catching a pass from Beuerlein in the end zone for the touchdown. The Irish defense held this time, and Notre Dame again went to work. Starting from their own 15, the Irish had a 27-yard pass to Alonzo Jefferson nullified by clipping. Still, they came right back with a 15-yarder to Bavaro plus a facemask violation against SMU-then a 28-yard shovel pass to Jefferson. Another key stop of Jefferson on third and two by SMU halted the march-but Carney connected from 51 yards (the longest of his career and an Aloha Bowl record) to make it 14-10. SMU scored the final points of the half on a 47-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining to make it 17-10 at the break. Notre Dame was able to force Mustang punts on the first three possessions of the second half, but the Irish couldn’t take advantage until the third try. Pinkett ran off gains of 11 and 13 yards, and Mark Brooks finally took it in from 11 for a 17-17 tie with 2:10 left in the third period. SMU came right back to take the lead on an agonizingly long, 19-play drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock. The Ponies did it the hard way, with Dupard twice converting on fourth-down runs after SMU reached the Notre Dame 25. Brandy Brownlee’s 30-yard field goal made it 20-17 with 11:47 left in the game. The Mustangs needed seven running plays to score what appeared to be the clinching touchdown. Atkins took a pitch for 22 yards and Dupard added 11 before Dupard’s eventual two-yard scoring run.
2 10 10
3 7 0
4 3 10
Score 20 27 FIRST QUARTER
6:07
SMU
Atkins 7 yd run (Brownlee kick) 10-78 4:08 SECOND QUARTER
11:35 8:26 4:23 0:07
SMU ND ND SMU
Morrison 12 yd pass from King (Brownlee kick), 14-80 6:28 Pinkett 17 yd pass from Beuerlein (Carney kick), 7-47 2:59 Carney 51 yd field goal, 7-51 3:01 Brownlee 47 yd field goal, 12-49 4:16 THIRD QUARTER
3:50
ND
Brooks 11 yd run (Carney kick), 5-40 2:10 FOURTH QUARTER
6:13 3:15
SMU ND
Dupard 2 yd run (Brownlee kick), 7-50 3:15 Carney 31 yd field goal, 9-65 2:57
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Return Yards Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
ND SMU 22 26 12 18 9 7 1 1 250 280 32 54 218 226 144 153 23 17 11 9 0 0 66 81 362 379 5.5 4.7 42 25 0-0 4-0 5-44 5-55 0-0 0-0 4-166 5-205 41.5 41.0 4-42 2-25 4-105 2-55
RUSHING: SMU-Atkins 17-112, Dupard 23-103, Hashaway 8-34, Morrison 7-26, Morris 1-(-13), King 8-(-36). Notre Dame-Pinkett 24-136, Jefferson 9-60, Brooks 4-19, Beuerlein 5-7, Brown 1-(-4). PASSING: SMU-King 9-17-0-153. Notre Dame-Beuerlein 11-23-0-144. RECEIVING: SMU-Atkins 2-31, Hashaway 2-27, Morris 2-27, Dupard 1-39, Pleasant 1-17, Morrison 1-12. Notre Dame: Jefferson 2-37, Howard 2-24, Bavaro 2-16, Brown 1-16, Jackson 1-13, Pinkett 1-17, Smith 1-11, Gray 1-10.
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1988 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #12 Notre Dame #13 Texas A&M
1 7 3
3 0 7
4 0 10
Score 10 35 FIRST QUARTER
11:25 ND 0:00 A&M
Brown 17 pass from Andrysiak (Gradel kick), 7-59 3:28 Slater 26 yd field goal, 7-30 3:09
GAME NOTES
SECOND QUARTER 10:52 ND 1:42 A&M 0:26 A&M
Gradel 36 yd field goal, 9-51 4:03 Thompson 24 yd pass from Lewis (Slater kick), 6-80 2:24 Horton 2 yd run (Hartley run), 4-21 1:02 THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 3:35
A&M
Richardson 1 yd run (Slater kick), 5-23 1:43 FOURTH QUARTER
8:32 5:10
A&M A&M
Slater 25 yd field goal, 9-59 4:17 Richardson 8 yd run (Slater kick), 5-30 2:43 ND A&M 16 24 5 17 10 5 2 2 36 59 92 298 18 4 74 294 203 116 28 17 15 8 2 0 64 76 277 410 4.3 5.4 2-2 1-1 6-64 6-55 0-0 2-0 5-157 4-169 31.4 42.2 1-4 2-9 8-15 12-33
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
RUSHING: Texas A&M-Richardson 13-96, Woodside 17-73, Gurley 15-60, Lewis 7-52, Horton 5-13, Pavlas 1-0, Costar 1-0. Notre Dame-Johnson 8-20, Andrysiak 11-15, Green 5-14, Banks 5-9, Graham 2-9, Brooks 3-7, Rice 1-3, Watters 1-(-3). PASSING: Texas A&M-Pavlas 5-7-0-77, Richardson 2-9-0-15, Lewis 1-1-0-24. Notre DameAndrysiak 15-25-1-203, Rice 0-3-1-0.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING: Texas A&M-Woodside 2-22, Oliver 1-33, Thompson 1-24, Harris 1-19, Morgan 1-16, Lewis 1-6, Waddle 1-(-4). Notre Dame: Brown 6-105, Heck 3-28, Ward 2-37, Green 1-24, Watters 1-10, Jefferson 1-7, Banks 1-(-8).
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DALLAS – For Notre Dame the 1988 Cotton Bowl closely resembled the 1987 season - a good start and a tough luck finish. The Irish, appearing in their first New Year’s Day bowl in seven years, played like the team that shut down Michigan and Alabama-for almost a half, anyway. But Texas A&M made the most of a costly secondperiod Irish turnover, and the momentum and breaks went the Aggies’ direction the rest of the way as the Southwest Conference champions rolled to a 35-10 victory. After losing the last two games of the regular season, the Irish looked like they were back on track on the opening kickoff, a 37-yard return by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, his longest of the season. The next three plays were Anthony Johnson left, Anthony Johnson middle, and Anthony Johnson right to pound out the first down. Then Terry Andrysiak, playing for the first time since breaking his collarbone in October, took to the air with a 29-yard strike to Brown to the Aggie 20. After two runs for short gains, Notre Dame found itself facing a third down and seven. But once again it was Andrysiak to Brown, this time for 17 yards and a touchdown. Texas A&M missed a field goal on the next possession, but a career long 64-yard punt by Craig Stump late in the quarter put the Irish on their own two-yard line and helped get the ball back to the Aggies in a hurry. Scott Slater managed to put a 26-yarder through the uprights as time expired in the first quarter. The second quarter started out like the first. Notre Dame scored on its first possession with a 36-yard field goal by Ted Gradel. The Irish defense held the Aggies to 23 yards on their next drive and the Irish again began to march down the field. Andrysiak to Brown for 22. Andrysiak to Brown for 24. Andrysiak to Reggie Ward for 13. The Irish seemed unstoppable as they stood poised on the 18-yard line ready to score again. Then, with 4:06 on the clock, the bottom fell out. A play-action pass intended to go right went left. Andrysiak’s pass to tight end Andy Heck was picked off in the end zone by Alex Morris who made a one-handed catch and barely landed in bounds. The Aggies came alive. Backup Lance Pavlas, who alternated at quarterback with the game’s offensive MVP, Bucky Richardson, directed an 80-yard drive highlighted by a 33-yard pass to Gary Oliver. But it was freshman halfback Darren Lewis who took a pitch, stopped short and hit Tony Thompson for a 24-yard touchdown to tie the game. The Irish took over on their own 29-yard line, but not for long. Braxston Banks dropped a short pass from Andrysiak and a controversial fumble call gave the Aggies the football. Four plays later Larry Horton drove two yards for an A&M touchdown with 0:26 left in the half. A ‘‘swinging gate’’ play, in which Wally Hartley ran three yards behind a wall of Aggies, gave Texas A&M the two-point conversion and an 18-10 halftime lead. Texas A&M’s momentum continued into the second half as the Aggies drove 80 yards to the Notre Dame one-yard line on their first possession. The Irish had a chance to stem the tide when Wes Pritchett hit Matt Gurley, forcing a fumble. Brandy Wells recovered for Notre Dame in the end zone for the touchback. But on the next play tailback Mark Green fumbled the ball and Dana Batiste recovered for A&M. A defensive pass interference penalty moved the Aggies down to the eight-yard line. Then Richardson ran one yard for the touchdown. The Aggies continued to dominate the Irish in the fourth quarter, shutting out Brown, keeping Andrysiak to only two completions and holding Notre Dame to only 76 yards in the second half. Kip Corrington stopped Andrysiak on fourth and nine on the Aggie 28-yard line early in the quarter, ending any hopes of an Irish comeback. The Aggies ran at the Irish for 59 yards, setting up a Scott Slater 25-yard field goal with 8:32 on the clock. Corrington would haunt Andrysiak again, this time with an interception of another pass intended for Heck on the Irish 30-yard line. Texas A&M wasted no time converting the turnover into the final score of the game as Richardson ran eight yards for his second touchdown.
2 3 15
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1988 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL
161 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 161
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1989 Fiesta Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 2, 1989 • TEMPE, ARIZ. • SUN DEVIL STADIUM Score by Quarters #1 Notre Dame #3 West Virginia
1 9 0
TEMPE, Ariz. – Combining a knock-’em-in-the-dirt style of defense with a timely passing game set up by the pounding Irish running attack, Notre Dame did it all in putting the finishing touches on its first national championship since 1977. The Irish got on the scoreboard early, made life miserable for West Virginia star quarterback Major Harris and methodically dismantled the only other unbeaten team left in the country. The result in this Fiesta Bowl battle of perfect records - the 13th in bowl history - left Notre Dame with a 34-21 victory that actually was more convincing than the score indicated. Michael Stonebreaker and Jeff Alm bashed Harris’ left shoulder into the Sun Devil Stadium turf on the third play of the game and West Virginia’s quarterback was never the same. With Harris’ effectiveness - and, thus, West Virigina’s - reduced almost from the start, it was Irish quarterback Tony Rice who played like a Heisman Trophy contender. Shrugging off the nagging doubts about his passing ability, Rice first went about establishing Notre Dame’s relentless ground game by calling for rushes on 16 of Notre Dame’s first 17 plays. Every time West Virginia was poised to stop the Irish option, Rice took advantage of single coverage in the secondary to throw for big yardage. He attempted only 11 passes, completing seven, but averaged more than 30 yards per completion on his way to the offensive MVP award. ‘‘This is a great football team because nobody proved otherwise,’’ said Holtz. It took Notre Dame hardly any time at all to prove that to the 74,911 fans in attendance. Sending West Virginia’s offense to the sideline after three downs, Rice scampered 31 yards around left end on third and seven. That set up a 45-yard Billy Hackett field goal just 4:35 into the game. Three more plays netted only six yards, and Notre Dame took over again at their 39. Rice connected with Derek Brown for 23 yards but otherwise stayed on the ground all the way to first and goal from the three. West Virginia put up a fight at that point, but Anthony Johnson finally carried for the last yard on fourth down. West Virginia went two more possessions without gaining first down yardage and the Irish capitalized again. On third and 11 at his own 48, Rice again found Brown wide open over the middle and Notre Dame’s rookie tight end sprinted to the five. Rodney Culver scored on the next play to make it 16-0, 5:19 into the second quarter. The Mountaineers finally found the scoreboard on a 29-yard Charlie Baumann field goal, but two of the three first downs on the 52-yard drive came via Irish penalties. And the Irish came right back with an answer. Rice hit Johnson for 19 yards, then zipped one to Raghib Ismail for 29 yards and six points for a commanding 23-3 advantage. Only a 36-yard pass play with four seconds left from Harris to Reggie Rembert put West Virginia in position for a 31-yard field goal to close the half. Notre Dame got those three points right back after Pat Terrell intercepted Harris on West Virginia’s initial third-period offensive thrust. This time, it was Reggie Ho connecting from 32 yards after Rice’s 35-yarder to Mark Green had picked up the largest chunk of ground. Next came the only opportunity the Mountaineers had to get back in the game. After Harris had led his team 74 yards for a touchdown to make it 26-13, Willie Edwards intercepted a Rice pass to give West Virginia the ball back at the Irish 26. Notre Dame’s defense proved equal to the challenge. On first down, Flash Gordon hemmed in Harris on the option for a loss of two. On second down, Stan Smagala made a spectacular deflection in the end zone of a Harris pass. On third down, Frank Stams - who earned defensive MVP honors - and Arnold Ale stormed Harris for a loss of 12, knocking West Virginia completely out of field goal range. The Mountaineers had to punt, and Notre Dame promptly drove for another touchdown.
2 14 6
3 3 7
4 8 8
Score 34 21
OFFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Tony Rice, Quarterback DEFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Frank Stams, Defensive End FIRST QUARTER 10:25 ND 4:34 ND
Hackett 45 yd field goal, 7-37 3:00 Johnson 1 yd run (Graham run failed), 10-61 4:20 SECOND QUARTER
9:41 6:18 1:48 0:00
ND WVU ND WVU
Culver 5 yd run (Ho kick), 11-84 5:07 Baumann 29 yd field goal, 11-52 3:22 Ismail 29 yd pass from Rice (Ho kick), 8-63 4:30 Baumann 31 yd field goal, 9-69 1:48 THIRD QUARTER
5:34 3:32
ND WVU
Ho 32 yd field goal, 7-50 3:55 Bell 17 yd pass from Harris (Baumann kick), 7-74 2:02 FOURTH QUARTER
13:05 ND 1:14 WVU
Jacobs 3 yd pass from Rice (Rice run), 7-80 3:07 Rember 3 yd run (Rembert run), 11-59 2:57
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
ND WVU 19 19 13 4 6 10 0 5 59 37 245 141 3 33 242 108 213 174 11 30 7 14 1 1 70 67 455 282 6.5 4.2 2-0 0-0 11-102 3-38 1-0 1-14 4-157 7-318 36.8 45.1 3-28 2-35 2-3 6-107
RUSHING: West Virginia-Harris 13-42, Brown 11-49, Taylor 6-12, Johnson 1-5, Tyler 2-21, Napoleon 3-9, Rembert 1-3. Notre Dame-Johnson 5-20, Brooks 11-36, Rice 13-75, Green 1362, Banks 5-12, Watters 3-6, Culver 4-20, Eilers 1-2, Belles 3-10, Mihalko 1-2. PASSING: West Virginia-Harris 13-26-1-166, Jones 1-4-0-8. Notre Dame-Rice 7-11-1-213. RECEIVING: West Virginia-Winn 3-31, Taylor 3-34, Bell 4-44, Rembert 2-40, Brown 1-17, Tyler 1-8. Notre Dame: Brown 2-70, Johnson 1-19, Ismail 1-29, Green 1-35, Jacobs 1-3, Watters 1-57.
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1990 Orange Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #4 Notre Dame #1 Colorado
1 0 0
3 14 6
4 7 0
Score 21 6 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Raghib Ismail, Flanker
GAME NOTES
THIRD QUARTER 11:48 ND 7:19 ND 0:01 CU
Johnson 4 yd run (Hentrich kick), 7-69 3:12 Ismail 35 yd run (Hentrich kick), 7-46 3:27 Hagan 39 yd run (Culbertson kick failed), 4-53 1:42 FOURTH QUARTER
1:32
ND
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Johnson 4 yd run (Hentrich kick), 17-82 8:55 ND CU 18 16 14 12 4 4 0 0 52 46 295 239 16 22 279 217 99 65 9 13 5 4 0 2 61 59 378 282 6.2 4.8 0-0 1-1 3-35 1-5 2-0 0-0 5-204 3-118 40.1 39.3 0-0 3-36 2-24 3-43
2014 SEASON REVIEW
RUSHING: Colorado-Hagan 19-106; Bieniemy 11-66; Flannigan 12-45; Kissick 2-6; Campbell 2-(-6). Notre Dame-Ismail 16-108; Johnson 15-89; Rice 14-50; Culver 5-29; Watters 2-3.
BOWL HISTORY
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
PASSING: Colorado-Hagan 4-13-2-65. Notre Dame-Rice 5-9-0-99. RECEIVING: Colorado-Kissick 2-33; Pritchard 1-16; Perak 1-16. Notre Dame: Eilers 2-47; Smith 1-27; Johnson 1-13; Brown 1-12.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
MIAMI – Notre Dame made use of its standard weapons — a bend-but-don’t break defense, a rugged running game plus a timely pass completion or two. Those items, plus some uncharacteristic miscues by top-ranked Colorado enabled the Irish to dash the national title hopes of the Buffs with their 21-6 Orange Bowl victory. The Notre Dame triumph over unbeaten Colorado helped the Irish make amends for their loss to Miami that ended the regular season and marked the only blemish on the record for the last two seasons. It also lent credence to the pregame speculation that the Irish experience in big games would pay dividends. That certainly appeared to be the case in the first half when the Buffs — who came in averaging 34 points and 473 yards per game — squandered three golden scoring opportunities. Colorado rolled up and down the field the initial two periods, but putting the ball in the end zone was another matter. First, the Buffs drove to the Irish 35 on their second possession. From there, Eric Bieniemy darted into the clear at the Notre Dame 25, only to fumble as he changed hands with the football. Pat Terrell recovered for Notre Dame at the Irish 19. On their next possession, the Buffs moved from their own 18 to the Notre Dame five. On fourth and three from there, kicker Ken Culbertson oddly pulled a chip-shot, 23-yard field-goal attempt to the left. Finally, Colorado ran the ball to a first and goal at the Irish one—only to have Notre Dame pull off what Lou Holtz tabbed as the most impressive goal line stand he’d seen in a bowl game. On fourth down, the Buffs gambled with a fake field-goal attempt, but holder Jeff Campbell had no one to throw to and Troy Ridgley and Stan Smagala smothered him at the one. Notre Dame’s lone scoring chance in the first 30 minutes ended when Colorado blocked a Billy Hackett field goal try as the first half ended in a rather bizarre 0-0 tie. As it turned out, all the momentum shifted to the Notre Dame side of the ledger from that point on. The Irish took the second half kickoff and required just over three minutes to score. A 27-yard pass from Tony Rice to Tony Smith and a 27-yard run by fullback Anthony Johnson — who played impressively in finishing with 89 rushing yards — set the stage for Johnson’s two-yard scoring run that made it 7-0. Notre Dame immediately got the ball back when Ned Bolcar tipped a third down Darian Hagan pass into the air and intercepted at the Buff 46. Twenty-five yards in penalties for clipping and holding calls almost sabotaged the Irish. But Rice threw to Johnson for 13 yards on a third down play, then hit Pat Eilers for 18 on first and 32. Finally, Orange Bowl MVP Raghib Ismail raced 35 yards down the Notre Dame sideline on a reverse for a 14-0 Irish lead. Ismail, who ended up playing tailback most of the night, in part due to an early knee injury to Ricky Watters, finished with 108 yards rushing to lead both teams. Colorado bounced back on the final play of the third period, accounting for the longest rush against the Irish all season on a 39-yard Hagan keeper that made it 14-6 when Culbertson’s PAT hit the upright. When the Buffs were forced to punt the ball away to Notre Dame at the 10:27 mark, they had no idea they’d nearly never get it back. Notre Dame promptly embarked on a stereotypical Irish march — 17 runs, none longer than 11 yards, no passes — that knocked 8:55 off the clock. When Johnson negotiated the final seven yards for a clinching touchdown that made it 21-6 with only 1:32 remaining, the Buffs were finished. For the Irish, the triumph finished off a long season that began way back in August in the Kickoff Classic and featured Holtz’s squad atop the polls throughout the regular season. Then, the one week the Irish weren’t number one after their defeat at the hands of the Hurricanes, they bounced back to beat the number-one team. They did it by playing mistake-free football — no turnovers for the Irish compared to a lost fumble and pair of interceptions thrown by Hagan. “Coming away from the first half without any points after controlling the game for a while was too much to overcome,” said Colorado coach Bill McCartney. “Anytime you’re playing a team like Notre Dame, you’ve got to capitalize on your chances. We didn’t. I didn’t think anybody could keep us out of the end zone like they did on the goal line, but they did.”
2 0 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1990 • MIAMI, FLA. • ORANGE BOWL
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1991 Orange Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 1991 • MIAMI, FLA. • ORANGE BOWL Score by Quarters #5 Notre Dame #1 Colorado
164
1 0 0
MIAMI – Turnovers, mistakes and missed opportunities — they all played major roles for Notre Dame as the fifth-ranked Fighting Irish self-destructed on offense in their Orange Bowl rematch with top-ranked Colorado. This time, it was the Buffs who survived one last amazing attempt by Raghib Ismail and claimed the national championship on a 10-9 victory. The game produced some strange twists, notably the starring role played by reserve Colorado quarterback Charles Johnson. He came off the bench after Darian Hagan injured a knee late in the first half and looked impressive in completing five of six passes after intermission. Meanwhile, the Irish offense — coldly proficient most of the season — struggled to five turnovers, including three within four plays in the second half. The Notre Dame defense, which had its share of struggles in 1990, played maybe as well as it had all year against a potent Buffalo attack. But it was a play that didn’t even count that had everyone talking once this one was over. With Colorado nursing its one-point lead and pushing toward field goal range in the waning moments, Notre Dame’s defense came to the fore. From a first-and-10 situation at the Irish 27 for the Buffs, Notre Dame produced three straight lost-yardage plays, the last two sacks of Johnson for a combined 19 yards in losses, pushing Colorado back to its own 47 with 43 seconds to go — and brought punter Tom Rouen onto the field. In turn, Ismail wandered back toward the goal line for the Irish. Electing not to boot the ball out of bounds, Rouen boomed a 44-yarder that Ismail fielded at his own nine. Rocket weaved his way through all kinds of traffic and eventually broke free down the right sideline for what appeared to be a spectacular 91-yard return. But a flag had been thrown against Greg Davis for a clip as Ismail was breaking to the outside. The Irish began instead at their own 22 and couldn’t advance beyond their own 38 before time ran out. The frustrating finish typified what proved to be an unusually inefficient evening for Notre Dame’s offense. The Irish endured just about everything — a blocked PAT, a 50-yard field goal that banged off the upright, three interceptions and a pair of lost fumbles. Still, Ismail’s last gasp return might very well have turned out to be the gamewinner. Colorado wasted little time throwing its best shots at the Irish, sending speedy Mike Pritchard on a reverse for 15 yards on the game’s first play. But when Rouen mishandled the punt snap on fourth down, Notre Dame began at the Colorado 48. That’s when the Irish should have known they might be in for a long evening, as a pressured Rick Mirer saw his first-down pass for Ismail picked off and returned to near midfield. Notre Dame’s next possession took up 14 plays — but moved only as far as the Buff 35 following two straight incompletions. A Jim Sexton punt penned Colorado at its three, and enabled Notre Dame to take over on the Big Eight champion’s 35. This time, two more incompletions prompted a Hentrich field goal attempt from 50 yards that clanged off the right upright. Colorado broke the scoring drought early in the second period, taking the ball from its own 32 to the Irish five. Notre Dame held off the Buffs from a first-and-goal situation at the seven and forced a Jim Harper field goal that made it 3-0. The Irish responded by throwing a 62-yard march of their own at Colorado. Mirer threw twice to Ismail for 21 total yards and later to Irv Smith for nine yards on third down. Ricky Watters negotiated the last two yards for the touchdown, but Colorado blocked Hentrich’s extra-point attempt. Notre Dame’s lone other first-half attempt ended in a 48-yard field-goal try by Hentrich that misfired. Notre Dame took the second half kickoff and drove methodically from its own 28, getting 26 yards on a first-play throw to Derek Brown and 19 more on a Watters run. But, after first and goal at the Colorado four saw the Irish manage two runs for lost yardage and an incompletion, Hentrich converted the field goal from 24 yards to make it 9-3. Next for the Irish came their offensive undoing, as lost fumbles by Watters and Tony Brooks were followed by an interception of a Mirer throw. In between came Colorado’s only other points — a one-yard Eric Bieniemy run capping a 40-yard drive, plus the eventual game-winning PAT — and it could have been worse. Notre Dame’s defense thwarted one possession with a pair of minus-yardage plays and ended another when George Williams blocked a 36-yard field-goal attempt early in the final period. The Irish couldn’t convert after Willie Clark recovered a Bieniemy fumble near midfield at the halfway mark of the fourth quarter. That set up Ismail’s ill-fated punt return that left fans of both teams gasping.
2 6 3
3 3 7
4 0 0
Score 9 10
DEFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Chris Zorich, Nose Tackle SECOND QUARTER 12:04 CU 7:32 ND
Harper 22 yd field goal, 11-63 4:24 Watters 2 yd run (Hentrich kick blocked), 9-62 4:32 THIRD QUARTER
10:10 ND 4:26 CU
Hentrich 24 yd field goal, 10-66 4:50 Bieniemy 1 yd run (Harper kick), 8-40 3:58
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
CU ND 19 18 13 8 6 9 0 1 54 35 235 141 49 18 186 123 109 141 19 31 9 13 0 3 73 66 295 264 4.0 4.0 2-1 2-2 6-50 3-45 3-50 0-0 7-283 3-153 40.4 51.0 0-0 4-68 3-49 3-53
RUSHING: Colorado-Bieniemy 26-86, Hemingway 14-76, Hagan 7-36, Pritchard 2-24, Johnson 4-(-25), Rouen 1-(-11). Notre Dame-Brooks 9-46, Watters 9-44, Bettis 3-27, Culver 5-9, Ismail 3-(-1), Mirer 6-(-2). PASSING: Colorado-Hagan 12-4-0-29, Johnson 6-5-0-80, Bieniemy 1-0-0-0. Notre DameMirer 31-13-3-141. RECEIVING: Colorado-Pritchard 3-45, Brown 2-23, Hemingway 2-13, Bieniemy 1-19, Boman 1-9. Notre Dame: Ismail 6-57, Brown 4-50, Jarrell 1-11, Smith 1-9, Davis 1-8.
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1992 Sugar Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #18 Notre Dame #3 Florida
1 0 10
3 10 0
4 22 12
Score 39 28
MILLER-DIGBY AWARD - MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jerome Bettis, Fullback
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 10:40 UF 3:36 UF
Jackson 15 pass from Matthews (Czyewski kick), 11-85 4:20 Czyewski 26 yd field goal, 15-71 5:02 SECOND QUARTER
10:29 UF 8:01 ND 0:20 UF
Czyewski 24 yd field goal, 14-75 5:21 Dawson 40 pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick), 5-64 2:28 Czyewski 36 yd field goal, 10-51 2:23
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 10:03 ND 2:12 ND
Pendergast 23 yd field goal, 12-64 4:57 Smith 4 yd pass from Mirer (Pendergast kick), 14-80 4:53 FOURTH QUARTER
13:42 11:21 4:48 3:32 2:28 1:04 2:04
UF UF ND ND UF
Czyewski 37 yd field goal, 10-50 3:30 Czyewski 24 yd field goal, 4-4 0:57 Bettis 3 yd run (Brooks pass from Mirer), 14-64 6:33 Bettis 49 yd run (Pendergast kick), 1-49 0:09 Houston 36 yd pass from Matthews (Matthews pass incomplete), 5-64
ND
Bettis 39 yd run (Pendergast kick), 3-44 0:24 2014 SEASON REVIEW
ND UF 23 29 18 13 4 16 1 0 49 33 324 162 45 21 279 141 154 370 19 58 14 28 1 2 68 91 433 511 6.4 5.6 4-3 0-0 3-15 4-40 2-31 1-4 2-68 2-105 34.0 52.5 0-0 0-0 7-188 6-90
BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Avg. Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Avg. Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
COACHES & STAFF
RUSHING: Florida-Rhett 15-63, McClendon 7-34, Matthews 7-27, McNabb 4-17. Notre Dame-Bettis 16-150, Culver 13-93, Brooks 13-68, Failla 1-(-2), Mirer 6-(-30). PASSING: Florida-Matthews 28-58-2-370. Notre Dame-Mirer 14-19-1-154. RECEIVING: Florida-Jackson 8-148, Houston 3-52, Sullivan 4-47, Hill 3-41, Rhett 4-38, McClendon 3-19,Everett 2-18, McNabb 1-7. Notre Dame: Smith 7-75, Dawson 2-49, Brown 1-11, Culver 1-6, Bettis 1-5, Smith 1-4, Pollard 1-4.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
NEW ORLEANS – The old maxim that he who laughs last, laughs best, accounts for the roar emanating from the Irish locker room after a stunning 39-28 Sugar Bowl upset of third-ranked Florida. After surviving two weeks as the collective butt of jokes — including “What’s the difference between Cheerios and Notre Dame? Cheerios belong in a bowl” gag overheard from an anonymous French Quarter waiter — the 18th-ranked Irish responded on game day with a convincing second half rejoinder that silenced the snapping jaws of the heavily favored Gators and the heavily partisan Superdome crowd of 76,447. Down 16-7 at the half, and outgained 288-142 in total yardage to that point, Notre Dame unleashed a power running game behind a dominating offensive line, a strategy that resulted in 32 second half points including three Jerome Bettis touchdowns late in the contest. Meanwhile, Gator quarterback Shane Matthews and the potent Florida offense jabbed away at the young Notre Dame defense but never landed the necessary knockout punch, instead settling for a record five field goals by Arden Czyzewski on five trips inside the Irish 20. The criticisms of that makeshift defensive lineup appeared to be well founded after the game’s first series, as Matthews shredded the young secondary for 60 passing yards en route to an 11-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that took over four minutes. That set the tone for much of the first half, although three long Gator drives netted only nine total points. The Irish, meanwhile, managed just one first down in the first quarter and were down 13-0 before Rick Mirer ignited the offense with three straight completions. The last was a 40-yard strike to Lake Dawson midway through the second quarter, pulling the Irish to within six points at 13-7. Czyzewski’s third field goal of the half, with just 20 second remaining, accounted for the nine-point halftime margin. The halftime stats harbored little foresight on what would take place on the Superdome turf in the ensuing 30 minutes. Notre Dame entered the game as the nation’s sixth-best rushing team, averaging nearly 270 yards per game, but had totaled just 34 ground yards. Meanwhile, Matthews looked every bit the 3,000 yard passer he was, throwing for 202 first half yards and helping the Gators control the ball for nearly 20 minutes. Any thought that the Irish would be forced into debuting “Air Holtz” in the second half was quickly buried. Like a prizefighter tiring out an opponent with body punches, Holtz called for an incredible 11 straight running plays into the heart of the renowned Florida line, with the work of Bettis, Rodney Culver and Tony Brooks finally resulting in the first-ever collegiate field goal by Kevin Pendergast. After the Irish defense held, the burly backfield returned to their ground-eating ways. Bettis and Culver chewed up 41 yards on three carries midway through the drive, and Mirer and Tony Smith saved a third-and-17 with another of their seven hookups. Mirer hit 6-5 Irv Smith for the go-ahead touchdown near the end of the third quarter. Florida retook the lead 22-17 on successive field goals, though failing to get the TD after Darren Mickell forced a Rick Mirer fumble at the Irish 12. The rest of the final quarter would belong Bettis, the eventual Sugar Bowl MVP. He capped a 14-play drive by crashing in behind Gene McGuire for a three-yard score, with the two-point conversion giving the Irish a 25-22 advantage. After the Gators failed on fourth-and-10 at midfield with under four minutes to go, Bettis took the first handoff and rumbled through a gaping right-side hole for 49 yards and a 32-22 lead. But no lead is safe when Matthews’ arm is involved, and with well over three minutes still to work with, he eventually hit Harrison Houston with a 36-yard TD strike. But the two-point conversion pass failed, as the Irish led 32-28. Bettis and the Irish line wasted little time sealing the outcome. After Culver covered an onside kick attempt, the 246-pound Bettis broke loose again on a third down, rolling to his third score from 39 yards out. Those were the last of 245 second half rushing yards by the Irish, with Bettis accounting for 127 and Rodney Culver and Tony Brooks also prime contributors. Though Matthews finished 28-of-58 with 370 passing yards, he had just 11 second half completions against a tightening Holtz-inspired defense. In fact, the Gators went without a touchdown for over 53 minutes between the opening score and Houston’s grab in the waning moments.
2 7 6
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1992 • NEW ORLEANS, LA. • LOUISIANA SUPERDOME
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1993 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 1993 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL Score by Quarters #5 Notre Dame #3 Texas A&M
1 0 0
DALLAS – Both Texas A&M and Notre Dame were known for their running games entering the 1993 Cotton Bowl Classic. The Aggies had built up a 12-0 record behind the running of Rodney Thomas and Greg Hill while the Irish checked in with a 9-1-1 mark on the strength of Lou Holtz’s “Thunder and Lightning”, Jerome Bettis and Reggie Brooks. In the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day, only one great running game showed itself. Notre Dame rushed for 290 net yards while A&M accounted for just 78 as the Irish dominated all facets of the game in a 28-3 win over the Aggies. Brooks finished with 115 yards on 22 carries and Bettis added 75 yards on 20 rushes. Quarterback Rick Mirer even got into the act with 55 yards on 13 attempts. But, in the first half, Notre Dame certainly didn’t appear to be on the way to a blowout. On its first possession, the Irish drove to the Aggie 18 before Mirer’s pitch to Brooks ended up on the ground and Kefa Chatham recovered for Texas A&M. After that drive, Notre Dame was forced to punt on its next four possessions, moving no more than 20 yards each time it had the ball. At the same time, the Aggies were having very little luck moving the ball. Texas A&M did move into field goal range midway through the second quarter but Terry Venetoulias’ 46-yard attempt was short and the game remained scoreless. After the teams again exchanged punts, Notre Dame received the spark it needed to take control. With just 36 seconds left in the half, Mirer threw to Lake Dawson on a middle screen and Dawson strolled 40 yards to give the Irish a 7-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Notre Dame’s rushing game came to the forefront and buried the Aggies. After throwing 15 passes in the first half, the Irish put the ball in the air only three times in the second half. Notre Dame controlled the ball and the clock by using the ground game. At one period in the second half, the Irish ran the ball on 34 consecutive plays — successfully. On its first possession of the half, Notre Dame ate up 5:06 of clock with an 65-yard, 10play drive that resulted in a Mirer-to-Bettis touchdown toss of 26 yards. Possession number two was much of the same for the Irish, moving 87 yards in 10 plays before Brooks fumbled at the Texas A&M four. Again the Notre Dame defense rose to the occasion. On the Aggies’ second play after the turnover, Brian Hamilton stripped Texas A&M quarterback Corey Pullig and Demetrius DuBose recovered at the Aggie 11. Two plays later, Bettis scored from one yard out to give the Irish a 21-0 lead. After A&M scored on a 41-yard field goal by Venetoulias, Notre Dame again kept the ball on the ground and moved 82 yards in 16 plays in 9:24 with Bettis adding the final score — his third touchdown — to set the final, 28-3. Mirer was named the game’s most outstanding offensive player, completing eight-for-16 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Devon McDonald was the game’s outstanding defensive player with 10 tackles, including four for losses and one sack.
2 7 0
3 14 0
4 7 3
Score 28 3
DEFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Devon McDonald, Defensive End OFFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Rick Mirer, Quarterback SECOND QUARTER 0:36
ND
Dawson 40 yd pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick), 6-64, 0:56 THIRD QUARTER
7:17 0:33
ND ND
Bettis 26 yd pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick), 10-65, 5:06 Bettis 1 yd run (Hentrich kick), 2-11, 0:08 FOURTH QUARTER
14:27 A&M 5:03 ND
Venetoulias 41 yd field goal, 6-38 1:06 Bettis 4 yd run (Hentrich kick), 16-82, 9:24
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds.
ND A&M 19 19 13 4 6 10 0 5 59 37 245 141 3 33 242 108 213 174 11 30 7 14 1 1 70 67 455 282 6.5 4.2 2-0 0-0 11-102 3-38 1-0 1-14 4-147 7-318 36.8 45.1 3-28 2-35 2-3 6-107
RUSHING: Texas A&M-Thomas 20-50, Mitchell 1-12, Pullig 9-11, Carter 3-5. Notre DameBrooks 22-115, Bettis 20-75, Mirer 13-55, Becton 5-26, Burris 2-8, Davis 1-8, Zellars 1-3. PASSING: Texas A&M-Pullig 7-18-0-87. Notre Dame-Mirer 8-16-0-119, Failla 1-1-0-30, Bettis 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING: Texas A&M-Harrison 3-59, Schorp 2-14, Mitchell 1-12, Groce 1-2. Notre Dame: Smith 3-38, Dawson 2-46, Miller 1-30, Bettis 1-26, Brooks 1-5, Griggs 1-4.
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1994 Cotton Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #4 Notre Dame #7 Texas A&M
1 7 7
3 14 7
4 3 0
Score 24 21
NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Lee Becton, Tailback
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 8:01 3:56
ND A&M
McDougal 19 yd run (Pendergast kick), 13-91 6:59 Hill 8 yd run (Venetoulias kick), 10-79 4:05 SECOND QUARTER
2:56
A&M
Smith 15 yd pass from Pullig (Venetoulias kick), 14-77 7:02
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 10:21 ND 6:50 A&M 3:48 ND
Zellars 2 yd run (Pendergast kick), 8-51 3:35 Thomas 1 yd run (Venetoulias kick), 10-80 3:31 Edwards 2 yd run (Pendergast kick), 7-65 3:02 FOURTH QUARTER
2:22
ND
Pendergast 31 yd field goal, 4-8 1:38 ND A&M 19 20 13 11 5 9 1 0 51 37 236 147 30 44 206 103 105 238 15 31 7 17 0 1 66 68 311 341 4.7 5.0 1-0 4-2 5-34 3-15 1-1 0-0 7-266 4-149 38.0 37.3 2-35 0-0 3-59 5-117 5-13
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Texas A&M-Hill 16-38, Groce 1-2, McElroy 4-45, Thomas 9-33, Pullig 7-(-15). Notre Dame-Becton 26-138, McDougal 9-13, Zellars 9-25, Edwards 3-6, Miller 2-20, Burris 1-4, Kinder 1-0. PASSING: Texas A&M-Pullig 17-31-1-238. Notre Dame-McDougal 7-15-0-105.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING: Texas A&M-Groce 4-45, Shrop 3-53, Harrison 3-52, Mitchell 2-29, Smith 2-24, McElroy 1-7, Hill 1-7, Thomas 1-21. Notre Dame: Dawson 2-41, Mayes 2-27, Becton 1-3, McBride 1-16, Zellars 1-18.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions
COACHES & STAFF
DALLAS – Defenses dominated late in the Cotton Bowl as the Irish shut down Texas A&M’s comeback in the fourth quarter for an edgy 24-21 win in Dallas. Tailback Lee Becton led all runners with 138 of Notre Dame’s 206 yards rushing, marking his seventh consecutive 100-plus yardage game. Texas A&M countered the Irish ground attack with an aerial display headed by quarterback Corey Pullig. Pullig hit the airways 31 times, completing 17 for 238 yards to balance out what Notre Dame had done on the ground. Both teams scored touchdowns on their first possessions of the game. Notre Dame drove 91 yards and capped off the drive with quarterback Kevin McDougal’s electrifying 19-yard keeper around the right end. The Aggies reloaded and struck back with a drive that resulted in Greg Hill’s eight-yard touchdown sweep around the right side. For the next few series both teams would battle back and fourth, getting few results. The defenses denied each other time and time again. For the Aggies, it was time for the air raid as they mounted a 77-yard, 14-play drive that chewed up 7:02 off the clock. During the drive, the Aggies passed five times, completing four. Faced with a fourth and one, R.C. Slocum and his troops elected to go for the first down at the Irish 15. Pullig, using a beautiful play-action fake, found a wide open Detron Smith for an Aggie touchdown. Pullig would end the half with 123 yards passing, completing 50 percent of his passes and leading A&M to a 14-7 halftime lead. Notre Dame’s explosive attack was limited to only 123 yards of total offense. To blame for that was an Aggie defense that swarmed anywhere it saw blue and gold. Notre Dame, after holding Texas A&M to a three-yard series on the opening drive, started the second half in the same fashion in which it began the game — by scoring a touchdown. The engines ignited for the rest of the game as Becton hit on all cylinders. The tailback carried four times for 32 yards before Notre Dame tied the game at 14-14 with Ray Zellars going off tackle for a two-yard score. Slocum’s troops battled right back to remain in the driver’s seat. Using only 3:31, the Aggies assembled a 10-play, 80-yard drive with Pullig hitting on three quick attempts, and Rodney Thomas plowing his way in from the one to put the Aggies back on top at 21-14. Becton would carry three more times for 31 yards, and McDougal would hit a streaking Zellars for another 18 to put the Irish deep into enemy territory. With first and goal from the one, Holtz turned to freshman bulldozer Marc Edwards who plowed his way in to tie the game at 21.With the Irish stopping A&M after six plays, Slocum’s team punted the ball away. Deadlocked in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame found the momentum. After settling for a punt on the first drive of the quarter, Pete Bercich picked off Pullig and took the ball back. Seven plays later, the Irish had to punt again. With under six minutes left, it seemed A&M would have the last chance at victory. Slocum’s Aggies started at their own 10-yard line and went backwards. On fourth and 12 the Aggies punted the ball into the hands of Irish return man Mike Miller. Miller left nothing behind him except Aggies and a blazing trail of smoke. He returned the punt 38 yards before finally being pushed out of bounds to give the Irish the ball on the A&M 22-yard line. Becton picked up eight on the first play, but the Aggie defense stiffened and held the Irish. Placekicker Kevin Pendergast and the Notre Dame field goal unit trotted out to the field, only to head back to the sidelines. The Irish took a timeout with 2:22 left in the game after trying to draw the Aggies offsides. Pendergast and company returned to the field and connected on the 31-yard field goal to give the Irish a 24-21 lead. A&M received the kickoff, and Pullig entered the game to try and muster one last heroic effort. But, on first and 10, Notre Dame’s Bobby Taylor picked up a loose fumble and seemed to have thwarted any last Aggie chance of survival. Slocum’s boys on defense held Notre Dame to three and out and got the ball back with a minute left to play. Needing a big play, Pullig went to the air one more time and found tight end Greg Schorp for a gain of 32. After unsuccessful second and third down plays, the Aggies had one last chance to win. Pullig dropped back to pass and found Tony Harrison who then tried to lateral the ball back to teammate Leeland McElroy. The ball never made it there, and Irish linebacker Renaldo Wynn smothered the ball.
2 0 7
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1994 • DALLAS, TEXAS • COTTON BOWL
167 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 167
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1995 Fiesta Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 2, 1995 • TEMPE, ARIZ. • SUN DEVIL STADIUM Score by Quarters #4 Colorado Notre Dame
1 10 3
TEMPE, Ariz. – If holding the Heisman Trophy winner in check ranked as the only goal, Notre Dame’s defensive performance against fourth-rated Colorado in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl might have qualified as impressive. Unfortunately for the Irish, there proved to be far more to the Buffaloes’ potency than running back Rashaan Salaam. Though he did score three touchdowns on runs of five, one and one yards, Notre Dame limited him to 83 net yards on 27 attempts, for a 3.1-yard average with no gain greater than 13 yards. The same could not be said for quarterback Kordell Stewart. Running the Colorado option attack with precision, Stewart threw for 226 yards and a touchdown and — more impressively — scuttled the Irish defense with 143 rushing yards on only seven carries. He easily earned the game’s offensive MVP award and had more to do than anyone else with Colorado scurrying out to a 31-3 lead on its way to an eventual 41-24 victory over Notre Dame. Stewart’s 29-yard run and 37-yard completion to Phil Savoy set up the Buffs’ first touchdown. His 35-yard romp set up the second Colorado TD. A 46-yard pass to James Kidd put the Buffs in position for their third first half TD. And a third period, 41-yard option keeper by Stewart made it 34-17 for Colorado just when the Irish were threatening to get back into the football game. Playing its final game for retiring coach Bill McCartney, Colorado scored on five of its first six possessions to do everything it could to put the contest out of reach early. Salaam’s biggest gain of the afternoon came on the game’s third play from scrimmage. After that, Stewart took over. His 28-yard pass to Michael Westbrook pushed the Buffs to the Irish 22 and, three plays later, Neil Voskeritchian converted a 33-yard field goal for an early Colorado advantage. After Notre Dame’s first possession ended when Ron Powlus couldn’t connect with Derrick Mayes on a fourth-and-eight throw from the Colorado 30, the Buffs continued their rumbling. Stewart’s 29-yard excursion came on first down, and three plays later he hooked up with Savoy for 37 yards to the Irish one. Stewart’s one-yard toss to tight end Christian Fauria made it 10-0. Notre Dame rebounded with a field goal of its own, after Scott Sollmann’s kickoff return to the Buff 46 and Powlus’ run for 17 set Scott Cengia up for a three-pointer from 29 yards out. But that barely stemmed the Buffalo tide. Stewart keynoted the next Colorado scoring drive, running 35 yards himself and throwing for 22 more to Westbrook before scoring himself from nine yards out to make it 17-3. Third downs hurt the Irish on Colorado’s next possession, as Stewart ran for 16 yards on third and 11 and threw to Savoy for 46 on third and 10. The Buffs’ next scoring drive required only 38 yards after an eight-yard Notre Dame punt, with Salaam notching the score on a short run. Notre Dame’s initial touchdown drive came in the final 1:29 of the first half, with Powlus throwing for 36 yards to Lee Becton, 20 more to Mayes and finally seven yards to Mayes for the score — making it 31-10 at the break. Though Colorado ran off only four more plays than Notre Dame in the first two periods, its 332-161 edge in total yards at halftime proved particularly telling. The Irish attempted to reestablish their running game as the third period began — and they did so, with Becton running for gains of 12 and 18 yards on successive plays and Ray Zellars following with an 11-yard run. But, on fourth and goal from the five, Charles Stafford’s throw to Zellars after a faked field goal went awry. Still, Powlus hooked up with Mayes after a short Colorado punt on a TD throw that comprised a one-play, 40-yard scoring drive to cut the deficit to 31-17. After a Voskeritchian field goal, the Irish drove from their own 21 to the Colorado 30, only to have the Buffs’ Ted Johnson intercept a pass for the only turnover by either team. A 37-yard Stewart pass to Kidd set up Salaam’s final TD. Then the Irish drove 91 yards in 14 plays, converting four times on third down before Powlus threw seven yards to Leon Wallace for the final 41-24 margin.
2 21 7
3 7 7
4 7 7
Score 41 24 FIRST QUARTER
11:58 CU 5:55 CU 2:01 ND
Voskeritichian 33 yd field goal, 8-53 6:59 Fauria 1 yd pass from Stewart (Voskeritichian kick), 5-70 1:27 Cengia 29 yd field goal, 9-34 3:54 SECOND QUARTER
9:21 4:07 1:35 0:05
CU CU CU ND
Stewart 9 yd run (Voskeritichian kick), 5-66 1:55 Salaam 1 yd run (Voskeritichian kick), 9-80 2:50 Salaam 1 yd run (Voskeritichian kick), 6-38 1:45 Mayes 7 yd pass from Powlus (Cengia kick), 6-65 1:30 THIRD QUARTER
5:47 1:55
ND CU
Mayes 40 yd pass from Powlus (Cengia kick), 1-40 1:08 Voskeritichian 48 yd field goal, 5-45 1:03 FOURTH QUARTER
9:29 2:07
CU ND
Salaam 5 yd run (Voskeritichian kick), 4-56 1:43 Wallace 7 yd pass from Powlus (Schroffner kick), 14-91 7:22
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions
CU ND 18 22 9 13 8 9 1 0 39 45 246 149 0 27 246 149 226 259 21 35 12 18 0 1 60 80 472 408 10.8 7.4 0-0 2-0 4-35 3-25 1-7 0-0 4-144 5-165 36.0 33.0 2-12 0-0 4-47 7-149 5-11 10-19
RUSHING: Colorado-Salaam 27-83, Stewart 7-143, Troutman 2-20, Detmer 2-2, Henry 1- (-2). Notre Dame-Becton 17-81, Powlus 15-12, Zellars 5-21, Mosley 3-21, Edwards 2-4, Farmer 2-1, Sollmann 1-9. PASSING: Colorado-Stewart 12-21-0-226. Notre Dame-Powlus 18-34-1-259; Stafford 0-10-0. RECEIVING: Colorado-Westbrook 4-70, Kidd 2-83, Savoy 2-58, Fauria 2-3, Carruth 1-6, Salaam 1-6. Notre Dame: Mayes 4-93, Becton 3-60, Mosley 3-34, Zellars 2-25, Stafford 2-22, McBride 2-21, Wallace 1-7, Farmer 1- (-3).
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1996 Orange Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #8 Florida State #6 Notre Dame
1 7 10
3 0 7
4 17 9
Score 31 26
OFFENSIVE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Derek Mayes, Split End
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 8:27 6:08 0:02
ND FSU ND
Mayes 39 yd pass from Krug (Cengia kick), 5-50 1:55 Cooper 15 yd pass from Kanell (Bentley kick), 7-81 2:19 Cengia 20 yd field goal, 14-62 6:06 SECOND QUARTER
2:30
FSU
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Cooper 10 yd pass from Kanell (Bentley kick), 10-59 4:44 THIRD QUARTER
8:04
ND
Mayes 33 yd pass from Krug (Cengia kick), 10-55 4:58 FOURTH QUARTER
13:44 ND 11:43 ND 9:47 FSU 6:09 FSU 2:02 FSU
Safety Chryplewicz 5 yd pass from Krug (Cengia kick), 5-63 2:01 Green 11 yd pass from Kanell (Bentley kick), 5-73 1:56 Cooper 3 yd pass from Kanell (Cooper pass from Kanell), 6-30 1:39 Safety ND FSU 18 22 9 13 8 9 1 0 39 45 246 149 0 27 246 149 226 259 21 35 12 18 0 1 60 80 472 408 10.8 7.4 0-0 2-0 4-35 3-25 1-7 0-0 4-144 5-165 36.0 33.0 2-12 0-0 4-47 7-149 5-11 10-19
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Florida State-Dunn 22-151, Preston 6-55, Williams 2-7, Abdullah 2-2, Kanell 5-(-27). Notre Dame-Farmer 7-93, Denson 11-67, Edwards 14-55, Krug 11-45, Thorne 1-4, Sollmann 1-(-8).
RECEIVING: Florida State-Messam 6-103, Green 5-99, Cooper 4-38, Dunn 2-19, Williams 2-17, Abduallah 1-14. Notre Dame: Mayes 6-96, Chryplewicz 3-18, Edwards 2-25, Stafford 2-14, Mosley 1-13, Farmer 1-3.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
PASSING: Florida State-Kanell 20-32-4-290, Dunn 0-1-0-0. Notre Dame-Krug 14-24-3-140, Smith 1-1-0-29, Edwards 0-1-0-0.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions
COACHES & STAFF
MIAMI – Notre Dame’s 1996 Orange Bowl matchup with eighth-ranked Florida State qualified as a historic occasion, since the Irish and Seminoles comprised the final combatants in Miami’s venerable Orange Bowl facility before the game’s switch to Joe Robbie Stadium for 1997. The game itself was not without its challenges for Lou Holtz’s sixth-ranked team that was without injured quarterback Ron Powlus and leading rusher Randy Kinder — and found itself facing a Florida State offensive attack averaging 48.4 points and 551.5 yards per game. Still, backup quarterback Tom Krug, all-star split end Derrick Mayes and their Irish teammates combined to keep the Seminoles on their heels most of the evening until a 17-point fourth-quarter rally wiped out a 12-point Notre Dame lead and gave Florida State a 31-26 win for its 11th consecutive postseason victory. Krug took a physical pounding but still managed to rush for 45 yards and tie an Irish bowl record with three touchdown passes and an overall 14-of-24 throwing performance. Mayes earned Notre Dame’s MVP honor by catching six passes for 96 yards, including TD grabs of 39 and 33 yards. Those two helped Notre Dame claim a 26-14 edge with less than 12 minutes on the clock before a furious Seminole response, aided by the last two of four scoring throws by Danny Kanell, put Bobby Bowden’s club back on top. Andre Cooper claimed the Seminole MVP award thanks to three TD receptions, the last of which put Florida State ahead for good at 29-26 with 6:09 to go. The Irish had their share of early opportunities, especially after Florida product Autry Denson rambled 48 yards on the first play from scrimmage and Marc Edwards followed that effort with a 28-yard gain of his own on the next play. But, after reaching the six, a sack and a missed field goal sent Notre Dame to the sideline emptyhanded. A Shawn Wooden interception ended Florida State’s first possession at midfield, and five plays later Krug led Mayes perfectly into the end zone for 39 yards and a 7-0 lead. The Seminoles required just more than two minutes to tie it, with Warrick Dunn adding 23 yards on one play and Kanell finding Cooper for 15 yards and the touchdown. With the Irish going to a spread passing game that at times saw Krug lined up with no one else in the backfield, Notre Dame pounded out a 62-yard answering drive. This time Scott Cengia’s 20-yard field goal attempt fell through after hitting the left upright and the Irish led by three. Notre Dame’s chance to take control fell through the cracks when an illegal block negated a 52-yard score on a punt return by Mayes. With Kanell hitting Cooper a second time in the end zone, this time for 10 yards, the Seminoles claimed a 14-10 halftime advantage. The third quarter and first part of the fourth were all Notre Dame. The Irish forced the ‘Noles to punt the ball away to start the second half, then drove 55 yards to take the lead on Krug’s second TD pass to Mayes, this one for 33 yards and a 17-14 score. Meanwhile, Ivory Covington ended another Florida State threat with an interception and Scott Bentley’s missed 42-yard field goal maintained that margin at the end of three periods. On the fourth play of the final quarter Irish punter Hunter Smith kicked the ball 44 yards to the Florida State one. From there on first down, Kanell dropped one step too far into the end zone, with the resulting safety making the margin 19-14. Emmett Mosley returned the free kick 21 yards, Robert Farmer rushed 51 yards down the left side — and Krug’s five-yard toss to tight end Pete Chryplewicz made it 26-14 with 11:43 on the clock. The Seminoles wasted little time getting back into the contest, requiring only five plays and 1:56 to negotiate 73 yards. Kanell passed 24 yards to Wayne Messam, 21 more to E.G. Green, then 11 more to Green to cut the margin to 26-21. After the Irish couldn’t gain a first down, Dee Feaster’s 41-yard punt return put the ‘Noles in prime position. A key fourth-and-five completion to Green put the ball on the Irish three, and on second down the familiar Kanell-to-Cooper pairing made it 29-26 after the duo also combined on a two-point conversion. An Irish fumble stopped one late Notre Dame foray, but Florida State misfired on a pass attempt into the end zone on fourth and goal from the three. Notre Dame took over one more time from the three with 2:06 left, but on first down Krug was called for intentional grounding from the end zone. The two points and resulting Seminole possession enabled Florida State to run out the clock.
2 7 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1996 • MIAMI, FLA. • ORANGE BOWL
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1997 Independence Bowl Game Summary
DEC. 28, 1997 • SHREVEPORT, LA. • INDEPENDENCE STADIUM Score by Quarters Notre Dame #15 LSU
1 3 0
SHREVEPORT, La. – The rematch track record alone didn’t bode well for the Irish. In 12 previous bowl games that had been rematches of regular-season contests, the same team had won both games on only four occasions. It had been tough enough for Notre Dame to venture into Louisiana once, with the Irish coming away with an impressive 24-6 conquest of 11th-rated LSU in Baton Rouge in mid-November. Now, Bob Davie’s crew was assigned to return to that same state, this time to Shreveport, for an Independence Bowl date with those same Tigers of LSU. And the Irish showed signs early on making it two straight against Gerry DiNardo’s team. While holding LSU to less than 100 total yards in the opening half, Notre Dame made good use of Autry Denson’s 68 first-half rushing yards and saw 60- and 70-yard marches end up in a pair of Scott Cengia field goals good for a 6-3 halftime lead. In fact, LSU’s only first-half points came following the only turnover in the first 30 minutes, a lost fumble by the Irish. Then came Rondell Mealey. He, more than any other single player, accounted for the eventual 27-9 LSU triumph. Technically listed as the third-string tailback early in the year behind eventual top Southeastern Conference groundgainer Kevin Faulk and Cecil Collins, Mealey found his best-ever career opportunity staring him in the face at Independence Stadium with Collins long since lost for the season with a broken leg and Faulk idled since the first period with a sprained left ankle. Enter Mealey, a sophomore from Destrehan, La. After receiving the second half kickoff, Mealey carried the ball on LSU’s first seven plays from scrimmage. Those seven rushes accounted for 40 yards (of the 46 on the drive) and a Wade Richey field goal tied the game at six. After bottling up the Irish at their own six, the Tigers took the lead for good on their next possession, this time with Mealey carrying four straight times for 27 yards in the middle of the eight-play touchdown excursion. The Irish didn’t manage a third period first down until the final play of the quarter. Nonetheless, a roughing-the-passer penalty against LSU and a 26-yard Ron Powlus rushing gain put Notre Dame in position for another Cengia field goal, this one from 33 yards out to make it 13-9 with 13 minutes remaining. Just as quickly as Irish fans regained hope that Davie’s squad could get back into the game, Mealey took it away. On first down from his own 20, he stunned the record crowd of 50,459 by romping 78 yards to the Irish two. When he scored on the next play to make it 20-9, the decibel level of the Tiger fans rose with the Irish deficit on the scoreboard. Three quarterback sacks energized the Tigers over the next two Notre Dame drives, leaving Mealey to add a final score with 2:22 remaining. On this seven-play drive, he carried six times for 34 of the 35 yards (27 on one run). Denson finished with 101 yards for the Irish, Malcolm Johnson caught five passes for 49 yards, Hunter Smith punted for a 45-yard average and Melvin Dansby added 14 tackles, three for losses. But it was Mealey who carried the day, with all but 37 of his 222 rushing yards coming in the second half. Notre Dame might have held a larger margin at the half had the Irish managed to cash in more effectively once inside enemy territory. On the first Irish scoring drive, a Denson gain of 35 yards put Notre Dame at the LSU 13 with a first down. But successive rushing gains of zero, minus-three and zero yards by Denson left Cengia to kick a 33-yarder on fourth and 13. Later, after a first and goal at the LSU four, the Irish managed a net of two yards on three rushing attempts, again leaving it for Cengia to connect from 21 yards for the 6-3 halftime lead.
2 3 3
3 0 10
4 3 14
Score 9 27 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Bobbie Howard, Linebacker FIRST QUARTER 7:13
ND
Cengia 33 yd field goal, 9-70 4:03 SECOND QUARTER
7:12 0:20
LSU ND
Richey 37 yd field goal, 4-4 1:54 Cengia 21 yd field goal, 14-60 6:52 THIRD QUARTER
9:17 4:05
LSU LSU
Richey 42 yd field goal, 12-46 5:43 Booty 12 yd pass from Tyler (Richey kick), 8-49 3:31 FOURTH QUARTER
13:10 ND 12:47 LSU 2:22 LSU
Cengia 33 yd field goal, 8-61 2:34 Mealey 2 yd run (Richey kick), 2-80 0:23 Mealey 1 yd run (Richey kick), 7-35 3:19
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions
ND LSU 19 19 10 14 6 5 3 0 41 52 198 294 70 29 128 265 115 61 25 12 13 5 0 0 66 64 243 326 3.7 5.1 1-1 0-0 5-30 5-55 0-0 0-0 5-225 4-143 45.0 35.8 2-23 3-38 4-61 2-34 6-16 7-15
RUSHING: LSU-Mealey 34-222, Banks 6-23, Tyler 9-13, Faulk 3-7. Notre Dame-Denson 20-101, Barry 8-43, Driver 1-1, Stokes 1-(-2), Jackson 4-(-2), Powlus 7-(-13). PASSING: LSU-Tyler 5-12-1-61. Notre Dame-Powlus 8-18-0-66, Jackson 5-7-0-49. RECEIVING: LSU-Booty 5-61. Notre Dame: Johnson 5-49, Denson 3-32, Getherall 3-23, Brown 1-10, Barry 1-1.
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1999 Gator Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #12 Georgia Tech #17 Notre Dame
1 7 7
3 7 13
4 7 8
Score 35 28
NOTRE DAME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Autry Denson, Tailback
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 6:22 4:06
GT ND
Hamilton 5 yd pass from Burns (Chambers kick), 12-87 4:53 Denson 9 yd run (Sanson kick), 6-65 2:16 SECOND QUARTER
13:46 GT 4:26 GT
Rogers 2 yd run (Chambers kick), 10-78 5:20 Sheridan 9 yd pass from Hamilton (Chambers kick), 10-84 4:26
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 10:47 ND 7:23 ND 3:42 GT
Denson 1 yd run (Sanson kick), 10-80 4:13 Jackson 2 yd run (Sanson kick blocked), 8-26 3:24 White 44 yd pass from Hamilton (Chambers kick), 7-71 3:41 FOURTH QUARTER
11:56 ND 7:55 GT
COACHES & STAFF
Denson 1 yd run (Brown pass from Jackson), 12-88 6:46 White 55 yd pass from Hamilton (Chambers kick), 9-91 4:01 ND GT 20 23 10 10 8 11 2 2 41 47 104 205 35 11 159 194 150 242 24 21 13 14 0 0 65 68 309 436 4.8 6.4 2-1 2-1 6-30 7-53 0-0 0-0 5-183 3-104 36.6 34.7 1-8 3-38 4-55 5-40 2-9 6-12
BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Georgia Tech-Rogers 13-82, Burns 12-55, Rogers 10-28, Hamilton 10-19, Wilder 2-10. Notre Dame-Denson 26-130, Spencer 3-17, Jackson 12-12.
RECEIVING: Georgia Tech-White 4-129, Rogers 4-52, Matvay 1-28, Sheridan 1-9, Wilder 1-7, Andrzejewski 1-7, Hamilton 1-5, Burns 1-5. Notre Dame: Johnson 5-43, Brown 2-42, Johnson 1-27, Nelson 2-20, Holloway 2-11, Denson 1-7.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
PASSING: Georgia Tech-Hamilton 13-20-3-3-237, Burns 1-1-1-5. Notre Dame-Jackson 1324-0-150.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions
2014 SEASON REVIEW
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly all the pre-game speculation in the Notre Dame camp prior to the 1999 Gator Bowl matchup with Georgia Tech centered around the physical condition of Irish quarterback Jarious Jackson. Though Jackson wasn’t quite 100 percent, his gutty contributions and those of record-setting Irish tailback Autry Denson nearly were enough to carry green-clad Notre Dame to victory at Alltel Stadium. Instead, it was the big-play offense of Georgia Tech that paved the way for a 35-28 Yellow Jacket victory in a rematch between the same two teams that had opened the 1997 regular season in the dedication game of the expanded Notre Dame Stadium. Jackson played it safe in the opening half, disdaining the option most of the time in the interest of simply making sure he was healthy for the second half. But he turned things loose a bit more after the break, even running for a third-period Irish score that brought the Irish within a point at 21-20. Denson, meanwhile, gained 96 of his game-high 130 rushing yards in the final two periods and his three touchdown runs helped earn him the Notre Dame MVP honor. But all that wasn’t enough to prevent Tech’s diversified offense from using a banner 237yard throwing effort by quarterback Joe Hamilton and TD receptions of 44 and 55 yards by Dez White in the second half to hold off the Irish. The Jackets scored on five drives of 71 yards or longer. Tech took a lead midway through the opening period, as Hamilton deftly mixed his plays, hitting four straight attempts good for 59 yards down to the Notre Dame 28. From there, the Jackets ran off seven straight running plays — including a conversion on fourth and one — with Joe Burns taking a pitch from Hamilton from the five, then throwing back to the Tech signalcaller for the score. Notre Dame responded quickly, with Jackson finding Bobby Brown good for 33 yards on second down to the Tech 31. After a Jamie Spencer run for 10 yards, Denson ran for nine to tie the score. Tech responded in kind, with Hamilton throwing to Charlie Rogers for 26 yards and to White for 11. Phillip Rogers went the final two yards for a 14-7 Georgia Tech advantage. Jackson was sacked to thwart each of the next two Irish series. Then it was Tech that put together another impressive 84-yard march, 68 of it coming on the ground. Hamilton found Mike Sheridan for nine yards and a 21-7 advantage. Jackson completed five straight passes in the final few minutes of the first half, but a Jim Sanson 44-yard field goal attempt fell short with 45 seconds remaining. Denson nearly took control of the game by himself as the second half began. An 80-yard Irish excursion involved seven carries for 54 by the senior back, with his one-yard gain cutting the deficit to 21-14. Tony Driver’s fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff set the Irish up at the Tech 26, and on the eighth play Jackson found paydirt. A blocked PAT attempt left Tech ahead 21-20. Then it became big-play time for the Jackets. A second-down Bobbie Howard sack left Georgia Tech with third and 10 from the Irish 44 — but Hamilton responded by finding Jacksonville native White behind the defense to put Tech back up 28-20. But the Irish weren’t finished. On a 12-play, 88-yard drive, Denson carried seven times — including for the TD — and Jackson found Jay Johnson on a key 27-yard pass play. Jackson’s two-point conversion throw to Brown tied the score at 28 with 11:56 to go in the contest. The Irish nearly recovered a second fumble on the kickoff, but from there Tech launched its game-winning drive. After Hamilton threw twice for the necessary yardage on third downs, on first and 10 he again found White on a post pattern and the 55-yard scoring play. The Irish had three more shots, but none of the three possessions advanced past the Notre Dame 28-yard line.
2 14 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 1999 • JACKSONVILLE, FLA. • ALLTEL STADIUM
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2001 Fiesta Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 1, 2001 •TEMPE, ARIZ. • SUN DEVIL STADIUM Score by Quarters #10 Notre Dame #5 Oregon State
1 0 3
TEMPE, Ariz. – Oregon State used four third quarter touchdowns, capitalizing on two Notre Dame turnovers, to defeat the Irish 41-9 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame’s trip to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was its 11th New Year’s Day Bowl game in 14 years and second in the four-year tenure of Irish head coach Bob Davie. The loss was its fifth straight bowl-game defeat, a drought that goes back to the 1994 Cotton Bowl win over sixth-ranked Texas A&M. “That football team out there impressed me.” Davie said. While the scoreboard showed the worst defeat for the Irish since a 58-7 loss at Miami in 1985, Notre Dame was still within striking distance at halftime. Oregon State tallied scores on its first two possessions with field goals of 32 and 29 yards. Both drives covered over 50 yards, but the Irish defense got tough deep in its own territory holding the Beavers on third-and-18 and third-and-one. The Beavers had another chance to score midway through the second quarter, but Notre Dame snuffed out the opportunity with a stop on fourth-and-goal from the Irish one-yard line. Notre Dame was again forced to punt with the Beavers taking over at their own 10-yard line. At that point, Oregon State appeared to be ready to run away with the game when Chad Johnson caught a Jonathon Smith pass on second down and sprinted 74 yards for the first touchdown of the game. The Beavers’ two-point conversion attempt failed and Oregon State led 12-0. Notre Dame then took the ball at its own 23 and quarterback Matt LoVecchio was sacked on the first two Irish plays. After seeing its third-and-31 pass fall incomplete, the drive was kept alive by a personal foul call against Oregon State. A 40-yard pass from LoVecchio to Javin Hunter moved Notre Dame into Beaver territory for the first time in the game. An Oregon State pass interference call moved Notre Dame to the Beaver 12, but after two incomplete passes, Nick Setta booted a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Notre Dame trailed just 12-3. Oregon State took possession to open the second half, but the drive fizzled after just four plays. Notre Dame took over following the punt, but the Beavers forced a LoVecchio fumble on second down deep in his own territory. Oregon State turned that possession into a touchdown in just two plays, scoring on a 23-yard pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. “If I had to say there was one big series, I think it was probably the first possession of the second half when it was 12-3 and we finally stopped them,” Davie said. “We ran the ball on first down and got stoned, and then on second down we get sacked and turn the ball over. We were just off-rhythm all night, and I have to give (Oregon State) credit because they jumped up and made a bunch of plays on defense.” Oregon State, up 19-3 three minutes into the third quarter, turned it up offensively and defensively in the next seven minutes. The Beaver defense held Notre Dame to minus-11 yards on its next three possessions, forcing two punts and an interception while scoring three touchdowns in its next eight plays. After forcing another LoVecchio interception late in the third quarter to stop an Irish drive, Oregon State was content to let the clock run. They had turned a 12-3 halftime lead into a 41-3 celebration. Notre Dame rounded out the scoring by capitalizing on the lone Oregon State turnover by following a Beaver fumble with a 57-yard touchdown drive capped by a Tony Fisher dive from a yard out. “Their speed was definitely a factor,” Davie said. “They played extremely hard. When we can’t run the football any more effectively than we did tonight, we virtually have no chance.” The Irish were limited to season lows with 155 yards total offense and 17 yards rushing.
2 3 9
3 0 29
4 6 0
Score 9 41 SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Julius Jones, Tailback FIRST QUARTER 7:27
OSU
Cesca 32 yd field goal, 11-59 5:32 SECOND QUARTER
14:55 OSU 4:18 OSU 0:00 ND
Cesca 29 yd field goal, 12-50 5:08 Johnson 74 yd pass from Smith (Smith pass failed), 4-90 1:08 Setta 29 yd field goal, 15-65 4:18 THIRD QUARTER
12:04 9:08 7:02 4:54
OSU OSU OSU OSU
Houshmandzadeh 23 yd pass from Smith (Cesca kick), 2-26 0:45 Roberts 45 yd punt return (Prescott pass from Smith) Johnson 4 yd pass from Smith (Cesca kick), 4-22 0:58 Simonton 4 yd run (Cesca kick), 4-55 1:31 FOURTH QUARTER
6:07
ND
Fisher 1 yd run (LoVecchio run failed), 12-57 5:10
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions
ND OSU 18 20 5 7 7 12 6 1 37 39 99 156 82 29 17 127 138 319 33 25 13 17 2 0 70 64 155 446 2.2 7.0 2-1 3-1 7-42 18-174 0-0 2-31 6-249 3-117 41.5 39.0 2-(-1) 4-106 6-146 1-12 4-15 5-13
RUSHING: Oregon State-Simonton 18-85, Battle 8-32, McCall 10-25, Stremick 1-(-2), Smith 2-(-13). Notre Dame-Jones 13-30, Howard 8-28, Fisher 5-9, Lopienski 1-0, Getherall 1-(-1), LoVecchio 9-(-49). PASSING: Oregon State-Smith 16-24-3-305, Stremick 1-1-0-14. Notre Dame-LoVecchio 1333-0-138. RECEIVING: Oregon State-Houshmandzadeh 6-74, Johnson 4-93, Maurer 3-82, Prescott 2-41, McCall 1-15, Moala 1-14. Notre Dame: Givens 4-23, Hunter 3-57, O’Leary 2-36, Fisher 2-2, Getherall 1-10, Jones 1-10.
172 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 145-182BowlHistory.indd 172
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2003 Gator Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #17 North Carolina State #11 Notre Dame
1 0 3
3 0 3
4 7 0
Score 28 6 NOTRE DAME MVP
Cedric Hilliard, Nose Guard
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 4:12
ND
Setta 23 yd field goal, 12-52 6:42 SECOND QUARTER
14:03 NCSU McLendon 2 yd run (Kiker kick), 12-96 5:09 5:02 NCSU McLendon 3 yd run (Kiker kick), 11-76 4:51 1:16 NCSU Cotchery 9 yd pass from Rivers (Kiker kick), 6-48 2:51
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 1:44
ND
Setta 41 yd field goal, 10-39 4:05 FOURTH QUARTER
10:41 NCSU Berton 7 yd pass from Rivers (Kiker kick), 9-69 2:51 NCSU ND 21 23 4 8 14 9 3 6 26 38 80 112 18 26 62 86 255 200 41 44 25 23 0 3 67 82 317 286 4.7 3.5 0-0 0-0 10-87 9-90 3-26 0-0 5-216 4-121 43.2 30.3 1-0 2-20 1-7 2-51 7-15 4-19 0-1 4-7
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: NC State-Rivers 7-22, Brown 7-18, McLendon 11-18, Berton 1-4. Notre DameGrant 21-68, Powers-Neal 5-16, McNair 4-8, Battle 2-6, Holiday 2-3, Dillingham 4-(-15). PASSING: NC State-Rivers 23-37-2-228, Peterson 2-3-0-27, Team 1-0-0-0. Notre DameDillingham 19-37-0-166, Holiday 3-6-0-22, Hildbold 1-1-0-12.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING: NC State-Cotchery 10-127, Berton 5-40, McLendon 3-16, Edwards 3-13, Peterson 2-16, Gray 1-24, Hicks 1-19. Notre Dame: Battle 10-84, Clark 4-41, Jenkins 3-42, Stovall 3-25, Godsey 1-5, Rodamer 1-5, McKnight 1(-2).
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions
COACHES & STAFF
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Progress can be measured in different ways. While Notre Dame’s 28-6 loss to North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl might have put a damper on an otherwise brilliant season, it did serve as an indicator of the progress the Irish made it in a very short period of time. Notre Dame controlled the ball for more than 33 minutes and ran 15 more plays against the Wolfpack. However, the Irish were undermined by the one thing that had been their calling card all season -- turnovers. Notre Dame entered the game with a +8 turnover ratio, good for 26th in the nation. Against North Carolina State, that mark was turned upside down, as the Irish tossed three interceptions, including a critical game-changing theft late in the first half. Playing his final game at Notre Dame, wide receiver Arnaz Battle caught 10 passes for 84 yards, setting a school record for receptions in a bowl game. Battle wound up with 58 catches on the season, the third-highest total in school history and the most by an Irish wideout in 33 years. Tailback Ryan Grant added 68 yards rushing on 21 carries, giving him 1,085 yards on the ground for the season, the 10th-highest single-season mark in school history. Spirits were high for Notre Dame early on, as the Irish moved smartly downfield on their second possession, going 52 yards in 12 plays to set up a 23-yard field goal by Nicholas Setta. However, in a precursor of Notre Dame’s misfortune, starting quarterback Carlyle Holiday injured his shoulder late in the drive and would not return. N.C. State moved in front on its next possession, driving 92 yards in 12 plays, and culminating with a two-yard TD run by T.A. McLendon. It was the first of two scores for the Wolfpack runner, who added a three-yard scamper the next time his team had the ball, putting N.C. State on top, 14-3, with 5:02 remaining in the first half. The Wolfpack then dealt Notre Dame’s comeback hopes a staggering blow, as Rod Johnson intercepted a pass by Irish reserve quarterback Pat Dillingham, setting up N.C. State at the Notre Dame 48-yard line. It took Wolfpack signal-caller Philip Rivers six plays to march his team to the end zone, finding Jerricho Cotchery on a nine-yard scoring toss with 1:16 left in the first half. The Irish looked strong on their first possession of the third quarter, moving all the way to the N.C. State 24-yard line. However, the drive stalled there and on fourth down, Notre Dame elected to go for it, but Johnson intercepted Dillingham’s pass in the end zone, quashing the threat. Later in the period, the Irish once again worked their way down to the Wolfpack 24-yard line. This time, they called on Setta, who boomed a 41-yard field goal to slice the N.C. State lead to 21-6 heading into the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack iced the game early in the final frame, as Rivers orchestrated a nine-play, 69-yard drive that was capped by his seven-yard touchdown pass to Sean Berton with just under 11 minutes to play. Notre Dame made two forays into N.C. State territory in the fourth period, including a march to the Wolfpack one-yard line in the last two minutes. However, the Irish could not punch the ball into the end zone on four tries and turned the ball over on downs.
2 21 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 1, 2003 • JACKSONVILLE, FLA. • ALLTEL STADIUM
173 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 173
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2004 Insight Bowl Game Summary
DEC. 28, 2004 • PHOENIX, ARIZ. • BANK ONE BALLPARK Score by Quarters Notre Dame Oregon State
1 7 14
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Playing under an interim head coach at the conclusion of one of the most tumultuous months in Notre Dame football history, the Irish ended the 2004 season with a loss to Oregon State in the Insight Bowl at Bank One Ballpark in downtown Phoenix. Derek Anderson passed for 358 yards and four touchdowns as Notre Dame fell to Oregon State, 38-21. Anderson, who completed 28-of-45 passes, tossed two touchdowns to Joe Newton and one each to George Gillett and Dan Haines. Oregon State (7-5) opened a 14-0 first quarter cushion behind scoring tosses of 12 yards to Gillett and 11 yards to Newton. Anderson’s 11-yard pass to Haines made it 21-0 with 7:49 left in the second quarter, and the Beavers led by at least 10 points thereafter. The first two scores were set up by a long punt return by Sammie Stroughter and a blocked punt by Derrick Doggett, respectively. Notre Dame (6-6) was playing its one and only game under Kent Baer, its defensive coordinator under former head coach Tyrone Willingham, who was fired on November 30. “I’d be lying if I told you that it didn’t affect`some people,” said Irish quarterback Brady Quinn, who completed 17-of-29 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. The Irish showed plenty of fight, recovering from an early 21-0 deficit by pulling within 10 points late in the third period (24-14). Notre Dame cut the halftime deficit to 21-7 with an impressive 13-play, 84-yard scoring drive that was capped by a 13-yard pass from Quinn to tight end Anthony Fasano 56 seconds before the intermission. After OSU added a field goal early in the third quarter, the Irish moved 49 yards in six plays for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10 points. A 29-yard pass from Quinn to Jeff Samardzija keyed the march that concluded with a five-yard scoring run by Darius Walker with 2:40 left in the period. Notre Dame’s comeback hopes were stalled on OSU’s next drive. The Beavers took the ensuing possession 90 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown, chewing up 5:23 of game time before a one-yard pass from Anderson to Newton gave OSU a commanding 31-14 edge. The Irish responded with a score of their own, marching 88 yards in 10 plays to pull within 31-21 on an 18-yard pass from Quinn to Rhema McKnight, who made a spectacular onehanded grab in the end zone for the score with 4:52 left. But the Beavers added an insurance score just 1:33 later, after recovering Notre Dame’s attempted on-side kick at the Irish 28. Dwight Wright scored on a two-yard run with 3:19 to go for the final margin. Notre Dame’s receivers were the team’s standouts as Samardzija nabbed a career-high five passes for 89 yards while McKnight had four catches for 90 yards to key the offense.
2 7 7
3 7 3
4 7 14
Score 28 38
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Derek Curry, Linebacker FIRST QUARTER 9:24 5:41
OSU OSU
Gillett 12 yd pass from Anderson (Serna kick), 4-27 1:18 Newton 11 yd pass from Anderson (Serna kick), 2-10 0:48 SECOND QUARTER
7:49 0:56
OSU ND
Haines 11 yd pass from Anderson (Serna kick), 5-45 2:49 Fasano 13 yd pass from Quinn (Fitzpatrick kick), 13-84 6:53 THIRD QUARTER
9:16 3:40
OSU ND
Serna 38 yd field goal, 6-32 1:59 Walker 5 yd run (Fitzpatrick kick), 6-49 3:34 FOURTH QUARTER
12:17 OSU 4:52 ND 3:19 OSU
Newton 1 yd pass from Anderson (Serna kick), 12-90 5:23 McKnight 18 yd pass from Quinn (Fitzpatrick kick), 10-88 4:04 Wright 2 yd run (Serna kick), 4-28 1:33
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Avg. Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Avg. Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions
ND OSU 17 19 3 2 11 17 3 0 33 18 90 46 31 26 59 20 217 358 33 45 18 28 1 0 66 63 276 378 4.2 6.0 0-0 1-0 2-10 5-45 0-0 1-37 8-255 4-141 31.9 35.2 1-7 5-77 6-109 3-34 7-16 6-14 0-0 1-1
RUSHING: Oregon State-Wright 9-24, Cole 3-3, Anderson 5-(-6).Notre Dame-Walker 13-43, Grant 14-19, Quinn 4-10, Wilson 1-0, Anastasio 1-(-13). PASSING: Oregon State-Anderson 28-45-0-358. Notre Dame-Quinn 17-29-1-214, Dillingham 1-3-0-3, Hoskins 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING: Oregon State-Newton 7-85, Hass 5-105, Gillett 4-62, Love 4-37, Haines 3-25, Bernard 2-19, Wright 2-16, Hawkins 1-9. Notre Dame: Samardzija 5-89, McKnight 4-90, Wilson 2-3, Walker 1-13, Fasano 1-13, Palmer 1-6, Harris 1-3, Powers-Neal 1-2, Schmidt 1-1, Shelton 1-(-3).
174 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 145-182BowlHistory.indd 174
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2006 Fiesta Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #5 Notre Dame #4 Ohio State
1 7 7
3 6 3
4 7 10
Score 20 34
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Brady Quinn, Quarterback
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 12:59 ND 10:02 OSU
Walker 20 yd run (Fitzpatrick kick), 6-72 2:01 Ginn Jr. 56 yd pass from Smith (Huston kick), 7-82 2:57 SECOND QUARTER
14:16 OSU 2:21 OSU
Ginn Jr. 68 yd run (Huston kick), 6-86 2:16 Holmes 85 yd pass from Smith (Huston kick), 4-98 2:!6
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 4:25 2:20
ND OSU
Walker 10 yd run (Fitzpatrick kick), 10-71 2:53 Huston 40 yd field goal, 5-42 2:05 FOURTH QUARTER
10:12 OSU 5:27 ND 1:46 OSU
Huston 26 yd field goal, 10-60 4:22 Walker 3 yd run (Fitzpatrick kick), 13-80 4:45 Pittman 60 yd run (Huston kick), 7-85 3:41 OSU ND 27 22 12 8 14 12 1 2 36 28 293 106 18 44 275 62 342 286 28 45 19 29 0 0 64 73 617 348 9.6 4.8 2-2 1-0 7-53 6-48 0-0 0-0 1-40 6-254 40.0 42.3 2-20 1-0 3-51 2-23 8-12 9-17 0-0 1-2
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Ohio State-Pittman 21-136, Ginn Jr. 2-73, Smith 13-66. Notre Dame-Walker 1690, Schwapp 2-4, Quinn 10-(-32). PASSING: Ohio State-Smith 19-28-0-342. Notre Dame-Quinn 29-45-0-286.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING: Ohio State-Ginn Jr. 8-167, Holmes 5-124, Hall 2-22, Pittman 2-6, Gonzalez 1-15, Frost 1-8. Notre Dame: Stovall 9-126, Walker 7-37, Samardzija 6-59, Shelton 5-52, Fasano 2-12.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
First Downs By Rushing By Passing By Penalty Rushing Attempts Yards Rushing Yards Lost Rushing Net Yards Rushing Net Yards Passing Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted Total Offensive Plays Total Net Yards Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: No.-Lost Penalties: No.-Yds. Interceptions: No.-Yds. Punts: No.-Yds. Average Per Punt Punt Returns: No.-Yds. Kickoff Returns: No.-Yds. Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions
COACHES & STAFF
TEMPE, Ariz. – Notre Dame’s return to national prominence under first-year head coach Charlie Weis was capped by the first Irish appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game in five years. Unfortunately, the result was not indicative of the team’s success in the regular season as the fifth-ranked Irish suffered a 34-20 loss to fourth-ranked Ohio State in the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Much of the pre-game hype about the contest focused on the matchup between the Notre Dame offense and the Buckeye defense, but the game actually turned on the ability of the Ohio State offense to exploit matchups against the Irish defense. The Buckeyes racked up 617 yards of offense, a record by a Notre Dame opponent, on the way to handing the Irish their third defeat of the season. OSU quarterback Troy Smith earned Game MVP honors by using his maneuverability and poise under pressure to repeatedly create big plays at crucial moments, accounting for 408 yards (66 rushing, 342 passing) and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Irish stayed in the game thanks to a plucky defense that wouldn’t quit and an offense (led by quarterback Brady Quinn and tailback Darius Walker) that came out blazing, stalled, then regrouped to rally the team in the game’s late stages. The game started just as Weis and the Irish drew it up as Notre Dame took the game’s opening kickoff and proceeded to march to a quick touchdown. Walker rushed three times for 39 yards and Quinn completed a pair of passes for 33 more as the Irish drove 72 yards in six plays to a touchdown as Walker raced 20 yards to pay dirt for a 7-0 Notre Dame lead just 2:01 into the game. Ohio State responded with a drive characteristic of the rest of the game. Twice Smith managed to create big plays on key third downs, scrambling for 15 yards and a first down on a third-and-nine play and passing for six yards to Santonio Holmes on a third-and-six. Then, Smith fired a 56-yard bomb to wideout Ted Ginn Jr. for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 10:02 left in the opening quarter. Notre Dame squandered a golden scoring opportunity late in the opening period when Irish linebacker Corey Mays sacked Smith and forced him to fumble at the Buckeye 14. Defensive end Ronald Talley recovered for the Irish and Notre Dame took possession in the shadow of the OSU end zone. But the Irish failed to produce points as the Buckeye defense stiffened and stopped the Irish on a fourth-and-two play, sacking Quinn for an eight-yard loss to end the threat. The Buckeyes took the lead on the ensuing possession, driving 86 yards in six plays. Smith connected with Ginn for 18 yards on a third-and-nine play immediately before Ginn took a reverse and sprinted 68 yards to the end zone, dodging the entire Irish defense on his way and a 14-7 OSU lead early in the second quarter. The Buckeyes extended the lead to 21-7 at the half on a 85-yard pass from Smith to Holmes with 2:21 left in the second quarter and appeared to be in control as the second half began. But the Irish showed impressive resolve to stay in it, blocking a Huston field goal attempt early in the third period then marching 71 yards in 10 plays to pull within 21-13 on a 10-yard run by Walker with 4:25 left in the period. Late in the quarter, the game’s most controversial play went against the Irish. Safety Tom Zbikowski picked up what appeared to be a fumble by OSU receiver Anthony Gonzalez, returning the loose ball for an apparent 87-yard touchdown that would have narrowed the score to 21-19. But officials ruled via replay that Gonzalez had not retained possession, negating the play. Huston kicked a 40-yard field goal on the next play for a 24-13 OSU lead. “That was THE play,” Weis said. “What I said to the official on the field is I hope your guy upstairs was right because that changed the whole complexion of the game.” Huston added another field goal early in the fourth, this one from 26 yards out, to give the Buckeyes a 27-13 edge. But the Irish would not go down quietly. Quinn, who set Irish bowl passing records for yards, completions, attempts and consecutive completions (tying a school mark with 14 consecutive at one point in the game), led them 80 yards in 13 plays. The scoring play, a three-yard run by Walker off a direct snap, was his third of the game (another Irish bowl mark), and pulled Notre Dame within 27-20 with 5:27 remaining. But OSU responded with a clinching score. Smith wiggled out of pressure twice on third down plays to complete clutch passes for first downs before Antonio Pittman sealed the outcome with a 60-yard run for a score with 1:46 remaining. It was a tough loss for the Irish, but not one without memorable performances. Stovall had nine catches for 126 yards to set new Irish bowl record for receiving yards. Quinn finished with 29 completions in 45 attempts, tying the single-game Notre Dame record for completions. For his gutsy perfomance, Quinn was awarded the game’s sportsmanship award. Defensively, linebackers Corey Mays and Brandon Hoyte had standout performances. Mayes made a game-high 12 tackles, forced a fumble, had two tackles for losses and one quarterback sack. Hoyte added 10 tackles, including one for a loss.
2 0 14
MEDIA INFORMATION
JAN. 2, 2006 • TEMPE, ARIZ. • SUN DEVIL STADIUM
175 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 175
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2007 Sugar Bowl Game Summary
JAN. 3, 2007 • NEW ORLEANS, LA. • LOUISIANA SUPERDOME Score by Quarters #11 Notre Dame #4 LSU
1 7 14
NEW ORLEANS – JaMarcus Russell cocked his head, glanced toward the towering Superdome stands and soaked up the pleas of the LSU faithful. “One more year! One more year!” they screamed. The way the mammoth quarterback played against Notre Dame, there seems little reason for him to spend any more time in college. Russell led No. 4 LSU to a 41-14 rout of college football’s most storied program Wednesday night. The Sugar Bowl returned to New Orleans with a Cajunstyle party, with left the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish with a most unwanted spot in the record book. They lost their ninth straight bowl game, more than any other school. Certainly he had the best on this night. The 6-foot-6, 257-pound Russell completed 21-of-34 for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He also had his first rushing score of the season and set up another TD with a 31-yard pass. Russell and LSU’s feared defense took control after halftime, turning a tenuous 21-14 game into a laugher. The Tigers (11-2) outgained Notre Dame by a staggering 333 yards to 30 over the final two quarters. The school of Touchdown Jesus and Knute Rockne snapped a tie with South Carolina and West Virginia for most consecutive bowl losses in NCAA history. And this was like most of the others, a double-digit blowout that showed Notre Dame still has work to do if it wants to compete with the nation’s best. “We’ve got to turn the corner,” coach Charlie Weis said. “Right now, we’re just a nice, solid team. That won’t cut it. We want to be an upper-echelon team.” Quinn doesn’t have a decision to make about his pro future, but the senior’s hopes of being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft may have taken a blow. He struggled to cope with the speed and size of LSU’s defense, completing just 15-of-35 for 148 yards, his two TD passes offset by two interceptions. LSU romped after halftime. After a pair of field goals by Colt David, Russell blew it open with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell in the final minute of the third quarter. Notre Dame (10-3) bounced back from an early 14-0 deficit and tied the game with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first half. But Russell’s took matters in his own hands - and legs - to put the Tigers ahead to stay before the teams went to the locker room. First, Russell went deep to Early Doucet for a 58-yard completion. Then, Russell scored himself on a 5-yard keeper up the middle. Notre Dame hasn’t won a postseason game since its 24-21 victory over Texas A&M in the 1994 Cotton Bowl. “O-ver-ra-ted!” the Tiger-dominated crowd roared after freshman Keiland Williams ripped off his second touchdown of the game, a 20-yard run with just under 7 1/2 minutes remaining. But the biggest cheers came on LSU’s next possession. Russell made one handoff, then came out of the game to standing ovation. Notre Dame was determined to get off to a strong start, but it sure didn’t work out that way. Weis called a fake punt that backfired, and the Irish looked just as tight and nervous as they did at the beginning of blowout losses to Michigan and Southern Cal. At least they didn’t fold until the second half, fighting back to tie the game at 14. The offenses had their way, with three 80-yard scoring drives and another covering 82. The only exception followed the fake punt on Notre Dame’s opening possession. With the Irish facing fourth-and-3 at their own 34, the coach called for a direct snap to up-back Travis Thomas, but he was stuffed for no gain. Two plays later, LSU had the lead. Russell hooked up with Doucet on a 31-yard pass and Williams powered over from the 3. The Tigers made it 14-0 on their next possession. Russell broke off a 21-yard run on a draw to get deep into Notre Dame territory, and finished off the drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to Dwayne Bowe. Notre Dame’s next possession started ominously - Quinn was sacked for a 10-yard loss. But Darius Walker ran for 11 yards and turned a short pass into a 21-yard gain. Quinn finished it off with 24-yard TD pass to David Grimes. Walker rushed for all but three of his 128 yards in the first half. David missed a 31-yard field goal try, and Notre Dame responded to that momentumchanger with the tying touchdown as Quinn went to his favorite receiver, Jeff Samardzija, on a 10-yard TD pass.
2 7 7
3 0 13
4 0 7
Score 14 41 SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Brady Quinn, Quarterback FIRST QUARTER 11:16 LSU 6:03 LSU 1:26 ND
Williams 3 yd run (David kick), 2-34 0:49 Bowe 11 yd pass from Russell (David kick), 8-80 3:31 Grimes 24 yd pass from Quinn (Gioia kick), 8-80 4:37 SECOND QUARTER
2:25 1:15
ND LSU
Samardzija 10 yd pass from Quinn (Gioia kick), 8-80 2:39 Russell 5 yd run (David kick), 5-82 1:10 THIRD QUARTER
9:34 3:48 0:18
LSU LSU LSU
David 25 yd field goal, 13-73 5:26 David 37 yd field goal, 9-59 3:57 LeFell 58 yd pass from Russell (David kick), 5-73 1:38 FOURTH QUARTER
7:27
LSU
Williams 20 yd run (David kick), 9-76 4:11
ND LSU FIRST DOWNS 17 31 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 31-143 37-245 PASSING YDS (NET) 148 332 Passes Att-Comp-Int 35-15-2 34-21-1 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 66-291 71-577 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 1-0 Kickoff Returns-Yards 6-128 3-48 Interception Returns-Yards 1-20 2-39 Punts (Number-Avg) 5-47.4 2-43.5 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 4-40 9-95 Possession Time 28:14 31:46 Third-Down Conversions 8 of 16 3 of 10 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 1 1 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 1-2 6-7 Sacks By: Number-Yards 1-12 1-10 RUSHING: LSU-Williams 14-107; Vincent 12-71; Hester 3-25; Russell 5-16; Holliday 1-11; Davis 1-8; Jackson 1-7. Notre Dame-Walker 22-128; Aldridge 3-7; Quinn 3-6; Thomas 2-2; Samardzija 1-0. PASSING: LSU-Russell 21-34-1-332. Notre Dame-Quinn 15-35-2-148. RECEIVING: LSU-Doucet 8-115; Bowe 5-78; Davis 4-50; Vincent 2-19; LaFell 1-58; Jacob Hester 1-12. Notre Dame: Samardzija 8-59; McKnight 3-22; Walker 2-30; Grimes 1-24; Carlson 1-13.
176 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 145-182BowlHistory.indd 176
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2008 Hawai'i Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters Notre Dame Hawai'i
1 7 0
3 21 7
4 0 7
Score 49 21 NOTRE DAME CO-MVP
Jimmy Clausen, QB Golden Tate, WR
GAME NOTES
FIRST QUARTER 3:07
ND
Hughes 3 yd run (Walker kick), 9-87 4:45 SECOND QUARTER
10:25 8:12 6:49 0:01
ND UH ND ND
Grimes 14 yd pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 6-53 2:09 Bain 10 yd pass from Alexander (Kelly kick), 6-56 2:06 Tate 69 yd pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 3-79 1:18 Tate 18 yd pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 8-67 3:53
THE FIGHTING IRISH
THIRD QUARTER 10:50 7:22 4:25 4:12
ND ND UH ND
Allen 18 yd pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 6-88 2:52 Tate 40 yd pass from Clausen (Walker kick), 5-50 2:23 Bain 21 yd pass from Alexander (Kelly kick), 6-81 2:51 Allen 96 yd kickoff return (Walker kick)
COACHES & STAFF
FOURTH QUARTER 1:45
UH
Washington 27 yd pass from Funaki (Kelly kick), 6-80 2:06
ND UH FIRST DOWNS 23 22 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 34-65 19-32 PASSING YDS (NET) 413 326 Passes Att-Comp-Int 28-24-0 44-28-1 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 62-478 63-358 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Punt Returns-Yards 2-5 2-4 Kickoff Returns-Yards 3-133 7-131 Interception Returns-Yards 1-26 0-0 Punts (Number-Avg) 5-43.8 7-34.6 Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 5-60 8-69 Possession Time 33:00 27:00 Third-Down Conversions 4 of 11 3 of 13 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 0 of 0 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-4 1-1 Sacks By: Number-Yards 8-55 2-8
2014 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
RUSHING: Hawai’i-Pilares 2-19; Funaki 1-15; Libre 1-12; Farmer 1-1; Wright-Jackson 1-1; Alexander 13-(-16). Notre Dame-Hughes 17-55; Gray, J. 5-13; Allen 4-9; Aldridge 1-0; Sharpley 2-0; Team 3-(-6); Clausen 2-(-6). PASSING: Hawai’i-Alexander 23-39-1-261; Funaki 5-5-0-65. Notre Dame-Clausen 22-26-0401; Sharpley 2-2-0-12.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
RECEIVING: Hawai’i-Bain 8-109; Salas 7-76; Washington 6-96; Lane 4-29; Pilares 3-16. Notre Dame: Tate 6-177; Rudolph 4-78; Grimes 4-34; Hughes 3-27; Kamara 3-21; Allen 2-59; Floyd 2-17.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
HONOLULU – Jimmy Clausen ended Notre Dame’s long bowl drought - and Hawaii’s bid for a fourth straight Hawai’i Bowl victory - with a record-breaking passing night. Clausen set Notre Dame bowl records with 406 yards passing and five touchdowns to lead the efficient Fighting Irish to their first postseason victory in 15 years, 49-21 over Hawaii. “I told the team that’s the only thing I wanted (for Christmas). I just wanted to win a bowl game,” Irish coach Charlie Weis said. “I heard it a hundred times in the locker room after the game and they wanted to know what I was giving them for Christmas. I told them: ‘a flight home.”’ Golden Tate had six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns, also Notre Dame bowl records, including a 69-yarder that sparked a 28-point outburst to help the Irish (7-6) end their NCAA-record bowl losing steak at nine. “I’m very happy for Notre Dame. This was a great step forward for us,” Weis said. “It leads us into 2009 with a good taste in our mouth.” With Weis calling the plays from the coaches box for the first time because of knee problems that require him to walk with crutches, the Irish were unstoppable. The offense scored at will. The blitzing defense shut down Hawaii’s run-and-shoot. And the special teams wasn’t too shabby, either. “The guys came out here on a mission,” Clausen said. After the Warriors (7-7) scored to end Notre Dame’s 28-point run, Armando Allen returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score. Allen also caught an 18-yard TD pass on the Irish’s opening drive of the second half. Weis said he had an injection in his knee before the game, but still couldn’t walk. The last time he coached from the box was in 2001. “It’s 10 times easier. It’s night and day easier,” Weis said. “I haven’t been up in the box since Drew Bledsoe got hurt. ... You don’t want to do that long term, but calling a game from up there is pretty sweet. As a head coach, you want to be on the sideline.” It was evident Weis, who was all smiles after the game, and his players cherished its long-awaited bowl victory. As Notre Dame was presented the Hawaii Bowl’s pineapple-football trophy at midfield, each player came around to put their hands on it. Notre Dame’s victory was its first in the postseason since it beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl to end the 1993 season. The Irish also avoided consecutive losing seasons. Clausen was confident and sharp, completing 22 of 26 passes. He racked up 300 yards passing and three TDs by halftime alone, sending the crowd home early. The sophomore broke Brady Quinn’s postseason school record of 286 yards passing set against Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. Warriors coach Greg McMackin said, including his years in the NFL, Clausen was “as accurate as I’ve ever seen.” “He was outstanding, his receivers were outstanding,” McMackin said. With Notre Dame up 14-7, Clausen broke open the game by connecting with Tate on a 69-yard TD play, the Irish’s longest play from scrimmage of the season. Clausen faked a handoff, turned and heaved it to Tate, who had blew past cornerback Calvin Roberts along the left sideline. With the catch, Tate became the fifth Irish receiver to break 1,000 yards receiving in a season. The Irish made it 28-7 with a second left in the first half on an 18-yard hookup between Clausen and Tate on third-and-goal. Hawaii challenged the play, but replays showed Tate got his left foot down before stepping out. Tate followed it up in the third quarter with a 40-yard TD reception that pushed the lead to 42-7 and gave the Warriors flashbacks of the pounding they received from Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to end last season. Hawaii couldn’t get much going. Quarterback Greg Alexander was kept off balance and on the run by the Irish defense, which had eight sacks and forced two turnovers.
2 21 7
MEDIA INFORMATION
DEC. 24, 2008 • HONOLULU, HAWAI'I • ALOHA STADIUM
177 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 177
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2010 Sun Bowl Game Summary
DEC. 31, 2010 • EL PASO, TEXAS • SUN BOWL STADIUM Score by Quarters Notre Dame Miami, Fla.
1 14 0
EL PASO, Texas – A far-from-perfect first season as Notre Dame coach could not have ended much better for Brian Kelly and his Fighting Irish. Freshman Tommy Rees passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns to Michael Floyd, as Notre Dame beat Miami 33-17 in the Sun Bowl on Friday, making Kelly the first Fighting Irish coach to win a bowl game during his first season. The Irish started 1-3 under Kelly and consecutive October losses to Navy and Tulsa left them in precarious position to even get bowl eligible. But Notre Dame finished with four straight victories against Utah, Army, Southern California and Miami that should buoy hopes for the future of the program. “Clearly, we are gaining a lot of confidence,” Kelly said. “We’ve beaten some good football teams late in the year as we’ve come together and found our identity. It’s going to taste a whole lot better in the offseason talking about a win.” Notre Dame (8-5) reached the end zone on three of its first four possessions. Rees tossed TD passes of 3 and 34 yards to Floyd, and Cierre Wood broke free on a 34-yard scoring run before David Ruffer added field goals from 40, 50 and 19 yards. Notre Dame’s 30th bowl appearance was a New Year’s Eve fiesta in El Paso, a predominantly Roman Catholic city on the Mexican border that embraced the Irish with huge cheers from the first glimpse of a golden helmet coming from the locker rooms. “El Paso treated Notre Dame so very well,” Kelly said. The Hurricanes trailed 30-3 going into the fourth quarter, completing a season in which their coach was fired with an ugly loss. Rees hardly looked like a freshman, completing 15 of 29 attempts without an interception. He struggled in the season-ending victory over USC but his performance against Miami marked the first time a first-year starting quarterback at Notre Dame won a bowl game. Floyd had a big day, too, with six catches for 109 yards receiving, and he was close to hauling in two more scores. The game sold out in 21 hours, the fastest in the Sun Bowl’s 77-year history, and the crowd of 54,021 set a bowl attendance record. Many fans wore Notre Dame jackets to ward off the 34-degree weather as a round of overnight snow dusted the Franklin Mountains. The warm-weather Hurricanes - many wearing head covers under their helmets struggled much of the afternoon. The Canes trailed 27-0 late in the first half, and the player with the most catches from a Hurricanes quarterback was Irish safety Harrison Smith, who intercepted three passes. Robert Blanton also had an interception during Miami’s turnover binge. “It was a total defensive effort,” Smith said. “When you knock the receivers off and mess up the timing with the quarterback, it really makes it easier for the safeties.”
2 13 3
3 3 0
4 3 14
Score 33 17 FIRST QUARTER
11:02 ND 4:35 ND
Floyd 3 yd pass from Rees (Ruffer kick), 6-54 3:48 Floyd 34 yd pass from Rees (Ruffer kick), 8-74 4:27 SECOND QUARTER
13:21 4:50 0:27 0:00
ND ND ND UM
Wood 34 yd run (Ruffer kick), 1-39 0:14 Ruffer 40 yd field goal, 9-51, 3:30 Ruffer 50 yd field goal, 9-33, 1:22 Bosher 47 yd field goal, 4-39, 0:18 THIRD QUARTER
7:12
ND
Ruffer 19 yd field goal, 15-63 6:46 FOURTH QUARTER
10:36 UM 4:01 UM 1:21 ND
Hankerson 6 yd pass from Morris (Bosher kick), 7-57 1:13 Streeter 42 yd pass from Morris (Bosher kick), 8-98 2:35 Tausch 34 yd field goal, 8-48 2:38
ND UM FIRST DOWNS 23 20 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 48-196 24-103 PASSING YDS (NET) 201 319 Passes Att-Comp-Int 29-15-0 40-26-4 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 77-397 64-422 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Punt Returns-Yards 2-2 2-0 Kickoff Returns-Yards 1-34 7-144 Interception Returns-Yards 4-16 0-0 Punts (Number-Avg) 4-39.8 4-40.8 Fumbles-Lost 2-0 1-0 Penalties-Yards 3-20 10-106 Possession Time 37:09 22:51 Third-Down Conversions 9 of 20 7 of 12 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 0 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 3-4 1-1 Sacks By: Number-Yards 0-0 0-0 RUSHING: Notre Dame-Wood, C. 12-81; Hughes 27-81; Riddick 8-32; Rees 1-2. Miami-Berry 9-34; Morris 4-22; Johnson 2-20; James 4-14; Miller 5-13. PASSING: Notre Dame-Rees 15-29-0-201. Miami-Morris 22-31-1-282; Harris 4-7-3-37. RECEIVING: Notre Dame-Floyd 6-109; Eifert 4-31; Goodman 1-30; Jones 1-19; Hughes 1-8, Riddick 1-2; Wood, C. 1-2. Miami-Hankerson 6-71; Byrd 4-47; James 4-14; Benjamin 3-44; Ford 2-37; Miller 2-32; Streeter 1-42; Cleveland 1-15; Johnson 1-9; Gordon 1-4; Berry 1-4. INTERCEPTIONS: Notre Dame-Smith, H. 3-16; Blanton 1-0. Miami-None FUMBLES: Notre Dame-Riddick 1-0; Hughes 1-0. Miami-Benjamin 1-0. SACKS: Notre Dame-None. Miami-None
178
TACKLES (UA-A): Notre Dame- Blanton 3-6; Smith, H. 6-1; Gray, G. 3-4; Te’o 1-5; Motta 3-1; Neal 2-2; Smith, B. 1-3; Lewis-Moore 0-4; Fleming 2-1; McDonald 1-2; Johnson 0-3; Walls 2-0; Slaughter 2-0; Fox 0-2; Shembo 0-2; Garcia 0-2; Jackson 1-0; Williams, H. 1-0; Cwynar 0-1; Calabrese 0-1; Collinsworth 0-1; Williams, I. 0-1. Miami-McCarthy 6-8; Spence 3-7; Armstrong 2-6; Regis 2-5; Vernon 4-2; Forston 3-3; Nicolas 2-3; Telemaque 1-4; Buchanan 2-2; Hill 2-2; Ojomo 1-3; Harris 1-2; Holmes 1-1; Holton 1-1; McGee 0-2; Bailey 0-2; Bosher 1-0; Robinson 1-0; Campbell 1-0; Hankerson 1-0; Berry 0-1; Van Dyke 0-1; Smith 0-1.
11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 145-182BowlHistory.indd 178
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2011 Champs Sports Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters #25 Florida State Notre Dame
1 0 7
9:04
3 3 7 ND
4 15 0
Score 18 14
Motta 29 yd fumble recovery (Ruffer Kick) THIRD QUARTER
11:24 ND 9:03 FSU
GAME NOTES
Floyd 5 yd pass from Rees (Ruffer kick), 9-62 3:36 Hopkins 42 yd field goal, 4-(-3) 2:08 FOURTH QUARTER
14:54 FSU 13:18 FSU 8:05 FSU
Reed 18 yd pass from Manuel (Manuel rush failed), 10-84 4:10 Greene 15 yd pass from Manuel (Manuel rush failed), 2-18 0:42 Hopkins 29 yd field goal, 9-71 3:23
THE FIGHTING IRISH
FSU ND First Downs 13 19 Rushes-Yards (Net) 29-41 35-93 Passing Yards (Net) 249 187 Passes Att-Comp-Int 31-20-0 35-19-3 Offensive Plays-Yards 60-290 70-280 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 1-29 Punt Returns-Yards 2-18 3-45 Kickoff Returns-Yards 2-101 5-94 Interception Returns-Yards 3-39 0-0 Punts (Number-Avg) 8-47.2 7-40.7 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0 Penalties-Yards 5-44 5-39 Possession Time 29:51 30:09 Third-Down Conversions 3 of 14 7 of 15 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 1 0 of 0 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-4 1-3 Sacks By: Number-Yards 4-28 5-44
COACHES & STAFF
RUSHING: Florida State- Freeman 13-48; Wilder 4-10; Abram 1-3; Manuel 11-(-20). Notre Dame- Wood 18-60; Riddick 8-36; Hendrix 4-26; Team 1-(-1); Rees 4-(-28).
RECEIVING: Florida State- Greene 5-99; Shaw 4-64; Smith 4-34; Wilder 2-14; Freeman 2-12; Reed 1-18; Pryor 1-5; Green 1-3. Notre Dame- Eifert 6-90; Floyd 5-41; Toma 4-34; Riddick 2-7; Wood 1-8; Jones 1-7. INTERCEPTIONS: Florida State- Joyner 1-22; Bradham 1-17; Brooks 1-0. Notre Dame- None.
SACKS (UA-A): Florida State- Carradine 1-0; Jenkins 1-0; Werner 1-0; Dawkins 1-0. Notre Dame- Slaughter 2-0; Lynch 1-1; Tuitt 1-0; Te’o 0-1.
FIRST QUARTER
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
TACKLES (UA-A): Florida State- Bradham 8-1;l Joyner 7-0; Parks 5-2; Harris 5-0; Smith 4-1; Williams 2-3; Rhodes; 4-0; Carradine 3-1; Reid 2-0; Jernigan 2-0; Jenkins 2-0; Werner 2-0; Stevens 1-1; Hicks 0-2; Dawkins 1-0; Pryor 1-1; Powell 1-0; Jones 1-0; Brooks 1-0; Erving 0-1; McCloud 0-1; Moody 0-1. Notre Dame- Te’o 7-6; Gray 5-2; Smith 4-2; Slaughter 5-0; Lynch 2-3; Tuitt 2-1; Nix 0-3; Shembo 2-0; Cwynar 2-0; Motta 2-0; Jackson 1-1; Fox 1-1; Calabrese 1-1; McCarthy 1-0; Blanton 1-0; Fleming 1-0; Golic, M. 1-0; Williams 1-0; Eifert 1-0; Atkinson III 1-0; Collinsworth 0-1; Salvi 0-1.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FUMBLES: Florida State- Freeman 1-1. Notre Dame- Atkinson III 1-0.
BOWL HISTORY
PASSING: Florida State- Manuel 20-31-2-249. Notre Dame- Rees 16-27-1-163; Hendrix 3-80-24.
2014 SEASON REVIEW
ORLANDO, Fla. - The day before his team took the field for its Champs Sports Bowl matchup with Notre Dame, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher acknowledged that he had higher hopes for his team than how they ended up in 2011. Loaded with talent and expectations in the preseason, the No. 25 Seminoles squandered early season opportunities against ranked foes and fizzled again late in the year to end any path back to the Bowl Championship Series. The 18-14 win over Notre Dame in front of a sellout crowd at Florida’s Citrus Bowl might not have been the national stage FSU expected to be on this season, but how it won the game could be proof it is finally making progress. The Seminoles rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit and used a pair of touchdown passes by E.J. Manuel and two field goals from Dustin Hopkins to earn their fourth straight bowl win and second under Fisher. FSU receiver Rashad Greene, who caught one of Manuel’s touchdown passes, was selected the game’s MVP. The Seminoles finished the game with 290 yards, including going 3 for 14 on third down, and got an efficient night from Manuel. He played behind a young offensive line, but was 20 for 31 passing for 249 yards. Injuries forced the Seminoles to start four freshman on their line and they gave up five sacks, but their defense picked off Notre Dame quarterbacks Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix three times and also had four sacks. Notre Dame shuffled between Rees and Hendrix throughout the game, but both struggled. They were a combined 19 for 35 and 187 yards passing. FSU scored on all four of its red zone chances. The Irish also were without their biggest offensive weapon late, with receiver Michael Floyd being forced to the sideline following a third quarter touchdown catch with what coach Brian Kelly described afterward was an “upper body injury.” He returned to the game, but was a non-factor. Junior linebacker Manti Te’o, who led Notre Dame with 13 tackles and got in on a sack Thursday, said fatigue was not a factor in the Irish not being able to maintain pressure on Manuel in the fourth quarter. After some stagnant offense on both sides in the first half, FSU trailed 14-0 early in the third quarter before finding some momentum through the air. The Seminoles closed the gap to 14-9 with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Manuel to Bert Reed to open the fourth quarter, but failed on their 2-point conversion attempt. They took the lead just 1:32 later after Nigel Bradham intercepted a Hendrix pass inside the Notre Dame 20 to set up an 18-yard touchdown catch by Greene to make it 15-14 with just over 13 minutes to play following another failed 2-point try. The Seminoles added their second field goal of the game a series later. Notre Dame punted on its next possession, but pinned FSU inside its own 5 and forced a quick three-and-out. A poor punt by the Seminoles and a facemask penalty on the return gave the Irish the ball on the FSU 28 with 3:56 to play, but Rees was picked off in the end zone with 2:48 left and FSU was able run out most of the remaining time. Notre Dame took a 14-0 lead on its opening drive of the second half by capping a nineplay, 62-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Rees to Floyd. Floyd fought Seminoles cornerback Greg Reid for the ball on the play, juggling it multiple times before finally getting his hands around it. Reid stayed down on the turf after the play and left the game with concussion symptoms. FSU bounced right back with a 77-yard kickoff return by Lamarcus Joyner, but Notre Dame’s fifth sack of the night on Manuel helped force the Seminoles to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Hopkins.
2 0 0
MEDIA INFORMATION
DEC. 29, 2011 • ORLANDO, FLA. • FLORIDA CITRUS BOWL
179 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 145-182BowlHistory.indd 179
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2013 BCS National Championship Game Summary
JAN. 7, 2013 • MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. • SUN LIFE STADIUM Score by Quarters #2 Alabama #1 Notre Dame
1 14 0
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Unbeaten and top-rated Notre Dame's first crack at a Bowl Championship Series title game didn't exactly end the way the Irish hoped. But credit second-ranked and once-beaten Alabama, a veteran at these kinds of games, for making all the right moves in a 42-14 victory at Sun Life Stadium that handed the Tide its third BCS crown in four seasons. It started on a tough note for the Irish (12-1), as Alabama (13-1) roared out of the gate to a 28-0 halftime lead after scoring on its first three possessions and rolling up 202 yards in the first period alone. Notre Dame, meanwhile, struggled early on both sides of the ball. By halftime the Irish had already given up more points than they had in any game this season, the previous high being 26 in a triple-overtime win over Pittsburgh. The most yards Notre Dame gave up this season was 379; Alabama cracked the 500 mark early in the fourth quarter. Alabama looked the part of a BCS champion--while the Irish walked away understanding what it takes to make it this far and maybe appreciating what the Tide was able to do to carry off the final chapter. Notre Dame arrived at the title game on the cusp of what would have been a fantasy scenario, that of being unranked at the start of the season and the undisputed champions at the end of the campaign. However, a dominating ground game and timely passing by Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron made the Tide offense seemingly impossible to stop in the opening two periods. Eddie Lacy ran for 140 yards on 20 attempts (one TD) and T.J. Yeldon added another 108 yards and a score of his own on 21 attempts. McCarron always seemed to make the right plays in the passing game, connecting on 20 of his 28 throws for 264 yards and four TDs. The Irish had hoped to establish at least some sort of ground game against the top-rated Tide defense--but that proved to be almost impossible. The Irish managed only 32 net rushing yards (37 on 10 carries by Theo Riddick), as they were forced to throw the football as the Tide built its advantage. Notre Dame's Everett Golson threw for 270 yards and a score (a six-yard TD to Riddick), but his 21-for-36 effort came as the Irish played from the back all night long. TJ Jones had a career-high seven receptions (90 yards), and DaVaris Daniels contributed six grabs for a career-best 115 yards--while tight end Tyler Eifert had six for 61 yards. Senior safety Zeke Motta led both teams with 16 tackles, and all-star senior linebacker Manti Te'o had 10. But Alabama simply proved hard to stop in rolling up a 529-302 advantage in total yards--including a 265-32 advantage on the ground. The Irish weren't helped by losing senior defensive captain Kapron Lewis-Moore to a first-half knee injury--with nose guard Louis Nix III limping much of the second half. The Irish had only a single turnover (an interception by Alabama on the opening series of the second half). But Notre Dame's defense uncharacteristically could not get off the field, yielding TD drives of 82, 61, 80, 71, 97 and 86 yards--as Alabama finished with a 38:13 to 21:47 in time of possession. Notre Dame's bid for a 12th consensus national title ended a step short, but coach Brian Kelly expects 15 returning starters to be able to show the way in 2013 as the Irish bid to make BCS-caliber games regular postseason stopping points.
2 14 0
3 7 7
4 7 7
Score 42 14 FIRST QUARTER
12:03 UA 6:14 UA
Lacy 20 yd run (Shelley kick), 5-82 2:57 M. Williams 3 yd pass from McCarron (Shelley kick), 10-61 4:49 SECOND QUARTER
14:56 UA 00:31 UA
Yeldon 1 yd run (Shelley kick), 8-80 4:26 Lacy 11 yd pass from McCarron (Shelley kick), 9-71 3:12 THIRD QUARTER
7:34 4:08
UA ND
Cooper 34 yd pass from McCarron (Shelley kick), 10-97 5:37 Golson 2 yd run (Brindza kick), 9-85 3:26 FOURTH QUARTER
11:27 UA 7:51 ND
Cooper 19 yd pass from McCarron (Shelley kick), 14-86 7:41 Riddick 6 yd pass from Golson (Brindza kick), 10-75 3:36
UA ND FIRST DOWNS 28 16 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 45-265 19-32 PASSING YDS (NET) 264 270 Passes Att-Comp-Int 28-20-0 36-21-1 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 73-529 55-302 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Punt Returns-Yards 1-1 3-2 Kickoff Returns-Yards 2-31 3-47 Interception Returns-Yards 1-0 0-0 Punts (Number-Avg) 4-49.2 5-42.8 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0 Penalties-Yards 4-40 3-35 Possession Time 38:13 21:47 Third-Down Conversions 8 of 13 2 of 8 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 0 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 5-5 2-2 Sacks By: Number-Yards 2-16 0-0 RUSHING: Alabama-Lacy 20-140; Yeldon 21-108; McCarron 1-9; Drake 3-8. Notre DameRiddick 10-37; Wood, C. 4-2; Golson 5-(-7). PASSING: Alabama-McCarron 20-28-0-264. Notre Dame-Golson 21-36-1-270. RECEIVING: Alabama-Cooper 6-105; Norwood 3-66; M. Williams 3-17; Jones 2-40; Lacy 2-17; Shinn 2-14; Johnson 1-5; Yeldon 1-0. Notre Dame-Jones 7-90; Daniels 6-115; Eifert 6-61; Riddick 1-6; Wood, C. 1-(-2). INTERCEPTIONS: Alabama-H. Clinton-Dix 1-0. Notre Dame-None. FUMBLES: Alabama-None. Notre Dame-Neal, D. 1-0. SACKS (UA-A): Alabama-Pettway 1-0; Hubbard 1-0. Notre Dame-None. TACKLES (UA-A): Alabama-Mosley 5-3; Clinton-Dix 4-3; Lester 3-3; Belue 4-0; Collins 3-0; DePriest 1-2; Milliner 1-2; Hayes 2-0; Hubbard 1-1; Sunseri 1-1; Smith 1-0; Perry 1-0; Stinson 1-0; Pagan 1-0; Ivory 1-0; Pettway 1-0; Williams 0-1; Jones 0-1; Johnson 0-1; Devall 0-1; Dial 0-1. Notre Dame-Motta 7-9; Te'o 3-7; Russell 3-5; Fox 4-2; Farley 4-2; Nix III 5-0; Tuitt 2-3; Jackson 1-3; Calabrese 2-1; Shembo 1-2; Day 1-2; Cavalaris 1-1; Shumate 1-0; Lewis-Moore 1-0; Councell 1-0; Williams, Ish. 0-1; Spond 0-1; Salvi, C. 0-1.
180 11 National Championships | 7 Heisman Trophy Winners | 188 First-Team All-Americans 145-182BowlHistory.indd 180
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2013 Pinstripe Bowl Game Summary
Score by Quarters Rutgers #25 Notre Dame
1 10 10
145-182BowlHistory.indd 181
THIRD QUARTER 6:03
ND
Brindza 26 yd field goal, 15-71 7:17 FOURTH QUARTER
12:46 8:57 3:38 2:28
ND RU ND ND
Brindza 25 yd field goal, 15-90 6:27 Federico 47 yd field goal, 8-15 3:39 Folston 3 yd run (Brindza kick), 10-79 5:12 Brindza 49 yd field goal, 4-4 0:58
RU ND FIRST DOWNS 16 31 RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 26-80 43-175 PASSING YDS (NET) 156 319 Passes Att-Comp-Int 29-10-4 47-27-0 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 55-236 90-494 Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0 Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 1--7 Kickoff Returns-Yards 6-145 3-81 Interception Returns-Yards 0-0 4-1 Punts (Number-Avg) 3-46.3 2-29.5 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1 Penalties-Yards 3-33 8-69 Possession Time 21:44 38:16 Third-Down Conversions 3 of 12 7 of 16 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 1 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-6 5-5 Sacks By: Number-Yards 0-0 4-31 RUSHING: Rutgers-James 10-48; Dodd 10-24; Huggins 2-7; Goodwin 3-3; Team 1-(-2). Notre Dame-McDaniel 17-80; Folston 17-73; Jones, TJ 4-16; Rees 2-6; Fuller 1-3; Carlisle 1-3; Daniels 1-(-6). PASSING: Rutgers-Dodd 10-28-3-156; Goodwin 0-1-1-0. Notre Dame-Rees 27-47-0-319. RECEIVING: Rutgers-Kroft 3-43; Coleman 2-65; James 2-22; Peele 2-3; Pratt 1-23. Notre Dame-Jones, TJ 5-66; Brown, C. 5-54; Niklas 4-76; McDaniel 3-29; Daniels 3-25; Folston 3-21; Prosise 2-25; Koyack 1-13; Robinson 1-10. INTERCEPTIONS: Rutgers-None. Notre Dame-Fox 1-1; Moore 1-0; Russell 1-0; Collinsworth 1-0. FUMBLES: Rutgers-None. Notre Dame-Jones, TJ 1-1. SACKS (UA-A): Rutgers-None. Notre Dame-Tuitt 1-1; Day 0-1; Schwenke 0-1; Jones, Jarron 1-0; Shembo 0-1. TACKLES (UA-A): Rutgers-Waters 7-5; Longa 2-10; Gause 5-4; Snyder 4-3; Glashen 2-5; Barnwell 4-2; Hamilton 3-3; Thompson 3-2; Cioffi 3-0; Stephenson, Delon 2-1; Lambert 2-1; Milewski 0-3; Merrell 1-1; Holmes, Jamil 1-1; Aiken 1-1; Mera 0-2; Burton 1-0; Kroft 1-0; Marsh 1-0; Merrell, Jamal 1-0; Stephenson, Daryl 0-1; Liston 0-1. Notre Dame-Calabrese 4-4; Smith, J. 3-3; Jackson 5-0; Fox 2-3; Tuitt 1-3; Collinsworth 1-3; Jones, Jarron 2-0; Russell 1-1; Shembo 1-1; Day 1-1; Schwenke 0-2; Prosise 1-0; Okwara 1-0; Redfield 1-1; Williams 1-0; Cavalaris 1-0; Atkinson, Josh 0-1; Hardy 0-1.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Brindza 21 yd field goal, 14-71 4:55 Federico 36 yd field goal, 4-2 0:56 Jones, TJ 8 yd run (Brindza kick), 7-62 3:20 Coleman 14 yd pass from Dodd (Federico kick), 5-75 2:39
Brindza 38 yd field goal, 4-1 0:58 Federico 18 yd field goal, 12-63 4:15
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
ND RU ND RU
12:59 ND 8:35 RU
BOWL HISTORY
10:05 8:00 4:30 1:51
SECOND QUARTER
2014 SEASON REVIEW
FIRST QUARTER
Score 16 29
COACHES & STAFF
Zack Martin, OT
4 3 13
THE FIGHTING IRISH
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
3 0 3
GAME NOTES
NEW YORK - This nicely sums up Tommy Rees' Notre Dame career. The senior threw for 319 yards and no interceptions in his final college game, leading No. 25 Notre Dame to a 29-16 victory against Rutgers that was far from pretty but ultimately successful - and an offensive lineman won the MVP award. "I was giving Tommy a hard time," said senior tackle Zack Martin, who took home the award. "I think he got snubbed a little bit." Rees finished four years of football for the Fighting Irish packed with both memorable and forgettable moments with a solid performance, going 27 for 47. He has been "The Closer," rallying Notre Dame to victories with late drives, and "Turnover Tommy," making crushing mistakes at the most inopportune times during his time in South Bend, Ind. For his finale, against one of the worst pass defenses in the nation, Rees was mistake free and productive. He missed some throws that could have broken open the game, but, typically, he persevered. "I'm a Tommy Rees fan for life," coach Brian Kelly said. Kyle Brindza kicked five field goals for the Fighting Irish (9-4), who finished their follow-up season to last year's run to the national championship game a long way from the BCS - facing a two-touchdown underdog trying to avoid a losing record. Notre Dame's play was less than inspired - Kelly said about a dozen players were fighting a flu bug - but the win prevented the Irish from finishing with eight victories for the third time in his four seasons. "A good season that could have been a great season," Kelly said. Notre Dame's TJ Jones scored on an 8-yard run in the first quarter and Rutgers star Brandon Coleman answered with a 14-yard touchdown catch soon after. Tarean Folston's 3-yard touchdown run with 3:38 in the fourth made it 26-16 and finally gave the Irish a comfortable lead. On the slick turf at Yankee Stadium, the Pinstripe Bowl turned into a field-goal kicking contest. Brindza was 5 for 6. Kyle Federico made 3 of 3 for the Scarlet Knights (6-7). The Irish dominated in yards (494-237) and time of possession (38:49) but bogged down in the red zone repeatedly. "I loved the way we were able to stay calm and stay within our offense and continue to kind of monotonously move the ball down the field," Rees said. Twice Notre Dame put together double-digit play drives that ended in short field goals for Brindza. A 15-play, 90-yard march that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth with Brindza's 25-yarder made it 19-13 Notre Dame with 12:46 left. "I love the fourth quarter," Brindza said. "That's pretty much what a kicker's job is supposed to be." Brindza's third field goal, a 26-yarder with 6:03 left in the third quarter, gave Notre Dame a 1613 lead - after the Irish caught a break. Brindza had missed from 36 yards but Rutgers was flagged for running into the kicker to give him a second, easier, try. "We thought we played good red zone defense and we could make them kick a few field goals and attempt some field goals, maybe we could block one and then win the game in the fourth quarter," Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said. "We were kind of poised to do that." Notre Dame improved to 17-6-3 at Yankee Stadium, though this ballpark in the Bronx is only a few years old and across the street from where the original House that Ruth built sat for decades. "It's great to be in New York," Kelly told what was left of bowl record crowd of 47,122 during the postgame trophy ceremony on the field after the Irish had sung the alma mater with the band in right-center field, near the Yankees bullpen. The Fighting Irish played the first football game in the new stadium back in 2010. Rees, a freshman then, helped the Irish beat Army and got to use Derek Jeter's locker. Called upon to lead the Irish this year after Everett Golson was suspended from school for academic cheating, Rees surpassed 3,000 yards through the air and became one of the most prolific passers in school history, making the most of his limited physical tools. Senior quarterback Chas Dodd, whose career has been similar to Rees' in terms of ups and downs, finished with 156 yards passing for Rutgers. "What we saw with their defense was just what we knew we would see," Dodd said. "We had a game plan ready to attack it. We just weren't able to because of our execution."
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DEC. 28, 2013 • NEW YORK, N.Y. • YANKEE STADIUM
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National Championships The University of Notre Dame’s longstanding historical success in football features 11 consensus national championships captured over the course of six different decades. The Irish title tradition dates back to Knute Rockne and the Four Horsemen who collaborated on Notre Dame’s first consensus crown in 1924. The national championship team in college football generally is considered to be the top-rated squad in the final polls issued each year by the poll of sportswriters and broadcasters (Associated Press) and the poll of coaches (United Press International through 1990, USA Today since 1991). Since the AP began certifying the winner of the national crown in 1936, Notre Dame has won eight national championships (1943, ’46, ’47, ’49, ’66, ’73, ’77 and ’88), second only to Alabama (nine). The coaches’ poll has selected a national champion since 1950, including winners of Bowl Championship series and College Football Playoff title games. Notre Dame has won three coaches’ titles (1966, ’77 and ’88—all UPI crowns) during that period. The UPI poll was taken following the end of the regular season each year until the 1974 season, when the coaches first waited until the bowl games had been played to issue their final poll (a practice continued by the UPI poll’s successor, USA Today). In addition, the NCAA also recognizes national championships awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame. The FWAA has presented the Grantland Rice Award to the national champion since 1954, with Notre Dame teams earning the trophy four times (1966, ’73, ’77 and ’88). The National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame have presented the MacArthur Bowl to the national champion since 1959, with Notre Dame winning this honor five times (1964, ’66—tie with Michigan State, ’73, ’77 and ’88). A variety of other rating systems have been recognized through the years in attempting to determine the nation’s top college football team each season. Including Notre Dame’s 11 consensus national titles, there have been 22 seasons in which the Irish have qualified as a national champion from at least one legitimate poll. Year Team Record Coach 1924 Notre Dame 10-0 Knute Rockne Pennsylvania 9-1-1 Lou Young 1929 Notre Dame 9-0 Knute Rockne Pittsburgh 9-1 Jock Sutherland USC 10-2 Howard Jones 1930 Notre Dame 10-0 Knute Rockne Alabama 10-0 Wallace Wade 1943 Notre Dame 9-1 Frank Leahy 1946 Notre Dame 8-0-1 Frank Leahy Army 9-0-1 Red Blaik Georgia 11-0 Wally Butts 1947 Notre Dame 9-0 Frank Leahy Michigan 10-0 Fritz Crisler 1949 Notre Dame 10-0 Frank Leahy Oklahoma 11-0 Bud Wilkinson 1966 Notre Dame 9-0-1 Ara Parseghian Alabama 11-0 Paul “Bear” Bryant Michigan State 9-0-1 Duffy Daugherty 1973 Notre Dame 11-0 Ara Parseghian Alabama 10-1 Paul “Bear” Bryant Oklahoma 10-0-1 Barry Switzer Michigan 10-0-1 Glenn “Bo" Schembechler Ohio State 10-0-1 Woody Hayes 1977 Notre Dame 11-1 Dan Devine Alabama 11-1 Paul “Bear” Bryant Arkansas 11-1 Lou Holtz Texas 11-1 Fred Akers 1988 Notre Dame 12-0 Lou Holtz Miami (Fla). 11-1 Dennis Erickson
Selector Bill, DS, Helms, Boand, FR, Houlgate, NCF, Poling Davis Bill, DS, Dunkel, Boand, Helms, FR, NCF, Poling Davis Houlgate All but FR, tie for Davis Davis (tie), FR Unanimous AP, Berry, Bill, Dunkel, LS, Devold, NCF, Helms (tie), Boand (tie), Poling (tie) Houlgate, FR, Boand (tie), Helms (tie), Poling (tie) WS AP, WS, Helms (tie) Berry, Bill, Dunkel, LS, Houlgate, Helms (tie), Boand, FR, Devold, NCF, Poling All but FR, Bill FR, Bill AP, UPI, FWAA,Poling (tie), Dunkel, LS, Devold, FN, Matthews, Bill, NCF, Sag., NFFHF (tie), Helms (tie) Berry FR, Helms (tie), NFFHF (tie), Poling (tie) AP, FWAA, NFFHF, Helms, FN, NCF (tie) UPI, Berry Bill, Dunkel, FR, Devold NCF (tie), Poling (tie) FACT, NCF (tie), Poling (tie), Sag. All but Berry, FACT (tie), FR (tie) FR (tie) FACT (tie) Berry, FACT (tie) All but Berry, Sag. Berry, Sag.
Here are the other 11 seasons Notre Dame received some mention: Year Team Record Coach 1919 Harvard 9-0-1 Bob Fisher Notre Dame 9-0 Knute Rockne Illinois 6-1 Bob Zuppke Texas A&M 10-0 D.X. Bible 1920 California 9-0 Andy Smith Notre Dame 9-0 Knute Rockne Princeton 6-0-1 Bill Roper Harvard 8-0-1 Robert Fisher 1927 Illinois 7-0-1 Bob Zuppke Yale 7-1 T.A.D. Jones Notre Dame 7-1-1 Knute Rockne Georgia 9-1 George Woodruff 1938 Tennessee 11-0 Bob Neyland TCU 11-0 Dutch Meyer Notre Dame 8-1 Elmer Layden 1953 Notre Dame 9-0-1 Frank Leahy Maryland 10-1 Jim Tatum Oklahoma 9-1-1 Bud Wilkinson 1964 Alabama 10-1 Paul “Bear” Bryant Arkansas 11-0 Frank Broyles Notre Dame 9-1 Ara Parseghian Michigan 9-1 Bump Elliott 1967 USC 10-1 John McKay Notre Dame 8-2 Ara Parseghian Tennessee 9-2 Doug Dickey Oklahoma 10-1 Chuck Fairbanks 1970 Nebraska 11-0-1 Bob Devaney Texas 10-1 Darrell Royal Ohio State 9-1 Woody Hayes Notre Dame 10-1 Ara Parseghian Arizona State 11-0 Frank Kush 1989 Miami (Fla.) 11-1 Dennis Erickson Notre Dame 12-1 Lou Holtz Florida State 10-2 Bobby Bowden 1993 Florida State 12-1 Bobby Bowden Auburn 11-0 Terry Bowden Nebraska 11-1 Tom Osborne Notre Dame 11-1 Lou Holtz 2012 Alabama 13-1 Nick Saban Notre Dame 12-1 Brian Kelly
Selector Unanimous Davis (tie), NCF (tie) Davis (tie), FR (tie), Boand NCF (tie) Helms, FR, Houl.,NCF Davis (tie) Davis (tie), Boand (tie) Boand (tie) DS, Davis, Helms, NCF FR Houl. Boand, Poling Bill, Dunkel, LS, Boand, Houl., FR, Poling, Sag. AP,WS, Helms, NCF DS All but AP, UP, FRI, INS, Berry AP, UPI, INS FR, Berry AP, UPI, LS, Berry Bill, FWAA, Helms, FR, NCF, Poling NFFHF, Devold, FN, Sag. Dunkel All but Dunkel, LS, Poling Dunkel LS Poling AP, Bill, FWAA, Dunkel, Helms, FR, Devold, FN, FACT (tie), NCF Berry, UPI, LS, NFFHF (tie), FACT (tie) NFFHF (tie) FACT (tie), Matthews, Sag. Pol All but Bill, Berry, FACT (tie), Sag. Berry, FACT (tie), Sag. Bill All but NCF, Matthews NCF (tie) NCF (tie) Matthews, NCF (tie) All but CM CM
Legend: ALD – Alderson System; AP – Associated Press; Berry – Berryman System; Bill – Billingsley Report; Boand – Boand System; CM - Colley Matrix; Davis – Parke H. Davis Ratings; DeVold – DeVold System; DS – Dickinson System; Dunkel – Dunkel System; FACT – Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments; FN – Football News; FR – College Football Researchers Association; FWAA – Football Writers Association of America; INS – International News Service; Helms – Helms Foundation; Houl – Houlgate System; LS – Litkenhous System; Matthews – Matthews Grid Ratings; NCF – National Championship Foundation; NYT – New York Times; NFFHF – National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame; Poling – Poling System; Sag – Sagarin Ratings; SI – Sports Illustrated; TSN – The Sporting News; USA – USA Today/ESPN; UPI – United Press International; WS – Williamson System. Sources: Robert A. Rosiek, Dearborn Heights, Mich.; The National Championship Foundation, Germantown, N.Y.
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University of Notre Dame MEDIA INFORMATION GAME NOTES THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF 2013 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
overall athletics programs. The University is second only to KU Leuven of Belgium among all Catholic universities worldwide, according to the Times Higher Education survey, and the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame boasts the No. 1 undergraduate business program in the nation according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
hen Father Edward F. Sorin started his school in the northern Indiana wilderness, he had only $300, three log buildings badly in need of repair and a far-sighted vision of establishing a liberal arts school to meet the growing educational needs of the frontier. He dreamed of building a great university, and in 1842, he founded the University of Notre Dame du Lac. Over the years, Notre Dame would evolve into a preeminent place for Catholic thought. While becoming one of the top undergraduate institutions in the country, Notre Dame has also been at the cutting edge of research, including such innovations as the transmission of wireless messages and the development of synthetic rubber. Today researchers are achieving breakthroughs in astrophysics, radiation chemistry, environmental sciences, tropical disease transmission, cancer, robotics, and nanoelectronics. The University has also stressed residential life, with four-of-five students living on campus in the school’s 29 residence halls that serve as the focal point of social, spiritual and athletic activities. Notre Dame is one of a handful of universities with a truly international student body, coming from over 100 nations and all 50 states. Students come to Notre Dame not only to learn how to think, but to learn how to live, keeping faith with the vision of Fr. Sorin. Notre Dame is one of the few universities to regularly rank in the top 25 in the U.S. News & World Report survey of America’s best colleges and the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings of the best
183 99 Percent Graduation Rate | 44 College Football Hall of Famers | 6 Hall of Fame Coaches 183-192ThisIsNotreDame.indd 183
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University Leadership
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
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President
ev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., is in his second fiveyear term as the 17th president of the University of Notre Dame. His vision is for Notre Dame to be the Catholic research university for our time – an institution that unifies, enlightens and heals by engaging in scholarship of the first rank while maintaining its distinctive Catholic character and long-time excellence in undergraduate education. During his tenure, Notre Dame has made significant progress toward its research goal, including selection as the lead partner in the Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery and the Center for Low Energy Systems Technology, the creation of the Innovation Park research facility and the construction of Stinson Remick Hall of Engineering. His commitment to undergraduate education has been marked by the Notre Dame Forums, yearlong initiatives that have examined important issues such as religion and world conflict, global health, immigration, education and energy.
The University’s Catholic identity has been strengthened during Father Jenkins’ tenure in multiple ways, including the appointment of a coordinator for University life initiatives and the construction of multimillion-dollar facilities for the Institute for Church Life, including the Center for Social Concerns, and the Institute for Educational Initiatives, which includes the Alliance for Catholic Education. Father Jenkins earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy from Notre Dame in 1976 and 1978, respectively, and was ordained a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1983. He holds advanced degrees from Oxford and the Jesuit School of Theology. He is a professor of philosophy and the author of Knowledge and Faith in Thomas Aquinas. A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Father Jenkins was born Dec. 17, 1953.
President Leadership Council Thomas G. Burish Provost John F. Affleck-Graves Executive Vice President David C. Bailey Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning Robert J. Bernhard Vice President for Research
Thomas G. Burish Provost
John Affleck-Graves Executive Vice President
Paul J. Browne Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications Laura Carlson Vice President and Associate Provost Marianne Corr Vice President and General Counsel J. Nicholas Entrikin Vice President and Associate Provost for Internationalization
Richard C. Notebaert Chairman, Notre Dame Board of Trustees
Patricia Bellia NCAA Faculty Representative
Ronald D. Kraemer Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information and Digitial Officer Rev. William M. Lies, C.S.C. Vice President for Mission Engagement and Church Affairs Scott C. Malpass Vice President and Chief Investment Officer Christine M. Maziar Vice President and Senior Associate Provost Robert K. McQuade Vice President for Human Resources Daniel J. Myers Vice President and Associate Provost Louis M. Nanni Vice President for University Relations Rev. Hugh R. Page, Jr. Vice President and Associate Provost
Ann M. Firth Chief of Staff
John A. Sejdinaj Vice President for Finance
Erin Hoffmann Harding Vice President for Student Affairs
Jack Swarbrick Vice President and Director of Athletics
Rev. James B. King, C.S.C. Religious Superior of Holy Cross Priests and Brothers at Notre Dame and Director of Campus Ministry
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University Leadership
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Vice President • Director of Athletics
THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF 2013 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
12-0 to rank number one in the final BCS poll while also ranking number one in the GSR standings. • NCAA championships in 2013 in men’s soccer, 2011 in fencing (a men’s and women’s combined championship) and 2010 in women’s soccer. • NCAA runner-up team finishes in 2014, 2012 and 2011 in women’s basketball, 2014 and 2010 in men’s lacrosse, 2013 and 2009 in fencing and 2008 in women’s soccer. • NCAA semifinal appearances in women’s basketball in 2013, men’s lacrosse in 2012, hockey in 2011, women’s tennis in 2009 and 2010 and women’s soccer in 2009, plus 2010 and 2012 third-place fencing finishes. • Construction of the 5,022-seat Compton Family Ice Arena that opened for the 2011-12 season and features two sheets of ice (one Olympic sized). The 2009-10 school year also featured dedications of new facilities for soccer and lacrosse--as well as opening of the new Purcell Pavilion within the south dome of the Joyce Center. • 196 All-America selections and 39 Academic All-America honorees over those six-plus combined years. Before coming back to Notre Dame, Swarbrick rose to national prominence as a lawyer, consultant and executive in the collegiate and Olympic sports industries Born in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Yonkers and Bloomington, Indiana, he is a 1976 magna cum laude graduate of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Upon graduating from Stanford University Law School in 1980, he returned to Indiana to accept a position as an associate in the Indianapolis law firm Baker & Daniels, one of the largest in the state. He was made partner in 1987 and spent 28 years with the firm. As a member of the Indiana Sports Corporation, including the chairmanship from 1992 to 2001, Swarbrick led many of Indianapolis’ successful proposals to a wide array of athletics organizations--from the National Football League (NFL) to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to the Big Ten Conference. His leadership efforts resulted in the city: • Earning the right to play host to the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. • Becoming the home of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national headquarters in 1999. • Hosting the 1987 Pan American Games, where Swarbrick served as the director of competition. • Hosting the 1991 World Gymnastics Championships. • Hosting NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Fours and other college championship competitions and a wide array of national and world championships in the Olympic sports. In 2000 Swarbrick received one of the NCAA’s highest honors, The Flying Wedge Award, for his work in establishing Indianapolis as the new home of the NCAA. In 2001 he was honored by the State of Indiana with the Sagamore of the Wabash Award. In 2002 he received the Pathfinder Award from Youthlinks Indiana for his service to youth in the state of Indiana. He received an honorary monogram from the Notre Dame Monogram Club in 2013. Born March 19, 1954, Swarbrick became Notre Dame’s 12th athletics director on July 16, 2008. He and his wife, Kimberly, are the parents of four children: Kate, a 2010 graduate of St. Louis University; Connor, a 2011 graduate of Wake Forest University; Cal, a 2014 graduate of TCU; and Christopher, a University of Notre Dame senior.
GAME NOTES
ohn B. “Jack” Swarbrick Jr., a University of Notre Dame graduate now in his seventh year in 2014-15 as vice president and director of athletics at his alma mater, has attached his signature to a variety of new initiatives during his tenure: • Launching of Fighting Irish Digital Media—a major enterprise that delivers better information about and access to Notre Dame and its athletic programs via expanded production and distribution of programming. • Developing a plan for expanding Notre Dame Stadium in order to make it a yearround asset for the University while also improving the game day experience for studentathletes and fans. That initiative became reality with the 2014 announcement of the Campus Crossroads Project that will add new structures to three sides of Notre Dame’s home football facility—creating new homes for student activities and recreation, digital media, as well as academic disciplines anthropology, psychology, music and sacred music. • Creation of new community outreach and youth programming activities. • Building of student-athlete programs and services that expand recognition of high academic achievement, develop leadership skills—and mentor and facilitate career development. • Meeting the performance needs of Notre Dame student-athletes through establishment of a sports performance division. In 2012-13 and 2013-14 combined, Swarbrick played a major role in four significant announcements that positively impacted Notre Dame on the national collegiate scene: -- Membership for Notre Dame’s athletic teams (other than football and hockey) in the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning with the 2013-14 athletic seasons. In football, Notre Dame began playing five games per year against ACC opponents in 2014 and also has full access to the league’s list of postseason bowl options. Notre Dame hockey now plays in Hockey East. -- An extension of the University’s relationship with NBC Sports through the 2025 football season. -- The 2014 announcement of an unmatched 10-year relationship with Under Armour to provide performance footwear, apparel and equipment for Irish athletic programs. In addition to being a shareholder in Under Armour, Notre Dame will collaborate with Under Armour in the areas of sport technology, product development and athlete performance. -- Creation by the Bowl Championship Series of the fourteam College Football Playoff season, with Notre Dame maintaining viable access into that system. Swarbrick’s first six years combined featured a variety of on-and off-the-field Notre Dame athletics successes: • The best across-the-board athletic season in Notre Dame history in 2013-14 as Irish men’s programs claimed the Capital One Cup and 22 of 26 sports overall advanced to postseason play, enabling Notre Dame to finish a best-ever third in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics all-sports standings. • Number-one rankings for Notre Dame (among Football Bowl Subdivision schools) in the eight most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) surveys--in 2014 at 99 for all-student-athletes. The Irish football program has ranked number one in those listings four of the last six years. • An appearance in the Bowl Championship Series football title game following the 2012 season—in an unprecedented year in which the Irish finished the regular season
MEDIA INFORMATION
Jack Swarbrick
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Notre Dame Stadium
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or all the legendary players and memorable moments it has hosted over the past 443 games, Notre Dame Stadium has unquestionably developed a lore of its own. The stadium, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2010, continues to be one of the most recognizable and revered structures in the world of sport. It was the success of Knute Rockne’s football teams that prompted the addition of the original Notre Dame Stadium to the University’s athletics plant back in 1930. The spirit that was imbued by that Rockne era – and has been sustained by seven Heisman Trophy winners and dozens more All-Americans who have competed there – has changed little in eight decades of football at Notre Dame Stadium. Originally designed by Osborn Engineering Company – the same firm that designed Comiskey Park in Chicago and New York’s Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds – the total cost of construction exceeded $750,000 and it was patterned on a smaller scale after the University of Michigan’s stadium. The 1996 season was the final one played with the customary 59,075 fans at Notre Dame Stadium. A $50-million expansion adding over 21,000 seats was completed before the 1997 kickoff, bringing capacity to its present-day 80,795. The Irish have played in front of sellout crowds at Notre Dame Stadium in 243 consecutive games and 291 of the last 292 home contests have been held before capacity crowds. Every home game starting with the final two home dates in 1964 has been a sellout except one – a 1973 Thanksgiving Day matchup with Air Force. Notre Dame has played 443 games inside Notre Dame Stadium and compiled a 329-109-5 record (.748).
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Campus Crossroads Project MEDIA INFORMATION THE FIGHTING IRISH COACHES & STAFF
to 4,000 premium seats for the football stadium with supporting club amenities. Central components to the plan include the addition of meeting, research and teaching venues, as well as facilities that do not currently exist on campus, such as a 500-person ballroom. The various new spaces also will be designed to accommodate multiple functions for multiple departments, such as the stadium club spaces, which also will be used for student services, academic event space, classrooms, conferences, career fairs and other campus and community activities. The exterior design of the Campus Crossroads Project is inspired by Knute Rockne’s original Notre Dame Stadium – which still stands today as the core of the facility – and is wed with materials, massing and details taken from many of the Collegiate Gothic buildings on the campus.
The area between the stadium and the DeBartolo Hall classroom building will become a pedestrian plaza with walkways, trees, planters and seating areas. The entire project will include sustainability practices consistent with other University projects. The project also will enhance the football fan experience on game days. A variety of premium seating options – both indoor and outdoor and mostly club seats – will be available on three upper levels on the east and west sides. A hospitality area also is planned for the new building on the south end of the stadium. Football fans, especially younger ones, have expressed a clear desire to have better access to data and video when attending Notre Dame games. Some of that will be addressed through enhanced broadband connectivity and some by the introduction of video, though the shape that will take has not yet been finalized. However, to the extent the University provides video, whether in the concourse or in the stadium itself similar to the philosophy in Purcell Pavilion and the Compton Family Ice Arena, there will be no commercial signage or advertising.
GAME NOTES
On January 29, 2014, the University of Notre Dame announced the largest building project in its 172-year history, integrating the academy, student life and athletics with the construction of more than 750,000 square feet in three new buildings attached to the west, east and south sides of the University’s iconic football stadium, at a projected cost of $400 million. The Campus Crossroads Project will add significant academic space at the same time the University is hiring 80 new faculty to build on Notre Dame’s existing strengths. Construction began on Nov. 23 and will take approximately 33 months to complete. The plan features three new structures attached to and serving the stadium – a west building for student life services, including space for student organizations, a recreation center and career center; an east building for the anthropology and psychology departments and a digital media center; and a south building for the Department of Music and the Sacred Music at Notre Dame program. The east and west buildings also will include some 3,000
2013 SEASON REVIEW
Level 1: Recital and rehearsal halls and the Leahy gate grand entrance to the stadium. Level 2: A large music library, to be relocated from the Hesburgh Library, classrooms and rehearsal and tutoring rooms. Level 3: A 350-person club/lounge. Level 4: Department of Music offices, practice rooms and storage. Level 5: The Sacred Music Program, offices, organ practice rooms and storage. Level 6: Mechanical, with a scoreboard on the exterior.
East Building Offices and laboratories for the Departments of Anthropology and Psychology, which are housed in a variety of buildings on campus, now will be in one place and located closer to other social sciences departments, the College of Science and international institutes.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Level 1: A digital media center with a 2,000-square-foot studio and production, teaching, learning, research and scholarship facilities for use by faculty, students, University Communications, athletics and information technology will position Notre Dame as a national leader in what is a rapidly expanding and increasingly important component of higher education. A control room will support faith-based programming, such as Masses at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, as well as athletics events, performing arts presentations and academic lectures and speeches. Level 2: Anthropology offices, administrative space, conference and tutoring areas and multifunction research and teaching labs. Levels 3, 4 and 5: Psychology offices, classrooms, labs, computer rooms and a student lounge. Level 6: Mechanical support. Level 7: Outdoor club seating for football, outdoor terraces and a large space that will double as a club area and flexible classroom. Level 8: Outdoor club seating for football. Level 9: Working press box, radio booths and a club area with indoor and outdoor premium seating for football
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Levels 1 and 2: Flexible, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, graduate and undergraduate student lounges, a dining area, student organization space and administrative offices. Levels 3 and 4: Recreational sports and fitness facilities (the Rolfs Sports Recreation Center will become the practice home for the men’s and women’s varsity basketball teams). Level 5: A career services center, centralized and expanded with more than 40 interview rooms, multiple training rooms and conference areas, an employer lounge and advising offices. The existing working press space on this level will be integrated into a premium seating area for the stadium. Level 6: Mechanical support. Level 7: A 500-seat student ballroom, club seating for football and booths for NBC Sports telecasts of home football games. Student-oriented programming will have priority booking for nongame weekends. Level 8: Premium stadium seats and terraces that will look onto the campus and the playing field. Level 9: Club seating, boxes for home and visiting coaches, security booths and boxes for administrative and athletic department leaders. Basement: Food service space for the three new buildings and the stadium.
South Building The relocation of the Department of Music and Sacred Music program will provide much needed new and state-of-the-art space for these growing programs. It also will put music into close proximity to other performing arts departments and programs.
BOWL HISTORY
West Building Space designed to enhance student development and formation will dominate the nine-story west building. Planning has ensured that the new facility will complement the student organization space and administrative offices located in the historic LaFortune Student Center.
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Guglielmino Athletics Complex
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he University of Notre Dame is enjoying its 10th full season with access to the Guglielmino Athletics Complex, affectionately referred to as “The Gug” (pronounced Goog). The Gug houses the football practice-week locker rooms, coaches’ offices and meeting rooms in addition to enhanced sports medicine, strength and conditioning and weight room equipment for all Notre Dame student-athletes. Underwritten with a gift from the late Don F. Guglielmino and his wife Flora, the Gug provides the Irish football team with a central location for post-practice and pre-practice routines as well as daily positional meetings. Before the Gug opened, the Irish football facilities were spread between Notre Dame Stadium, the Joyce Center and the Loftus Sports Center. The first floor of the 96,000-square-foot complex features the 25,000-square-foot Haggar Fitness Center (gift of Ed and Patty Haggar, Joe and Isabell Haggar) with the latest state-of-the-art equipment that all student-athletes can use on a daily basis. The 8,300-square-foot Loftus Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center (a gift of John and Julie Lofus) services all Notre Dame student-athletes and also houses the athletic training staff. Also on the first floor are the Romano Family Locker Room (a gift of D.J. “Buddy”
and Florence Romano), Isban Auditorium (a gift from Leonard and JoAnn Isban), the Allen Equipment Room (a gift of Marty and Sue Allen) and Hickey Coaches’ Locker Room (a gift of Jack and Rosemary Hickey). The second floor houses the Smith Family Office Suites (a gift from the Smith family in honor of Francis W. and Rita C. Smith) with head coach Brian Kelly’s area overlooking the LaBar Practice Complex. Eleven banners hang in the Morse Recruiting Lounge (a gift of Jim and Leah Morse) commemorating Notre Dame’s 11 consensus national championships.
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Football Practice Facilities MEDIA INFORMATION GAME NOTES COACHES & STAFF
Dedicated on April 23, 1988, the Loftus Center saw its first football practice on Sept. 30 of that season. The facility is a gift of John R. Loftus, a member of Notre Dame’s basketball team in 1944, 1948 and 1949. The Irish football team practices on Meyo Field (a gift of Raymond D. Meyo), a 100-yard Prestige Turf (newly installed for 2014) field complete with end zones.
THE FIGHTING IRISH
Loftus Sports Center
Entering its 27th full year of service at the University of Notre Dame, the Loftus Sports Center is one of the most integral athletics buildings on campus. Designed for use by all Notre Dame athletics teams as well as student, faculty and staff, the $6.3-million center measures 614 feet by 210 feet and stands tucked in a forested area of campus just north of LaBar Practice Complex and connected to the Guglielmino Athletics Complex.
2013 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Two of the three practice fields are FieldTurf fields, allowing the Irish to practice year-round without fear of damaging grass fields due to inclement weather and general wear-and-tear. The third field is a natural grass field.
THIS IS NOTRE DAME
LaBar Practice Complex
The LaBar Practice Complex enters its seventh season of use and is home to the outdoor practice fields of the Fighting Irish football team. A gift of Rees and Carol LaBar, the practice fields are located directly south of the Guglielmino Athletics Complex (on the former site of Moose Krause Stadium and Cartier Field). The LaBar Practice Complex features three football fields, lights, video towers, a maintenance building to provide storage and is secured with an eight-foot fence.
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NBC Television Network
Dan Hicks
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Mike Mayock
n 2014, the University of Notre Dame and NBC Sports continued their television relationship for the 24th consecutive season. NBC broadcast all six home games for the Fighting Irish, as well as the Shamrock Series contest in Indianapolis against Purdue. Play-by-play analyst Dan Hicks finished his second year as part of NBC’s coverage. Mike Mayock returned for his fifth season as game analyst. Kathryn Tappen began her first season as a sideline reporter. The NBC Sports college football studio team of Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and Hines Ward provided pre- and post-game coverage each Saturday. On April 18, 2013, Notre Dame and NBC Sports reached agreement on a new 10-year contract giving NBC the rights to televise Irish home football games from 2016 to 2025 and extending the partnership between the University and network to 35 years. A joint announcement of the extension was made by Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group, and Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. “Coming off one of Notre Dame’s best and most dramatic seasons in decades, we could not be more proud to extend this historic partnership, which continues to be one of the most innovative in sports-media history,” Lazarus said. “We are particularly excited that this extension offers enhanced rights that allow us to bring Notre Dame football to fans on more platforms than ever before.” As it has since 2009, NBC Sports Digital continued to live stream Fighting Irish home games for the web, mobile and tablets. Father Jenkins noted the multiple benefits of the partnership with NBC. “In addition to the national broadcast of our home football games, this longtime and valued collaboration with NBC has made a Notre Dame education possible to literally thousands of students,” Father Jenkins said. “We are delighted to extend our partnership to bring Irish football to our fans, to continue to help support financial aid, and to tell the Notre Dame story.” Revenues from the NBC contract have played a key role in Notre Dame’s financial aid endowment since the start of the relationship in 1991. University officers decided then to use a portion of the football television contract revenue for undergraduate scholarship endowment (not athletic scholarships). To date, 6,484 Notre Dame undergraduate students have
Kathryn Tappen
received $93 million in aid from revenue generated through the NBC contract. The University also has committed revenue from NBC to endow doctoral fellowships in its Graduate School and MBA scholarships in its Mendoza College of Business. In addition to televising games, NBC has collaborated with Notre Dame on an award-winning series of two-minute messages featuring University faculty and student research. “While our relationship with NBC Sports is longstanding, the more recent merger between NBC and Comcast has opened up additional avenues to expand the breadth of Notre Dame-related sports programming on NBC platforms,” Notre Dame vice president and athletics director Jack Swarbrick said. “Specifically, the evolution of the NBC Sports Network has provided opportunities for special programming featuring inside looks at our football team and several other Notre Dame sports programs and in-depth profiles on the unsung heroes of Notre Dame athletics. These are examples of the growth of our partnership, and we look forward to collaborating on additional projects and distribution strategies in seasons to come.” Per the extension, the NBC Sports Group retains global media rights on all platforms to a minimum of seven Notre Dame home football games per year. As in the prior contract, it allows for occasional games to air on NBC Sports Network which is available in 85 million homes. NBC has been televising Irish home games since 1991, and this marks the sixth of a series of agreements with Notre Dame. The original agreement covered the seasons from 1991 through 1995. The first five-year extension (announced in 1994) covered 1996 to 2000, the second extension (announced in May 1997) covered 2001 to 2005, the third extension (announced in December 2003) covered 2006 to 2010, and the fourth (announced in June 2008) covered 2011 to 2015. The NBC and NBC Sports Network 2014 college football schedule was comprised of Notre Dame home games; games from the Mountain West Conference, the Colonial Athletic Association, the Ivy League, the Bayou Classic and the Atlanta Football Classic. For more information and a full list of college football games on NBC and the NBC Sports Network, visit NBCSports.com.
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IMG College Radio Network MEDIA INFORMATION 2013 SEASON REVIEW BOWL HISTORY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS IS NOTRE DAME
Jeff Jeffers is in his ninth season with the broadcast team, contributing to the Irish pre-game, sideline and post-game shows. Jeffers brings 40 years of covering Notre Dame athletics along with high school sports as the sports director for WNDU-TV 16, the South Bend NBC affiliate. Because of his contributions to promoting high school football in Indiana, Jeffers was inducted in May 2008 into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. He has served as the play-by-play voice for various Irish teams, and has hosted “Countdown to Kickoff,” a Notre Dame football pre-game show, live from Notre Dame Stadium. Also on the 2014 team is executive producer Bill Karambelas. Karambelas served as executive producer for road football games in 2008 and will produce all 12 regular-season games for the sixth straight season. IMG College is America’s leading collegiate multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company, representing more than 200 of the nation’s top collegiate properties including the NCAA and its championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences, and many of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. Headquartered in Winston Salem, N.C., IMG College employs more than 700 people in nearly 100 offices throughout the U.S. IMG College is the leader in connecting brands to millions of college sports fans through partnership opportunities in multimedia rights, licensing, events and hospitality, marketing, stadium and arena development, stadium seating solutions, ticketing, sales, and consulting. IMG College produces nearly 30,000 hours of radio programming on the largest independent sports network in the country, manages nearly 5,000 hours of local television programming, is the leading publisher of college sports publications, and is the largest manager of university athletic web sites. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, fashion and media business.
COACHES & STAFF
he 2014 football season marks the seventh year of a partnership in which IMG College (formerly ISP) is serving as the exclusive national rights-holder for University of Notre Dame football radio broadcasts. The Notre Dame-IMG College relationship began with the 2008 season and extends through the 2017 season – with IMG managing, producing and syndicating Notre Dame’s national football radio network. Notre Dame football was the first team, professional or college, to have all of its games broadcast nationally on the radio. Additionally, the broadcasts are available to listeners on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and online at SiriusXM.com. Hall of Fame broadcaster Don Criqui and former Irish tailback Allen Pinkett are handling the broadcasting chores once again – with Criqui serving as play-by-play specialist and Pinkett providing expert analysis. Criqui previously served as playby-play announcer for Notre Dame broadcasts from 1974-76 before rejoining the broadcast team in 2006. Criqui, a Notre Dame graduate, is renowned nationally as one of the outstanding play-byplay broadcasters on network television and radio. In addition to IMG’s Notre Dame coverage, Criqui also serves as play-by-play announcer for the NFL on CBS Television. Criqui received critical acclaim for his work on NBC and CBS Sports’ coverage of the NFL, and in 2003, he was presented with the highest award for a broadcaster when he received the Pete Rozelle Award at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Pinkett brings a wealth of football experience to his 11th season in the booth with Notre Dame football. A native of Sterling, Va., he was a three-time All-American at Notre Dame, finishing eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1985. He ranked as the Irish’s all-time leading rusher and scorer when his career ended. Pinkett played six seasons with the NFL’s Houston Oilers and one with the New Orleans Saints before retiring in 1991.
Jeff Jeffers
THE FIGHTING IRISH
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Allen Pinkett
GAME NOTES
Don Criqui
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Media Information John Heisler Senior Associate Athletics Director/ Media Relations Work Phone: 574-631-7516 Home: 574-277-3523 Cell: 574-532-0293 e-mail: jheisler@nd.edu
Leigh Torbin Assistant Media Relations Director Work Phone: 574-631-9471 Cell: 407-325-5703 e-mail: ltorbin@nd.edu
Joanne Norell Media Relations Assistant Work Phone: 574-631-3397 Cell: 574-596-7685 e-mail: jnorell@nd.edu
Bernadette Cafarelli Assistant Athletics Director/Media Relations Work Phone: 574-631-8458 Home: 574-273-2390 Cell: 574-532-0249 e-mail: bcafarel@nd.edu
Sean Carroll Assistant Media Relations Director Work Phone: 574-631-2664 Cell: 574-340-2177 e-mail: scarrol3@nd.edu
Lizzie Mikes Media Services Coordinator Work Phone: 574-631-6453 Cell: 248-703-2401 e-mail: emikes@nd.edu
Michael Bertsch Director of Football Media Relations Work Phone: 574-631-8642 Cell: 574-532-4154 e-mail: mbertsc1@nd.edu
Russell Dorn Assistant Media Relations Director Work Phone: 574-631-4780 Cell: 574-340-2851 e-mail: rdorn@nd.edu
Carol Copley Senior Staff Assistant Work Phone: 574-631-7517 e-mail: ccopley1@nd.edu
Chris Masters Associate Media Relations Director Work Phone: 574-631-8032 Cell: 574-532-4166 e-mail: cmaster1@nd.edu
Tony Jones Media Relations Assistant Work Phone: 574-631-1762 Cell: 574-532-4151 e-mail: ajones25@nd.edu
NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS PHONE DIRECTORY
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All numbers are (574) 631+extension below Main Line.....................................................................................................................................................6107 Ticket Office.................................................................................................................................................7356 Jack Swarbrick, University Vice President/Director of Athletics.............................................................7546 Tricia Bellia, Faculty Athletics Representative..........................................................................................3866 Missy Conboy, Senior Deputy Athletics Director (Sport Operations/ACC Liaison)................................5143 Jim Fraleigh, Deputy Athletics Director (Business Development)...........................................................5450 Jill Bodensteiner, Senior Associate Athletics Director (Compliance and Policy Management)............6721 Mike Harrity, Senior Associate Athletics Director (Student-Athlete Services)......................................9367 John Heisler, Senior Associate Athletics Director (Media Relations).....................................................7516 Tom Nevala, Senior Associate Athletics Director (Business Operations)/ General Manager - Compton Family Ice Arena............................................................................8112 Jody Sadler, Senior Associate Athletics Director (Administration).........................................................2558 Dan Skendzel, Senior Associate Athletics Director (Digital Media and Branding)................................2454 Mike Danch, Associate Athletics Director (Facilities)..............................................................................5030 Chad Klunder, Associate Athletics Director (Football Operations)..........................................................8643 Beth Hunter, Associate Athletics Director (Athletics Operations)...........................................................9722 Bernadette Cafarelli, Assistant Athletics Director (Media Relations).....................................................8458 Monica Cundiff, Assistant Athletics Director (Event Management).......................................................6095 Rob Kelly, Assistant Athletics Director (Ticketing and Technology)........................................................8103 Maureen McNamara, Assistant Athletics Director (Community Relations)...........................................7362 Brian Pracht, Assistant Athletics Director (Marketing)............................................................................9971 Brant Ust, Assistant Athletics Director (Student-Athlete Alumni Relations)/ Monogram Club Executive Director...............................................................................................3368 Jennifer Vining-Smith, Assistant Athletics Director (Compliance)..........................................................3248
NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS Office Phone................................................................................................................................................7516 Office Fax.....................................................................................................................................................7941 Website...............................................................................................................................................UND.com Mailing Address: 112C Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN 46556 For a complete phone directory, visit UND.com
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