2011 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES 1

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1 2011 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES 1 Countdown To Kickoff 10 The Irish rank in the top 10 in the FBS in sacks allowed per game and rushing yards per carry. Notre Dame is allowing 0.63 sacks/game (sixth in the FBS) and is averaging 5.7 yards/rush (ninth in the FBS). The Irish are one of five teams to rank in the top 10 in both categories. (Page 4) 9 Senior S Harrison Smith has nine pass breakups this season and is tied for third in the FBS for most pass breakups among safeties. (Pages 25-26) 8 Senior RB Jonas Gray and junior RB Cierre Wood both have eight rushing TDs. Notre Dame is the only team in the FBS to have a pair of running backs with at least eight rushing TDs. (Pages 30-31) 7 Notre Dame entered the Navy red zone seven times on Oct. 29 and scored seven TDs. It is the most trips into the red zone with a perfect TD percentage by an Irish offense since at least (Pages 15-16) 6 The Irish defense has allowed only six points in the third quarter this year. The only offense to score against Notre Dame in the third quarter is Pittsburgh (scored TD but missed two-point conversion). USC also registered a TD against Notre Dame in the third quarter, but the Trojans' defense scored on an 80-yard fumble return. (Pages 20-21) 5 Notre Dame has allowed the fifth-fewest tackles for loss this year of any FBS team. The Irish are allowing four tackles for loss per game and only Stanford, San Diego State, Wisconsin and Iowa have permitted fewer tackles for loss. (Pages 16-17) 4 Among the top 100 rushers in the FBS, senior RB Jonas Gray s 8.0 yards per carry average ranks fourth in the nation. (Page 33) 3 Junior LB Manti Te o ranks in the top three of FBS middle/inside linebackers in both tackles for loss per game and sacks per game. (Page 22) 2 Notre Dame s defense is tied for second in the nation in fewest rushing TDs allowed. Only Alabama has permitted fewer rushing TDs (two) than the four TDs scored on the ground vs. the Irish. Over the last 17 games, only two running backs have recorded a rushing TD against Notre Dame (Gee Gee Greene, Navy, 2010; Jon Lee, Air Force, 2011). (Pages 25-26) 1 Navy faced a third down on 17 occasions against the Notre Dame defense and the Mids had to get less than five yards for a first down only once in 17 attempts. The average distance to go for a first down was seven yards for Navy. (Pages 23-24) 0 Notre Dame s offensive line put the O in October as the group allowed zero sacks in October. In fact, the Irish have not allowed a sack in 158 consecutive pass attempts. (Page 16) DATE u Saturday, November 5, 2011 TIME u 8:00 p.m. ET SITE (CAPACITY) u BB&T Field (31,500); Winston-Salem, N.C. TELEVISION u ABC national telecast with Mark Jones (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (analysis), Kim Belton (producer) and Jimmy Platt (director). In those areas of the country in which the game is not available on ABC, it will be available on ESPN2. 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 will be broadcast by Don Criqui (play-by-play), former Irish great Allen Pinkett (analysis) and Jeff Jeffers (sideline). This broadcast can be heard live on both SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio (channel 129). u All Notre Dame home games may be heard in South Bend on Sunny FM and Newsradio 960 WSBT-AM. TICKETS u Notre Dame has played in front of sellout crowds in 277 of its previous 312 games, including 118 of its last 153 games away from the friendly confines of Notre Dame Stadium dating back to the start of the 1986 season (does not include this weekend's tilt with Wake Forest). WEB SITES u Notre Dame (UND.com), Wake Forest (WakeForestSports.com) POLLS u Neither Notre Dame nor Wake Forest are ranked in either of this week s Associated Press or USA Today Coaches' polls, but the Irish are receiving votes in each poll. REAL-TIME STATS u Live in-game statistics will be provided through CBS College Sports GameTracker via UND.com. SERIES INFO u Notre Dame and Wake Forest will meet on the gridiron for the first time in the 123- year history of Irish football. The Demon Deacons are the 141st different opponent in Notre Dame football history. The Irish own an all-time record of (.846) when facing an opponent for the first time. Including Wake Forest, the Irish will have faced 72 of the other 119 teams currently competing at the FBS level. (more on the series on pages 36-40). Printed by Game-9 Notre Dame (5-3) at Wake Forest (5-3) What's Inside Countdown to Kickoff... 1 With A Victory / With A Defeat... 2 Notre Dame's Record When... 2 History of Night Games... 3 Irish Probable Starting Lineup... 4 Team Notes Starter Sheet... 5 National Rankings... 6 Irish in the NFL... 7 Notre Dame Among NCAA Leaders... 8 Honors/Awards... 9 Brian Kelly Notes Eye On Career Records Offensive Notes Individual Offensive Notes Notre Dame By The Numbers Notre Dame "Money" Plays Individual Career Bests Defensive Notes Individual Defensive Notes Inside Notre Dame Football/ Notre Dame Football Replay Affiliates Special Teams Notes Miscellaneous Notes Media Information Wake Forest Insider Notre Dame vs. ACC Head-to-Head Statistical Comparison Notre Dame-Wake Forest Connections The Last Time Alphabetical / Numerical Roster Pronunciation Guide Depth Chart Game Recaps Stats Notre Dame Schedule Date ND Rank Opponent (TV) Location Time/Result Sept. 3 16/18 USF (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. L, Sept. 10 -/- at Michigan (ESPN) Ann Arbor, Mich. L, Sept. 17 -/- 15/15 Michigan State (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, Sept. 24 -/- at Pittsburgh (ABC) Pittsburgh, Pa. W, Oct. 1 -/- at Purdue (ESPN) West Lafayette, Ind. W, Oct. 8 -/- vs. Air Force (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, Oct. 22 -/- vs. USC (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. L, Oct. 29 -/- vs. Navy (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, Nov. 5 -/- at Wake Forest (ABC/ESPN2) Winston-Salem, N.C. 8:00 p.m. Nov. 12 -/- vs. Maryland (NBC) Landover, Md. (FedEx Field) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 -/- vs. Boston College (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. 4:00 p.m. Nov. 26 -/- at Stanford (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2) Stanford, Calif. 5:00 p.m. All times local to site

2 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES Notre Dame's Record When... Kelly Career Kelly at ND 2011 At Home On The Road Neutral Site Games In Overtime Coming off a loss Coming off a win Coming off an open date Vs. AP top Both teams are AP-ranked Neither team is ranked Ranked higher Opponent is ranked higher Vs. In-state Opponents In August In September In October In November In December In January On Television 43-16* On NBC On ABC On ESPN On ESPN On CBS Afternoon Games Night Games Decided By 3 or Less Decided By 7 or Less Scoring First Opponent Scores First Leading At Halftime Tied At Halftime Trailing At Halftime Leading After 3 Qtrs Tied After 3 Qtrs Trailing After 3 Qtrs Scoring 40+ Points Scoring Points Scoring Points Scoring 0-19 Points Allowing 40+ Points Allowing Points Allowing Points Allowing 0-19 Points Outrushing Opponent Getting Outrushed Passing For More Yds Passing For Fewer Yds Outgaining Opponent Getting Outgained Winning Time of Poss Losing Time of Poss Scoring a Def./ST TD Allowing a Def./ST TD Fewer Penalty Yards More Penalty Yards Winning Turnover Battle Losing Turnover Battle Individual 100-yard rusher Individual 100-yard receiver Individual 200-yard passer Opponent 100-yard rusher Opponent 100-yard receiver Opponent 200-yard passer * excludes regular season games from GVSU era (unknown TV games). Some records fail to include two contests; Nov. 16, 1991 vs. Valparaiso and Oct. 26, 1996 vs. Saginaw Valley State (detailed stats unavailable)* A VICTORY OVER WAKE FOREST... u Improves Notre Dame's overall record to 6-3 overall and 3-1 on the road. u Improves the Irish to (.649) all-time in night games, including 2-2 in u Improves Notre Dame to (.848) all-time when facing an opponent for the first time, including 1-1 in u Improves the Irish to 34-7 (.829) all-time when facing an opponent for the first time on the road. u Extends Notre Dame's winning streak to 18 in road games against first-time opponents. u Extends the road winning streak for the Irish to three games (longest road winning streak since 2006). u Improves Notre Dame's all-time record to (.732). u Improves the all-time record for the Irish outside of South Bend to (.676). u Improves Notre Dame's all-time record on the road to (.654). u Improves the Irish to (.714) all-time against the ACC, including (.643) away from South Bend and (.644) on the road. u Improves Kelly's record to (.738) overall. u Improves Kelly's record to (.691) in FBS games. u Improves Kelly's record to (.760) over the last six seasons. u Improves Kelly's record to 3-2 (.600) all-time against the ACC, including 2-0 (1.000) on the road. u Improves Kelly's record to (.781) all-time in night games and 5-3 (.625) in night games at Notre Dame. u Improves Kelly's record to (.688) all-time in road games and 5-2 (.714) in road games at Notre Dame. A DEFEAT TO WAKE FOREST... u Drops Notre Dame's overall record to 5-4 overall and 2-2 on the road. u Drops the Irish to (.639) all-time in night games, including 1-3 in u Drops Notre Dame to (.840) all-time when facing an opponent for the first time, including 0-2 in u Drops the Irish to 33-8 (.805) all-time when facing an opponent for the first time on the road. u Snaps Notre Dame's winning streak at 17 in road games against first-time opponents. u Gives the Irish their first road loss against a first-time foe since Oct. 8, 1921 when Iowa bested Notre Dame, u Drops Notre Dame's all-time record to (.731). u Drops the all-time record for the Irish outside of South Bend to (.674). u Drops Notre Dame's all-time record on the road to (.651). u Drops the Irish to (.705) all-time against the ACC, including (.625) away from South Bend and (.622) on the road. u Drops Kelly's record to (.734) overall. u Drops Kelly's record to (.680) in FBS games. u Drops Kelly's record to (.747) over the last six seasons. u Drops Kelly's record to 2-3 (.400) all-time against the ACC, including 1-1 (.500) on the road. u Drops Kelly's record to (.767) all-time in night games and 4-4 (.500) in night games at Notre Dame. u Drops Kelly's record to (.679) all-time in road games and 4-3 (.571) in road games at Notre Dame. ON THIS DATE u Notre Dame has played 14 previous games in its history on Nov. 5. The Irish are all-time on this date. Season Site ND Coach W/L/T Score ND Rank Opponent Opp. Coach Opp. Rank 1898 Home Frank E. Hering L 5-11 No Poll Indiana James Horne No Poll 1904 Away Louis Salmon L 5-24 No Poll Kansas Bert Kennedy No Poll 1921 Away Knute Rockne W 28-0 No Poll Army Charles Daly No Poll 1927 Home Knute Rockne T 7-7 No Poll Minnesota Clarence Spears No Poll 1932 Away Hunk Anderson W 24-6 No Poll Kansas Ad Lindsey No Poll 1938 Baltimore Elmer Layden W Navy Hank Hardwick Not Ranked 1949 Away Frank Leahy W Michigan State Biggie Munn Away Terry Brennan W Pennsylvania Steve Sabo Not Ranked 1960 Home Joe Kuharich L Not Ranked Pittsburgh John Michelosen Home Ara Parseghian W Pittsburgh David Hart Not Ranked 1977 Home Dan Devine W Georgia Tech Pepper Rodgers Not Ranked 1983 Home Gerry Faust L Pittsburgh Foge Fazio Not Ranked 1988 Home Lou Holtz W Rice Jerry Berndt Not Ranked 2005 Home Charlie Weis W Tennessee Phillip Fulmer Not Ranked HC indicates homecoming game. NOTRE DAME IN NOVEMBER u Notre Dame is (.708) all-time during the month. u The Irish are (.758) in November home games. u Notre Dame is (.628) in November road games. u The Irish are (.794) in November neutral games. u Notre Dame is (.721) in November games at Notre Dame Stadium. u Notre Dame has won three straight games in the month of November.

3 2011 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES 3 ALL THE NIGHT MOVES u Notre Dame hosted a night game (Oct. 22, USC, 7:30 p.m.) for the first time in 21 years. The previous night game at Notre Dame Stadium came on Sept. 15, 1990 against Michigan. u Notre Dame has already played under the lights Sept. 10 at Michigan and Oct. 1 at Purdue. The Irish will also play night games vs. Maryland at FedEx Field (Nov. 12), at Wake Forest (Nov. 5) and at Stanford (Nov. 26). u Six night games is a Notre Dame regular season record. u This year marks the 60th anniversary of Notre Dame s first night game, a 48-6 rout of Detroit on Oct. 5, 1951 in Briggs Stadium. u The Irish have played 96 night games overall with an overall record of (.646), including 6-2 all-time at home. u Notre Dame s longest winning streak in night games is 11, beginning with an Oct. 13, 1973 win at Rice and concluding with a Sept. 24, 1983 shutout loss at Miami (20-0), which went on to win its first national title W (5) Detroit (at Briggs Stadium) W at (5) Miami, Fla. (15) L at (3) SMU (1:50) L at Miami, Fla W (7) Army (at Shea Stadium) T at (6) Miami, Fla W at (6) Miami, Fla W at (12) Tulane W at (9) Georgia Tech W at (7) Miami, Fla L at (7) LSU (14) L (12) Nebraska (9) (at Orange Bowl) W at (9) Rice W at (5) Miami, Fla W (3) Alabama (4:26) (1) (at Tulane Stadium) W at (2) Georgia Tech W (9) Alabama (U) (2) (at Orange Bowl) W (9) Boston College (at Foxboro Stadium) W at Miami, Fla W (15) Penn State (20) (at Gator Bowl) W at (5) Miami, Fla W at (4) Arizona W *(20) Michigan (10) L at (13) Miami, Fla W at South Carolina (7) W Boston College (13) (at Liberty Bowl) L (17) Miami, Fla. (R) (14) W Michigan State W Navy (at Memorial Stadium) L at LSU (8) W (9) Michigan State (17) L at (4) Pittsburgh (R) W (13) Michigan (1:13) (9) W (5) Stanford W (2) Virginia (at Giants Stadium) W at (1) Air Force (17) W (4) Colorado (1) (at Orange Bowl) W (1) Michigan (1:40) (4) W at (3) Pittsburgh W at (7) USC (18) L (5) Colorado (at Orange Bowl) (1) W at (8) Stanford W at (5) Air Force W at (17) Hawaii W (18) Florida (3) (at Superdome) W at (14) Pittsburgh W at (5) USC (19) W at (3) BYU W (3) Northwestern (at Soldier Field) T at USC (17) (4:53 USC) W at (8) Air Force u The longest losing streak is nine under Davie. u The largest margin of victory at night was 57-7 at Stanford on Nov. 29, 2004, when Willingham poured it on his former employer. u The largest margin of defeat was 38-3 at USC on Nov. 29, 2008, eking out the Jan. 1, 1973 Orange Bowl to Nebraska (40-6) which would inspire the Irish to win the national title the next year under Parseghian. u Notre Dame has played more night games against Miami (Fla.) and USC (11) than any of foes. The Irish are vs. the Hurricanes, with the lone loss at home at night occurring in Notre Dame is against the Trojans. u Notre Dame s night history can almost be divided into two eras the 35-year pre-lou Holtz era from , and the 25 years since Holtz took the reins in It was under Holtz that multiple night games in a season became standard at Notre Dame to woo a prime time audience. It eventually prompted the exclusive NBC contract for home games that commenced with the 1991 season. All-Time Night Games u In the 35 years from , Notre Dame was (.768) in night games. In the 11 years under Holtz alone ( ), the Irish were an almost identical (.788). u Notre Dame is 6-7 at night in bowls, where it has a five-game losing streak and has not won since the conquest of Florida in the 1992 Sugar Bowl. u Here s a breakdown of each Notre Dame head coach s record at night: Frank Leahy: 1-0 Terry Brennan: 1-1 Joe Kuharich: 0-1 Ara Parseghian: Dan Devine: 5-0 Gerry Faust: 4-2 Lou Holtz: Bob Davie: 2-9 Ty Willingham: 5-2 Kent Baer: 0-1 Charlie Weis: 9-7 Brian Kelly: L (6) Florida State (8) (at Orange Bowl) W at *(6) Vanderbilt L at (10) USC (ot) W at Hawaii (0:05) L LSU (15) (at Independence Bowl) L at (10) Michigan State L at (9) USC L at (24) Tennessee (4) L at Stanford (0:00) L (10) Oregon State (5) (at Sun Devil Stadium) L at (23) Nebraska (5) L at Boston College L at Stanford (13) (1:08) (R) W at Purdue W Maryland (21) *(at Giants Stadium) W at (7) Air Force (18) L at (7) USC (6) W at Pittsburgh (15) W at Stanford L at BYU W at Michigan State L $Oregon State (at Bank One Ballpark) (NT) W at Pittsburgh (23) W at (13) Purdue (22) W at (6) Stanford (0:55) W at (2) Georgia Tech W at (12) Michigan State (2:53) L at (6) USC (3) L (11) LSU (4) (at Superdome) L at Penn State (14) W at UCLA W at Washington L at Boston College L at USC (5) W at Purdue (0:25) W Washington State (at Alamodome) L at Pittsburgh (8) L at Stanford (0:59) L at Michigan State (R) (ot) W at Boston College W Army (at Yankee Stadium) W at USC (R) (2:23) L at Michigan (0:02) W at Purdue L USC TOTALS Home games in bold 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. 0:00 indicates time remaining in games decided in the final minutes.

4 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES Notre Dame Probable Starting Lineup OFFENSE Pos. No. Player Notes WR 7 TJ Jones So. Tied for second on the team with three TD receptions; Has 280 yards receiving on 26 catches in 2011 WR 6 Theo Riddick Jr. Recorded eight catches for 83 yards, a 24-yd TD grab and a 14-yd run on a reverse against Air Force on Oct. 8 LT 70 Zack Martin Jr. 21 straight starts the past two years (19 at LT, two at RT); Most Valuable Lineman in Hyundai Sun Bowl LG 66 Chris Watt Jr. Saw action in all 13 games in '10 as a reserve; Made first career start against USF C 52 Braxston Cave Sr. Has played in 34 career games, all 12 in '09, and started 21 straight games; Rimington Award candidate RG 78 Trevor Robinson Sr. Has played in 43 career games and made 35 starts, including the last 24 games RT 75 Taylor Dever Sr. Has played in 37 career games and made 18 starts, including the last 14 games WR 3 Michael Floyd Sr. 2nd in TD catches (33), 2nd in receving yds (3,327) and 4th in receiving ypg (87.6) among active FBS WRs TE 80 Tyler Eifert Jr. Leads all FBS tight ends in rec. and rec./game; also ranks second in rec. yards/game and third in rec. yards QB 11 Tommy Rees So. Comp./gm (5th), comp. (6th), comp. % (6th), pass att. (t-8th), TD passes (t-9th) and passing yds (11th) among FBS underclassmen QBs RB 20 Cierre Wood Jr. Ran for career-high 191 yards on 20 carries at Purdue; most rushing yards by Irish player since 2003 DEFENSE Pos. No. Player Notes DE 90 Ethan Johnson Sr. Played in first 43 games over Notre Dame career before missing the last three games; 12.5 career sacks NG 9 Louis Nix III So. Registered career-high equaling six tackles, including half a sack, in the rout of Navy on Oct. 29 DE 7 Stephon Tuitt Fr. Recorded career-high tying seven tackles in each of the last two games (USC and Navy) OLB 45 Darius Fleming Sr. Leads Notre Dame with 14.0 career sacks and 30.0 career tackles for loss; Butkus Award candidate ILB 5 Manti Te'o Jr. 15 career games with 10 or more tackles (six in 2011); Bednarik, Butkus, Lombardi and Nagurski candidate ILB 48 Dan Fox Jr. Played in all 13 games in '10 primarily on special teams; Made first career start against USF OLB 55 Prince Shembo So. Saw action in 13 games in '10 primarily in nickel packages; collected 4.5 sacks CB 12 Robert Blanton Sr. Six tackles, three for loss, one sack, three pass breakups and 82-yard interception return against Michigan State S 26 Jamoris Slaughter Jr. Forced a fumble on Air Force's first offensive play and later added an interception (both turnovers set up TDs) S 22 Harrison Smith Sr. Only player in ND history to register 200 or more tackles, 15.0 or more TFLs and 15 or more PBUs CB 4 Gary Gray Sr. Has seen action in 41 career games and 28 career starts, including each of the last 21 games SPECIAL TEAMS Pos. No. Player Notes PK 97 David Ruffer Sr. '10 Lou Groza Award finalist; owns school record for consecutive field goals made (23) KO 27 Kyle Brindza Fr. Averaging 66.2 yards per kickoff on 48 attempts in 2011 with nine touchbacks P 35 Ben Turk Jr. Has served as Irish punter each of the last three years; Average of 38.2 yards over 120 career punts H 50 Ryan Kavanagh Sr. Executed 82 straight hold attempts in 2010 and 2011 combined before mishandling snap on FG attempt at Pitt SSNP 52 Braxston Cave Sr. Served as the Irish short snapper in 2009 and 2010 LSNP 50 Ryan Kavanagh Sr. Assumes long snapping responsibility as well as the holder on field goals and extra points PR 3 Michael Floyd Sr. Recorded fair catches in only career punt return opportunities (Air Force and Navy) 81 John Goodman Sr. Averaging 0.6 yards per punt return on eight attempts in 2011 KR 34 George Atkinson III Fr. One of four players in the FBS with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2011 (equals school record) 28 Austin Collinsworth So. Son of Cris Collinsworth, former Cincinnati Bengals WR and now NFL analyst on NBC Sports 6 Theo Riddick Jr. Primary kick returner in '09 and averaged 22.9 on 37 kickoffs; Returned five kickoffs for 99 yards vs. Michigan 2 Bennett Jackson So. Averaged 22.2 yards per return on 29 kickoffs in '10 KEY PROBABLE NON-STARTERS Pos. No. Player Notes QB 10 Dayne Crist Sr. Started the first nine games in '10 before a season-ending knee injury; Maxwell and Davey O Brien candidate QB 12 Andrew Hendrix So. Rushed for 111 yards on six carries, including 78-yard run in Irish debut against Air Force on Apr. 8 RB 25 Jonas Gray Sr. 502 yards rushing on 63 carries in 2011 (team-best 8.0 yards/rush); 79-yd TD run longest by ND player since 2000 WR 81 John Goodman Sr. Has played in 30 career games and recorded 25 catches for 281 yards and one TD; also started four games WR 9 Robby Toma Jr. Slot receiver in the mold of Wes Welker; picked up first career TD reception against Air Force OT 74 Christian Lombard So. Played in first career game against USF OG 76 Andrew Nuss Sr. Has played in 34 career games as reserve OL and on special teams, including all 13 in '10 C 57 Mike Golic Jr. Sr. Son of Mike Golic, former Irish and NFL defensive lineman; seen action in 22 career games as backup center TE 82 Alex Welch So. Picked up first career reception in rout of Navy on Oct. 29 TE 18 Ben Koyack Fr. Picked up first career reception in victory at Pittsburgh on Sept. 24 DE 19 Aaron Lynch Fr. Recorded five tackles, one for loss, a sack, forced fumble and six quarterback hurries against Michigan State DE 50 Chase Hounshell Fr. Made four tackles, three assisted stops, in career debut on Oct. 8 against Air Force NG 98 Sean Cwynar Sr. Played in all 13 games in '10 and started the final four contests; career-high six tackles vs. Utah last year NG 94 Hafis Williams Sr. Did not see any action in '08, but has played in 22 games as a reserve in '09, '10 and '11. OLB 46 Steve Filer Sr. Has played in 44 career games for the Irish and led team in special teams tackles each of last two years OLB 1 Ishaq Williams Fr. Rated as 16th overall player by Rivals, 42nd in the ESPNU Top 150 and 45th by Sports Illustrated OLB 13 Danny Spond So. Saw action in eight games primarily on special teams in '10 OLB 58 Troy Niklas Fr. LA Times lineman of the year in '10; nephew of NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews; first career start vs. MSU ILB 44 Carlo Calabrese Jr. Fifth on the Irish with 60 tackles in '10, including 10 stops and 3.5 TFLs at Boston College ILB 54 Anthony McDonald Sr. Battled injuries throughout career, but has appeared in 26 career games primarily on special teams CB 2 Bennett Jackson So. Moved from WR to CB during spring practice; played in 13 games in '10 and made 10 tackles on special teams CB 23 Lo Wood So. Played in 11 games primarily on special teams in '10 S 17 Zeke Motta Jr. Made seventh career start against Pittsburgh; career-high 11 tackles and interception vs. Michigan State in 2010 PK 40 Nick Tausch Jr. Converted 14 straight FG in 2009 to break Mike Johnson's then school record of 13 (1982) NEW KID ON THE BLOCK u Notre Dame and Wake Forest will meet on the gridiron for the first time in the 123-year history of Irish football. The Demon Deacons are the 141st different opponent in Notre Dame football history. The Irish own an all-time record of (.846) when facing an opponent for the first time. u The Irish have already faced 71 of the other 119 teams currently competing at the FBS level (does not include Wake Forest). u Notre Dame posted a remarkable 38-game winning streak when facing an opponent for the first time in school history from u The Irish have played a number of first time foes over the last four years. Notre Dame hosted San Diego State in the 2008 season opener, Nevada in the 2009 season opener and Connecticut in the '09 home finale. The Irish also hosted Western Michigan, Tulsa and Utah in Notre Dame opened this season against USF. u Notre Dame has not faced a first-time foe on the road since 1998 when the Irish knocked off Arizona State 28-9 in Tempe. u The Irish own an all-time record of (.825) in games on the road against a first-time foe. Notre Dame owns a 17-game winning streak in such matchups dating back to u Here is a listing of Notre Dame's all-time road matchups with first-time foes. Year Result Score Opponent 1889 W 9-0 Northwestern 1893 L 0-8 Chicago 1898 W 5-0 Illinois 1900 L 0-54 Wisconsin 1901 W 6-0 Ohio Medical 1902 L 5-12 Knox 1904 L 5-24 Kansas 1908 W 6-0 Marquette 1909 W 6-0 Pittsburgh 1912 W 47-7 St. Louis 1913 W Army 1913 W 20-7 Christian Brothers 1913 W 14-7 Penn State 1913 W 30-7 Texas 1914 W 20-0 Syracuse 1914 L 0-28 Yale 1915 W 41-0 Creighton 1915 L Nebraska 1915 W 55-2 Rice 1916 W 48-0 Western Reserve 1917 W 13-0 Morningside 1917 W 3-0 Washington & Jefferson 1921 L 7-10 Iowa 1922 W 19-0 Carnegie Tech 1922 W 13-3 Georgia Tech 1923 W 25-2 Princeton 1925 W 19-7 Minnesota 1926 W USC 1927 W 20-0 Detroit 1930 W Pennsylvania 1935 W Ohio State 1955 W 14-0 Miami, Fla W 26-6 California 1964 W 34-7 Air Force 1970 W 24-7 Missouri 1976 W 13-6 South Carolina 1977 W Clemson 1983 W 27-3 Colorado 1991 W Hawai'i 1998 W 20-9 Arizona State

5 2011 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES 5 BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND u Wake Forest s BB&T Field in Groves Stadium has a seating capacity of only 31,500. It is the smallest edifice the Irish will play in since the Dec. 1, 1945, when they competed in front of a capacity audience of 23,000 in a 39-7 defeat against Great Lakes Naval Training Station. u Wake Forest is the third smallest school in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in terms of undergraduate enrollment (approximately 4,400), behind Rice (around 3,500) and Tulsa (about 3,000) and the smallest among Bowl Championship Subdivision (BCS) conferences. u What prompted the decision to play at Wake Forest? Well, the Wake Forest University president since 2005 is Nathan O. Hatch, who joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1975 and was the provost from before moving to Winston-Salem. The Irish are tentatively scheduled to host the Demon Deacons on Nov. 17, 2012 and Nov. 7, 2015 in a two-for-one arrangement. u This will be the smallest stadium audience for a Notre Dame game since Nov. 22, 1975, when only 24,944 were in attendance at Miami s Orange Bowl to see the Irish defeat the Hurricanes 32-9 to end their season 8-3 under first-year head coach Dan Devine. u The school record for attendance at BB&T Stadium was 37,623 on Nov. 13, 2004 against North Carolina. Notre Dame has played in just 14 games with a smaller crowd since 1945 (the end of World War II and what's considered modern day records). Here is a complete list of the smallest crowds to watch the Irish play in the last 66 years. Date Result Opponent Result Site Attendance Dec. 1, 1945 L (5) Great Lakes 7-39 A c23,000 Nov. 22, 1975 W Miami (Fla.) (NT) 32-9 A 24,944 Oct. 6, 1945 W Georgia Tech 40-7 A 30,157 Jan. 1, 1979 W (10) Houston (0:00) (9) (at Dallas) N 32,500 Nov. 6, 1948 W (1) Indiana (R) 42-6 A c34,000 Oct. 21, 1950 L (11) Indiana 7-20 A c34,000 Oct. 13, 1945 W (3) Dartmouth 34-0 H 34,645 Oct. 13, 1979 W (10) Air Force A 34,881 Dec. 2, 1961 L Duke A 35,000 Nov. 3, 1962 W Navy (R) (at Philadelphia) N 35,000 Oct. 21, 1978 W (20) Air Force A 35,425 Nov. 17, 1962 W North Carolina 21-7 H 35,553 Dec. 3, 1977 W (5) Miami (Fla.)(NT) A 35,789 Nov. 14, 1981 W Air Force 35-7 A 36,700 Nov. 12, 1955 W (5) North Carolina 27-7 A 38,000 Oct. 16, 1948 W (2) Nebraska A c38,000 Nov. 2, 1996 W (19) Navy (at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland) N 38,651 u Ironically, Wake Forest's five largest home crowds in school history have all resulted in Demon Deacon losses. Date Result Opponent Result Attendance Nov. 13, 2004 L North Carolina ,623 Oct. 11, 1980 L (8) North Carolina ,411 Nov. 18, 2006 L (19) Virginia Tech ,723 Oct. 9, 1982 L (12) North Carolina ,200 Oct. 7, 2006 L (15) Clemson ,920 HOW DO THEY STACK UP? Average weight of the offensive and defensive lines: Notre Dame OL lbs. vs. Wake Forest DL lbs. Notre Dame DL lbs. vs. Wake Forest OL lbs. Average height of the receivers and the secondaries: Notre Dame WR/TE 6' 1 3/4" vs. Wake Forest DB 6' 0" Notre Dame DB 6' 0 1/2" vs. Wake Forest WR 6' 2" Career Starts By Position Starter Sheet Offense 2011 Streak Career Floyd (WR) Robinson (RG) Cave (C) Martin (LT/RT) Dever (RT) Riddick (WR) Eifert (TE) Jones (WR) Wood (RB) 7-12 Rees (QB) Crist (QB) 1-10 Ragone (TE) Watt (OG) Goodman (WR) Toma (WR) Gray, J. (RB) Koyack (TE) 1-1 Defense 2011 Streak Career Smith, H. (S) Johnson (DE) 5-33 Fleming (OLB) Te'o (ILB) Lewis-Moore (DE) 7-29 Gray, G. (CB) Blanton (CB) Slaughter (S) Motta (S) Calabrese (ILB) Fox (ILB) Cwynar (NG) Nix III (NG) 6-6 Shembo (OLB) Lynch (DE) 2-2 Niklas (OLB) 1-1 Tuitt (DT) Longest Active Streaks Smith, H. (S) 33 Te'o (ILB) 30 Gray (CB) 28 Robinson (RG) 24 Most Career Starts (Active) Smith, H. (S) 42 Floyd (WR) 37 Robinson (RG) 35 Johnson (DE) 33 Fleming (OLB) 31 OFFENSE WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB WR RB Jones (14) Z. Martin (19) Watt (8) Cave (21) Robinson (35) Dever (18) Eifert (16) Floyd (37) Rees (11) Riddick (16) Wood (12) Z. Martin (2) Ragone (9) Goodman (3) Crist (10) Toma (2) Gray (2) DEFENSE Koyack (1) Riddick (1) DE NG DE OLB ILB ILB OLB CB S S CB Lewis-Moore (29) *Cwynar (7) Johnson (33) Fleming (30) Calabrese (8) Te'o (31) Smith, H. (14) Blanton (20) Smith, H. (28) Slaughter (12) Gray (38) *Fleming (1) Nix III (6) Lynch (2) Fox (8) Shembo (6) Motta (11) *Tuitt (1) *Shembo (1) Niklas (1) * indicates Irish alignment against Navy on Oct. 29, 2011

6 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES National Rankings USA TODAY/COACHES (Oct. 30) Rk School Record Pts Pvs 1. LSU (41) Alabama (18) Stanford Oklahoma State Boise State Oregon Oklahoma Arkansas Nebraska South Carolina Virginia Tech Clemson Michigan Houston Penn State Michigan State Wisconsin Arizona State Kansas State Georgia West Virginia Cincinnati Georgia Tech NR 24. Southern Miss Texas NR OPENERS AN INDICATOR? u Notre Dame is (.850) in season openers, but have they been foretelling of the season ahead? Take a look: u The 102 seasons Notre Dame has won its opener, the Irish went on to post winning records 93 times (91.2%), with four losing seasons and five.500 records. u The 15 seasons the Irish lost their opener, the Irish posted winning records six times and a losing mark eight times (with one.500 season). u The five seasons Notre Dame registered a tie in its opener, the Irish had four winning records and one losing record. STARTING 0-2? u Notre Dame has started a season 0-2 seven times in the 123-year history of Irish football. Notre Dame has rebounded to secure a winning record on two previous occasions. u Notre Dame has rebounded with four consecutive wins after an 0-2 start just twice in school history. The 1978 Irish squad posted eight straight victories after their 0-2 start. 2011: : : : : : : : 1-2 IRISH RETURN 51 MONOGRAM WINNERS, 17 STARTERS u Notre Dame opened fall practice with 51 returning monogram winners from on offense, 25 on defense and five on special teams. Number (Breakdown) Year 51 (21 on offense, 25 on defense, five specialists) (21 on offense, 20 on defense, three specialists) (21 on offense, 18 on defense, three specialists) (20 on offense, 17 on defense) (15 on offense, 20 on defense, two specialists) (20 on offense, 14 on defense, two specialists) (10 on offense, 18 on defense, two specialists) 2007 u Notre Dame had 12 players named to a major preseason award watch list. Only Alabama s 13 players on various watch lists bests the Fighting Irish dozen. Others Receiving Votes TCU 55, Auburn 41, Washington 38, Texas A&M 30, Ohio State 21, Florida State 11, NOTRE DAME 9, North Carolina 2, Missouri 1. ASSOCIATED PRESS (Oct. 30) Rk School Record Pts Pvs 1. LSU (47) Alabama (10) Oklahoma State Stanford Boise State (1) Oregon Oklahoma Arkansas Nebraska South Carolina Clemson Virginia Tech Michigan Houston Michigan State Penn State Kansas State Georgia Wisconsin Arizona State USC Georgia Tech NR 23. Cincinnati West Virginia Auburn NR Others Receiving Votes Texas 99, Southern Miss 67, Washington 52, Ohio State 37, TCU 26, Texas A&M 25, Florida State 4, NOTRE DAME NOTRE DAME OPPONENT UPDATE u Notre Dame and USC were the only two FBS schools to face an opponent from a Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifying conference over the first five weeks of the 2011 campaign. u Even more remarkable, only 17 schools faced two such opponents over the first two games of '11 and only four of those 17 schools compete in a BCS AQ conference Maryland, Miami, Fla., Wake Forest and USC. Not one member from the SEC, Big Ten, BIG EAST or Big 12 could make such a claim. u Two of Notre Dame's losses have come by a combined seven points vs. USF and at No. 18/17 Michigan and its third loss came to a 6-2 USC squad. The trio of foes have a combined record of 17-6 this season. u According to the NCAA, no Football Bowl Subdivision school played a tougher regular season schedule based on opposition win-loss percentage than Notre Dame in Irish opponents had a combined record of (.650). u Notre Dame's No. 1 ranking in the NCAA strength-of-schedule standings was its highest since a No. 1 ranking in The.650 winning percentage of Irish opponents made for its strongest schedule faced in 21 years since a.655 percentage when Notre Dame finished tops in the toughest-schedule derby in 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 and That makes for 11 top-four finishes in that category in the 34 years the NCAA has calculated these numbers. u This season could prove to be just as tough as the Irish face nine teams that went to bowl games last year and 10 teams that finished with a winning record. The following is a list of 2011 Notre Dame opponents and how they fared last week: Opponent '11 Record Last Week (Result) USF 4-3 BYE at Michigan 7-1 W, vs. Purdue Michigan State 6-2 L, 3-24 at Nebraska at Pittsburgh 4-4 W, vs. Connecticut at Purdue 4-4 L, at Michigan Air Force 4-4 W, 42-0 at New Mexico USC 6-2 L, vs. Stanford Navy 2-6 L, at Notre Dame at Wake Forest 5-3 L, at North Carolina vs. Maryland 2-6 L, vs. Boston College Boston College 2-6 W, at Maryland at Stanford 8-0 W, at USC Notre Dame 2011 Opponents' Combined Record: (.568)

7 2011 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES 7 ONLY THE BIG BOYS u Notre Dame is one of just three NCAA FBS programs to have not faced a non-fbs opponent since the current setup was established in The two other remaining schools that have yet to play a non-fbs opponent are USC and UCLA. TAILS IT IS u Notre Dame opened each of its first 11 games in 2010 with the football. The Irish have won the coin toss and elected to receive against USF, Michigan State, Air Force and USC in Notre Dame has actually opened 17 of its last 21 games with the football. The only exceptions? Notre Dame won the coin toss against USC in 10, Michigan in 11 and Purdue in 11, but elected to defer each time. Navy won the toss and elected to receive on Oct. 29. THE 2011 CAPTAINS u Notre Dame reinstated an old tradition in 2010, designating captains on a game-by-game basis for only the third time in school history. Back in 1946, legendary head coach Frank Leahy elected to choose captains for each game the result was an record and the fifth of Notre Dame s 11 national championships. The Irish also designated captains on a game-by-game basis from as well, but the team voted on season captains following the regular season. u Senior S Harrison Smith is Notre Dame's lone season captain. He is the first Irish lone season captain since 1999 when Jarious Jackson held the individual honor. The other single individual captains for Notre Dame in the last 40 years include Rodney Culver (1991) and Mike Kovaleski (1986). u In addition to Smith, the Irish will continue to name gameday captains. The 2011 gameday captains have been as follows: AFC Baltimore Ravens SS Tom Zbikowski Buffalo Bills OT Sam Young Fighting Irish In The NFL Denver Broncos SS David Bruton S Kyle McCarthy* QB Brady Quinn Miami Dolphins TE Anthony Fasano USF: Robert Blanton and Trevor Robinson Michigan: Zack Martin Michigan State: Ethan Johnson Pittsburgh: Taylor Dever Purdue: Tyler Eifert Air Force: Jonas Gray USC: Manti Te'o and Cierre Wood Navy: Chris Salvi NOTRE DAME FIRSTS u Junior OG Chris Watt, junior ILB Dan Fox and sophomore OLB Prince Shembo all registered their first career start in the season opener against USF. u The Irish played a total of six freshmen against USF: OLB Ishaq Williams, DE Stephon Tuitt, DE Aaron Lynch, K Kyle Brindza, RB George Atkinson III and OLB Troy Niklas. u The following Notre Dame players, excluding freshmen, made their first career appearance against the Bulls: ILB Kendall Moore, NG Louis Nix III, OT Christian Lombard and TE Alex Welch. u Freshman TE Ben Koyack and sophomore LB Justin Utupo made their first career appearances at Michigan. u Freshman OLB Troy Niklas made his first career start in the victory over No. 15 Michigan State. u A pair of freshman RB George Atkinson III and DE Aaron Lynch played critical roles in the Irish victory over the Spartans. u Atkinson returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown to give Notre Dame a 14-3 lead with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter. He was the first Irish freshman to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Raghib Rocket Ismail had two kickoff returns for touchdown against Rice on Nov. 6, Atkinson was the first Notre Dame player to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Armando Allen Jr. raced 96 yards for a score against Hawai i in the 2008 Hawai i Bowl. He recorded the first kickoff return for a touchdown by an Irish player at Notre Dame Stadium since Julius Jones against No. 1 Nebraska on Sept. 9, u Lynch seeing the most playing time to that point of his Irish career absolutely dominated his counterparts on the Michigan State offensive line. He recorded six quarterback hurries, one sack, a forced fumble and five tackles. u Notre Dame has played a total of nine freshman over its first five games and another six sophomore players that did not see game action as rookies in u Freshman TE Ben Koyack, from Oil City, Pa., registered his first career reception against Pittsburgh. Koyack hauled in a five-yard pass on Notre Dame s opening drive of the game. u Senior RB Jonas Gray certainly made the most of his first career rushing touchdown. He raced 79 yards for a touchdown to give the Irish a 7-3 lead at Pittsburgh. The 79-yard run was the longest by an Irish player since Terrance Howard went 80 yards for a touchdown at West Virginia on Oct. 21, u A number of Irish players established firsts in the rout of Purdue on Oct. 1. Freshman RB Cam McDaniel not only made his first career appearance, but the rookie registered his first career carry. Freshman RB George Atkinson III picked up his first career reception a 10-yard screen pass. Sophomore WR Luke Massa made his first career appearance. Sophomore DE Kona Schwenke, senior QB Matt Mulvey and senior WR Deion Walker each saw their first game action of u Sophomore QB Andrew Hendrix made his debut in an Irish uniform against Air Force. Hendrix completed four of four passes for 33 yards. He also finished with 111 yards rushing on six carries, which was the most rushing yards by an Irish quarterback since Carlyle Holiday had 130 yards on Oct. 13, 2001, against West Virginia. The 111 yards on the ground is the sixth-most ever by a Notre Dame signal caller. Hendrix was the first Irish quarterback to run for 100 yards since Holiday on Oct. 27, 2001, at Boston College. His 78-yard run was the second-longest in school history by a Notre Dame quarterback. u Junior WR Robby Toma collected his first career touchdown reception against Air Force. Toma hauled in a 10-yard pass from Rees with 4:07 to go in the first quarter to give the Irish a u Freshman RB George Atkinson III collected his first career touchdown run against Air Force. Atkinson III leapt into the end zone from one-yard out to make the score, 59-19, in favor of Notre Dame. Twin brother DB Josh Atkinson also made his Irish debut against the Falcons. u Freshman DE Chase Hounshell made his first appearance for Notre Dame against Air Force and registered four tackles. u Freshman DE Aaron Lynch and freshman TE Ben Koyack both made their first career starts against Air Force. u Atkinson III collected his second kickoff return for touchdown on Oct. 22 against USC. He registered a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown the longest at Notre Dame Stadium since Julius Jones went 100 yards against Nebraska on Sept. 9, It also was the tied for the fifth-longest in Notre Dame Stadium history. Atkinson III was the first Irish player to have multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same season since Allen Rossum in u The two touchdown kickoff returns in a single-season equals the Notre Dame school record. Atkinson is the second Notre Dame freshman to ever return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season. Raghib Rocket Ismail had a pair in u Atkinson is the fourth FBS player to register a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns in u Senior RB Jonas Gray became the first Irish running back with three rushing touchdowns in the same game (Oct. 29 vs. Navy) since Travis Thomas had three against the Midshipmen on Nov. 3, He became the first player with three rushing touchdowns in a non-ovetime game since Darius Walker had three against Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. Gray also was first Notre Dame player with three rushing touchdowns in a regular season game since Raeshon Powers-Neal at Pittsburgh on Sept. 3, He has now registered at least one rushing touchdown in five straight games. Gray is the first Irish running back with a touchdown run in five consecuitve games since Ryan Grant in u Senior WR Michael Floyd recorded his first career rushing touchdown against Navy on Oct. 29 that pushed the Irish lead to New England Patriots DB Sergio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers WR Arnaz Battle NFC Atlanta Falcons DB Darrin Walls Carolina Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen LS J. J. Jansen Detroit Lions WR Maurice Stovall Green Bay Packers RB Ryan Grant Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph C John Sullivan New Orleans Saints DB Terrail Lambert* New York Giants DE Justin Tuck Philadelphia Eagles DE Victor Abiamiri^ OT Ryan Harris DT Trevor Laws San Francisco 49ers NG Ian Williams Seattle Seahawks TE John Carlson^ WR Golden Tate Tampa Bay Buccaneers C Jeff Faine Washington Redskins OL Eric Olsen* ^ - injured reserve list * - practice squad # - physically unable to perform list

8 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTES Irish Among 2011 National Leaders Category Rank Stat National Leader Stat Rushing Offense 46th Army Passing Offense 32nd Houston Total Offense 28th Houston Scoring Offense 32nd Houston Rushing Defense 62nd Alabama Pass Efficiency Defense 58th Alabama Total Defense 40th Alabama Scoring Defense 28th Alabama 6.88 Net Punting 103rd Oregon Punt Returns 120th.30 Ole Miss Kickoff Returns 19th Temple Turnover Margin 118th Oklahoma State 2.38 Pass Defense 34th Michigan State Passing Efficiency 54th Baylor Sacks 53rd 2.00 Oklahoma 4.25 Tackles For Loss 66th 5.63 South Fla Sacks Allowed 6th.63 Oklahoma.38 Rushing Passing Efficiency Cierre Wood 41st Tommy Rees 48th Jonas Gray t-98th GREAT FOR TELEVISION u Notre Dame has become quite accustomed to nailbiting finishes. In addition to each of the first two games in 2011 and again against Pittsburgh, the Irish have been involved in 18 games decided by seven points or less since the start of the 2009 campaign. In fact, 14 of the last 20 losses for the Irish have been decided by a touchdown or less, including seven by a field goal or less. u Notre Dame has played in 56 games in the 123-year history of the program where the winning points have occurred in overtime or the game's final minute of regulation. Amazingly, 11 have come in the past five years alone. u Notre Dame has had three games in 2011 decided by a touchdown or less. Here is a listing of FBS teams with at least three games decided by a total of 10 points or less. Team Games Total Points Buffalo 3 (1-2) 5 Navy 4 (0-4, 1 ot) 8 Rutgers 4 (2-2) 8 Duke 4 (2-2) 8 Notre Dame 3 (1-2) 10 Texas A&M 3 (1-2) 10 u Here is a listing of FBS teams with at least three games decided by one score. Total Offense Receptions Per Game Tommy Rees 47th Michael Floyd 9th 7.88 Tyler Eifert t-67th 5.00 Receiving Yards Per Game Interceptions Michael Floyd 20th Robert Blanton t-96th 0.25 Gary Gray t-96th 0.25 Kickoff Returns Field Goals George Atkinson III 8th David Ruffer t-94th 0.62 All-Purpose Yards Sacks Cierre Wood 93rd Manti Te'o t-65th 0.56 Tackles Tackles for Loss Manti Te'o t-17th Manti Te'o t-22nd 1.38 Irish Among Active Career National Leaders Category Rank Player Receiving Yards 2 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Receiving Touchdowns 2 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Receiving Yards/Game 4 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Receptions 6 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Receptions/Game 7 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Field Goal Percentage 7 David Ruffer, Notre Dame Kickoff Return Touchdowns 9 George Atkinson III, Notre Dame Total Touchdowns 11 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame All-Purpose Touchdowns 11 Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Tackles/Game 11 Manti Te'o, Notre Dame Solo Sacks 13 Darius Fleming, Notre Dame Completion Percentage 15 Tommy Rees, Notre Dame Punt Return Touchdowns 15 Robert Blanton, Notre Dame Solo Tackles 15 Harrison Smith, Notre Dame Assisted Sacks 16 Ethan Johnson, Notre Dame Assisted Tackles 19 Manti Te'o, Notre Dame Team Games Total Points Louisville 6 (2-4) 29 Louisiana Tech 5 (2-3, two ot) 22 Kansas State 5 (5-0) 22 Syracuse 5 (4-1, 3 in ot) 23 Duke 4 (2-2) 8 Navy 4 (0-4, 1 ot) 8 Rutgers 4 (2-2) 8 South Carolina 4 (3-1) 11 BYU 4 (2-2) 12 Utah State 4 (0-4, one OT) 15 Middle Tennessee 4 (1-3) 16 Illinois 4 (3-1) 16 Indiana 4 (0-4) 19 UConn 4 (1-3) 20 Wake Forest 4 (3-1) 20 Notre Dame 3 (1-2) 10 Texas A&M 3 (1-2) 10 Nevada 3 (2-1) 11 Colorado State 3 (2-1, one ot) 12 Marshall 3 (3-0) 14 Auburn 3 (3-0) 14 San Jose State 3 (2-1) 14 Penn State 3 (3-0) 15 Mississippi State 3 (1-2) 15 Ohio State 3 (1-2) 15 Minnesota 3 (1-2) 15 Boston College 3 (0-3) 16 New Mexico State 3 (2-1) 20 u Notre Dame has appeared on national or regional television in 230 consecutive games entering this weekend. u The Irish have made 349 appearances on network television -- more than any other school and more than the next two combined.