#7/7/9 Irish Hit the Road to Take on Cavaliers

Notre Dame Game Notes

CAN’T CONTAIN KYREN

• Running back Kyren Williams continued his strong play in the 34-6 win over Navy. He led the team with 95 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, seven receptions  and 176 all-purpose yards.
• It was his third-straight game and fourth time this season he has totaled 150 all-purpose yards or more.
• It is the second time in the last three games he has recorded multiple rushing touchdowns.
• Over his last four games, Williams is just one of five running backs in the FBS with 800 or more rushing yards and 30 or more catches.
• He has recorded at least one touchdown in each of his last five games.
• Williams moved up in the Notre Dame record book following his season-high seven receptions against Navy. He now sits sixth all-time for career receptions by a running back (70) and seventh all-time for most receptions in a single season by a running back (34):

• In the win over North Carolina, he finished the game with career-highs in rushing yards (199) and all-purpose yards (261).
• Williams also tallied a career-long 91-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Tar Heels. It tied for the fifth longest rush in Notre Dame history and was the longest rush by an Irish player since Chris Tyree went 94-yards to the house against Syracuse in 2020.
• It marked the most rushing yards by an Irish player since Dexter Williams had 202 against Florida State in 2018.
• Williams’ 261 all-purpose yards against North Carolina were the third most by any player in FBS during week nine.
• It marked the most all-purpose yards by an Irish player since Golden Tate totaled 275 (244 receiving, 31 rushing) against Washington in 2009.
• Williams had a career-long 47 yard punt return in the first quarter against the Tar Heels.
• Williams rushed for over 100 yards in consecutive games for the first time this season and the third time in his career.
• In the win over Southern Cal, Williams had his first 100-yard game of the season, as he finished with 138 yards rushing on the night.
• Williams finished the game against the Trojans with two rushing touchdowns for the first time in 2021 and the sixth time in his career.
• He tallied 180 all-purpose yards (138 rushing, 42 receiving) in the win over Southern Cal, the second highest total this season and fourth highest of his career.
• The 180 all-purpose yards were the 10th most in the FBS during week eight and he was just one of three players in the top-10 that week who faced a power 5 opponent.
• Williams leads the team with 1,242 all-purpose yards and 802 rushing yards, and he is second on the team in receptions with 34.
• He ranks 14th in the country with 138 all-purpose yards per game and 33rd in rushing yards for the season. He is also tied for 20th in the nation in total touchdowns with 12.

IRISH SINK MIDSHIPMEN

• The Irish defense was on full display in the 34-6 home win over Navy on Nov. 6. It was the lowest point total the Irish have given up this season.
• Notre Dame limited Navy to 184 yards of total offense, the fewest since allowing 162 yards to Pittsburgh in 2020.
• The 184 total yards for the Midshipmen were the fewest in a game against Notre Dame since 1994 when they totaled 182 yards.
• The defense allowed just 18 passing yards, the third fewest of any opponent since 1996 (Army 12-1998, Army  13-2016).
• The win extended Notre Dame’s win-streak to 39 games over unranked opponents, the longest active streak in the FBS.
• The Irish also won their 40th-straight game when scoring 30 or more points. They have scored at least 30 points in each of their last four games.
• Notre Dame won its 33rd-consecutive game when allowing less than 20 points.
• The Irish are a perfect 21-0 under head coach Brian Kelly when limiting opponents to fewer than 10 points.
• Notre Dame improved to 8-1 with the win, it is the 11th season under Kelly that the Irish have won at least eight games.
• Wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. set a career high with 139 yards receiving and tied a career high with six receptions. It is the most receiving yards in a game by an Irish player since Chase Claypool had 146 yards against Iowa State in 2019.
• Austin Jr. also set a career long with a 70-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
• Defensive tackle Kurt Hinish tallied a career high 10 tackles  and tied a career-high with 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
• The Irish defense recorded a safety for the first time since 2017 against North Carolina.

FREAKY FOSKEY

• Isaiah Foskey has been the most consistent member of the Irish defensive line this season as he leads the team in sacks (9.0) and tackles-for-loss (10.5).
• He has 9.0 sacks on the year, a number that ranks tied for seventh in the country.
• He has recorded at least one sack in seven of the nine games this season and at least one tackle-for-loss in eight of the games.
• His 9.0 sacks are the most by an Irish player since Stephon Tuitt had 12.0 during the 2012 season.
• The mark ranks tied with Renaldo Wynn for sixth all-time at Notre Dame for most sacks in a single season.

• Foskey also ranks in the top-15 in the country in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. He is tied for eighth with two fumble recoveries and tied for 14th with three forced fumbles. He has contributed on a team-high five turnovers this season.
• In the win over Southern Cal, Foskey set a career high with two forced fumbles and tied a career high with 2.0 sacks.
• Foskey forced his first-career fumble against Cincinnati after recording his first-career fumble recovery in the win over Wisconsin.
• Foskey began the season with a career-high eight tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks in the road win over Florida State.

BE LIKE MIKE

• Tight end Michael Mayer is one of the best tight ends in the country, as he ranks in the top-five among tight ends in receptions and receiving yards per game. He ranks fourth in receptions with 45 and fifth in receiving yards per game with 61.6.
• For the season, 26 of his 45 receptions have resulted in a first down for the Irish.
• Mayer moved up in the Notre Dame record books after the four receptions for 28 yards in the home win over Navy. He moved into sixth for most receiving yards by a tight end for his career (943). He also moved into sixth for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (45) and ninth for receiving yards by a tight end in a single season (465).
• He notched five receptions for 54 yards in the home win over Southern Cal. He has totaled at least five receptions in five of his eight games this season.
• Mayer led the Irish against Cincinnati with eight receptions and 93 yards on the afternoon. He has led the team in receptions four times this season and against the Bearcats, it was the fourth time this year he has hauled in seven or more passes.
• Mayer had seven catches for 61 yards in the win over Wisconsin at Soldier Field.
• In the win over Toledo, Mayer finished the game with team-high marks in receptions (7), receiving yards (81) and receiving touchdowns (2).
• It was the first time in Mayer’s career that he tallied a multi-touchdown game.
• Dating back to last season, Mayer collected seven or more receptions in three-straight games (Alabama, Florida State and Toledo). The last Irish receiver to have three-consecutive games with seven or more receptions was Michael Floyd in 2011 (Maryland – 8;  Boston College – 10 and Stanford – 8).
• In just his second collegiate season, Mayer is already climbing the ranks in the Notre Dame Record Book:

CREATING HAVOC

• Under new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, the Irish defense has been one of the nation’s best at creating havoc plays this season, as Notre Dame has totaled 17 takeaways this season. The 17 takeaways are tied for 17th nationally.
• Of those 17 takeaways, the Irish have recorded 12 interceptions from eight different players.
• The eight players with an interception is the most since 2014 when they had nine different players for the whole season.
• The 12 interceptions is currently tied for eighth in the NCAA. It is the most interceptions since 2018 when the Irish had 12 for the entire season.
• The Irish also get after the quarterback this season, as they are tied for 25th with 2.78 sacks per game. 10 different players have recorded a sack this season after Jordan Botelho got his first sack of the season against North Carolina.
• Kyle Hamilton leads the team with three interceptions, a mark that is tied for 14th nationally.
• Hamilton and Cam Hart both had two interceptions in a game this season, the first time since 2018 that the Irish have had two players with two interceptions in a game in the same season (Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman).
• The depth of the defense has been on full display as 17 different players have recorded a tackle-for-loss this season.
• The defense has also been able to find the endzone this season with two defensive scores. The two touchdowns are tied for 15th nationally.

SUPER SPECIALISTS

• The Irish entered the 2021 season with the same kicker and punter for the third straight season with the return of kicker Jonathan Doerer and punter Jay Bramblett.
• Doerer returns for his fifth season with the Irish thanks to the extra year of eligibility and is working his way up the Irish record book:

• In the win over Navy, Doerer moved into a tie for sixth all-time in Notre Dame history with 46 career field goals. He is tied with Nicholas Setta.
• Doerer is currently tied for 25th nationally in field goals per game with 1.44.
• He had a season-best three field goals made and 14 points in the win over North Carolina.
• Bramblett has played in every game (34) for the Irish since he came to campus prior to the 2019 season.
• He sits eighth all-time in Notre Dame history with 148punts in his career.
• He is ranked fourth all-time in Notre Dame history with a 42.0 career punting average.
• Bramblett launched a career-long 72-yard punt in the win over Wisconsin this season. It was the longest punt by an Irish player since Hunter Smith had a 79-yard punt against Arizona State in 1998.

BALLIN’ BERTRAND

• Linebacker JD Bertrand continues to lead the Irish in tackles after recording eight in the win over Navy.
• He leads the Irish with 79 tackles on the season and has led or tied for the lead in tackles in seven of the nine games this season.
• He has had at least six tackles in all nine games this season and seven tackles or more in seven games.
• Bertrand has 49 solo tackles on the season and is tied for 17th in the nation with 5.4 solo tackles per game.
• He has totaled double digit tackles in four games this season after having 10 in the win over Virginia Tech.
• Bertrand tied a career high with 12 tackles in the win over Purdue after he tallied 11 against Toledo and also had 12 in the season-opener against Florida State.
• The sophomore from Marietta, Georgia was the first Irish player to begin a season with three-straight double-digit tackles games since Courtney Watson back in 2001.
• He is also the first Irish player to have three-consecutive games (Florida State, Toledo and Purdue) with double-digit tackles since Alohi Gilman in 2018-19. Gilman had 10 tackles against Southern Cal and then 18 against Clemson in the College Football Playoff Semifinal in 2018 and followed it up with 10 tackles in the 2019 season opener against Louisville.
• In the win over Toledo, Bertrand set a career high in sacks (1.0) and recovered his first career fumble to seal the game late in the fourth quarter.
• Bertrand got his first career start in the opener against Florida State and his 12 tackles were the most by an Irish linebacker since Te’von Coney had 16 on Dec. 28, 2018 against Clemson.

AMONG THE NATIONS BEST

• Since the start of 2018, Notre Dame is 41-6 (.872). That rate ranks fifth among all teams who have made an appearance in the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014.
• Among those teams, Notre Dame is one of just five teams that have totaled six or fewer losses since the beginning of 2018.
• The Irish are one of five teams who have made playoff appearances in multiple seasons.

IRISH IN THE POLLS

• The Irish checked in this week at No. 7 in the AP and Coaches poll.
• Notre Dame has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 73-consecutive weeks, the longest such streak for the Irish since the 1994 season (124 weeks).

• The 73-week run currently ranks third among all FBS active streaks, which do not include teams who were not listed in the initial AP polls at the beginning of the 2020 season (Big Ten and Pac-12).

—ND—