#8/#7 Irish Set for Home Opener Against Toledo

Notre Dame Games Notes (PDF)

ˆ Includes 20 regular-season wins and two postseason appearances vacated under discretionary NCAA penalty.

SUNDAY’S BEST

• The Irish opened the 2021 season as the only college football game on Labor Day Sunday and they did not disappoint in their 41-38 overtime thriller over the Seminoles.
• Graduate student Jonathan Doerer hit a 41-yard field goal in the first overtime to clinch the win for the Irish. He was awarded the game ball following the game. He was also named a Lou Groza Award Star of the Week following his performance against the Seminoles.
• It was the first Irish win on the final play of the game since 2014 when the Irish defeated LSU in the Music City Bowl on a 32-yard Kyle Brindza field goal as time expired.
• Notre Dame recorded its first overtime road win in program history against the Seminoles. The Irish were previously 0-3 in road overtime games since it was adopted prior to the 1996 season.
• The Irish continued a number of streaks with their win Sunday night. They won their 33rd-consecutive game against an unranked opponent, which dates back to the 2016 season.
• Notre Dame also extended its regular season winning streak to 20-games against ACC opponents. The Irish are 24-1 against ACC foes in the regular season since the beginning of  the 2017 season.
• The Irish also claimed their fifth-consecutive season opening win. Notre Dame improved to 10-2 under head coach Brian Kelly in season openers.
• Notre Dame tallied 41 points in the win, the most in a season-opener since 2017 when they scored 49 in the win over Temple.
• The Irish improved to 26-5-2 in true road games to open the season with the win. They have won four of their last five true road season-openers.
• Notre Dame has won 23-consecutive games when they have scored 40 or more points. The Irish are 37-2 all-time under Kelly when they score 40 or more points.

JACK OF ALL TRADES

• Graduate student Jack Coan had one of the best games of his collegiate career as he set career highs with 366 yards and four touchdowns along with tying a career high with 26 completions in the win over Florida State.
• The 366 yards set a Notre Dame record for most passing yards in a season-opening game. The previous record was held by current offensive coordinator Tommy Rees when he threw for 346 yards against Temple in 2013.
• Coan also tied the Notre Dame record for most passing touchdowns in a season-opener with four. He tied with Jimmy Clausen (2009) and Ron Powlus (1994).
• His 366 yards ranked fifth nationally for Week 1 and he was the only quarterback in the Top-5 who had a true road game.
• He became the eighth-straight quarterback to record a win in their first start with the Irish, a streak dating back to the 2007 season.
• On the first drive of the game, Coan connected with Michael Mayer for a 41-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-one to give the Irish an early 7-0 advantage just over two minutes into the game.
• Coan got the Irish back in front when he hit Joe Wilkins Jr., for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 2:25 remaining in the first half.
• After falling behind in the beginning of the third quarter, Coan brought the Irish back ahead on the very next drive. He went 3-for-3 on the ensuing drive and capped it with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Austin Jr., on third-and-one.
• His fourth touchdown pass of the night came on the next drive in the third quarter where he went 4-for-4 for 79 yards. Facing third and goal, he hit Kyren Williams in the flat for a six-yard touchdown pass.
• All four of his touchdown passes came on third or fourth down.

THE MAYER OF TALLAHASSEE

• Sophomore tight end Michael Mayer did not waste any time making an impact this season for the Irish, as he was the main target on their very first drive of the season.
• One the first play from scrimmage, Coan hit Mayer in the flat for a 25-yard pass. Four plays later, the pair connected on a 41-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-one to put the Irish ahead 7-0. The 41-yard reception was a career best mark for Mayer.
• At the half, Mayer had five receptions for 89 yards. The 89 yards had already bested his previous career high mark of 73 yards.
• He finished the game with 120 receiving yards for his first 100-yard game of his career.
• He was the first Irish tight end to record a 100-yard game since Cole Kmet had 108 yards against Georgia in 2019.
• He finished the night with career-best marks in receptions (nine) and yards (120).
• The 120 yards receiving was the most by an Irish tight end since Sept. 11, 2010 when Kyle Rudoplh hauled in 164 yards against Michigan.
• It also ranks fifth all-time in Notre Dame history for most receiving yards in a single game by a tight end.
• He tied for the NCAA lead for receiving yards among tight ends in Week 1. He was the only player tied for the lead who played in a true road game.

I AM KYLE HAMILTON

• Junior safety Kyle Hamilton made his presence known in the season opening win over the Seminoles.
• He recorded two interceptions for the first multi-interception game of his career. He also totaled six tackles on the night.
• Hamilton was tied for the lead nationally for interceptions during Week 1. He was just one of two players to have two interceptions in true road games.
• He is the first Irish to record two interceptions in a game since Alohi Gillman had two against Syracuse in 2018.
• After both interceptions, the Irish offense scored a touchdown.

IRISH IN HOME OPENERS

• Notre Dame opens its 93rd season at Notre Dame Stadium in 2021. The facility opened in 1930 and the Irish own an all-time record of 363-114-5 (.758)ˆ in “The House That Rockne Built”.
• The Irish are 108-18-4 (.846)ˆ in home openers (the team did not have a home opener in 1889 or 1929), with a mark of 74-15-2 (.824)ˆ at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Brian Kelly is 10-1ˆ in home openers at Notre Dame, ranking behind Rockne and even with Parseghian in terms of home-opening victories:

ˆ –Includes 20 regular-season wins and two postseason appearances vacated under discretionary NCAA penalty

• Brian Kelly has won nine consecutive home openers dating back to the 2011 season. It is the longest home opening win streak since 1964-1973 when Ara Parseghian and the Irish won 10-straight home openers.

AMONG THE NATIONS BEST

• Since the start of 2018, Notre Dame is 34-5 (.872). That rate ranks fourth 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 four teams that have totaled five 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 check in this week at No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in the Coaches poll.
• Notre Dame has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 64-consecutive weeks, the longest such streak for the Irish since the 1994 season (124 weeks).

• The 64-week run currently ranks fourth 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).

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