#8 Irish Prepare for Clash with Navy

Notre Dame Notes (PDF)

CAN’T CONTAIN KYREN

• Running back Kyren Williams had one of the best games of his career in the 44-34 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. 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 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 , 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 1,066 all-purpose yards and 707 rushing yards, and he is second on the team in receptions with 27.
• He ranks 22nd in the country with 133.25 all-purpose yards per game and 30th in rushing yards for the season. He is also 23rd in the nation in total touchdowns with 10.

IRISH STOMP TAR HEELS

• The Irish continued their regular season success against the ACC with the 44-34 win over North Carolina.
• It was Notre Dame’s 22nd-consecutive win against the ACC during the regular season, a streak that dates back to the 2017 season.
• The Irish improved to 26-1 in the regular season against the ACC since the start of the 2017 season.
• The Irish ground game was at its best all season, as they racked up a season-high 293 rushing yards as a team.
• It was the most rushing yards in a game for the Irish since they busted loose for 353 yards on the ground against Florida State in 2020.
• The Irish eclipsed the 40-point plateau for the second time this season and won their 25th-consecutive game when scoring 40 points or more. Notre Dame is 39-2 all-time under Brian Kelly when they score 40 or more points.
• Quarterback Jack Coan broke free for a 21-yard rushing touchdown, his longest rush and first rushing touchdown with the Irish.
• Freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles led the team with a career-high 74 yards and tied a career high with three receptions. He also had a career-long 40-yard reception in the third quarter.
• Fellow freshman running back Logan Diggs scored his first-career-rushing touchdown. He finished the game with career highs in rushes (11) and rushing yards (42).
• Defensive lineman Jordan Botelho notched his first-career sack in the fourth quarter. He is the 10th different Irish player with a sack this season.

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 (9.5).
• He has 9.0 sacks on the year, a number that ranks third in the country.
• He has recorded at least one sack in seven of the eight games this season.
• 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-10 in the country in forced fumbles. He is tied for seventh with two fumble recoveries and tied for eighth with three forced fumbles.
• He has contributed on a team-high five turnovers this season (three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries).
• 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 41 and fifth in receiving yards per game with 66.4.
• For the season, 24 of his 41 receptions have resulted in a first down for the Irish.
• He moved up in the Notre Dame record books after the four receptions for 51 yards in the home win over North Carolina. He moved into seventh for most receiving yards by a tight end for his career. He also moved into ninth for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (41) and 10th 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 seven games this season.
• He 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 with seven, yards with 81 and touchdowns with two.
• 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 ninth 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 sixth 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 19th with 23 sacks. 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 10th 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 15 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 12th 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:

• Doerer is currently tied for 20th nationally in field goals per game with 1.50.
• He had a season-best three field goals made and 14 points in the win over North Carolina.
• Bramblett has played in every game (33) for the Irish since he came to campus prior to the 2019 season.
• He sits eighth all-time in Notre Dame history with 144 punts in his career.
• He is ranked fourth all-time in Notre Dame history with a 41.9 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 six in the win over North Carolina.
• He leads the Irish with 71 tackles on the season and has led or tied for the lead in tackles in seven of the eight games this season.
• He has had at least six tackles in all eight games this season.
• Bertrand has 43 solo tackles on the season and is tied for 14th in the nation with 5.4 solo tackles per game.
• He has totaled double digit tackles in four of the eight 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 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 40-6 (.870). 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. 8 in the AP and Coaches poll.
• Notre Dame has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 72-consecutive weeks, the longest such streak for the Irish since the 1994 season (124 weeks).

• The 72-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—