Irish Set To Host Wolverines

Sept. 6, 2010

Notre Dame-Michigan UND.com Gameweek Central Page

Full Game Notes Package in PDF Format (recommended for easy reading and enhanced statistical data)

DATE

• Saturday, September 11, 2010

TIME

• 3:41 p.m. ET

SITE (CAPACITY)

• Notre Dame Stadium (80,795); Notre Dame, Ind.

TELEVISION

• NBC national telecast with Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (analysis), Alex Flanagan (sideline), Rob Hyland (producer) and David Michaels (director).

RADIO

• ISP Sports is the exclusive national rights-holder for Irish football radio broadcasts. ISP 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 Darin Pritchett providing pre-game, sideline and post-game reports. This broadcast can be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 159) and XM Satellite Radio (channel 117).
• All Notre Dame home games may be heard in South Bend on Sunny 101.5 FM and NewsTalk 960 WSBT-AM.

TICKETS

• Saturday is the 214th consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium. Since 1966, every home football game for the Irish has been a sellout except one – a 1973 Thanksgiving Day game vs. Air Force. Notre Dame has now played in front of sellouts in 262 of its last 263 home games.

WEB SITES

• Notre Dame (UND.com), Michigan (MGoBlue.com)

REAL-TIME STATS

• Live in-game statistics will be provided through CBS College Sports Gametracker via each school’s respective official athletic website.

POLLS

• Notre Dame entered the 2010 season unranked, but received votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls. Michigan was not ranked nor received votes.

SERIES INFO

• This meeting will be the 38th all-time between the rivals. It is Notre Dame’s sixth-most played series and the third-most frequent with any school in the Big Ten. Michigan holds a 21-15-1 lead in the series and took last year’s meeting, 38-34, in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame captured the last meeting in South Bend, 35-17, in 2008. The series is tied 8-8-1 when played in South Bend (more on the series history on pages 21-26).

WHAT TO WATCH FOR SATURDAY

• As a celebration of patriotism, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and the rest of the Irish sideline will be wearing the adidas® Heroes Collection, an American Flag-inspired line of apparel and headwear. The players will warm up in a similar designed T-shirt.

A WIN THIS WEEK WOULD…

• Improve the Irish to 2-0 for the fourth time in the last six years.
• Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record to 73-22-6 (.752) the week following a season opening victory.
• Improve the Irish to 16-21-1 (.434) in the all-time series with Michigan.
• Improve Notre Dame to 9-8-1 (.528) in the all-time series with the Wolverines in South Bend.
• Improve Notre Dame to 8-5-1 (.607) in the all-time series with the Wolverines in Notre Dame Stadium.
• Improve the Irish to 222-113-15 (.675) all-time against the Big Ten.
• Improve Notre Dame to 115-45-5 (.712) all-time against the Big Ten at home.
• Improve Kelly’s record to 173-57-2 (.750) overall, 55-22 (.714) in FBS games and 36-6 (.857) over the last four seasons.
• Extend Kelly’s regular-season winning streak to 20 games.
• Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record to 839-290-42 (.734).
• Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record at Notre Dame Stadium to 308-101-5 (.750).
• Improve an unranked Irish squad to 3-3-0 all-time against Michigan and 2-1 against an unranked Wolverine team.
• Improve an unranked Notre Dame squad to 3-2 all-time against Michigan in South Bend and Notre Dame Stadium.
• Improve the Irish to 84-49-4 (.628) all-time against schools from the state of Michigan.

A LOSS THIS WEEK WOULD…

• Drop Notre Dame to 1-1 for the second consecutive year.
• Drop Notre Dame’s all-time record to 72-23-6 (.743) the week following a season opening victory.
• Drop the Irish to 15-22-1 (.408) in the all-time series with Michigan.
• Drop Notre Dame to 8-9-1 (.472) in the all-time series with the Wolverines in South Bend.
• Drop Notre Dame to 7-6-1 (.536) in the all-time series with the Wolverines in Notre Dame Stadium.
• Drop the Irish to 221-114-15 (.672) all-time against the Big Ten.
• Drop Notre Dame to 114-46-5 (.706) all-time against the Big Ten at home.
• Drop Kelly’s record to 172-58-2 (.746) overall, 54-23 (.701) in FBS games and 35-7 (.833) over the last four seasons.
• Snap Kelly’s regular-season winning streak at 19 games.
• Give Kelly his first regular season defeat since Oct. 25, 2008.
• Drop Notre Dame’s all-time record to 838-291-42 (.734).
• Drop Notre Dame’s all-time record at Notre Dame Stadium to 307-102-5 (.748).
• Drop an unranked Irish squad to 2-4-0 all-time against Michigan and 1-2 against an unranked Wolverine team.
• Drop an unranked Notre Dame squad to 2-3 all-time against Michigan in South Bend and Notre Dame Stadium.
• Drop the Irish to 83-50-4 (.620) all-time against schools from the state of Michigan.

LOOKING BACK TO PURDUE

• Notre Dame limited Purdue to three points in the opening half. It was the fewest points allowed by the Irish against Purdue in a half since the opening 30 minutes of the 2005 contest (Notre Dame led 28-0 at intermission).
• li>The 23 points by Notre Dame were the fewest by the winning team in the Irish-Boilermaker series since 2003 when Notre Dame beat Purdue 20-14.
• Purdue finished with 12 points, which is the fewest for the Boilermakers in the series with Notre Dame since 1996 when the Irish blanked Purdue, 35-0. The 35 combined points by the two rivals were the fewest in the series since the same ’96 meeting.
• Senior RB Armando Allen Jr. gave the Irish a 7-0 lead with a 22-yard touchdown run at 2:01 of the first quarter. The touchdown was his eighth overall and seventh on the ground in his career. The scamper was the longest scoring run of his career.
• Junior QB Dayne Crist completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards before halftime. He hooked up with seven different receivers in the first two quarters. Crist found freshman WR TJ Jones open for a five-yard touchdown with 10:20 left in the third quarter to give the Irish a 20-3 lead. The touchdown pass was the second of Crist’s career.
• Crist snapped Notre Dame’s four-game losing streak with a first-time starting quarterback under center.
• Crist’s completion percentage of 73.1% was the highest of any first-time starting quarterback with more than eight pass attempts.
• Crist’s 19 completions are the second-most by a first-time starting Irish quarterback since 1985. Brady Quinn completed 29 passes against Purdue on Sept. 23, 2003. His 205 yards passing are the third-most by a first-time starting signal caller since 1985. Quinn threw for 297 yards against Purdue on Sept. 27, 2003 and Ron Powlus had 291 yards against Northwestern on Sept. 3, 1994.
• Crist was the first junior quarterback to make his starting debut since Arnaz Battle in 2000.
• Senior DB Gary Gray registered eight tackles, seven solo, in the first half alone. The eight tackles equaled his career-high and seven solo stops surpassed his previous career-high. Gray finished with a game-high tying and career-best nine tackles. He also got credit with a pass breakup on Ian Williams interception on Purdue’s fourth down play from the Irish five-yard line.
• Freshman WR TJ Jones recorded a five-yard touchdown reception with 10:20 left in the third quarter to give Notre Dame a 20-3 lead. The TD catch was the first of his career. Jones became the second freshman wideout in Notre Dame history to register a touchdown catch in the Irish season opener.
• Freshman WR Bennett Jackson recorded four tackles on special teams, all on kickoff return.
• Junior TE Kyle Rudolph hauled in four passes for 32 yards in the first half. He finished the contest with five grabs for 43 yards, three of which gave Notre Dame a first down.
• Senior K David Ruffer converted a 22-yard field goal with 11:09 to go before halftime to give Irish a 10-0 advantage. He extended his streak of consecutive field goals to seven following a career-long 46-yard boot, which gave Notre Dame a 13-3 lead with 43 seconds remaining in the first half. Ruffer then pushed the streak to eight straight with a 37-yard field goal to give the Irish a 23-12 lead with 4:30 left in the game.
• Senior DB Darrin Walls picked up his third career interception at 4:27 of the first quarter. It was his first interception since picking up one against Purdue in last year’s meeting.
• Senior NT Ian Williams played in his 38th career game today (joins Kerry Neal as only Irish players to see action in every game since 2007). He recorded his first career sack midway through the third quarter to force a Purdue punt. Williams then registered his second career interception stopping Purdue on fourth down and one from the Irish five-yard line. Williams only previous career pick came last season against Washington State in San Antonio.
• Sophomore RB Cierre Wood ripped off 16 and 15 yards on the ground in consecutive rushes, the first two carries his career. He added another 15-yard rush on Notre Dame’s initial scoring drive of the afternoon. Wood totaled 41 yards on four carries on the drive (41 of the 84 yards on the drive came via the legs of Wood). He added a 38-kickoff return to set up great field position for the Irish early in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame started the drive at Purdue 41-yard line, but went three-and-out.

IRISH OFFENSE, DEFENSE UNITS PENALTY FREE

• Notre Dame committed just two penalties in its victory over Purdue last week. The Irish were not whistled for a single penalty on offense or defense. The two penalties both came on special teams.
• The Irish have not completed a game with fewer than two penalties since Nov. 26, 2005. In a 38-31 victory at Stanford, Notre Dame was called for one penalty.

KELLY’S SPREAD ATTACK PRETTY EFFICIENT

• The Irish extended their streak of consecutive games with at least 20 or more first downs to 14 (dates back to the Hawai’i Bowl victory over Hawai’i in 2008).
• Notre Dame totaled at least 20 first downs in each of its 12 games last season. The Irish had never gone through an entire season (of at least 12 games) with 20 or more first downs in each contest.
• Notre Dame ranked tied for fourth in the FBS in first downs per game in 2009 (24.42).

SPREAD ATTACK OPENED RUNNING LANES FOR ALLEN JR., WOOD

• Notre Dame rushed for 153 yards and average 4.2 yards per carry in the victory over Purdue. The tailback tandem of senior Armando Allen Jr. and sophomore Cierre Wood totaled 151 yards on 25 carries. Allen Jr. averaged 5.2 per rush and Wood posted 8.3 yards per carry.
• Allen Jr. (four) and Wood (four) also combined for eight rushes of 10 or more yards.
• Notre Dame averaged just 128.2 yards on the ground in 2009, which ranked 84th in the NCAA FBS. The Irish also managed only 3.84 yards per carry.

IRISH DEFENSE DEFINITELY BROUGHT THE HEAT

• Notre Dame registered 4.0 sacks and 5.0 tackles for loss in the victory over Purdue last week. The 4.0 sacks were the most by the Irish since they picked up 5.0 against Washington State on Oct. 31, 2009.
• The 4.0 sacks also ranked eighth-best by an NCAA FBS school last week. In fact, only three of the seven schools that finished with more sacks than Notre Dame last week faced an FBS opponent and only two played a BCS conference foe.
• The Irish also registered two interceptions (both inside their own 20-yard line), four pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries.
• Notre Dame recorded only 20 sacks over its 12 games in 2009. The Irish averaged just 1.58 sacks per game, which ranked 89th in the NCAA FBS. With its 4.0 sacks in the season opener, Notre Dame has already recorded 20 percent of the total output in sacks from a year ago.

IRISH DEFENSE CONTROLLED THE BIG PLAY IN SEASON OPENER

• It was just one game, but Notre Dame’s new defensive scheme seemed to get pretty solid revues. The Irish limited the Boilermakers’ offense to only 10 points and allowed just 3.2 yards per carry (compared to 3.8 yards per rush in 2009).
• Notre Dame forced Purdue into a trio of three-and-outs.
• Purdue completed 31 passes on the afternoon, but the longest went for just 16 yards. The Boilermakers averaged just 5.2 yards passing per attempt and 7.1 yards per completion. By comparison in 2009, the Irish allowed 8.7 yards per pass attempt and 12.9 yards per completion.
• Notre Dame also limited Purdue to 4.4 yards of total offense (322 yards on 74 plays) per play. Irish foes averaged 6.4 yards of total offense per play last season.

NOTRE DAME DEBUTS

• Sophomore LT Zack Martin, junior QB Dayne Crist, freshman WR TJ Jones, junior C Braxston Cave, senior RT Taylor Dever and sophomore ILB Carlo Calabrese all registered their first career start at Notre Dame.
• Freshman WR TJ Jones registered his first career reception on Notre Dame’s fourth offensive play from scrimmage. The catch went for 15 yards and resulted in a first down on a third and six play.
• Sophomore RB Cierre Wood picked up his first career carry on Notre Dame’s initial scoring drive. The rush went for 16 yards. He followed up that carry with another rush on the next play for 15 yards.
• The Irish played a total of six freshmen in last Saturday’s game: WR TJ Jones, LB Danny Spond, DB Lo Wood, WR Austin Collinsworth, LB Prince Shembo and WR Bennett Jackson.
• The following Notre Dame players, excluding freshmen, made their first career appearance: RB Cierre Wood, ILB Carlo Calabrese, ILB Dan Fox, LS Ryan Kavanagh, LS Bill Flavin, OG Chris Watt, OT Zack Martin and DT Tyler Stockton.
• Notre Dame used five true freshmen alone on its starting kickoff coverage unit, which might be unprecedented in school history: WR Bennett Jackson (four tackles), WR Austin Collinsworth, LB Prince Shembo, LB Danny Spond and DB Lo Wood.

CRIST’S REKINDLES QUARTERBACK FIRST-START MAGIC

• Junior signal caller Dayne Crist snapped Notre Dame’s four-game losing streak with a first-time starting quarterback under center.
• Since 1975, the Irish are now 18-10 under a first-time starting quarterback. Interestingly enough, Notre Dame is 12-4 under a first-time starting quarterback when playing in Notre Dame Stadium (also since 1975).
• Crist’s completion percentage of 73.1% was the highest of any first-time starting quarterback with more than eight pass attempts since 1975.
• Crist’s 19 completions are the second-most by a first-time starting Irish quarterback since 1975. Brady Quinn completed 29 passes against Purdue on Sept. 23, 2003. His 205 yards passing are the third-most by a first-time starting signal caller since 1985. Quinn threw for 297 yards against Purdue on Sept. 27, 2003 and Ron Powlus had 291 yards against Northwestern on Sept. 3, 1994.
• Crist was the first junior quarterback to make his starting debut since Arnaz Battle in 2000.
• From 1985-98, Notre Dame was victorious in nine straight games in which an Irish quarterback was making his first career start, including four coming in a season opener. Those openers were won by Rick Mirer (No. 1 Notre Dame def. No. 4 Michigan 28-24 in ’90), Kevin McDougal (No. 7 Notre Dame def. Northwestern 27-12 in ’93), Ron Powlus (No. 3 Notre Dame def. Northwestern 42-12 in ’95) and Jarious Jackson (No. 22 Notre Dame def. No. 5 Michigan 36-20 in ’98).
• Notre Dame’s nine-game, first-start streak ended in the 10-0 loss at USC on Nov. 28, 1998, when Eric Chappell started in place of the injured starter Jackson (then-freshman Arnaz Battle also played a large chunk of that game).
• Following the snap of the nine-game winning streak under first-time starters, the Irish won three consecutive games under first-time signal callers. In fact, all three came during the same season, 2000, and occurred over the year’s first five contests. Arnaz Battle (Notre Dame def. No. 24 Texas A&M, 24-10), Gary Godsey (Notre Dame def. Purdue, 23-21) and Matt LoVecchio (No. 25 Notre Dame def. Stanford, 20-14).
• Carlyle Holiday dropped his first career start on Sept. 29, 2001 against Texas A&M, but senior walk-on Pat Dillingham was victorious against Stanford on Oct. 5, 2002.
• Notre Dame used a trio of first-time signal callers in 2007, including one in each of the first two games of the season. Demetrius Jones (Georgia Tech def. Notre Dame, 33-3), Jimmy Clausen (No. 14 Penn State def. Notre Dame, 31-10) and Evan Sharpley (No. 13 USC def. Notre Dame, 38-0) all failed to walk away with a victory.

Last 28 starting debut games by Irish quarterbacks (Notre Dame is 18-10 in those contests).

• Dayne Crist, junior (Notre Dame vs. Purdue, Sept. 4, 2010, first game of season) … win, 23-12 … 19 of 26 passing, 205 yards, 1 TD.
• Evan Sharpley, sophomore (Notre Dame vs. No. 13 USC, Oct. 20, 2007, eighth game of season) … loss, 38-0 … 17 of 33 passing, 117 yards, 1 INT.
• Jimmy Clausen, freshman (Notre Dame at No. 14 Penn State, Sept. 8, 2007, second game of season) … loss, 31-10 … 17 of 32 passing, 144 yards, 1 INT.
• Demetrius Jones, sophomore (Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech, Sept. 1, 2007, first game of season) … loss, 33-3 … 1 of 3 passing, 4 yards, 2 fumbles … 12 rushes for 28 yards.
• Brady Quinn, freshman (Notre Dame at No. 22 Purdue, Sept. 27, 2003, fourth game of season) … loss, 23-10 … 29 of 59 passing, 297 yards, 4 INT, TD … 8 rushes for 25 yards.
• Pat Dillingham, sophomore (Notre Dame vs. Stanford, Oct. 5, 2002, fifth game of season) … win, 31-7 … 14 of 27 passing, 129 yards, 2 TDs.
• Carlyle Holiday, sophomore (Notre Dame at Texas A&M, Sept. 29, 2001, third game of season) … loss, 24-3 … 6 of 13 passing, 73 yards, 2 INT … 12 rushes for 23 yards.
• Matt LoVecchio, freshman (No. 25 Notre Dame vs. Stanford, Oct. 7, 2000, fifth game of season) … win, 20-14 … 10 of 18 passing, 100 yards, 2 TDs … 13 rushes for 36 yards, TD.
• Gary Godsey, sophomore (Notre Dame vs. Purdue, Sept. 16, 2000, 3rd game of season) … win, 23-21 … 14 of 25 passing, 158 yards, INT … 7 rushes for 3 yards, TD.
• Arnaz Battle, junior (Notre Dame vs. No. 24 Texas A&M, Sept. 2, 2000, 1st game of season) … win, 24-10 … 10 of 16 passing, 133 yards … 12 rushes for 50 yards.
• Eric Chappell, junior (No. 9 Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 28, 1998, 11th game of season) … loss, 10-0 … 0 of 3 passing, 2 INT … 7 rushes for 33 yards.
• Jarious Jackson, senior (Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Michigan, Sept. 5, 1998, 1st game of season) … win, 36-20 … 4 of 10 passing, 96 yards, 2 TDs, INT … 16 rushes for 62 yards.
• Tom Krug, junior (No. 8 Notre Dame at Air Force, Nov. 18, 1995, 11th game of season) … win, 44-14 … 8 of 13 passing, INT … 3 rushes for 13 yards … started due to Powlus’ collarbone injury, in previous week versus Navy.
• Ron Powlus, sophomore (No. 3 Notre Dame at Northwestern, Sept. 3, 1994, 1st game of season) … win, 42-15 … 18 of 24 passing, 291 yards, 4 TD … 2 rushes for 6 yards.
• Kevin McDougal, senior (No. 7 Notre Dame vs. Northwestern, Sept. 4, 1993, 1st game of season) … win, 27-12 … 6 of 8 passing, 135 yards … 5 rushes for -16 yards.
• Paul Failla, freshman (No. 8 Notre Dame at Purdue, Sept. 28, 1991, 4th game of season) … win, 45-20 … 1 of 1 passing, 10 yards … 2 rushes for 11 yards … started in place of Mirer due to team policy of “no practice, no start” (Mirer had pulled rib cartilage during the week) … Mirer replaced Failla beginning with the second series.
• Rick Mirer, sophomore (No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 4 Michigan, Sept. 15, 1990, 1st game of season) … win, 28-24 … 14 of 23 passing, 165 yards, TD, INT … 10 rushes for 12 yards, TD.
• Kent Graham, freshman (No. 9 Notre Dame vs. Boston College, Nov. 7, 1987, 8th game of season) … win, 32-25 … 6 of 8 passing, 11 yards, INT … 3 rushes for 7 yards.
• Tony Rice, sophomore (No. 11 Notre Dame at Air Force, Oct. 17, 1987, 5th game of season) … win, 35-14 … 1 of 5 passing, 10 yards, INT … 9 rushes for 70 yards, 2 TD … played due to Andrysiak’s broken collarbone injury, in previous game at Pittsburgh.
• Terry Andrysiak, sophomore (Notre Dame vs. Mississippi, Nov. 9, 1985, 8th game of season) … win, 37-14 … 4 of 8 passing, 60 yards, TD … 2 rushes for -7 yards.
• Rick Slager, senior (#9 Notre Dame vs. Boston Coll., @Foxboro, Sept. 15, 1975; 1st game of season) … win, 17-3 … 7 of 12 passing, 72 yards.
• Joe Montana, sophomore (#8 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State, Oct. 4, 1975; 4th game of season) … loss, 10-3 … 2 of 5 passing, 19 yards, 1 INT.
• Rusty Lisch, sophomore (#3 Notre Dame vs. Miami, Nov. 20, 1976; 10th game of season) … win, 40-27 … 5 of 11 passing, 102 yards, 1 TD … 15 rushes for 9 yards, 3 TD.
• Tim Koegel, sophomore (#5 Notre Dame at #17 Purdue, Sept. 22, 1979; 2nd game of season) … loss, 28-22 … 6 of 18 passing, 81 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT … four rushes for 0 yards.
• Blair Kiel, freshman (#7 Notre Dame vs. #13 Miami, Oct. 11, 1980; 4th game of season) … win, 32-14 … 4 of 17 passing, 35 yards … 11 rushes for 28 yards, 1 TD.
• Ken Karcher, sophomore … (Notre Dame at #1 Pittsburgh, Nov. 6, 1982; 8th game of season) … loss, 31-16 … 2 of 4 passing, 21 yards, 1 INT … 1 rush for -10 yards … replaced by senior Jim O’Hara in second quarter.
• Steve Beurelein, freshman (Notre Dame vs. Colorado, Oct. 1, 1983; 4th game of season) … win, 27-3 … 8 of 12 passing, 133 yards.
• Scott Grooms, senior (Notre Dame vs. Air Force, Oct. 13, 1984; 6th game of season) … loss, 21-7 … 12 of 35 passing, 117 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT … 12 rushes for -9 yards.

OPENERS AN INDICATOR?

• Notre Dame is 102-15-5 in season openers, but have they been foretelling of the season ahead? Take a look:
• The 101 seasons Notre Dame has won its opener, the Irish went on to post winning records 92 times (91.1%), with four losing seasons and five .500 records.
• 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).
• The five seasons Notre Dame registered a tie in its opener, the Irish had four winning records and one losing record.

WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE

• Notre Dame has faced Michigan 37 times in the series history and 14 of the meetings have come during the second week of the regular season. The Irish are 6-7-1 all-time when playing the Wolverines in week two.
• Notre Dame has opened its season with Purdue on eight occasions. The Irish hold a 7-1 record in those season-opening meetings with the Boilermakers. Only two other programs, Michigan and Northwestern, have opened against Notre Dame more often that Purdue.
• Here are the top five programs in terms of season-opening opponents for the Irish.

• This year’s opener with Purdue was the first opener with the Boilermakers since 1984. Notre Dame agreed to move the contest from Notre Dame Stadium to the newly opened Hoosier Dome. Future Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame honoree Tim Brown, then just a freshman, fumbled the opening kickoff to setup a Purdue touchdown. The Boilermakers would upset the No. 8 Irish, 23-21.
• The most famous season opener with Purdue came during the 1966 season. Both teams were ranked in the top 10, Notre Dame at No. 6 and the Boilermakers at No. 8. Purdue was led by All-American Bob Griese, but quarterback Terry Hanratty and wide receiver Jim Seymour stole the show. The duo hooked up 13 times for 276 yards, including touchdowns of 39, 84 and seven yards, en route to a 26-14 Irish victory. Seymour’s total of 276 receiving yards remains a single-game Notre Dame record. Notre Dame went on to capture the national title, while the Boilermakers captured their first and still only Rose Bowl title in school history.

FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES OPEN STRONG

• When Notre Dame defeated Purdue in its season opener Sept. 4, head coach Brian Kelly continued a long trend of success among Irish mentors. Dating back to 1896, Irish skippers are 26-3 (.897) in their debut contests. Only Frank E. Hering in 1896 (4-0 loss to Chicago Physicians & Surgeons), Elmer Layden in 1934 (7-6 loss to Texas) and Lou Holtz in 1986 (24-23 loss to Michigan) failed to win their first game at Notre Dame. This record includes two wins by interim head coaches — Ed McKeever in 1944 (58-0 win at Pittsburgh) and Hugh Devore in 1945 (7-0 win over Illinois) spelled Frank Leahy while he was off serving his country in World War II.

2010: YEAR ONE FOR HEAD COACH Brian Kelly

• As Brian Kelly heads into his first season at the helm of the Irish, here are a few notes on Notre Dame’s head coaches in their inaugural year.
• The previous 28 head football coaches in Notre Dame history have combined to amass a 177-63-12 (.726) record in their first year at the helm. Since 1913, Jesse Harper’s first season, Irish coaches have compiled a 112-44-5 (.711) in their initial campaign, including interim coaches Hugh Devore and Ed McKeever.
• Since Notre Dame Stadium was opened in 1930, six Notre Dame coaches – Hunk Anderson, McKeever, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis – have opened away from home in their first season – going 6-0 in those games.
• Since 1913, five Notre Dame coaches – Layden, Parseghian, Holtz, Willingham and Weis – have taken over a program the year after his predecessor turned in a .500 or worse record. All but Holtz, who went 5-6 in 1986, posted a winning record in his first season and the quintet had a combined 39-16 (.709) record in such seasons. The 2009 Irish went 6-6 under Weis.
• Kelly will be the first Irish coach to begin his Notre Dame tenure with the first two games inside Notre Dame Stadium since Terry Brennan in 1954 (21-0 victory vs. No. 4 Texas, 27-14 loss vs. No. 19 Purdue). Elmer Layden (1934) and Frank Leahy (1941) also opened their respective Notre Dame coaching careers with back-to-back home games. Layden split contests against Texas and Purdue, while Leahy upended Arizona and Indiana. Jesse Harper (1913) also opened his career with consecutive home games (87-0 rout vs. Ohio Northern, 20-7 victory over South Dakota).
• The last Notre Dame coach to post a winning record in his first season with the Irish was Weis, who went 9-3 in 2005. The last Irish coach to turn in a sub – .500 season in his first year was Lou Holtz, whose 1986 team finished 5-6.
• The longest winning streak for a Notre Dame head coach to begin his career with the Irish is nine games, by Harper (1913-14) and Parseghian (1964).
• Kelly is the first Notre Dame coach to face Purdue at home in his first game with the Irish.

IRISH DEFENSE FULL OF YOUTHFUL ENERGY

• Notre Dame first-year defensive coordinator Bob Diaco enters the 2010 season as one of the youngest coordinators in FBS football. Diaco, who was born Feb. 19, 1973, opened the campaign at 37. He ranks as the 24th-youngest coordinator in all of the FBS and eighth-youngest coordinator from a BCS conference institution.
• There are only six defensive coordinators in the FBS that are younger than Diaco. Of those six, only one (Kirby Smart, Alabama) coaches at a BCS conference school.

IRISH DEFENSE SWITCHES TO 3-4

• Brian Kelly and defensive coordinator Bob Diaco have 18 returning monogram winners on defense to work with in their first season and, of those 18, 13 players have starting experience for the Irish. Ten returning players started at least seven games in 2009 — and nine players have started at least 10 games in their Notre Dame careers.
• The Irish switch back to a 3-4 defense, featuring three down linemen, in 2010. That means players who made the transition to a 4-3 last year will resort back to the defensive front used in 2007 and 2008. Notre Dame will start a nose guard sandwiched between two defensive ends, but it won’t be uncommon to see at least one outside linebacker walk up to the line of scrimmage, giving the Irish four or five players along the line.

DON’T FORGET THE ANNIVERSARY

• The 2010 football season marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of fabled Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish have played 413 games in that facility to date and own a 307-101-5 (.750) record in the “House that Rockne Built.”
• The Irish were 4-3 in Notre Dame Stadium in 2009, running their home record to 110-42-1 (.722) over the last 25 years.
• The most wins in a season by the Irish at home is seven by the 1988 national championship team and the longest home winning streak in Notre Dame football history is 28 games (from 11/21/42 through 9/30/50).
• In 1955, the stadium’s 25th anniversary, Notre Dame went 8-2 on the season for coach Terry Brennan, including a 4-0 home record. The Irish turned in a 9-2-1 overall record, and a 5-0 home mark, to commemorate Notre Dame Stadium’s 50th anniversary in 1980. In 2005, the stadium’s 75th anniversary, the Irish went 9-3 overall, participated in the Fiesta Bowl and went 4-2 at home.

Chris Stewart MAN OF THE LAW

• Senior OG Chris Stewart will attempt the rarest of double duties this fall by playing college football while also undertaking the rigors of life as a law school student. He is believed to be the first football player in Irish history to suit-up for games on Saturday and attend graduate law classes during the week. According to a survey of FBS sports information directors, Stewart, who graduated cum laude in December ’09 with a degree in history and two internships in immigration and labor law, is the only football player who will be enrolled in law school this fall.
• Stewart is enrolled in contracts, criminal law, civil procedure, legal research and legal writing. He is focusing his fifth year in South Bend on estate planning and wealth management.

IRISH RETURN 42 MONOGRAM WINNERS, 15 STARTERS

• Notre Dame opens 2010 with 42 returning monogram winners from 2009 – 21 on offense, 18 on defense and three on special teams.

• The Irish return six offensive starters and nine defensive starters. According to Phil Steele, only Boise State, Idaho and Syracuse have more returning starters than Notre Dame’s nine.

WALK-ON PLAYERS JOIN THE IRISH SQUAD THIS FALL

• Three walk-ons were added to the 2010 fall roster. Junior punter Mike Grieco (Glen Ellyn, Ill./St. Ignatius) wears No. 37, while junior safety Chris Salvi (Lake Forest, Ill./Carmel Catholic HS) sports No. 33. Senior long snapper and defensive lineman John Belcher (Cheyenne, Wy./Cheyenne Central HS) has been issued No. 68.

ROSTER CHANGES

• Seven returning veterans have changed jersey numbers for the 2010 season. Junior DE Ethan Johnson will don No. 90, sophomore WR Robby Toma will sport No. 19, junior DE Hafis Williams will wear No. 94, sophomore WR Theo Riddick will don No. 6, senior TE/FB Bobby Burger will sport No. 41 and senior K Brandon Walker will wear No. 96. Senior K David Ruffer changed to the No. 97 two weeks into fall camp after wearing No. 48 during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
• Notre Dame sophomore OT Zack Martin and sophomore WR Robby Toma each had their first names incorrectly listed in 2009. Martin’s first name is correctly spelled Zack (not Zach) and Toma’s first name is correctly spelled Robby (not Roby).
• Notre Dame freshman WR Tai-ler Jones will be listed as TJ Jones.
• A trio of Irish players underwent position changes during spring practice. Sophomore WR Theo Riddick moved from running back and senior LB Steve Paskorz returned to the position after two years at fullback. Senior OT Lane Clelland opened spring practice at defensive end, but has since returned to his original position.

THREE STUDENT-ATHLETES APPROVED FOR FIFTH YEAR

• Three seniors on the University of Notre Dame football team were approved to return for a fifth year by the school’s Faculty Board on Athletics.
• C Dan Wenger, OG Chris Stewart and WR Barry Gallup Jr. have already graduated. Wenger and Gallup are enrolled in the graduate studies program, while Stewart is a first-year law student at Notre Dame.

RECRUITING CLASS OF 2010 FINISHES AT 20

• Twenty high school seniors will have their names added to the University of Notre Dame’s football roster and begin playing for the Irish in 2010.
• The 20 student-athletes represent 11 different states – California (two), Colorado, Florida (three), Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois (two), Indiana, Kentucky (two), New Jersey, North Carolina (two) and Ohio (four).
• As listed by position, Notre Dame added four wide receivers (Austin Collinsworth, TJ Jones, Bennett Jackson, Daniel Smith), four linebackers (Kendall Moore, Prince Shembo, Danny Spond, Justin Utupo), three quarterbacks (Andrew Hendrix, Luke Massa, Tommy Rees), two defensive ends (Bruce Heggie, Kona Schwenke), two offensive tackles (Christian Lombard, Tate Nichols), two defensive backs (Derek Roback, Lo Wood), one running back (Cameron Roberson), one tight end (Alex Welch) and one nose guard (Louis Nix III).

KELLY’S WINNING WAYS

• Since 2007, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has compiled the fourth-most wins of any active NCAA FBS coach. Kelly has gone on to win 34 contests (34-6 overall) to tie him with Nick Saban over that span. The only coaches ahead of Kelly in that time frame are Chris Peterson of Boise State (37), Mack Brown of Texas (36) and Urban Meyer of Florida (36).
• Along with being near the top in outright wins, Kelly also sits alone in fourth place in win percentage amongst FBS coaches. With his 34-6 mark, he holds a .850 winning percentage over the past four years. Peterson (.902), Brown (.900) and Meyer (.857) rank one, two and three respectively.
• Here is a look at the top 10 winningest active coaches since 2007:

Here is a look at the top 10 winningest active coaches in the FBS (minimum five years as FBS head coach, record at four-year colleges only):

Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Percentage)

Winningest Active NCAA FBS Coaches (By Victories)

KELLY KEEPS COLLECTING VICTORIES

• Brian Kelly has had almost unparalleled success recently as a head coach, leading his team to victory in 19 consecutive regular-season games. Entering this weekend, only one active FBS head coach has won more consecutive regular-season contests than Kelly.

ONLY THE BIG BOYS

• Notre Dame is one of just four NCAA FBS programs to have not faced a non-FBS opponent since the current setup was established in 1978. The three other remaining schools that have yet to play a non-FBS opponent are USC, UCLA and Washington.

ON THIS DATE

• Notre Dame has played four previous games in its history on Sept. 11, including a pair against Michigan (both victories). The Irish are 2-2 all-time on this date. The Irish were ranked in the top 20 on three of the occasions.

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 when decided in the final minutes; in case of ties, time followed by team scoring last.

Sept. 11, 2004: Notre Dame found a familiar way to make its problems go away – beat Michigan. Using the ingredients that vaulted the Fighting Irish to wins in Willingham’s first eight games two years ago, unranked Notre Dame used a stingy defense, an opportunistic offense and a key special teams play to beat No. 8 Michigan 28-20. Willingham and the Irish have been the target for much criticism while losing 10 of 15 since that 8-0 start in 2002. Now, there’s renewed hope in South Bend for a turnaround after a third straight win over Michigan in South Bend. The difference this time was an unexpected offensive star for the Irish. Freshman Darius Walker, who didn’t even play a week ago in a deflating loss to Brigham Young, ran for 115 yards on 31 carries and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. He is the first Notre Dame freshman to rush for more than 100 yards since Julius Jones had 146 yards against Navy in 1999.

Sept. 11, 1993: Something special happened. It went beyond a college football game. No. 11 Notre Dame’s 27-23 victory over No. 3 Michigan did more than just improve the Irish to 2-0 and suddenly make them eligible to be mentioned as national championship contenders. For the first 30 minutes of the game, the relatively untested senior Kevin McDougal looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate and NFL first-round draft choice. When he hasn’t riddling Michigan’s defense with long passes after avoiding a rush with his slippery style, he was killing the Wolverines by tucking the ball and running. In the first half, McDougal had complete 7 of 13 passes for 137 yards. He also ran four times for 72 yards and scored two touchdowns. A 43-yard run by McDougal on Notre Dame’s first possession opened the scoring. Michigan answered with a 32-yard field goal and Notre Dame’s Kevin Pendergast made it 10-3 with the first of two field goals. After the Irish defense stuffed Michigan deep in its own territory, Miller returned the ensuing punt 56 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-3. Tyrone Wheatley made it 17-10 with 25-yard touchdown run. Wheatley finished the game with 146 yards on 25 carries and two scores. With 1:13 on the clock before halftime, Notre Dame got the ball on its own 35 and went to work. On third and nine from the 36, McDougal ran for 18 yards. First down passes netted 20 yards to Lake Dawson and Derrick Mayes to the Michigan 10. The Irish did not have any timeouts remaining and just 13 seconds to make something happen. McDougal rolled out and tried to find a receiver. Because no one was open, he angled toward the corner of the end zone. Had he been stopped short, it would have been tough for the Irish to run another play. However, he beat the defenders and sent the Irish into the locker room with a 24-10 lead. Notre Dame pushed its lead to 27-10 before the Wolverines added a pair of late meaningless touchdowns to close the scoring, 27-23.

2010 NOTRE DAME OPPONENT UPDATE (ENTERING MONDAY NIGHT’S ACTION)

• Notre Dame once again played one of the nation’s toughest schedules in 2009, as it faced eight teams that appeared in bowl games (Nevada, Michigan State, USC, Boston College, Navy, Pittsburgh, UConn and Stanford).
• This season could prove to be just as tough as the Irish face seven teams that went to bowl games in 2009, including 2008 undefeated, Sugar Bowl champions and second-ranked Utah. Notre Dame also will play three teams that finished in the AP Top 25 (No. 15 Pittsburgh, No. 18 Utah, No. 22 USC). The following is a list of 2010 Notre Dame opponents and how they fared last season:

NOTRE DAME IN SEPTEMBER

• Notre Dame is 127-49-4 (.717) all-time during the month of September.
• The Irish are 81-18-2 (.812) in September home games.
• Notre Dame has an all-time mark of 41-29-2 (.583) in road games during September.
• The Irish have gone 3-1 in September each of the last two seasons. (2009: Nevada, W, 35-0; at Michigan, L, 38-34; Michigan State, W, 33-30; at Purdue, W, 24-21). Notre Dame was 0-5 in the first month of the season in 2007.

HISTORIC NOTRE DAME STADIUM

• The 2010 football season marks the 80th year of Irish football in fabled Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish have played 413 games in the facility to date and own a 307-101-5 (.750) record in the “House that Rockne Built.” The most wins in a season by the Irish at home is seven by the 1988 national championship team and the longest home winning streak in Notre Dame football history is 28 games (from 11/21/42 through 9/30/50).

HOW DO THEY STACK UP?
Average weight of the offensive and defensive lines:
Notre Dame OL 306.8 lbs. vs. Michigan DL 289.0 lbs.
Notre Dame DL 291.0 lbs. vs. Michigan OL 304.4 lbs.

Average height of the receivers and the secondaries:
Notre Dame WR/TE 6′ 1 3/4″ vs. Michigan DB 6′ 1″
Notre Dame DB 6′ 0 1/4″ vs. Michigan WR/TE 5′ 11 1/3″

FLOYD IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

• While junior WR Michael Floyd did not play in enough games in 2009 to be eligible for the NCAA season rankings, he is listed on the NCAA FBS active career charts in receiving yards per game, receptions per game and receiving touchdowns. Floyd’s 84.0 yards receiving per game leads the nation active players, while his 5.1 catches per game ranks fourth, behind only Tyron Carrier (6.2) and Patrick Edwards (5.9), both of Houston, along with Ryan Broyles (5.5) of Oklahoma. He ranks tied for seventh on the active career chart for receiving touchdowns with 16. With three more receptions, Floyd will also qualify for the average yards per catch category where currently he would sit in fourth place at 16.5 yds/catch.
• Floyd had five receptions for 82 yards in the victory over Purdue. He has now recorded a reception in nine straight games (excluding games he missed due to injury). Floyd has a reception in 18 of the 19 games he has suited up for the Irish. The only game he failed to make a reception came against Navy in 2008 when he was injured early in the first quarter blocking down field.
• Floyd has played in 19 career games, and in two of them (at Navy in 2008 and vs. Michigan State in 2009), he missed most of the action following an injury. Yet, Floyd has nine career 100-yard receiving games over the other 17 games played.
• Had Floyd met the NCAA requirement of playing in 75 percent of the team’s games in 2009 his 113.6 yards per game would have ranked sixth nationally. Floyd and Golden Tate would have been the only receiving tandem to rank top 10 nationally in that statistic. His 18.1 yards per catch would have also earned him 12th place on the NCAA season leader list as well.
• Floyd led all FBS wideouts in the nation with a 29.09 yards per catch average and was tied for the nation’s lead in receiving touchdowns with four (among NCAA qualifying receivers) before suffering a broken collarbone in the second quarter of Notre Dame’s 33-30 victory over Michigan State in 2009.

• Floyd has 16 career receiving touchdowns in just 19 games for Notre Dame. He is tied with Jim Seymour (1966-68) for seventh on the all-time Notre Dame receiving touchdowns list. His nine receiving touchdowns in 2009 rank tied for eighth-best in single-season Irish history.

• Floyd recorded four catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns in the 35-0 rout of Nevada in last season’s opener. He averaged 47.3 yards per reception, which broke the previous school record of 41.6 yards per catch by Jim Morse against USC on Nov. 26, 1955.

• Floyd became the fourth Irish wideout to ever post two career receptions of over 70 yards and the first to ever accomplish the feat in the same game. Nick Eddy had 74 and 91 yard catches during the 1964 season, Tim Brown had 84 and 77 yard receptions in 1986 and Jeff Samardzija had 73 and 80 yard grabs during 2005.
• His 189 yards receiving were the ninth-most in single-game school history.

• Floyd set a new career-high for longest reception when he raced 88 yards for a touchdown with 10:12 left in the third quarter against Nevada in 2009. The 88-yard reception was the third longest in Notre Dame football history and longest since Nov. 7, 1981 when Blair Kiel found Joe Howard for a school record 96 yards.

• Floyd not only became the first Irish freshman to register a touchdown catch in a season opener (2008), but also became the first freshman to register Notre Dame’s first points of a season by TD. Floyd had 48 receptions for 719 yards last year. He established new school records for receptions (48), receiving yards (719) and receiving touchdowns (7) by an Irish freshman. He also set a freshman record with 10 receptions against Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, 2008.
• Floyd was the fourth different rookie in the last 20 years whose first career catch was a TD. The others were Raghib “Rocket” Ismail and Derek Brown in 1988 and Derrick Mayes in 1992 – mighty impressive company for Floyd to join.

RETURN OF THE MACK (EY) AWARD SEMIFINALIST

• Junior TE Kyle Rudolph’s return for the 2010 season makes him the only member of the eight announced semifinalist’s for the 2009 Mackey Award to come back for another year.
• Rudolph hauled in five catches for 43 yards in the victory over Purdue. Three of his receptions gave Notre Dame a first down.
• Last season, Rudolph had racked up 364 yards and three touchdowns on 33 receptions before suffering a shoulder injury against Navy and not recording a catch in the team’s final three games (only one of which he suited up for). He posted his breakout game, to date, in an Irish uniform against Michigan State when he hauled in six catches for 95 yards, which were both career highs.
• Rudolph is also working his way into the record books among Irish tight ends. His 62 career receptions places him in a tie for fifth place along with Derek Brown and Dean Masztak, while his 704 reception yards puts him just behind seventh place Mark Bavaro’s 771 yards.

Armando Allen JR., JACK OF ALL TRADES

• Notre Dame senior RB Armando Allen Jr. has been one of the most versatile running backs in Irish history. Allen Jr. has not only rushed for 1,723 yards in his career, but hauled in 103 receptions for 695 yards, added 1,247 yards on kickoff returns and another 104 yards on punt returns. In all, Allen Jr. has totaled 3,769 all-purpose yards in his career, which ranks ninth-best in school history.
• Allen Jr. rushed for a game-high 93 yards on 18 carries in the victory over Purdue. He also added a career-best 38-yard punt return.
• Allen Jr. needs just 551 yards rushing to move into the top 10 all-time at Notre Dame.
• Allen Jr. did not participate in enough games to qualify (missed the Purdue, Washington State, Navy and Stanford games due to an ankle injury), but would have ranked among the top FBS running backs in the nation in rushing yards per game (87.1, 41st) and yards per rush (4.91, t-66th). He would have also ranked 70th in the nation in all-purpose yards per game (114.1).
• Allen Jr. became the second running back in Notre Dame history to eclipse 100 career receptions. His 103 career receptions rank second-best in career history for Notre Dame running backs. He trails Darius Walker (109, 2004-06) for the school record. Allen Jr. also ranks seventh all-time in career receiving yards by an Irish running back.

• Allen Jr. was the 11th player in Irish history to ever record 3,000 career all-purpose yards. He now stands in ninth place on the Notre Dame career list.

Nick Tausch, David Ruffer SOLIDIFY IRISH KICKING GAME

• The kicking tandem of sophomore Nick Tausch and senior David Ruffer put together one of the most accurate kicking seasons in Notre Dame history in 2009. Tausch connected on 14 consecutive field goals – a Notre Dame school record. The previous school record was held by Mike Johnston, who made 13 straight during the 1982 season. He not only equaled the school record for field goals in a game with five against Washington, but became the first place kicker to register five field goals in a game without a miss.

• Tausch finished the season 14-of-17 on field goals. He finished in a tie for fifth in single-season history for field goals made.
• Ruffer served as the Irish place kicker over the final three games of the 2009 season and converted all five of his attempts, including a pair of career-long 42-yard kicks at Pittsburgh and Stanford.
• The two combined to hit 19-of-22 field goals on the season.
• Ruffer connected on all three field goal attempts in the victory over Purdue last week, including a career-long kick of 46 yards. He has now made all eight career field goal attempts.

IRISH IN THE BRIGHT LIGHTS AND BIG CITY, TWICE

• Notre Dame will play a pair of games in the greater New York City metropolitan area in 2010. The Irish will travel to the $1.3 billion dollar New Meadowlands Stadium on Oct. 23 to face Navy. Notre Dame and the Midshipmen met five times in the previous Meadowlands Stadium, including 2004. The Irish will also participate in the first football game inside the New Yankee Stadium on Nov. 20 against Army. Notre Dame and the Cadets have a long history of playing in New York. They met 22 times at old Yankee Stadium, facing each other annually from 1925-46, except for 1930, and again in 1969 in the 100th anniversary of college football. They also played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn (1923), the Polo Grounds in Manhattan (1924) and Shea Stadium in Queens (1965).
• Notre Dame has never played multiple games in the NYC area in the same season.

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL-A FAMILY AFFAIR

• The Golic family is one of just several father-son combinations who have played for Notre Dame represented on the 2010 Irish roster. Mike Sr. earned four monograms at Notre Dame from 1981-84, while Mike Jr. is a junior OL and Jake is a sophomore TE. In addition to their father, Mike and Jake’s two uncles also played for the Irish. Bob was not only a four-year monogram winner from 1975-78, but he was a two-time All-American and helped the Irish to the 1977 National Title. Greg earned a pair of monograms in 1981 and 1983.
• Irish junior QB Nate Montana is the son of NFL Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl Champion Joe (1975, 1977-78). The elder Montana helped Notre Dame to the 1977 National Championship.
• Other current Notre Dame players whose fathers also played for the Irish include senior TE Bobby Burger (Bob, 1978-80), senior LB Brian Smith (Chris, 1981-84) and freshman WR TJ Jones (Andre, 1987-90).

NFL HAS LARGE INFLUENCE ON NOTRE DAME ROSTER

• Several players also have family connections with the National Football League.
• Junior QB Nate Montana’s father Joe is widely considered the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Joe helped the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowls (he was named MVP in three). Joe was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2000. Joe played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers (1979-92) and Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94)
• Junior OL Mike Jr. and sophomore TE Jake Golic’s father Mike Sr. played in the NFL forthe Houston Oilers (1986-87), Philadelphia Eagles (1987-92) and Miami Dolphins (1993). Their uncle, Bob, also played in the NFL for the New England Patriots (1979-81), Cleveland Browns (1982-88) and Los Angeles Raiders (1989-92).
• Other players whose fathers played in the NFL include sophomore OG Alex Bullard (Louis, Seattle Seahawks, 1978-80), freshman WR Austin Collinsworth (Chris, Cincinnati Bengals, 1981-88) and junior ILB Anthony McDonald (Mike, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, 1983-92) and sophomore K Nick Tausch (Terry, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco, 1982-89).
• Junior ILB David Posluszny’s brother Paul has played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills (2007-present).
• Sophomore P Ben Turk has two uncles that have played in the NFL. Matt is currently the punter for the Houston Texans (2007-10), but has also suited up for the St. Louis Rams (1996), Miami Dolphins (2000-01, 2003-05), New York Jets (2002) and Washington Redskins (1995-99). Dan played 15 years in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1985-86), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987-88), Los Angeles Raiders (1989-94), Oakland Raiders (1995-96) and Washington Redskins (1997-99).

NOTRE DAME EXCELS IN THE CLASSROOM

• The University of Notre Dame and University of Miami shared the American Football Coaches Association’s 2009 Academic Achievement Award, which is presented by the Touchdown Club of Memphis. Notre Dame and Miami recorded a 100 percent graduation rate for members of its freshman football student-athlete class of 2002. This is the eighth honor for Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame has been recognized 28 of 29 years the award has been presented, the most of any school in the nation. Notre Dame has won the overall award eight times with the most recent coming in 2007. Notre Dame also won the overall award in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1991, 2001 and 2007. In 1988, Notre Dame became the only school to win the Academic Achievement Award and the National Championship in the same year.

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR FIRST FOUR 2010 FOOTBALL PEP RALLIES

• Locations for the first four pep rallies for the 2010 University of Notre Dame football season have been determined – and include multiple locations around the campus.
• The traditional, season-opening Dillon Hall pep rally was held on Friday, Sept. 3, in front of Dillon Hall on the South Quad of the University of Notre Dame campus. That rally drew a crowd of 14,000 students and fans.
• The Sept. 10 rally prior to the Irish home game against Michigan the following day will be held at Irish Green, south of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the very south edge of campus.
• The Notre Dame-Stanford rally on Sept. 24 will be held indoors at Purce
• ll Pavilion in the Joyce Center.
• A Notre Dame-Boston College students-only rally Oct. 1, prior to the Irish road game at Boston College, will be held at Stepan Center.
• The sites for four other Friday home-game pep rallies – Oct. 8 (Pittsburgh), Oct. 15 (Western Michigan), Oct. 29 (Tulsa) and Nov. 12 (Utah) – will be determined at a later date.
• Rallies are expected to be held from 6:30-7 p.m. All pep rallies are free of charge. Outdoor rallies are subject to cancellation due to inclement weather.

FANS CAN WATCH THE PAINTING OF THE HELMETS

• Notre Dame fans will be given a rare opportunity to watch one of the older traditions of Irish football history … the painting of the helmets. The tradition normally takes place on Monday and Tuesday of game week, but for this week only fans can watch the helmets get painted outside Gate E of Notre Dame Stadium. The process will get started around 3:00 p.m. Friday and continue through the completion of the Pep Rally.

NOTRE DAME KICKOFF LUNCHEONS

• There’s a whole new look to the Notre Dame Football Kickoff Luncheons held on the Friday prior to each Irish football home game.
• The luncheons will still be held in the north dome of the Joyce Center – but there will be a different master of ceremonies each week, there’s a brand new set on stage, and luncheon guests will have the chance to ask questions of Irish head coach Brian Kelly.
• Guests from week to week will include a selection of Irish players and assistant coaches in addition to Kelly, as well as other special guests.
• WHME sports director Bob Nagle will coordinate three luncheon guests each week that each will ask a question on a live basis of Notre Dame’s head coach.
• Tickets remain on sale for six luncheons for the 2010 season. Those events are slated for noon ET on Sept. 10 (Michigan), Sept. 24 (Stanford), Oct. 8 (Pittsburgh), Oct. 15 (Western Michigan), Oct. 29 (Tulsa), and Nov. 12 (Utah) in the north dome (field house) of the Joyce Center.
• Tickets are $23 each and can be ordered by writing to Athletics Business Office, 112 Joyce Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 456556. Checks can be made payable to University of Notre Dame. There is a $3 handling fee per order. There are 10 seats per table. There’s also a ticket order form available on und.com.

OFFICIAL Brian Kelly RADIO SHOW

• The Brian Kelly Radio Show began Sept. 2 – and University of Notre Dame football fans can watch the show live on the Notre Dame campus or listen on one of four radio outlets. Kelly will appear at all 12 shows at Legends on the campus, just south of Notre Dame Stadium. The show will air from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET. Audio outlets include WSBT 960AM in South Bend, www.und.com, WXNT 1430 AM in Indianapolis, and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. WSBT, WXNT and und.com will carry the show live; Sirius/XM will carry it Friday evenings at 8pm on Sirius channel 122 and XM channel 143.
• Dates for the shows are Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30; Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28, and Nov. 11, 18 and 22.
• Hosted by Jack Nolan, the Brian Kelly Radio Show is a production of Notre Dame Sports Properties.

INSIDE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL WITH Brian Kelly (TELEVISION SHOW)

• Taped on Sunday afternoons, Inside Notre Dame Football will feature a recap of the week’s contest, Notre Dame player features and more. The show can be seen locally Sunday evenings on WNDU-TV following the late local news. It will also re-air 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 can also be viewed on www.und.com beginning on Monday of each week. Inside Notre Dame Football airs on a total of 25 affiliates nationwide reaching nearly 67 million households.

THE OFFICIAL NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL POSTGAME SHOW

• Irish All-Americans Reggie Brooks and Mirko Jurkovic join Jack Nolan for the Official Notre Dame Football Postgame show immediately following every Notre Dame football game. The show can be heard live on WSBT 960 AM and Sunny 101.5 FM and watched live worldwide on und.com. The show includes Coach Kelly’s postgame press conference live, player interviews and video highlights on the und.com webcast.

NOTRE DAME STADIUM SCULPTURES

• Four of Notre Dame’s head football coaches, all of whom won at least one national title, are immortalized in sculpture form on the University’s campus. Prior to the 2010 season, the four statues were moved to their new locations directly outside four of Notre Dame Stadium’s six entrances — and each gate was renamed in honor of the corresponding legendary coach.
• Knute Rockne (1924, 1929, 1930) – North Tunnel, Knute Rockne Tunnel; Ara Parseghian (1966, 1973) – Gate B, Ara Parseghian Gate; Frank Leahy (1943, 1946, 1947, 1949) – Gate C, Frank Leahy Gate; Lou Holtz (1988) – Gate D, Lou Holtz gate.
• In addition, the University recognized Dan Devine, coach of the 1977 national championship team, by renaming Gate A in his honor.