Aug. 30, 2010
– Notre Dame-Purdue – UND.com Gameweek Central Page
– Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
(Recommended for easy reading and enhanced statistical data)
DATE
– Saturday, September 4, 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 213th 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 261 of its last 262 home games.
WEB SITES
– Notre Dame (und.com), Purdue (purduesports.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 enters the 2010 season unranked, but is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls. Purdue is not ranked nor receiving votes.
SERIES INFO
– Saturday’s meeting will be the 82nd all-time between the rivals. It is Notre Dame’s second-most played series (trailing only Navy). The Irish hold a 53-26-2 lead in the series and have captured each of the last two meetings, including last season’s matchup, 24-21, in West Lafayette. Notre Dame has won seven of the last 10 and 19 of the past 24 in the series. The Irish have captured 15 of their last 16 meetings with the Boilermakers in Notre Dame (more on the series history on pages 21-26).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
– Notre Dame is 39-7-1 (.840) in season openers inside Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame will open a season at home for the fourth straight year after opening the 2004, ’05 and ’06 seasons all away from Notre Dame Stadium.
A WIN THIS WEEK WOULD…
– Give Notre Dame a victory in their season opener for the fifth time in six years.
– Make the Irish 102-15-5 (.857) all-time in season openers and 97-19-5 (.822) in home openers.
– Be the 20th victory in the last 24 season openers and 12th win in the last 15 home openers.
– Improve Notre Dame to 73-10-3 (.866) when opening a season at home.
– Be the eighth victory in the last nine seasons when the Irish open the year at Notre Dame Stadium.
– Improve the Irish to 7-1 all-time against Purdue in season openers.
– Improve Notre Dame to 54-26-2 (.671) in the all-time series with Purdue.
– Improve the Irish to 28-11 (.718) in the all-time series with Purdue in South Bend.
– Improve Notre Dame to 25-10 (.714) in the all-time series with Purdue in Notre Dame Stadium.
– Improve the Irish to 221-113-15 (.655) all-time against the Big Ten.
– Improve Notre Dame to 114-45-5 (.710) all-time against the Big Ten at home.
– Improve Kelly’s record to 172-57-2 (.749) overall, 54-22 (.711) in FBS games and 35-6 (.854) over the last four seasons.
– Extend Kelly’s regular-season winning streak to 19 games.
– Improve Kelly’s record to 12-8 in season openers.
– Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record to 838-290-42 (.734).
– Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record at Notre Dame Stadium to 307-101-5 (.749).
A LOSS THIS WEEK WOULD…
– Give Notre Dame a defeat in their season opener for the second time in six years.
– Make the Irish 101-16-5 (.848) all-time in season openers and 96-20-5 (.814) in home openers.
– Be the fifth defeat in the last 24 season openers and fourth loss in the last 15 home openers.
– Drop Notre Dame to 72-11-3 (.855) when opening a season at home.
– Be just the second in the last nine seasons when the Irish open the year at Notre Dame Stadium.
– Drop Notre Dame to 6-2 all-time against Purdue in season openers.
– Drop Notre Dame to 53-27-2 (.659) in the all-time series with Purdue.
– Drop the Irish to 27-12 (.692) in the all-time series with Purdue in South Bend.
– Drop Notre Dame to 24-11 (.686) in the all-time series with Purdue in Notre Dame Stadium.
– Drop the Irish to 220-114-15 (.652) all-time against the Big Ten.
– Drop Notre Dame to 113-46-5 (.704) all-time against the Big Ten at home.
– Drop Kelly’s record to 171-58-2 (.745) overall, 53-23 (.697) in FBS games and 34-7 (.829) over the last four seasons.
– Snap Kelly’s regular-season winning streak at 18 games.
– Give Kelly his first defeat in regular season action since Oct. 25, 2008.
– Drop Kelly’s record to 11-9 in season openers.
– Drop Notre Dame’s all-time record to 837-291-42 (.734).
– Drop Notre Dame’s all-time record at Notre Dame Stadium to 306-102-5 (.749).
IRISH NOTEBOOK
– This game will mark the start of the 122nd football season at the University of Notre Dame dating back to 1887 … The Irish did not field teams in 1890 or 1891.
– Notre Dame enters the 2010 season with an all-time record of 837-290-42 (.734) winning percentage).
– Saturday’s meeting between Notre Dame and Purdue will mark the eighth time in Irish football history they have opened a season with the Boilermakers. Only two other programs, Michigan (10) and Northwestern (9), have opened against Notre Dame more often.
– The Irish are 39-7-1 (.840) in season openers inside Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame will open a season at home for the fourth straight year after opening the 2004, ’05 and ’06 seasons all away from Notre Dame Stadium.
SEASON OPENERS
– The Irish are 101-15-5 (.855) in season openers and have taken 19 of the last 23.
– Notre Dame is 96-19-5 (.821) in home openers and has won nine of its last 12.
– Michigan State (2001, 2005) and Georgia Tech (2007) have been the Irish opponents in those home opening losses.
– There were no home games in 1929 due to construction of Notre Dame Stadium.
– When Notre Dame’s season and home openers are one and the same, the Irish are 39-7-1 (.840).
– Notre Dame has captured seven of its last eight such openers (five-game winning streak was snapped against Georgia Tech in 2007).
– Prior to the ’07 defeat against Georgia Tech, the Irish previously last lost a season opener at home on Sept. 2, 1995 when Northwestern (who eventually captured the Big Ten title and appeared in the Rose Bowl) knocked off Notre Dame, 17-15.
MORE ON OPENERS
– Notre Dame had failed to score first in its last six season openers before scoring first in last year’s opener against Nevada. The Irish had last scored first in a season-opener on Aug. 31, 2002 in a 22-0 victory over Maryland. In fact, that ’02 and ’09 openers were the only time last decade that Notre Dame scored first in a season opener.
– The Irish have captured their last 12 season openers when scoring first, a span that dates back to the 1986 defeat to Michigan.
– Notre Dame dropped both the 1985 and 1986 openers against the Wolverines, both times opening with the game’s initial score.
– Since 1958 (when play-by-play became available), the Irish are 31-3 when scoring first and 13-5 when the opponent scores first.
OPENERS AN INDICATOR?
– As stated previously, Notre Dame is 101-15-5 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.
EVEN MORE ON OPENERS
At Home 72-10-3
On The Road 24-4-2
Neutral Site Games 5-1
In Overtime 1-0
*Both teams are AP-ranked 13-2-1
*Neither team is ranked 20-2-1
*ND is ranked higher 32-5-1
*Opponent is ranked higher 8-4
Vs. In-state Opponents 21-1-1
On Television 31-7
On NBC 9-2
On ABC 16-3
On ESPN 2-1
On CBS 3-1
On Raycom 1-0
Afternoon Games 90-12-5
Night Games 11-3
Decided By 7 or Less 17-9-5
Scoring First (since 1958) 31-3
Opp. Scores First (circa 1958) 13-5
Scoring 40+ Points 32-0
Scoring 30+ Points 51-0
Scoring 20-29 Points 27-2
Scoring 0-19 Points 23-13-5
Allowing 40+ Points 0-0
Allowing 30+ Points 0-2 Allowing 20-29 Points 8-6
Allowing 0-19 Points 93-7-5
* post 1936 when the AP instituted national rankings
ON THIS DATE
– Notre Dame has played three previous games in its history on Sept. 4. The Irish are 1-2 all-time on this date. The Irish were ranked in the top 20 on two of the occasions.
2004, L, BYU (NT), 17-20, A 1999, L, (16) Michigan (7) (1:38), 22-26, A 1993, W, (7) Northwestern, 27-12, H
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. 4, 1999: Playing in the Big House in front of the biggest crowd in college football, the last thing Michigan expected was a gift. Notre Dame gave them not one, but two on the final drive, and Anthony Thomas’ 1-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left lifted No. 7 Michigan to a 26-22 victory over the No. 16 Fighting Irish. Playing before an NCAA-record crowd of 111,523 at Michigan Stadium, the Fighting Irish (1-1) went ahead 22-19 with 4:08 remaining on Jarious Jackson’s fourth-down, 20-yard pass to tight end Jabari Holloway. Then it got a little nuts. After Jackson’s 2-point conversion pass to Bobby Brown, the Irish were penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration. Brown taunted the crowd by putting his hands to his head and waving his fingers. Thomas, who carried 32 times for 138 yards and two TDs, took the ensuing kickoff – from the Notre Dame 20 after the penalty was assessed – and returned it 20 yards to the Michigan 42. Tom Brady threw a screen to Shawn Thompson for 15 yards and then the Irish were penalized 15 yards for safety Ron Israel’s hit out of bounds. After Thomas gained three yards, Brady hooked up with David Terrell for 20 yards to the Irish 5. Three plays later, from the 1, Thomas got the best of a goal line collision with linebacker Anthony Denman, barely getting into the end zone for the winning TD. Notre Dame gave it a final shot. Jackson, who was 19-of-28 for a career-best 302 yards, had completions of 36 and 15 yards to Raki Nelson which moved the ball to the Michigan 21 with under a minute to play. Three plays later, after Jackson was sacked for a crucial 10-yard loss by Dhani Jones, the quarterback completed a 19-yarder to Nelson – one yard short of a first down, which would have stopped the clock. With no timeouts left, the Irish were helpless as time ran out with the ball on the 12.
WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE
– Notre Dame has opened its season with Purdue on seven previous occasions. The Irish hold a 6-1 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.
1. Michigan 10 6-42. Northwestern 9 8-13. Purdue 8 6-1*4. Kalamazoo 7 7-05. Indiana 6 6-0 Pittsburgh 6 5-1
*does not include this season’s opener
– This year’s opener with Purdue is 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 hosts Purdue in its season opener Sept. 4, head coach Brian Kelly will be seeking to continue a long trend of success among Irish mentors. Dating back to 1896, Irish skippers are 25-3 (.893) 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 AIM TO REKINDLE QUARTERBACK’S FIRST-START MAGIC
– 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).
– The Irish have since dropped five straight contests with a first-time starting quarterback under center.
– 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.
– Junior Dayne Crist will have a chance this weekend against Purdue to snap Notre Dame’s recent skid under first time starting quarterbacks. He is the first junior to make his starting debut since Arnaz Battle in 2000.
– Interestingly enough, the Irish is 7-2 under a first-time starting quarterback when playing in Notre Dame Stadium (since 1985).
Last 18 starting debut games by Irish quarterbacks (Notre Dame is 12-6 in those contests).
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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 TD … 13 rushes for 36 yards, TD.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.
– 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 interception.
– 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 interception.
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 412 games in that facility to date and own a 306-101-5 (.749) 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.
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, will open 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 BCS conference school.
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.
For an accompanying chart, please see the pdf version of these notes.
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.
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 defensive end Ethan Johnson will don No. 90, sophomore wide receiver Robby Toma will sport No. 19, junior defensive end Hafis Williams will wear No. 94, sophomore wide receiver Theo Riddick will don No. 6, senior tight end Bobby Burger will sport No. 41 and senior kicker Brandon Walker will wear No. 96. Senior kicker 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 offensive tackle Zack Martin and 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 wide receiver Tai-ler Jones will be listed as TJ Jones.
– A trio of Irish players underwent position changes during spring practice. Sophomore wide receiver Theo Riddick moved from running back and senior linebacker Steve Paskorz returned to the position after two years at fullback. Senior offensive tackle 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.
– Center Dan Wenger, offensive guard Chris Stewart and wide receiver 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).
RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
See the pdf version for this chart.
KELLY’S WINNING WAYS
– Since 2007, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has compiled the fourth-most wins of any active NCAA FBS coach. In the past three seasons alone, Kelly has gone on to win 33 contests (33-6 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 (36), Mack Brown of Texas (35) and Urban Meyer of Florida (35).
– Along with being near the top in outright wins, Kelly also sits alone in fourth place in win percentage amongst FBS coaches. With his 33-6 mark, he holds a .846 winning percentage over the past three years. Peterson (.900), Brown (.897) and Meyer (.854) rank one, two and three respectively.
For accompanying charts, please see the pdf version of these notes.
peter KELLY KEEPS COLLECTING VICTORIES
– Brian Kelly has had almost unparalleled success recently as a head coach, leading his team to victory in 18 consecutive regular-season games. Entering this weekend, only one active FBS head coach has won more consecutive regular-season contests than Kelly.
For an accompanying chart, please see the pdf version of these notes.
NOTRE DAME IN SEPTEMBER
– Notre Dame is 126-49-4 (.715) all-time during the month of September.
– The Irish are 80-18-2 (.810) 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 412 games in the facility to date and own a 306-101-5 (.749) 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).
2010 NOTRE DAME OPPONENT UPDATE
– 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).
For an accompanying chart, please see the pdf version of these notes.
HOW DO THEY STACK UP?
Average weight of the offensive and defensive lines:
ND OL 306.8 lbs. vs. Purdue DL 268.5 lbs.
ND DL 291.0 lbs. vs. Purdue OL 315.8 lbs.
Average height of the receivers and the secondaries:
ND WR/TE 6′ 1 3/4″ vs. Purdue DB 6′ 0 1/2″
ND DB 6′ 0 1/4″ vs. Purdue WR/TE 6′ 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 active career charts in receiving yards per game and receptions per game. Floyd’s 84.1 yards receiving per game leads the nation amongst returning starters for the 2010 football season, while his 5.1 catches per game ranks him fourth-best of returning FBS receivers, behind only Tyron Carrier (6.3) and Patrick Edwards (6.0), both of Houston, along with Ryan Broyles (5.4) of Oklahoma. With eight more receptions, Floyd will also qualify for the average yards per catch category where currently he also sits in fourth place at 16.5 yds/catch.
– 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 played in 18 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 16 games played.
– Floyd has 16 career receiving touchdowns in just 18 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 was named College Football Performance Awards Performer of the Week.
– 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.
– At the time, his 189 yards receiving were the most for an Irish player since Jeff Samardzija totaled 191 against Stanford on Nov. 26, 2005 and 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.
For more Michael Floyd charts, see the pdf version of these notes.
RETURN OF THE MACK (EY) AWARD SEMIFINALIST
– 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. 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.
For more Kyle Rudolph charts, see the pdf version of these notes.
Armando Allen, JACK OF ALL TRADES
– Notre Dame senior running back Armando Allen enters his final collegiate career as one of the most versatile running backs in Irish history. Allen has not only rushed for 1,630 yards in his career, but hauled in 102 receptions for 695 yards, added 1,247 yards on kickoff returns and added another 66 yards on punt returns. In all, Allen has totaled 3,638 all-purpose yards in his career.
– Allen 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 needs just 644 yards rushing to move into the top 10 all-time at Notre Dame.
– Allen became the second running back in Notre Dame history to eclipse 100 career receptions. His 102 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 also ranks seventh all-time in career receiving yards by an Irish running back.
– Allen 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.
For more Armando Allen charts, see the pdf version of these notes.
DEFENSIVE LINE FINISHED 2009 ON UPWARD SWING
– Notre Dame’s defensive line will be one of the most experienced position group for the Irish this fall. The trio of junior Kapron Lewis-Moore, junior Ethan Johnson and senior Ian Williams has combined to make 42 career starts.
– The Irish defensive line struggled mightily over the first four games of the season. The group managed just 52 tackles (13.0 per game) and three sacks against Nevada, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue. In their last eight outings against Washington, USC, Boston College, Washington State, Navy, Pittsburgh, UConn and Stanford, the group has amassed 147 tackles (18.4 per game) and 12 sacks.
– In the matchup with the Trojans, the Irish defensive line totaled 18 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 5.0 TFL, three quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. The linebackers collected 16 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1.0 TFL, and two QB hurries.
– Against Boston College, the Irish defensive line totaled 20 tackles, 1.5 TFL, eight quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. The linebackers collected 19 tackles, 3.5 TFL, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, one pass breakup and two QB hurries.
– In the victory over the Eagles, Notre Dame’s top four tacklers -all linebackers and linemen, not safeties – registered 28 tackles. Freshman LB Manti Te’o led the charge with nine, NT Ian Williams had seven, and DE Kapron Lewis-Moore and LB Brian Smith made six apiece.
– In the rout of Washington State, the front four totaled 18 tackles, four sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Lewis-Moore led the Irish defense in stops with five.
– The front four totaled 31 tackles, 2.0 for loss and one sack against Navy.
NOTRE DAME’S FRONT SEVEN FOLLOWED ALONG
– Notre Dame’s defensive backs totaled 51.6% (141 of 273) of the tackles on the opposition’s offensive plays over the first five games of the season. Over the last seven games, Notre Dame’s front seven totaled 60.6% (251 of 414) of the tackles, while the secondary totaled 39.4% (163 of 414).
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.
For an accompanying chart, please see the pdf version of these notes.
– 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.
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.
HEARTBREAK CITY IN 2009
– Notre Dame’s six losses came by a total of 28 points.
– The Irish were tied with Ball State and North Texas for the most losses by seven points or less in the FBS last season. In fact, only one other team in the country, Connecticut, to whom the Irish lost in overtime, had every loss of its season decided by seven points or less.
– Notre Dame’s six losses by seven or fewer points in 2009 were the most heartbreaking defeats in Irish single season history. The 1960 and 1986 Notre Dame squads dropped five games by seven points or less.
For accompanying charts, please see the pdf version of these notes.
CLOSE SHAVES
– Notre Dame became quite accustomed to nailbiting finishes in 2009. The Irish played in six consecutive games decided by seven points or less over one stretch and played in 10 games total decided by seven points or less on the year. The 10 games decided by seven points or less in a single season is a school record. The 1990 Notre Dame squad had played in seven such games.
– No team in the FBS played in more games decided by seven points or less last season.
– 10 of Notre Dame’s 12 games last season were not ultimately decided until the final minute of regulation or overtime.
– The streak of six consecutive games decided by a touchdown or less for Notre Dame equalled the school record. Notre Dame last played in six consecutive games decided by seven points or less in 1983-84, when they went down to the wire with Pittsburgh (L, 16-21), Penn State (L, 30-34), Air Force (L, 22-23), Boston College (W, 19-18 in 1983 Liberty Bowl), Purdue (L, 21-23) and Michigan State (W, 24-20). No Irish team has ever played seven straight games decided by a touchdown or less.
– Six straight football games in a single season decided by seven or fewer points? It hadn’t happened in the 120-year history of Notre Dame football prior to last season. The previous single-season school record for consecutive games decided seven points or less came during the 1939 season when the Irish started the year with five games in that fashion (W 3-0 vs. Purdue, W 17-14 vs. Georgia Tech, W 20-19 vs. SMU, W 14-7 vs. Navy, W 7-6 vs. Carnegie Tech).
– With its late-game heroics against Washington in 2009, Notre Dame captured three consecutive games by seven points or less. The last time the Irish won three straight games by a touchdown or less came in 2002 during Tyrone Willingham’s first season: 24-17 vs. Purdue; 25-23 vs. No. 7 Michigan; 21-17 at Michigan State.
– Prior to the 2002 streak, the last time it happened was Nov. 8-22, 1941, when rookie head coach Frank Leahy led the Irish to narrow wins over No. 6 Navy (20-13), No. 8 Northwestern (7-6) and USC (20-18).
– The Notre Dame record for consecutive wins by seven points or less is five, the first five games of the 1939 season (Sept. 30-Oct. 28) under head coach Elmer Layden.
– The recent Irish streak marked just the fifth time Notre Dame had won three straight games by seven points or less. The others are the aforementioned streak in 2002, the last three games of 1941, the first five games of 1939 and the last three games of the 1937 season (Nov. 13-27).
– The Notre Dame record for wins by seven points or less in a season is six, set in 1939 when that club had a 6-1 record in games decided by seven or less. The 1937 team was 5-1-1 and the 2002 club was 5-1-0 in games decided by seven or less, while the 1929 (4-0), 1940 (4-1), 1974 (4-0), 1990 (4-3), 1997 (4-2), 1998 (4-1) and 2009 (4-6) teams all had four wins by seven or less over the course of the season.
– As for winning percentage in games decided by seven points or less, the 1929 and 1974 teams were both 4-0, while the 1926, 1928, 1954 and 1957 teams finished 3-0.
– One item of note on the greatness of Knute Rockne: he was 20-3-5 (.804) in games decided by seven points or less over his Notre Dame career, including 16-0-2 (.944) over his last seven years.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
– Notre Dame, Air Force, Navy, Wake Forest and SMU were the only schools last season to have played in multiple overtime games.
– Notre Dame played in its second overtime game of 2009 against Connecticut. The Irish lost, 33-30, to even their record at 1-1 in overtime games last year. Notre Dame dropped to 3-7 all-time in overtime games.
– With the victory over Washington in 2009, Notre Dame snapped its three-game losing streak in overtime games. The Irish had not won an overtime game since 2003.
– Nine of the 10 Irish overtime contests have come at Notre Dame Stadium.
L 30-33 vs. Connecticut (2009)W 37-30 vs. Washington (2009)L 33-36 vs. Pittsburgh (2008)L 44-46 vs. Navy (2007)L 41-44 vs. Michigan State (2005)W 29-26 vs. Washington State (2003)W 34-31 vs. Air Force (2000)L 24-27 vs. Nebraska (2000)L 17-20 vs. Air Force (1996)L 20-27 at USC (1996)
– Prior to the victory over Washington in 2009, Notre Dame had never won a game in overtime the week following a victory in the last minute of regulation in its storied history.
– Notre Dame has won four games in its storied history by scoring a touchdown in the last 30 seconds of regulation. Here is that list of games:
Sept. 26, 2009 Notre Dame 24, at Purdue 21 (0:25)Oct. 21, 2006 at Notre Dame 20, UCLA 17 (0:27)Nov. 14, 1992 at Notre Dame 17, Penn State 16 (0:19)Jan. 1, 1979 Notre Dame 35, Houston 34 (1979 Cotton Bowl) (:00)
– Notre Dame has won 17 games all-time in overtime or with less than 25 seconds remaining in regulation and only five of those have come on the road.
– The Irish have never registered a longer drive (72 yards) to win a game on the road with less than 25 seconds to go in the contest in school history than it did at Purdue in 2009.
– Notre Dame scored with just 24.8 seconds remaining on the clock at Purdue last season. It is the latest the Irish have scored to secure a victory on the road since 1997 when Scott Cengia booted a field goal with five seconds left to secure a 23-22 victory at Hawaii.
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.
OFFICIAL Brian Kelly RADIO SHOW
– The Brian Kelly Radio Show begins 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.
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 will be held on Friday, Sept. 3, in front of Dillon Hall on the South Quad of the University of Notre Dame campus. That rally comes prior to Notre Dame’s first game of the 2010 football season on Sept. 4 at Notre Dame Stadium against Purdue.
– 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 Purcell 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.
– Pep rally arrangements are being made with input from a variety of University groups – including Notre Dame student government, Football Game Day Operations, the Notre Dame athletics administration, the Hall Presidents Council – plus head football coach Brian Kelly, members of his team and the Notre Dame football department.
NOTRE DAME KICKOFF LUNCHEONS
– The Friday Notre Dame Kickoff Luncheons are slated for noon Eastern time on Sept. 3 (Purdue), Sept. 10 (Michigan), Sept. 24 (Stanford), Oct. 8 (Pittsburgh), Oct. 15 (Western Michigan), Oct. 29 (Tulsa) and Nov. 12 (Utah).
– 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.
– Irish head coach Brian Kelly, a combination of Irish players and assistant coaches, and other special guests will be in attendance.