November 21, 1998
Final score: Notre Dame 39, LSU 36
· Today’s game marks the 142nd consecutive sellout in Notre Dame Stadium (the first 130 coming at the old 59,075 capacity and the six 1997 games at the 80,225 capacity). This game marks Notre Dame’s 190th home sellout in the last 191 games, dating back to 1964.
· Notre Dame now leads the all-time series with LSU 5-4-0 and 3-1-0 at Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish now have a 19-10-0 record against Southeastern Conference teams.
· Notre Dame finishes its ’98 home schedule unbeaten at 6-0, the first unbeaten home season since the 1989 team went 5-0 at Notre Dame Stadium. The last time the Irish won more than six games at home came during 1998 when the eventual national champions were 7-0 at home.
· With home wins over Boston College, Navy and West Virginia to close the ’97 season, Notre Dame now has won nine consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium, the longest since a 21-game streak from Sept. 19, 1987-Oct. 20, 1990.
· LSU head coach Gerry DiNardo (Notre Dame ’75) was the first alumnus to coach against his alma mater at Notre Dame Stadium since Indiana head coach Bernie Crimmins lost 20-6 at Notre Dame Stadium in 1956.
· Notre Dame has scored in 24 consecutive quarters, each of the last six games, after last failing to score in the fourth quarter against Stanford. It is the longest streak since scoring in 22 straight quarters in 1990.
· Jarious Jackson finished with a career-best 276 passing yards, topping his 270 against Army this season. Jackson was 13-21 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
· The 75 combined points are the most in Notre Dame Stadium since Texas and Notre Dame combined for 82 points in a 55-27 Irish win in 1995. LSU’s 36 points are the most the Irish have allowed at home since Boston College scored 41 in 1993.
· Kevin Faulk’s second-quarter touchdown run was the 45th rushing touchdown of his career, breaking the LSU career record of 44 set by Dalton Hilliard from 1982-85, and the 51st touchdown of his career, breaking Hilliard’s mark of 50 career touchdowns.
· Faulk moves into second place in the SEC in career rushing touchdowns with 45, trailing only Georgia’s Herschel Walker, who rushed for 49 touchdowns from 1980-82. Faulk also set the LSU record for most points scored in a career with 306.
· David Given’s first-quarter 22-yard touchdown run was his first career touchdown on his fourth career carry. The run also was the longest of his career (seven yards vs. Michigan State).
· Kevin Faulk’s 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was first by a Notre Dame opponent in 21 since Georgia Tech’s Eddie Lee Ivory went 97 yards Nov. 5, 1977, in Notre Dame’s 69-14 win at Notre Dame Stadium.
· Faulk’s kickoff return was the first by LSU in a regular-season game since Eric Martin against Kentucky in 1981. Eddie Kennison returned a kickoff for a touchdown versus Michigan State in the 1995 Independence Bowl.
· Autry Denson has moved into 32nd-place on the NCAA career rushing list with 4,272 yards after entering the game 35th.
· Autry Denson’s third-quarter touchdown was his 15th rushing touchdown of the season, two behind Allen Pinkett (1984) and Vagas Ferguson’s (1979) single-season school record of 17.
· Autry Denson has scored at least one touchdown in all 10 games this season.
· With his third-quarter touchdown reception, Malcolm Johnson became the first Irish receiver ever to score in six straight games.
· Notre Dame’s defense had not allowed a third-quarter touchdown this season until LSU scored two touchdowns in the third quarter. The Irish had outscored their opponents 81-3 in the quarter this season until both teams scored 13 points in the third quarter.
· Bobbie Howard’s 89-yard interception return for a touchdown was the fifth longest in Notre Dame history and the longest since Luther Bradley had a 99-yard return for a touchdown against Purdue in 1975.
· Howard’s inception return for a touchdown was the first against LSU since Florida’s Anthony Lock in 1994.
· Seven kicks were either blocked or missed in the game. LSU’s Chris Chauvin had extra points blocked by Brock Williams in second and third quarters, and Danny Boyd missed a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame’s Jim Sanson had a field goal blocked by Arnold Miller in first quarter, missed a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter, missed an extra point in third quarter and had an extra point blocked by Allen Kenderick in the fourth quarter.
· There have been a total of 17 failed extra-point attempts in LSU games this year, nine by the Tigers and eight by their opponents.