Dec. 28, 2013

Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery

TEAM NOTES

• Notre Dame is now 5-0 all-time against Rutgers. The Irish improve to 16-17 all-time in bowl appearances.
• Notre Dame is now 17-6-3 at both Yankee Stadiums and 2-0 at the New Yankee Stadium.
• The Irish improve to 29-6 over their last 35 games.
• Brian Kelly is now 11-2 in December in his career.
• The current senior class has won 37 games, which is the most since the Class of 1994 also won 37 contests.
• Brian Kelly now has 37 wins at Notre Dame, which ties Lou Holtz and Dan Devine for most ever by a Notre Dame coach in his first four seasons.
• Notre Dame set a season high in both total plays (90) and first downs (31) in the bowl game. The previous high for total plays was 75 against Arizona State and the previous season high for first downs was 25 against Navy. The 31 first downs are also a bowl game record for the Irish. Notre Dame had 28 first downs in the 1993 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M.
• The Irish defense held Rutgers to 10 of 29 passing in the game, which is a 34.9 completion percentage. That percentage is a season low for Notre Dame opponents. The previous low was 44.4% (16 of 36) by Michigan State.
• Nine different Notre Dame players caught a pass in the first half alone. The previous high this year for one game was eight, done four times and last at Air Force on Oct. 26.
• Notre Dame intercepted Rutgers four times in the game. It is the first time this season that the Irish have intercepted three or more passes in one contest. The last time Notre Dame registered at least four interceptions in a game was September 22, 2012 against Michigan when they had five.
• Notre Dame is now 9-0 on the season when it rushes the ball 30 or more times in the contest after they ran the ball 43 times against Rutgers. The Irish have now won 21 consecutive games when they have 30 or more rushing attempts in the game. Conversely, the Irish have lost their last six games when rushing the ball less than 30 times.
• The Irish marched 90 yards for a field goal over the third and fourth quarters. It is the team’s fifth scoring drive of at least 90 yards this year and the first since a 91-yard march at Air Force on Oct. 26.
• Notre Dame has now scored first in each of the last five games. The Irish started the year by scoring first in just two out of eight contests. The Irish are now 5-2 this year when scoring first.
• Notre Dame and Rutgers were tied at halftime today. The last time that the Irish were deadlocked with a foe at intermission was Sept. 8, 2012 against Purdue. The Irish went on to beat the Boilermakers, 20-17.
• The first quarter fumble by TJ Jones was just Notre Dame’s fourth fumble of the year. The Irish entered the game tied with Wisconsin for the fewest in the nation at three.
• Max Redfield became the 19th different Notre Dame player to start a game on defense this year.
• The Irish have 13 interceptions this year by eight different players.
• Today’s attendance of 47,122 marks the first sell out in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl’s four years of existence.
• This is the first of two straight Saturdays where a Notre Dame team will play in an MLB park. Next Saturday, Jan. 4, the Irish hockey team will face Boston College in a Frozen Fenway contest.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Tommy Rees eclipsed 3,000 passing yards on the season. He is the third Irish quarterback to hit that plateau joining Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen.
• With his 319 yards passing in today’s contest, Tommy Rees now has 7,670 career passing yards. Rees passed Ron Powlus for third on the all-time career passing yards list with his performance today.
• Tommy Rees recorded his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season and the seventh of his career. Rees is now tied with Brady Quinn for second place on the all-time list of 300-yard passing yard games in a season.
• Rees has 683 yards passing in bowl games over the course of his career (201 vs. Miami (2010), 163 vs. FSU (2011) and 319 vs. Rutgers (2013)), which is a program record for most career passing yards in bowl games.
• Rees set a bowl game record with 47 pass attempts in the contest. The previous high was 45 by Brady Quinn vs. Ohio State in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.
• Rees joins Tom Clements, Joe Montana, Tony Rice and Rick Mirer as the only Notre Dame quarterbacks with two career bowl game wins as a starter.
• With his five receptions in today’s contest, TJ Jones now has 181 career receptions, passing Jeff Samardzija for second on the all-time career receptions list in Notre Dame history.
• Stephon Tuitt is now tied for third place on the career sacks list in program history as he collected one and a half sacks against Rutgers for a career total of 21.5 sacks. He is tied with Victor Abiamiri who also had 21.5 sacks in his career from 2003-06.
• Brindza moved into third place in school history for the most career goals, passing Craig Hentrich and Dave Reeve who each made 39 for the Irish. He now has 20 on the year, which is the third most in program history for one season. Brindza converted 23 field goals in 2012, which is the program record for made field goals in a single season.
• Brindza’s five field goals today ties his career high of five field goals in one contest, which he previously accomplished at USC in 2012. Five field goals is the school record, now done six times. Brindza also connected on two PATs in the game for 17 total points scored, which is a career high. That total ties the career high for points in a game by a kicker with Nick Taush (vs. Washington, Oct. 3, 2009), Nicholas Setta (vs. Washington State, Sept. 6, 2003) and Hentrich (vs. Miami (Fla.), Oct. 20, 1990).
• This is the fourth time that Brindza has had at least three field goals in a game this season and the seventh time in his career.
• Brindza’s efforts today set Notre Dame bowl records for most field goals made and points by a kicker. The previous benchmarks were three and 12, respectively. Brindza also is now tied for most field goals made in Irish bowl game history with five. Scott Cengia made five field goals over the course of the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, the 1996 Orange Bowl and the 1997 Independence Bowl.
• Brindza finished the season perfect on point after tries at 38-for-38.
• Max Redfield made his first career start today at safety.
• C.J. Prosise, Jr. had his first catch since the Nov. 2 game against Navy on the game’s first play. He made his third career start today.
• Dan Fox intercepted his second career pass late in the fourth quarter. Fox’s other interception in his career came earlier this season against Arizona State.
• Kendall Moore made his first career interception during the second quarter.
• KeiVarae Russell had his first interception of the season and the third of his career.
• Sheldon Day and Kona Schwenke split an early third quarter sack. It was the first sack of the year for both.
• Chris Brown set a career high with his five receptions today.