Sept. 4, 2016

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Notre Dame at Texas
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Stadium
Austin, Texas
September 4, 2016

TEAM NOTES

  • For the fourth consecutive season, Notre Dame did not turn the ball over in the season opener. The Irish have now played 279:02 (plus two overtime periods) since their last Opening Day turnover, an Everett Golson interception in the second quarter of the 2012 season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland. This game is the first time the Irish have lost a game under Brian Kelly when not committing a turnover (now 19-1).
  • Prior to tonight, the last time that the Irish scored on a blocked extra point attempts came on Sept. 23, 1995, against Texas when Dallas native Allen Rossum scored from 98 yards out.
  • Tonight’s attendance of 102,315 is a sellout and a Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium record. It is the third time in the last four road games where Notre Dame has been a part of its host’s facility record, joining a Temple crowd of 69,280 at Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 31, 2015, and a Heinz Field-era Pitt record of 68,400 on Nov. 7, 2015. Every Notre Dame game — home, away and neutral — has sold out since the 2014 game at USC.
  • This upcoming Saturday, Notre Dame will welcome its 250th consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium, a streak that began following the 1973 season.
  • The Irish drop to 5-2 in season-openers under Brian Kelly and 1-1 against Texas. Notre Dame is now 106-17-5 all-time in season openers.
  • Notre Dame’s only other overtime season-opener came in 2003 when the Irish needed a single extra session to defeat Washington State, 29-26, at Notre Dame Stadium on a 40-yard field goal by Nicholas Setta.
  • The Irish fall to 5-10 all-time in overtime games.
  • Notre Dame is now 9-3 all-time against the Longhorns, joining Vanderbilt (8-3-1) and Kansas State (9-7) as the only teams to have faced Texas at least 10 times and hold a winning record.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

  • Equanimeous St. Brown made his first career TD catch to cap the first drive of the game.
  • Tarean Folston’s 54-yard run on the game’s opening drive marked his career-long.
  • Kizer threw five TD passes tonight, tying the school record for a road game which he previously held a share of after throwing five TDs last year at Pittsburgh.
  • Shaun Crawford made his first career interception midway through the third quarter.
  • Torii Hunter Jr. caught his fourth career TD pass three plays after the Crawford INT. All four of his TDs have come away from Notre Dame Stadium (2014 vs. Syracuse at MetLife Stadium, 2015 at Clemson and Pitt, 2016 at Texas).
  • Nyles Morgan’s tackles tonight are a career-high, eclipsing the 11 he had at USC on Nov. 29, 2014, a game in which he only played in the second half.
  • The blocked field goal against Justin Yoon in the third quarter snapped a string of 12 consecutive makes dating back to the Sept. 12, 2015, game at Virginia. It is the fourth-longest run in school history.
  • Josh Adams’ go-ahead TD catch with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter was his second career TD grab with the other coming on Nov. 7, 2015, in a win at Pittsburgh.
  • Justin Yoon handled kickoffs for the first time this evening. Punter Tyler Newsome handled the 2015 kickoff chores.
  • Jarron Jones blocked his fifth career kick on the fourth quarter PAT.
  • CJ Sanders’ OT TD catch was the first of his career. Sanders had both a punt return and a kickoff return TD in 2015.
  • Isaac Rochell had a career-high 2.5 TFLs.
  • Notre Dame had seven first-time starters tonight in CB Nick Coleman, CB Shaun Crawford, WR Corey Holmes, RG Colin McGovern, C Sam Mustipher, S Avery Sebastian and WR Equanimeous St. Brown.
  • Senior LB James Onwualu was selected to wear the uniform number one tonight. The honor will be awarded weekly to the player who best represents the ideals of the program on and off of the field.
  • Players making their collegiate debuts for the Irish tonight include DL Daelin Hayes, , S Devin Studstill, CB Shaun Crawford, S Jalen Elliott, LB Asmar Bilal, CB Ashton White, CB Julian Love, WR Kevin Stepherson, LB Josh Barajas, S Spencer Perry, DL Julian Okwara, WR Miles Boykin and WR Chase Claypool.
  • Dallas native and 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown was on the Irish sidelines tonight. Among the luminaries from the 2015 Irish team on the sideline tonight were current Dallas Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith and WR Chris Brown along with Houston Texans WR Will Fuller.