Nov. 6, 2004

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NOTRE DAME GAME NOTES

• Notre Dame game captains: Mike Goolsby, Ryan Grant, Mark LeVoir, Justin Tuck
• Matt Shelton started in place of Justin Hoskins on kick-off returns. Hoskins did not make the trip.
• Cornerback Mike Richardson started the game as the Irish defense began in a nickel package.
• Marcus Wilson’s 18-yard reception in the first quarter was his first of the season. Twenty players have had a reception for the Irish so far this season.
• Notre Dame’s 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the fourth time this season that the Irish have led following the first period of play. Notre Dame was also on top versus Michigan State (14-7), Washington (21-0) and Navy (14-0) and the conclusion of the opening period.
• Justin Tuck’s second quarter sack moved him to the top of Notre Dame’s all-time sack list with 23.5 sacks. He had been tied with Kory Minor for the lead. Tuck added to the mark with another sack in the same quarter to register his second multi-sack game of the season (BYU) and the seventh of his career.
• Today marked the fifth time that Notre Dame has trailed at halftime this season. The Irish are 3-2 in those games.
• Mike Goolsby’s 26-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first score of his career and was the third defensive score for Notre Dame this season. The other two scores were Preston Jackson’s 38-yard interception return versus BYU and Tom Zbikowski’s 75-yard fumble return against Michigan State.
• The Irish held a 14-13 lead entering the fourth quarter. Notre Dame is 4-1 this season when entering the final period with an advantage.
• Darius Walker’s 70 rushing yards moves him into third place all-time on the Notre Dame freshman rushing yardage list with 567. Autry Denson is second with 695. o Today’s attendance was 107,266. It was the largest crowd Notre Dame has played in front of since they faced Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sept. 13, 2003. o Since 1984, Notre Dame is now 24-2 (.923) in regular season games following a regularly scheduled bye week. o Following his 12 completions today, Quinn now has 144 completed passes this season, which is good for sixth all-time on Notre Dame’s single season completions list. He stands three completions ahead of Joe Montana’s total of 141 in the 1978 season. Steve Beuerlein is fifth with 151 in 1986.

NOTRE DAME-TENNESSEE SERIES HISTORY

• Tennessee leads the series with Notre Dame, 4-3. The series record is tied at two apiece in games at Neyland Stadium.
• The series resumed this season after a two-year hiatus.
• Four of the last five games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
• In the last meeting previous to today’s between UT and Notre Dame, the Volunteers took a 28-18 victory at Notre Dame Stadium in 2001.
• This game was Notre Dame’s first appearance in Knoxville since a 38-14 loss in 1999.
• Notre Dame’s last win previous to today’s over Tennessee came in Knoxville, a 34-29 victory by the top-ranked Irish over the ninth-ranked Volunteers.

NOTRE DAME VS. THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

• Notre Dame has won 63 percent of its games (20-12-0) vs. teams that currently make up the Southeastern Conference, with 16 of those games coming vs. LSU (9) and Tennessee (7).
• This is the only meeting Notre Dame will have against an SEC opponent this season and the first contest against an SEC school since the Irish lost to the Volunteers by a 28-13 score on Nov. 3, 2001.
• Notre Dame owns a .500 or better record against five of the eight SEC teams it has faced.
• The Irish are 8-6 (.571) all-time on the road against current SEC teams.
• Tennessee (4-3) and Georgia (1-0) are the only SEC schools to have winning records against Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame has played the following SEC schools: Alabama (5-1), Florida (1-0), Georgia (0-1), LSU (5-4), Mississippi (1-1), South Carolina (3-1), Tennessee (3-4) and Vanderbilt (2-0).

RANK AND FILE
Notre Dame’s penchant for playing the best teams in the country is well known. In fact, over the last 18 seasons (1987-2004), the Irish have played 85 games against ranked opponents, an average of nearly five games per season. Notre Dame has posted a record of 45-38-2 (.542) in those games, including a 23-13-1 (.635) mark against ranked teams at home. Here’s a breakdown of how the Irish have done against Top 25 teams over the past 18 years:

Season Home Road/Ntrl. Total1987 2-0 1-2 3-21988 2-0 2-0 4-01989 3-0 3-1 6-11990 2-1 3-1 5-21991 1-1 1-2 2-31992 2-1-1 2-0 4-1-11993 1-1 2-0 3-11994 0-1 0-2-1 0-3-11995 2-0 1-2 3-2Season Home Road/Ntrl. Total1996 1-1 1-0 2-11997 1-1 1-3 2-41998 1-0 0-1 1-11999 1-1 0-3 1-42000 2-1 0-2 2-32001 0-1 0-2 0-32002 1-0 3-2 4-22003 1-2 0-2 1-42004 1-1 1-0 1-1Totals 23-13-1 22-25-1 45-38-2