Oct. 4, 2008

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Notre Dame won the coin toss and elected to defer. Stanford will receive and the Irish will defend the North end zone.

The game was officially sold out making it the 203rd consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium. Since 1966, every Notre Dame home football game has been a sellout except one – a 1973 Thanksgiving Day game vs. Air Force. The Irish have now played in front of sellouts in 251 of their last 252 home games.

TODAY’S VICTORY…

  • Make Notre Dame 4-1 for the first time since 2006 and fourth time in the past five years (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008).
  • Give the Irish their fifth straight victory inside Notre Dame Stadium.
  • Give Notre Dame four straight victories at Notre Dame Stadium to open the season for the first time since 2002.
  • Give the Irish a victory over Stanford for the seventh consecutive year and eighth time in the previous nine meetings.
  • Improve the all-time record for Notre Dame to 9-2 (.818) against Stanford the week after facing Purdue.
  • Improve the all-time record for the Irish to 8-2 (.800) against Stanford the week after beating Purdue and 5-2 (.714) in such meetings in Notre Dame Stadium.
  • Improve Notre Dame to 17-3 (.850) under Weis coming off a victory.
  • Improve the Irish to 17-6 (.739) in the all-time series with Stanford.
  • Improve Notre Dame to 10-2 (.833) in the all-time series with the Cardinal in South Bend with all the meetings taking place in Notre Dame Stadium.
  • Give Notre Dame its seventh consecutive victory over Stanford in Notre Dame Stadium.
  • Improve an unranked Irish squad (post 1932) to 4-3 (.571) all-time against Stanford (extending their winning streak to four in such meetings).
  • Improve an unranked Notre Dame squad to 3-0 (1.000) all-time against the Cardinal in Notre Dame Stadium.
  • Improve Notre Dame to 5-2 (.714) all-time against Stanford when both teams are unranked.
  • Improve Notre Dame to 3-0 (1.000) all-time against the Cardinal in Notre Dame Stadium when both teams are unranked.
  • Improve Notre Dame to 79-41-6 (.651) all-time against the Pac-10 Conference.
  • Improve Notre Dame’s all-time home record against the Pac-10 to 45-15-1 (.746).
  • Improve Weis’ record to 26-16 overall (.619), 4-0 (1.000) against Stanford and 7-3 (.700) against the Pac-10 Conference.
  • Improve Weis’ overall home record to 15-9 (.625) and his home record against the Pac-10 Conference to 3-2 (.600).
  • Improve Weis’ record to 8-4 (.667) in October games.
  • Improve Weis’ record to 19-13 (.594) in afternoon games.
  • Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record to 828-279-42 (.739).
  • Improve Notre Dame’s all-time record at Notre Dame Stadium to 302-96-5 (.756).

NOTRE DAME’S RECORD WHEN…

2008 Weis Era 2008 Weis Era
At Home 4-0 15-9 In Overtime 0-0 0-2
Coming off a win 2-1 17-3 Neither team is ranked 4-1 6-6
In October 1-0 8-4 On Television 4-1 26-16
On NBC 4-0 15-9 Afternoon Games 4-1 21-13
Decided By 7 or Less 1-0 6-3 Scoring First 2-0 17-4
Opponent Scores First 2-1 9-12 Leading At Halftime 2-0 18-2
Tied At Halftime 2-0 4-0 Trailing At Halftime 0-1 4-14
Leading After 3 Qtrs. 3-0 20-1 Tied After 3 Qtrs. 0-0 1-1
Trailing After 3 Qtrs. 1-1 5-14 Scoring 40+ Points 0-0 9-2
Scoring 30+ Points 2-0 18-3 Scoring 20-29 Points 2-0 15-6
Scoring 0-19 Points 0-1 2-10 Allowing 40+ Points 0-0 0-6
Allowing 30+ Points 0-0 2-13 Allowing 20-29 Points 2-1 10-5
Allowing 0-19 Points 2-0 15-0 Outrushing Opponent 2-0 12-0
Getting Outrushed 2-1 14-16 Passing For More Yds 1-1 19-8
Passing For Fewer Yds 3-0 7-8 Outgaining Opponent 2-0 17-3
Getting Outgained 2-1 9-12 Winning Time of Poss. 3-0 19-4
Losing Time of Poss. 1-1 7-12 Scoring a Def./ST TD 2-0 10-3
Allowing a Def./ST TD 0-0 2-6 Fewer Penalty Yards 2-1 12-10
More Penalty Yards 2-0 14-6 Winning Turnover Battle 3-0 19-5
Losing Turnover Battle 1-1 4-8 Individual 100-yd rusher 1-0 14-4
Individual 100-yard receiver 3-0 15-4 Individual 200-yd passer 3-1 22-7
Opponent 100-yard rusher 2-1 5-12 Opponent 100-yd receiver 1-0 11-6
Opponent 200-yard passer 3-0 12-9

I’LL TAKE THAT, THANK YOU

  • Notre Dame forced a pair of Stanford turnovers in the first quarter and a third late in the second, but converted just one into points. The Irish marched 80 yards following senior David Bruton’s interception. Notre Dame has now forced 13 turnovers already this season over its first five games (the Irish forced 25 turnovers in 12 games last year). Notre Dame has converted six of those 13 turnovers into 42 points on six touchdowns.
  • The Irish picked off three passes in the first half. Notre Dame had not picked off three passes in a single half since at UCLA on Oct. 6, 2007 (had four interceptions in that game – all in the second half).

TICK, TICK, TICK
Stanford’s initial scoring drive of the afternoon went for 95 yards on 14 plays and took 7:02 off the game clock. The drive is the longest of the season in terms of yards and time of possession. It is actually the longest drive by an Irish opponent since Ohio State marched 98 yards in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. Navy had a scoring drive that lasted 8:23 on Nov. 3, 2007.

MORE, MORE BIG PLAYS
Notre Dame entered today’s contest with 13 passing plays of over 20 yards. The Irish totaled five in the opening 30 minutes alone against the Cardinal. In fact, Notre Dame has recorded 11 over its last two games (had five last week against Purdue). The Irish now have 19 for the season after recording just 28 all of 2007.

THIRD QUARTER DOMINANCE AGAIN
Notre Dame surrendered 132 rushing yards on 23 carries in the first half today (5.7 average per rush), but limited the Cardinal to minus-three yards rushing on seven carries in the third quarter. The Cardinal totaled 208 yards in the opening half and averaged 5.5 yards per play, but managed just minus-three total yards in the third quarter.

IRISH BRING SACK LUNCH
Notre Dame entered today’s game with just one sack on the season and ranked 118th in the NCAA FBS in sacks. The Irish sacked Stanford quarterbacks five times on the afternoon.

CHECKING THE WEIS ERA RECORD BOOK

  • 29 pass completions by Notre Dame tied for fifth under Weis’ tenure, matching two totals from the 2006 campaign (Purdue and vs. Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl)
  • The 40 pass attempts by the Irish ties for tenth under Weis, matching 40 attempts against Air Force in 2007
  • The attempts and completions combined for the sixth highest completion percentage under Weis. The Irish completed 72.5% of their passes today
  • The three passes picked off by the Irish were good for the second highest interception total under Weis. The only contest in which the Irish had more was at UCLA in 2007 when Notre Dame picked off four Bruin passes
  • The five sacks for the Irish ties for the second most during the Weis years. Interestingly, the only time the Irish have surpassed five sacks under Weis was in 2005 at Stanford (seven sacks) and this marks the third time the Irish have recorded five sacks against the Cardinal.
  • Clausen’s three touchdown passes tie for seventh most under Weis, following several Brady Quinn performances while matching Clausen’s career best
  • Kyle McCarthy’s 14 tackles ties for ninth-best under Weis, matching several other individual performances including his own against San Diego State this season

IRISH ITEMS

Armando Allen, So., RB

  • The 20-yard reception on Notre Dame’s opening drive of first quarter was the longest of his career
  • He quickly bested that career-best reception with a 21-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Jimmy Clausen to give the Irish a 7-0 lead with 7:56 to go in the first quarter
  • The touchdown was his first receiving of the season and second of career
  • Allen added his third touchdown of the season on a three-yard rush with 6:12 to go in the first half to give Notre Dame a 14-7 lead
  • The touchdown was Allen’s third overall and second rushing of the season
  • Allen now has four career touchdowns
  • Recorded his first career multi-touchdown game of his career
  • His seven receptions are a career-high (previous high was six set last season on Sept. 8 at Penn State)

Allen set single-season school records for kickoff returns (33) and kickoff return yards (704) in 2007. He broke the previous school record for kickoff returns in a single-season of 26 held by Julius Jones (1999) and Tim Brown’s previous school record of 698 kickoff return yards in 1986. In fact, his 48 kickoff returns already rank fourth in Notre Dame career history while his 1,056 kickoff return yards rank seventh.

Kickoff Returns Career Kickoff Return Yards Career
1. Julius Jones 72-1678 (1999-2001, ’03) 1. Julius Jones 72-1678 (1999-2001, ’03)
2. Tim Brown 69-1613 (1984-87) 2. Tim Brown 69-1613 (1984-87)
3. Jim Stone 49-1079 (1977-80) 3. Raghib Ismail 46-1271 (1988-90)
4. Armando Allen 48-1056 (2007-) 4. Vontez Duff 47-1230 (2000-03)
5. Vontez Duff 47-1230 (2000-03) 5. Tony Driver 47-1083 (1997-2000)
Tony Driver 47-1083 (1997-2000) 6. Jim Stone 49-1079 (1977-80)
7. Raghib Ismail 46-1271 (1988-90) 7. Armando Allen 48-1056 (2007-)
8. Terry Eurick 32-739 (1974-77) 8. Allen Rossum 29-891 (1994-97)
8. Terry Eurick 32-739 (1974-77) 9. Emmett Mosley 30-778 (1993-96)
Clint Johnson 27-778 (1990-93)

Sergio Brown, Jr., FS

  • Picked up his first career sack late in the second quarter

David Bruton, Sr., FS

  • Recorded the 16th start of his career
  • Has started eight consecutive games for the Irish
  • Recorded his second interception of the season and fifth of his career
  • Has forced a turnover (forced fumble or interception) in three of Notre Dame’s foive games
  • All four of his forced turnovers (two interceptions, two forced fumbles) have taken place inside the Irish 20-yard line

Jimmy Clausen, So., QB

  • Recorded the 14th start of his career
  • Has started eight consecutive games for the Irish
  • Connected with sophomore Armando Allen for a 21-yard touchdown pass to give Notre Dame a 7-0 lead at 7:56 of the first quarter
  • Clausen went 3-of-3 passing for 65 yards on the scoring drive
  • He connected with freshman Michael Floyd for a 48-yard touchdown pass with 3:40 to go in the first half to give Notre Dame a 21-7 lead
  • Finished the first half 16-of-21 for 221 yards and two touchdowns
  • Surpassed 300 yards for the first time in his career
  • Became the first Irish quarterback other than Brady Quinn to eclipse 300 yards passing in a single game since Jarius Jackson threw for 317 against Pittsburgh onNov. 13, 1999
  • Hooked up with freshman Kyle Rudolph for a 16-yard scoring strike with 4:30 left in the third quarter
  • The touchdown pass was Clausen’s 12th of the season and 19th of his career
  • Clausen has now registered multi-touchdown passes on six different occasions over his career – all over Notre Dame’s last eight games
  • In fact, he has thrown at least three TD passes three times in 2007 and five times in his career — all over Notre Dame’s last eight games
  • Has thrown for a total of 622 yards over the last two Irish games (275 last week against Purdue and 347 this week against Stanford)
  • It is the most passing yards by a Notre Dame quarterback in consecutive weeks since Brady Quinn totaled 641 in victories over Navy and North Carolina in 2006.
  • The 29 completions are a career-high
First Seven Starts Last Seven Games
Completions 99 139
Attempts 175 225
Completion Percentage 56.6% 61.8%
Passing Yards 830 1,638
Touchdowns 4 15
Interceptions 5 7
Passing Yards Per Game 118.6 234.0
Efficiency Rating 98.2 138.7
Notre Dame’s Record 1-6 6-1

Maurice Crum, Jr., Sr., LB

  • Recorded the 42nd start of his career
  • His 42 consecutive starts are the longest streak on the team and seventh-longest among current NCAA FBS players
  • Has started every game of his career and all 42 games for the Irish over the past four seasons

Darius Fleming, Fr., OLB

  • Picked up his first career sack late in the second quarter

Michael Floyd, So., WR

  • Recorded his fourth consecutive start
  • Picked up his third career receiving touchdown on a 48-yard pass from sophomore Jimmy Clausen
  • The 48-yard catch was the longest of his career
  • Eclipsed 100 yards receiving for the second time in his career and second consecutive week
  • Became the first Notre Dame wideout to eclipse 100 yards in consecutive weeks since Jeff Samardzija on Nov. 4 (North Carolina) and Nov. 11 (Air Force) of 2006
  • Became the first Irish freshman wide receiver with consecutive 100 yard receiving games since Joe Howard on Oct. 31 (Navy) and Nov. 7 (Georgia Tech) of 1981

Freshman WR Michael Floyd is on pace to shatter rookie receiving marks in receptions and touchdowns. He also has a chance to eclipse Tony Hunter’s freshman record for receiving yards.

Player (Year) Rec. Yds. Avg. TD
Michael Floyd (2008) 53 884 16.8 7
Duval Kamara (2007) *32 357 11.2 *4
Tony Hunter (1979) 27 *690 25.6 2

David Grimes, Sr., WR

  • Recorded the 19th start of his career

Pat Kuntz, Sr., DE

  • Recorded the 15th start of his career
  • Registered his first career interception
  • First interception by a Notre Dame defensive lineman since Trevor Laws against USC on Nov. 25, 2006
  • After leading all NCAA FBS defensive lineman with nine pass breakups in 2007, picked up his first of the season early in the third quarter (now has nine for his career)

Terrail Lambert, Sr., CB

  • Recorded the 27th start of his career
  • His 27 consecutive starts are the third-longest streak on the team (only trails senior Maurice Crum’s 42 straight starts and junior Sam Young’s 30)

Eric Maust, Jr., P

  • Pinned Stanford at the five-yard line following a 34-yard punt with 2:53 left in the first quarter
  • The punt was his eighth downed inside the 20-yard line of the season and 17th of his career (on just 40 career punts)
  • Kyle McCarthy, Sr., LB

    • Picked off his first pass of the season and second of his career
    • Eclipsed 10 or more tackles for third time this season and career

    Kyle Rudolph, Fr., TE

    • Recorded his fifth consecutive start
    • The 24-yard reception on Notre Dame’s opening drive of first quarter was the longest of his career
    • Set personal bests in receptions (five) and receiving yards (70)

    Notre Dame rookies tight ends (Brown and McAfee each were named first team All-Americans later in their career).

    Player, Year Rec. Yds TD
    Kyle Rudolph, 2008 23 268 4
    Derek Brown, 1988 12 150 3
    Dean Masztak, 1978 13 236 0
    Ken McAfee, 1974 14 146 1

    Harrison Smith, So., FS

    • Registered his first career rush on a fake punt late in the third quarter
    • Carried it 23 yards

    Mike Turkovich, Sr., OL

    • Recorded the 17th start of his career
    • His 17 consecutive starts are the fourth-longest streak on the team (only trails senior Maurice Crum, 42, junior Sam Young, 30, and senior Terrail Lambert, 27)

    Sam Young, Jr., OL

    • Recorded the 30th start of his career
    • His 30 consecutive starts are the second-longest streak on the team (only trails senior Maurice Crum’s 42 straight starts)
    • Has started every game of his career and all 30 games for the Irish over the past three seasons