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Notre Dame vs. Navy
October 23, 2010
Fighting Irish Post Game Notes

TODAY’S DEFEAT

• Gives the Irish a record of 4-4 for the first time since 1986.
• Denies Notre Dame a four-game winning streak, which would have been its longest since winning eight consecutive games from Sept. 23-Nov. 18, 2006.
• Snaps a 23-game winning streak for the Irish against Navy in meetings away from Notre Dame Stadium.
• Snaps Notre Dame’s 10-game winning streak in regular season neutral site games, which began following a 23-16 defeat against Florida State in Orlando on Nov. 12, 1994.
• Snaps an 11-game winning streak for the Irish in games played in East Rutherford, N.J.
• Drops Notre Dame to 71-12-1 (.851) in the all-time series with Navy.
• Drops the Irish to 45-7-1 (.859) in the all-time series with Navy on a neutral field.
• Drops Notre Dame to 6-1-0 (.857) in the all-time series with the Midshipmen in East Rutherford.
• Drops an unranked Irish squad to 17-6-0 (.739) all-time against Navy.
• Drops an unranked Notre Dame squad to 8-3-0 (.727) all-time against the Midshipmen on a neutral field.
• Drops an unranked Irish squad to 16-4-0 (.800) all-time against an unranked Navy squad.
• Drops an unranked Notre Dame squad to 7-2-0 (.778) all-time against the Midshipmen when also unranked on a neutral field.
• Drops the Irish to 130-26-5 (.823) all-time against the Service Academies (Army, Air Force and Navy).
• Drops Notre Dame to 67-12-4 (.831) all-time against the Service Academies on a neutral field.
• Drops the Irish to 86-16-5 (.827) all-time against the Service Academies away from South Bend, Ind.
• Drops Kelly’s record to 175-61-2 (.740) overall, 57-26 (.687) at the FBS level and 37-10 (.787) over the last four seasons.
• Drops Notre Dame’s all-time record to 841-294-42 (.732).
• Drops the all-time record for the Irish in East Rutherford, N.J. to 11-1-0 (.917).
• Drops Notre Dame’s all-time neutral record to 108-36-6 (.740).

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

• Notre Dame and Navy will be the second college football game to be played in the new Meadowlands Stadium. The Irish last played in the old Meadowlands Stadium in 2004, when Notre Dame downed Navy, 27-9.
• The Irish posted a perfect 11-0 record in the previous facility that served as the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets. Notre Dame’s victories in the facility included six over Navy (1980, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1992 and 2004), three over Army (1977, 1983 and 1995) and one each over Virginia (1989) and Maryland (2002).
• Notre Dame is now 14-5-2 (.714) when playing in a current NFL stadium (New Meadowlands 0-1-0, Soldier Field 9-0-2, Gator Bowl/Alltel Stadium 1-2, Superdome 1-2, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium/FedEx Field 1-0, Ravens/M&T Bank Stadium 2-0).
• Overall, the Irish are 66-19-3 (.767) when playing in a NFL Stadium (New Meadowlands 0-1-0, Baltimore Municipal Stadium 18-4-0, Briggs Stadium 1-0-0, Cotton Bowl 1-1, Cleveland 9-1-1, Foxboro 1-0-0, Sun Devil Stadium 1-3-0, Meadowlands 11-0-0, Soldier Field 9-0-2, Gator Bowl/Alltel Stadium 1-2, Superdome 1-2, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium/FedEx Field 1-0, Hoosier/RCA Dome 0-1, Orange Bowl 2-3, JFK/Veterans Stadium 10-1-0).

NEW JERSEY AND U(ND): PERFECT TOGETHER NO LONGER

• Notre Dame dropped its first-ever game played in New Jersey.
• The Irish entered the Navy game with a 14-0 all-time record in New Jersey, including an 11-0 mark in the old Meadowlands Stadium. Of the other three Irish wins in the Garden State, two came at Princeton’s Palmer Stadium in 1923 (25-2) and 1924 (12-0), and the third was a 45-17 triumph at Rutgers Stadium in 2000.

WHO NEEDS A PUNTER?

• Notre Dame has had little difficulty mounting up points (189) and yards (2,566) in its meetings with Navy the past six seasons. The Irish punted just once this afternoon. Notre Dame was not forced to punt against the Midshipmen in either of the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 games. Notre Dame ran 71 plays over 11 drives in 2009, 90 plays over nine drives in 2007, 62 plays over 10 drives in the 2006 and 70 plays over nine drives in 2005.
• Notre Dame did punt three times in its 2008 victory over the Midshipmen. The Irish actually went 230 offensive plays against Navy between punts.

NOTRE DAME VS. SERVICE ACADEMIES

• Notre Dame has won almost 83 percent of its games (130-26-5) vs. teams from the three service academies (Army, Navy and Air Force).
• The Irish have won 16 of their last 20 games against the service academies, and they are 37-5 (.881) against these schools since 1986 (including an 18-4 mark at home). The only defeats in that time were a 20-17 overtime setback against Air Force in 1996 at Notre Dame Stadium, the 2007 meetings with both Navy (44-46, 3ot) and Air Force (24-41), last year’s contest with the Midshipmen (21-23) and this season’s matchup with Navy.
• More than half (83) of Notre Dame’s 161 games against service academies, and more than half of its victories (71) have come against Navy, part of the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the country.
• Notre Dame will face Army on Nov. 20 later this season in the new Yankee Stadium. It will serve as the first-ever college football game in the new stadium. The Irish and Black Knights played at the old Yankee Stadium nearly every year from 1925-1946, when they were often two of the most powerful teams in the country.

NOTRE DAME – NAVY SERIES HISTORY

• Notre Dame won 43 consecutive games in the series from 1964-2006. Navy’s previous victory came on Nov. 2, 1963, when Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach helped Navy claim a 35-14 victory at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame’s 43 straight wins rank as the longest winning streak by one team over another in NCAA history.
• In addition to the 31 series games at Notre Dame, the schools have met in seven other American cities (Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, East Rutherford (N.J.), Orlando, Philadelphia and Raljon, Md.) as well as Dublin, Ireland. Notre Dame is 45-7-1 (.859) against Navy at neutral sites, including a 24-game winning streak that began with a 20-12 Irish win at Philadelphia’s Municipal (John F. Kennedy) Stadium in 1962 and ended this afternoon.

NOTRE DAME – NAVY SERIES NOTES

• Notre Dame and Navy played one another for the 84th straight year on Saturday, making it the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the country. The Irish hold a 71-12-1 (.851) edge in the series. Notre Dame has won 44 of the last 47 meetings in the series, but the Midshipmen snapped a 43-game Irish winning streak in the series (NCAA record for longest streak against one opponent) in the 2007 meeting at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame and Navy have met every year since 1927, playing 53 times at neutral sites and 31 times at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Navy and Notre Dame is the longest series in Irish football history (84 meetings). Notre Dame has faced Purdue 82 times and USC 81 times.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Notre Dame won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Midshipmen will defend the South end zone.
• Captains for the game were junior CB Robert Blanton and sophomore OT Zack Martin.
• Notre Dame played without junior TE Kyle Rudolph, sophomore WR Theo Riddick and junior WR Michael Floyd. The trio entered today’s game as the top three receivers for the Irish on the year. They had combined for 110 receptions and 1,358 yards and 12 touchdowns over the first seven games of the season. Rudolph, Riddick and Floyd had accounted for 67.7 percent of Notre Dame’s receiving yards, 66.3 percent of Notre Dame’s receptions and 80 percent of Notre Dame’s receiving touchdowns this year.
• Official attendance was 75,614.
• Notre Dame took the opening kick and marched 71 yards down to the Navy one-yard line, but was stopped short of the end zone on fourth and goal from the one. Navy proceeded to march 99 yards on six plays to grab a 7-0 lead with 6:05 remaining in the first quarter. The Midshipmen became the first team to score on their opening drive against the Irish in 2010.
• Notre Dame found itself down 14-3 early in the second quarter and 21-10 at halftime. The 11-point deficit was the largest the Irish have faced since trailing Stanford, 16-6, at halftime. The halftime deficit was the largest for the Irish this season since they trailed Michigan, 21-7, at intermission.
• Navy took advantage of a Notre Dame interception at the Irish 30-yard line. The Midshipmen went 30 yards in five plays, capped off by a nine-yard touchdown run from Gee Gee Greene with 0:14 left before halftime to grab a 21-10 lead. The turnover was Notre Dame’s 14th of the season and its opponents have totaled 37 points off those miscues. Navy’s touchdown was the first off an Irish turnover since Owen Marecic registered a 20-yard interception return for touchdown (Notre Dame opponents have totaled four touchdowns off Irish turnovers this season).

NOTRE DAME IN OCTOBER

• Notre Dame is 373-90-8 (.800) all-time in October.
• The Irish are 36-7-1 (.830) in October neutral games.
• Notre Dame is 34-2-0 (.944) against Navy in the month of October.
• Notre Dame is 21-2-0 (.913) against Navy in the month of October on a neutral field.

Dayne Crist, Jr., QB

• Crist connected with freshman WR TJ Jones on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 6:07 left in the second quarter to bring Notre Dame within a field goal, 14-10. The TD pass was Crist’s 15 of the season and 16th of his career.
• Crist has thrown a touchdown pass in all eight of Notre Dame’s games this season and each of his last nine games in an Irish uniform (which includes the 2009 game against Washington State).
• Crist moved into eighth on the Notre Dame single-season completions list with 174.
• Crist moved into ninth on the Irish single-season pass attempts list with 292.

TJ Jones, Fr., WR

• Jones connected with junior QB Dayne Crist on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 6:07 left in the second quarter to bring Notre Dame within a field goal, 14-10. The TD reception was Jones’ third of his career.

Tommy Rees, Fr., QB

• Rees entered the game in the fourth quarter and led the Irish on a touchdown drive. Rees completed six of seven passes on the drive for 79 yards, including a 23-yard completion.

David Ruffer, Sr., PK

• Ruffer connected on a 45-yard field goal with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter to cut the Navy lead to 7-3.
• Ruffer has now converted 18 straight field goals, which the longest streak in school history.
• Ruffer is 18 of 18 for his career in field goals. The 18 consecutive field goals to open a career is a school record.
• Ruffer’s 18 straight field goals are the longest active streak in the FBS. Joe Phillips of Utah has made 17 straight field goals entering today. The Utes do not kickoff until 6:00 p.m. ET.
• Ruffer has also connected on a field goal in 11 straight games, each game in which he has served as the Irish place kicker (dating back to the Pittsburgh contest in 2009). o The 11 consecutive games with a field goal is the longest streak by a Notre Dame kicker since Nicholas Setta set the school record with a field goal in 16 straight games (2000-02).

Cierre Wood, So., RB

• Wood scored from one-yard out with 6:12 left in the fourth quarter.
• The touchdown run was Wood’s second of his career and second in as many weeks.