2005 Notre Dame Football In-Game Notes
Notre Dame at Stanford
Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005 * Stanford Stadium * Palo Alto, Calif.
Final Score: Notre Dame 38, Stanford 31
NOTRE DAME TEAM NOTES:
Notre Dame’s captains this afternoon were senior Brandon Hoyte (defense), junior Brady Quinn (offense) and junior Chase Anastasio (special teams). The special team’s captain is selected by the Irish coaching staff week-to-week with tonight’s game marking Anastasio’s second special-teams captaincy of the season – he also earned the honor at Purdue. Hoyte and Quinn were selected as season-long captains by their teammates. Stanford won the toss and deferred to the second half.
Notre Dame and Stanford are meeting for the 20th time, with the Irish leading the all-time series 13-6. The Irish are 4-4 all-time at Stanford Stadium, breaking a three-game losing streak at the facility with a 57-7 victory in 2003.
Notre Dame is 73-39-6 (.644) all-time in against teams from the Pac-10 Conference. Stanford represents the third Pac-10 opponent for the Irish this season (W, 36-17 at Washington, L, 31-34 vs. #1 USC).
Stanford’s 87-yard kickoff return by T.J. Rushing in the fourth quarter is the first for a Notre Dame opponent since Michigan State’s DeAndra Cobb went 89 yards in East Lansing last season (2004).
With 664 total offense yards this evening, Notre Dame has posted 500 or more total yards in seven games this season, breaking the school record they shared with the 1970 edition of the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame scored 38 points in tonight’s game, setting a school record with 10 30-point performances this season. The 1991 team posted nine 30 point performances. The Irish also have scored 30 points in a school-record nine straight games.
Notre Dame became the first Irish team this evening to have a 3,000-yard passer (Brady Quinn), 1,000-yard rusher (Darius Walker) and 1,000-yard receiver (Jeff Samardzija, Maurice Stovall) in one season. The Irish are the second team in the nation to have a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers, joining Miami (Ohio).
NOTRE DAME PLAYER NOTES:
With his career-best 80-yard touchdown reception, junior WR Jeff Samardzija became the third Notre Dame player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He eventually broke the school record for single-season receiving yards in the third quarter on a 41-yard reception. He now has 1,139 yards receiving this season, surpassing Tom Gatewood’s total of 1,123 in 1970.
Samardzija’s 216 receiving yards in tonight’s game mark a career-high, Notre Dame’s team-high this season and is the third-highest single-game effort by an Irish receiver behind Jim Seymour (276 vs. Purdue, 1966) and Jack Snow (217 at Wisconsin, 1964).
Senior WR Maurice Stovall also reached 1,000 receiving yards this evening with catches for 136 yards, becoming the fourth player to reach that barrier.
Samardzija’s 80-yard touchdown reception is the longest pass play for Notre Dame since 2003, when Brady Quinn hooked up with Maurice Stovall for an 85-yard touchdown pass.
Samardzija’s two touchdown passes in today’s game give him a Notre Dame record 15 this season. Entering the season, the Notre Dame record was 11 by Derrick Mayes (1994). Today’s game also marks Samardzija’s fourth multiple-touchdown performance of the season (three vs. Michigan State, two vs. BYU, two vs. Purdue).
With a career-best 186 yards rushing in tonight’s game, sophomore RB Darius Walker became the ninth Notre Dame player to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. Those nine players combined to achieve the 1,000-yard mark 14 times, most recently by Julius Jones (1,268) in 2003. His 1,106 season total for rushing yardage is eighth on the all-time list behind Autry Denson (1,176 in 1998).
Walker’s 186 rushing yards are the most for a Notre Dame player since the Irish last visited Palo Alto and Julius Jones rushed for 218 yards in 2003. Walker posts his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season, matching Lee Becton (1993) for fourth on the all-time list for 100-yard rushing performances in a single season.
Senior D.J. Fitzpatrick’s PAT in the first quarter is his 49th this season, breaking Craig Hentrich’s record of 48 from 1991. Fitzpatrick pushed his record total to 49 in today’s game. His miss in the third quarter broke a streak of 61 consecutive successful PATs, the fourth-best streak in Notre Dame history (Hentrich holds the record with 136 consecutive successful PATs).
Junior QB Brady Quinn has thrown at least one touchdown pass in his last 16 games played (and started) for the Irish, breaking John Huarte’s record of 10 set in 1964. The Dublin, Ohio, native has totaled 40 scoring tosses during the run. Quinn’s touchdown passes over the last 16 games:
2005 – 3 at Stanford, 2 vs. Syracuse, 4 vs. Navy 3 vs. Tennessee, 6 vs. BYU, 1 vs. USC, 3 at Purdue, 1 at Washington, 5 vs. Michigan State, 2 at Michigan, 2 at Pittsburgh
2004 – 2 vs. Oregon State (Insight Bowl), 1 at USC, 3 vs. Pittsburgh, 1 at Tennessee, 1 vs. Boston College
Quinn threw for 432 yards in tonight’s game, the fourth time this season that he has thrown for over 400 yards (and fifth of his career). He is the only Irish quarterback to throw for over 400 yards multiple times in a career.
Senior WR Maurice Stovall and junior WR Jeff Samardzija have combined to become the only pair of teammates in the country with 10 or more touchdown receptions. Samardzija has a school-record 15, while Stovall is close behind with 11.
Stovall’s touchdown reception marks the third quarter is the 18th of his career, good for third on Notre Dame’s all-time list behind Derrick Mayes (22, 1992-95) and Tom Gatewood (19, 1969-71).
Sophomore Justin Brown made his first career start this evening at right defensive tackle for the Irish.
Junior PK Carl Gioia’s 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter marked the first field goal attempt of his career.
Junior RB Travis Thomas’ touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his fifth of the season and came on his first touch of the game.