Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 7, 2019 25 0-4 Record at Notre Dame Stadium by well-respected head coach Bronco Mendenhall — who has never played the Fighting Irish on his home field. As BYU's head coach from 2005-15, Mendenhall's Cougars lost 49-23 in 2005 and then put up hard-fought battles in 2012 (17-14) and 2013 (23-13) before falling to defeat. This time his Virginia Cavaliers held a 17-14 halftime lead and had the momentum early in the third quarter before losing 35-20. Mendenhall and his improving Virginia program will finally get a chance to host a game against Notre Dame at Scott Stadium on Nov. 13, 2021. The Fighting Irish also are now 3-0 all time versus the Cavaliers. 0-25 Virginia's all-time record when facing a top-10 team on the road, including 0-2 versus the Fighting Irish in their three-game series history. Notre Dame was No. 10 coming into the game. The last time a ranked UVA team defeated a higher ranked opponent was in 1996 when the then- No. 24 Cavaliers beat then-No. 6 North Carolina 20-17 at Scott Stadium. 5 Turnovers forced by Notre Dame with three fumbles and two intercep- tions, four of them coming in the second half. It represented the most turnovers the Fighting Irish generated in a game since the six it had during a 13-6 victory against Michigan at home on Sept. 22, 2012, while on their way to a 12-0 regular season. 13 Consecutive wins at home by Notre Dame, extending the third-longest streak in Notre Dame Stadium since its dedication in 1930. The next one versus Bowling Green (Oct. 5) would put it at the halfway mark of the 28 straight from 1942-50 that is the school record. Second on the list is the 19 from 1987-90. A second straight sweep of the home slate this season would put the Fighting Irish at 18. 18 Straight games the Fighting Irish defense has held its opponent to 30 or fewer points in a game. Only Washington with 19 has a longer streak, which continued with a 28-14 victory at home against USC Sept. 28. The Trojans will have a bye week Oct. 5 before playing at Notre Dame Oct. 12, where they have lost their last three outings. 120.5 Rushing average by senior running back Tony Jones Jr. against the two ACC teams the Fighting Irish have faced this season. Jones rushed for 110 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown in the opening- game 35-17 win at Louisville after trailing early, 14-7. Against Virginia, he amassed a career-high 131 yards on 18 rushing attempts and three scores. His 7.3 yards per carry in those two contests is especially notable. Notre Dame has three more games left this season versus ACC foes: Virginia Tech (Nov. 2), at Duke (Nov. 9) and Boston College (Nov. 23). BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI 45 Games since a Notre Dame defensive line- man last scored a touchdown, until senior end ADE OGUNDEJI did by picking up a 23-yard fumble forced by senior end Julian Okwara in the third quarter that extended Notre Dame's lead to 28-17 against Virginia. The previous such score occurred on Nov. 14, 2015, on an intercep- tion return by end Andrew Trumbetti during a 28-7 victory versus Wake Forest. Junior defensive tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa also nearly scored for the Irish against the Cavaliers, returning a fumble 48 yards before getting tackled at the Virginia 7-yard line. Had he scored as well, it would have been — to our recollection — the first time since Nov. 1, 1975 that two Notre Dame linemen scored touchdowns in the same game. Ross Browner and Jeff Weston did the feat during a 31-10 win over Navy 44 years ago. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS