Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1316443
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DEC. 19, 2020 23 3 Seasons in a row Notre Dame has finished unbeaten at home, a first since 1987-89. Consider that in the 22 years afterward from 1990-2011 it occurred only once (1998), and now under head coach Brian Kelly it is the fifth time in nine years (also 2012 and 2015 to go with 2018-20). The current 24-game winning streak at home is the second longest in the 90-year history of Notre Dame Stadium, which opened in 1930. The record is 28 from 1942-50. 10 Times Notre Dame reached a 10-0 record in its history (with still more games to play). The other years were 1924, 1930, 1949, 1973, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2012 and 2018. (See more on page 54.) For Kelly, it also is his fourth 10-0 achievement in the last 12 years. He was 12-0 at Cincinnati in 2009 before accepting the Notre Dame position. He like- wise had 12-0 regular seasons with the Irish in 2012 and 2018. 30-3 Record as Notre Dame starting quarterback by fifth-year senior Ian Book — the first signal-caller in the program's history to achieve 30 wins. His .909 winning percentage is the second-best in the school's annals with a minimum of 20 starts, behind John Lujack's 20-1-1 (.923) during three national title campaigns in 1943, 1946-47. Book finished his career 15-0 in Notre Dame Stadium. The only other quar- terback with at least 10 starts to never experience a defeat or tie in Notre Dame Stadium was Tony Rice from 1987-89, who also was 15-0. Joe Theismann (1968-70) was 11-0-1. 94 Yards on freshman running back Chris Tyree's fourth-quarter touch- down run that made it 45-14. It is the third-longest rushing touchdown in school history, all of which occurred in the Kelly era. Freshman Josh Adams had a 98-yard score versus Wake Forest in 2015, while senior Dexter Williams had a 97-yard tally in a 2018 victory at Virginia Tech. 244 Consecutive games served as the public-address announcer at Notre Dame Stadium by 1967 graduate Mike Collins, who is now officially retired from the post. His debut came in the 1982 opener versus Michigan, the first night game ever at home, a 23-17 Fighting Irish victory. 266 Passes thrown by Book — a Notre Dame record — before finally getting intercepted for the first time since the season opener versus Duke Sept. 12. Syracuse safety Ja'Had Carter did the honors on a deep pass in the third quarter. The previous record was 226 by Brady Quinn during his senior year in 2006. 1,011 Rushing yards this year by sophomore Kyren Williams after totaling 110 on 20 attempts versus the Orange. That makes him the sixth Notre Dame player to reach the 1,000-yard benchmark as a sophomore, and he still has at least two more games to play. The previous five were Allen Pinkett (1983), Jerome Bettis (1991), Autry Denson (1996), Ryan Grant (2002) and Darius Walker (2005). (See more on pages 14-15.) 6,831 Official attendance count for the game with the COVID-19 restrictions. That is the second fewest since the open- ing of Notre Dame Stadium in 1930. The lowest still remains 6,663 in the Oct. 15, 1932 Drake game, a 62-0 Fighting Irish win in the midst of The Great Depression. BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI 30 Receptions this year by freshman tight end MICHAEL MAYER after catching five for 36 yards against Syracuse. That total en- abled him to surpass the Notre Dame freshman record among tight ends that was set by Kyle Rudolph in 2008 when he snared 29 for 340 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games (7-6 finish). In 10 games this season, Mayer has 30 catches for 337 yards and two scores. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS