Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1508272
6 SEPT. 30, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME BY TYLER HORKA N otre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man had no idea the Fighting Irish were going for 29 consecutive regu- lar season wins against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents the week of his team's road test at North Carolina State earlier this month. He had to ask a reporter what the number was in the middle of a press conference. His guys got No. 29 in convincing fashion, 45-24. Three weeks and a couple games later, the number probably isn't on Freeman's mind once again — even though it would be a record-setting one this time. No col- lege football program has ever won 30 games in a row against ACC foes. Notre Dame (2017-present) and Florida State (1992-95) currently share the record at 29. "That's a lot," Freeman said Sept. 4 before the Irish went off to Raleigh, N.C., to blow out the Wolfpack. Yeah, it is. And now Notre Dame is headed to North Carolina yet again to meet Duke in Durham. The Research Triangle has been a friendly corridor for the Fighting Irish since the current spurt started with a 56-27 win at Wake Forest on Sept. 22, 2018. The Irish have taken care of the Blue Devils twice since then, once on the road in 2019. They beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 2020 and again in 2022. Brian Kelly is responsible for 24 of the 29 wins. Freeman owns the other five, and he was the defensive coordi- nator for five in 2022. He's been on the sideline for just more than a third of the wins during the streak. That's not an insignificant amount. "I think it speaks to Notre Dame and the football program and the players it attracts," Freeman said of the streak. "Really, the excellence in our program." Here is a brief look at every Notre Dame regular-season win over an ACC opponent since the 29-game winning streak started five years ago: • Sept. 22, 2018: No. 8 Notre Dame 56, Wake Forest 27 In the first of 34 starts in 35 games for the Irish, Ian Book outshined Wake Forest's Sam Hartman. Book threw for 325 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hartman completed only 50 percent of his passes for 110 yards. • Oct. 6, 2018: No. 6 Notre Dame 45, No. 24 Virginia Tech 23 Notre Dame only led by one point at halftime in front of a raucous Lane Sta- dium crowd, but the Irish scored 28 of the game's next 35 points to win in a runaway. • Oct. 13, 2018: No. 5 Notre Dame 19, Pitt 14 The Pitt Panthers jumped out to a 14-6 lead with a kickoff return for a touch- down to begin the second half. Book threw touchdown passes to Chase Clay- pool and Miles Boykin to sneak the Irish out of Notre Dame Stadium with a win. • Nov. 10, 2018: No. 3 Notre Dame 42, Florida State 13 Brandon Wimbush started for an in- jured Book and threw 3 first-half touch- downs to ignite a landslide victory from the beginning. Dexter Williams also ran for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns. • Nov. 17, 2018: No. 3 Notre Dame 36, No. 12 Syracuse 3 The Irish absolutely demolished the Orange at Yankee Stadium to set up a play-in game for the College Football Playoff in the regular season finale ver- sus USC. The Irish won that game 24-17 in Los Angeles. • Sept. 2, 2019: No. 9 Notre Dame 35, Louisville 17 UNDER THE DOME Head coach Marcus Freeman is attempting to lead the Fighting Irish to a 30th straight regular season win over ACC opponents. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP GOING FOR 30 Notre Dame has won 29 consecutive regular- season games against ACC opponents