Blue and Gold Illustrated

2 Scoring drives by Notre Dame that covered at least 90 yards, a first in head coach Brian Kelly's 66 games at the school. The Irish traveled 95 yards for a first-quarter touchdown to open the scoring and then 90 yards for another TD in the third quarter to extend its lead to 24-3. 4 Notre Dame players who made their first career start. On offense it was junior slot receiver Torii Hunter Jr., junior tight end Durham Smythe and sophomore left guard Quenton Nelson. On defense it was sophomore nose guard Daniel Cage. 4-0 Record for Notre Dame in home night games to open the season. The Irish last opened its season at home at night on Sept. 15, 1990, in a 28-24 win over Michigan. The Irish are 10-2 overall in home night games. 9-2 Notre Dame's all-time record versus the University of Texas — the same record it has against the University of Oklahoma. Both the Longhorns and Sooners rank among college football royalty, so these are particularly amazing numbers. 10 Freshmen who made their debut for the Fighting Irish. Alphabetically they were: run- ning back Josh Adams, cornerback Nick Coleman, linebacker Te'von Coney, safety Nicco Fertitta, tight end Aliz'e Jones, wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, punt returner CJ Sanders, defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, running back Dexter Williams and kicker Justin Yoon. 17-0 Notre Dame's record under Kelly in his six seasons when it does not commit a turnover, which it didn't against the Longhorns. The Irish recovered both of their fumbles, one of them on a punt. 34-3 Notre Dame's record, dating back to 2002, when it rushes for at least 200 yards in a game, a .919 winning percentage. Despite losing star running back Tarean Folston, the Irish man- aged 214 yards on 52 rushing attempts versus Texas. 163 Yards of total offense compiled by Texas against the Irish. It was the first time Notre Dame limited its opponent to less than 200 yards total offense since allowing 174 versus Army in a 27-3 victory on Nov. 20, 2010. 1972 The last season when a fresh- man ran for a touchdown in Notre Dame Stadium on his first career carry — until JOSH ADAMS' 14-yard score in the first quarter. Art Best did the honors in 1972 on a 56-yard run. Adams also was the first Irish freshman to score two touchdowns in a game since Darius Walker in 2004 during a loss to Pitt. Freshman running back Josh Adams produced a 14-yard touchdown run on his first career carry for the Irish, and finished with 49 yards and two scores on five attempts. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

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