Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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dia outlets, finished the season with 56 receptions for 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns, while becoming only the second player in Notre Dame history with at least 40 receptions and a yards per catch average of at least 20 yards (20.4). The first was Tim Brown (1984- 87), who went on to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation's top player and was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past summer. As a junior in 1986, Brown's 45 catches averaged 20.2 yards. Numbers alone do not tell the story of Fuller's dominant season. Great players not only produce sparkling numbers, they also make impactful plays that change the outcome of games. Fuller had two late game-winning fourth- quarter touchdown receptions, both on the road. His 39-yard reception with just 12 seconds left against Virginia gave the Irish a 34-27 victory, and he added another game winner against Temple when he hauled in a 17-yard score with just 2:09 left in the game. Teams that failed to properly account for Fuller found themselves getting scorched. He churned out 20 plays of at least 20 yards and 14 of at least 30 yards. Maybe the most amazing statistic is that Fuller's 13 touchdowns averaged 42.6 yards. Meanwhile, for the third consecu- tive season Smith started every game on defense and was the model of con- sistent excellence en route to earning the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. Unlike Manti Te'o, who won the But- kus in 2012, Smith did not quite have the signature moments or standout stats like the seven interceptions Te'o did that season, but his 113 tackles (68