Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/82255
By The Numbers 3: Overseas victories by Notre Dame — the most in college football — after its 50-10 win versus Navy at AVIVA STADIUM in Ireland. The Irish are 3-0 overall overseas, also defeating Navy in Ireland in 1996 (54‑27) and Miami in Japan in 1979 (40-15). BYU, Clemson and Grambling State have two victories apiece overseas. All but one occurred in Japan, with BYU also winning in Australia. Notre Dame is looking into playing Stanford in China next season. 8-4: All-time record of Michigan State in night games at home, with Notre Dame the most frequent opponent. This week will be the fifth meeting between the two programs under the lights in Spartan Stadium, with each posting two conquests. Notre Dame was victorious in 2004 (31-24) and 2006 (40-37), while Michigan State prevailed in 1998 (45-23) and 2010 (34‑31 in overtime). 15-5: Notre Dame’s record in Spartan Stadium since 1970, although it has lost the last two. That .750 winning percentage is especially impressive in light of the fact that over that same span of time the Irish are only 12‑8 (.600) against Michigan State in Notre Dame Stadium. 25: Seasons since 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown returned back-to-back punts for touchdowns in the first quarter against that year’s Rose Bowl champion Michigan State in a 31-8 Irish victory. On his Silver Anniversary, Brown will serve as Notre Dame’s fill-in color analyst for the suspended Allen Pinkett in the Sept. 15 game at Michigan State. 105: Ranking for Notre Dame Stadium among 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in best home-field advantage, according to PredictionMachine.com. This is based on a study since 2000. The Irish have not finished unbeaten at home since 1998 and were 17-16 at home from 2007-11, including losses to Navy (2007 and 2009), 2-8 Syracuse (2008), Connecticut (2009), Tulsa (2010) and South Florida (2011), with the latter three to first-time visitors. 1995: The last year Notre Dame missed its first point after touchdown attempt of the season — until the Navy opener this season when senior kicker Nick Tausch’s attempt sailed right. While it had no bearing on this year’s 50-10 outcome, in 1995 it did have an impact in the 17-15 loss to Northwestern, that year’s Big Ten champ. The Irish did convert an earlier field goal against the Wildcats to give them their first points that season, but the missed PAT led to a missed two-point conversion that could have tied the score at 17. The Irish also missed their first PAT of the year during the 1977 national title march, but still prevailed at Pitt, 19-9. 21,500: Euros shared by eight Irish charities in a pot from the sold-out Notre Dame pep rally in Dublin last week. Among the recipients were the CSC Centre in Mayo, Friends of the Elderly in Dublin, the Separated Children education service on Dublin’s Parnell Square, the Aisling Project in Ballymun, the Life Centre on Pearse Street in Dublin, the Foundation Project on Seán McDermott Street, Youth Horizons, Tallaght and Forbairt Naoinrai Toranta. A donation was also made to the Other Voice Project.