Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/95140
BY THE NUMBERS BY LOU SOMOGYI Senior inside linebacker Manti Te'o registered five tackles against USC to bring his season total to 103, making him just the second player in school history with three 100-tackle campaigns. 12-0 19 23 champs. The Irish reached 10-0 for the first time in 1924, had its initial 11-0 ledger in 1973, the first 12-0 in 1988 … and can achieve 13-0 for the first time Jan. 7. Notre Dame has its second such record in history, matching the 1988 national clock — the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The 17th occurred in the first quarter on a 12-play, 87-yard march that milked 6:57 off the clock and concluded with a nine-yard touchdown run by senior running back Theo Riddick. Later, two drives that ended with field goals ate up 5:24 and 5:31. Scoring drives this season by Notre Dame that consumed at least five minutes off the of 6 attempts at USC. The previous single-season record at Notre Dame had been 21 field goals in 28 attempts by senior John Carney in 1986. Brindza's five field goals against the Trojans tied single-game records shared by Craig Hentrich (Miami, 1990), Nicholas Setta (Maryland in 2002 and Washington State in 2003) and Nick Tausch (Washington in 2009). Field goals converted by sophomore kicker Kyle Brindza, in 31 tries, after he made 5 45 PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA in Miami Jan. 7. That is the longest time in between the regular-season finale and bowl game for Notre Dame. The previous high was 40 days from the Nov. 25, 2006 loss at USC until the 41-14 defeat to LSU on Jan. 3, 2007. Days between Notre Dame's 22-13 victory at USC Nov. 24 and the national title contest against USC. He became only the second player in Notre Dame's history to finish with at least 100 stops three straight years after totaling 133 in 2010 and 128 in 2011. The other Irish player to achieve the feat was three-time All-American Bob Crable in 1979 (187), 1980 (154) and 1981 (167). 103 1,779 Tackles this season by senior linebacker MAnti te'o after he recorded five vious Notre Dame tight end standard of 1,759 by three-time All-American Ken MacAfee from 1974-77. Eifert had 33 yards in receptions during the first half and caught a 36-yard toss in the second for 69 total against USC. Yards receiving in his career by se- nior Tyler Eifert, breaking the pre-