Irish Open 2019 Home Slate Against New Mexico

Notre Dame vs. New Mexico – Full Game Notes

	GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date	Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time	2:42 p.m. ET
Site:	Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN • Capacity 77,622 (FieldTurf)
TV:	NBC (national) | NBC Sports App • Mike Tirico (play-by-play) • Doug Flutie (analysis) • Kathryn Tappen (sideline) • Chris Simms (sideline analysis)
Radio:	Notre Dame Radio Network
Tickets:	Notre Dame Ticket Exchange powered by VividSeats.com

	IRISH VS. THE LOBOS - BY THE NUMBERS
0	The Irish completed an undefeated season at Notre Dame Stadium for the second time in four seasons in 2018 (2015, also 6-0).
2	Sophomore RB Jahmir Smith recorded the first two touchdown runs of his career against Louisville. His first touch of the year was a three-yard touchdown run for Notre Dame’s first points, while he completed the Notre Dame scoring with a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.
2.7	After allowing two scoring drives to begin the season at Louisville, Notre Dame’s defense allowed just 90 yards over the next 33 plays to the Cardinal offense (2.7 yards per play) allowing the Irish to seize control of the contest.
3	Sophomore TE Tommy Tremble caught the first three passes of his career against Louisville – each reception earning the Irish a first down while also posting his first career touchdown reception (26 yards).
5.6	The Notre Dame-Louisville game was the second-highest rated college football game of the first full weekend of action, attracting 5.6 million viewers on ESPN.
9	Junior LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah recorded his first career start at Louisville and responded with the first nine tackles of his career, including two TFL, as well as a QBH.
10	Brian Kelly continues his 10th season as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame, becoming just the fifth Irish coach to spend a decade or more at the school (Knute Rockne, 13; Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Lou Holtz 11).
11	Notre Dame has won 11 consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium, including a 6-0 clean slate last season. It is the third-longest winning streak at home for the Irish since Notre Dame Stadium opened in 1930.
11.5	Senior Julian Okwara enters the New Mexico game with 11.5 career sacks, looking to break into the all-time top 10 at Notre Dame this season (Anthony Weaver, 1998-2001, is 10th with 17.0).
14.7	Notre Dame running backs have caught nine passes for 132 yards in the fourth quarter since the start of the 2018 season, averaging 14.7 yard per reception – the best in FBS over that time.
15	Notre Dame has recorded at least one sack in 15 consecutive games.
30	Notre Dame has held its opponents to 30 points or less in 15 consecutive games, matching Mississippi State and Washington for the FBS lead in that category.
68.6	Junior Ian Book has completed 68.6% of his passes over the past 12 games, second-best in the FBS (Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman – 70.4% leads the way).
81	Ian Book rushed for 81 yards in the victory at Louisville, the fifth-most among Power 5 quarterbacks who played week one.
87	Tony Jones Jr. rushed for 87 yards in the first quarter of Notre Dame’s week one victory at Louisville. Only Clemson’s Travis Etienne (114) rushed for more yards in the first quarter of any FBS game in week one.
146	New Mexico and Notre Dame are meeting for the first time in football on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos are the 146th different opponent Notre Dame has faced in its football history and the fifth different Mountain West Conference opponent. Notre Dame is 120-22-3 (.838) against first-time opponents.
267	The Notre Dame Stadium sell-out streak stands at 267 consecutive games, the second-longest in NCAA history.
347^	Games coached by Brian Kelly in his career, second active in the NCAA to Mack Brown (North Carolina).
571	Carries by Notre Dame running backs since their last fumble – the longest active streak among FBS teams.

THE COACHES
	Head Coach	At School	Overall	vs. Opponent
Notre Dame	Brian Kelly	82-35 (10th year)^	253-92-2 (29th year)^	0-0
New Mexico	Bob Davie	17-39 (9th year)	34-54 (14th year)	0-0

^ – Includes 20 regular-season wins and two postseason appearances vacated under discretionary NCAA penalty

IRISH RULE CLUTCH SITUATIONS

• Notre Dame has won 24 of its last 27 games dating back to the start of the 2017 college football season – and no team in college football can win that percentage of games without making big plays late in games.
• Defining clutch situations as – a team has a lead of 16 or fewer points with 5-15 minutes remaining or eight or fewer points in the final five minutes – Notre Dame has posted some noteworthy numbers.

RUSHING DEFENSE

47 – Notre Dame has not allowed a rushing touchdown over the past 47 opponent rushing attempts in a clutch situation – tied best in the FBS over the past 12 games.

NOTRE DAME SKILL PLAYERS

14.3 – Notre Dame skill players have averaged 14.3 yards per target (358 yards/25 targets) in clutch situations over the past 12 games – best in the FBS.

16 – Notre Dame quarterbacks have 16 completions for 20 or more yards in clutch situations since the start of the 2018 season – tied for third in the FBS.

14.7 – Notre Dame running backs have averaged 14.7 yards per target in the fourth quarter since the start of the 2018 season – best in the FBS.

7 – Notre Dame skill players have caught seven touchdown passes in clutch situations over the past 12 games – tied for third in the FBS (Washington State 10, Ohio State 8, Bowling Green 7, Penn State 6).

92% – Notre Dame skill players have caught 23 of 25 passes (92.0%) in clutch situations over the past 12 games – best among all Power 5 teams.

RUSHING OFFENSE

340 – Notre Dame has rushed for 340 yards in clutch situations since the start of the 2018 season – second-best among FBS schools (Army is first with 519 yards, Navy third at 323).

44.8% – Notre Dame has converted first downs on 13 of 29 plays (44.8%) in clutch situations over the past four games – best among Power 5 offenses.

OFFENSIVE LINE

103 – Notre Dame has not allowed opponents to pressure its quarterback on 103 drop-backs in clutch situations over the past 12 games (103 attempts) – which is tied for the best among Power 5 teams with Iowa and Wake Forest.

HOME OPENERS

• Notre Dame opens its 90th season at Notre Dame Stadium in 2019. The facility opened in 1930 and the Irish own an all-time record of 333-114-5 (.742)ˆ in “The House That Rockne Built”.
• The Irish are 106-18-4 (.844)ˆ in home openers (the team did not have a home opener in 1889 or 1929), with a mark of 72-15-2 (.820)ˆ at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Brian Kelly is 8-1ˆ in home openers at Notre Dame, ranking behind Rockne (11), Parseghian (10) and Leahy (9) in terms of home-opening victories.

HOME FIELD WIN STREAK

• Notre Dame completed an undefeated season at Notre Dame Stadium in 2018 for the second time in four seasons (2015, 6-0) after finishing 6-0 following a 42-13 win over Florida State. From 1990-2011, only the 1998 campaign (6-0) saw a perfect Notre Dame home slate.
• Notre Dame has won 11 straight games at home dating back to Sept. 30, 2017, starting with a victory over Miami (Ohio). It is the third-longest home winning streak for the Irish since Notre Dame Stadium opened in 1930 (28 straight from 1942-50; 19 straight from 1987-90).

FIRST TIME OPPONENTS

• Notre Dame and New Mexico will be meeting for the first time on Saturday afternoon, marking the 146th different opponent the Irish will face in 131 years of football. Notre Dame is 120-22-3 (.838) in the previous 145 meetings against first-time opponents.
• Of those 145 first-time opponents, 128 of those first-time meetings occurred on Notre Dame’s home field. The Irish are 107-16-5 (.855) in those contests.
• Notre Dame Stadium has hosted first-time opponents 58 times since 1930, with Notre Dame compiling a 46-11-1 (.801) record in those contests.

IAN BOOK NOTABLES

• Junior quarterback Ian Book has thrown seven touchdown passes in close and late-game situations (which are defined as: when a team has a lead of 16 or fewer points with 5-15 minutes remaining or eight or fewer points in the final five minutes) since the start of the 2018 season the most among active among FBS quarterbacks.
  (see the game notes full PDF for a list of the top five players mentioned in each of the following categories).
• Book has thrown nine touchdown passes on 55 attempts (one TD per 6.1 pass attempts) in the fourth quarter over the past 12 games – which is the best rate for any Power 5 quarterback.
• Book has eight completions of 20 yards of more in close and late game situations over his past eight games – the most among FBS quarterbacks.
• Book has thrown for first downs on 60.% of his pass attempts in the fourth quarter over his past 12 games – best among all Power 5 quarterbacks.
• Book has a passer rating of 216.9 in the fourth quarter over his past 12 games – best among all Power 5 quarterbacks.
• Book is second among Power Five quarterbacks in rushing yards in close and late situations since the start of the 2018 season.
• Book has completed 74.5% of his passes in the fourth quarter over the past 12 games – best among all Power 5 quarterbacks.
• Overall, Book has completed 68.6% of his passes over the past 12 games – a number which ranks second among all FBS quarterbacks.
• Book is equally efficient in all third downs, with a passer rating of 160.1 on third downs over the past 12 games – ranking first among active Power 5 quarterbacks (he ranks fourth of all FBS quarterbacks).

NOTEWORTHY DEFENSIVE NOTABLES

• Notre Dame has held 15 consecutive opponents below 30 points entering the game with New Mexico. The Irish are tied with Mississippi State and Washington for the FBS lead in that category.
• Notre Dame opponents have averaged 47.3 passing attempts per passing touchdown (473 attempts, 10 passing TD) over the past 12 games – the best in the FBS
  (see the game notes PDF for further details)
• A tenet of the Irish defensive philosophy is to eliminate the big play and the numbers prove Notre Dame true to its goal – Notre Dame is second in the FBS in the percentage of 40-plus pass completions they have allowed its opponents over since the start of 2018:
• The Notre Dame defense has forced six fumbles in close and late-game situations since the start of 2018 – tied for the fourth-most in FBS (Kentucky is the leader with nine forced fumbles).
• Notre Dame opponents have averaged 47.3 passing attempts per passing touchdown (473 attempts, 10 passing TD) over the past 12 games – the best in the FBS.
• The Irish recovered three fumbles in the opener against Louisville, marking the second time in the Kelly era the Irish picked up three fumbles in a season’s first game (Navy, 2012).
• Notre Dame leads the FBS in yards after catch allowed by both running backs (5.1 yards after catch) since the start of the 2018 season and rank third in the FBS for yards after the catch with wide receivers (10.7).
• The Irish have allowed a completion percentage of just 40.4% on third down with six-to-nine-yards to go since the start of the 2018 season.

NOTEWORTHY OFFENSIVE NOTABLES

• Notre Dame rushed for 100 yards in the first quarter of the victory at Louisville – only Clemson (114) rushed for more first quarter yards than the Irish during week one of the college football season.
• Notre Dame running backs have averaged 14.7 yards per target (132 yards, nine targets) in the fourth quarter since the start of the 2018 season – best among all FBS teams.
• Notre Dame tight ends have picked up first downs on seven receptions in the red zone over the past 12 games – tied for the fifth-most among Power 5 teams.
• Notre Dame running backs have rushed for 14 touchdowns on 191 carries over the past eight games (13.6 carries per TD) – the fourth-best rate among FBS teams.

NOTEWORTHY INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES

• Chris Finke has been targeted 14 times on third down over the past four games – tied for the 19th-most among FBS skill players.
• Chris Finke also has 11 receptions on third down over his past eigth games, tied for 20th among FBS skill players.
• Jonathan Doerer has recorded four touchbacks in close and late game situations over the past eight games – tied for the third-most among FBS kickers.
• Tony Jones Jr. rushed for 110 yards at Louisville, the second 100-yard rushing game of his career (118 vs. Vanderbilt, 9/15/2018).
• Jahmir Smith rushed for his first two career touchdowns in the victory at Louisville, including a three-yard plunge on his first touch of the season to cap Notre Dame’s first drive of the season.
• Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah recorded his first career start at the ‘rover’ linebacker position against Louisville and posted his first nine career tackles, two TFL and one QBH.
• Alohi Gilman led the Irish in tackles (10) at Louisville and forced a fumble for the third consecutive game dating back to the 2018 season. Gilman now has four career forced fumbles and two interceptions in 14 games played for Notre Dame.
• Drew White started his first career game at the ‘mike’ linebacker position against Louisville and recorded four tackles, two tackles for loss and his first career sack.
• Tommy Tremble, seeing the first game action of his career, snagged three passes for first downs against Louisville, including a 26-yard touchdown reception to put the Irish up 28-14 in the third quarter.

NOTRE DAME HEAD COACHES VS. NOTRE DAME

• New Mexico head coach Bob Davie was slated to return to Notre Dame Stadium as the first former Irish head coach (Davie led Notre Dame from 1997-2001) to bring an opposing team to campus. Davie is recovering from an illness suffered after his team’s season-opening victory and will not make the trip for this weekend’s game.
• Notre Dame is 2-0 against a former head coach – after those coaches completed their terms at Notre Dame – with two victories over Tyrone Willingham (Notre Dame 2002-04) at Washington in 2005 and 2008.
• There have been four different coaches who faced the Irish before they assumed the head coaching position at Notre Dame:

Coach	School	Year	H/A	W/L	Score
Jesse Harper	Wabash	1909	H	W	38-0
	Wabash	1911	A	W	6-3
	Wabash	1912	H	W	41-6
Ara Parseghian	Northwestern	1959	H	L	24-30
	Northwestern	1960	A	L	6-7
	Northwestern	1962	A	L	6-35
Dan Devine	Missouri	1970	A	W	24-7
Tyrone Willingham	Stanford	1997	A	L	15-33
	Stanford	1998	H	W	35-17
	Stanford	1999	A	L	37-40
	Stanford	2000	H	W	20-14
	Stanford	2001	A	L	13-17
	+Washington	2005	A	W	36-17
	+Washington	2008	A	W	33-7

+ – Games played AFTER serving as head coach at Notre Dame

Including Willingham, six other Notre Dame head coaches left their job at the University and assumed the head coaching position at another college or university:

• Thomas Barry (1906-07) – Wisconsin (1908-10), Denver (1911)
• Pat O’Dea (1900-01) – Missouri (1902)
• Hunk Anderson (1931-33) – NC State (1934-36)
• Edward McKeever (1944) – Cornell (1945-46), San Francisco (1947)
• Hugh Devore (1945, 1963) – St. Bonaventure (1946-49), NYU (1950-52)
• Gerry Faust (1981-85) – Akron (1986-94)
• Charlie Weis (2005-09) – Kansas (2012-14)
• In 1894, James Morison coached Notre Dame to a 3-1-1 record (hired for $40 over two weeks) before taking the head football coaching job at Hillsdale (a team the Irish had beaten earlier that season 14-0) for one week, falling to Albion College 12-0.

ON THIS WEEKEND 

• Noteworthy historical games/performances for Notre Dame football on and around September 14:
• September 15, 1975 – The Dan Devine Era begins with a 17-3 victory over Boston College in Foxboro, Massachusetts (the first meeting between the Irish and Eagles).
• September 16, 1989 – Raghib ‘Rocket’ Ismail ties the NCAA record for kick returns in a single game during Notre Dame’s 24-19 victory over No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor.

NOTRE DAME VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE

• New Mexico will be just the fifth current Mountain West Conference member Notre Dame will have faced, with the Irish boasting a 30-6 (.833)ˆ record against teams from the MWC.
• A large majority of those 36 games against the MWC have come against Air Force (24-6), which is the only MWC opponent to claim a victory in Notre Dame Stadium.
• Nevada (0-2) and San Diego State (0-1) join Air Force (4-11) as the only MWC teams to pay a visit to Notre Dame Stadium.

CFB 150

• The University of the Notre Dame will honor the 150th Anniversary of College Football by donning Under Armour Heritage uniforms that pay homage to the 1988 National Championship team on November 23.

NFL CAPTAINCY

• Three Notre Dame football alums have been named team captains for the 2019-20 NFL season. Jaylon Smith and Zack Martin were named captains for the Dallas Cowboys, while Kyle Rudolph was named a captain for the Minnesota Vikings.