#17 Zeke Motta 2011-12 Football Roster

2012 (Senior): Played in every game during his Irish career (all 51 since the start of the 2009 campaign) … started all 13 games … captain of a secondary that featured a trio of players(Matthias Farley, KeiVarae Russell and Bennett Jackson) that entered season without a single start and underwent position changes since their respective arrivals on campus … Farley and Jackson were each recruited as wide receivers, while Russell was recruited as a running back … registered 77 tackles, second most on Irish defense only to Manti Te[apos]o … had four solo tackles, including one for loss, in the victory over Navy (Sept. 1) … backed up that effort with nine tackles against Purdue (Sept. 8) … had seven tackles and one pass breakup in the victory over No. 18 Michigan (Sept. 22) … collected a season-high nine tackles in the triumph over No. 17 Stanford (Oct. 13) … had seven tackles, all solo stops, in the victory over Boston College (Nov. 10) … had four tackles and recovered a fumble in the 38-0 rout of Wake Forest (Nov. 17) … fumble recovery against the Demon Deacons came during their first possession of the game and led to an Irish touchdown … had five tackles, three solo stops, and one tackle for loss against USC (Nov. 24) … recorded career-high 16 tackles in BCS National Championship Game vs. Alabama … tallied seven solo tackles and nine assisted stops vs. Crimson Tide.

2011 (JUNIOR): Played in all 13 games, starting eight at safety … tallied 40 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery … recorded three or more tackles in six games … registered three six-tackle games … tallied six tackles in games against Michigan State, Boston College and Stanford … had second career interception at Michigan … forced first career fumble at Stanford … recovered fumble and returned 29 yards for game[apos]s first touchdown against Florida State.

2010 (SOPHOMORE): Played in all 13 games for the Irish, starting against Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Navy, Tulsa, Utah, USC and Miami (Fla.) … totaled 50 tackles … recorded 30 solo and 20 assisted stops … ranked seventh on the team in tackles … added one and a half tackles for loss (one yard), one fumble recovery, one interception and two pass breakups … tallied three tackles, including two solo stops against Purdue … registered four tackles and a pass breakup against Michigan … registered career highs in total tackles (11), solo stops (five) and assisted tackles (six) against Michigan State … added a half tackle for loss and interception against the Spartans … registered three solo stops and four tackles overall against Stanford and three total stops (all solo tackles) against Pittsburgh … added a tackle for loss against the Panthers … registered four tackles, two solo, in the victory over Western Michigan … totaled six tackles, five assisted stops, against Navy … collected three tackles, two solo stops, against Utah … totaled four solo tackles in the regular season finale at USC … recorded four tackles, three solos, in the Hyundai Sun Bowl victory over Miami (Fla.) … totaled 553 snaps on defense, the fourth most of any Irish defensive back and the second most of any safety.

2009 (FRESHMAN): One of three freshmen to play in every game … contributed primarily on special teams and also moved back and forth between outside linebacker and safety … participated on four special teams units and was standout performer on kickoff coverage where he was credited with eight tackles … ranked fourth on the team in special-teams tackles with eight and tied for second on squad in kickoff return tackles … finished season with 12 tackles including one-half sack and one-half tackle for loss … registered four tackles, including half a sack, against Washington State at San Antonio[apos]s Alamodome … notched three stops against Michigan State … earned 11:06 of playing time and ranked fifth on team with 166 appearances on special teams.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Participated in 2009 U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio … selected to play in Hawaii Football Prep Classic, featuring all-star team from the U.S. mainland against all-star team from Hawaii … Rivals.com ranked him 54th in Rivals100 rankings … rated the eighth-best overall prospect in Florida according to Rivals.com[apos]s postseason prospect rankings by state … rated the 168th overall prospect in SI/TAKKLE Top 200 … ranked 179th overall player according to Scout.com … member of Florida Varsity Top 100 … named Class 6A first-team all-state in Florida in 2007 and first-team academic all-state in 2008 for Florida Class 6A football … named District 17 Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008 … named SuperPrep All-American as 25th-best linebacker nationally … ranked 13th among Florida[apos]s best players according to SuperPrep[apos]s Florida 110 … selected to the Jacksonville Times-Union[apos]s Florida Super 75 squad … tabbed the second-best outside linebacker in Florida by the Times-Union … named first-team Class 6A all-state as a senior … tallied 137 tackles including eight tackles for a loss and three sacks during senior campaign at Vero Beach High School… one of three early enrollees at Notre Dame … played for head coach Gary Coggin at Vero Beach High School … full name is Ezekiel Edward Motta … son of Bill Motta, who was the defensive coordinator at Vero Beach High School … enrolled in College of Arts and Letters as an industrial design major.

Motta[apos]s Career Statistics