2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame
in the 2008 college football
season. The team's head football coach is Charlie Weis
. The Irish play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium
in Notre Dame
, Indiana
. This was Weis's fourth season as Notre Dame's head coach, who entered the season with a 22-15 record, coming off a 3-9 season after posting back-to-back BCS seasons.
The Irish started 4-1, but completed the regular season with a 6-6 record, including a 24-23 loss to Syracuse, the first time that Notre Dame had fallen to an eight-loss team. The combined 15 losses from 2007-08 marks the most losses for any two-year span. Despite speculation the university might fire Weis, it was announced shortly after the conclusion of the regular season that he would remain head coach in 2009. Notre Dame ended the season on a positive note, finally ending their NCAA record nine-game bowl losing streak by beating Hawai'i 49-21. In the process, Notre Dame scored its highest point total of the season, its highest point total ever in a bowl game, and broke 8 other bowl records. The bowl win also helped Notre Dame to a 7-6 final record, its 102nd winning season in 120 years of football.
, as the new linebackers coach and assistant head coach. Tetuna became responsible for the day-to-day operations of the team with Weis retaining responsibility only for recruiting. Tenuta's addition followed the retirement of Bill Lewis from active coaching. Other changes included reassignment of football duties. Weis announced that he would be turning over control of the offense, including game day play calling, to offensive coordinator Michael Haywood. On defense, Corwin Brown switched from coaching linebackers to coaching defensive backs following Lewis' retirement. Tenuta assumed coaching the linebackers. Finally, citing the poor play on special teams, Weis made Brian Polian the sole special teams coach and announced that he would be helping Polian when needed. The previous year, all coaches had a hand in helping with special teams.
, safety Tom Zibikowski and center John Sullivan
were all drafted by NFL teams. Three players that were not drafted quickly signed with NFL teams as free agents following the NFL Draft: linebacker Joe Brockington, long snapper J.J. Jansen and running back Travis Thomas
. Quarterbacks Darrin Bragg and Justin Gillete, defensive end Dwight Stephenson Jr., cornerback Ambrose Wooden and punter Geoff Price also graduated and exhausted their remaining eligibility. Notre Dame also had several players who graduated and decided not to apply for a fifth year of eligibility: running back Junior Jabbie, cornerback Leo Ferine and linebacker Anthony Vernaglia.
. In July, wide receiver D.J. Hord announced he was transferring from Notre Dame to a yet unnamed Division I Football Championship Subdivision school, where he would have two years eligibility remaining. Once a highly touted recruit, injuries had hampered his progress and he left with 2 catches for 7 yards in his Notre Dame career. It was also announced the same day that starting cornerback Darin Walls would not enroll and play football this season for undisclosed personal reasons, but would return the following spring. On August, 15, several days into fall practice, reserve wide receiver Richard Jackson announced he would be leaving Notre Dame for a school closer to his home in Florida.
turned a short pass from quarterback Steven Threet
into a 40 yard touchdown. Michigan kicker K.C. Lopata's 23 yard field goal cut the lead to 21–10. The Irish then answered with an 87 yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a 60 yard pass from Clausen to Tate, who broke three tackles before being caught at the 25 yard line. Robert Hughes scored his second rushing touchdown of the day, a 1 yard run to make it 28–10.
Irish linebacker Brian Smith also returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Notre Dame didn't come away completely unscathed, however, as coach Charlie Weis was knocked over on the sideline by defensive end John Ryan, who was being run out of bounds. Weis spent the remainder of the game on crutches with his left leg wrapped. It was determined during halftime that Weis had torn his ACL
and his MCL
. Coach Lou Holtz
and the 1988 National Title team
were also honored, with a statue of Coach Holtz unveiled outside of the stadium before the game.
Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 275 yards and three touchdowns and Notre Dame running backs ran for 201 yards. The Irish offense improved on the 16 rushing yards gained against MSU, with starting running back Armando Allen Jr. running for a career-best 134 yards and a touchdown against the Boilermakers. After Purdue took a 7-0 lead on a Kory Sheets
run, freshman cornerback Robert J. Blanton started the Irish scoring on a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown. Purdue answered back when Aaron Valentin scored on a 3-yard pass from Curtis Painter
to make it 14-7. Jimmy Clausen threw his first touchdown pass to Golden Tate to tie it 14-14 heading into half-time.
The Irish, who hadn't scored in the third quarter in their first three games, scored on their first two possessions of the second half to open a 28-14 lead. The Boilermakers cut the lead to 28-21 four plays later when Painter threw a pass that Desmond Tardy caught at the Notre Dame 30 and raced up the left sideline for a touchdown. The Irish answered immediately, however, when Clausen threw a 30-yard TD pass to captain David Grimes on a fourth-and-7. Freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd added six catches for 100 yards and freshman tight end Kyle Rudolph also had a touchdown catch. The Boilermakers fell to 1-15 at Notre Dame Stadium since 1976. The loss also left Purdue coach Joe Tiller
, who is retiring after the season, with a 5-7 record against the Irish.
Freshman and Sophomores again accounted for all of Notre Dame's scoring, highlighted by a second straight 100 -yard game by Michael Floyd, who had 5 catches for 115 yards and a 48-yard touchdown catch. Sophomore running back Armando Allen amassed 153 total yards, including scoring a 3-yard rushing touchdown and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Clausen. Freshman tight end Kyle Rudolph also had 5 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Running back Toby Gerhart had a great day running the ball for the Cardinal, compiling 104 yards on 13 carries. Tavita Pritchard, however, turned the ball over 3 times, throwing interceptions to Notre Dame safeties David Bruton and Kyle McCarthy in addition to Kuntz. Before the game, Stanford offensive lineman Chris Marinelli made some controversial comments about Notre Dame(which he later apologized for), saying that "I hate it, playing [Notre Dame] up there. The field, excuse my language, the field sucks. The stadium sucks. I think the area sucks." Stanford has not won at Notre Dame stadium since 1992.
James Aldridge ran for 84 yards and a career high 2 touchdowns to help the Irish defeat Ty Willingham's winless Huskies 33-7. The Irish, coming off a bye week, scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game. On the third play from scrimmage, Jimmy Clausen connected with Michael Floyd for a 51-yard touchdown. On Notre Dame's next series, Golden Tate capped off a 9 play drive with a 21-yard rushing touchdown, the first of his career. Clausen completed 14 of 26 passes for 201 yards and interception in addition to his touchdown to Floyd. Clausen missed on 10 of his first 16 passes against a team ranked last in the nation in pass efficiency defense. Notre Dame had no problem creating offense, though, outgaining UW 238 yards to 38 yards in the first half and leading 17-0.
On the first offensive series of the third quarter, the Irish turned to Aldridge, who scored the first of his two touchdowns to put Notre Dame up 24-0. Aldridge led a running back corps that gained 252 yards on the ground. Notre Dame also relied on a stout defense, which held Washington to 124 yards of offense after allowing an average of 368 yards on the season. Washington did not cross midfield until the 6:05 mark in the fourth quarter against ND’s second string defense. Huskie quarterback Ronnie Fouch connected with D'Andre Goodwin for a 6-yard touchdown with four minutes left in the game to avoid UW’s first shutout loss at Husky Stadium since 1976 (a 7-0 loss against Cal).
Notre Dame’s defeat dropped Willingham to 11-32 in three-plus seasons at Washington. It was announced the next day that UW would not be renewing Willingham’s contract at the end of the season.
Despite the Irish's offensive spark in the second quarter, the Panthers held Notre Dame to a mere 7 yards in the third quarter. The Panthers also answered the call on offense scoring 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 17-17. After the second Panther score, Notre Dame's offense came alive again, driving 75 yards in 12 plays and culminating in a third Clausen touchdown, this time to Golden Tate. The late drive by Notre Dame was for nought, however, as Pitt forced overtime when they tied the score at 24 with 2:22 left on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Bostick to Jonathan Baldwin on fourth-and-6. The Panthers ran the same play three straight times before Bostick beat Irish cornerback McNeil for the score.
Neither team could get into the end zone in overtime, and Pitt's Connor Lee won the kicking contest. Notre Dame's kicker, Brandon Walker, who started the season by making just 1-of-7 field goals, made his first four attempts to run his consecutive made field goal streak to seven. But his 38-yard attempt narrowly missed wide left in the fourth overtime, giving Pitt the chance kick the winning field goal.
In the defeat, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd broke the record for catches by a Notre Dame freshman, with 10 catches for 100 yards.
in the 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1993 season. Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen broke school bowl game records after passing for 401 yards and five touchdowns, and his 84.6% completion rate was the second-best completion percentage for any player in any bowl game in NCAA history. Wide receiver Golden Tate also set Irish bowl records upon catching for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Both players were named co-MVP
s of the game.
In all, Notre Dame broke 9 bowl records in the victory. In addition to Clausen and Tate's record day, Notre Dame set bowl records in total offense (481 yards), scoring (49 points), and longest kick return (96 yards by Allen). Clausen's 69-yard connection to Tate is also a new record. The defense also had a good day for the Irish, registering 8 sacks and an interception. The victory also ties the 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic for Notre Dame's largest margin of victory in a bowl game at 28 points.
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Team Opp
Punts-Yards
Avg per Punt
Time of Possession/Game
3rd Down Conversions
4th Down Conversions
Touchdowns Scored
Field Goals-Attempts-Long
PAT-Attempts
Attendance
Games/Avg per Game
First-Team honors for his play as the starting tight end from Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com and Phil Steele
. Rudolph set freshman school records for receptions and receiving yards logging 25 receptions for 262 yards and two touchdowns.Notre Dame moans the loss of the most infamous defensive back in the NCAA "The Crippler" Zion Azuma Losi he is nominated for the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski awards but upruptly withdraws from college, he still holds the unofficial record for "The Most Players Hospitalized by a Single Player". Freshman Receiver Michael Floyd also earned all-freshman second-team honors from Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com, Rivals.com and Phil Steele. Offensive guard Trevor Robinson was named to the All-Freshman second team by CollegeFootballNews.com, while wide receiver Golden Tate was a sophomore honorable mention selection.
as the 114th pick overall. Five more players would sign quickly after the draft, including David Grimes with Broncos, Pat Kuntz with the Colts
, Terrail Lambert with the 49ers
, and fullback Asaph Schwapp and offensive lineman Mike Turkovich with the Cowboys
.
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in the 2008 college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season. The team's head football coach is Charlie Weis
Charlie Weis
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
. The Irish play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Stadium is the home football stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. The stadium is located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States, just north of the city of South Bend....
in Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. This was Weis's fourth season as Notre Dame's head coach, who entered the season with a 22-15 record, coming off a 3-9 season after posting back-to-back BCS seasons.
The Irish started 4-1, but completed the regular season with a 6-6 record, including a 24-23 loss to Syracuse, the first time that Notre Dame had fallen to an eight-loss team. The combined 15 losses from 2007-08 marks the most losses for any two-year span. Despite speculation the university might fire Weis, it was announced shortly after the conclusion of the regular season that he would remain head coach in 2009. Notre Dame ended the season on a positive note, finally ending their NCAA record nine-game bowl losing streak by beating Hawai'i 49-21. In the process, Notre Dame scored its highest point total of the season, its highest point total ever in a bowl game, and broke 8 other bowl records. The bowl win also helped Notre Dame to a 7-6 final record, its 102nd winning season in 120 years of football.
Coaching changes
Despite the turmoil of the previous football season, head coach Charlie Weis did not make many changes to the coaching staff. The one major change to the staff was the addition of Jon Tenuta, former defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, as the new linebackers coach and assistant head coach. Tetuna became responsible for the day-to-day operations of the team with Weis retaining responsibility only for recruiting. Tenuta's addition followed the retirement of Bill Lewis from active coaching. Other changes included reassignment of football duties. Weis announced that he would be turning over control of the offense, including game day play calling, to offensive coordinator Michael Haywood. On defense, Corwin Brown switched from coaching linebackers to coaching defensive backs following Lewis' retirement. Tenuta assumed coaching the linebackers. Finally, citing the poor play on special teams, Weis made Brian Polian the sole special teams coach and announced that he would be helping Polian when needed. The previous year, all coaches had a hand in helping with special teams.
Graduating players
Seniors tight end John Carlson, defensive end Trevor LawsTrevor Laws
Trevor David Laws is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame....
, safety Tom Zibikowski and center John Sullivan
John Sullivan (American football)
John Sullivan is an American football center for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...
were all drafted by NFL teams. Three players that were not drafted quickly signed with NFL teams as free agents following the NFL Draft: linebacker Joe Brockington, long snapper J.J. Jansen and running back Travis Thomas
Travis Thomas
Travis John Thomas is a free agent American football running back who most recently played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
. Quarterbacks Darrin Bragg and Justin Gillete, defensive end Dwight Stephenson Jr., cornerback Ambrose Wooden and punter Geoff Price also graduated and exhausted their remaining eligibility. Notre Dame also had several players who graduated and decided not to apply for a fifth year of eligibility: running back Junior Jabbie, cornerback Leo Ferine and linebacker Anthony Vernaglia.
Transfers
After the end of the spring practice session, sophomore-to-be linebacker Aaron Nagel transferred from Notre Dame to the Northwestern WildcatsNorthwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
. In July, wide receiver D.J. Hord announced he was transferring from Notre Dame to a yet unnamed Division I Football Championship Subdivision school, where he would have two years eligibility remaining. Once a highly touted recruit, injuries had hampered his progress and he left with 2 catches for 7 yards in his Notre Dame career. It was also announced the same day that starting cornerback Darin Walls would not enroll and play football this season for undisclosed personal reasons, but would return the following spring. On August, 15, several days into fall practice, reserve wide receiver Richard Jackson announced he would be leaving Notre Dame for a school closer to his home in Florida.
Recruiting
The Irish added 23 players to its roster with high school recruits. Included in the class were five-star wide receiver recruit Michael Floyd, five-star quarterback recruit Dayne Crist, and five-star defensive lineman Ethan Johnson. Five-star tight end Kyle Rudolph also bolstered a class that included six four star recruits on offense, and nine four star recruits on defense. The class was named No. 2 by both Rivals and Scout. Rivals revised Notre Dame's ranking to No. 1 after factoring in players recruited by other schools that did not enroll with their classmates.Award candidates
The following players were announced to award watch lists prior to the start of the 2008 season:- David BrutonDavid Bruton (American football)David Lee Bruton, Jr. is an American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fourth round, 114th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school:Bruton attended Miamisburg High School in Miamisburg, Ohio...
- Bronko Nagurski TrophyBronko Nagurski TrophyThe Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America to be the best defensively in the National Collegiate Athletic Association; the award is presented by the Charlotte... - Jimmy ClausenJimmy ClausenJames Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career...
- Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The... - Maurice Crum Jr. - Bronko Nagurski TrophyBronko Nagurski TrophyThe Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America to be the best defensively in the National Collegiate Athletic Association; the award is presented by the Charlotte...
, Chuck Bednarik AwardChuck Bednarik AwardThe Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive collegiate football player adjudged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States...
Roster
Quarterback
Tailback
Fullback
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Center
Offensive Guard
Offensive Tackle
Nose Tackle
Defensive Line
Cornerback
Strong Safety
Free Safety
Linebacker
Long Snapper Kick Off
Punter
Place Kicker
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Sources: http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/nd-m-footbl-mtt.html, http://notredame.rivals.com/croster.asp?team=NOTREDAME Bold denotes starter (w) denotes non scholarship walk-on (a) denotes player added to roster mid-season Players who left or were dismissed from the team are struck out |
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Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at Notre Dame | Alma Mater Alma mater Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:... (Year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Weis Charlie Weis Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame... |
Head Coach | 4th | Notre Dame (1978) |
| John Latina | Assistant Head Coach (Offense) Offensive Line |
4th | Virginia Tech (1981) |
| Michael Haywood Michael Haywood -External links:* *... |
Offensive Coordinator Running Backs |
4th | Notre Dame (1986) |
| Rob Ianello Rob Ianello -External links:*... |
Recruiting Coordinator Receivers |
4th | Catholic The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops... (1987) |
| Bernie Parmalee Bernie Parmalee Bernard "Bernie" Parmalee is the current Tight End Coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.Parmalee played high school football at Lincoln High School in Jersey City, New Jersey.-Professional playing career:... |
Tight Ends | 4th | Ball State Ball State University Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings... (1990) |
| Ron Powlus Ron Powlus Ronald Lee Powlus is a former American football quarterback, former quarterbacks coach for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, and current quarterbacks coach for the University of Akron Zips football team.... |
Quarterbacks | 2nd | Notre Dame (1997) |
| Jon Tenuta | Assistant Head Coach (Defense) Linebackers |
1st | Virginia University of Virginia The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson... (1982) |
| Corwin Brown Corwin Brown Corwin Brown is an American football coach who was most recently the defensive backs coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League... |
Defensive Coordinator Defensive Backs |
2nd | Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... (1993) |
| Jerome "Jappy" Oliver | Defensive Line | 4th | Purdue Purdue University Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and... (1978) |
| Brian Polian | Special Teams | 4th | John Carroll John Carroll University John Carroll University is a private, co-educational Jesuit Catholic university in University Heights, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus as Saint Ignatius College.The university was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, as... (1997) |
Schedule
San Diego State
Michigan
Turnovers were the name of the game, as Notre Dame jumped out to a 21 point lead off of 2 early Michigan turnovers and went on to beat Michigan 35–17. Despite Michigan out-gaining the Irish 387 yards to 260 yards, Notre Dame won the turnover battle 6 to 2. Jimmy Clausen connected on touchdown passes of 10 yards and 48 yards to wide receivers Duval Kamara and Golden Tate, respectively. Michigan came to life after the 21 points, when Sam McGuffieSam McGuffie
Samuel Terrence McGuffie is a college football running back for the Rice Owls. He played his freshman season at Michigan.-High school career:...
turned a short pass from quarterback Steven Threet
Steven Threet
Steven Charles Threet is a former American football quarterback who played for both Michigan and Arizona State. He is currently a Student Assistant on the Arizona State football team's staff. He was most recently the starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils...
into a 40 yard touchdown. Michigan kicker K.C. Lopata's 23 yard field goal cut the lead to 21–10. The Irish then answered with an 87 yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a 60 yard pass from Clausen to Tate, who broke three tackles before being caught at the 25 yard line. Robert Hughes scored his second rushing touchdown of the day, a 1 yard run to make it 28–10.
Irish linebacker Brian Smith also returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Notre Dame didn't come away completely unscathed, however, as coach Charlie Weis was knocked over on the sideline by defensive end John Ryan, who was being run out of bounds. Weis spent the remainder of the game on crutches with his left leg wrapped. It was determined during halftime that Weis had torn his ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and his MCL
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
. Coach Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
and the 1988 National Title team
1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 college football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship...
were also honored, with a statue of Coach Holtz unveiled outside of the stadium before the game.
Michigan State
Purdue
Notre Dame improved to 3-1, matching its win total from a year ago with a 38-21 victory over Purdue.Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 275 yards and three touchdowns and Notre Dame running backs ran for 201 yards. The Irish offense improved on the 16 rushing yards gained against MSU, with starting running back Armando Allen Jr. running for a career-best 134 yards and a touchdown against the Boilermakers. After Purdue took a 7-0 lead on a Kory Sheets
Kory Sheets
Kory Gerren Sheets is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
run, freshman cornerback Robert J. Blanton started the Irish scoring on a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown. Purdue answered back when Aaron Valentin scored on a 3-yard pass from Curtis Painter
Curtis Painter
Curtis Jeffrey Painter is a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers.-High school career:...
to make it 14-7. Jimmy Clausen threw his first touchdown pass to Golden Tate to tie it 14-14 heading into half-time.
The Irish, who hadn't scored in the third quarter in their first three games, scored on their first two possessions of the second half to open a 28-14 lead. The Boilermakers cut the lead to 28-21 four plays later when Painter threw a pass that Desmond Tardy caught at the Notre Dame 30 and raced up the left sideline for a touchdown. The Irish answered immediately, however, when Clausen threw a 30-yard TD pass to captain David Grimes on a fourth-and-7. Freshman wide receiver Michael Floyd added six catches for 100 yards and freshman tight end Kyle Rudolph also had a touchdown catch. The Boilermakers fell to 1-15 at Notre Dame Stadium since 1976. The loss also left Purdue coach Joe Tiller
Joe Tiller
Joe Tiller is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Wyoming from 1991 to 1996 and Purdue University from 1997 to 2008, compliling a career college football record of 126–92–1...
, who is retiring after the season, with a 5-7 record against the Irish.
Stanford
Notre Dame got off to a quick start against Stanford, scoring 3 touchdowns in the first half to hold on to beat Stanford 28-21. Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 347 yards, completing 73% of his passes and three touchdown passes and leading Notre Dame to its seventh straight win over the Cardinal. Stanford, however, made a game of it, scoring twice in the fourth quarter to cut Notre Dame's lead to 7. Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard threw a 1-yard pass to Jim Dray and a 10-yard TD pass to Doug Baldwin with 6 minutes left in the game. The Cardinal got the ball back on their own 2 yard line with 3:34 left, but could not mount a drive. They had one last chance with 8 seconds left, but fumbled the ball and defensive end Pat Kuntz recovered to end the game. Kuntz also had an interception and two sacks in the game.Freshman and Sophomores again accounted for all of Notre Dame's scoring, highlighted by a second straight 100 -yard game by Michael Floyd, who had 5 catches for 115 yards and a 48-yard touchdown catch. Sophomore running back Armando Allen amassed 153 total yards, including scoring a 3-yard rushing touchdown and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Clausen. Freshman tight end Kyle Rudolph also had 5 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Running back Toby Gerhart had a great day running the ball for the Cardinal, compiling 104 yards on 13 carries. Tavita Pritchard, however, turned the ball over 3 times, throwing interceptions to Notre Dame safeties David Bruton and Kyle McCarthy in addition to Kuntz. Before the game, Stanford offensive lineman Chris Marinelli made some controversial comments about Notre Dame(which he later apologized for), saying that "I hate it, playing [Notre Dame] up there. The field, excuse my language, the field sucks. The stadium sucks. I think the area sucks." Stanford has not won at Notre Dame stadium since 1992.
North Carolina
Washington
On the first offensive series of the third quarter, the Irish turned to Aldridge, who scored the first of his two touchdowns to put Notre Dame up 24-0. Aldridge led a running back corps that gained 252 yards on the ground. Notre Dame also relied on a stout defense, which held Washington to 124 yards of offense after allowing an average of 368 yards on the season. Washington did not cross midfield until the 6:05 mark in the fourth quarter against ND’s second string defense. Huskie quarterback Ronnie Fouch connected with D'Andre Goodwin for a 6-yard touchdown with four minutes left in the game to avoid UW’s first shutout loss at Husky Stadium since 1976 (a 7-0 loss against Cal).
Notre Dame’s defeat dropped Willingham to 11-32 in three-plus seasons at Washington. It was announced the next day that UW would not be renewing Willingham’s contract at the end of the season.
Pittsburgh
In what became the longest game in Notre Dame Stadium history, the Irish came up short against the Panthers, losing 36-33 in quadruple overtime. The game looked to be a defensive struggle early, with the game tied at 3-3 with a little over four minutes remaining before half time. Late in the second quarter on 3rd down and 12, Golden Tate made a 47-yard catch of a tipped ball to get the Irish offense to the Pitt 32 yard line. Jimmy Clausen hit Michael Floyd 4 plays later to put the Irish up 10-3. With 1:27 left, Panthers quarterback Pat Bostick threw the first of his three interceptions on the day; a 43-yard interception return by Raeshon McNeil. Clausen hit Floyd again for an Irish touchdown with :04 remaining, putting ND up 17-3 at the half.Despite the Irish's offensive spark in the second quarter, the Panthers held Notre Dame to a mere 7 yards in the third quarter. The Panthers also answered the call on offense scoring 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 17-17. After the second Panther score, Notre Dame's offense came alive again, driving 75 yards in 12 plays and culminating in a third Clausen touchdown, this time to Golden Tate. The late drive by Notre Dame was for nought, however, as Pitt forced overtime when they tied the score at 24 with 2:22 left on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Bostick to Jonathan Baldwin on fourth-and-6. The Panthers ran the same play three straight times before Bostick beat Irish cornerback McNeil for the score.
Neither team could get into the end zone in overtime, and Pitt's Connor Lee won the kicking contest. Notre Dame's kicker, Brandon Walker, who started the season by making just 1-of-7 field goals, made his first four attempts to run his consecutive made field goal streak to seven. But his 38-yard attempt narrowly missed wide left in the fourth overtime, giving Pitt the chance kick the winning field goal.
In the defeat, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd broke the record for catches by a Notre Dame freshman, with 10 catches for 100 yards.
Boston College
Navy
Syracuse
USC
Hawaii Bowl
Notre Dame beat Hawaii 49-21 in its first bowl victory since the Irish defeated Texas A&MTexas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
in the 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic to end the 1993 season. Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen broke school bowl game records after passing for 401 yards and five touchdowns, and his 84.6% completion rate was the second-best completion percentage for any player in any bowl game in NCAA history. Wide receiver Golden Tate also set Irish bowl records upon catching for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Both players were named co-MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
s of the game.
In all, Notre Dame broke 9 bowl records in the victory. In addition to Clausen and Tate's record day, Notre Dame set bowl records in total offense (481 yards), scoring (49 points), and longest kick return (96 yards by Allen). Clausen's 69-yard connection to Tate is also a new record. The defense also had a good day for the Irish, registering 8 sacks and an interception. The victory also ties the 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic for Notre Dame's largest margin of victory in a bowl game at 28 points.
Team
| class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;"> | Team | Opp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring | |||
| Points per Game | |||
| First Downs | |||
| Rushing | |||
| Passing | |||
| Penalty | |||
| Total Offense | |||
| Avg per Play | |||
| Avg per Game | |||
| Fumbles-Lost | |||
| Penalties-Yards | |||
| Avg per Game |
Scores by quarter
Rushing
| Name | GP | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armando Allen | 13 | 134 | 585 | 4.4 | 3 | 21 |
| Robert Hughes | 12 | 112 | 382 | 3.4 | 4 | 18 |
| James Aldridge | 12 | 91 | 357 | 3.9 | 3 | 19 |
| Jonas Gray | 4 | 21 | 90 | 4.3 | 0 | 19 |
| Harrison Smith | 12 | 2 | 58 | 29.0 | 0 | 35 |
| Golden Tate | 13 | 5 | 37 | 7.4 | 1 | 24 |
| David Grimes | 9 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 10 |
| Asaph Schwapp Asaph Schwapp Asaph Daniel Schwapp is an American fullback who is currently a free agent.Schwapp was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. He played high school football at Weaver High School in Hartford where he earned first team all-state honors and named Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut in 2004... |
2 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Evan Sharpley | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 2 |
| Eric Maust | 13 | 1 | -8 | -8.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Clausen | 13 | 54 | -73 | -1.4 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 436 | 1426 | 3.3 | 11 | 35 | |
| Opponents |
Passing
| Name | GP-GS | Effic | Att-Cmp-Int | Pct | Yds | TD | Lng | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Clausen | 12-12 | 132.49 | 440-268-17 | 60.9% | 3,172 | 25 | 69(TD) | 264 |
| Evan Sharpley | 3-0 | 90.2 | 5-3-0 | 60.0% | 18 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Total | - | 131.4 | 447-271-17 | 60.6% | 3,190 | 25 | 69(TD) | 245.4 |
| Opponents |
Receiving
| Name | GP | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Tate | 13 | 58 | 1080 | 18.6 | 10 | 69(TD) | 83.0 |
| Michael Floyd | 9 | 48 | 719 | 15.0 | 7 | 51(TD) | 79.8 |
| Armando Allen | 13 | 50 | 355 | 7.1 | 2 | 41 | 29.6 |
| Kyle Rudolph | 13 | 29 | 340 | 11.7 | 2 | 29 | 26.1 |
| David Grimes | 8 | 35 | 321 | 9.2 | 3 | 31 | 40.1 |
| Duval Kamara | 13 | 20 | 206 | 10.1 | 1 | 28 | 15.8 |
| Robert Hughes | 12 | 14 | 93 | 6.6 | 0 | 15 | 7.8 |
| Robby Parris | 4 | 9 | 50 | 5.6 | 0 | 12 | |
| Asaph Schwapp Asaph Schwapp Asaph Daniel Schwapp is an American fullback who is currently a free agent.Schwapp was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. He played high school football at Weaver High School in Hartford where he earned first team all-state honors and named Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut in 2004... |
2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | 10 | ||
| George West | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Will Yeatman | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| James Aldridge | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 6 | |
| Total | 271 | 3190 | 11.8 | 25 | 69(TD) | 231.4 | |
| Opponents |
Defense
| Name | GP | TKL | SKS | SOLO | PD | INT | FF | BK | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Azuma Losi | 16 | 168 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 87.5 |
| Total |
Special teams
| Name | Punting | Kickoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Yds | Avg | Long | TB | FC | I20 | Blkd | No. | Yds | Avg | TB | OB | |
| Total |
| Name | Punt Returns | Kick Returns | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | |
| Total |
Awards
Freshman Tight End Kyle Rudolph would earn Freshman All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
First-Team honors for his play as the starting tight end from Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com and Phil Steele
Phil Steele
Phil Steele is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He currently writes a column for the Orlando Sentinel, and is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media...
. Rudolph set freshman school records for receptions and receiving yards logging 25 receptions for 262 yards and two touchdowns.Notre Dame moans the loss of the most infamous defensive back in the NCAA "The Crippler" Zion Azuma Losi he is nominated for the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski awards but upruptly withdraws from college, he still holds the unofficial record for "The Most Players Hospitalized by a Single Player". Freshman Receiver Michael Floyd also earned all-freshman second-team honors from Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com, Rivals.com and Phil Steele. Offensive guard Trevor Robinson was named to the All-Freshman second team by CollegeFootballNews.com, while wide receiver Golden Tate was a sophomore honorable mention selection.
NFL Draft
David Bruton was the only player drafted from the team, going in the fourth round to the Denver BroncosDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as the 114th pick overall. Five more players would sign quickly after the draft, including David Grimes with Broncos, Pat Kuntz with the Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Terrail Lambert with the 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, and fullback Asaph Schwapp and offensive lineman Mike Turkovich with the Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.