2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football

Champs Sports Bowl, L 14–18 vs. Florida State
Conference	Independent
2011 record	8–5
Head coach	Brian Kelly (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator	Charley Molnar (2nd year)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Diaco (2nd year)
Base defense	3–4
Captain	Harrison Smith
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium (Capacity: 80,795)

2011 Division I FBS independents football records
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
BYU			–			10	–	3
Notre Dame			–			8	–	5
Navy			–			5	–	7
Army			–			3	–	9

As of December 30, 2011; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Irish were led by second year head coach Brian Kelly and played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium. They compete as an independent. They finished the season 8–5. They were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they were defeated by Florida State 18-14.

Pre-season

Coaching changes

Kerry Cooks took over the cornerback position after coaching the outside linebackers the previous season. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, who also coaches the inside linebackers, will coach the entire linebacking corps moving forward. Chuck Martin will focus solely on the safeties, while presumably assuming his role as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

Player changes

Departing players

Star tight end Kyle Rudolph chose to forgo his final year of eligibility, and enter the 2011 NFL Draft. The Irish also lost a number of important seniors, including four-year starter defensive lineman Ian Williams, linebackers Kerry Neal and Brian Smith, cornerback Darrin Walls, running backs Robert Hughes and Armando Allen, Wide Receiver Duval Kamara, and offensive lineman Matt Romine and Chris Stewart, all to graduation. Redshirt junior quarterback Nate Montana left the program in early February 2011, and transferred to the University of Montana.^[1] Junior guard Alex Bullard transferred to his hometown state of Tennessee and will play for the University of Tennessee, citing the desire to be closer to home following the loss of a family member.^[2]

Recruiting

With his first full recruiting class, Brian Kelly added 23 prospects to the football team, including the addition of five early-enrollees: defensive end Aaron Lynch, outside linebacker Ishaq Williams, offensive lineman Brad Carrico, quarterback Everett Golson, and kicker Kyle Brindza.

2011 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
George Atkinson III WR/RB	Livermore, CA	Granada HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Sep 12, 2010
George Atkinson III WR/RB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Josh Atkinson DB	Livermore, CA	Granada HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.4	Sep 12, 2010
Josh Atkinson DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Kyle Brindza K	Canton, OH	Plymouth Canton HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	–	Apr 15, 2010
Kyle Brindza K	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Jalen Brown DB	Irving, TX	Irving MacArthur HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	4.4	Jul 31, 2010
Jalen Brown DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Brad Carrico DE	Dublin, OH	Dublin Coffman HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	4.8	Mar 20, 2010
Brad Carrico DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Ben Councell LB	Asheville, NC	A.C. Reynolds HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.4	Jun 27, 2010
Ben Councell LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
DaVaris Daniels WR	Vernon Hills, IL	Vernon Hills HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.5	Sep 28, 2010
DaVaris Daniels WR	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Matthias Farley ATH/CB	Charlotte, NC	Charlotte Christian HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Apr 21, 2010
Matthias Farley ATH/CB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Everett Golson QB/ATH	Myrtle Beach, SC	Myrtle Beach HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Dec 2, 2010
Everett Golson QB/ATH	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Jarrett Grace LB	Cincinnati, OH	Colerain HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.6	Apr 24, 2010
Jarrett Grace LB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Conor Hanratty OL	New Canaan, CT	New Canaan HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	5.8	Apr 24, 2010
Conor Hanratty OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Eilar Hardy DB	Pickerington, OH	Central HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.5	Jun 25, 2010
Eilar Hardy DB	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Matthew Hegarty OL	Aztec, NM	Aztec HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	5.0	Apr 28, 2010
Matthew Hegarty OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82
Chase Hounshell OL	Kirtland, OH	Lake Catholic HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	4.8	Jan 17, 2011
Chase Hounshell OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Ben Koyack TE	Oil City, PA	Oil City Senior HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.6	Apr 27, 2010
Ben Koyack TE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Aaron Lynch DE	Cape Coral, FL	Island Coast HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.7	Jan 18, 2011
Aaron Lynch DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84
Nick Martin OL	Indianapolis, IN	Bishop Chatard HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 11, 2011
Nick Martin OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Cam McDaniel RB	Coppell, TX	Coppell HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.5	Nov 29, 2010
Cam McDaniel RB	Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Troy Niklas OL	Anaheim, CA	Servite HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	4.7	Feb 2, 2011
Troy Niklas OL	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Anthony Rabasa DE	Miami, FL	Columbus HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Jul 30, 2010
Anthony Rabasa DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Tony Springmann DE	Fort Wayne, IN	Bishop Dwenger HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	257 lb (117 kg)	4.8	Apr 24, 2010
Tony Springmann DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Stephon Tuitt DE	Monroe, GA	Monroe Area HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 19, 2011
Stephon Tuitt DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Ishaq Williams DE	Brooklyn, NY	Abraham Lincoln HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.7	Jan 14, 2011
Ishaq Williams DE	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11 Rivals: 10 ESPN: 9
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Notre Dame Commit List 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-07-08. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-07-08. "2011 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-07-08. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-07-08. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-07-08.

Outlook

Award candidates

The following players were announced to award watch lists prior to the start of the 2011 season:

Braxston Cave – Rimington Trophy^[3]
Dayne Crist – Davey O'Brien Award,^[3] Maxwell Award^[4]
Tyler Eifert – Mackey Award ^[5]
Michael Floyd – Biletnikoff Award,^[6] Maxwell Award ^[4]
Zack Martin – Outland Trophy^[6]
David Ruffer – Groza Award^[6]
Harrison Smith – Nagurski Award,^[6] Thorpe Award^[3]
Manti Te'o – Bednarik Award,^[4] Butkus Award,^[3] Lombardi Award,^[3] Nagurski Award,^[6]
Cierre Wood – Doak Walker Award^[3]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	2nd	Assumption (1982)
Bob Diaco	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	2nd	Iowa (1995)
Charley Molnar	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	2nd	Lock Haven (1984)
Chuck Martin	Safeties /recruiting coordinator	2nd	Millikin (1990)
Mike Elston	Defensive line / special teams coordinator	2nd	Michigan (1998)
Ed Warriner	Offensive line	2nd	Mount Union (1984)
Mike Denbrock	Tight ends	2nd (second stint)	Grand Valley State (1987)
Tony Alford	Wide receivers	3rd	Colorado State (1992)
Tim Hinton	Running backs	2nd	Wilmington (1982)
Kerry Cooks	Cornerbacks	2nd	Iowa (2000)
Paul Longo	Strength and conditioning	2nd	Wayne State University (1981)

Roster

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish roster from the University of Notre Dame Athletic Site

Quarterbacks

10 Dayne Crist – Senior
5 Everett Golson – Freshman
12 Andrew Hendrix – Sophomore
17 Matthew Mulevy – Senior
11 Tommy Rees – Sophomore

Running Backs

34 George Atkinson III – Freshman
29 Patrick Coughlin – 5th Year Senior
25 Jonas Gray – Senior
33 Cam McDaniel – Freshman
49 Tyler Plantz – Sophomore
31 Cameron Roberson – Sophomore
20 Cierre Wood – Junior

Wide Receivers

14 Luke Massa – Sophomore
16 DaVaris Daniels – Freshman
41 Matthias Farley – Freshman
38 Nick Fitzpatrick – Junior
3 Michael Floyd – Senior
81 John Goodman – Senior
7 T. J. Jones – Sophomore
37 Eric Lee – Freshman
39 Ryan Liebscher – Sophomore
6 Theo Riddick – Junior
85 Ryan Sharpley – Senior
87 Daniel Smith – Sophomore
9 Robby Toma – Junior
1 Deion Walker – Senior

Tight Ends

80 Tyler Eifert – Junior
88 Jake Golic – Junior
18 Ben Koyack – Freshman
86 Arturo Martinez – Sophomore
83 Mike Ragone – 5th Year Senior
82 Alex Welch – Sophomore

Offensive Line

56 Brad Carrico – Freshman
51 Bruce Heggie – Sophomore
72 Nick Martin – Freshman
62 Matt Tansey – Junior

Offensive Tackles

73 Lane Clelland – Senior
75 Taylor Dever – 5th Year Senior
77 Matt Hegarty – Freshman
74 Christian Lombard – Sophomore
71 Dennis Mahoney – Senior
70 Zack Martin – Junior
64 Tate Nichols – Sophomore
79 Jordan Prestwood – Freshman #

Offensive Guards

65 Conor Hanratty – Freshman
76 Andrew Nuss – 5th Year Senior
78 Trevor Robinson – Senior
66 Chris Watt – Junior

Centers

52 Braxston Cave – Senior
57 Mike Golic, Jr. – Senior

Defensive Ends

50 Chase Hounshell – Freshman
90 Ethan Johnson – Senior
89 Kapron Lewis-Moore – Senior
19 Aaron Lynch – Freshman
96 Kona Schwenke – Sophomore
69 Tony Springmann – Freshman
7 Stephon Tuitt – Freshman

Defensive Tackles

98 Sean Cwynar – Junior

Nose Guards

99 Brandon Newman – Senior
9 Louis Nix III – Sophomore
92 Tyler Stockton – Junior
94 Hafis Williams – Senior

Linebackers

93 Connor Little – Freshman

Inside Linebackers

44 Carlo Calabrese – Junior
48 Dan Fox – Junior
59 Jarrett Grace – Freshman
54 Anthony McDonald – Senior
8 Kendall Moore – Sophomore
50 Sean Oxley – Senior
36 David Posluszny – Senior
56 Anthony Rabasa – Freshman
38 Joe Schmidt – Freshman
55 Prince Shembo – Sophomore
5 Manti Te'o – Junior
53 Justin Utupo – Sophomore

Outside Linebackers

30 Ben Councell – Freshman
46 Steve Filer – Senior
45 Darius Fleming – Senior
47 Jonathan Frantz – Senior
58 Troy Niklas – Freshman
13 Danny Spond – Sophomore
1 Ishaq Williams – Freshman

Defensive Backs

35 Joe Romano – Sophomore

Cornerbacks

43 Josh Atkinson – Freshman
12 Robert Blanton – Senior
21 Jalen Brown – Freshman
4 Gary Gray – 5th Year Senior
2 Bennett Jackson – Sophomore
42 Nick Lezynski – 5th Year Senior
32 Andrew Plaska – Senior
39 Ryan Sheehan – Senior
23 Lo Wood – Sophomore

Safeties

49 Blake Breslau – Junior
40 Connor Cavalaris – Freshman
28 Austin Collinsworth – Sophomore
34 Eilar Hardy – Freshman
15 Dan McCarthy – Senior
17 Zeke Motta – Junior
24 Chris Salvi – Senior
26 Jamoris Slaughter – Senior
22 Harrison Smith – 5th Year Senior

Kickers/Punters

27 Kyle Brindza – Freshman
37 Mike Greico – Senior
97 David Ruffer – 5th Year Senior
40 Nick Tausch – Junior
35 Ben Turk – Junior

Long Snappers

60 Jordan Cowart – Junior
50 Ryan Kavanaugh – Senior

# Incoming Transfer, Must sit out a year

Season

Schedule

^[7]

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	3:30 p.m.	South Florida	No. 16	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC	L 20–23	80,795
September 10	8:00 p.m.	at Michigan	No. 24	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 31–35	114,804
September 17	3:30 p.m.	No. 15 Michigan State		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Megaphone Trophy)	NBC	W 31–13	80,795
September 24	12:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh		Heinz Field • Pittsburgh, PA (Rivalry)	ABC	W 15–12	65,050
October 1	8:00 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Shillelagh Trophy)	ESPN	W 38–10	61,555
October 8	3:30 p.m.	Air Force		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC	W 59–33	80,795
October 22	7:30 p.m.	USC		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh, Rivalry)	NBC	L 17–31	80,795
October 29	3:30 p.m.	Navy		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Rip Miller Trophy)	NBC	W 56–14	80,795
November 5	8:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest		BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC	ABC	W 24–17	36,307
November 12	7:30 p.m.	vs. Maryland		FedExField • Landover, MD (Shamrock Series)	NBC	W 45–21	70,251
November 19	4:00 p.m.	Boston College	No. 24	Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Holy War)	NBC	W 16–14	80,795
November 26	8:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Stanford	No. 22	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Legends Trophy)	ABC	L 14–28	50,360^[8]
December 29	5:30 p.m.	vs. No. 25 Florida State		Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL (Champs Sports Bowl)	ESPN/ESPN 3D	L 14–18	68,305
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time.

Game notes

South Florida

Game Captains: Trevor Robinson, Robert Blanton

^[9]

South Florida at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bulls	13	3	0	7	23
Fighting Irish	0	0	7	13	20

Date: September 3
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
Game start: 3:30 EST
Elapsed time: 5:59
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: 93 degrees, W 6 MPH, 2 Severe Weather Delays
Referee: Dennis Hennigan Big East
TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary

1	11:00	USF	Kayvon Webster 96-yard fumble return (Maikon Bonani kick)	USF 7-0

1	4:45	USF	Maikon Bonani 49-yard field goal	USF 10-0

1	1:08	USF	Maikon Bonani 17-yard field goal	USF 13-0

2	4:04	USF	Maikon Bonani 16-yard field goal	USF 16-0

3	7:12	ND	Michael Floyd 24-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	USF 16-7

4	11:05	USF	Evan Landi 2-yard pass from B. J. Daniels (Maikon Bonani kick)	USF 23-7

4	7:35	ND	Cierre Wood 1-yard run (pass failed)	USF 23-13

4	0:21	ND	Michael Floyd 8-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	USF 23-20

Michigan

Game Captain: Zach Martin

Notre Dame at Michigan "Under The Lights"
(Michigan – Notre Dame rivalry game)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	14	3	7	7	31
• Wolverines	0	7	0	28	35

Date: September 10
Location: Michigan Stadium
Ann Arbor, MI
Game start: 8:00 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:30
Game attendance: 114,804
Game weather: High 60s, ESE 4 MPH
Referee: Tom Tomczyk Big East
TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Erin Andrews

Michigan State

Game Captain: Ethan Johnson

Michigan State at Notre Dame
(Megaphone Trophy)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	3	7	0	3	13
• Fighting Irish	14	7	7	3	31

Date: September 17
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
Game start: 3:30 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:19
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: 68 Degrees, SE 8 MPH
Referee: John O'Neill Big 10
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary

1	10:41	ND	Cierre Wood 22-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 7-0

1	1:32	MSU	Dan Conroy 40-yard field goal	ND 7-3

1	1:20	ND	George Atkinson III 89-yard kickoff return (David Ruffer kick)	ND 14-3

2	11:57	MSU	Dion Sims 6-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Dan Conroy kick)	ND 14-10

2	3:36	ND	Cierre Wood 6-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 21-10

3	9:30	ND	TJ Jones 26-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 28-10

4	10:56	MSU	Dan Conroy 35-yard field goal	ND 28-13

4	3:11	ND	David Ruffer 33-yard field goal	ND 31-13

Pittsburgh

Game Captain: Taylor Dever

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Fighting Irish	0	7	0	8	15
Panthers	3	3	6	0	12

Date: September 24
Location: Heinz Field
Pittsburgh, PA
Game start: 12:00 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:17
Game attendance: 65,050
Game weather: 64 Degrees, NE 2 MPH
Referee: John McDade Big East
TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer & Quint Kessenich

Purdue

Game Captain: Tyler Eifert

Notre Dame at Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	14	7	14	3	38
Purdue	0	3	0	7	10

Date: October 1
Location: Ross-Ade Stadium
West Lafayette, IN
Game start: 8:00 PM EST EST
Elapsed time: 3:21
Game attendance: 61,555
Game weather: 50 Degrees, NNW 4 MPH
Referee: Jerry McGinn Big East
TV announcers (ESPN): Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe

Scoring summary

1	14:36	ND	Michael Floyd 35-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 7-0

1	0:03	ND	Jonas Gray 3-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 14-0

2	9:06	ND	Cierre Wood 55-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 21-0

2	3:39	PUR	Carson Wiggs 27-yard field goal	ND 21-3

3	12:00	ND	Tyler Eifert 6-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 28-3

3	2:07	ND	TJ Jones 11-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 35-3

4	8:06	ND	David Ruffer 21-yard field goal	ND 38-3

4	0:21	PUR	Antavian Edison 13-yard pass from Caleb TerBush (Carson Wiggs kick)	ND 38-10

^[10]

Air Force

Game Captain: Jonas Gray

Air Force at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	3	13	0	17	33
• Fighting Irish	21	21	7	10	59

Date: October 8
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
Game start: 3:30 EST
Elapsed time: 3:23
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: 81 degrees, S 9 MPH
Referee: Greg Burks Mountain West Conference
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary

1	12:13	ND	Michael Floyd 34-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 7-0

1	8:21	ND	Tyler Eifert 5-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 14-0

1	5:48	AF	Parker Herrington 34-yard field goal	ND 14-3

1	4:07	ND	Robby Toma 10-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 21-3

2	13:41	AF	Tim Jefferson 3-yard run (kick blocked)	ND 21-9

2	11:39	ND	Jonas Gray 5-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 28-9

2	6:10	ND	Cierre Wood 8-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 35-9

2	1:41	AF	Ty MacArthur 6-yard pass from Tim Jefferson (Parker Herrington kick)	ND 35-16

2	0:32	ND	Theo Riddick 24-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 42-16

3	6:49	ND	Jonas Gray 6-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 49-16

4	14:56	AF	Parker Herrington 32-yard field goal	ND 49-19

4	10:12	ND	David Ruffer 39-yard field goal	ND 52-19

4	6:22	ND	George Atkinson III 1-yard run (Mike Grieco kick)	ND 59-19

4	4:32	AF	Drew Coleman 36-yard pass from Connor Dietz (Anthony Lacoste run)	ND 59-27

4	0:33	AF	Jonathan Lee 8-yard run (run failed)	ND 59-33

USC

Game Captain: Manti Te'o, Cierre Wood

USC at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Trojans	14	3	7	7	31
Fighting Irish	0	10	0	7	17

Date: October 22
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
Game start: 7:30 EST
Elapsed time: 3:10
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: 36 degrees
Referee: Land Clark Pac-12
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Navy

Game Captain: Chris Salvi

Navy at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
Midshipmen	0	7	0	7	14
• Fighting Irish	14	21	7	14	56

Date: October 29
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame, IN
Game start: 3:30 EST
Elapsed time: 3:06
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: 54 Degrees
Referee: Ron Cherry
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Source:

Scoring summary

1	4:52	ND	Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 7-0

1	0:31	ND	Cierre Wood 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 14-0

2	11:06	NAVY	Gee Gee Greene 9-yard pass from Trey Miller (Jon Teague kick)	Notre Dame 14-7

2	10:51	ND	Michael Floyd 56-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 21-7

2	9:07	ND	Jonas Gray 2-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 28-7

2	3:37	ND	Cierre Wood 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 35-7

3	2:59	ND	Michael Floyd 10-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 42-7

4	13:38	ND	Jonas Gray 5-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 49-7

4	9:25	NAVY	Jarvis Cummings 12-yard run (Jon Teague kick)	Notre Dame 49-14

4	3:49	ND	George Atkinson III 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Notre Dame 56-14

Wake Forest

Game Captain: Robert Blanton

Notre Dame at Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Fighting Irish	10	0	14	0	24
Demon Deacons	10	7	0	0	17

Date: November 5
Location: BB&T Field
Winston-Salem , NC
Game start: 8:00 PM EST
Game attendance: 36,307
Referee: Dennis Hennigan Big East
Television network: ABC/ESPN2

Scoring summary

1	10:52	WAKE	Brandon Pendergrass 20-yard pass from Tanner Price (Jimmy Newman kick)	WAKE 7-0

1	6:15	ND	David Ruffer 44-yard field goal	WAKE 7-3

1	4:07	WAKE	Jimmy Newman 46-yard field goal	WAKE 10-3

1	3:38	ND	Tyler Eifert 38-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	Tied 10-10

2	0:28	WAKE	Josh Harris 2-yard run (Jimmy Newman kick)	WAKE 17-10

3	12:54	ND	Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	Tied 17-17

3	9:04	ND	Michael Floyd 16-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 24-17

Maryland

Game Captain: Darius Fleming

Notre Dame vs Maryland
(Shamrock Series)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terrapins	0	7	0	14	21
• Fighting Irish	10	14	14	7	45

Date: November 12
Location: Fed Ex Field
Landover , MD
Game start: 7:30 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:03
Game attendance: 70,251
Game weather: 51 Degrees
Referee: Tom Tomczyk Big East
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary

1	11:25	ND	Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 7-0

1	2:47	ND	David Ruffer 52-yard field goal	ND 10-0

2	8:29	ND	Michael Floyd 19-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 17-0

2	5:18	MD	Quintin McCree 13-yard pass from Danny O'Brien (Nick Ferrara kick)	ND 17-7

2	0:29	ND	Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 24-7

3	8:48	ND	Cierre Wood 3-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 31-7

3	7:18	ND	Lo Wood 57-yard interception return (David Ruffer kick)	ND 38-7

4	14:02	MD	C. J. Brown 2-yard run (Nick Ferrara kick)	ND 38-14

4	5:31	ND	Tyler Eifert 34-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 45-14

4	0:37	MD	D.J. Adams 2-yard run (Nick Ferrara kick)	ND 45-21

Despite the game being played only 12 miles from the Maryland campus, both end zones read "Notre Dame" and the majority of the fans in attendance were supporting the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame wore their green jerseys along with large green shamrocks on their side of their gold helmets.^[11]

Boston College

Notre Dame vs Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	0	7	14
• Fighting Irish	10	3	0	3	16

Date: November 19
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
South Bend , IN
Game start: 4:00 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:22
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: 51
Referee: Brad Allen ACC
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary

1	12:38	ND	Jonas Gray 26-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	ND 7-0

1	8:15	ND	David Ruffer 40-yard field goal	ND 10-0

2	3:04	BC	Josh Bordner 2-yard run (Nate Freese kick)	ND 10-7

2	1:19	ND	David Ruffer 41-yard field goal	ND 13-7

4	8:08	ND	David Ruffer 27-yard field goal	ND 16-7

4	1:57	BC	Bobby Swigert 7-yard pass from Chase Rettig (Nate Freese kick)	ND 16-14

Stanford

Game Captain: Taylor Dever

Notre Dame vs Stanford

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	0	0	7	7	14
• Cardinal	7	14	0	7	28

Date: November 26
Location: Stanford Stadium
Stanford , CA
Game start: 8:00 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:23
Game attendance: 50,360
Game weather: 58 Degrees
Referee: John Mcdaid Big East
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger , Kirk Herbstreet

Scoring summary

1	9:16	STAN	Levine Toilolo 3-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick)	STAN 7-0

2	4:45	STAN	Coby Fleener 28-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick)	STAN 14-0

2	0:10	STAN	Ty Montgomery 11-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick)	STAN 21-0

3	6:21	ND	Michael Floyd 6-yard pass from Andrew Hendrix (David Ruffer kick)	STAN 21-7

4	5:40	STAN	Coby Fleener 55-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick)	STAN 28-7

4	0:23	ND	Andrew Hendrix 2-yard run (David Ruffer kick)	STAN 28-14

Florida State

Main article: 2011 Champs Sports Bowl

Game Captain: Michael Floyd

Notre Dame vs Florida State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Seminoles	0	0	3	15	18
Fighting Irish	7	0	7	0	14

Date: December 29
Location: Citrus Bowl
Orlando , Florida
Game start: 5:30 EST
Referee: Reggie Smith Big 12 Conference
TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (Play-by-Play)
Rod Gilmore (Color Analyst)
Holly Rowe (Sideline)

Scoring summary

1	11:25	ND	Zeke Motta 29-yard fumble return (David Ruffer kick)	ND 7-0

3	9:04	ND	Michael Floyd 5-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick)	ND 14-0

3	11:24	FSU	Dustin Hopkins 42-yard field goal	ND 14-3

4	14:54	FSU	Bert Reed 18-yard pass from E.J. Manuel (Two-point conversion failed)	ND 14-9

4	13:18	FSU	Rashad Greene 15-yard pass from E.J. Manuel (Two-point conversion failed)	FSU 15-14

4	8:05	FSU	Dustin Hopkins 29-yard field goal	FSU 18-14

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	16	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	24	22	RV
Coaches'	18	NR	NR	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	24	RV
Harris	Not released						RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	RV	RV	23	RV	Not released
BCS	Not released							NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	22	NR	Not released

Awards

National awards

Biletnikoff Award

Michael Floyd (semifinalist)^[12]

John Mackey Award

Tyler Eifert (finalist)^[13]

All-Americans

Name	AP	WCFF	PFW	Rivals	Scout	SI	Yahoo
George Atkinson III, KR						Hon. Mention
Tyler Eifert, TE	2	2	Hon. Mention	3	1	Hon. Mention	3
Michael Floyd, WR			Hon. Mention			Hon. Mention
Manti Te'o, LB	2	2		2	2	2	2
†denotes consensus selection. NCAA recognizes AP, AFCA, FWAA, SN and WCFF 1st teams for consensus selections Source:

References

↑ "Nate Montana to transfer from Notre Dame to Montana". usatoday.com. 2011-02-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
↑ "Notre Dame lineman Alex Bullard transferring to Tennessee after death of father". govolsextra.com. 2011-01-07. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "More Notre Dame Football Players Selected To Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
1 2 3 "Trio Of Irish Players Make Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
↑ "Tyler Eifert Named To John Mackey Award Watch List". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
1 2 3 4 5 "Notre Dame Players Littered On Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
↑ http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/nd-m-footbl-sched.html
↑ "Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN.com. November 26, 2011.
↑ "No. 16 Irish Drop Season Opener To USF, 23-20." UND.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
↑
↑
↑ "Floyd named Biletnikoff semifinalist". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
↑ "Tyler Eifert Named Finalist For John Mackey Award". und.com. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
↑ "Athlon's 2011 College Football All-America Team". athlonsports.com. Retrieved 2012-12-11.

External links

Media related to 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team at Wikimedia Commons

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football

Venues	Cartier Field (1889–1928) Soldier Field (1929) Notre Dame Stadium (1930–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Emerald Isle Classic Army Boston College: Holy War Michigan Michigan State Navy Northwestern Pittsburgh Purdue Stanford USC

Culture & lore	All-time series results History Band of the Fighting Irish Irish Guard Notre Dame Box Notre Dame Leprechaun "Notre Dame, Our Mother" "Notre Dame Victory March" Play Like a Champion Today Subway Alumni T formation Tall Grass Game 1946 "Game of the Century" 1966 "Game of the Century" Catholics vs. Convicts 1993 "Game of the Century" Bush Push Navy ends the drought Knute Rockne, All American Notre Dame Football on NBC Rudy

People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Four Horsemen NFL draftees Statistical leaders

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National championship seasons in bold

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