University of Notre Dame Sports Information 112 Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN 46556 574-631-7516 574-631-7941 (fax) Primary Contact: Brian Hardin • [email protected] • Office - 574.631.9471 • Cell - 574.532.4134 www.UND.com Secondary Contact: Michael Bertsch • [email protected] • Office - 574.631.8642 • Cell - 574.532.4154 GAME 9: NOTRE DAME (5-3) vs. BOSTON COLLEGE (5-3) DATE: Saturday, November 8, 2008 TV: ESPN national telecast with Mike Patrick WHAT’S INSIDE (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analysis), Head Coach Charlie Weis ............................2 TIME: 8:00 p.m. ET Holly Rowe (sideline), Bo Garrett (producer) Irish Probable Starting Lineup......................3 and Scott Johnson (director). Notre Dame’s Record When ..........................3 SITE (CAPACITY): Alumni Stadium (44,500); With A Victory / With A Defeat ..................3-5 Chestnut Hill, Mass. RADIO: ISP Sports is the exclusive national Team Notes ..................................................5-14 rights-holder for Irish football radio broadcasts. Eye On Career / Season Records............8-11 TICKETS: The game is sold out. It is the 69th The Notre Dame-ISP relationship begins with Individual / Team Honors ............................14 sellout in the last 76 road games for the Irish. the 2008 season -- with ISP managing, produc- Special Team Notes ..................................14-16 The only non-sellouts include the 2001-07 ing and syndicating the Irish national football Media Information..........................................17 games at Stanford, the 2004 game vs. Navy radio network. Notre Dame games will be Offense Notes ............................................16-23 (The Meadowlands), the 2005 game at broadcast by Don Criqui (play-by-play), former Defense Notes ............................................23-26 Washington and the 2006 game at Air Force. Irish great Allen Pinkett (analysis) and Jeff Miscellaneous Notes ................................26-29 Jeffers providing pre-game, sideline and post- Series History vs. BC / ACC....................33-33 Last Two Meetings with BC ....................34-35 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF Irish Players Season / Career Highs ....36-37 10 Ten true freshmen have played for the Irish so far this season. (SEE PAGE 6) The Last Time ............................................38-40 9 In regulation over the last two games, Notre Dame’s first-team defense has registered Weis Era Record Book..............................41-48 nine three-and-outs in 20 defensive possessions. (SEE PAGE 6) Depth Chart ....................................................49 8 Through eight games, the statistics of the 2008 Irish are surprisingly similar both Pronunciation Guide ....................................50 offensively and defensively to the statistics of the 2006 Irish through eight games. (SEE Alphabetical / Numerical Roster ..........50-51 PAGE 9) Game Summaries ....................................52-59 7 Only seven FBS schools are averaging fewer three-and-outs per game than Notre Player Bios..................................................60-78 Dame’s offense, according to a survey conducted by football SIDs. The Irish have Season Stats ..............................................79-92 committed 13 three-and-outs this year which averages out to 1.63 per game. (SEE PAGE 17) game reports. This broadcast can be heard live 6 Senior CB Mike Anello has tallied at least two tackles in six games this year despite on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 159). playing solely on punt and kickoff coverage units. The special teams stalwart is tied for All Notre Dame home games may be 10th on the team with 17 tackles. (SEE PAGE 15) heard in South Bend on Sunny 101.5 FM and 5 All but five of Notre Dame’s touchdowns this year have been scored by freshmen or NewsTalk 960 WSBT-AM. See page 12 of this sophomores (23 of 28). Senior WR David Grimes has two touchdowns and junior HB notes package for more information on Irish James Aldridge has the other three TDs. (SEE PAGE 6) football radio and television shows. 4 Senior SS Kyle McCarthy leads the Irish with 76 tackles and ranks fourth nationally among all defensive backs with 9.5 tackles per game. He has registered double-digit WEB SITES: Notre Dame (und.com), Boston tackle performances in four games this season. (SEE PAGE 25) College (bceagles.com). 3 Sophomore QB Jimmy Clausen is on pace to record the third-most prolific passing season in school history. Only Brady Quinn’s junior and senior seasons in 2005 and REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game statistics will 2006 would rank ahead of Clausen’s projected numbers of 3,155 passing yards and 27 be provided through CBS College Sports passing touchdowns. (SEE PAGE 18) Gametracker via each school's respective offi- 2 Notre Dame’s kickoff coverage team ranks second in the FBS allowing only 16.6 yards cial athletic websites. per return. (SEE PAGES 14) 1 Freshman WR Michael Floyd ranks first in Notre Dame history in receptions and POLLS: Neither Notre Dame or Boston College touchdown receptions by a freshman in a season. He sits only 57 yards shy of the are receiving votes in either the Associated single-season receiving yards record by a freshman too. (SEE PAGES 20-21) Press poll or USA Today coaches polls. 0 No school has made as much of a leap offensively this year as the Irish. Last year through eight games, Notre Dame averaged 187.6 yards per game but has seen its production SERIES INFO: This meeting will be the 18th all- jump to 385.4 yards per game in 2008 -- a 105.4 percent increase. (SEE PAGE 11) time meeting between the two schools and first 2008 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE matchup in Chestnut Hill since 2003. Boston College has won five of the last six meetings, Date Opponent Site Time including each of the last four matchups. The September 6 SAN DIEGO STATE (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 21-13 Eagles have also won two straight and three of September 13 MICHIGAN (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 35-17 the last four inside Notre Dame Stadium. (see September 20 at Michigan State (ABC) East Lansing, Mich. L, 7-23 All-Time Series Results on page 26). September 27 PURDUE (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 38-21 October 4 STANFORD (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 28-21 W H AT TO WATCH FOR: Notre Dame has October 11 at North Carolina (ABC) Chapel Hill, N.C. L, 24-29 dropped five consecutive meetings with Boston October 25 at Washington (ESPN2) Seattle, Wash. W, 33-7 College. The Irish will look to prevent the November 1 PITTSBURGH (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. L, 33-36 (4ot) Eagles from becoming the fourth school to ever November 8 at Boston College (ESPN) Chestnut Hill, Mass. 8:00 p.m. register a winning streak of six games or more November 15 vs. Navy (CBS) Baltimore, Md. 12:00 p.m. against Notre Dame. November 22 SYRACUSE (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. 2:30 p.m. November 29 at USC (TBA) Los Angeles, Calif. 5:00 p.m. All Times Local Printed by PAGE 2 - IRISH NOTES 2008 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH CHARLIE WEIS: Notre Dame Head Coach A record combined win total for the first two Charlie Weis seasons of any Notre Dame head football coach, consecutive Bowl Championship Series PERSONAL INFORMATION appearances for the first time in Irish history, BIRTHDAY: March 30, 1956 and the two most accomplished passing sea- FAMILY: Wife, Maura; Son, Charlie, Jr. (15) and Daughter, Hannah (13) sons in Notre Dame football annals - those are HIGH SCHOOL: Middlesex High School, Middlesex, N.J. the most notable by-products of the first three EDUCATION: Bachelor's Degree in speech and drama, Notre Dame, seasons of the Charlie Weis era in South Bend. 1978; Master’s Degree in education, South Carolina, 1989 Weis, a 1978 Notre Dame graduate and owner of four Super Bowl-champion rings as products of a stellar 15-season career as a National Football League assistant coach, wasted no time putting his signature stamp on COACHING EXPERIENCE his alma mater's program in his first two years Year School/Team Assignment as Irish head coach in 2005 and 2006. 1979 Boonton (N.J.) High School Assistant Coach Weis and his Irish followed up a 9-3 record 1980 Morristown (N.J.) High School Assistant Coach in '05 and BCS appearance in the Tostitos 1981 Morristown (N.J.) High School Assistant Coach Fiesta Bowl with a 10-3 overall mark in '06 and 1982 Morristown (N.J.) High School Assistant Coach a second consecutive BCS invitation, this time 1983 Morristown (N.J.) High School Assistant Coach to the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Those 19 combined 1984 Morristown (N.J.) High School Assistant Coach wins (including eight straight in the middle of 1985 South Carolina Graduate Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs the '06 regular season) qualified as most in a 1986 South Carolina Graduate Assistant Coach/Linebackers two-year period by the Irish since they collect- 1987 South Carolina+ Volunteer Coach/Defensive Ends ed 21 in 1992-93. It was also the first time Notre 1988 South Carolina@ Assistant Recruiting Coordinator Dame played in BCS games in successive 1989 Franklin Township (N.J.) High School Head Coach years and the most prominent two-season 1990 New York Giants* Defensive Assistant/Asst. Special Teams bowl qualification since the Irish played in the 1991 New York Giants Running Backs Fiesta and Orange Bowls after the 1994 and '95 1992 New York Giants Running Backs campaigns. The only schools to play in BCS 1993 New England Patriots Tight Ends games after both the '05 and '06 seasons were 1994 New England Patriots Tight Ends Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC. 1995 New England Patriots Running Backs Notre Dame's 10 regular-season wins in 1996 New England Patriots# Wide Receivers '06 marked the ninth time that figure had been 1997 New York Jets Wide Receivers achieved in Irish history. Weis' 19 combined 1998 New York Jets^ Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers wins in his first two seasons were the most by a 1999 New York Jets Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers ND head coach in his first two years (the previ- 2000 New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs ous high was 17 by both Terry Brennan in 1954- 2001 New England Patriots* Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/RBs 55 and Dan Devine in 1975-76).