GAME 11: NOTRE DAME (6-4) Vs
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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 11: NOTRE DAME (6-4) vs. SYRACUSE (2-8) DATE: Saturday, November 22, 2008 TV: NBC national telecast with Tom Hammond WHAT’S INSIDE (play-by-play), Pat Haden (analysis), Alex Head Coach Charlie Weis ............................2 TIME: 2:43 p.m. ET Flanagan (sideline), David Gibson (producer) Irish Probable Starting Lineup......................3 and David Michaels (director). Notre Dame’s Record When ..........................3 SITE (CAPA C I T Y ): Notre Dame Stadium With A Victory / With A Defeat ..................3-4 (80,795); Notre Dame, Ind. RADIO: ISP Sports is the exclusive national Team Notes ..................................................5-14 rights-holder for Irish football radio broadcasts. Eye On Career / Season Records............8-13 TICKETS: The game is officially sold out mak- The Notre Dame-ISP relationship begins with Individual / Team Honors ............................17 ing it the 205th consecutive sellout at Notre the 2008 season -- with ISP managing, produc- Special Team Notes ..................................15-17 Dame Stadium. Since 1966, every Notre Dame ing and syndicating the Irish national football Media Information..........................................18 home football game has been a sellout except radio network. Notre Dame games will be Offense Notes ............................................18-24 one - a 1973 Thanksgiving Day game vs. Air broadcast by Don Criqui (play-by-play), former Defense Notes ............................................24-27 Force. The Irish have now played in front of Irish great Allen Pinkett (analysis) and Jeff Miscellaneous Notes ................................28-31 sellouts in 253 of their last 254 home games. Jeffers providing pre-game, sideline and post- Series History vs. Syracuse ....................32-34 Last Two Meetings with Syracuse ........35-36 COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF Irish Players Season / Career Highs ....37-39 10 Ten true freshmen have played for the Irish so far this season. (SEE PAGE 5) The Last Time ............................................40-42 9 Senior linebacker Maurice Crum Jr. is tied for ninth in school history with 297 career tackles. Weis Era Record Book..............................43-50 (SEE PAGES 25-26) Depth Chart ....................................................51 8 Only eight schools are averaging fewer three-and-outs per game than Notre Dame’s 1.90 per Pronunciation Guide ....................................52 game average. Alphabetical / Numerical Roster ..........52-53 7 Sophomore HB Armando Allen paced the Irish with seven receptions vs. Navy. He now has 42 Game Summaries ....................................54-63 catches this season, ranking third on the team and third-most in a single season by an Irish Player Bios..................................................63-80 running back. (SEE PAGES 20-21) Season Stats ..............................................81-94 6 The Irish defense forced six three-and-outs vs. Navy. It was the third time in the last four game reports. This broadcast can be heard live games Notre Dame has forced six three-and-outs. on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 159). 5 Senior SS Kyle McCarthy leads the Irish with 89 tackles and ranks fifth nationally in tackles by All Notre Dame home games may be a defensive back. (SEE PAGE 27) heard in South Bend on Sunny 101.5 FM and 4 Over the past four games, Notre Dame’s defense has allowed an average of 239.5 total yards. NewsTalk 960 WSBT-AM. See page 12 of this That is the fewest over a four-game stretch since 1996. (SEE PAGE 6) notes package for more information on Irish 3 Senior All-America candidate David Bruton is one of just three players in the nation to rank in football radio and television shows. the top 100 in interceptions, forced fumbles, total tackles and solo tackles. Michael Hamlin of Clemson and Mark Herzlich of Boston College are the others. WEB SITES: Notre Dame (und.com), Syracuse 2 Navy entered last week’s game with the second-ranked rushing offense in the nation but was (suathletics.com). held 130 yards below their average while the Irish recorded their second-largest rushing total REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game statistics will of the season to outgain the Mids on the ground, 230-178. be provided through CBS College Sports first career punt block last week vs. Navy set up return of the 1 Mike Anello’s Toryan Smith’s Gametracker via each school's respective offi- block for a touchdown which was the first for the Irish since Carlos Campbell at Boston cial athletic websites. College in 2003. 0 No school has improved more offensively from 2007 to 2008 than Notre Dame. Last year POLLS: Neither Notre Dame or Syracuse are through 10 games, Notre Dame averaged 242.25 yards per game but has seen its production receiving votes in either the Associated Press jump to 371.5 yards per game in 2008. (SEE PAGE 7) poll or USA Today coaches polls. SERIES INFO: Notre Dame and Syracuse will meet for the sixth time in history Saturday after- 2008 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE noon. The Irish lead the all-time series, 3-2, including capturing the last meeting, 34-10, in Date Opponent Site Time 2005. Notre Dame also took the other matchup September 6 SAN DIEGO STATE (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 21-13 inside Notre Dame Stadium, 17-15, in 1961 (see September 13 MICHIGAN (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 35-17 All-Time Series Results on page 30). September 20 at Michigan State (ABC) East Lansing, Mich. L, 7-23 September 27 PURDUE (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 38-21 W H AT TO WATCH FOR: Notre Dame will October 4 STANFORD (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. W, 28-21 honor its 24 seniors (15 scholarship) Saturday October 11 at North Carolina (ABC) Chapel Hill, N.C. L, 24-29 afternoon. The Irish have an all-time record on October 25 at Washington (ESPN2) Seattle, Wash. W, 33-7 Senior Day (final regular season home game) November 1 PITTSBURGH (NBC) Notre Dame, Ind. L, 33-36 (4ot) of 91-22-4. In fact, Notre Dame has won its last November 8 at Boston College (ESPN) Chestnut Hill, Mass. L, 0-17 three Senior Day games and lost just twice in November 15 vs. Navy (CBS) Baltimore, Md. W, 27-21 the regular season home finale since 2000. 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).