For just the second time in the 114-year history of Notre Dame football, the Irish are selecting captains on a game-by-game basis. The only other time Notre Dame chose captains in this fashion was 1946 under legendary head coach Frank Leahy. Tonight's Irish captains were: WR Arnaz Battle, C Jeff Faine, CB Shane Walton and DE Ryan Roberts.
Notre Dame won the toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Maryland elected to receive and defend the East goal.
Counting postseason play, Notre Dame has now had its last 112 games televised on one of four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN), a stretch going back more than eight full seasons. The last time the Irish didn't appear on one of those four networks was Oct. 31, 1992, when they defeated Navy, 38-7, at Giants Stadium. That game was only shown locally in South Bend on WNDU-TV.
Notre Dame defeats a ranked team for the first time since a last-second 23-21 win over 13th-ranked Purdue on Sept. 16, 2000.
Notre Dame notches its first shutout since a 30-0 whitewashing of Navy in 1998. It's also the first Irish shutout of a ranked opponent since a 7-0 win over #5 Alabama on Nov. 15, 1980 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
Notre Dame records its 14th season-opening win in the last 16 seasons. It's also the first Irish season-opening victory away from home since a 14-7 conquest at Vanderbilt on Sept. 5, 1996 (also the last time Notre Dame opened the season with a night victory).
Notre Dame breaks an eight-game losing streak in night games, earning its first victory under the lights since a last-second 23-22 win at Hawaii on Nov. 29, 1997.
In its 114-year football history, Notre Dame is now 3-0 in the month of August, 10-0 at Giants Stadium and 13-0 in the state of New Jersey.
Notre Dame picks up its first win over an ACC opponent since a 17-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Sept. 6, 1997. The Irish are now 47-11-1 (.805) all-time against the ACC, the second-best mark vs. a major Division I-A conference, and 6-0 against the ACC in season openers.
Notre Dame is now 24-3 (.889) in its first game under a new head coach. Only Frank E. Hering in 1896 (4-0 loss to Chicago Physicians & Surgeons), Elmer Layden in 1934 (7-6 loss to Texas) and Lou Holtz in 1986 (24-23 loss to Michigan) failed to win their first game at the helm of the Irish.
Notre Dame's Tyrone Willingham is the first Irish head coach to record a shutout in his debut game since Terry Brennan piloted Notre Dame to a 21-0 win over Texas on Sept. 25, 1954.
Senior PK Nicholas Setta kicked a career-long 51-yard field goal in the first quarter, tying the Kickoff Classic record set by Georgia Tech's Scott Sisson vs. Penn State in 1991. Setta's previous career long FG was a 47-yard boot, which he accomplished three times (last: at Purdue, 2001).
With his first-quarter field goal, Setta has now kicked at least one field goal in 14 consecutive games, extending his school record.
Setta tied a school record and set a new Kickoff Classic standard with his five field goals tonight. Craig Hentrich also booted a school-record five FG vs. Miami in 1990. Setta's six FG attempts also set a Kickoff Classic record and were one off the Notre Dame record (7 by Gus Dorais vs. Texas, 1913).
Senior CB Shane Walton set a Kickoff Classic record and tied a school record with three interceptions this evening. Walton is the 13th Irish player to collect three picks in a game, and the first since Dave Duerson turned the trick vs. Navy in 1982.
Junior QB Carlyle Holiday threw for a career-high 226 yards tonight. His previous career best was 146 yards against Tennessee in 2001.
Eight different Notre Dame receivers caught passes this evening, the most since eight Irish players had receptions vs. Purdue in 2000.
Junior Vontez Duff became the first player in Kickoff Classic history to return a punt for a touchdown, going 76 yards for a score in the third quarter. Duff's runback also was the longest punt return by an Irish player since Joey Getherall registered an 83-yard punt return for a score vs. Nebraska in 2000.
Duff's punt return for a TD was the first against Maryland since Clemson's Darnell Stephens went 89 yards on Nov. 15, 1991. It also marks the second consecutive game in which Duff has brought a kick back for a TD (96-yard kickoff return at Purdue, 2001).
