#15/14 Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" at #5/7 Michigan "Wolverines"
Michigan Stadium - Ann Arbor, Mich.
For the second consecutive season, and just the third time in the 115-year
history of Notre Dame football, the Irish are selecting captains on a game-by-
game basis. Today's Irish captains were: DT Darrell Campbell, OLB Derek Curry,
QB Carlyle Holiday and K/P Nicholas Setta. Campbell and Setta were selected as
game captains for the third time in their careers (first this season), while
Curry and Holiday were named game captains for the first time in their careers.
Notre Dame won the toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Michigan
elected to receive, while the Irish chose to defend the South goal.
Today's game marks the 152nd sellout in the last 175 games involving Notre
Dame. That stretch includes the first 10 games of 1998, the first 11 in '99, the
first five in '00, the first nine in '01, all 13 in '02 and the first two in '03.
Today's game was the 15th time in school history Notre Dame played before a
crowd of at least 100,000 people, and the first time since Nov. 6, 1999 at
Tennessee (107,619 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville). The Irish now are 8-7 in
such games.
Today's NCAA-record crowd of 111,726 signaled the third time in the ND-
Michigan series that the game has resulted in a new NCAA attendance mark (also
1993 and '99). Previously, the largest crowd ever to watch a Notre Dame football
game was 111,523 fans on Sept. 4, 1999, also at Michigan Stadium.
Counting postseason play, Notre Dame has now had its last 126 games
televised on one of four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN), a stretch going back
more than 10 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.
Today's game was broadcast nationally by ABC, representing the 300th time a
Notre Dame football game has aired on national or regional television. During
their 115-year history, the Irish have posted a 191-105-4 record in these TV
games, including a 44-34-2 mark when ABC shows Notre Dame nationwide.
Notre Dame has played more than three times as many games against Big Ten
Conference opponents (325) as any other league, posting a 209-101-5 record
against that circuit. The Pac-10 (110) and BIG EAST (108) are the only other
conferences against whom the Irish have played at least 100 games.
Notre Dame is shut out for the first time since a 10-0 loss at USC on Nov.
28, 1998.
The 38-point final margin is the largest by either team in the Notre Dame-
Michigan series and the 38 points by UM are the most scored by either side in the
series. It also is the first time the Wolverines have shut out the Irish since a
23-0 decision in 1902 at Toledo, Ohio.
Today's game is the largest margin of defeat for the Irish since a 58-7 loss
at Nov. 30, 1985, and it represents the eighth-largest setback in school history
(sixth among shutouts).
Notre Dame trailed 17-0 at halftime, its largest deficit at the break since
the 2003 Gator Bowl, when North Carolina State had a 21-3 lead on the Irish at
the intermission.
Notre Dame went scoreless in the first half for the first time since Nov. 2,
2002 vs. Boston College (BC went on to win 14-7).
Notre Dame had nine punts in the game, the most by the Irish since they had
nine at USC last year. Senior punter Nicholas Setta had just seven career punts
entering today's game.
Michigan RB Chris Perry accounted for all four Wolverine TDs today (3 rush,
1 catch). He is the first Irish opponent to rush for three touchdowns in one game
since Nebraska's Eric Crouch also ran for three scores on Sept. 9, 2000. As a
team, UM had four rushing touchdowns, the most by a Notre Dame opponent since
that same Nebraska game in 2000.
Chris Perry's four total scores are the most accounted for by one Notre Dame
opponent since USC's Carson Palmer threw four TD passes last season.
Notre Dame's 140 yards of total offense, seven first downs and 22:13 time of
possesion marked its lowest output since last year's game at USC (109 yards, four
first downs, 21:55 TOP).
Notre Dame drops its third consecutive game at Michigan Stadium for the
first time ever.
The Irish see their four-game winning streak against Big Ten Conference
teams come to an end. Notre Dame now is 35-15-1 in its last 51 games against the
Big Ten.
Notre Dame loses its first game on a Big Ten campus since Sept. 23, 2000,
when the Irish dropped a last-minute 27-21 decision at Michigan State.
Several Notre Dame individuals registered notable accomplishments in today's game
KR Julius Jones - logged the 100th kick return of his career. He now has 101
career kick returns and needs four to match Tim Brown's school record of 105 from
1984-87. Jones also has 64 career kickoff returns, five behind Brown's Irish
record of 69. In addition, Jones has 1,929 total career kick return yards,
leaving him 160 yards short of Brown's school-best 2,089 yards.
TE Anthony Fasano - caught his first career pass, a 19-yard grab in the
fourth quarter.
QB Brady Quinn - completed 3-of-10 passes for 36 yards, the first pass
attempts of his career.
ILB Brandon Hoyte - recovered second career fumble (other was at Florida
State last season). Hoyte also had 10 tackles today, his third consecutive
double-digit outing (also 10 vs. North Carolina State, career-high 11 vs.
Washington State).
SS Garron Bible - recovered second career fumble (other was vs. Rutgers last
season).
