Saturday is the 218th straight sellout at Notre Dame Stadium. Since 1966, every home game for the Irish has been a sellout except one - a 1973 Thanksgiving Day game vs. Air Force.
Notre Dame has played in front of sellouts in 266 of its last 267 home games.
Notre Dame opened up in the pistol formation. The Irish started with two tight ends (sophomore Tyler Eifert and senior Michael Ragone), two wideouts (junior Michael Floyd and freshman TJ Jones) and one running back (sophomore Cierre Wood).
Notre Dame played without junior TE Kyle Rudolph, sophomore WR Theo Riddick and senior RB Armando Allen Jr. Riddick and Rudolph entered today's game as the top two receivers for the Irish on the year. They had combined for 66 receptions, 734 yards and six touchdowns over the first seven games of the season. Allen leads Notre Dame in rushing with 514 yards
and has also added 138 yards in receiving.
Tulsa rushed for 102 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter, good for an average of 9.3 yards per carry. The Irish limited the Golden Hurricane to just 18 yards on seven carries or 2.6
yards per carry in the second quarter.
Seven different Notre Dame receivers recorded at least one catch in the first half.
Tulsa registered six pass break-ups in the first half, while the Irish recorded four.
Notre Dame and Navy combined for one penalty last week, but the Irish and Tulsa combined for 19 penalties today, including 14 in the first half.
Tulsa registered a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 59-yard punt return for touchdown. The last Notre Dame opponent to record a defensive and special teams
touchdown in the same game was Michigan State on Sept. 12, 1998.
NOTRE DAME IN OCTOBER
Notre Dame is 373-91-8 (.800) all-time in October.
The Irish are 230-48-4 (.823) in October home games.
Notre Dame is 107-36-3 (.743) in road games during October.
The Irish are 36-7-1 (.830) in October neutral games.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Notre Dame and Tulsa met on the gridiron for the first time in the 122-year history of Irish football. The Golden Hurricane are the 139th different opponent in Notre Dame football
history. The Irish own an all-time record of 117-19-3 (.853) when facing an opponent for the first time in school history.
The Irish have faced 69 of the other 120 teams currently competing at the FBS level.
FIRST-TIME VISITORS
Tulsa was the 67th different team to visit Notre Dame Stadium (since its opening in 1930) when the Golden Hurricane faced the Irish. Notre Dame owns a 55-11-1 mark (.828) in
games when the opponent was making its first visit to the Stadium. Fourteen of those teams previously had played at Notre Dame (prior to 1930), with the Irish owning a mark of 44-8-
1 (.840) since 1930 versus teams making their first overall visit to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame has already played one first-time visitor to Notre Dame Stadium this season. The Irish routed Western Michigan, 44-20, on Sept. 16. In addition to today's game with
Tulsa, the Irish will also play a third contest with a first-time visitor in Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame will host No. 8 Utah on Nov. 13.
The Irish have not hosted three first-time visitors to Notre Dame Stadium in the same season since 1972 when Notre Dame faced Miami (Fla.), TCU and Missouri.
The seven teams that have travelled to South Bend for the first time and come away with a victory at Notre Dame Stadium include (AP poll began in 1936): USC (1931), Texas (1934),
Iowa (1940), Missouri (1972), No. 14 Clemson (1979), No. 20 Florida State (1981), Connecticut (2009) and Tulsa. Purdue (1933), Michigan (1942) and Penn State (1982) also won their
first games at Notre Dame Stadium but previously had played the Irish at Cartier Field.
Since the 1981 loss to Florida State, 12 consecutive opponents lost in their first trip to South Bend: Colorado (1984), Mississippi (1985), Boston College (1987), BYU (1992),
Vanderbilt (1995), Rutgers (1996), West Virginia (1997), Arizona State (1999), Texas A&M (2000), Washington State (2003), San Diego State (2008) and Nevada (2009). Connecticut
snapped that streak in the home finale in 2009.
The Notre Dame football program has played home games versus a total of 119 different teams, at primarily old Cartier Field (pre-1930) or Notre Dame Stadium, with an overall
home record of 102-13-5 (.871) in games versus all first-time visitors to Notre Dame (regardless of the site).
Floyd recorded a career-high 11 receptions for 104 yards. It marked his third career game with at least 10 catches in a game.
Floyd eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark for third time this season and 12th time in his career (which ranks third all-time). He trails only Golden Tate (15, 2007-09) and Tom
Gatewood (13, 1969-71).
Floyd has 24 career receiving touchdowns in just 26 games for Notre Dame. He moved past Rhema McKnight (2003-06) and Derrick Mayes (1992-95) into third on the all-time Notre
Dame receiving touchdowns list.
Floyd has caught two or more touchdown passes in three games this season and six times in his career.
Floyd hooked up with freshman QB Tommy Rees on a 10-yard touchdown reception with 6:13 to go in the first quarter to cut the Tulsa lead to 7-6.
Floyd hauled in a four-yard touchdown pass from Rees with 8:10 to go in the second quarter to give the Irish a 20-12 lead.
On the 10-yard touchdown reception, his third catch of the game and 139th of his career, Floyd moved past Jim Seymour (138, 1966-68) into fifth place on the all-time Irish
receptions list. He moved past Tim Brown (137, 1984-87) earlier in the contest.
On a nine-yard catch midway through the second quarter, Floyd moved past Maurice Stovall (2,195; 2002-05) into seventh place on the all-time Notre Dame receiving yards list.
Rees is the first Irish freshman quarterback to ever throw four touchdown passes in a single game. The four touchdown passes is tied with numerous others for the sixth-most in
single-game school history.
Rees completed 33 of 54 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns. The 33 completions was tied for the second-most in school history. The 54 attempts was the fifth-most in school
history.
Rees hooked up with sophomore RB Cierre Wood on a six-yard touchdown pass with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter to give Notre Dame a 27-18 lead. The touchdown pass was
Rees' fourth of the game and fourth of his career.
Rees hooked up with junior WR Michael Floyd for a four-yard touchdown pass with 8:10 to go in the second quarter to give the Irish a 20-12 lead.
Rees completed 18 of 29 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the opening half.
Rees hooked up with freshman WR TJ Jones, who lateralled to sophomore RB Cierre Wood for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 1:21 to go in the first quarter to give the Irish a 13-12
lead.
Rees hooked up with junior WR Michael Floyd on a 10-yard touchdown reception with 6:13 to go in the first quarter to cut the Tulsa lead to 7-6. Following the injury to Crist, Rees
completed 5 of 5 passes for 36 yards and one touchdown on the drive.
Rees actually opened his play with eight consecutive completions before a dropped pass ended the streak.
Toma hauled in a career-best 26-yard reception late in the second quarter.
Toma entered today's game with six career receptions for 58 yards. In fact, his career-highs for catches and receiving yards in a game were two and 26 respectively. He finished the
afternoon with four catches for 67 yards.
Wood became the first Irish running back with two or more touchdown receptions in a game since Tony Fisher had a pair in a 42-28 victory over West Virginia on Oct. 21, 2000.
Wood caught a six-yard touchdown pass from freshman QB Tommy Rees with 8:47 remaining in the third quarter to give Notre Dame a 27-18 lead. The touchdown was his fourth of
the season, fourth of his career and fourth in the last three games.
Wood caught a lateral from freshman WR TJ Jones and raced 23 yards for a touchdown 1:21 to go in the first quarter to give the Irish a 13-12 lead. It was Wood's first career
touchdown reception.
