2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led during the regular season by Brian Kelly in his 12th and final season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, and compete as an independent.
2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
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Fiesta Bowl, L 35–37 vs. Oklahoma State | |
Conference | Independent |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 9 |
AP | No. 8 |
2021 record | 11–2 |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Tommy Rees (2nd season) |
Defensive coordinator | Marcus Freeman (1st season) |
Base defense | 4–2–5 |
Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium (capacity: 77,622) |
Uniform | |
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2021 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 8 Notre Dame | – | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 19 BYU | – | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Army | – | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liberty | – | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico State | – | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UMass | – | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UConn | – | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll |
On November 29, Kelly resigned to become the head coach at LSU.[1] He finished at Notre Dame with a 12-year record of 113–40 on the field, and an official record of 92–40 due to games vacated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Marcus Freeman was named the program's new head coach;[2] he led the team in the Fiesta Bowl, a loss to Oklahoma State.
Previous season
In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Fighting Irish finished the 2020 season 10–2. They received a bid to the semifinal of the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed.[3] In the Rose Bowl, which was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to allow fans to attend the game, they lost to eventual national champion Alabama.[4] They finished the season ranked No. 5 in the AP poll.[5]
Offseason
Coaching changes
On December 14, 2020 defensive coordinator Clark Lea left the school to become the head coach at Vanderbilt.[6][7] On January 8, 2021, the school named Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to replace Lea.[8]
Departures
- RB/WR Jafar Armstrong (Transferred to Illinois)
- DT Ja’Mion Franklin (Transferred to Duke)
- C Colin Grunhard (Transferred to Kansas)
- LB Jordan Heath (Transferred to UCLA)
- DE Ovie Oghoufo (Transferred to Texas)
- OL John Olmstead (Transferred to Lafayette)
- CB Isaiah Rutherford (Transferred to Arizona)
- DE Kofi Wardlow (Transferred to Charlotte)
- LB Jack Lamb (Transferred to Colorado)[9]
- RB Jahmir Smith (Transferred to Appalachian State)[10]
- WR/DB Isaiah Robertson (entered transfer portal)
Schedule
The 2021 schedule was officially released on April 25, 2019.[11] The neutral site game at Soldier Field had been designated the Shamrock Series game, although television rights were owned and operated by the Big Ten Network. This was the second year since 2020 that not every home game aired on NBC, as the home opener aired on Peacock.[12]
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 5, 2021 | 7:30 p.m. | at Florida State | No. 9 | ABC | W 41–38 OT | 68,316 | |
September 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Toledo | No. 8 | Peacock | W 32–29 | 62,009 | |
September 18 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 12 |
| NBC | W 27–13 | 74,341 |
September 25 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Wisconsin | No. 12 | Fox | W 41–13 | 59,571 | |
October 2 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 7 Cincinnati | No. 9 |
| NBC | L 13–24 | 77,622 |
October 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | No. 14 | ACCN | W 32–29 | 65,632 | |
October 23 | 7:30 p.m. | USC | No. 13 |
| NBC | W 31–16 | 77,622 |
October 30 | 7:30 p.m. | North Carolina | No. 11 |
| NBC | W 44–34 | 71,018 |
November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | No. 10 |
| NBC | W 34–6 | 77,096 |
November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | at Virginia | No. 9 | ABC | W 28–3 | 48,584 | |
November 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech | No. 8 |
| NBC | W 55–0 | 70,011 |
November 27 | 8:00 p.m. | at Stanford | No. 6 | Fox | W 45–14 | 31,571 | |
January 1, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State | No. 5 | ESPN | L 35–37 | 49,550 | |
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Rankings
Week | ||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
AP | 9 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
Coaches | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
CFP | Not released | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Not released |
Personnel
2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Roster |
Game summaries
at Florida State
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –7.0 | 53.5[13] |
Statistics | Notre Dame | Florida State |
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First downs | 17 | 19 |
Total yards | 431 | 442 |
Rushing yards | 65 | 264 |
Passing yards | 366 | 178 |
Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
Time of possession | 30:35 | 29:25 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 26/35, 366 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 18 carries, 42 yards | |
Receiving | Michael Mayer | 9 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD | |
Florida State | Passing | Jordan Travis | 9/19, 130 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INT |
Rushing | Jashaun Corbin | 15 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Keyshawn Helton | 4 receptions, 53 yards |
Toledo
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –16.5 | 55.5[14] |
Statistics | Toledo | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 16 | 27 |
Total yards | 353 | 449 |
Rushing yards | 132 | 132 |
Passing yards | 221 | 317 |
Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
Time of possession | 30:04 | 29:56 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Toledo | Passing | Carter Bradley | 17/27, 213 yards |
Rushing | Bryant Koback | 21 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Devin Maddox | 9 receptions, 135 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 21/33, 239 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 16 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Michael Mayer | 7 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TDs |
Purdue
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –7.5 | 58.5[15] |
Statistics | Purdue | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 19 | 16 |
Total yards | 348 | 343 |
Rushing yards | 57 | 120 |
Passing yards | 291 | 223 |
Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
Time of possession | 34:11 | 25:49 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Purdue | Passing | Jack Plummer | 25/36, 187 yards, 1 TD |
Rushing | King Doerue | 10 carries, 45 yards | |
Receiving | Jackson Anthrop | 7 receptions, 90 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/31, 223 yards, 2 TDs |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 12 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Avery Davis | 5 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD |
vs. No. 18 Wisconsin
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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WIS –6 | 43.5[16] |
Statistics | Wisconsin | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 16 | 17 |
Total yards | 318 | 242 |
Rushing yards | 78 | 3 |
Passing yards | 240 | 239 |
Turnovers | 3 | 3 |
Time of possession | 28:24 | 31:36 |
For this season's Shamrock Series, Notre Dame kept with tradition by donning special uniforms. The team wore its usual gold helmet that featured four stars on the back of the helmet, which honors the Chicago flag. The school's blue uniform had sleeves featuring two gold stripes, which resemble the rivers and waterways represented on Chicago's flag. The all-white numbers are block slab-serif, which represent the "City of Broad Shoulders". The back collar of the uniform displays Notre Dame's mission statement, which is to "Graduate Champions". The pants are a nod to the Fighting Irish team that played the first football game at Soldier Field in 1924, the same year the university won its first championship. The pants are gold, with two blue lines with a white line in the middle, running down the side of the leg.[17]
With this victory, Brian Kelly became the winningest coach in Notre Dame history with victory number 106, surpassing Knute Rockne in his 12th season with the Fighting Irish.[18]
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Wisconsin | Passing | Graham Mertz | 18/41, 240 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs |
Rushing | Chez Mellusi | 18 carries, 54 yards | |
Receiving | Kendric Pryor | 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/29, 158 yards, 1 TD |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 18 carries, 33 yards | |
Receiving | Kevin Austin Jr. | 6 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TDs |
No. 7 Cincinnati
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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CIN –2 | 50.5[19] |
Statistics | Cincinnati | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 16 | 19 |
Total yards | 390 | 341 |
Rushing yards | 93 | 84 |
Passing yards | 297 | 257 |
Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
Time of possession | 28:10 | 31:50 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Cincinnati | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 19/32, 297 yards, 2 TDs |
Rushing | Jerome Ford | 17 carries, 71 yards | |
Receiving | Alec Pierce | 6 receptions, 144 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Drew Pyne | 9/22, 143 yards, 1 TD |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 13 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD | |
Receiving | Michael Mayer | 8 receptions, 93 yards |
at Virginia Tech
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –1 | 47[20] |
Statistics | Notre Dame | Virginia Tech |
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First downs | 21 | 21 |
Total yards | 401 | 321 |
Rushing yards | 180 | 134 |
Passing yards | 221 | 187 |
Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
Time of possession | 28:36 | 31:24 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Notre Dame | Passing | Tyler Buchner | 6/14, 113 yards, TD, 2 INT |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 19 carries, 81 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Kevin Austin | 3 receptions, 70 yards | |
Virginia Tech | Passing | Braxton Burmeister | 15/30, 184 yards, INT |
Rushing | Braxton Burmeister | 10 carries, 49 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Tré Turner | 6 receptions, 80 yards |
USC
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –7.5 | 60 |
Statistics | USC | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 25 | 26 |
Total yards | 428 | 383 |
Rushing yards | 129 | 170 |
Passing yards | 299 | 213 |
Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
Time of possession | 28:37 | 31:23 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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USC | Passing | Kedon Slovis | 27/37, 299 yards, INT |
Rushing | Keaontay Ingram | 24 carries, 138 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Drake London | 15 receptions, 171 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 20/28, 189 yards, TD, INT |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 25 carries, 138 yards, 2 TD | |
Receiving | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | 3 receptions, 57 yards |
North Carolina
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –3.5 | 63 |
Statistics | North Carolina | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 28 | 26 |
Total yards | 554 | 523 |
Rushing yards | 213 | 293 |
Passing yards | 341 | 230 |
Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
Time of possession | 30:15 | 29:45 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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North Carolina | Passing | Sam Howell | 24/31, 341 yards, TD, INT |
Rushing | Sam Howell | 18 carries, 91 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Josh Downs | 10 receptions, 142 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 16/24, 213 yards, TD |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 22 carries, 199 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | 3 receptions, 74 yards |
Navy
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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-21.0 | 48 |
Statistics | Navy | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 11 | 21 |
Total yards | 184 | 430 |
Rushing yards | 166 | 150 |
Passing yards | 18 | 280 |
Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
Time of possession | 34:33 | 25:27 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Navy | Passing | Xavier Arline | 1/2, 18 yards |
Rushing | Isaac Ruoss | 22 carries, 73 yards | |
Receiving | Jayden Umbarger | 1 reception, 18 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 23/29, 269 yards, TD |
Rushing | Kieran Williams | 17 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD | |
Receiving | Kevin Austin | 6 receptions, 139 yards, TD |
at Virginia
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –9.0 | 62 |
Statistics | Notre Dame | Virginia |
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First downs | 22 | 17 |
Total yards | 423 | 278 |
Rushing yards | 249 | 82 |
Passing yards | 174 | 196 |
Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
Time of possession | 29:41 | 30:19 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/20, 132 yards, 3 TD, INT |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 14 carries, 70 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Michael Mayer | 7 receptions, 84 yards, TD | |
Virginia | Passing | Jay Woolfolk | 18/33, 196 yards, 2 INT |
Rushing | Mike Hollins | 9 carries, 44 yards | |
Receiving | Keytaon Thompson | 9 receptions, 110 yards |
Georgia Tech
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –18 | 58.0 |
Statistics | Georgia Tech | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 11 | 23 |
Total yards | 224 | 514 |
Rushing yards | 128 | 212 |
Passing yards | 96 | 302 |
Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
Time of possession | 30:39 | 29:21 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Georgia Tech | Passing | Jordan Yates | 14/28, 96 yards, INT |
Rushing | Jahmyr Gibbs | 12 carries, 58 yards | |
Receiving | Malachi Carter | 3 receptions, 89 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/20, 285 yards, 2 TD |
Rushing | Tyler Buchner | 5 carries, 67 yards | |
Receiving | Kevin Austin | 2 receptions, 89 yards |
at Stanford
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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ND –21.0 | 53.0 |
Statistics | Notre Dame | Stanford |
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First downs | 26 | 11 |
Total yards | 509 | 227 |
Rushing yards | 168 | 55 |
Passing yards | 341 | 172 |
Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Time of possession | 34:10 | 25:50 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 26/35, 345 yards, 2 TD, INT |
Rushing | Kyren Williams | 19 carries, 74 yards, 2 TD | |
Receiving | Kevin Austin | 6 carries, 125 yards | |
Stanford | Passing | Tanner McKee | 20/25, 172 yards, TD |
Rushing | Austin Jones | 9 carries, 35 yards, TD | |
Receiving | Benjamin Yurosek | 5 receptions, 87 yards, TD |
vs. Oklahoma State (Fiesta Bowl)
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Pregame line | Over/under |
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OSU –1.0 | 45.0 |
Statistics | Oklahoma State | Notre Dame |
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First downs | 34 | 27 |
Total yards | 605 | 551 |
Rushing yards | 234 | 42 |
Passing yards | 371 | 509 |
Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
Time of possession | 29:06 | 30:54 |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Oklahoma State | Passing | Spencer Sanders | 34/51, 371 yards, 4 TD |
Rushing | Spencer Sanders | 17 carries, 125 yards | |
Receiving | Brennan Presley | 10 receptions, 137 yards | |
Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 38/68, 509 yards, 5 TD, INT |
Rushing | Logan Diggs | 9 carries, 29 yards | |
Receiving | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | 8 receptions, 136 yards, TD |
References
- "Kelly leaves ND for LSU, gets 10-year, $95M deal". ESPN.com. 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- Jeyarajah, Shehan (December 2, 2021). "Notre Dame hires Marcus Freeman as next coach: Irish listen to players, also retain Tommy Rees to lead offense". CBS Sports.
- Gaydos, Ryan (2020-12-31). "Rose Bowl 2021: Notre Dame vs. Alabama preview, how to watch & more". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- "Notre Dame vs. Alabama - Game Summary - January 1, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- "AP Top 25 College Football Poll, Rankings: 2020 Final". College Football News. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- Sparks, Adam. "Notre Dame's Clark Lea hired as new Vanderbilt football coach". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- "Notre Dame DC Clark Lea hired as Vanderbilt head coach". AP NEWS. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- "Irish hire Cincinnati's Freeman to lead defense". ESPN.com. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- "Jack Lamb, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- "Jahmir Smith, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- Thigpen, Alison (April 25, 2019). "2021 Football Schedule Announced". und.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- Rittenberg, Adam (August 14, 2017). "Notre Dame-Wisconsin matchups to be played at Lambeau Field, Soldier Field". espn.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- "Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Florida State Seminoles". Odds Shark. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
- "Toledo Rockets vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- "Purdue Boilermakers vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- "Wisconsin Badgers vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- "2021 Shamrock Series Uniform Details". 9 August 2021.
- "Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin - Game Recap - September 25, 2021 - ESPN".
- "Cincinnati Bearcats vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- "Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Virginia Tech Hokies". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 5, 2021.