Statistically Speaking | by Pat
With the regular season behind us, let's dip into the game notes and check out some interesting numbers and figures about the season that was and the bowl game that will be.
• Starting with the Stanford game, the -11 yards rushing allowed to the Cardinal is the lowest total in 37 years. Back in 1968 Notre Dame held Georgia Tech to -42 yards rushing. The -11 yards total is still the 4th lowest rushing total in the modern era. If you subtract sacks from the rushing total and only consider the running back production, Stanford accumulated 41 yards on 15 carries for an average of 2.73 yards/carry.
• On the offensive side of the ball, the 663 yards of offense rank as the 5th best offensive output in Notre Dame history. The top 5 games offensively are:
1. 720 yards - Navy, 1969• While hitting career highs in both yards (186) and carries (35), Darius Walker moved up to 8th on the all-time single season rushing record. With 1106 yards, Walker is one yard ahead of 9th place Allen Pinkett ('85) and 70 yards behind 7th place Autry Denson ('98). Vagas Ferguson still has a hold on the single season record with 1437 yards in 1979.
2. 680 yards - Air Force, 1977
3. 673 yards - Illinois, 1968
4. 667 yards - Georgia Tech, 1977
5. 663 yards - Stanford, 2005
• Not only did Jeff Samardzija lead the nation with 15 receiving touchdowns, but he combined with Maurice Stovall to become the only WR tandem in the country to each catch 10 or more touchdowns. Stovall's 11 touchdowns rank 12th in the nation.
• Staying with Stovall's production, with one game left to play his 121 career receptions rank 6th all-time. Here is the breakdown of the top 6.
1. Tom Gatewood - 157• All of this offensive output has pushed Notre Dame very close to the school record for points scored in a single season. Currently the 2005 Irish have 420 points. The record is 426 points scored by the 1991 team.
2. Jim Seymour - 138
3. Tim Brown - 137
4. Derrick Mayes - 129
5. Ken McAfee - 128
6. Maurice Stovall - 121
• As for other records, all told the Irish team has already broken 32 individual records this season. Most of that can be attributed to Brady Quinn, who has set 17 records already this season, and is on pace to break 10 more.
• Notre Dame and Fiesta Bowl opponent Ohio State (along with Texas and Auburn) are the only 4 schools in the country that are ranked in the Top 19 for both offensive and defensive 3rd down conversion rates.
• Penn State's Paul Poslusnzy won the Butkus Award for the nation's best college linebacker. Many Ohio State fans claim that A.J. Hawk should have won and one of the reasons given is his superior statistics. Out of curiosity -- and not an attempt to prove that Hotye is on par with Poslusnzy or Hawk -- here is a comparison of Hoyte's stats with those of Poslusnzy and Hawk.
| Category | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Int | Pass BrUp | QBH | FF | FR |
| Brandon Hoyte | 82 | 15.5 | 6.0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Paul Poslusnzy | 111 | 11.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Hawk | 109 | 13.0 | 7.5 | 1 | 3 | N/A | 2 | 1 |
• Moving on to the bowl game, Notre Dame has a chance to break the series tie with the Buckeyes as the teams are tied at 2-2 all-time. Notre Dame won the first two games in 1935 and 1936 and Ohio State returned the favor in 1995 and 1996. Furthermore, Notre Dame currently stands 13-13 in bowl games. The final twist to this matchup is the fact that Notre Dame has never faced a Big 10 opponent in a bowl game.
• Other bowl related trivia. In addition to Charlie Weis, the only coaches in ND history to get ND to a bowl game in their first year at Bob Davie and Ty Willingham. Both lost. Of course, the main reason for this is the self-imposed bowl ban at Notre Dame that lasted from 1924 to 1970. Also, Dan Devine went 8-3 his first year as ND head coach, but the Irish did not play in a bowl game that year.
Season Long Running Averages
First six games breakdown here.
| Category | BYU | UT | Navy | 'Cuse | Stan | 1st Six | 2005 | 2004 |
| Yards per rush | 1.9 | 1.4 | 5.7 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.32 |
| Avg yards per PA | 11.4 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 7.5 | 11.4 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 7.2 |
| Avg yards per PC | 14.6 | 14.8 | 12.9 | 13.0 | 17.3 | 13.3 | 13.9 | 13.4 |
| Pass completion % | 78% | 61% | 71% | 58% | 66% | 63% | 65% | 54% |
| 3rd downs conv. | 6/11 (55%) | 7/16 (44%) | 8/12 (75%) | 6/17 (35%) | 8/15 (53%) | 46/96 (48%) | 81/167 (49%) | 68/183 (37%) |
| Rushing yd avg | 44.0 | 48.0 | 221.0 | 134.0 | 231.0 | 170.8 | 154.82 (49th) | 127.4 (85th) |
| Passing yd avg | 467.0 | 295.0 | 284.0 | 286.0 | 432.0 | 318.8 | 334.27 (4th) | 218.1 (54th) |
| Passing Eff. (Quinn) | 222.0 | 164.46 | 184.05 | 138.48 | 176.81 | 150.9 | 162.91 (4th) | 125.87 (55th) |
| Total Offense | 511.0 | 343.0 | 505.0 | 420.0 | 663.0 | 489.7 | 489.09 (10th) | 345.5 (81st) |
| Scoring Offense | 49.0 | 41.0 | 42.0 | 34.0 | 38.0 | 36.0 | 38.18 (6th) | 24.1 (72nd) |
| Time of Possession | 26:21 | 32:12 | 28:25 | 32:12 | 34:35 | 35:12 | 33:11 | 30:50 |
| Red Zone TDs | 3/4 (75%) | 1/3 (33%) | 5/5 (100%) | 1/5 (20%) | 4/7 (57%) | 21/27 (81%) | 35/51 (67%) | 25/36 (69%) |
Defense
| Category | BYU | UT | Navy | 'Cuse | Stan | 1st Six | 2005 | 2004 |
| Yards per rush given up | 2.2 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | -0.4 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 2.7 |
| Avg yards per PA | 7.0 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 9.6 | 7.7 | 7.4 | 7.9 |
| Avg yards per PC | 12.2 | 14.4 | 18.8 | 8.7 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 14.2 | 13.6 |
| Pass completion % | 58% | 41% | 40% | 41% | 64% | 52% | 52% | 58% |
| Quarterback sacks | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 30 |
| Rushing yd against | 75.0 | 109.0 | 239.0 | 143.0 | -11.0 | 126.3 | 119.36 (25th) | 88.2 (4th) |
| Passing yd against | 317.0 | 187.0 | 75.0 | 78.0 | 347.0 | 304.8 | 257.55 (97th) | 281.2 (116th) |
| Passing Eff. def. | 122.73 | 90.39 | 116.00 | 76.6 | 163.18 | 122.24 | 121.41 (53rd) | 138.34 (98th) |
| Total yd against | 392.0 | 296.0 | 314.0 | 221.0 | 336.0 | 431.2 | 376.91 (64th) | 369.4 (54th) |
| Scoring Defense | 23.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 10.0 | 31.0 | 25.67 | 23.64 (45th) | 24.08 (46th) |
| Red Zone Defense | 3/4 (75%) | 4/4 (100%) | 3/3 (100%) | 2/2 (100%) | 2/2 (100%) | 16/23 (70%) | 30/38 (79%) | 33/38 (87%) |
| Red Zone TD Def. | 3/4 (75%) | 2/4 (50%) | 3/3 (100%) | 1/2 (50%) | 1/2 (50%) | 13/23 (57%) | 23/38 (61%) | 19/38 (50%) |
Turnovers
| Category | BYU | UT | Navy | 'Cuse | Stan | 1st Six | 2005 | 2004 |
| Interceptions by ND | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 9 |
| Fumbles Forced / Recovered | 0/0 | 2/1 | 2/1 | 1/0 | 0/0 | 13/7 | 18/9 | 27/12 |
| Turnovers gained | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 22 | 21 |
| Had Intercepted | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| Fumbles / Lost | 3/2 | 2/1 | 0/0 | 1/0 | 1/0 | 9/3 | 16/6 | 15/6 |
| Turnovers lost | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 16 |
| Turnover Margin | +0 | +2 | +1 | +1 | -2 | +6 | +8 | +5 |
Special Teams
| Category | BYU | UT | Navy | 'Cuse | Stan | 1st Six | 2005 | 2004 |
| Kickoff return average | 17.2 | 23.3 | 13.5 | 19.5 | 24.2 | 19.8 | 19.5 | 18.7 |
| Kickoff return average allowed | 21.7 | 21.4 | 26.5 | 18.5 | 30.0 | 19.1 | 21.4 | 19.9 |
| Punt return average | 7.5 | 39.3 | 12.5 | 7.3 | 5.7 | 16.5 | 14.7 | 10.8 |
| Punt return average allowed | 11.8 | 4.7 | - | 5.0 | - | 5.2 | 6.2 | 8.2 |
Fun Fact O' the Day: Yes, it is true. In addition to all of his offense records, Brady Quinn is leading the nation in punting average.
