2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Brian Kelly and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. They compete as an independent. They finished the season 8–5. They were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they were defeated by Florida State 18–14.

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Champs Sports Bowl, L 14–18 vs. Florida State
Conference	Independent
Record	8–5
Head coach	Brian Kelly (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Charley Molnar (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Diaco (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Captain	Harrison Smith
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium (Capacity: 80,795)
Seasons ← 2010 2012 →

2011 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
BYU			–						10	–	3
Notre Dame			–						8	–	5
Navy			–						5	–	7
Army			–						3	–	9
Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

Coaching changes

Kerry Cooks took over the cornerback position after coaching the outside linebackers the previous season. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, who also coaches the inside linebackers, will coach the entire linebacking corps moving forward. Chuck Martin will focus solely on the safeties, while presumably assuming his role as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

Player changes

Departing players

Star tight end Kyle Rudolph chose to forgo his final year of eligibility, and enter the 2011 NFL Draft. The Irish also lost a number of important seniors, including four-year starter defensive lineman Ian Williams, linebackers Kerry Neal and Brian Smith, cornerback Darrin Walls, running backs Robert Hughes and Armando Allen, Wide Receiver Duval Kamara, and offensive lineman Matt Romine and Chris Stewart, all to graduation. Redshirt junior quarterback Nate Montana left the program in early February 2011, and transferred to the University of Montana.^[1] Junior guard Alex Bullard transferred to his hometown state of Tennessee and will play for the University of Tennessee, citing the desire to be closer to home following the loss of a family member.^[2]

Recruiting

With his first full recruiting class, Brian Kelly added 23 prospects to the football team, including the addition of five early-enrollees: defensive end Aaron Lynch, outside linebacker Ishaq Williams, offensive lineman Brad Carrico, quarterback Everett Golson, and kicker Kyle Brindza.

US college sports recruiting information for 2011 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
George Atkinson III WR/RB	Livermore, CA	Granada HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Sep 12, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Josh Atkinson DB	Livermore, CA	Granada HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.4	Sep 12, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Kyle Brindza K	Canton, OH	Plymouth Canton HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	–	Apr 15, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Jalen Brown DB	Irving, TX	Irving MacArthur HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	4.4	Jul 31, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Brad Carrico DE	Dublin, OH	Dublin Coffman HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	4.8	Mar 20, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Ben Councell LB	Asheville, NC	A.C. Reynolds HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.4	Jun 27, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
DaVaris Daniels WR	Vernon Hills, IL	Vernon Hills HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.5	Sep 28, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Matthias Farley ATH/CB	Charlotte, NC	Charlotte Christian HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Apr 21, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Everett Golson QB/ATH	Myrtle Beach, SC	Myrtle Beach HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Dec 2, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Jarrett Grace LB	Cincinnati, OH	Colerain HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.6	Apr 24, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Conor Hanratty OL	New Canaan, CT	New Canaan HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	5.8	Apr 24, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Eilar Hardy DB	Pickerington, OH	Central HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.5	Jun 25, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Matthew Hegarty OL	Aztec, NM	Aztec HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	5.0	Apr 28, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Chase Hounshell OL	Kirtland, OH	Lake Catholic HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	4.8	Jan 17, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Ben Koyack TE	Oil City, PA	Oil City Senior HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.6	Apr 27, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Aaron Lynch DE	Cape Coral, FL	Island Coast HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.7	Jan 18, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
Nick Martin OL	Indianapolis, IN	Bishop Chatard HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 11, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Cam McDaniel RB	Coppell, TX	Coppell HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.5	Nov 29, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Troy Niklas OL	Anaheim, CA	Servite HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	4.7	Feb 2, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Anthony Rabasa DE	Miami, FL	Columbus HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Jul 30, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Tony Springmann DE	Fort Wayne, IN	Bishop Dwenger HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	257 lb (117 kg)	4.8	Apr 24, 2010
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Stephon Tuitt DE	Monroe, GA	Monroe Area HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 19, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Ishaq Williams DE	Brooklyn, NY	Abraham Lincoln HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.7	Jan 14, 2011
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11   Rivals: 10  ESPN: 9
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Notre Dame Commit List 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "2011 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011.

Outlook

See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings § Preseason polls

Award candidates

The following players were announced to award watch lists prior to the start of the 2011 season:

• Braxston Cave – Rimington Trophy^[3]
• Dayne Crist – Davey O'Brien Award,^[3] Maxwell Award^[4]
• Tyler Eifert – Mackey Award^[5]
• Michael Floyd – Biletnikoff Award,^[6] Maxwell Award ^[4]
• Zack Martin – Outland Trophy^[6]
• David ruffer – Groza Award^[6]
• Harrison Smith – Nagurski Award,^[6] Thorpe Award^[3]
• Manti Te'o – Bednarik Award,^[4] Butkus Award,^[3] Lombardi Award,^[3] Nagurski Award,^[6]
• Cierre Wood – Doak Walker Award^[3]

Schedule

^[7]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	3:30 p.m.	South Florida	No. 16	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	L 20–23	80,795
September 10	8:00 p.m.	at Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 31–35	114,804
September 17	3:30 p.m.	No. 15 Michigan State		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (Megaphone Trophy)	NBC	W 31–13	80,795
September 24	12:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh		Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 15–12	65,050
October 1	8:00 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (Shillelagh Trophy)	ESPN	W 38–10	61,555
October 8	3:30 p.m.	Air Force		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	W 59–33	80,795
October 22	7:30 p.m.	USC		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh)	NBC	L 17–31	80,795
October 29	3:30 p.m.	Navy		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (Rip Miller Trophy)	NBC	W 56–14	80,795
November 5	8:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest		BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ABC	W 24–17	36,307
November 12	7:30 p.m.	vs. Maryland		FedExField Landover, MD (Shamrock Series)	NBC	W 45–21	70,251
November 19	4:00 p.m.	Boston College	No. 24	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (Holy War)	NBC	W 16–14	80,795
November 26	8:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Stanford	No. 22	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Legends Trophy)	ABC	L 14–28	50,360^[8]
December 29	5:30 p.m.	vs. No. 25 Florida State		Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Champs Sports Bowl)	ESPN/ESPN 3D	L 14–18	68,305
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	2nd	Assumption (1982)
Bob Diaco	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	2nd	Iowa (1995)
Charley Molnar	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	2nd	Lock Haven (1984)
Chuck Martin	Safeties /recruiting coordinator	2nd	Millikin (1990)
Mike Elston	Defensive line / special teams coordinator	2nd	Michigan (1998)
Ed Warinner	Offensive line	2nd	Mount Union (1984)
Mike Denbrock	Tight ends	2nd (second stint)	Grand Valley State (1987)
Tony Alford	Wide receivers	3rd	Colorado State (1992)
Tim Hinton	Running backs	2nd	Wilmington (1982)
Kerry Cooks	Cornerbacks	2nd	Iowa (2000)
Paul Longo	Strength and conditioning	2nd	Wayne State University (1981)

Roster

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Quarterbacks 10 Dayne Crist – senior 5 Everett Golson – freshman 12 Andrew Hendrix – sophomore 17 Matthew Mulevy – senior 11 Tommy Rees – sophomore Running backs 34 George Atkinson III – freshman 29 Patrick Coughlin – 5th Year Senior 25 Jonas Gray – senior 33 Cam McDaniel – freshman 31 Cameron Roberson – sophomore 20 Cierre Wood – junior Wide receivers 14 Luke Massa – sophomore 16 DaVaris Daniels – freshman 41 Matthias Farley – freshman 38 Nick Fitzpatrick – junior 3 Michael Floyd – senior 81 John Goodman – senior 7 T. J. Jones – sophomore 37 Eric Lee – freshman 39 Ryan Liebscher – sophomore 6 Theo Riddick – junior 85 Ryan Sharpley – senior 87 Daniel Smith – sophomore 9 Robby Toma – junior 1 Deion Walker – senior		Tight ends 80 Tyler Eifert – junior 88 Jake Golic – junior 18 Ben Koyack – freshman 86 Arturo Martinez – sophomore 83 Mike Ragone – 5th Year Senior 82 Alex Welch – sophomore Offensive line 56 Brad Carrico – freshman 51 Bruce Heggie – sophomore 72 Nick Martin – freshman 62 Matt Tansey – junior Offensive tackles 73 Lane Clelland – senior 75 Taylor Dever – 5th Year Senior 77 Matt Hegarty – freshman 74 Christian Lombard – sophomore 71 Dennis Mahoney – senior 70 Zack Martin – junior 64 Tate Nichols – sophomore 79 Jordan Prestwood – freshman # Offensive guards 65 Conor Hanratty – freshman 76 Andrew Nuss – 5th Year Senior 78 Trevor Robinson – senior 66 Chris Watt – junior Centers 52 Braxston Cave – senior 57 Mike Golic, Jr. – senior Defensive ends 50 Chase Hounshell – freshman 90 Ethan Johnson – senior 89 Kapron Lewis-Moore – senior 19 Aaron Lynch – freshman 96 Kona Schwenke – sophomore 69 Tony Springmann – freshman 7 Stephon Tuitt – freshman		Defensive tackles 98 Sean Cwynar – junior Nose guards 99 Brandon Newman – senior 9 Louis Nix III – sophomore 92 Tyler Stockton – junior 94 Hafis Williams – senior Linebackers 93 Connor Little – freshman Inside Linebackers 44 Carlo Calabrese – junior 48 Dan Fox – junior 59 Jarrett Grace – freshman 54 Anthony McDonald – senior 8 Kendall Moore – sophomore 50 Sean Oxley – senior 36 David Posluszny – senior 56 Anthony Rabasa – freshman 38 Joe Schmidt – freshman 55 Prince Shembo – sophomore 5 Manti Te'o – junior 53 Justin Utupo – sophomore Outside Linebackers 30 Ben Councell – freshman 46 Steve Filer – senior 45 Darius Fleming – senior 47 Jonathan Frantz – senior 58 Troy Niklas – freshman 13 Danny Spond – sophomore 1 Ishaq Williams – freshman Defensive backs 35 Joe Romano – sophomore Cornerbacks 43 Josh Atkinson – freshman 12 Robert Blanton – senior 21 Jalen Brown – freshman 4 Gary Gray – 5th Year Senior 2 Bennett Jackson – sophomore 42 Nick Lezynski – 5th Year Senior 32 Andrew Plaska – senior 39 Ryan Sheehan – senior 23 Lo Wood – sophomore		Safeties 49 Blake Breslau – junior 40 Connor Cavalaris – freshman 28 Austin Collinsworth – sophomore 34 Eilar Hardy – freshman 15 Dan McCarthy – senior 17 Zeke Motta – junior 24 Chris Salvi – senior 26 Jamoris Slaughter – senior 22 Harrison Smith – 5th Year Senior Kickers/Punters 27 Kyle Brindza – freshman 37 Mike Greico – senior 97 David Ruffer – 5th Year Senior 40 Nick Tausch – junior 35 Ben Turk – junior Long snappers 60 Jordan Cowart – junior 50 Ryan Kavanagh – senior # Incoming Transfer, Must sit out a year

Game summaries

South Florida

See also: 2011 South Florida Bulls football team

• Game Captains: Trevor Robinson, Robert Blanton

^[9]

South Florida at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulls 13 3 0 7 23 Fighting Irish 0 0 7 13 20 Date: September 3 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:30 EST Elapsed time: 5:59 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: 93 degrees, W 6 MPH, 2 Severe Weather Delays Referee: Dennis Hennigan Big East TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary 1 11:00 USF Kayvon Webster 96-yard fumble return (Maikon Bonani kick) USF 7–0 1 4:45 USF Maikon Bonani 49-yard field goal USF 10–0 1 1:08 USF Maikon Bonani 17-yard field goal USF 13–0 2 4:04 USF Maikon Bonani 16-yard field goal USF 16–0 3 7:12 ND Michael Floyd 24-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) USF 16–7 4 11:05 USF Evan Landi 2-yard pass from B. J. Daniels (Maikon Bonani kick) USF 23–7 4 7:35 ND Cierre Wood 1-yard run (pass failed) USF 23–13 4 0:21 ND Michael Floyd 8-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) USF 23–20

Michigan

See also: 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team

• Game Captain: Zach Martin

Notre Dame at Michigan "Under The Lights"
(Michigan – Notre Dame rivalry game)

1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Irish 14 3 7 7 31 • Wolverines 0 7 0 28 35 Date: September 10 Location: Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Game start: 8:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 114,804 Game weather: High 60s, ESE 4 MPH Referee: Tom Tomczyk Big East TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Erin Andrews

Michigan State

See also: 2011 Michigan State Spartans football team

• Game Captain: Ethan Johnson

Michigan State at Notre Dame
(Megaphone Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total Spartans 3 7 0 3 13 • Fighting Irish 14 7 7 3 31 Date: September 17 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:30 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:19 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: 68 Degrees, SE 8 MPH Referee: John O'Neill Big 10 TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary 1 10:41 ND Cierre Wood 22-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 7–0 1 1:32 MSU Dan Conroy 40-yard field goal ND 7–3 1 1:20 ND George Atkinson III 89-yard kickoff return (David Ruffer kick) ND 14–3 2 11:57 MSU Dion Sims 6-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Dan Conroy kick) ND 14–10 2 3:36 ND Cierre Wood 6-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 21–10 3 9:30 ND TJ Jones 26-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 28–10 4 10:56 MSU Dan Conroy 35-yard field goal ND 28–13 4 3:11 ND David Ruffer 33-yard field goal ND 31–13

Pittsburgh

See also: 2011 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

• Game Captain: Taylor Dever

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Irish 0 7 0 8 15 Panthers 3 3 6 0 12 Date: September 24 Location: Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA Game start: 12:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:17 Game attendance: 65,050 Game weather: 64 Degrees, NE 2 MPH Referee: John McDade Big East TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer & Quint Kessenich

Purdue

See also: 2011 Purdue Boilermakers football team and Shillelagh Trophy (Notre Dame–Purdue)

• Game Captain: Tyler Eifert

Notre Dame at Purdue

1 2 3 4 Total • Notre Dame 14 7 14 3 38 Purdue 0 3 0 7 10 Date: October 1 Location: Ross-Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN Game start: 8:00 PM EST EST Elapsed time: 3:21 Game attendance: 61,555 Game weather: 50 Degrees, NNW 4 MPH Referee: Jerry McGinn Big East TV announcers (ESPN): Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe

Scoring summary 1 14:36 ND Michael Floyd 35-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 7–0 1 0:03 ND Jonas Gray 3-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 14–0 2 9:06 ND Cierre Wood 55-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 21–0 2 3:39 PUR Carson Wiggs 27-yard field goal ND 21–3 3 12:00 ND Tyler Eifert 6-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 28–3 3 2:07 ND TJ Jones 11-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 35–3 4 8:06 ND David Ruffer 21-yard field goal ND 38–3 4 0:21 PUR Antavian Edison 13-yard pass from Caleb TerBush (Carson Wiggs kick) ND 38–10

^[10]

Air Force

See also: 2011 Air Force Falcons football team

• Game Captain: Jonas Gray

Air Force at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 3 13 0 17 33 • Fighting Irish 21 21 7 10 59 Date: October 8 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:30 EST Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: 81 degrees, S 9 MPH Referee: Greg Burks Mountain West Conference TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary 1 12:13 ND Michael Floyd 34-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 7–0 1 8:21 ND Tyler Eifert 5-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 14–0 1 5:48 AF Parker Herrington 34-yard field goal ND 14–3 1 4:07 ND Robby Toma 10-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 21–3 2 13:41 AF Tim Jefferson 3-yard run (kick blocked) ND 21–9 2 11:39 ND Jonas Gray 5-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 28–9 2 6:10 ND Cierre Wood 8-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 35–9 2 1:41 AF Ty MacArthur 6-yard pass from Tim Jefferson (Parker Herrington kick) ND 35–16 2 0:32 ND Theo Riddick 24-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 42–16 3 6:49 ND Jonas Gray 6-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 49–16 4 14:56 AF Parker Herrington 32-yard field goal ND 49–19 4 10:12 ND David Ruffer 39-yard field goal ND 52–19 4 6:22 ND George Atkinson III 1-yard run (Mike Grieco kick) ND 59–19 4 4:32 AF Drew Coleman 36-yard pass from Connor Dietz (Anthony Lacoste run) ND 59–27 4 0:33 AF Jonathan Lee 8-yard run (run failed) ND 59–33

USC

See also: 2011 USC Trojans football team

• Game Captain: Manti Te'o, Cierre Wood

USC at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total • Trojans 14 3 7 7 31 Fighting Irish 0 10 0 7 17 Date: October 22 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:30 EST Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: 36 degrees Referee: Land Clark Pac-12 TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Navy

See also: 2011 Navy Midshipmen football team

Game Captain: Chris Salvi

Navy at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 0 7 0 7 14 • Fighting Irish 14 21 7 14 56 Date: October 29 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:30 EST Elapsed time: 3:06 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: 54 Degrees Referee: Ron Cherry TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan Source: [1]

Scoring summary 1 4:52 ND Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 7–0 1 0:31 ND Cierre Wood 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 14–0 2 11:06 NAVY Gee Gee Greene 9-yard pass from Trey Miller (Jon Teague kick) Notre Dame 14–7 2 10:51 ND Michael Floyd 56-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 21–7 2 9:07 ND Jonas Gray 2-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 28–7 2 3:37 ND Cierre Wood 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 35–7 3 2:59 ND Michael Floyd 10-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 42–7 4 13:38 ND Jonas Gray 5-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 49–7 4 9:25 NAVY Jarvis Cummings 12-yard run (Jon Teague kick) Notre Dame 49–14 4 3:49 ND George Atkinson III 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Notre Dame 56–14

Wake Forest

See also: 2011 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team

Game Captain: Robert Blanton

Notre Dame at Wake Forest

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Irish 10 0 14 0 24 Demon Deacons 10 7 0 0 17 Date: November 5 Location: BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC Game start: 8:00 PM EST Game attendance: 36,307 Referee: Dennis Hennigan Big East Television network: ABC/ESPN2

Scoring summary 1 10:52 WAKE Brandon Pendergrass 20-yard pass from Tanner Price (Jimmy Newman kick) WAKE 7–0 1 6:15 ND David Ruffer 44-yard field goal WAKE 7–3 1 4:07 WAKE Jimmy Newman 46-yard field goal WAKE 10–3 1 3:38 ND Tyler Eifert 38-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) Tied 10–10 2 0:28 WAKE Josh Harris 2-yard run (Jimmy Newman kick) WAKE 17–10 3 12:54 ND Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) Tied 17–17 3 9:04 ND Michael Floyd 16-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 24–17

Maryland

See also: 2011 Maryland Terrapins football team

Game Captain: Darius Fleming

Notre Dame vs Maryland
(Shamrock Series)

1 2 3 4 Total Terrapins 0 7 0 14 21 • Fighting Irish 10 14 14 7 45 Date: November 12 Location: Fed Ex Field Landover, MD Game start: 7:30 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:03 Game attendance: 70,251 Game weather: 51 Degrees Referee: Tom Tomczyk Big East TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary 1 11:25 ND Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 7–0 1 2:47 ND David Ruffer 52-yard field goal ND 10–0 2 8:29 ND Michael Floyd 19-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 17–0 2 5:18 MD Quintin McCree 13-yard pass from Danny O'Brien (Nick Ferrara kick) ND 17–7 2 0:29 ND Jonas Gray 1-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 24–7 3 8:48 ND Cierre Wood 3-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 31–7 3 7:18 ND Lo Wood 57-yard interception return (David Ruffer kick) ND 38–7 4 14:02 MD C. J. Brown 2-yard run (Nick Ferrara kick) ND 38–14 4 5:31 ND Tyler Eifert 34-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 45–14 4 0:37 MD D.J. Adams 2-yard run (Nick Ferrara kick) ND 45–21

Despite the game being played only 12 miles from the Maryland campus, both end zones read "Notre Dame" and the majority of the fans in attendance were supporting the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame wore their green jerseys along with large green shamrocks on their side of their gold helmets.^[11]

Boston College

See also: 2011 Boston College Eagles football team

Notre Dame vs Boston College

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 7 0 7 14 • Fighting Irish 10 3 0 3 16 Date: November 19 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 4:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: 51 Referee: Brad Allen ACC TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

Scoring summary 1 12:38 ND Jonas Gray 26-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 7–0 1 8:15 ND David Ruffer 40-yard field goal ND 10–0 2 3:04 BC Josh Bordner 2-yard run (Nate Freese kick) ND 10–7 2 1:19 ND David Ruffer 41-yard field goal ND 13–7 4 8:08 ND David Ruffer 27-yard field goal ND 16–7 4 1:57 BC Bobby Swigert 7-yard pass from Chase Rettig (Nate Freese kick) ND 16–14

Stanford

See also: 2011 Stanford Cardinal football team

Game Captain: Taylor Dever

Notre Dame vs Stanford

1 2 3 4 Total Fighting Irish 0 0 7 7 14 • Cardinal 7 14 0 7 28 Date: November 26 Location: Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA Game start: 8:00 PM EST Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 50,360 Game weather: 58 Degrees Referee: John Mcdaid Big East TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit

Scoring summary 1 9:16 STAN Levine Toilolo 3-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 7–0 2 4:45 STAN Coby Fleener 28-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 14–0 2 0:10 STAN Ty Montgomery 11-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 21–0 3 6:21 ND Michael Floyd 6-yard pass from Andrew Hendrix (David Ruffer kick) STAN 21–7 4 5:40 STAN Coby Fleener 55-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Jordan Williamson kick) STAN 28–7 4 0:23 ND Andrew Hendrix 2-yard run (David Ruffer kick) STAN 28–14

Florida State

Main article: 2011 Champs Sports Bowl

See also: 2011 Florida State Seminoles football team

Game Captain: Michael Floyd

Notre Dame vs Florida State

1 2 3 4 Total • Seminoles 0 0 3 15 18 Fighting Irish 7 0 7 0 14 Date: December 29 Location: Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL Game start: 5:30 EST Referee: Reggie Smith Big 12 Conference TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (Play-by-Play) Rod Gilmore (Color Analyst) Holly Rowe (Sideline)

Scoring summary 1 11:25 ND Zeke Motta 29-yard fumble return (David Ruffer kick) ND 7–0 3 9:04 ND Michael Floyd 5-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 14–0 3 11:24 FSU Dustin Hopkins 42-yard field goal ND 14–3 4 14:54 FSU Bert Reed 18-yard pass from EJ Manuel (Two-point conversion failed) ND 14–9 4 13:18 FSU Rashad Greene 15-yard pass from E.J. Manuel (Two-point conversion failed) FSU 15–14 4 8:05 FSU Dustin Hopkins 29-yard field goal FSU 18–14

Rankings

See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	16	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	24	22	RV
Coaches	18	—	—	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	24	RV
Harris	Not released						RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	23	RV	Not released
BCS	Not released							—	—	—	—	—	—	22	—	Not released

Awards

National awards

• Biletnikoff Award

Michael Floyd (semifinalist)^[12]

• John Mackey Award

Tyler Eifert (finalist)^[13]

All-Americans

Name	AP	AFCA	FWAA	SN	WCFF	Athlon^[14]	CBS	CFN	ESPN	PFW	Rivals	Scout	SI	Yahoo
George Atkinson III, KR													Hon. Mention
Tyler Eifert, TE	2				2					Hon. Mention	3	1	Hon. Mention	3
Michael Floyd, WR										Hon. Mention			Hon. Mention
Manti Te'o, LB	2				2						2	2	2	2
†denotes consensus selection. NCAA recognizes AP, AFCA, FWAA, SN and WCFF 1st teams for consensus selections      Source:

References

1. "Nate Montana to transfer from Notre Dame to Montana". usatoday.com. February 15, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
2. "Notre Dame lineman Alex Bullard transferring to Tennessee after death of father". govolsextra.com. January 7, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
3. "More Notre Dame Football Players Selected To Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. July 15, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
4. "Trio Of Irish Players Make Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. July 5, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
5. "Tyler Eifert Named To John Mackey Award Watch List". UND.cstv.com. July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
6. "Notre Dame Players Littered On Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
7. . Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
8. "Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN.com. November 26, 2011.
9. "No. 16 Irish Drop Season Opener To USF, 23–20." UND.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
10. "Notre Dame vs. Purdue - Game Recap - October 1, 2011 - ESPN".
11. "Maryland vs. Notre Dame - Game Recap - November 12, 2011 - ESPN".
12. "Floyd named Biletnikoff semifinalist". ESPN.com. November 15, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
13. "Tyler Eifert Named Finalist For John Mackey Award". und.com. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
14. "Athlon's 2011 College Football All-America Team". athlonsports.com. Retrieved December 11, 2012.

External links

  Media related to 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team at Wikimedia Commons