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2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
ConferenceIndependent
2011 record8–5
Head coachBrian Kelly (2nd season)
Offensive coordinatorCharley Molnar (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorBob Diaco (2nd season)
Base defense3–4
CaptainHarrison Smith
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
(Capacity: 80,795)
Seasons
← 2010
2012 →
2011 Division I FBS independents football records
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
BYU               10 3  
Notre Dame               8 5  
Navy               5 7  
Army               3 9  
As of December 30, 2011 • Rankings from AP Poll

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.

Pre-season[]

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.

Outlook[]

Award candidates[]

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

Schedule[]

[7]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 33:30 p.m.South FloridaNo. 16NBCL 20–2380,795
September 108:00 p.m.at MichiganESPNL 31–35114,804
September 173:30 p.m.No. 15 Michigan State
NBCW 31–1380,795
September 2412:00 p.m.at PittsburghABCW 15–1265,050
October 18:00 p.m.at PurdueESPNW 38–1061,555
October 83:30 p.m.Air Force
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN
NBCW 59–3380,795
October 227:30 p.m.USC
NBCL 17–3180,795
October 293:30 p.m.Navy
NBCW 56–1480,795
November 58:00 p.m.at Wake ForestABCW 24–1736,307
November 127:30 p.m.vs. Maryland
NBCW 45–2170,251
November 194:00 p.m.Boston CollegeNo. 24
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN (Holy War)
NBCW 16–1480,795
November 268:00 p.m.at No. 4 StanfordNo. 22ABCL 14–2850,360[8]
December 295:30 p.m.vs. No. 25 Florida StateESPN/ESPN 3DL 14–1868,305

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 Warriner 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
2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish roster from the University of Notre Dame Athletic Site

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

  • 34 George Atkinson IIIFreshman
  • 29 Patrick Coughlin – 5th Year Senior
  • 25 Jonas GraySenior
  • 33 Cam McDanielFreshman
  • 31 Cameron Roberson – Sophomore
  • 20 Cierre WoodJunior

Wide Receivers

  • 14 Luke Massa – Sophomore
  • 16 DaVaris DanielsFreshman
  • 41 Matthias Farley – Freshman
  • 38 Nick Fitzpatrick – Junior
  • 3 Michael FloydSenior
  • 81 John Goodman – Senior
  • 7 T. J. JonesSophomore
  • 37 Eric Lee – Freshman
  • 39 Ryan Liebscher – Sophomore
  • 6 Theo RiddickJunior
  • 85 Ryan Sharpley – Senior
  • 87 Daniel Smith – Sophomore
  • 9 Robby Toma – Junior
  • 1 Deion Walker – Senior
 

Tight Ends

  • 80 Tyler EifertJunior
  • 88 Jake Golic – Junior
  • 18 Ben KoyackFreshman
  • 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 MartinJunior
  • 64 Tate Nichols – Sophomore
  • 79 Jordan Prestwood – Freshman #

Offensive Guards

  • 65 Conor Hanratty – Freshman
  • 76 Andrew Nuss – 5th Year Senior
  • 78 Trevor RobinsonSenior
  • 66 Chris WattJunior

Centers

Defensive Ends

  • 50 Chase Hounshell – Freshman
  • 90 Ethan Johnson – Senior
  • 89 Kapron Lewis-MooreSenior
  • 19 Aaron LynchFreshman
  • 96 Kona SchwenkeSophomore
  • 69 Tony Springmann – Freshman
  • 7 Stephon TuittFreshman
 

Defensive Tackles

  • 98 Sean Cwynar – Junior

Nose Guards

  • 99 Brandon Newman – Senior
  • 9 Louis Nix IIISophomore
  • 92 Tyler Stockton – Junior
  • 94 Hafis Williams – Senior

Linebackers

  • 93 Connor Little – Freshman

Inside Linebackers

  • 44 Carlo Calabrese – Junior
  • 48 Dan FoxJunior
  • 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 ShemboSophomore
  • 5 Manti Te'oJunior
  • 53 Justin Utupo – Sophomore

Outside Linebackers

  • 30 Ben Councell – Freshman
  • 46 Steve Filer – Senior
  • 45 Darius FlemingSenior
  • 47 Jonathan Frantz – Senior
  • 58 Troy NiklasFreshman
  • 13 Danny Spond – Sophomore
  • 1 Ishaq Williams – Freshman

Defensive Backs

  • 35 Joe Romano – Sophomore

Cornerbacks

  • 43 Josh Atkinson – Freshman
  • 12 Robert BlantonSenior
  • 21 Jalen Brown – Freshman
  • 4 Gary Gray – 5th Year Senior
  • 2 Bennett JacksonSophomore
  • 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 MottaJunior
  • 24 Chris SalviSenior
  • 26 Jamoris SlaughterSenior
  • 22 Harrison Smith5th Year Senior

Kickers/Punters

  • 27 Kyle BrindzaFreshman
  • 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 Kavanaugh – Senior

# Incoming Transfer, Must sit out a year

Game summaries[]

South Florida[]

[9]

South Florida at Notre Dame
by Quarter 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

Michigan[]

  • Game Captain: Zach Martin
Notre Dame at Michigan "Under The Lights"
(Michigan – Notre Dame rivalry game)
by Quarter 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

Michigan State[]

  • Game Captain: Ethan Johnson
Michigan State at Notre Dame
(Megaphone Trophy)
by Quarter 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

Pittsburgh[]

  • Game Captain: Taylor Dever
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
by Quarter 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

Purdue[]

Notre Dame at Purdue
by Quarter 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

[10]

Air Force[]

Air Force at Notre Dame
by Quarter 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

USC[]

USC at Notre Dame
by Quarter 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

Navy[]

Game Captain: Chris Salvi

Navy at Notre Dame
by Quarter 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

Wake Forest[]

Game Captain: Robert Blanton

Notre Dame at Wake Forest
by Quarter 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

Maryland[]

Game Captain: Darius Fleming

Notre Dame vs Maryland
(Shamrock Series)
by Quarter 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

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[]

Notre Dame vs Boston College
by Quarter 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

Stanford[]

Game Captain: Taylor Dever

Notre Dame vs Stanford
by Quarter 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

Florida State[]

Game Captain: Michael Floyd

Notre Dame vs Florida State
by Quarter 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

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP 16 NR NR RV RV RV RV RV RV NR RV RV 24 22 RV  
Coaches' 18 NR NR RV NR RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 25 24 RV  
Harris Not released RV RV RV NR RV RV RV 23 RV Not released 
BCS Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR 22 NR Not released


Awards[]

National awards

Michael Floyd (semifinalist)[12]
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. 2011-02-15. https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2011-02-15-nate-montana_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  2. "Notre Dame lineman Alex Bullard transferring to Tennessee after death of father". govolsextra.com. 2011-01-07. http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2011/jan/07/ol-alex-bullard-transferring-ut-notre-dame/?partner=RSS. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "More Notre Dame Football Players Selected To Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-15. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/071511aab.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Trio Of Irish Players Make Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-05. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070511aaa.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  5. "Tyler Eifert Named To John Mackey Award Watch List". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-06. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070611aab.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Notre Dame Players Littered On Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. 2011-07-08. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070811aaa.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  7. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/nd-m-footbl-sched.html
  8. "Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN.com. November 26, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313300024.
  9. "No. 16 Irish Drop Season Opener To USF, 23–20." UND.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  10. [1]
  11. [2]
  12. "Floyd named Biletnikoff semifinalist". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/blog/notre-dame-football/post/_/id/2673/floyd-named-biletnikoff-semifinalist. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  13. "Tyler Eifert Named Finalist For John Mackey Award". und.com. http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112111aaa.html. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  14. "Athlon's 2011 College Football All-America Team". athlonsports.com. http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/2011-athlon-all-american-team. Retrieved 2012-12-11.

External links[]

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

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