2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Fiesta Bowl, L 35–37 vs. Oklahoma State
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 9
AP	No. 8
Record	11–2
Head coach	Brian Kelly (12th season; regular season) Marcus Freeman (bowl game)
Offensive coordinator	Tommy Rees (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Marcus Freeman (1st season)
Base defense	3–3–5 or 4–2–5
Captain	Avery Davis Kyle Hamilton Kurt Hinish Jarrett Patterson Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa Drew White Kyren Williams
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
Uniform

2021 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records

	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

The 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during 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 Notre Dame, Indiana.

On November 29, Kelly resigned to become the head coach at LSU. 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 NCAA. Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was named the program's new head coach. The Irish played in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State, losing 37–35 after blowing a 28–7 2nd quarter-lead.

Offseason

Coaching changes

On December 14, 2020 defensive coordinator Clark Lea left the school to become the head coach at Vanderbilt. On January 8, 2021, the school named Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to replace Lea.

Departures

NFL

• OL Liam Eichenberg (drafted by the Miami Dolphins)
• OL Aaron Banks (drafted by the San Francisco 49ers)
• LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (drafted by the Cleveland Browns)
• TE Tommy Tremble (drafted by the Carolina Panthers)
• OL Robert Hainsey (drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• QB Ian Book (drafted by the New Orleans Saints)
• DL Daelin Hayes (drafted by the Baltimore Ravens)
• DL Adetokunbo Ogundeji (drafted by the Atlanta Falcons)
• WR Ben Skowronek (drafted by the Los Angeles Rams)
• S Shaun Crawford (signed by the Las Vegas Raiders)
• OL Tommy Kraemer (signed by the Detroit Lions)
• CB Nick McCloud (signed by the Buffalo Bills)
• WR Javon McKinley (signed by the Detroit Lions)
• TE Brock Wright (signed by the Detroit Lions)

Transfers out

• RB/WR Kendall Abdur-Rahman (transferred to Western Kentucky)
• RB/WR Jafar Armstrong (Transferred to Illinois)
• WR Jay Brunelle (transferred to Yale)
• DT Ja'Mion Franklin (Transferred to Duke)
• OL Dillan Gibbons (transferred to Florida State)
• C Colin Grunhard (Transferred to Kansas)
• LB Jordan Genmark Heath (Transferred to UCLA)
• WR Jordan Johnson (transferred to UCF)
• WR Micah Jones (Transferred to Illinois State)
• LB Jack Lamb (Transferred to Colorado)
• DE Ovie Oghoufo (Transferred to Texas)
• CB Isaiah Rutherford (Transferred to Arizona)
• RB Jahmir Smith (Transferred to Appalachian State)
• DE Kofi Wardlow (Transferred to Charlotte)

Other

• OL Hunter Spears (medically retired from football)

Transfers in

• QB Jack Coan (transferred from Wisconsin)
• OL Cain Madden (transferred from Marshall)
• LB Adam Shibley (transferred from Michigan)

Schedule

The 2021 schedule was officially released on April 25, 2019. 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.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:30 p.m.	at Florida State	No. 9	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 41–38 OT	68,316
September 11	2:30 p.m.	Toledo	No. 8	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	Peacock	W 32–29	62,009
September 18	2:30 p.m.	Purdue	No. 12	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 27–13	74,341
September 25	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 18 Wisconsin	No. 12	Soldier Field Chicago, IL (Shamrock Series, Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay)	Fox	W 41–13	59,571
October 2	2:30 p.m.	No. 7 Cincinnati	No. 9	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	L 13–24	77,622
October 9	7:30 p.m.	at Virginia Tech	No. 14	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	ACCN	W 32–29	65,632
October 23	7:30 p.m.	USC	No. 13	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 31–16	77,622
October 30	7:30 p.m.	North Carolina	No. 11	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 44–34	71,018
November 6	3:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 10	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 34–6	77,096
November 13	7:30 p.m.	at Virginia	No. 9	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ABC	W 28–3	48,584
November 20	2:30 p.m.	Georgia Tech	No. 8	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 55–0	70,011
November 27	8:00 p.m.	at Stanford	No. 6	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	Fox	W 45–14	31,571
January 1, 2022	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State	No. 5	State Farm Stadium Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	ESPN	L 35–37	49,550
Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Further information: 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
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
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 0 Braden Lenzy Sr WR 3 Avery Davis (C) GS WR 4 Kevin Austin Jr. Sr WR 5 Joe Wilkins Jr. Sr QB 8 Cole Capen Sr QB 10 Drew Pyne So QB 11 Ron Powlus III Fr QB 12 Tyler Buchner Fr WR 16 Deion Colzie Fr QB 17 Jack Coan GS RB 20 C'Bo Flemister Sr WR 21 Lorenzo Styles Fr RB 22 Logan Diggs Fr RB 23 Kyren Williams (C) Jr RB 24 Audric Estimé Fr RB 25 Chris Tyree So WR, S 26 Xavier Watts So RB 27 Chase Ketterer So WR 28 Griffin Eifert So WR 29 Matt Salerno Sr RB 33 Leo Albano Sr RB 33 Sam Assaf Jr TE 35 Hakim Sanfo So WR 37 Henry Cook So TE 39 Andrew Yanoshak Fr WR 43 Greg Mailey GS OL 50 Rocco Spindler Fr OL 52 Zeke Correll Jr OL 53 Quinn Murphy Jr OL 54 Blake Fisher Fr OL 55 Jarrett Patterson (C) Sr OL 56 John Dirksen Sr OL 62 Cain Madden GS OL 64 Max Siegel II Sr OL 68 Michael Carmody So OL 71 Brennan Wicks So OL 72 Caleb Johnson Fr OL 73 Andrew Kristofic Jr OL 75 Josh Lugg GS OL 76 Joe Alt Fr OL 77 Quinn Carroll Jr OL 78 Pat Coogan Fr OL 79 Tosh Baker So TE 80 Cane Berrong Fr WR 81 Jack Polian Fr WR 83 Jayden Thomas Fr TE 84 Kevin Bauman So TE 85 George Takacs Sr WR 86 Conor Ratigan Jr TE 87 Michael Mayer So TE 88 Mitchell Evans Fr TE 89 Charlie Selna So	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 2 DJ Brown Sr S 3 Houston Griffith GS S 4 Litchfield Ajavon Jr CB 5 Cam Hart Jr CB 6 Clarence Lewis So DL 7 Isaiah Foskey Jr LB 8 Marist Liufau Jr DL 9 Justin Ademilola Sr LB 10 Isaiah Pryor GS CB, S 11 Ramon Henderson So DL 12 Jordan Botelho So LB 13 Paul Moala Sr S 14 Kyle Hamilton (C) Jr CB 15 Ryan Barnes Fr S 16 KJ Wallace Jr CB 18 Chance Tucker Fr CB 20 JoJo Johnson Fr S 20 Justin Walters Fr CB 21 Caleb Offord So LB 24 Jack Kiser Jr CB 25 Philip Riley Fr LB 27 JD Bertrand Jr CB 28 TaRiq Bracy Sr S 29 Khari Gee Fr S 30 Chris Velotta Jr DL 31 NaNa Osafo-Mensah Jr CB 31 Tyler Wilson Jr LB 32 Prince Kollie Fr LB 33 Shayne Simon Sr DL 34 Osita Ekwonu Jr S 36 Eddie Scheidler Jr S 37 Chase Love Sr LB 38 Davis Sherwood Fr LB 40 Barret Liebentritt Fr LB 40 Drew White (C) GS DL 41 Kurt Hinish (C) GS S 42 Marty Auer Fr LB 42 Giovanni Ghilotti So CB 43 Marcus Thorne Sr DL 44 Kahanu Kia Fr LB 45 Colin Gutzmer Jr LB 46 Adam Shibley GS DL 47 Jason Onye Fr DL 48 Will Schweitzer Fr S 49 Mike Graves Sr LB 52 Bo Bauer GS DL 54 Jacob Lacey Jr DL 56 Howard Cross III Jr DL 57 Jayson Ademilola Sr DL 90 Alexander Ehrensberger So DL 92 Aidan Keanaaina So DL 93 Zane Heemsoth Jr DL 95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (C) GS DL 97 Gabriel Rubio Fr DL 99 Rylie Mills So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 19 Jay Bramblett Jr P 30 Jake Rittman Sr K 32 Chris Salerno Fr K, P 39 Jonathan Doerer GS LS 44 Alex Peitsch So LS 46 Axel Raarup Sr LS 65 Michael Vinson Sr K 91 Josh Bryan Fr K, P 98 Harrison Leonard Jr	Head coach Brian Kelly (Assumption) Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Polian (John Carroll) Associate head coach Special teams coordinator Marcus Freeman (Ohio State) Defensive coordinator Linebackers Tommy Rees (Notre Dame) Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks Mike Elston (Michigan) Defensive line coach Recruiting coordinator Run game coordinator Lance Taylor (Alabama) Running backs coach Run game coordinator Del Alexander (USC) Wide receivers coach John McNulty (Penn State) Tight ends coach Mike Mickens (Cincinnati) Cornerbacks coach Chris O'Leary (Indiana State) Defensive backs coach Safeties Jeff Quinn (Elmhurst) Offensive line coach Matt Balis Director of football performance Ron Powlus (Notre Dame) Associate Athletics Director - Football Olivia Mitchell (Notre Dame) Director of football operations Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: September 17, 2021

Game summaries

At Florida State

Notre Dame at Florida State
(Rivalry)

1 2 3 4 OT Total • No. 9 Fighting Irish 7 10 21 0 3 41 Seminoles 7 7 6 18 0 38 Date: September 5, 2021 Location: Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 49 minutes Game attendance: 68,316 Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 2 MPH Referee: Jeff Flanagan TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play–by–play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Katie George (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 12:46 ND Michael Mayer 41–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 75 yards, 2:09) ND 7–0 05:06 FSU Jashaun Corbin 89–yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick) (2 plays, 89 yards, 0:20) TIE 7–7 2 10:05 FSU Jordan Travis 2–yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick) (4 plays, 45 yards, 1:39) FS 14–7 05:02 ND Jonathan Doerer 48–yard field goal (10 plays, 46 yards, 5:03) FS 14–10 02:21 ND Joe Wilkins Jr. 23–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 48 yards, 1:24) ND 17–14 3 13:36 FSU Ja'Khi Douglas 60–yard pass from Jordan Travis (Alex Mastromanno pass failed) (3 plays, 63 yards, 1:07) FS 20–17 11:52 ND Kevin Austin Jr. 37–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 75 yards, 1:44) ND 24–20 07:05 ND Kyren Williams 6–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 69 yards, 4:17) ND 31–20 04:37 ND Chris Tyree 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (3 plays, 32 yards, 0:58) ND 38–20 4 13:42 FSU Andrew Parchment 8–yard pass from Jordan Travis (Keyshawn Helton pass) (15 plays, 75 yards, 5:55) ND 38–28 05:36 FSU Treshaun Ward 2–yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick) (12 plays, 88 yards, 4:43) ND 38–35 00:40 FSU Ryan Fitzgerald 43–yard field goal (10 plays, 46 yards, 3:35) TIE 38–38 OT 00:00 ND Jonathan Doerer 41–yard field goal (4 plays, 2 yards, 0:00) ND 41–38

See also: 2021 Florida State Seminoles football team and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalries § Florida State

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –7.0	53.5

Statistics	Notre Dame	Florida State
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
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

Toledo at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Rockets 6 10 0 13 29 • No. 8 Fighting Irish 7 7 0 18 32 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 2:35 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes Game attendance: 62,009 Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 11 MPH Referee: Duane Heydt TV announcers (Peacock): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 12:45 ND Michael Mayer 4–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 2:15) ND 7–0 10:06 TOL Thomas Cluckey 31–yard field goal (7 plays, 69 yards, 2:32) ND 7–3 04:14 TOL Thomas Cluckey 32–yard field goal (6 plays, 42 yards, 2:49) ND 7–6 2 09:21 ND Kyren Williams 43–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 96 yards, 2:13) ND 14–6 01:04 TOL Thomas Cluckey 23–yard field goal (10 plays, 35 yards, 4:00) ND 14–9 00:46 TOL Chris McDonald Jr. 27–yard interception (Thomas Cluckey kick) TOL 16–14 4 12:25 ND Jonathan Doerer 48–yard field goal (13 plays, 55 yards, 6:11) ND 17–16 10:57 ND Chris Tyree 55–yard pass from Tyler Buchner (Jonathan Doerer kick) (1 play, 55 yards, 0:09) ND 24–16 07:48 TOL Bryant Koback 8–yard run (Carter Bradley pass failed) (6 plays, 89 yards, 3:03) ND 24–22 01:35 TOL Dequan Finn 26–yard run (Thomas Cluckey kick) (7 plays, 73 yards, 1:51) TOL 29–24 01:09 ND Michael Mayer 18–yard pass from Jack Coan (Kyren Williams pass) (3 plays, 75 yards, 0:26) ND 32–29

See also: 2021 Toledo Rockets football team

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –16.5	55.5

Statistics	Toledo	Notre Dame
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
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

Purdue at Notre Dame
(Shillelagh Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total Boilermakers 3 0 10 0 13 • No. 12 Fighting Irish 0 10 7 10 27 Date: September 18, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 2:41 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 48 minutes Game attendance: 74,341 Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 6 MPH Referee: Jeffrey Servinski TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 09:58 PUR Mitchell Fineran 34–yard field goal (10 plays, 32 yards, 3:41) PUR 3–0 2 13:51 ND Kyren Williams 39–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 66 yards, 2:14) ND 7–3 08:45 ND Jonathan Doerer 28–yard field goal (10 plays, 48 yards, 3:13) ND 10–3 3 11:06 PUR Mitchell Fineran 34–yard field goal (9 plays, 50 yards, 3:54) ND 10–6 09:59 ND Avery Davis 62–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (3 plays, 75 yards, 1:07) ND 17–6 07:08 PUR Milton Wright 2–yard pass from Jack Plummer (Mitchell Fineran kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 2:51) ND 17–13 4 10:50 ND Jonathan Doerer 30–yard field goal (11 plays, 53 yards, 5:20) ND 20–13 06:05 ND Kyren Williams 51–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (1 play, 51 yards, 0:11) ND 27–13

See also: 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team and Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –7.5	58.5

Statistics	Purdue	Notre Dame
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
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

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin
(Shamrock Series / Big Noon Kickoff / College GameDay)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 18 Badgers 3 0 7 3 13 • No. 12 Fighting Irish 0 10 0 31 41 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Soldier Field Chicago, IL Game start: 11:04 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 4 hours and 7 minutes Game attendance: 59,571 Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: W 11 MPH Referee: Michael Cannon TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson (play–by–play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 11:48 WIS Collin Larsh 37–yard field goal (5 plays, 26 yards, 1:54) WIS 3–0 2 08:44 ND Jonathan Doerer 51–yard field goal (16 plays, 45 yards, 6:29) TIE 3–3 04:48 ND Kevin Austin Jr. 36–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 51 yards, 2:18) ND 10–3 3 09:53 WIS Kendric Pryor 8–yard pass from Graham Mertz (Collin Larsh kick) (4 plays, 56 yards, 2:01) TIE 10–10 4 14:14 WIS Collin Larsh 27–yard field goal (9 plays, 30 yards, 3:44) WIS 13–10 14:01 ND Chris Tyree 96–yard kickoff return (Jonathan Doerer kick) ND 17–13 09:34 ND Kevin Austin Jr. 16–yard pass from Drew Pyne (Jonathan Doerer kick) (6 plays, 46 yards, 2:40) ND 24–13 03:20 ND Jonathan Doerer 37–yard field goal (4 plays, 4 yards, 1:45) ND 27–13 02:13 ND Jack Kiser 66–yard interception (Jonathan Doerer kick) ND 34–13 01:01 ND Drew White 45–yard interception (Jonathan Doerer kick) ND 41–13

See also: 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football § Shamrock Series

Pregame line	Over/under
WIS –6	43.5

Statistics	Wisconsin	Notre Dame
First downs	16	17
Total yards	318	242
Rushing yards	78	3
Passing yards	240	239
Turnovers	5	1
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 Flag of Chicago. 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.

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.

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
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

Cincinnati at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 7 Bearcats 0 17 0 7 24 No. 9 Fighting Irish 0 0 7 6 13 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 2:41 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 29 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SW 9 MPH Referee: Marcus Woods TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 2 12:09 CIN Leonard Taylor 1–yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Cole Smith kick) (3 plays, 8 yards, 1:12) CIN 7–0 10:32 CIN Cole Smith 23–yard field goal (5 plays, 12 yards, 1:37) CIN 10–0 00:40 CIN Tre Tucker 27–yard pass from Desmond Ridder (Cole Smith kick) (5 plays, 80 yards, 1:08) CIN 17–0 3 01:19 ND Kyren Williams 3–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 38 yards, 2:01) CIN 17–7 4 08:20 ND Braden Lenzy 32–yard pass from Drew Pyne (Jonathan Doerer kick failed) (8 plays, 80 yards, 3:08) CIN 17–13 05:08 CIN Desmond Ridder 6–yard run (Cole Smith kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 3:12) CIN 24–13

See also: 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

Pregame line	Over/under
CIN –2	50.5

Statistics	Cincinnati	Notre Dame
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
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

Notre Dame at Virginia Tech

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 14 Fighting Irish 0 14 7 11 32 Hokies 7 6 9 7 29 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 33 minutes Game attendance: 65,632 Game weather: Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: NE 0 MPH Referee: Jerry Magallanes TV announcers (ACCN): Dave O'Brien (play–by–play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst) and Kelsey Riggs (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 3:22 VT Raheem Blackshear 7–yard run (John Parker Romo kick) (7 plays, 80 yards, 3:54) VT 7–0 2 10:35 VT John Parker Romo 19–yard field goal (14 plays, 29 yards, 6:08) VT 10–0 6:51 ND Tyler Buchner 3–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 3:44) ND 10–7 0:32 ND Kyren Williams 8–yard pass from Tyler Buchner (Jonathan Doerer kick) (9 plays, 80 yards, 1:03) ND 14–10 0:00 VT John Parker Romo 52–yard field goal (5 plays, 46 yards, 0:28) ND 14–13 3 8:53 VT John Parker Romo 26–yard field goal (11 plays, 61 yards, 6:01) VT 16–14 4:27 ND Kyren Williams 10–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 29 yards, 1:56) ND 21–16 0:50 VT Jermaine Waller 26–yard Interception Return (Two-Point Conversion Failed) (5 plays, 15 yards, 1:58) VT 22–21 4 3:55 VT Braxton Burmeister 19–yard run (John Parker Romo kick) (9 plays, 56 yards, 3:44) VT 29–21 2:26 ND Avery Davis 4–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jack Coan pass to Kevin Austin Jr. for Two-Point Conversion) (7 plays, 75 yards, 1:29) TIE 29–29 0:17 ND Jonathan Doerer 48–yard field goal (7 plays, 45 yards, 1:34) ND 32–29

See also: 2021 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –1	47

Statistics	Notre Dame	Virginia Tech
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
Notre Dame	Passing	Tyler Buchner	6/14, 113 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Kyren Williams	19 carries, 81 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kevin Austin Jr.	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

USC at No. 13 Notre Dame
(Jeweled Shillelagh)

1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 0 3 0 13 16 • No. 13 Fighting Irish 7 10 7 7 31 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours 16 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: N/A • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 5 MPH Referee: Chris Coyte TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 4:09 ND Avery Davis 4–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (11 plays, 70 yards, 4:53) ND 7–0 2 13:24 ND Jonathan Doerer 21–yard field goal (4 plays, 1 yard, 1:20) ND 10–0 7:29 USC Parker Lewis 33–yard field goal (13 plays, 60 yards, 5:55) ND 10–3 4:13 ND Kyren Williams 5–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (9 plays, 75 yards, 3:16) ND 17–3 3 2:51 ND Kyren Williams 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (13 plays, 80 yards, 5:17) ND 24–3 4 14:52 USC Keaontay Ingram 4–yard run (Parker Lewis kick) (9 plays, 77 yards, 2:59) ND 24–10 8:51 USC Darwin Barlow 3–yard run (Parker Lewis PAT failed) (8 plays, 86 yards, 2:34) ND 24–16 4:52 ND Tyler Buchner 3–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 3:59) ND 31–16

See also: 2021 USC Trojans football team and Notre Dame–USC football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –7.5	60

Statistics	USC	Notre Dame
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
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

North Carolina at Notre Dame
(Rivalry)

1 2 3 4 Total Tar Heels 0 13 14 7 34 • No. 11 Fighting Irish 7 10 14 13 44 Date: October 30, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 22 minutes Game attendance: 71,018 Game weather: Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: Referee: Duane Heydt TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 3:25 ND Avery Davis 7–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 41 yards, 3:19) ND 7–0 2 14:55 UNC Ty Chandler 3–yard run (Grayson Atkins kick) (8 plays, 81 yards, 3:30) TIE 7–7 10:01 ND Jonathan Doerer 31–yard field goal (13 plays, 62 yards, 5:54) ND 10–7 3:22 UNC Grayson Atkins 38–yard field goal (13 plays, 63 yards, 6:39) TIE 10–10 1:23 ND Kevin Austin Jr. 21–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 1:59) ND 17–10 0:02 UNC Grayson Atkins 26-yard field goal (7 plays, 51 yards, 1:21) ND 17–13 3 13:21 UNC Ty Chandler 53-yard run (Gaydon Atkins kick) (5 plays, 79 yards, 1:39) UNC 20–17 12:23 ND Jack Coan 21–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (3 plays, 75 yards, 0:58) ND 24–20 4:56 ND Logan Diggs 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (11 plays, 81 yards, 5:24) ND 31–20 2:48 UNC Antonie Green 33–yard pass from Sam Howell (Grayson Atkins kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 2:08) ND 31–27 4 14:27 ND Kyren Williams 91–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (1 play, 91 yards, 0:17) ND 38–27 11:52 ND Jonathan Doerer 20-yard field goal (5 plays, 15 yards, 2:28) ND 41–27 7:23 UNC Sam Howell 31–yard run (Grayson Atkins kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:29) ND 41–34 4:52 ND Jonathan Doerer 21-yard field goal (13 plays, 73 yards, 5:46) ND 44–34

See also: 2021 North Carolina Tar Heels football team and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalries § North Carolina

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –3.5	63

Statistics	North Carolina	Notre Dame
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
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

Navy at No. 10 Notre Dame
(Rip Miller Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 3 0 3 0 6 • No. 10 Fighting Irish 0 17 0 17 34 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 2 hours, 59 minutes Game attendance: 77,096 Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 3 MPH Referee: Henry Johns TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 3:03 NAVY Bijan Nichols 49–yard field goal (13 plays, 36 yards, 7:36) NAVY 3–0 2 9:47 ND Jonathan Doerer 24–yard field goal (11 plays, 74 yards, 3:45) TIE 3–3 2:46 ND Kyren Williams 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (11 plays, 66 yards, 5:00) ND 10–3 0:50 ND Kyren Williams 5–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 95 yards, 1:00) ND 17–3 3 5:16 NAVY Bijan Nichols 21–yard field goal (14 plays, 71 yards, 9:44) ND 17–6 4 13:20 ND Team Safety (2 plays, –1 yard, 0:49) ND 19–6 10:55 ND Kyren Williams 20–yard run (Jack Coan pass to Braden Lenzy for Two-Point Conversion) (7 plays, 54 yards, 2:25) ND 27–6 3:13 ND Logan Diggs 8–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 53 yards, 3:45) ND 34–6

See also: 2021 Navy Midshipmen football team and Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under
-21.0	48

Statistics	Navy	Notre Dame
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
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	Kyren Williams	17 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kevin Austin Jr.	6 receptions, 139 yards, TD

At Virginia

Notre Dame at Virginia

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 9 Fighting Irish 7 14 7 0 28 Cavaliers 0 0 0 3 3 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA Game start: 7:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours Game attendance: 48,584 Game weather: Temperature: N/A • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N/A Referee: Duane Heydt TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Tom Luginbill

Scoring summary 1 4:53 ND Michael Mayer 6–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (6 plays, 43 yards, 2:40) ND 7–0 2 14:11 ND Braden Lenzy 4–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 60 yards, 3:28) ND 14–0 4:33 ND Kyren Williams 22–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (9 plays, 80 yards, 4:13) ND 21–0 3 1:41 ND Kevin Austin Jr. 15–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 61 yards, 2:20) ND 28–0 4 12:16 UVA Brendan Farrell 34-yard field goal (10 plays, 59 yards, 4:25) ND 28–3

See also: 2021 Virginia Cavaliers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –9.0	62

Statistics	Notre Dame	Virginia
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
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

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
(Rivalry)

1 2 3 4 Total Yellow Jackets 0 0 0 0 0 • No. 8 Fighting Irish 24 21 10 0 55 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 2:30 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 1 minute Game attendance: 71,011 Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 14 MPH Referee: Stuart Mullins TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico (play–by–play), Drew Brees (analyst) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 12:35 ND Jonathan Doerer 41-yard field goal (5 plays, 25 yards, 2:25) ND 3–0 10:33 ND Jack Kiser 43–yard interception return (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 25 yards, 1:57) ND 10–0 4:57 ND Kyren Williams 9–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (9 plays, 65 yards, 3:29) ND 17–0 0:08 ND Michael Mayer 52–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 69 yards, 1:22) ND 24–0 2 10:41 ND Logan Diggs 5–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 61 yards, 3:45) ND 31–0 7:21 ND Logan Diggs 20–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 60 yards, 1:47) ND 38–0 4:33 ND Kyren Williams 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (7 plays, 89 yards, 3:01) ND 45–0 3 6:45 ND Jonathan Doerer 26–yard field goal (6 plays, 86 yards, 3:02) ND 48–0 4:33 ND Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa 70–yard fumble return (Josh Bryan kick) (5 plays, 46 yards, 1:48) ND 55–0 4 No scoring plays

See also: 2021 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalries § Georgia Tech

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –18	58.0

Statistics	Georgia Tech	Notre Dame
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
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 Jr.	2 receptions, 89 yards

At Stanford

Notre Dame at Stanford
(Legends Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 6 Fighting Irish 7 17 7 14 45 Cardinal 0 0 7 7 14 Date: November 27, 2021 Location: Stanford Stadium Palo Alto, CA Game start: 8:00 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours, 10 minutes Game attendance: 31,571 Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 3 MPH Referee: Gary Patterson TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis (play-by-play) & Brock Huard (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 9:39 ND Braden Lenzy 16–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 74 yards, 3:00) ND 7–0 2 14:30 ND George Takacs 2–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (9 plays, 69 yards, 3:40) ND 14–0 11:27 ND Jonathan Doerer 36–yard field goal (4 plays, 5 yards, 2:23) ND 17–0 4:47 ND Kyren Williams 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (12 plays, 75 yards, 5:09) ND 24–0 3 13:06 STAN Austin Jones 5-yard run (Joshua Karty kick) (2 plays, 13 yards, 0:39) ND 24–7 11:31 ND Jack Coan 1–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 75 yards, 1:35) ND 31–7 4 14:33 ND Tyler Buchner 33–yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (3 plays, 72 yards, 0:35) ND 38–7 11:44 STAN Benjamin Yurosek 49–yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 2:49) ND 38–14 0:58 ND Kyren Williams 12-yard run (Jonathan Doerer kick) (9 plays, 77 yards, 5:26) ND 45–14

See also: 2021 Stanford Cardinal football team and Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under
ND –21.0	53.0

Statistics	Notre Dame	Stanford
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
Notre Dame	Passing	Jack Coan	26/35, 345 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kyren Williams	19 carries, 74 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kevin Austin Jr.	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)

Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State
(PlayStation Fiesta Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 9 Cowboys 7 7 17 6 37 No. 5 Fighting Irish 14 14 0 7 35 Date: January 1, 2022 Location: State Farm Stadium Glendale, AZ Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours, 54 minutes Game attendance: 49,550 Game weather: Weather: Indoors • Wind: N/A Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play–by–play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)

Scoring summary 1 13:21 ND Lorenzo Styles Jr. 29–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (5 plays, 75 yards, 1:39) ND 7–0 7:05 ND Chris Tyree 53–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (4 plays, 66 yards, 2:08) ND 14–0 1:46 OSU Jaden Bray 9–yard pass from Spencer Sanders (Tanner Brown kick) (8 plays, 82 yards, 2:29) ND 14–7 2 11:04 ND Michael Mayer 16–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (10 plays, 78 yards, 3:43) ND 21–7 1:16 ND Michael Mayer 7–yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (11 plays, 84 yards, 4:25) ND 28–7 0:37 OSU Tay Martin 9–yard pass from Spencer Sanders (Tanner Brown kick) (4 plays, 75 yards, 0:39) ND 28–14 3 10:52 OSU Tay Martin 5-yard pass from Spencer Sanders (Tanner Brown kick) (12 plays, 87 yards, 4:08) ND 28–21 2:47 OSU Tay Martin 8–yard pass from Spencer Sanders (Tanner Brown kick) (10 plays, 89 yards, 2:22) TIE 28–28 0:06 OSU Tanner Brown 38–yard field goal (7 plays, 36 yards, 2:17) OSU 31–28 4 9:07 OSU Tanner Brown 41–yard field goal (7 plays, 37 yards, 2:40) OSU 34–28 2:16 OSU Tanner Brown 25–yard field goal (4 plays, 7 yards, 0:22) OSU 37–28 1:05 ND Kevin Austin Jr. 25-yard pass from Jack Coan (Jonathan Doerer kick) (8 plays, 75 yards, 1:11) OSU 37–35

See also: 2021 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team and 2022 Fiesta Bowl (January)

Pregame line	Over/under
OSU –1.0	45.0

Statistics	Oklahoma State	Notre Dame
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
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