2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Fiesta Bowl, L 28–44 vs. Ohio State
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 11
2015 record	10–3
Head coach	Brian Kelly (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Sanford Jr. (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brian VanGorder (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3 multiple
Captains	Sheldon Day Nick Martin Joe Schmidt Jaylon Smith Matthias Farley
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium (Capacity: 80,795)
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 11 Notre Dame			–						10	–	3
BYU			–						9	–	4
Army			–						2	–	10
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2015 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 competed as an independent.

The 2015 Fighting Irish squad was arguably the most explosive offense that Brian Kelly has coached at Notre Dame. During the regular season, the Irish were one of twenty-one schools in the country to average 200 or more passing yards and rushing yards per game. The Irish had fourteen plays of over 50 yards during the season, which ranked 13th in the country and was a school record. They also had two touchdowns of over 90 yards, (a 91-yard touchdown run by C.J. Prosise and a 98-yard touchdown run by Josh Adams). The Irish only had two in the previous 126 years of Notre Dame football. The running game was dominant. The 5.76 yards per carry were fifth in the country. They finished the regular season averaging 34 points per game, including a 62-point effort against UMass, the most points in a game since 1996.

The Irish were defeated by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl by a score of 44–28.

Before the season[]

Previous season[]

The 2014 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team finished the regular season with a 7–5 record. They beat the LSU Tigers, 31–28, in the 2014 Music City Bowl.

2015 NFL Draft[]

Transfers out / departures[]

On May 19, 2015, QB Everett Golson announced he was transferring to the Florida State Seminoles football team to complete his college eligibility. Golson will be able to play immediately as he has graduated from Notre Dame. On June 11, 2015, sophomore defensive end Jhonny Williams announced his transfer from the university.^[1] Williams transferred to Toledo.^[2] Sophomore defensive end Kolin Hill transferred from the university, and headed to Texas Tech.^[3]

Transfers in[]

, a defensive back who previously played for the California Golden Bears, announced he would transfer to Notre Dame in June after he received his degree in May 2015. He would be enrolled in a graduate studies program while exhausting his final season of eligibility.^[4]

Coaching changes[]

The off-season brought a few changes to the coaching staff, as Notre Dame lost three assistant coaches to other opportunities: Kerry Cooks left the coaching staff to take the same position at the University of Oklahoma.^[5] Matt LaFleur departed to take the same position for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL,^[6] and Tony Alford left the university to take the same position at Ohio State University.^[7] Also, Outside Linebackers coach Bob Elliott moved into an off-the-field coaching role within the program.^[8] To replace their losses, Notre Dame welcomed the addition of four new assistant coaches. Mike Sanford Jr. former Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks coach at Boise State accepted the same position on the coaching staff.^[9] Todd Lyght, a former All-American at Notre Dame and Cornerbacks coach at Vanderbilt, accepted the same position on the coaching staff.^[10] , previously the Defensive line coach at North Carolina, accepted the same position on the coaching staff. Autry Denson, Notre Dame's all-time leading rusher and Running Backs coach at the University of South Florida, accepted the same position on the coaching staff.^[11]

Recruiting class[]

Brian Kelly received 24 commitments in his fifth full recruiting class including one five-star, Aliz'e Jones. The class included student-athletes from 13 different states.^[12]

US college sports recruiting information for 2015 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Josh Adams RB	Warrington, Pennsylvania	Central Bucks South HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	–	Jun 30, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Josh Barajas LB	Valparaiso, Indiana	Andrean HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	May 30, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Asmar Bilal LB	Indianapolis, Indiana	Ben Davis HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	–	Oct 16, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Miles Boykin WR	Tinley Park, Illinois	Providence Catholic HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.41	Jul 2, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Nick Coleman CB	Dayton, Ohio	Archbishop Alter HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Jun 12, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Te'von Coney LB	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida	Palm Beach Gardens HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	–	Oct 23, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Shaun Crawford CB	Lakewood, Ohio	St. Edward High School (Lakewood, OH)	5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	4.50	Jun 15, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Micah Dew-Treadway DE/DT	Bolingbrook, Illinois	Bolingbrook HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	–	Jun 11, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Nicco Fertitta S	Las Vegas, Nevada	Bishop Gorman HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Jul 17, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Jalen Guyton WR	Irving, Texas	Allen HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Mar 30, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Tristen Hoge OC	Pocatello, Idaho	Highland HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	–	Dec 7, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Aliz'e Jones TE	Las Vegas, Nevada	Bishop Gorman HS	6 ft 4.5 in (1.94 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	–	Jan 15, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 86
Trevor Ruhland OG	Cary, Illinois	Cary-Grove HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	–-	Apr 23, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
C. J. Sanders WR	Granada Hills, California	Notre Dame HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	4.32	May 6, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Equanimeous St. Brown WR	Anaheim, California	Servite HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.44	Feb 4, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
Elijah Taylor DT	Cincinnati, Ohio	Moeller HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	–	Jun 13, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Brandon Tiassum DT	Indianapolis, Indiana	Park Tudor School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	–	Jun 8, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Jerry Tillery DT	Shreveport, Louisiana	Evangel Christian Academy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	308 lb (140 kg)	–	Jun 22, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Bo Wallace DE/LB	New Orleans, Louisiana	John Curtis Christian HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	–	Oct 12, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Ashton White CB	Clinton, Maryland	Bishop McNamara HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	–	Jul 2, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Dexter Williams RB	Orlando, Florida	West Orange HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.54	Nov 1, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
Mykelti Williams S	Indianapolis, Indiana	Warren Central HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	–	Dec 19, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Brandon Wimbush QB	Hackensack, New Jersey	St. Peters Prep School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.65	Oct 7, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 86
Justin Yoon K	Nashville, Tennessee	Milton Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	–	Jun 24, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 7   Rivals: 11  ESPN: 13
‡ 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: "2015 Notre Dame Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-02-04. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-02-04. "2015 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-02-04. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-02-04. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-02-04.

During the season[]

On television[]

The 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was featured in the miniseries, A Season With Notre Dame Football on Showtime, which premiered on Tuesday September 8, 2015. It followed Fighting Irish football players and coaches at University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Each episode reviews highlights of every football game played during the current season of Notre Dame football. The series was narrated by actor and Fighting Irish fan Barry Pepper. The tagline was "It's more than just a game."

Personnel[]

Coaching staff[]

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	6th	Assumption (1982)
Mike Denbrock	Associate head coach/wide receivers	6th	Grand Valley State (1987)
Mike Elston	Linebackers/recruiting coordinator	6th	Michigan (1998)
Harry Hiestand	Offensive line/run game coordinator	4th	East Stroudsburg (1983)
Scott Booker	Tight ends/special teams coordinator	4th	Kent State (2003)
Brian VanGorder	Defensive coordinator	2nd	Wayne State (1980)
Mike Sanford Jr.	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	1st	Boise State (2005)
Autry Denson	Running backs	1st	Notre Dame (1999)
Keith Gilmore	Defensive line	1st	Wayne State (1981)
Todd Lyght	Defensive backs	1st	Notre Dame (1991)
Paul Longo	Director of football strength and conditioning	6th	Wayne State (1981)

Roster[]

2015 Roster - und.com
Quarterbacks 17 Nolan Henry – Freshman 14 DeShone Kizer – Sophomore 19 Robert Regan – Freshman 4 Montgomery Van Gorder – Sophomore 12 Brandon Wimbush – Freshman 8 Malik Zaire – Junior Running Backs 33 Josh Adams – Freshman 46 Josh Anderson – Senior 25 Tarean Folston – Junior 49 Bailey Ross – Junior 28 Austin Ross – Junior 34 Dexter Williams – Freshman 20 C. J. Prosise – Senior Wide Receivers 11 Justin Brent – Sophomore 81 Miles Boykin – Freshman 2 Chris Brown – Senior 32 Cam Bryan – Senior 3 Amir Carlisle – Graduate Student 87 Keenan Centlivre – Sophomore 27 Chris Finke – Freshman 7 Will Fuller – Junior 83 Jalen Guyton – Freshman 15 Corey Holmes – Sophomore 37 Omar Hunter – Junior 16 Torii Hunter, Jr. – Junior 20 C. J. Prosise – Senior 88 Corey Robinson – Junior 9 C. J. Sanders – Freshman 85 Buster Sheridan – Junior 86 Equanimeous St. Brown – Freshman 26 Austin Webster – Sophomore Tight Ends 18 Chase Hounshell – Graduate Student 10 Alize Jones – Freshman 13 Tyler Luatua – Sophomore 80 Durham Smythe – Junior 89 Ben Suttman – Junior 82 Nic Weishar – Sophomore		Offensive Lineman 71 Alex Bars – Sophomore 70 Hunter Bivin – Junior 63 Sam Bush – Sophomore 67 Jimmy Byrne – Sophomore 79 Steve Elmer – Junior 75 Mark Harrell – Senior 66 Tristen Hoge – Freshman 72 Nick Martin– Graduate Student 68 Mike McGlinchey – Junior 62 Colin McGovern – Junior 60 John Montelus – Junior 53 Sam Mustipher – Sophomore 56 Quenton Nelson – Sophomore 57 Trevor Ruhland – Freshman 78 Ronnie Stanley – Senior Defensive Lineman 92 Grant Blankenship – Sophomore 55 Jonathan Bonner – Sophomore 75 Daniel Cage – Sophomore 91 Sheldon Day – Senior 97 Micah Dew-Treadway – Freshman 95 Marquis Dickerson – Junior 54 Lincoln Feist – Freshman 93 Jay Hayes – Sophomore 94 Jarron Jones – Senior 64 Ryan Kilander – Sophomore 89 Jacob Matuska – Junior 87 Patrick Mazza – Junior 96 Peter Mokwuah – Sophomore 45 Romeo Okwara – Senior 44 Doug Randolph – Junior 90 Isaac Rochell – Junior 58 Elijah Taylor – Freshman 77 Brandon Tiassum – Freshman 99 Jerry Tillery – Freshman 98 Andrew Trumbetti – Sophomore 11 Ishaq Williams – Senior		Linebackers 30 Josh Barajas – Freshman 27 Asmar Bilal – Freshman 4 Te'von Coney – Freshman 59 Jarrett Grace – Graduate Student 49 Brandon Hutson – Freshman 52 Austin Larkin – Junior 48 Greer Martini – Sophomore 5 Nyles Morgan – Sophomore 40 Kier Murphy – Freshman 17 James Onwualu – Junior 38 Joe Schmidt – Graduate Student 9 Jaylon Smith – Junior 51 Devyn Spruell – Freshman Cornerbacks 34 Jesse Bongiovi – Junior 12 Devin Butler – Junior 40 Connor Cavalaris – Graduate Student 24 Nick Coleman – Freshman 14 Shaun Crawford – Freshman 41 Matthias Farley – Graduate Student 35 Grant Hammann – Sophomore 36 Cole Luke – Junior 6 KeiVarae Russell – Senior 21 Nick Watkins – Sophomore 26 Ashton White – Freshman Safeties 29 Nicky Baratti – Junior 46 Eamon McOsker – Junior 32 Nick Ossello – Graduate Student 39 Drew Recker – Junior 10 Max Redfield – Junior 8 Avery Sebastian – Graduate Student 22 Elijah Shumate – Senior 23 Drue Tranquill – Sophomore 31 John Turner – Senior 18 Mykelti Williams – Freshman		Kickers/Punters 43 John Chereson – Junior 85 Tyler Newsome – Freshman 85 Jeff Riney – Freshman 19 Justin Yoon – Freshman Long Snappers 40 Kyle Conrad – Freshman 61 Scott Daly – Senior 99 Hunter Smith – Senior

Season[]

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:30 p.m.	Texas	No. 11	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	W 38–3	80,795
September 12	3:30 p.m.	at Virginia	No. 9	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ABC	W 34–27	58,200
September 19	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 Georgia Tech	No. 8	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	W 30–22	80,795
September 26	3:30 p.m.	UMass	No. 6	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	W 62–27	80,795
October 3	8:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Clemson	No. 6	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ABC	L 22–24	82,415
October 10	3:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 15	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (Rip Miller Trophy)	NBC	W 41–24	80,795
October 17	7:30 p.m.	USC	No. 14	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh)	NBC	W 41–31	80,795
October 31	8:00 p.m.	at No. 21 Temple	No. 9	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ABC	W 24–20	69,280
November 7	12:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh	No. 8	Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 42–30	68,400
November 14	3:30 p.m.	Wake Forest	No. 6	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	W 28–7	80,795
November 21	7:30 p.m.	vs. Boston College	No. 5	Fenway Park Boston, MA (Holy War / Shamrock Series)	NBCSN	W 19–16	38,686
November 28	7:30 p.m.	at No. 13 Stanford	No. 4	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Legends Trophy)	Fox	L 36–38	51,424
January 1, 2016	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 7 Ohio State	No. 8	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	ESPN	L 28–44	71,123
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries[]

Texas[]

Texas at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Longhorns 0 0 3 0 3 • No. 11 Fighting Irish 14 3 14 7 38 Date: September 5, 2015 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:42 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: E 3 MPH Referee: Mike Defee TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Notre Dame would start the year out strong by beating the Texas Longhorns by a score of 38–3. Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire finished the game 19 for 22 for 313 yards and three touchdown passes. The Irish offense outgained Texas 527 to 163 and had 30 first downs compared to the Longhorns who had 8.

Virginia[]

Notre Dame at Virginia

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 9 Fighting Irish 12 0 14 8 34 Cavaliers 0 14 0 13 27 Date: September 12, 2015 Location: Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA Game start: 3:36 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 36 minutes Game attendance: 58,200 Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SSW 4 MPH Referee: Gary Patterson TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham and Jerry Punch (sideline)

While leading 26–14 midway through the third quarter, the Irish would lose their starting Quarterback Malik Zaire to a broken ankle. Virginia would take advantage, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead 27–26 with 1:54 left in the game. Irish backup quarterback DeShone Kizer would then lead Notre Dame on a game-winning drive. Kizer would convert a 4th and 2 with a four-yard run and then three plays later hit William Fuller with a 39-yard touchdown pass with :12 left in the game to seal the win for the Irish. It was reported after the game that Zaire would be out for the remainder of the season.

Georgia Tech[]

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total No. 14 Yellow Jackets 0 7 0 15 22 • No. 8 Fighting Irish 7 6 3 14 30 Date: September 19, 2015 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:42 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours 32 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: NW 15 MPH Referee: Jeff Flanagan TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Despite being ranked higher than Georgia Tech in both the AP and Coach's Polls, Notre Dame would come into the game as underdogs, due to the injury to starting QB Malik Zaire. 19 year old quarterback DeShone Kizer would make his first career start. The result would be an impressive Irish win, 30–22. Despite the score, Notre Dame thoroughly dominated the game. Irish running back C.J. Prosise would score on a 91-yard touchdown run (longest in Notre Dame Stadium history) late in the fourth quarter to put Notre Dame up by a resounding 30–7 score. The Yellow Jackets would make a rally late, but it was too late and Notre Dame would hold on for the win. Kizer would finish 21 for 30 with 242 passing yards, one touchdown pass and an interception. Georgia Tech came into the game averaging 67 points a game and 457 rush yards a game, but the Irish defense would stifle them, holding them to just 216 rush yards and not allowing the Yellow Jackets to convert a third down until the fourth quarter.

UMass[]

UMass at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Minutemen 6 14 0 7 27 • No. 6 Fighting Irish 14 21 20 7 62 Date: September 26, 2015 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:40 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 30 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Partly Sunny • Wind: W 13 MPH Referee: Pat Garvey TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Though Notre Dame would have just a 21–20 lead over heavy underdog UMass, the Irish would score 41 consecutive points to put the game out of reach. Notre Dame would accumulate 681 total yards of offense, 457 of it from rushing and would score 62 points. It was the most points the Irish would score since 1996, when they beat Rutgers 62–0.

Clemson[]

Notre Dame at Clemson

1 2 3 4 Total No. 6 Fighting Irish 3 0 0 19 22 • No. 11 Tigers 14 0 7 3 24 Date: October 3, 2015 Location: Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC Game start: 8:22 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Game attendance: 82,415 Game weather: Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Rain • Wind: ENE 12 MPH Referee: Jeff Heaser TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox (sideline)

In a game where Notre Dame did everything it could to lose, they came just a 2-point conversion from sending the game into overtime. Down 21–3, the Irish storm back with three fourth quarter touchdowns, but failed to convert the 2 point conversion with :06 left in the game, and Clemson holds off the furious Irish comeback. Four turnovers and eight dropped passes (one which would've been a touchdown) doomed the Irish.

Navy[]

Navy at Notre Dame
(Rip Miller Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 7 14 3 0 24 • No. 15 Fighting Irish 7 17 14 3 41 Date: October 10, 2015 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:40 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 14 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: W 8 MPH Referee: Michael Roche TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

USC[]

USC at Notre Dame
(Jeweled Shillelagh)

1 2 3 4 Total Trojans 10 14 7 0 31 • No. 14 Fighting Irish 21 3 0 17 41 Date: October 17, 2015 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:42 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: WNW 7 MPH Referee: Land Clark TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Looking to get revenge after last years blowout loss to USC, the Irish would respond by defeating the Trojans 41–31. USC would get the ball first and score a touchdown. It was the third consecutive game the Irish allowed an opponent to score an opening drive touchdown. The Irish would return the favor with a 75-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deshone Kizer to Will Fuller on their first offensive play of the game to even the score at seven. Later in the first, Notre Dame would block a USC punt and Amir Carlisle would return it for a touchdown. Notre dame would score 21 first quarter points, the most the Irish have scored in the first quarter against USC in the history of the rivalry. After taking a 24–10 lead in the second, the Trojans would score 21 unanswered points to take a 31–24 lead in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Irish would take control and score 17 unanswered points themselves. Deshone Kizer's ten yard touchdown pass to Corey Robinson would give Notre Dame a 38–31 lead, and put the Irish up for good. The 41 points the Irish scored against USC would be the most since 1977.

Temple[]

Notre Dame at Temple

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 9 Fighting Irish 7 7 3 7 24 No. 21 Owls 3 7 0 10 20 Date: October 31, 2015 Location: Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA Game start: 8:15 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 24 minutes Game attendance: 69,280 Game weather: Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: SSE 3 MPH Referee: Tracy Jones TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox (sideline)

For this Primetime matchup, the Irish would travel to Philadelphia for a game against the 7–0 Temple Owls. For the first time in Temple school history, the Owls would host a top ranked team while ranked themselves. Despite Temple sporting the 14th best defense in the country, Notre Dame came into this game as double digit favorites. Notre Dame would outgain Temple in yardage 467 to 295, but turnovers and consistent miscues in the red zone by the Irish offense kept the game close. With 4:45 left in the game, and Temple leading 20–17, Irish freshman Quarterback Deshone Kizer would lead Notre Dame on a game-winning drive, finished off with a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Will Fuller. The game was sealed when Irish cornerback KeiVarae Russell intercepted Temple quarterback PJ Walker's pass with 1:09 left in the game. Deshone Kizer would finish the game with 299 passing yards and 143 yards rushing, including a 79-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Pittsburgh[]

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
(rivalry)

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 5 Fighting Irish 7 14 7 14 42 Panthers 3 0 14 13 30 Date: November 7, 2015 Location: Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA Game start: 12:05 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 28 minutes Game attendance: 68,400 Game weather: Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: 9 MPH W Referee: Jeff Flanagan TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Todd McShay (sideline)

Notre Dame's 12 point win is the largest margin of victory over Pittsburgh since 2005. Up until today, nine out of the last ten games were decided by 8 points or less.

Wake Forest[]

Wake Forest at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Demon Deacons 0 0 7 0 7 • No. 4 Fighting Irish 14 7 0 7 28 Date: November 14, 2015 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:40 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 2 hours and 59 minutes Game attendance: 80,795 Game weather: Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Clear Skies and Sunny • Wind: S 10 MPH Referee: Jeff Flanagan TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Freshman running back Josh Adams, who was fourth on the depth chart during the summer, broke off for a Notre Dame record 98 yard rushing touchdown. It was the longest play from scrimmage in the FBS this year and tied for NCAAF record for longest run by a freshman. Despite looking sluggish all day, the Irish were able to keep Wake Forest out of the endzone for the most part and win 28–7. Wake Forest had more passing yards, total yards, first downs and red zone trips than the Irish.

Boston College[]

Notre Dame vs Boston College
(Holy War / Shamrock Series)

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 0 3 13 16 • No. 4 Fighting Irish 10 0 6 3 19 Date: November 21, 2015 Location: Fenway Park Boston, MA Game start: 7:43 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 22 minutes Game attendance: 38,686 Game weather: Temperature: 42 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Mostly cloudy • Wind: ENE 7 MPH Referee: David Epperley TV announcers (NBCSN): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Notre Dame's explosive offense would rack up 447 yards of offense against Boston College's defense, which was the #1 ranked defense in the country. But 5 Notre Dame turnovers kept the game closer than it should have been. Notre Dame's defense would only give up 88 passing yards, but failure to score in the redzone continued for the Irish, which leads the country in red zone turnovers with 15.

Stanford[]

Notre Dame at Stanford
(Legends Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 6 Fighting Irish 7 13 9 7 36 • No. 9 Cardinal 14 7 7 10 38 Date: November 28, 2015 Location: Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA Game start: 4:35 p.m. PST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Game attendance: 51,424 Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Perfect • Wind: 7 MPH Referee: Duane Heydt TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Molly McGrath (sideline)

In arguably one of the best College Football games of the year, a game that had ten lead changes and almost 1,000 yards of offense, Notre Dame's playoff hopes ended as Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina hit a game-winning field goal as time expired. With 6:48 left in the game, and the Irish trailing 35–29, the Irish marched 88 yards in 15 plays (using up 6:18 of the game clock). The drive was capped off by Irish Quarterback Deshone Kizer's two yard touchdown run to give Notre Dame the lead with just :30 left in the game. The Irish defense could not hold, however, as Stanford drove 45 yards in just 28 seconds to finish off the game with the win.

The Irish offense accumulated 533 yards of offense, 299 of those yards from rushing. The Irish had three scores of over 62 yards in the game. The first was a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by C.J. Sanders. The second was a Deshone Kizer 73 yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller. And the third was a 62-yard rushing touchdown by Freshman running back Josh Adams. At one point in the second half, the Irish offense was averaging 11.6 yards a play.

The Irish defense left a lot to be desired though as they allowed Stanford's offense to have touchdown drives of 75, 78, 75, 76 and 74. And the most costly, allowing Stanford to get into field goal range with :30 left in the game. Stanford scored five touchdowns in five red zone trips.

Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl)[]

Notre Dame vs Ohio State
(Fiesta Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 8 Fighting Irish 0 14 7 7 28 • No. 7 Buckeyes 14 14 7 9 44 Date: January 1, 2016 Location: University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ Game start: 11:07 a.m. MST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes Game attendance: 71,123 Game weather: Temperature: N/A • Weather: Indoors • Wind: N/A Referee: Hubert Owens TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Todd McShay (sideline)

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	11	9	8	6	6	15	14	11	9	8	6	5	4	9	8	11
Coaches	11	11	10	8	7	15	13	10	9	9	6	5	4	10	9	12
CFP	Not released									5	4	4	6	8	8	Not released

Post season[]

Awards[]

All-Americans

Name	AP	AFCA	FWAA	TSN	WCFF	Athlon	CBS	ESPN	FOX	PFW	Rivals	Scout	SI.com	USAT
Sheldon Day, DT	2		2			2						2	HM	1
Will Fuller, RE	2		2	2		2	2		2			2	2	2
Nick Martin, C													HM
C. J. Prosise, RB													HM
Jaylon Smith, LB	1	1	2	1	1	1	1		1			1	1	1
Ronnie Stanley, OT	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	2			2	2
†denotes unanimous selection. NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, SN and WCFF 1st teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections

References[]