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The Date and Time: Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004 at 2:30 p.m. EST.
The Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795/Natural Grass) in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Tickets: They're all sold -- with this being the 179th consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium (the first 130 coming at the old 59,075 capacity). The Pittsburgh game marks the 227th home sellout in the last 228 games (dating back to 1964). It also is the 170th sellout in the last 195 Irish games and the 34th in the last 36 games involving Notre Dame, dating back to the end of the 2001 season (only last year's game at Stanford and this year's Navy game were not sellouts).
The TV Plans: NBC national telecast with Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Pat Haden (analysis), Lewis Johnson (sideline), David Gibson (producer) and John Gonzalez (director).
The Radio Plans: For the 37th consecutive season, all Notre Dame football games are broadcast on more than 300 stations in all 50 states by Westwood One with Tony Roberts (play-by-play), former Irish running back Allen Pinkett (analysis), Larry Michael (pregame/halftime) and Al Smith (producer). A live broadcast from the Notre Dame student station, WVFI, also is available via the Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com. All Notre Dame football games may be heard in South Bend on U93-FM (92.9) with pre- and post-game analysis featuring Sean Stires, Shawn Lewallen, Jack Nolan, Mirko Jurkovic, Reggie Brooks and Vince DeDario. All Irish games also are carried live in the Chicago market on ESPN Radio 1000.
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics, courtesy of College Sports Online's GameTracker, will be made available for the Pittsburgh game, via the Notre Dame (www.und.com) and Pittsburgh (www.pittsburghpanthers.com) athletics web sites.
Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Pittsburgh (www.pittsburghpanthers.com).
NOTRE DAME HOSTS PANTHERS OF PITTSBURGH AT NOTRE DAME STADIUM
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (6-3) play their final home game of the 2004 season this Saturday, Nov. 13, when they play host to the Pittsburgh Panthers (5-3) at Notre Dame Stadium. The contest will be televised nationally by NBC, marking the 146th consecutive Irish football game to be broadcast across the country by one of four major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS or ESPN).
Notre Dame faces Pittsburgh fresh off an upset victory over then-No. 9 ranked Tennessee in Knoxville. The Irish used a hard-hitting, opportunistic defense to take the victory over the Volunteers before a crowd of 107,266 at Neyland Stadium. Linebacker Mike Goolsby's 26-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter was the difference in the game, giving the Irish a 14-10 lead. The defense made that lead hold to the end as the teams traded field goals after that and the Irish became bowl eligible with their sixth victory of the season.
Offensively, sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn passed for 118 yards and one touchdown while completing 12 of 23 attempts. Despite being held to a season-low 216 yards of total offense, the Irish forged an effective rushing game when they needed it, driving 44 yards in five plays early in the fourth period to extend their lead to 17-13 and milking precious time late in the game. Freshman tailback Darius Walker rushed for a game-high 70 yards on nine carries, including a key 32-yard dash that set up the Irish's lone offensive touchdown of the game (an 8-yard pass from Quinn to junior tight end Anthony Fasano).
The Irish defense held Tennessee to 58 rushing yards and accumulated five sacks, nine tackles for loss and one interception. Senior defensive end Justin Tuck broke the Notre Dame career sacks record with two sacks against the Vols while Goolsby had a game-high 14 tackles, one sack and the decisive interception. The defensive performance against the rush marked the sixth time this season that the Notre Dame defense has held an opposing team below 100 yards on the ground.
NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's game will mark the 62nd meeting between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, with the Irish holding a 43-17-1 series lead. The Irish also own a 19-8-0 record against the Panthers in Notre Dame Stadium, including a current six-game streak over Pittsburgh at Notre Dame Stadium dating to a 10-9 loss in 1986.
• Notre Dame has won 11 of its last 12 games against Pittsburgh, including a 20-14 victory in their last meeting on Oct. 11, 2003 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Irish also have won 25 of their last 31 contests against the Panthers, dating back to 1964 (Ara Parseghian's first as Notre Dame's head coach).
• In the most recent meeting at Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish took a 14-6 victory over the Panthers on Oct. 12, 2002.
• Over the last 12 games in the series, Notre Dame has outscored the Panthers, 434-168, topping the 40-point mark six times in that span and producing an average score of 36-14.
• Notre Dame is 73-29-3 (.709) all-time against schools from the state of Pennsylvania, with the Pittsburgh series accounting for more than half of the games played (62) and the Irish victories (43).
IF NOTRE DAME WINS ...
• Notre Dame will improve its overall series lead over Pittsburgh to 44-17-1.
• The Irish will earn their 12th win over Pittsburgh in the last 13 series meetings and their 26th victory in the last 32 contests with the Panthers.
• Notre Dame will record its 44th series win over Pittsburgh, breaking a tie with Michigan State for the third-most victories against one opponent behind its 68 wins over Navy and 49 wins over Purdue. Those 44 victories also will continue to rank as the second-highest total ever by a Pittsburgh opponent, topped only by Penn State, which has defeated the Panthers 50 times.
• The Irish will card their seventh consecutive home win in the series since Oct. 28, 1989, when they defeated the Panthers, 45-7 at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Notre Dame will chalk up its 23rd win in its last 32 games against BIG EAST Conference opposition. The Irish also will move to 63-26-1 (.706) all-time against BIG EAST schools.
• Notre Dame will improve to 40-18 (.689) in November games since 1988, including a 7-3 mark under head coach Tyrone Willingham.
IF PITTSBURGH WINS ...
• Pittsburgh will register its second win over Notre Dame since 1987 and will cut the overall series lead for the Irish to 43-18-1.
• Notre Dame will lose to a BIG EAST opponent for the fourth consecutive time (Boston College and Syracuse in 2003; Boston College and Pittsburgh in 2004).
• Notre Dame will have lost three home games in a season for only the eighth time in school history (1933, `56, `63, `83, `84, `86, and 2003).
NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES HISTORY
• The teams first played in 1909, '11 and '12 (all at Pittsburgh's legendary Forbes Field), with Notre Dame picking up two wins and a tie and shutting out Pittsburgh in all three contests. The series resumed from 1930-37 before taking a five-year break. It picked up again from 1943-54, took 1955 off, and then played every year in a 23-season stretch (1956-78) before taking a four-year hiatus in the series. The Irish and Panthers met in 1982 and '83, every season from 1986-92, and then 1996, '97, '99, 2001, '02 and `03. The teams are scheduled to meet next season, as well.
• Notre Dame was the opponent in Pittsburgh's final game at Pitt Stadium -- the Panthers won, 37-27. Pittsburgh now plays its home games at Heinz Field, also home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Beginning in 1943, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh have met in 52 of the last 66 seasons (including 2004), with no gaps in the series of more than three years during that period.
• Pittsburgh notched its highest point total ever in the series (37) in its 1999 meeting with Notre Dame; conversely, the Irish have topped the 37-point level 20 times against the Panthers, including an eight-game stretch from 1965-72. • Three of the 10 biggest victory margins in Notre Dame history have come against Pittsburgh: by 58 in 1944 (58-0), by 56 in 1965 (69-13), and by 54 in 1996 (60-6).
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Score predictions? I'll go... mmm... Notre Dame 23, Pitt 20.
Win or
Ty!
The Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795/Natural Grass) in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Tickets: They're all sold -- with this being the 179th consecutive sellout at Notre Dame Stadium (the first 130 coming at the old 59,075 capacity). The Pittsburgh game marks the 227th home sellout in the last 228 games (dating back to 1964). It also is the 170th sellout in the last 195 Irish games and the 34th in the last 36 games involving Notre Dame, dating back to the end of the 2001 season (only last year's game at Stanford and this year's Navy game were not sellouts).
The TV Plans: NBC national telecast with Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Pat Haden (analysis), Lewis Johnson (sideline), David Gibson (producer) and John Gonzalez (director).
The Radio Plans: For the 37th consecutive season, all Notre Dame football games are broadcast on more than 300 stations in all 50 states by Westwood One with Tony Roberts (play-by-play), former Irish running back Allen Pinkett (analysis), Larry Michael (pregame/halftime) and Al Smith (producer). A live broadcast from the Notre Dame student station, WVFI, also is available via the Notre Dame athletics web site at www.und.com. All Notre Dame football games may be heard in South Bend on U93-FM (92.9) with pre- and post-game analysis featuring Sean Stires, Shawn Lewallen, Jack Nolan, Mirko Jurkovic, Reggie Brooks and Vince DeDario. All Irish games also are carried live in the Chicago market on ESPN Radio 1000.
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics, courtesy of College Sports Online's GameTracker, will be made available for the Pittsburgh game, via the Notre Dame (www.und.com) and Pittsburgh (www.pittsburghpanthers.com) athletics web sites.
Web Sites: Notre Dame (www.und.com), Pittsburgh (www.pittsburghpanthers.com).
NOTRE DAME HOSTS PANTHERS OF PITTSBURGH AT NOTRE DAME STADIUM
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (6-3) play their final home game of the 2004 season this Saturday, Nov. 13, when they play host to the Pittsburgh Panthers (5-3) at Notre Dame Stadium. The contest will be televised nationally by NBC, marking the 146th consecutive Irish football game to be broadcast across the country by one of four major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS or ESPN).
Notre Dame faces Pittsburgh fresh off an upset victory over then-No. 9 ranked Tennessee in Knoxville. The Irish used a hard-hitting, opportunistic defense to take the victory over the Volunteers before a crowd of 107,266 at Neyland Stadium. Linebacker Mike Goolsby's 26-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter was the difference in the game, giving the Irish a 14-10 lead. The defense made that lead hold to the end as the teams traded field goals after that and the Irish became bowl eligible with their sixth victory of the season.
Offensively, sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn passed for 118 yards and one touchdown while completing 12 of 23 attempts. Despite being held to a season-low 216 yards of total offense, the Irish forged an effective rushing game when they needed it, driving 44 yards in five plays early in the fourth period to extend their lead to 17-13 and milking precious time late in the game. Freshman tailback Darius Walker rushed for a game-high 70 yards on nine carries, including a key 32-yard dash that set up the Irish's lone offensive touchdown of the game (an 8-yard pass from Quinn to junior tight end Anthony Fasano).
The Irish defense held Tennessee to 58 rushing yards and accumulated five sacks, nine tackles for loss and one interception. Senior defensive end Justin Tuck broke the Notre Dame career sacks record with two sacks against the Vols while Goolsby had a game-high 14 tackles, one sack and the decisive interception. The defensive performance against the rush marked the sixth time this season that the Notre Dame defense has held an opposing team below 100 yards on the ground.
NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's game will mark the 62nd meeting between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, with the Irish holding a 43-17-1 series lead. The Irish also own a 19-8-0 record against the Panthers in Notre Dame Stadium, including a current six-game streak over Pittsburgh at Notre Dame Stadium dating to a 10-9 loss in 1986.
• Notre Dame has won 11 of its last 12 games against Pittsburgh, including a 20-14 victory in their last meeting on Oct. 11, 2003 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Irish also have won 25 of their last 31 contests against the Panthers, dating back to 1964 (Ara Parseghian's first as Notre Dame's head coach).
• In the most recent meeting at Notre Dame Stadium, the Irish took a 14-6 victory over the Panthers on Oct. 12, 2002.
• Over the last 12 games in the series, Notre Dame has outscored the Panthers, 434-168, topping the 40-point mark six times in that span and producing an average score of 36-14.
• Notre Dame is 73-29-3 (.709) all-time against schools from the state of Pennsylvania, with the Pittsburgh series accounting for more than half of the games played (62) and the Irish victories (43).
IF NOTRE DAME WINS ...
• Notre Dame will improve its overall series lead over Pittsburgh to 44-17-1.
• The Irish will earn their 12th win over Pittsburgh in the last 13 series meetings and their 26th victory in the last 32 contests with the Panthers.
• Notre Dame will record its 44th series win over Pittsburgh, breaking a tie with Michigan State for the third-most victories against one opponent behind its 68 wins over Navy and 49 wins over Purdue. Those 44 victories also will continue to rank as the second-highest total ever by a Pittsburgh opponent, topped only by Penn State, which has defeated the Panthers 50 times.
• The Irish will card their seventh consecutive home win in the series since Oct. 28, 1989, when they defeated the Panthers, 45-7 at Notre Dame Stadium.
• Notre Dame will chalk up its 23rd win in its last 32 games against BIG EAST Conference opposition. The Irish also will move to 63-26-1 (.706) all-time against BIG EAST schools.
• Notre Dame will improve to 40-18 (.689) in November games since 1988, including a 7-3 mark under head coach Tyrone Willingham.
IF PITTSBURGH WINS ...
• Pittsburgh will register its second win over Notre Dame since 1987 and will cut the overall series lead for the Irish to 43-18-1.
• Notre Dame will lose to a BIG EAST opponent for the fourth consecutive time (Boston College and Syracuse in 2003; Boston College and Pittsburgh in 2004).
• Notre Dame will have lost three home games in a season for only the eighth time in school history (1933, `56, `63, `83, `84, `86, and 2003).
NOTRE DAME-PITTSBURGH SERIES HISTORY
• The teams first played in 1909, '11 and '12 (all at Pittsburgh's legendary Forbes Field), with Notre Dame picking up two wins and a tie and shutting out Pittsburgh in all three contests. The series resumed from 1930-37 before taking a five-year break. It picked up again from 1943-54, took 1955 off, and then played every year in a 23-season stretch (1956-78) before taking a four-year hiatus in the series. The Irish and Panthers met in 1982 and '83, every season from 1986-92, and then 1996, '97, '99, 2001, '02 and `03. The teams are scheduled to meet next season, as well.
• Notre Dame was the opponent in Pittsburgh's final game at Pitt Stadium -- the Panthers won, 37-27. Pittsburgh now plays its home games at Heinz Field, also home of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Beginning in 1943, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh have met in 52 of the last 66 seasons (including 2004), with no gaps in the series of more than three years during that period.
• Pittsburgh notched its highest point total ever in the series (37) in its 1999 meeting with Notre Dame; conversely, the Irish have topped the 37-point level 20 times against the Panthers, including an eight-game stretch from 1965-72. • Three of the 10 biggest victory margins in Notre Dame history have come against Pittsburgh: by 58 in 1944 (58-0), by 56 in 1965 (69-13), and by 54 in 1996 (60-6).
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Score predictions? I'll go... mmm... Notre Dame 23, Pitt 20.
Win or
Ty!