2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Citrus Bowl champion
Citrus Bowl, W 21–17 vs. LSU
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 11
Record	10–3
Head coach	Brian Kelly (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Chip Long (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Mike Elko (1st season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Captain	Josh Adams Greer Martini Mike McGlinchey Nyles Morgan Quenton Nelson Drue Tranquill Austin Webster Chase Summerfield
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

2017 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Army			–						10	–	3
No. 11 Notre Dame			–						10	–	3
UMass			–						4	–	8
BYU			–						4	–	9
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2017 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. They finished the season 10–3, an impressive turnaround from the season before, where the Irish finished with their worst record since 2007. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl where they defeated LSU. The Irish would finish the season with four wins over teams that finished in the top 25 rankings (both the AP and Coaches polls), including winning three of those by over 20 points or more.

2017 NFL Draft

The following former Notre Dame players were selected in the 2017 NFL draft:

Round	Selection	Player	Position	Team
2	52	DeShone Kizer	Quarterback	Cleveland Browns
7	225	Isaac Rochell	Defensive end	Los Angeles Chargers

Transfers out/departures

• WR Corey Holmes (Purdue)
• QB Malik Zaire (Florida)
• C/G Tristen Hoge (BYU)
• TE Tyler Luatua (injury)
• OL Parker Boudreaux (UCF)
• LB Josh Barajas (Illinois State)
• G Colin McGovern (Virginia)
• S Spencer Perry (South Alabama)
• RB Justin Brent (Nevada)

Transfers in

• WR Freddy Canteen (Michigan)
• WR Cameron Smith (Arizona State)
• S Alohi Gilman (Navy)

Coaching changes

Departures

• Scott Booker – dismissed
• Keith Gilmore – dismissed
• Mike Denbrock (hired at Cincinnati)
• Bob Elliott (hired at Nebraska)
• Mike Sanford Jr. – hired as head coach at Western Kentucky
• Paul Longo – replaced and moved into an administrative role

Additions

• Mike Elko – hired as defensive coordinator
• Chip Long – hired as offensive coordinator and Tight ends coach
• Brian Polian – returns as special teams coordinator
• Clark Lea – hired as linebackers Coach
• DelVaughn Alexander – hired as wide receivers coach
• Tom Rees – returns as quarterback coach
• Matt Balis – hired as director of football performance

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

The Fighting Irish signed a total of 21 recruits.

College recruiting information (2017)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dillan Gibbons OT	Clearwater, Florida	Clearwater Central Catholic HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	311 lb (141 kg)	Apr 4, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brock Wright TE	Cypress, Texas	Cy-Fair HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jun 26, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Joshua Lugg OT	Wexford, Pennsylvania	North Allegheny HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	293 lb (133 kg)	Aug 14, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cole Kmet TE	Arlington Heights, Illinois	St. Viator HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Oct 2, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Avery Davis QB	Cedar Hill, Texas	Cedar Hill HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	Mar 19, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
David Adams LB	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Central Catholic HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Mar 20, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kurt Hinish DT	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Central Catholic HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	283 lb (128 kg)	Mar 21, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Drew White LB	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	St. Thomas Aquinas HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Mar 21, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Isaiah Robertson S	Naperville, Illinois	Neuqua Valley HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 15, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jonathon MacCollister DE	Orlando, Florida	Bishop Moore HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	238 lb (108 kg)	Jun 17, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
CJ Holmes RB	Cheshire, Connecticut	Cheshire Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jul 8, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Robert Hainsey OG	Monroeville, Pennsylvania	IMG Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	Jul 10, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Darnell Ewell DT	Norfolk, Virginia	Lake Taylor HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	Jul 15, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Michael Young Jr. WR	Destrehan, Louisiana	Destrehan HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jul 20, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Aaron Banks OT	El Cerrito, California	El Cerrito HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	Dec 9, 2016
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordan Genmark Heath S	San Diego, California	Cathedral Catholic HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jan 26, 2017
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jonathan Doerer K	Charlotte, North Carolina	South Mecklenburg HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jafar Armstrong WR	Shawnee Mission, Kansas	Bishop Miege HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah S	Hampton, Virginia	Bethel HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa DE	Kapolei, Hawaii	Kapolei HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kofi Wardlow DE	Washington, D.C.	St. John's College HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Notre Dame Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017. "2017 Notre Dame Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017.

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	8th	Assumption (1982)
Mike Elston	Defensive line/assistant head coach	8th	Michigan (1998)
Brian Polian	Special team coordinator/recruiting coordinator	6th	John Carroll (1997)
Harry Hiestand	Offensive line/run game coordinator	6th	East Stroudsburg (1983)
Mike Elko	Defensive coordinator	1st	Pennsylvania (1999)
Chip Long	Offensive coordinator/tight ends	1st	North Alabama (2005)
Autry Denson	Running backs	2nd	Notre Dame (1999)
Todd Lyght	Pat and Jana Eilers family defensive backs	2nd	Notre Dame (1991)
DelVaughn Alexander	Wide receivers	1st	USC (1995)
Clark Lea	Linebackers	1st	Vanderbilt (2004)
Tom Rees	Quarterbacks	1st	Notre Dame (2013)
Matt Balis	Director of football performance	1st	Northern Illinois (1996)
Bill Rees	Director of scouting	1st	Ohio Wesleyan University (1976)

Roster

2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Quarterbacks  4 Montgomery VanGorder – senior (6'5, 215)  7 Brandon Wimbush – junior (6'1, 216) 12 Ian Book – sophomore 13 Avery Davis – freshman 14 J.D. Carney – freshman 17 Nolan Henry – junior (6'1, 195) 18 Cameron Ekanayake – freshman Running backs  2 Dexter Williams – junior (5'11, 210) 16 C.J. Holmes – freshman 33 Josh Adams – junior (6'1, 219) 34 Tony Jones Jr. – sophomore 38 Deon McIntosh – sophomore Wide receivers  3 C. J. Sanders – junior (5'8, 185)  6 Equanimeous St. Brown – junior (6'4, 205)  9 Keenan Centlivre – senior 10 Chris Finke – junior (5'9, 175) 11 Freddy Canteen – graduate 15 Cameron Smith – graduate 24 Mick Assaf – sophomore 25 Jafar Armstrong – freshman 26 Austin Webster – senior (5'11, 195) 29 Kevin Stepherson – sophomore (6'0, 181) 31 Grant Hammann – senior (6'0, 192) 81 Miles Boykin – junior (6'3, 225) 83 Chase Claypool – sophomore 85 Arion Shinaver – sophomore 87 Michael Young Jr. – freshman 88 Javon McKinley – sophomore Tight ends 47 Chris Bury – junior 49 Jack Henige – freshman 80 Durham Smythe – graduate (6'4, 245) 82 Nic Weishar – senior (6'4, 245) 84 Cole Kmet – freshman 86 Alize Mack – junior (6'4, 240) 89 Brock Wright – freshman Punters 42 Jeff Riney – junior (5'10, 175) (+P) 80 Tyler Newsome – senior (6'2, 210) (+K)		Offensive lineman 53 Sam Mustipher – senior (6'2, 305) 56 Quenton Nelson – senior (6'5, 325) 57 Trevor Ruhland – junior (6'3, 300) 61 Colin Grunhard – freshman 62 Logan Plantz – junior (6'2, 310) 63 Sam Bush – senior (6'3, 305) 67 Jimmy Byrne – senior (6'4, 300) 68 Mike McGlinchey – graduate (6'7, 310) 69 Aaron Banks – freshman 70 Hunter Bivin – graduate (6'5, 308) 71 Alex Bars – senior (6'6, 320) 72 Robert Hainsey – freshman 74 Liam Eichenberg – sophomore 75 Josh Lugg – freshman 76 Dillan Gibbons – freshman 78 Tommy Kraemer – sophomore Defensive lineman  9 Daelin Hayes – sophomore (6'3, 257) 41 Kurt Hinish – freshman 42 Julian Okwara – sophomore 47 Kofi Wardlow – freshman 53 Khalid Kareem – sophomore (6'3, 270) 54 Lincoln Feist – junior (6'2, 315) 55 Jonathan Bonner – senior (6'3, 286) 58 Elijah Taylor – junior (6'3, 285) 64 Ryan Kilander – senior (6'0, 310) 77 Brandon Tiassum – junior (6'3, 302) 91 Adetokunbo Ogundeji – sophomore 92 Jonathon MacCollister – freshman 93 Jay Hayes – senior (6'3, 285) 94 Darnell Ewell – freshman 95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa – freshman 96 Peter Mokwuah – senior (6'3, 317) 97 Micah Dew-Treadway – junior (6'4, 300) 98 Andrew Trumbetti – senior (6'3, 260) 99 Jerry Tillery – junior (6'6, 310) Kickers 19 Justin Yoon – junior (5'9, 190) 29 Sam Kohler – senior (6'0, 175) 39 Jonathan Doerer – freshman		Linebackers  4 Te'von Coney – junior (6'1, 235)  5 Nyles Morgan – senior (6'1, 245) 22 Asmar Bilal – junior (6'2, 230) 23 Drue Tranquill – senior (6'1, 225) 30 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – freshman 32 D.J. Morgan – sophomore 35 David Adams – freshman 37 Robert Regan – junior (6'2, 200) 40 Drew White – freshman 44 Jamir Jones – sophomore 45 Jonathan Jones – sophomore 46 Jimmy Thompson – junior 48 Greer Martini – senior (6'2, 245) 49 Brandon Hutson – junior (6'2, 230) 51 Devyn Spruell – junior (6'1, 240) 59 Kier Murphy – junior Cornerbacks  7 Nick Watkins – senior (6'0, 200)  8 Donte Vaughn – sophomore 18 Troy Pride – sophomore 20 Shaun Crawford – junior (5'8, 189) 27 Julian Love – sophomore 31 Temitope Agoro – sophomore 31 Brandon Garcia – freshman 43 Brian Ball – junior (5'11, 185) Safeties 12 Alohi Gilman – sophomore 13 Jordan Genmark Heath – freshman 14 Devin Studstill – sophomore (6'0, 190) 17 Isaiah Robertson – freshman 21 Jalen Elliott – sophomore 24 Nick Coleman – junior (5'11, 190) 38 Christopher Schilling – sophomore Defensive backs 10 Patrick Pelini – freshman 15 John Mahoney – freshman Long snappers 46 Matt Bushland – sophomore 54 John Shannon – sophomore

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	3:30 p.m.	Temple		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 49–16	77,622
September 9	7:30 p.m.	No. 15 Georgia	No. 24	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	L 19–20	77,622
September 16	3:30 p.m.	at Boston College		Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (Holy War)	ESPN, ESPNU	W 49–20	44,500
September 23	8:00 p.m.	at Michigan State		Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	FOX	W 38–18	74,023
September 30	5:00 p.m.	Miami (OH)	No. 22	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBCSN	W 52–17	77,622
October 7	3:30 p.m.	at North Carolina	No. 21	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)	ABC	W 33–10	57,000
October 21	7:30 p.m.	No. 11 USC	No. 13	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 49–14	77,622
October 28	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 NC State	No. 9	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 35–14	77,622
November 4	3:30 p.m.	Wake Forest	No. 3	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 48–37	77,622
November 11	8:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Miami (FL)	No. 3	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 8–41	65,326
November 18	3:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 8	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 24–17	77,622
November 25	8:00 p.m.	at No. 21 Stanford	No. 8	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	ABC	L 20–38	47,352
January 1, 2018	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 17 LSU	No. 14	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl)	ABC	W 21–17	57,726
Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 31 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

Further information: 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	24	RV	RV	22	21	16	13	9	5	3	9	9	15	14	11
Coaches	RV	25	RV	RV	RV	22	19	16	10	8	5	9	9	17	15	11
CFP	Not released									3	3	8	8	15	14	Not released

Game summaries

Temple

Temple at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 3 7 0 6 16 • Fighting Irish 21 7 7 14 49 Date: September 2, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:42 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 17 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 9 MPH Referee: Jeff Heaser TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 Temple Owls football team

The Irish offense racked up 606 yards of offense including 422 of it from rushing. They finished with three players with over 100 rushing yards: Josh Adams (161 yards), Dexter Williams (124 yards) and quarterback Brandon Wimbush (106 yards) all hit the century mark rushing as the Irish win big on opening day.

Georgia

Georgia at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 15 Bulldogs 3 7 7 3 20 No. 24 Fighting Irish 3 10 3 3 19 Date: September 9, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:44 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 36 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: E 7 MPH Referee: Matt Austin TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 Georgia Bulldogs football team

With 3 minutes, 34 seconds left to play, the Bulldogs took a 1-point lead on a 30-yard field goal by kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. On The Irish's final drive, Bulldogs linebacker Davin Bellamy strip-sacked quarterback Brandon Wimbush, and linebacker Lorenzo Carter recovered the fumble with 1:27 left to seal the victory. For the Bulldogs, Jake Fromm made his first career start at quarterback in place of the injured Jacob Eason (left knee).

Boston College

Notre Dame at Boston College
(Holy War)

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Irish 7 7 14 21 49 Eagles 3 7 3 7 20 Date: September 16, 2017 Location: Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA Game start: 3:41 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes Game attendance: 44,500 Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Partly Sunny • Wind: E 1 MPH Referee: Stuart Mullins TV announcers (ESPN and ESPNU): Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Todd McShay (sideline)

See also: 2017 Boston College Eagles football team and Holy War (Boston College vs. Notre Dame)

Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush rushed for 270 yards with four touchdowns; the most rushing yards by a Notre Dame quarterback, a school record. Also, running back Josh Adams rushed for 229 yards in three quarters. This is the first time in Notre Dame football history that two players have rushed for more than 200 yards in a single game.

Michigan State

Notre Dame at Michigan State
(Megaphone Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Irish 14 14 7 3 38 Spartans 7 0 3 8 18 Date: September 23, 2017 Location: Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI Game start: 8:17 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 34 minutes Game attendance: 74,023 Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: SE 5 MPH Referee: Gary Patterson TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft (sideline)

See also: 2017 Michigan State Spartans football team and Michigan State-Notre Dame football rivalry

The Irish would score on their opening drive, a 7 play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by Quarterback Brandon Wimbush's 16-yard touchdown run. Notre Dame would add to their lead three minutes later with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Julian Love go to up 14–0 over the Spartans. The Irish defense forced three turnovers in the game, all of them the Irish turned into touchdowns. The Irish offense racked up 5.8 yards per play, including rushing for 182 yards against the Spartans defense that came into the game in the top 10 in rush defense.

Miami (OH)

Miami (OH) at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total RedHawks 7 7 3 0 17 • No. 22 Fighting Irish 28 17 0 7 52 Date: September 30, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 5:18 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 16 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 6 MPH Referee: Jerry Magallanes TV announcers (NBCSN): Paul Burmeister, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 Miami RedHawks football team

The Irish opened the scoring on the second play from scrimmage when running back Josh Adams scampered 73 yards for a touchdown. Another Adams touchdown run—this one a 59-yarder—was bookended by two RedHawks turnovers that the Irish converted into 14 points. The 28-point first quarter marked the most points for the Irish in a single period since 2005. The victory was the 900th win in Irish program history.

North Carolina

Notre Dame at North Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 21 Fighting Irish 0 16 10 7 33 Tar Heels 0 7 0 3 10 Date: October 7, 2017 Location: Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC Game start: 3:36 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 28 minutes Game attendance: 57,000 Game weather: Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Overcast • Wind: SE 7 MPH Referee: Gary Patterson TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard and Allison Williams (sideline)

See also: 2017 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

After a scoreless opening period, quarterback Ian Book found receiver Cameron Smith for a 6-yard touchdown pass. On the second play of the next offensive series, running back Josh Adams scored on a 73-yard touchdown run. Later in the game, running back Deon McIntosh added two rushing scores for the Irish who gained 341 of its 487 total yards on the ground. Book made his first career start at quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Wimbush (right foot).

USC

USC at Notre Dame
(Jeweled Shillelagh)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Trojans 0 0 14 0 14 • No. 13 Fighting Irish 14 14 14 7 49 Date: October 21, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 7:43 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 10 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: SSE 9 MPH Referee: Jeff Heaser TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 USC Trojans football team and Notre Dame–USC football rivalry

The Fighting Irish would welcome No. 11 USC in a highly anticipated game. The Irish defense started the game forcing a USC turnover on the Trojans first offensive play of the game, and that would be a sign of things to come from the rest of the game as the Irish forced three total turnovers and would take a commanding 28–0 lead by halftime. Running back Josh Adams had 191 rush yards and three touchdowns, including an 84-yard score in the third quarter. The Irish would rush for a total of 377 yards and averaged 8 yards per rush during the game. With this victory, Notre Dame earned the largest margin of victory in the series with USC in a half century. The last time was 51–0 in Los Angeles in 1966.

NC State

NC State at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total No. 14 Wolfpack 7 7 0 0 14 • No. 9 Fighting Irish 7 14 14 0 35 Date: October 28, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:41 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 40 °F (4 °C) • Weather: Cloudy and Chilly • Wind: W 12 MPH Referee: Gary Patterson TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 NC State Wolfpack football team

Coming into the game, NC State had a six-game win streak, along with the Irish who had a five-game win streak. The talk coming into the game was who would have the advantage. Would it be North Carolina State's stout run defense (ranked 6th in the country) or Notre Dame's dangerous rush offense (ranked 6th in the country). The first quarter saw both offenses struggle to move the ball, but the Wolfpack got on the board first with a blocked punt returned that was recovered in the end zone to give North Carolina State a 7–0 lead. Notre Dame responded in quick fashion with a 2-play, 60-yard drive that was capped off with a touchdown pass by Irish Quarterback Brandon Wimbush, who threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Durham Smythe. The two teams traded scores in the 2nd quarter but the Irish would take a 21–14 lead with another touchdown pass by Brandon Wimbush, this time an 11-yard pass to wide receiver Kevin Stepherson. Before the first half ended, the Wolfpack were threatening to score, as they had the ball at the Irish 35. But on 3rd and 10, the Irish were able to get a sack on quarterback Ryan Finley to push the Wolfpack out of field goal range. That play would seem to set the stage for the rest of the game. After halftime, the Irish started to take control with a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown by Irish cornerback Julian Love giving the Irish a two touchdown lead. Josh Adams put the game away for good with a 77-yard touchdown run late in the 3rd quarter.

Josh Adams finished the game with 202 rush yards and the Irish as a team finished the game with 318 rush yards. That was more than twice as many rush yards that the Wolfpack defense had allowed on the year, as the previous most was 133 rush yards by Furman. This was the sixth straight game the Irish had won by 20 points or more. This was also the first time since 2012 that the Irish had two wins over opponents ranked in the top 15 in a season and the first time since 1989 that they did it in consecutive weeks. It was also the sixth time the Irish ran for 300 yards or more in a game this season.

Wake Forest

Wake Forest at Notre Dame

1 2 3 4 Total Demon Deacons 3 7 13 14 37 • No. 5 Fighting Irish 7 24 10 7 48 Date: November 4, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:41 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Light Rain and Chilly • Wind: ESE 10 MPH Referee: Jeff Flanagan TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team

Though the Irish defense gave up a season-high 580 yards of offense and 37 points, the offense was dominant. The Irish rushed for 380 yards and racked up 710 total yards of offense, 10 yards shy of tying the school record. This was the seventh time in nine games this season the Irish rushed for over 300 yards.

Miami (Florida)

Notre Dame at Miami (Florida)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 3 Fighting Irish 0 0 8 0 8 • No. 7 Hurricanes 14 13 7 7 41 Date: November 11, 2017 Location: Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL Game start: 8:16 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 17 minutes Game attendance: 65,326 Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: ENE 13 MPH Referee: Jerry Magallanes TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor (sideline) and Tom Rinaldi (sideline)

See also: 2017 Miami Hurricanes football team and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalries

In a highly anticipated matchup, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Miami Hurricanes met in a crucial game that had major College Football Playoffs implications for the winner. Miami would prevail in a one-sided contest in which the Hurricanes defense shut down the high powered offense of Notre Dame, including Heisman candidate Josh Adams. Coming into the game, the Irish had just two turnovers in the previous six games, including no turnovers during that span when quarterback Brandon Wimbush started. They turned it over four times in the contest that was turned into 24 points for the Hurricanes. A pick six by True Freshman Trajan Brady just before halftime gave Miami a commanding 27-0 lead at halftime and Notre Dame never recovered. The Irish had just 109 yards rushing (averaged 324 yards a game coming in), 8 points (averaged 41 points a game) and just 261 total yards of offense (averaged 440). With this loss, the Irish dropped out of the College Football Playoff conversation.

Navy

Navy at Notre Dame
(Rip Miller Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 0 10 7 0 17 • No. 9 Fighting Irish 3 7 7 7 24 Date: November 18, 2017 Location: Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Game start: 3:41 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 2 hours and 54 minutes Game attendance: 77,622 Game weather: Temperature: 41 °F (5 °C) • Weather: Rain • Wind: N 19 MPH Referee: Adam Savoie TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

See also: 2017 Navy Midshipmen football team and Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry

Another tough, competitive game between Notre Dame and Navy in this historic rivalry, as the Irish prevail 24–17. For Navy, after taking a 17–10 lead on a 12 yard touchdown pass from Zach Abey to Craig Scott in the 3rd quarter, Navy finished the game with a missed field, an interception and a turn over on downs, all in Irish territory. The Irish went up for good in the 4th quarter with a 9 yard touchdown pass from Brandon Wimbush to wide receiver Kevin Stepherson. A week after giving up 41 points, the Irish defense held Navy to just 17 points, despite Navy controlling the game clock 42:42 to 17:18.

Josh Adams ran for 106 yards on 18 carries. Josh Adams topped 3,000 career yards and now has the 4th highest single season rushing total in Notre Dame history at 1,337. He needs 101 yards next weekend against Stanford to break the record.

Stanford

Notre Dame at Stanford
(Legends Trophy)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 9 Fighting Irish 7 3 10 0 20 • No. 20 Cardinal 7 7 3 21 38 Date: November 25, 2017 Location: Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA Game start: 5:14 p.m. PST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Game attendance: 47,352 Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NNE 5 MPH Referee: Chris Coyte TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Maria Taylor (sideline)

See also: 2017 Stanford Cardinal football team and Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry

Heading into the 4th quarter, the Irish had a 20–17 lead in a tightly contested game, but back to back turnovers by the Irish turned the game around in a hurry, as the Cardinal took advantage and turned both turnovers into touchdowns. Less than five minutes into the final quarter, the Cardinal had a 38–20 lead. The Irish tried to play catch up for the rest of the quarter, but a turnover on downs and an interception at the goal line halted any comeback bid.

LSU (Citrus Bowl)

Notre Dame vs LSU
(Citrus Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 14 Fighting Irish 0 3 3 15 21 No. 16 Tigers 0 0 7 10 17 Date: January 1, 2018 Location: Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL Game start: 1:07 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes Game attendance: 57,726 Game weather: Temperature: 53 °F (12 °C) • Weather: Overcast • Wind: N 17 MPH Referee: Cooper Castleberry TV announcers (ABC): Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich (sideline)

See also: 2017 LSU Tigers football team

With the Irish trailing 17-14 with less than 2 minutes to play, quarterback Ian Book connected on a 55-yard touchdown pass to tight end Miles Boykin, giving the Irish an improbable lead late in the game. The Irish defense would force LSU to turn the ball over on downs on the next series, securing Notre Dames first bowl win on New Year's Day since January 1, 1994.

The game started out fast for the Irish, as quarterback Brandon Wimbush connected on a 35-yard pass to receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on the first play of the game to the LSU 40 yard line. The drive later stalled as the Irish were stuffed on 4th and 1. The Irish offense would sputter for most of the first half, punting on five straight possessions. The Irish defense would make a key goal line stand in the 2nd quarter, as Notre Dame would stop LSU twice at the Irish 1 yard line, forcing LSU to kick a field goal (which missed), keeping the score tied 0–0. With Brandon Wimbush struggling to move the offense, quarterback Ian Book came in to relieve him. A field goal at the end of the half gave the Irish a 3–0 lead. In the second half, two Irish turnovers would give LSU momentum, including scoring a touchdown to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. In the 4th quarter, LSU would extend its lead to 14–6 with a 2 yard touchdown pass from Danny Etling to Derrius Guice on 3rd and goal. On the following possession, Book connected on a 29-yard pass to Miles Boykin on 3rd and 19 to extend the drive. Five plays later, The Irish got their first touchdown of the game with a 6-yard touchdown pass by Book to Michael Young Jr. Running Back Josh Adams would run in the two-point conversion to tie the game. The Tigers would retake the lead with a 17 yard field goal with 2:03 left in the game.

The win would give Notre Dame 10 wins on the year, one year after the Irish finished a miserable 4–8 in 2016. This would be the second time in three seasons the Irish had 10 wins, and only the fifth time the Irish reached at least 10 wins since 2002.

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ND LSU 2 0:04 11 51 2:00 ND 46-yard field goal by Justin Yoon 3 0 3 11:37 5 43 2:16 LSU Derrius Guice 20-yard touchdown reception from Danny Etling, Jack Gonsoulin kick good 3 7 3 2:47 5 18 2:20 ND 49-yard field goal by Justin Yoon 6 7 4 11:13 12 75 6:34 LSU Derrius Guice 2-yard touchdown reception from Danny Etling, Jack Gonsoulin kick good 6 14 4 7:45 10 75 3:24 ND Michael Young Jr. 6-yard touchdown reception from Ian Book, 2-point pass good 14 14 4 2:03 12 76 5:46 LSU 17-yard field goal by Jack Gonsoulin 14 17 4 1:28 3 73 0:35 ND Miles Boykin 55-yard touchdown reception from Ian Book, Justin Yoon kick good 21 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 17

Post season

Awards

• Doak Walker Award
  • Semi-finalist: Josh Adams
• Outland Trophy
  • Finalist: Quenton Nelson
• Wuerffel Trophy
  • Finalist: Drue Tranquill
• Joe Moore Award
  • Winner: Offensive Line
• Peter Mortell Award
  • Finalist: Montgomery VanGorder

All-Americans

Name	AP	AFCA	FWAA	TSN	WCFF	AA	Athlon	BR	CBS	ESPN	Fox	PFW	SBN	Scout	SI	USAT
Josh Adams, CB													HM
Julian Love, CB													HM		2
Mike McGlinchey, OT					1	2							1		1
Quenton Nelson, G					1	1		1					1		1
†denotes unanimous selection. NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN and WCFF 1st teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections
Sources: