2011_Notre_Dame_Fighting_Irish_football_team

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Champs Sports Bowl, L 14–18 vs. Florida State
Conference	Independent
Record	8–5
Head coach	Brian Kelly (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Charley Molnar (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Diaco (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Captain	Harrison Smith
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
	Seasons ← 2010 2012 →

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season

The 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Brian Kelly and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. They compete as an independent. They finished the season 8–5. They were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they were defeated by Florida State 18–14.

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Personnel

Roster

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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

Quarterbacks

10 Dayne Crist – senior
5 Everett Golson – freshman
12 Andrew Hendrix – sophomore
17 Matthew Mulevy – senior
11 Tommy Rees – sophomore

Running backs

34 George Atkinson III – freshman
29 Patrick Coughlin – 5th Year Senior
25 Jonas Gray – senior
33 Cam McDaniel – freshman
31 Cameron Roberson – sophomore
20 Cierre Wood – junior

Wide receivers

14 Luke Massa – sophomore
16 DaVaris Daniels – freshman
41 Matthias Farley – freshman
38 Nick Fitzpatrick – junior
3 Michael Floyd – senior
81 John Goodman – senior
7 T. J. Jones – sophomore
37 Eric Lee – freshman
39 Ryan Liebscher – sophomore
6 Theo Riddick – junior
85 Ryan Sharpley – senior
87 Daniel Smith – sophomore
9 Robby Toma – junior
1 Deion Walker – senior

Tight ends

80 Tyler Eifert – junior
88 Jake Golic – junior
18 Ben Koyack – freshman
86 Arturo Martinez – sophomore
83 Mike Ragone – 5th Year Senior
82 Alex Welch – sophomore

Offensive line

56 Brad Carrico – freshman
51 Bruce Heggie – sophomore
72 Nick Martin – freshman
62 Matt Tansey – junior

Offensive tackles

73 Lane Clelland – senior
75 Taylor Dever – 5th Year Senior
77 Matt Hegarty – freshman
74 Christian Lombard – sophomore
71 Dennis Mahoney – senior
70 Zack Martin – junior
64 Tate Nichols – sophomore
79 Jordan Prestwood – freshman #

Offensive guards

65 Conor Hanratty – freshman
76 Andrew Nuss – 5th Year Senior
78 Trevor Robinson – senior
66 Chris Watt – junior

Centers

52 Braxston Cave – senior
57 Mike Golic, Jr. – senior

Defensive ends

50 Chase Hounshell – freshman
90 Ethan Johnson – senior
89 Kapron Lewis-Moore – senior
19 Aaron Lynch – freshman
96 Kona Schwenke – sophomore
69 Tony Springmann – freshman
7 Stephon Tuitt – freshman

Defensive tackles

98 Sean Cwynar – junior

Nose guards

99 Brandon Newman – senior
9 Louis Nix III – sophomore
92 Tyler Stockton – junior
94 Hafis Williams – senior

Linebackers

93 Connor Little – freshman

Inside Linebackers

44 Carlo Calabrese – junior
48 Dan Fox – junior
59 Jarrett Grace – freshman
54 Anthony McDonald – senior
8 Kendall Moore – sophomore
50 Sean Oxley – senior
36 David Posluszny – senior
56 Anthony Rabasa – freshman
38 Joe Schmidt – freshman
55 Prince Shembo – sophomore
5 Manti Te'o – junior
53 Justin Utupo – sophomore

Outside Linebackers

30 Ben Councell – freshman
46 Steve Filer – senior
45 Darius Fleming – senior
47 Jonathan Frantz – senior
58 Troy Niklas – freshman
13 Danny Spond – sophomore
1 Ishaq Williams – freshman

Defensive backs

35 Joe Romano – sophomore

Cornerbacks

43 Josh Atkinson – freshman
12 Robert Blanton – senior
21 Jalen Brown – freshman
4 Gary Gray – 5th Year Senior
2 Bennett Jackson – sophomore
42 Nick Lezynski – 5th Year Senior
32 Andrew Plaska – senior
39 Ryan Sheehan – senior
23 Lo Wood – sophomore

Safeties

49 Blake Breslau – junior
40 Connor Cavalaris – freshman
28 Austin Collinsworth – sophomore
34 Eilar Hardy – freshman
15 Dan McCarthy – senior
17 Zeke Motta – junior
24 Chris Salvi – senior
26 Jamoris Slaughter – senior
22 Harrison Smith – 5th Year Senior

Kickers/Punters

27 Kyle Brindza – freshman
37 Mike Greico – senior
97 David Ruffer – 5th Year Senior
40 Nick Tausch – junior
35 Ben Turk – junior

Long snappers

60 Jordan Cowart – junior
50 Ryan Kavanagh – senior

# Incoming Transfer, Must sit out a year

Game summaries

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[Montana-1] [1]
"Nate Montana to transfer from Notre Dame to Montana". usatoday.com. February 15, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.

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"Notre Dame lineman Alex Bullard transferring to Tennessee after death of father". govolsextra.com. January 7, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.

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"More Notre Dame Football Players Selected To Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. July 15, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.

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"Trio Of Irish Players Make Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. July 5, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.

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"Tyler Eifert Named To John Mackey Award Watch List". UND.cstv.com. July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.

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"Notre Dame Players Littered On Preseason Watch Lists". UND.cstv.com. July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2008.

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"Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal Box Score". ESPN.com. November 26, 2011.

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"Notre Dame Football Official Schedule :: Notre Dame Football :: UND.COM :: The Official Site of Notre Dame Athletics". Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2011.

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"No. 16 Irish Drop Season Opener To USF, 23–20." UND.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21.

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"Notre Dame vs. Purdue - Game Recap - October 1, 2011 - ESPN".

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"Maryland vs. Notre Dame - Game Recap - November 12, 2011 - ESPN".

[12] [12]
"Floyd named Biletnikoff semifinalist". ESPN.com. November 15, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2012.

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"Tyler Eifert Named Finalist For John Mackey Award". und.com. Retrieved December 11, 2012.

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"Athlon's 2011 College Football All-America Team". athlonsports.com. Retrieved December 11, 2012.

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US college sports recruiting information for 2011 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
George Atkinson III WR/RB	Livermore, CA	Granada HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Sep 12, 2010
George Atkinson III WR/RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Josh Atkinson DB	Livermore, CA	Granada HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.4	Sep 12, 2010
Josh Atkinson DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Kyle Brindza K	Canton, OH	Plymouth Canton HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	–	Apr 15, 2010
Kyle Brindza K	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Jalen Brown DB	Irving, TX	Irving MacArthur HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	4.4	Jul 31, 2010
Jalen Brown DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Brad Carrico DE	Dublin, OH	Dublin Coffman HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	4.8	Mar 20, 2010
Brad Carrico DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Ben Councell LB	Asheville, NC	A.C. Reynolds HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.4	Jun 27, 2010
Ben Councell LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
DaVaris Daniels WR	Vernon Hills, IL	Vernon Hills HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.5	Sep 28, 2010
DaVaris Daniels WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Matthias Farley ATH/CB	Charlotte, NC	Charlotte Christian HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Apr 21, 2010
Matthias Farley ATH/CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Everett Golson QB/ATH	Myrtle Beach, SC	Myrtle Beach HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	–	Dec 2, 2010
Everett Golson QB/ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Jarrett Grace LB	Cincinnati, OH	Colerain HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.6	Apr 24, 2010
Jarrett Grace LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Conor Hanratty OL	New Canaan, CT	New Canaan HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	5.8	Apr 24, 2010
Conor Hanratty OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Eilar Hardy DB	Pickerington, OH	Central HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	4.5	Jun 25, 2010
Eilar Hardy DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Matthew Hegarty OL	Aztec, NM	Aztec HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	5.0	Apr 28, 2010
Matthew Hegarty OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82
Chase Hounshell OL	Kirtland, OH	Lake Catholic HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	4.8	Jan 17, 2011
Chase Hounshell OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76
Ben Koyack TE	Oil City, PA	Oil City Senior HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.6	Apr 27, 2010
Ben Koyack TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Aaron Lynch DE	Cape Coral, FL	Island Coast HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.7	Jan 18, 2011
Aaron Lynch DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84
Nick Martin OL	Indianapolis, IN	Bishop Chatard HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 11, 2011
Nick Martin OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Cam McDaniel RB	Coppell, TX	Coppell HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.5	Nov 29, 2010
Cam McDaniel RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Troy Niklas OL	Anaheim, CA	Servite HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	4.7	Feb 2, 2011
Troy Niklas OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Anthony Rabasa DE	Miami, FL	Columbus HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Jul 30, 2010
Anthony Rabasa DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Tony Springmann DE	Fort Wayne, IN	Bishop Dwenger HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	257 lb (117 kg)	4.8	Apr 24, 2010
Tony Springmann DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Stephon Tuitt DE	Monroe, GA	Monroe Area HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 19, 2011
Stephon Tuitt DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Ishaq Williams DE	Brooklyn, NY	Abraham Lincoln HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.7	Jan 14, 2011
Ishaq Williams DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11 Rivals: 10 ESPN: 9
‡ 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: "Notre Dame Commit List 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "2011 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	3:30 p.m.	South Florida	No. 16	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	L 20–23	80,795
September 10	8:00 p.m.	at Michigan		Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 31–35	114,804
September 17	3:30 p.m.	No. 15 Michigan State		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 31–13	80,795
September 24	12:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh		Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 15–12	65,050
October 1	8:00 p.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	ESPN	W 38–10	61,555
October 8	3:30 p.m.	Air Force		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 59–33	80,795
October 22	7:30 p.m.	USC		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (rivalry)	NBC	L 17–31	80,795
October 29	3:30 p.m.	Navy		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 56–14	80,795
November 5	8:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest		BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ABC	W 24–17	36,307
November 12	7:30 p.m.	vs. Maryland		FedExField Landover, MD (Shamrock Series)	NBC	W 45–21	70,251
November 19	4:00 p.m.	Boston College	No. 24	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (Holy War)	NBC	W 16–14	80,795
November 26	8:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Stanford	No. 22	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–28	50,360	^[7]
December 29	5:30 p.m.	vs. No. 25 Florida State		Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Champs Sports Bowl) (rivalry)	ESPN, ESPN 3D	L 14–18	68,305
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	2nd	Assumption (1982)
Bob Diaco	Defensive coordinator/linebackers	2nd	Iowa (1995)
Charley Molnar	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	2nd	Lock Haven (1984)
Chuck Martin	Safeties /recruiting coordinator	2nd	Millikin (1990)
Mike Elston	Defensive line / special teams coordinator	2nd	Michigan (1998)
Ed Warinner	Offensive line	2nd	Mount Union (1984)
Mike Denbrock	Tight ends	2nd (second stint)	Grand Valley State (1987)
Tony Alford	Wide receivers	3rd	Colorado State (1992)
Tim Hinton	Running backs	2nd	Wilmington (1982)
Kerry Cooks	Cornerbacks	2nd	Iowa (2000)
Paul Longo	Strength and conditioning	2nd	Wayne State University (1981)

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	16	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	24	22	RV
Coaches	18	—	—	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	24	RV
Harris	Not released						RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	23	RV	Not released
BCS	Not released							—	—	—	—	—	—	22	—	Not released

Name	AP	WCFF	PFW	Rivals	Scout	SI	Yahoo
George Atkinson III, KR						Hon. Mention
Tyler Eifert, TE	2	2	Hon. Mention	3	1	Hon. Mention	3
Michael Floyd, WR			Hon. Mention			Hon. Mention
Manti Te'o, LB	2	2		2	2	2	2
†denotes consensus selection. NCAA recognizes AP, AFCA, FWAA, SN and WCFF 1st teams for consensus selections Source:

2011_Notre_Dame_Fighting_Irish_football_team

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Preseason

Coaching changes

Player changes

Departing players

Recruiting

Outlook

Award candidates

Schedule

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Game summaries

South Florida

Michigan

Michigan State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Air Force

USC

Navy

Wake Forest

Maryland

Boston College

Stanford

Florida State

Rankings

Awards

References

External links

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v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
BYU		–		10	–	3
Notre Dame		–		8	–	5
Navy		–		5	–	7
Army		–		3	–	9

Rankings from AP Poll