2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season

2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football

Conference	Independent
Record	4–8
Head coach	Brian Kelly (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Sanford Jr. (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brian VanGorder (3rd season: 1–4, fired) Greg Hudson (1st season: 5–12)
Base defense	4–3 multiple
Captains	Mike McGlinchey Isaac Rochell James Onwualu Torii Hunter, Jr.
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
Seasons ← 2015 2017 →

2016 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
BYU		–		9	–	4
Army		–		8	–	5
Notre Dame		–		4	–	8
UMass		–		2	–	10

Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2016 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 4–8, Notre Dame's worst record since 2007. Despite the disappointing season, athletic director Jack Swarbrick found the 2016 Irish to be a remarkable bunch, citing the team's "enthusiasm" and "willingness to practice".^[1]

Before the season

2016 NFL Daft

The following former Notre Dame players were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft:

Round	Selection	Player	Position	Team
1	6	Ronnie Stanley	Offensive tackle	Baltimore Ravens
1	21	Will Fuller	Wide receiver	Houston Texans
2	34	Jaylon Smith	Linebacker	Dallas Cowboys
2	50	Nick Martin	Center	Houston Texans
3	74	KeiVarae Russell	Cornerback	Kansas City Chiefs
3	90	C. J. Prosise	Running back	Seattle Seahawks
4	103	Sheldon Day	Defensive tackle	Jacksonville Jaguars

Transfers out / departures

Notre Dame lost FS Max Redfield and CB Devin Butler in the offseason for violating team policies.

Coaching changes

Brian VanGorder was relieved of his duties as defensive coordinator. Defensive Analyst Greg Hudson took over as the Irish's Defensive Coordinator. Kelly said, "I have the utmost respect for Brian as both a person and football coach, but our defense simply isn't where it should be and I believe this change is necessary for the best interest of our program and our student-athletes.^[2]

Recruiting class

Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame coaching staff accepted 23 commitments for the 2016 recruiting cycle, including two 5-stars: Daelin Hayes and Tommy Kraemer. The class included student-athletes from 11 different states, and one Canadian province.^[3]

US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Ian Book QB	El Dorado Hills, California	Oak Ridge High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Aug 14, 2015
Ian Book QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Parker Boundreaux OL	Winter Garden, Florida	Bishop Moore High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	–	Jul 2, 2015
Parker Boundreaux OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Chase Claypool WR	Abbotsford, British Columbia	Abbotsford Senior Secondary	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Jul 10, 2015
Chase Claypool WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82
Liam Eichenberg OL	Westlake, Ohio	St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland, OH)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	–	Apr 19, 2015
Liam Eichenberg OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 85
Jalen Elliott DB	Richmond, Virginia	Lloyd C. Bird High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	–	Jun 19, 2015
Jalen Elliott DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Daelin Hayes DE/LB	Belleville, Michigan	Skyline High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	–	Dec 10, 2015
Daelin Hayes DE/LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81
Jamir Jones LB	Rochester, New York	Aquinas Institute	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Jun 23, 2015
Jamir Jones LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72
Jonathan Jones LB	Ocoee, Florida	Oak Ridge High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Feb 3, 2016
Jonathan Jones LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Tony Jones Jr. RB	St. Petersburg, Florida	IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	–	Mar 22, 2015
Tony Jones Jr. RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Khalid Kareem DE	Pontiac, Michigan	Harrison High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	–	Oct 23, 2015
Khalid Kareem DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83
Tommy Kraemer OL	Cincinnati, Ohio	Elder High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	–	Oct 4, 2014
Tommy Kraemer OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83
Julian Love DB	Westchester, Illinois	Nazareth Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–-	Mar 21, 2015
Julian Love DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Deon McIntosh RB	Pompano Beach, Florida	Cardinal Gibbons High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	–	Nov 16, 2015
Deon McIntosh RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Javon McKinley WR	Corona, California	Centennial High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	–	Jan 9, 2016
Javon McKinley WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
D. J. Morgan DB	Norwalk, California	St. John Bosco High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Sep 27, 2015
D. J. Morgan DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79
Adetokunbo Ogundeji DE	West Bloomfield, Michigan	Walled Lake Central High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	–	Jul 16, 2015
Adetokunbo Ogundeji DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Julian Okwara DE	Charlotte, North Carolina	Ardrey Kell High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	–	Apr 14, 2015
Julian Okwara DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Spencer Perry DB	Newnan, Georgia	IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	–	Jun 29, 2015
Spencer Perry DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Troy Pride DB	Greer, South Carolina	Greer High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Dec 24, 2015
Troy Pride DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73
John Shannon LS	Lake Forest, Illinois	Loyola Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Mar 21, 2015
John Shannon LS	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 68
Kevin Stepherson WR	Jacksonville, Florida	First Coast High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	171 lb (78 kg)	–	Jun 18, 2015
Kevin Stepherson WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
Devin Studstill DB	Riviera Beach, Florida	Palm Beach Garden High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	–	Dec 15, 2015
Devin Studstill DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77
Donte Vaughn DB	Memphis, Tennessee	Whitehaven High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Oct 12, 2015
Donte Vaughn DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13 Rivals: 12 ESPN: 16
‡ 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: "2016 Notre Dame Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016. "2016 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	7th	Assumption (1982)
Mike Denbrock	Associate head coach/wide receivers	7th	Grand Valley State (1987)
Mike Elston	Linebackers/recruiting coordinator	7th	Michigan (1998)
Harry Hiestand	Offensive line/run game coordinator	5th	East Stroudsburg (1983)
Scott Booker	Tight ends/special teams coordinator	5th	Kent State (2003)
Brian VanGorder	Defensive coordinator	3rd	Wayne State (1980)
Greg Hudson	Interim defensive coordinator	1st	Notre Dame (1988)
Mike Sanford Jr.	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	2nd	Boise State (2005)
Autry Denson	Running backs	2nd	Notre Dame (1999)
Keith Gilmore	Defensive line	2nd	Wayne State (1981)
Todd Lyght	Defensive backs coach	2nd	Notre Dame (1991)
Paul Longo	Director of football strength and conditioning	7th	Wayne State (1981)

Roster

2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster

Quarterbacks

4 Montgomery VanGorder – junior (6'5, 215)
7 Brandon Wimbush – sophomore (6'1, 216)
9 Malik Zaire – senior (6'0, 225)
12 Ian Book – freshman
14 DeShone Kizer – junior (6'4, 230)
17 Nolan Henry – sophomore (6'1, 195)

Running backs

2 Dexter Williams – sophomore (5'11, 210)
11 Justin Brent – junior (6'1, 220)
25 Tarean Folston – senior (5'9, 214)
28 Austin Ross – senior (5'10, 206)
33 Josh Adams – sophomore (6'1, 219)
34 Tony Jones Jr. – freshman
38 Deon McIntosh – freshman
46 Josh Anderson – graduate student (5'9, 205)
49 Bailey Ross – senior (5'10, 202)

Wide receivers

3 C. J. Sanders – sophomore (5'8, 185)
6 Equanimeous St. Brown – sophomore (6'4, 205)
15 Corey Holmes – junior (6'0, 190)
16 Torii Hunter Jr. – senior (6'0, 195)
26 Austin Webster – junior (5'11, 195)
27 Chris Finke – sophomore (5'9, 175)
29 Kevin Stepherson – freshman (6'0, 181)
35 Grant Hammann – junior (6'0, 192)
37 Omar Hunter – senior (5'9, 195)
81 Miles Boykin – sophomore (6'3, 225)
83 Chase Claypool – freshman
86 Javon McKinley – freshman
87 Keenan Centlivre – junior (6'5, 225)
89 Buster Sheridan – senior (6'3, 200)

Tight ends

10 Alize Jones – sophomore (6'4, 240)
80 Durham Smythe – senior (6'4, 245)
82 Nic Weishar – junior (6'4, 245)
84 Ben Suttman – senior (6'2, 240)
89 Jacob Matuska – senior (6'4, 275)

Punters

80 Tyler Newsome – junior (6'2, 210) (+K)

Offensive Lineman

50 Parker Boudreaux – freshman
53 Sam Mustipher – junior (6'2, 305)
56 Quenton Nelson – junior (6'5, 325)
57 Trevor Ruhland – sophomore (6'3, 300)
62 Colin McGovern – senior (6'4, 315)
63 Sam Bush – junior (6'3, 305)
66 Tristen Hoge – sophomore (6'4, 300)
67 Jimmy Byrne – junior (6'4, 300)
68 Mike McGlinchey – senior (6'7, 310)
69 Logan Plantz – sophomore (6'2, 310)
70 Hunter Bivin – senior (6'5, 308)
71 Alex Bars – junior (6'6, 320)
74 Liam Eichenberg – freshman
75 Mark Harrell – graduate student (6'4, 306)
78 Tommy Kraemer – freshman

Defensive Lineman

9 Daelin Hayes – freshman (6'3, 257)
42 Julian Okwara – freshman
53 Khalid Kareem – freshman (6'3, 270)
54 Lincoln Feist – sophomore (6'2, 315)
55 Jonathan Bonner – junior (6'3, 286)
58 Elijah Taylor – sophomore (6'3, 285)
60 John Montelus – senior (6'4, 310)
64 Ryan Kilander – junior (6'0, 310)
75 Daniel Cage – junior (6'1, 315)
77 Brandon Tiassum – sophomore (6'3, 302)
90 Isaac Rochell – senior (6'3, 290)
92 Grant Blankenship – junior (6'5, 278)
93 Jay Hayes – junior (6'3, 285)
94 Jarron Jones – graduate student (6'5, 315)
95 Marquis Dickerson – senior (6'1, 285)
96 Peter Mokwuah – junior (6'3, 317)
97 Micah Dew-Treadway – sophomore (6'4, 300)
98 Andrew Trumbetti – junior (6'3, 260)
99 Jerry Tillery – sophomore (6'6, 310)
91 Adetokunbo Ogundeji – freshman

Kickers

19 Justin Yoon – sophomore (5'9, 190)
29 Sam Kohler – junior (6'0, 175)
42 Jeff Riney – sophomore (5'10, 175) (+P)
43 John Chereson – senior (5'9, 178)

Linebackers

4 Te'von Coney – sophomore (6'1, 235)
5 Nyles Morgan – junior (6'1, 245)
17 James Onwualu – senior (6'1, 232)
22 Asmar Bilal – sophomore (6'2, 230)
30 Josh Barajas – sophomore (6'1, 240)
40 Kier Murphy – sophomore (6'0, 230)
42 Jimmy Thompson – sophomore (6'0, 215)
44 Jamir Jones – freshman
45 Jonathan Jones – freshman
48 Greer Martini – junior (6'2, 245)
49 Brandon Hutson – sophomore (6'2, 230)
51 Devyn Spruell – sophomore (6'1, 240)

Cornerbacks

7 Nick Watkins – junior (6'0, 200)
12 Devin Butler – senior (6'0, 200)
25 Brian Ball – sophomore (5'11, 185)
26 Ashton White – sophomore (5'11, 190)
34 Jesse Bongiovi – senior (5'9, 194)
36 Cole Luke – senior (5'11, 193)

Safeties

4 Avery Sebastian – graduate student (5'10, 200)
13 Devin Studstill – freshman (6'0, 190)
23 Drue Tranquill – junior (6'1, 225)
31 Spencer Perry – freshman (6'2, 204)
38 Robert Regan – sophomore (6'2, 200)
39 Drew Recker – senior (5'11, 205)

Defensive backs

18 Troy Pride – freshman
20 Shaun Crawford – sophomore (5'8, 189)
24 Nick Coleman – sophomore (5'11, 190)
21 Jalen Elliott – freshman
27 Julian Love – freshman
32 D.J. Morgan – freshman
35 Donte Vaughn – freshman

Long snappers

54 John Shannon – freshman
61 Scott Daly – graduate student (6'1, 250)

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	7:30 p.m.	at Texas	No. 10	Darrell K. Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	ABC	L 47–50 ^2OT	102,315
September 10	3:30 p.m.	Nevada	No. 18	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 39–10	80,795
September 17	7:30 p.m.	No. 12 Michigan State	No. 18	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	L 28–36	80,795
September 24	3:30 p.m.	Duke		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	L 35–38	80,795
October 1	12:00 p.m.	vs. Syracuse		MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ	ESPN	W 50–33	62,794
October 8	12:00 p.m.	at NC State		Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	ABC	L 3–10	58,200
October 15	7:30 p.m.	Stanford		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	L 10–17	80,795
October 29	3:30 p.m.	Miami (FL)		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 30–27	80,795
November 5	11:30 a.m.	vs. Navy		EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 27–28	50,867
November 12	3:30 p.m.	vs. Army		Alamodome San Antonio, TX (Shamrock Series, rivalry)	NBC	W 44–6	45,762
November 19	3:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	L 31–34	80,795
November 26	3:30 p.m	at No. 12 USC		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	ABC	L 27–45	72,402
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Texas

Notre Dame at Texas

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
No. 10 Fighting Irish	7	7	14	9	7	3	47
• Longhorns	7	14	10	6	7	6	50

Date: September 4, 2016
Location: Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium
Austin, TX
Game start: 7:42 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 4 hours
Game attendance: 102,315
Game weather: Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: SE 8 MPH
Referee: Gary Patterson
TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe (sideline)

Nevada

Nevada at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolf Pack	0	0	3	7	10
• No. 18 Fighting Irish	0	25	14	0	39

Date: September 10, 2016
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
South Bend, IN
Game start: 3:42 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 25 minutes
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: W 12 MPH
Referee: Jeff Maconaghy
TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Michigan State

Michigan State at Notre Dame
(Megaphone Trophy)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 12 Spartans	0	15	21	0	36
No. 18 Fighting Irish	7	0	7	14	28

Date: September 17, 2016
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
South Bend, IN
Game start: 7:44 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 31 minutes
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: W 6 MPH
Referee: Dan Capron
TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Duke

Duke at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Blue Devils	14	14	0	10	38
Fighting Irish	14	7	7	7	35

Date: September 24, 2016
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: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: ENE 9 MPH
Referee: Riley Johnson
TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Syracuse

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Syracuse Orange

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	23	10	14	3	50
Syracuse	13	14	0	6	33

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: October 1, 2016
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
Game attendance: 62,794
Referee: Stuart Mullins
TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, and Allison Williams
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Equanimeous St. Brown 79-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Justin Yoon kick), 14:42. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 79 yards, 0:18.
SU – Eric Dungey 3-yard run (kick blocked), 12:36. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:06.
ND – Cole Luke PAT return, 12:36. Notre Dame 9–6.
ND – Equanimeous St. Brown 67-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Justin Yoo kick), 11:23. Notre Dame 16–6. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:14.
SU – Amba Etta-Tawo 72-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Cole Murphy kick), 10:17. Notre Dame 16–13. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:06.
ND – C. J. Sanders 93-yard kickoff return (Justin Yoon kick), 10:06. Notre Dame 23–13.

Second quarter

SU – Eric Dungey 1-yard run (Cole Murphy kick), 13:22. Notre Dame 23–20. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:06.
ND – DeShone Kizer 3-yard run (Justin Yoon kick), 12:11. Notre Dame 30–20. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 1:11.
ND – Justin Yoon 31-yard field goal, 5:03. Notre Dame 33–20. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 3:11.
SU – Ervin Phillips 14-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Cole Murphy kick), 0:30. Notre Dame 33–27. Drive: 2 plays, 14 yards, 0:08.

Third quarter

ND – Kevin Stepherson 54-yard pass from DeShone Kizer (Justin Yoon kick), 11:23. Notre Dame 40–27. Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 1:41.
ND – Dexter Williams 59-yard run (Justin Yoon kick), 8:26. Notre Dame 47–27. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:22.

Fourth quarter

ND – Justin Yoon 39-yard field goal, 11:14. Notre Dame 50–27. Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 3:58.
SU – Eric Dungey 5-yard run (run failed), 6:52. Notre Dame 50—33. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 4:22.

Top passers

ND – DeShone Kizer – 23/35, 471 yards, 3 TD, INT
SU – Eric Dungey – 31/51, 363 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

ND – Josh Adams – 20 rushes, 102 yards
SU – Eric Dungey – 17 rushes, 49 yards, 3 TD

Top receivers

ND – Equanimeous St. Brown – 4 receptions, 182 yards, 2 TD
SU – Amba Etta-Tawo – 7 receptions, 134 yards, TD

NC State

Notre Dame at NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	0	0	3	0	3
• Wolfpack	3	0	0	7	10

Date: October 8, 2016
Location: Carter–Finley Stadium
Raleigh, NC
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 4 hours
Game attendance: 58,200
Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Hurricane Matthew • Wind: NE 18 MPH
Referee: Jeff Heaser
TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, and Tom Luginbill (sideline)

The Notre Dame vs NC State game was played during Hurricane Matthew^[4] where the two teams combined for only 311 total yards. The only touchdown of the game was scored by NC State on a blocked punt leading NC State to win it 10–3.^[5]

Stanford

Stanford at Notre Dame
(Legends Trophy)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cardinal	0	0	9	8	17
Fighting Irish	7	3	0	0	10

Date: October 15, 2016
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
South Bend, IN
Game start: 7:40 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 17 minutes
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: S 9 MPH
Referee: Michael Batlan
TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Miami (FL)

Miami (FL) at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hurricanes	0	7	10	10	27
• Fighting Irish	17	3	0	10	30

Date: October 29, 2016
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
South Bend, IN
Game start: 3:40 p.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 38 minutes
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Overcast • Wind: WSW 9 MPH
Referee: Jeff Flanagan
TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Navy

Notre Dame vs Navy
(Rip Miller Trophy)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	10	7	7	3	27
• Midshipmen	7	7	7	7	28

Date: November 5, 2016
Location: EverBank Field
Jacksonville, FL
Game start: 11:40 a.m. EDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 5 minutes
Game attendance: 50,867
Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: ENE 13 MPH
Referee: Jerry Magallanes
TV announcers (CBS): Carter Blackburn, Adam Archuleta and Jenny Dell (sideline)

Army

Notre Dame vs Army
(rivalry / Shamrock Series)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Black Knights	0	6	0	0	6
• Fighting Irish	21	17	6	0	44

Date: November 12, 2016
Location: Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
Game start: 3:39 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 2 hours and 55 minutes
Game attendance: 45,762
Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Indoors • Wind: N/A
Referee: Stuart Mullins
TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hokies	0	14	7	13	34
Fighting Irish	10	14	7	0	31

Date: November 19, 2016
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
South Bend, IN
Game start: 3:40 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 22 minutes
Game attendance: 80,795
Game weather: Temperature: 36 °F (2 °C) • Weather: Cloudy and Snow Flurries • Wind: WNW 20 MPH
Referee: Duane Heydt
TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Doug Flutie and Kathryn Tappen (sideline)

USC

Notre Dame at USC
(Jeweled Shillelagh)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	7	0	14	6	27
• No. 12 Trojans	10	14	14	7	45

Date: November 26, 2016
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles, CA
Game start: 3:42 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 39 minutes
Game attendance: 72,402
Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy and Rain • Wind: E 5 MPH
Referee: Ron Cherry
TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Todd McShay (sideline)

Rankings

References

^ "Jack Swarbrick Talks Future of Brian Kelly at Notre Dame". Irish Sports Daily. December 2, 2016.
^ "VanGorder Relieved of Duties; Hudson Assumes Responsibilities". Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
^ "Notre Dame Announces 2016 Signing Class". Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
^ Neuharth-Keusch, A. J. "Hurricane Matthew turns N.C. State-Notre Dame game into 100-yard slip-and-slide". USA TODAY.
^ Greenstein, Teddy. "Notre Dame reeling after rain-soaked, 10–3 blooper-reel loss". chicagotribune.com.

v t e Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Venues	Brownson Hall field (1892?–1899) Cartier Field (1899–1928) Soldier Field (1929) Notre Dame Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Emerald Isle Classic Army Boston College Michigan Michigan State Navy Northwestern Pittsburgh Purdue Stanford USC
Culture and lore	History Band of the Fighting Irish Irish Guard Notre Dame Box Notre Dame Leprechaun "Notre Dame, Our Mother" "Notre Dame Victory March" Play Like a Champion Today Subway Alumni T formation Tall Grass Game 1946 "Game of the Century" 1966 "Game of the Century" Catholics vs. Convicts 30 for 30 film 1993 "Game of the Century" Bush Push Navy ends the drought 2020 ACC Championship Game The Spirit of Notre Dame Knute Rockne, All American Notre Dame Football on NBC Rudy
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Four Horsemen NFL draftees Statistical leaders Team captains
Seasons	1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold