American college football season
The 2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team was led by Brian Kelly in his 11th season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana .
Because the Power Five conferences enforced restrictions on non-conference games in light of the COVID-19 pandemic , Notre Dame played a full Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schedule for the 2020 season, expanding upon an existing relationship in all other sports besides football and ice hockey.[1] This was the first season in several decades that Notre Dame did not play its traditional intersectional rivalry games against Navy (previously played every season since 1927), USC (since 1946), or Stanford (since 1997).
After the cancellation of the Wake Forest game scheduled for December 12 by the ACC, due to an evaluation of the three teams in contention to play in the ACC Championship Game ,[2] Notre Dame clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, which they went on to lose to Clemson .
The Fighting Irish were subsequently ranked fourth in the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, securing a spot in the Rose Bowl , a CFP semifinal game, against top–ranked Alabama . Notre Dame lost to Alabama on New Year's Day, the eventual national champion , ending the season with a 10–2 record.
Offseason
Departures
NFL
Transfers out
Other
OL Cole Mabry (medically retired from football)[3]
Transfers in
Schedule
The 2020 schedule was officially released on December 7, 2017.[4]
Due to suspensions of athletic programs nationwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , the team called off the 2020 edition of its spring Blue-Gold Game.[5] The Emerald Isle Classic game against Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin , Ireland was tentatively rescheduled for Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland ,[6] and three games were scrapped after the Big Ten and Pac-12 elected to restrict play to conference opponents only. This included a game scheduled against Wisconsin on October 3 (which was to be played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay as a Shamrock Series game),[7] the team's rivalry game against Stanford , and the team's rivalry game against USC (resulting in its postponement for the first time since World War II ).[8] [9]
In regards to replacing the canceled games, head coach Brian Kelly told ESPN's Mike Greenberg that "our phone is ringing off the hook right now in terms of teams looking for games", and that Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick had been communicating with ACC commissioner John Swofford ; as per its membership in most other sports, Notre Dame typically plays five games against ACC opponents per-season.[10] On July 29, 2020, the ACC officially announced that Notre Dame would play its 2020 season within the conference, with 10 games against ACC opponents, a non-conference game of its choice played in-state, and being eligible to compete for the conference championship . The team contributed revenue from its broadcast rights with NBC into the conference's shared pool, split between all ACC members and Notre Dame.[11]
Notre Dame's opening game against Duke marked the first time that the Fighting Irish had ever competed in, or won a conference game.[12]
Original
Revised
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 12 2:30 p.m. Duke No. 10 NBC W 27–1310,097
September 19 2:30 p.m. South Florida * No. 7 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN USA W 52–010,085
October 10 7:30 p.m. Florida State No. 5 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry ) NBC W 42–2610,409
October 17 2:30 p.m. Louisville No. 4 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC W 12–710,182
October 24 3:30 p.m. at Pittsburgh No. 3 ABC W 45–35,451
October 31 3:30 p.m. at Georgia Tech No. 4 ABC W 31–1311,000
November 7 7:30 p.m. No. 1 Clemson No. 4 NBC, USA W 47–40 2OT 11,011
November 14 3:30 p.m. at Boston College No. 2 ABC W 45–310
3:30 p.m. at No. 19 North Carolina No. 2 ABC W 31–173,535
December 5 2:30 p.m. Syracuse No. 2 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC W 45–216,831
December 12 3:30 p.m. Wake Forest No. 2 ABC No contest [2]
December 19 4:00 p.m. vs. No. 3 Clemson No. 2 ABC L 10–345,240
5:00 p.m. vs. No. 1 Alabama * No. 4 ESPN L 14–3118,373
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final AP 10 10* 7 7 5 5 4 3 4 4 2 (2) 2 (1) 2 2 2 2 4 5 Coaches 10 10* 7 7 5 5 4 3 4 4 2 (4) 2 (3) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 4 5 CFP Not released 2 2 2 2 4 Not released
Personnel
2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
P
19
Jay Bramblett
So
P
30
Jake Rittman
Jr
K
38
Dawson Goepferich
GS
K
39
Jonathan Doerer
Sr
LS
44
Alex Peitsch
Fr
LS
46
Axel Raarup
Jr
LS
65
Michael Vinson
Jr
K
98
Harrison Leonard
So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Roster
Game summaries
Duke
Duke at Notre Dame
1
2 3 4 Total
Blue Devils
3
3 7 0
13
• No. 10 Fighting Irish
0
10 7 10
27
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –21.5
51.5[22]
Statistics
Duke
Notre Dame
First downs
18
24
Total yards
338
441
Rushing yards
79
178
Passing yards
259
263
Turnovers
4
0
Time of possession
26:36
33:24
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Duke
Passing
Chase Brice
20/37, 259 yards
Rushing
Deon Jackson
15 carries, 52 yards
Receiving
Eli Pancol
3 receptions, 78 yards
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
19/31, 263 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Kyren Williams
19 carries, 112 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Kyren Williams
2 receptions, 93 yards
South Florida
South Florida at Notre Dame
1
2 3 4 Total
Bulls
0
0 0 0
0
• No. 7 Fighting Irish
14
21 10 7
52
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –23
49[23]
Statistics
South Florida
Notre Dame
First downs
11
21
Total yards
231
430
Rushing yards
106
281
Passing yards
125
149
Turnovers
0
2
Time of possession
27:33
32:27
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
South Florida
Passing
Jordan McCloud
8/14, 64 yards
Rushing
Johnny Ford
6 carries, 70 yards
Receiving
Latrell Williams
2 receptions, 48 yards
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
12/19, 144 yards
Rushing
C'Bo Flemister
13 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Tommy Tremble
3 receptions, 61 yards
Florida State
Florida State at Notre Dame (rivalry )
1
2 3 4 Total
Seminoles
17
3 6 0
26
• No. 5 Fighting Irish
14
21 7 0
42
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –21
53.5[24]
Statistics
Florida State
Notre Dame
First downs
18
26
Total yards
405
554
Rushing yards
153
353
Passing yards
252
201
Turnovers
0
4
Time of possession
32:08
27:52
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Florida State
Passing
Jordan Travis
13/24, 204 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Jordan Travis
19 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Tamorrion Terry
9 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
16/25, 201 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Kyren Williams
19 carries, 185 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Javon McKinley
5 receptions, 107 yards
Louisville
Louisville at Notre Dame
1
2 3 4 Total
Cardinals
0
0 7 0
7
• No. 4 Fighting Irish
6
0 6 0
12
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –16
62[25]
Statistics
Louisville
Notre Dame
First downs
14
24
Total yards
233
338
Rushing yards
96
232
Passing yards
137
106
Turnovers
0
0
Time of possession
23:45
36:15
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Louisville
Passing
Malik Cunningham
16/19, 132 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Javian Hawkins
15 carries, 51 yards
Receiving
Javian Hawkins
5 receptions, 46 yards
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
11/19, 106 yards
Rushing
Kyren Williams
25 carries, 127 yards
Receiving
Ben Skowronek
2 receptions, 28 yards
At Pittsburgh
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (rivalry )
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 3 Fighting Irish
7
21 17 0
45
Panthers
3
0 0 0
3
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –10
43.5[26]
Statistics
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
First downs
28
11
Total yards
434
162
Rushing yards
115
44
Passing yards
319
118
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
40:59
19:01
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
16/30, 312 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
C'Bo Flemister
13 carries, 48 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Ben Skowronek
2 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TDs
Pittsburgh
Passing
Joey Yellen
10/27, 101 yards, 3 INTs
Rushing
Vincent Davis
8 carries, 28 yards
Receiving
Jordan Addison
3 receptions, 40 yards
At Georgia Tech
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech (rivalry )
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 4 Fighting Irish
7
10 7 7
31
Yellow Jackets
0
7 0 6
13
Date: October 31, 2020Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA Game start: 3:41 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 10 minutesGame attendance: 11,000Game weather: Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Cool and Sunny • Wind: BreezyReferee: Gary PattersonTV announcers (ABC ): Dave Pasch (play–by–play), Mike Golic (analyst) and Marty Smith (sideline)
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –20.5
58.5[27]
Statistics
Notre Dame
Georgia Tech
First downs
24
17
Total yards
426
238
Rushing yards
227
88
Passing yards
199
150
Turnovers
2
4
Time of possession
36:54
23:06
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
18/26, 199 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Kyren Williams
15 carries, 76 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Javon McKinley
5 receptions, 93 yards
Georgia Tech
Passing
Jeff Sims
15/26, 150 yards
Rushing
Jahmyr Gibbs
14 carries, 61 yards
Receiving
Jahmyr Gibbs
5 receptions, 49 yards
Clemson
Clemson at Notre Dame (College GameDay )
1
2 3 4 OT 2OT Total
No. 1 Tigers
7
6 10 10 7 0
40
• No. 4 Fighting Irish
10
13 0 10 7 7
47
Pregame line
Over/under
CU –4.5
51[28]
Statistics
Clemson
Notre Dame
First downs
22
22
Total yards
473
518
Rushing yards
34
208
Passing yards
439
310
Turnovers
6
2
Time of possession
29:38
30:22
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Clemson
Passing
DJ Uiagalelei
29/44, 439 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Travis Etienne
18 carries, 28 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Amari Rodgers
8 receptions, 134 yards
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
22/39, 310 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Kyren Williams
23 carries, 140 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
Javon McKinley
5 receptions, 102 yards
At Boston College
Notre Dame at Boston College (Holy War )
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 2 Fighting Irish
10
21 7 7
45
Eagles
10
6 7 8
31
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –13
51.5[29]
Statistics
Notre Dame
Boston College
First downs
29
22
Total yards
561
357
Rushing yards
278
85
Passing yards
283
272
Turnovers
6
2
Time of possession
34:27
25:33
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
20/27, 283 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
Ian Book
10 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Avery Davis
2 receptions, 70 yards
Boston College
Passing
Phil Jurkovec
18/40, 272 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Travis Levy
9 carries, 51 yards
Receiving
Jaelen Gill
5 receptions, 105 yards
At North Carolina
Notre Dame at North Carolina (rivalry )
1
2 3 4 Total
• No. 2 Fighting Irish
14
3 7 7
31
No. 19 Tar Heels
14
3 0 0
17
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –4.5
69.5[30]
Statistics
Notre Dame
North Carolina
First downs
25
14
Total yards
478
298
Rushing yards
199
87
Passing yards
279
211
Turnovers
1
0
Time of possession
35:04
24:56
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
23/33, 279 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Kyren Williams
23 carries, 124 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Javon McKinley
6 receptions, 135 yards
North Carolina
Passing
Sam Howell
17/27, 211 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Michael Carter
8 carries, 57 yards
Receiving
Dyami Brown
4 receptions, 84 yards
Syracuse
Syracuse at Notre Dame
1
2 3 4 Total
Orange
0
7 7 7
21
• No. 2 Fighting Irish
3
21 14 7
45
Pregame line
Over/under
ND –34
51[31]
Statistics
Syracuse
Notre Dame
First downs
15
26
Total yards
414
568
Rushing yards
229
283
Passing yards
185
285
Turnovers
7
2
Time of possession
26:10
33:50
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Syracuse
Passing
Rex Culpepper
18/29, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Sean Tucker
24 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Taj Harris
8 receptions, 69 yards
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
24/37, 285 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Kyren Williams
20 carries, 110 yards
Receiving
Javon McKinley
7 receptions, 111 yards, 3 TDs
At Wake Forest (No Contest)
Notre Dame at Wake Forest (No Contest)
1
2 3 4 Total
No.2 Fighting Irish
0
0 0 0
0
Demon Deacons
0
0 0 0
0
Pregame line
Over/under
N/A
N/A[32]
The No. 2 Notre Dame at Wake Forest game was canceled by the ACC, due to an evaluation of the three teams in contention to play in the ACC Championship Game and the game was not rescheduled. Instead, Notre Dame ended their regular season vs. Syracuse and had a bye this week, and Wake Forest played a replacement game at Louisville .[33]
Vs. Clemson (ACC Championship)
Pregame line
Over/under
CU –10.5
58[34]
Statistics
Clemson
Notre Dame
First downs
23
18
Total yards
541
263
Rushing yards
219
44
Passing yards
322
219
Turnovers
0
4
Time of possession
28:08
31:52
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Clemson
Passing
Trevor Lawrence
25/36, 322 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Travis Etienne
10 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Amari Rodgers
8 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
20/28, 219 yards
Rushing
Kyren Williams
15 carries, 50 yards
Receiving
Michael Mayer
5 receptions, 51 yards
Vs. Alabama (Rose Bowl)
Pregame line
Over/under
UA –19.5
65.5[35]
Statistics
Notre Dame
Alabama
First downs
24
24
Total yards
375
437
Rushing yards
139
140
Passing yards
236
297
Turnovers
2
0
Time of possession
33:43
26:17
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Notre Dame
Passing
Ian Book
27/39, 229 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Kyren Williams
16 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Kyren Williams
8 receptions, 31 yards
Alabama
Passing
Mac Jones
25/30, 297 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing
Najee Harris
15 carries, 125 yards
Receiving
DeVonta Smith
7 receptions, 130 yards, 3 TDs
Players drafted into the NFL
References
Venues Bowls and rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold