No. 3 Notre Dame Continuing To Make Its Points
A Notre Dame streak came to an end during last Saturday’s 48-37 victory against Wake Forest.
After six consecutive wins by at least 20 points, the string was snapped, despite holding a 41-16 advantage with 17 minutes and four seconds remaining.
That was the second-longest such stretch of dominance in the program’s history, behind only the seven in a row won by at least 20 points by the 1966 national champs, ending with the 10-10 tie at No. 2 Michigan State.
Nevertheless, at least two more distinctions remain alive for the offense as No. 3-ranked Notre Dame prepares to end a streak elsewhere this weekend, namely Miami’s 13 wins in a row that are currently the longest in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
First, with the victory against Wake Forest the Fighting Irish surpassed the 30-point mark a seventh consecutive game. That feat has been achieved by only three other Notre Dame units.
• One was the aforementioned ’66 crew at the same time it was winning the seven in a row by at least 20 points.
• The second occurred in 1993 under Lou Holtz when it went from games five through 11 with a minimum of 31 points in each, highlighted by the 31-24 defeat of No. 1 Florida State to elevate the Irish at No. 1 for one week before losing the regular season finale to Boston College, 41-39. The streak ended with the 24-21 Cotton Bowl victory versus No. 7 Texas A&M.
• The third holds the record with nine consecutive 30-plus points, the 2005 edition under first-year head coach Charlie Weis. After the 17-10 defeat of No. 3 Michigan in the second week, that prolific offense led by quarterback Brady Quinn finished the remainder of the nine games of the regular season by tallying a minimum of 31 points, including losses to Michigan State (44-41) and No. 1 USC (34-31).
To keep this year's streak alive and hopefully set a new standard at Stanford in the Nov. 25 regular season finale, the Irish need to continue that production against a Miami unit that ranks No. 1 nationally in tackles for loss (8.8 per game) — Wake Forest dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 after having only four for 12 yards at Notre Dame — No. 4 in turnover margin (forcing 20 for a plus-1.38 average) and No. 12 nationally in scoring defense (17.6 points per game), permitting only 13 touchdowns during its 8-0 start.
The 48 points against Wake Forest also marked the fifth time Notre Dame exceeded 40 points in a contest this season, making it the 11th Fighting Irish team to achieve that distinction.
Only three have reached six 40-point (or plus) games in one season: Lou Holtz’s 1991 and 1992 teams, and the 2005 edition. The 2017 Irish have at least four chances remaining to tie or eclipse that mark.
Meanwhile with its 41.3 scoring average that ranks No. 7 in the country, Notre Dame is on course to exceed the 50-year school record of 37.6 set by Ara Parseghian’s 1968 team. Here are the top 5 at the school:
1. 1968 — 37.6
2. 1992 — 37.2 (bowl game not included)
3. 1996 — 37.0
4. 2005 — 36.7
5. 1993 36.6 (bowl game not included)
It should be noted the 1966 champions led the nation in scoring offense at 36.2 (and were No. 2 in scoring defense at 3.8, with two of the five touchdowns given up all year scored by the opposing defense or special teams).
Under head coach Brian Kelly, the scoring totals had been relatively modest through his first seven seasons, with the lowest surprisingly occurring during the 12-1 campaign in 2012 (25.8).
The point totals his first seven years: 2010 (26.3), 2011 (29.2), 2012 (25.8), 2013 (27.2), 2014 (32.8), 2015 (34.3) and 2016 (30.9).
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