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Notre Dame-Ball State: 10 To 1 Countdown

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Jerry Tillery and the Irish defense held Michigan's offense to one touchdown in the 24-17 Irish triumph last week.
Jerry Tillery and the Irish defense held Michigan's offense to one touchdown in the 24-17 Irish triumph last week. (Bill Panzica)
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10 Led by senior linebacker Te'von Coney's team high 10 tackles, 10 yards was the longest rushing attempt by Michigan against Notre Dame last week on 33 official carries, including sacks and scrambles. Rare is the game where a team doesn’t tear off at least one gain of more than 10 yards. Ball State has two running backs — James Armstrong and Caleb Huntley — that have eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in a season.


9 Games in a row lost by Ball State to finish its 2017 campaign with a 2-10 record. Only UTEP (12) and Kansas (11) entered 2018 with a longer losing streak. The Cardinals ended the drought with a 42-6 rout of Central Connecticut State in their Aug. 30 opener. The losing streak began after both star quarterback Riley Neal and running back Armstrong were lost for the season with injuries.


8 Ranking of Notre Dame in this week’s Associated Press poll. It is the team's highest placement entering game 2 since 2006, and only the fourth time overall it has been in the top 10 entering the second game since 1997, year 1 A.H (After Holtz). The 2015 team was ranked No. 9 after the first game, a 38-3 whipping of Texas.


7 A win by Notre Dame would make it seven straight at home, which began last September against Miami (Ohio) and has included three victims that were ranked from Nos. 11 to 14. That also would tie for the second longest winning streak at home in head coach Brian Kelly’s nine seasons. The longest is 10 in row from 2011-13.


6 Different opponents since 2009 who have recorded a victory in their first trip ever to Notre Dame Stadium: UConn (2009), Tulsa (2010), South Florida (2011), Louisville (2014), Virginia Tech (2016) and Georgia (2017). Ball State will be the 78th first-time foe to visit Notre Dame Stadium, which opened in 1930.


5 This is the second of at least five consecutive years known so far that Notre Dame will face an opponent from the Mid-American Conference, which is becoming a staple of the 12-game regular season schedule. The Irish hosted Miami (Ohio) in 2017, and after Ball State this season it has Bowling Green (Oct. 5, 2019), Western Michigan (Sept. 19, 2020) and Toledo (Sept. 11, 2021), with future games against the MAC likely to be announced later.


4 Times quarterback Brandon Wimbush rushed for a first down on third or fourth down against Michigan, one of them on third-and-18. He also completed three clutch third-and-long passes on three different scoring drives. His mobility and maneuverability against Michigan’s fierce pass rush was a crucial element to victory.


3 Quarterback sacks recorded by Notre Dame during last week’s 24-17 victory over Michigan — all of which were game altering. A 16-yard sack by junior end Khalid Kareem on third down took Michigan out of field-goal range. An eight-yard sack by tackle Jerry Tillery on second down from the Irish two-yard line forced a field goal try instead of the drive resulting in a touchdown. The third, also by Tillery, forced a lost fumble by Shea Patterson to seal the game in the closing minute.

Kareem was named Walter Camp Player of the Week on defense, while Tillery’s 92.2 grade by Pro Football Focus was the second best by any defender in the opening week, behind Alabama safety Deionte Thompson’s 94.0, on the first team selected by PFF for week one.


2 First-time starters for Notre Dame who didn’t even play in a game last season but made instant impact with at least two plays versus Michigan. On offense, sophomore running back Jafar Armstrong had scoring runs from 13 and four yards. On defense, junior safety Alohi Gilman, a transfer from Navy, broke up two passes — one in the end zone on third down to force a field goal — and also had blanket coverage on a fourth-and-4 play that gave the ball back to Notre Dame.


1 This is the first meeting ever between Notre Dame and Ball State in football — although Fighting Irish men’s basketball lost at home last season to the Cardinals. Ball State is the 15th different school from Indiana that Notre Dame football will have played, and the 146th overall.

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