Notre Dame-Duke Countdown: 10 To 1
10 Wins minimum posted by Notre Dame each of the past three seasons: 10-3 (2017), 12-1 (2018) and 11-2 (2019), matching the school record from 1991 (10-3), 1992 (10-1-1) and 1993 (11-1). Reaching double digits in win totals a fourth straight year would be a program record, with 12-game regular seasons regularly first occurring in 2006. This year there will be only 11 (hopefully) in the regular season
9 Graduate students — eight fifth-year seniors and one in his sixth season — projected to start for the Fighting Irish, which would be a school record, surpassing the seven in 2003.
On offense they feature quarterback Ian Book, left tackle Liam Eichenberg, right guard Tommy Kraemer, and receivers Javon McKinley and Ben Skowronek. Defensively they are ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji, cornerback Nick McCloud and safety Shaun Crawford, who is in his sixth season.
8 Duke last year was tied for the 8th-worst turnover margin in the country among 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams at -0.92. It had 28 turnovers during its 5-7 campaign, compared to only 17 by the opposition.
Conversely, Notre Dame finished No. 4 in turnover margin with a plus-1.31, generating 28 turnovers (with a national high 19 fumbles recovered) while committing only 17, the exact opposite numbers of Duke.
7 This will be the seventh football meeting Notre Dame and the Blue Devils, with the Irish holding a 4-2 edge, most recently posting a 38-7 victory at Durham last Nov. 9. However, Duke’s most recent visit to Notre Dame Stadium in 2016 resulted in a 38-35 upset by head coach David Cutcliffe’s squad. It dropped the Irish to 1-3 and resulted in the next-day firing of defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
Notre Dame finished 4-8 that year (as did Duke), but has come a long, long way since then.
6 Consecutive games won by Notre Dame to cap last season, the longest such winning season entering a new year since ending 1992 with seven straight. The previous longest streak since then had been four in a row to conclude 2010 — and then the next year the Irish started 0-2.
5 Notre Dame opponents among the six played at home this year who won in their most recent game at Notre Dame Stadium, including Duke (2016). The others are South Florida (2011), Louisville (2014), Clemson (1979) and Syracuse (2008).
The only one among the half-dozen this year that the Irish defeated at home in the most recent meeting was Oct. 10 foe Florida State, which lost 42-13 on Senior Day in 2018.
4 Touchdown passes tossed by Book in the 38-7 victory at Duke last season while throwing for a relatively modest 180 yards. However, he also posted a career high 139 yards rushing on 12 carries while burning the Blue Devils with the zone read option.
3 Years in a row Notre Dame has not had a blemish (loss or tie) against an unranked opponent. This year it will attempt to become only the second four-year class at the school to achieve the feat since the Associated Press poll began in 1936. The only other four-year group to accomplish it was from 1944-47 (the unbeaten 1948 unit salvaged a tie versus unranked USC in the finale).
2 More home victories needed by Notre Dame — this weekend versus Duke and next Saturday against South Florida — to achieve the second-longest winning streak in Notre Dame Stadium, which opened in 1930. The current 18 in a row is third, behind the 19 from 1987-90 and 28 from 1942-50.
The home winning streak also is the fourth longest in the Football Bowl Subdivision entering 2020, behind Clemson (23), Ohio State (21) and UCF (20).
1 This marks the first-ever conference game in Notre Dame’s football history that began in 1887. All 15 Atlantic Coast Conference teams this year will play 10 regular season league games, and the two best will play in the ACC Championship contest held in Charlotte, N.C. either Dec. 12 or Dec. 19. Clemson and Notre Dame are heavy favorites t meet there for a second time after their Nov. 7 matchup at Notre Dame.
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