Notre Dame's Touchdowns Beyond The Offense
In the modern era of Notre Dame football, which is generally defined as post-World War II, there have been six seasons where the Fighting Irish tallied at least six touchdowns in one year on defense and special teams combined.
The single-season record is nine during first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham’s 10-1 start in 2002 (six on defense, three on special teams). Two years earlier in 2000 en route to the Fiesta Bowl that landed him a five-year contract extension, head coach Bob Davie’s Irish had eight (five special teams, three defense).
The 1966 and 1988 national champs had seven apiece, while the 12-1 and 11-1 outfits in 1989 and 1993 under Lou Holtz that finished No. 2 had seven and six, respectively.
Those figures alone won’t determine whether a team will vie for a championship, but they can be like “extra credit” in school work. Alabama’s 2016 runner-up team had an astounding 15 non-offensive touchdowns in 2016 (11 on defense, four on special teams), while this year’s national champion Crimson Tide had only two — both on interceptions, just like Notre Dame.
How many touchdowns has Notre Dame scored on defense and on special teams during head coach Brian Kelly’s first eight seasons (2010-17)?
The answer is 20 (11 on defense, nine special teams). Here is the breakdown:
2017 (0 special teams, 2 defense)
• Julian Love 59-yard interception at Michigan State.
• Love 69-yard interception versus North Carolina State.
Note: Notre Dame allowed one special teams and one defensive touchdown. NC State returned a blocked punt for a score the second straight year versus the Irish, and Miami had a 65-yard pick six on quarterback Ian Book that put it ahead 27-0 right before halftime.
2016 (2 special teams, 0 defense)
• CJ Sanders 93-yard kickoff versus Syracuse.
• Sanders 92-yard kickoff versus Army.
Note: During the 4-8 season, Notre Dame yielded was is believed to be a single season school record five touchdowns on special teams, plus two interceptions were returned for TDs (by Stanford and USC) in losses.
2015 (4 special teams, 1 defense)
• Tight end Durham Smythe 7-yard fake field goal in win at Virginia.
• Sanders 50-yard punt versus UMass.
• Amir Carlisle 5-blocked punt (by Equanimeous St. Brown) in win versus USC.
• Sanders 93-yard kickoff return versus Stanford in loss
• Defensive end Andrew Trumbetti 28-yard interception return versus Wake Forest.
Note: The opposition scored on a fumble return for a touchdown.
2014 (0 special teams, 1 defense)
• Safety Austin Collinsworth 32-yard fumble return in a loss to Northwestern.
Note: The opposition scored four touchdowns on defense and one on a kickoff return.
2013 (0 special teams, 3 defense)
• Defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt interception in the Wolverine end zone in a loss.
• Cornerback Bennett Jackson 34-yard interception in a win at Purdue.
• Linebacker Dan Fox 14-yard interception in a win versus Arizona State.
Note: The opposition scored twice on interceptions returns.
2012 (0 special teams, 1 defense)
• Tuitt 77-yard fumble return in opener versus Navy in Ireland.
Note: Stanford scored on a lost fumble in the end zone, but Notre Dame prevailed in overtime.
2011 (2 special teams, 2 defense)
• Running back George Atkinson III 89-yard kickoff versus Michigan State in in win.
• Atkinson 96-yard kickoff return versus USC in loss.
• Cornerback Lo Wood 57-yard interception in win versus Maryland.
• Safety Zeke Motta 29-yard fumble in Champs Sports Bowl loss to Florida State.
Note: The opposition scored twice on fumble returns.
2010 (1 special teams, 1 defense)
• Cornerback Robert Blanton blocked punt and 6-yard return in win versus Utah.
• Cornerback Darrin Walls 42-yard interception return versus Army in Shamrock Series win.
Note: The opponents scored twice on defense and twice on special teams. The loss to Tulsa included an interception return and punt return for scores by the Golden Hurricanes, and the defeat at Michigan State came on a fake field that went for a touchdown on the final play.
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