NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH NOTES:
SERIES HISTORY
• Notre Dame and South Carolina will be meeting for the fifth time and the first since 1984. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 3-1.
• The most recent meeting was 38 years ago, when the 11th-ranked Gamecocks edged Notre Dame 36-32 in Notre Dame Stadium in 1984.
BOWL HISTORY
• Notre Dame will be making its 41st bowl appearance in the 2022 Taxslayer Gator Bowl on December 30th. The Irish are 19-21 all-time in bowl games.
• The program earned its sixth consecutive bowl appearance this year and 11th in the last 12 seasons.
• Notre Dame’s first bowl appearance came in the 1925 Rose Bowl, the final game for the legendary Four Horsemen backfield. The Irish defeated Stanford 27-10, bolstered by eight Cardinal turnovers and two 70-yard interception returns by Notre Dame’s Elmer Layden.
• After the 1925 bowl game, Notre Dame would not appear in a postseason game again until the end of the 1969 season and the 1970 Cotton Bowl. The University chose not to add in an additional game on the schedule and until the 1968 season, the AP poll released its final rankings before the bowl games.
• The Irish will be making their fourth appearance the Gator Bowl and their first since 2002. Notre Dame is 1-2 all-time in the event, earning a victory over Penn State in 1976 and two losses to Georgia Tech (1998) and NC State (2002).
• Dick Corbett Head Coach Marcus Freeman will be leading the Irish into a bowl for the second time after being named head coach at Notre Dame in December of 2021. Last season the Irish lost an offensive shoot out 37-35 to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.
STORYLINES
• Who starts at quarterback for the Irish? Sophomore Tyler Buchner earned the starting position for the Irish in the first two games of the season before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the next 10 games. Drew Pyne started the next 10 games, helped the team to an 8-2 record but decided to enter the transfer portal in early December. Buchner has recovered from his injury and has returned to practice full time. It will be either his third career start against South Carolina, or freshman Steve Angeli, who backed up Pyne in the last 10 games but has yet to attempt a pass in his career, who will quarterback the Irish against South Carolina.
• The college football landscape has changed dramatically over the past three years and bowl games have begun to transition from an ‘end-of-the-year’ statement to a ‘start-of-the-next-season’ for programs across the country. While both teams are focused on ending the season on a high note, the Gator Bowl will also provide as much insight into the next iteration of both programs than an actual representation of the 2022 version of the Irish or the Gamecocks. Notre Dame will be without its starting quarterback for the last 10 games, its leading receiver (Michael Mayer, NFL draft prep), its leading sack artist (Isaiah Foskey, NFL draft prep) and one of this most talented cornerbacks (Cam Hart, injury)
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS
2 – Notre Dame will be playing on December 30 for just the second time in the history of the program against South Carolina. On December 30, 2014, the Irish defeated LSU 31-28 in the Music City Bowl.
4 – The Irish are looking to earn their fourth win over a AP Top 25 team this season. The last time the Irish defeated four ranked teams in a season was 2018 and the last first-year Notre Dame coach to claim four ranked victories was Terry Brennan in 1954.
6 – Football Outsiders features a ranking of NCAA special teams units across the country and the Gator Bowl features two of the top six units in the nation. Top-ranked South Carolina has blocked three kicks this season and is among the top six in the country in kick returns, punt returns and net punting. The Irish are sixth in the country according to Football Outsiders, first in the nation in blocked punts and 25th in net punting.
7 – Notre Dame has blocked a school-record (since 1937) and FBS-leading seven punts this season. The Irish blocked a punt in five-consecutive games (the streak ended against Boston College), which is the longest such stretch in the FBS since 2012. The seven blocked punts are the most for a Power Five team since 2008.
11 – Sophomore running back Audric Estimé has rushed for 11 touchdowns this season, becoming just the ninth Irish running back to reach that mark in a single year since 1996.
30 – Notre Dame is 7-0 this season when it possesses the ball for 30 or more minutes – peaking at 40:55 of possession time against BYU. The Irish were held under 30 minutes in their four losses against Ohio State (27:01), Marshall (29:13), Stanford (23:53) and Southern Cal (24:37).
61 – Graduate student safety Houston Griffith, who owns 33 tackles this season and 104 in his career, will establish a new Notre Dame record for games played when he appears against South Carolina. Griffith is currently tied with Kurt Hinish at 61 career games played.
200 – Notre Dame rushed for 281 yards in the victory over Boston College – the team’s final home game of the season – which was the sixth time the Irish surpassed 200 yards rushing in 2022. Notre Dame is 105-10 (.913) since 1996 when it rushes for 200 yards or more.
A NOTEWORTHY VICTORY
Notre Dame’s 35-14 victory over No. 5/5 Clemson (who was ranked No. 4 in the College Football Rankings) on November 2 was noteworthy in many different ways (utilizing AP rankings)-
• It was the first victory over a top-five opponent since the Irish defeated No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in double overtime on Nov. 7, 2020.
• It marked just the third time a first-year Notre Dame head coach has defeated a top-five ranked team. Terry Brennan took down No. 4 Texas 21-0 in his first game as a head coach with the Irish on Sept. 25, 1954. Charlie Weis’ 2005 team defeated No. 3 Michigan 17-10 in Michigan Stadium on September 10.
• It was the third victory over a ranked team this season for Marcus Freeman, joining the wins over No. 16/16 BYU and No. 16/16 Syracuse. Only Terry Brennan in 1954 (four) has more ranked victories in a debut season at Notre Dame.
• It was the first victory over the No. 5 team since the 22nd-ranked Irish defeated No. 5 Michigan 36-20 on Sept. 5, 1998.
• It was the first victory over a top-five team by an unranked Irish squad since 1982 when Gerry Faust’s squad shocked top-ranked Pittsburgh 31-16 in Pitt Stadium.
• It was the largest margin of victory (21 points) over a top-five team since the 38-10 victory over No. 5 Southern Cal in October of 1995 by Lou Holtz’s 17th-ranked Irish.
• It was only the fourth top-five victory for the Irish since 1996.
• It was the first time Notre Dame has posted back-to-back wins over ranked teams since 2018 (No. 7 Stanford, No. 24 Virginia Tech).
IRISH RUNNING BACKS FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES
It might be possible to argue that Notre Dame fields one of the most consistent running back rooms in the country. Audric Estimé (5.8), Logan Diggs (4.8) and Chris Tyree (4.5) are all averaging over 4.5 yards-per-carry behind Notre Dame’s talented offensive line.
• Diggs and Estimé have combined for six 100-yard rushing performances, each posting more than one this season (Estimé has three).
• Notre Dame and Ohio State are the only two Power 5 teams in the country with three running backs who posted 95 or more carries this sesason – Estimé (142), Diggs (152) and Tyree (95).
• Those three backs could become the first group of 100-carry backs for the first time since 1995 when Randy Kinder (143), Marc Edwards (140) and Autry Denson (137) all reached 100 carries.
• Estimé (825) and Diggs (732) could both reach 800 yards rushing this season, which would be the first time two Irish running backs have reached that statistical plateau since Josh Adams and C.J. Prosise in 2015.
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS NOTES:
Series Capsule
Series History…………………………………………..ND leads 3-1
In Columbia………………………………………………ND leads 2-0
In South Bend……………………………………… Series Tied 1-1
At Neutral Sites ……………………………………………Never Met
First Meeting (1976 in Columbia) ……….ND 13, SC 6
Last Meeting (1984 in South Bend) …SC 36, ND 32
Beamer vs. Notre Dame…………………………………………. 0-0
Freeman vs. South Carolina………………………………….. 0-0
Series Superlatives
Most Points – South Carolina …………………..36 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Most Points – Notre Dame ……………………….32 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Most Points – Combined ………………………….68 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Biggest Margin Victory – S. Carolina ………….4 (1984)
SC 36, ND 32
Biggest Margin Victory – Notre Dame……24 (1983)
ND 30, SC 6
Longest Winning Streak – SC……………………….1 (1984)
Longest Winning Streak – ND……………….3 (1977-83)
Current Streak………………………..SC has won 1 in a row
A South Carolina win over Notre Dame would…
Give the Gamecocks a school-record fourth win over a ranked opponent this season. Carolina has already defeated No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Clemson and No. 13 Kentucky in 2022.
Give the Gamecocks a nine-win season for the first time since 2017.
Guarantee the Gamecocks a top-25 finish in the national polls for the first time since the 2013 season when they finished fourth in the AP poll.
Give the Gamecocks their seventh bowl win in their last nine bowl appearances.
Give the Gamecocks their 11th bowl win in 25 bowl games.
Give the Gamecocks a three-game winning streak to end the season for the first time since 2013 when they won the final six games of the campaign.
Make Shane Beamer the first coach in Carolina history to lead his team to a bowl win in each of his first two seasons.
Give Shane Beamer his 16th win as the Gamecocks’ head coach, the most wins recorded by Carolina coach in his first two seasons.
MAKING A POINT: The Gamecocks had a record-setting performance in their 63-38 win over No. 5 Tennessee on Nov. 19:
It was the second-highest point total scored by Carolina in an SEC game behind only the 65 tallied against Mississippi State in 1995.
It was the most points by a Carolina team against a top-5 opponent. The previous high was 35, done several times, most recently against No.
2 Clemson in 2018.
It was the most points scored by an unranked team against an A.P. top-5 opponent in the poll era (since 1936).
It was the most points by an unranked SEC team vs a ranked SEC team ever in regulation.
It was the most points ever allowed by Tennessee in an SEC game.
In addition, the Gamecocks logged 35 first downs. That set a new school single-game record, surpassing the old mark of 34, set against Mississippi State in 1995 and matched against Vanderbilt in 2001.
IT JUST MEANS MORE: The Gamecocks are 40-12 in their last 52 non-conference games, a .769 winning percentage, with seven of the 12 losses coming against Clemson. The Gamecocks are 4-0 against non-conference foes this season after wins over Georgia State, Charlotte, South Carolina State and Clemson. Under head coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are 8-1 in non-conference games.
NO NAIL BITING HERE: The Gamecocks have played just two games that were decided by a touchdown or less, a 34-28 win over Texas A&M, and the Aggies had to score with just 10 seconds left to make that a one-score game, and a 31-30 win at Clemson. The only other contest that was decided by 10 points or less was a 24-14 win over Kentucky. The average margin of victory in the Gamecocks’ 12 games played is 20.8 points.
NEVER LOOK BACK: The Gamecocks are 7-0 this season when scoring first and 12-1 when scoring first in the Shane Beamer Era. Oddly, in its eight SEC contests this season, Carolina was not involved in a game in which there was a lead change.
TURNOVERS WIN GAMES: After recording just one takeaway through the season’s first three games while posting a 1-2 record, Carolina recorded 10
turnovers in its next four contests, all wins, including back-to-back three-interception games versus Charlotte and South Carolina State, marking the first time since 2013 that they recorded three INTs in back-to-back games. The Gamecocks are 7-0 when winning or breaking even in the turnover battle and 1-4 when committing more turnovers.
TO Gained TO Lost +/-
8 Wins 19 14 +5
4 Losses 1 11 -10
Total 20 25 -5
THE STATE OF OUR DEFENSE: In their last game, the Gamecocks started nine players on defense who graduated from South Carolina high schools. The only outliers were LB Sherrod Greene (North Carolina) and EDGE Gilber Edmond (Florida).
IN THE POLLS: South Carolina is ranked 20th in the latest AP poll. It’s the highest the Gamecocks have been ranked since they were No. 13 in September of 2014. With a TaxSlayer Bowl win over Notre Dame, the Gamecocks would assure themselves of finishing in the AP Top-25 for the first time since they were ranked No. 4 at the end of the 2013 season, their highest finish ever.
QUICKLY: The South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) in the 78th TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. The game will be played at TIAA Bank Field (67,164) in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE: ESPN has the national television broadcast with Taylor Zarzour handling the play-by-play, Matt Stinchcomb providing the analysis and Alyssa Lang working the sidelines. The national radio broadcast will be presented by Touchdown Radio, with Frank Frangie and Gino Torretta on the call. Todd Ellis is the play-by-play voice of the Gamecock Radio Network with Tommy Suggs, who is wrapping up his 50th year in the booth, providing the color commentary. Jamar Nesbit patrols the sidelines for the Network.
GOING BOWLING: The Gamecocks are appearing in their 25th bowl game. They own a 10-14 mark in the previous 24 contests. Carolina has posted a 10-6 mark in its last 16 bowl contests after dropping its first eight bowl games. Most recently, the Gamecocks rolled to a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl for their sixth win in their last eight bowl appearances.
GOOD TO BE BACK: This will mark the Gamecocks’ fifth trip to the Jacksonville and the Gator Bowl, but the first since 1987. The Gamecocks are still looking for their first Gator Bowl win. South Carolina’s very first bowl game was the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1, 1946, when the Gamecocks dropped a 26-14 decision to Wake Forest. South Carolina also lost the 1980 Gator Bowl to Pittsburgh by a 37-7 score, the 1984 Gator Bowl to Oklahoma State by a 21-14 margin, and the 1987 Gator Bowl to LSU, a 30-13 setback.
WHERE THE GAMECOCKS STAND: The Gamecocks were ranked 19th in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, 20th in the Associated Press poll and 19th in the AFCA Coaches poll. Carolina finished the 2022 regular season on a high note, knocking off a pair of top-10 teams in No. 5 Tennessee, 63-38 and No. 7 Clemson, 31-30, in its last two games. After opening the season with a 1-2 mark, the Gamecocks won seven of their final nine contests, including three over ranked opponents. The Gamecocks are looking to finish the season ranked for the first time since they were No. 4 at the end of the 2013 season.
GAMECOCKS VS. IRISH: The Gamecocks and Irish have met four previous times on the gridiron, but have not faced each other since 1984. Notre Dame won each of the first three meetings – a 13-6 win in Columbia in 1976, an 18-17 victory in South Bend in 1979, and a 30-6 win in Columbia in 1983. The Gamecocks exacted some revenge with a 36-32 win in South Bend during the 1984 season, the last time the two teams met.
SCOUTING THE IRISH: Notre Dame (8-4) finished the regular season ranked 21st in the CFP Rankings, 19th in the A.P. poll and 20th in the Coaches’ poll. After opening the season with a pair of losses and standing at just 3-3 at the midway point, the Irish went on a five-game winning streak before falling to Southern Cal in their regular season finale.
THE HEAD COACH: Marcus Freeman is in his first season guiding the Fighting Irish. He was hired as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in January of 2021 as part of Brian Kelly’s staff, then was promoted to become the 30th head coach in school history in December of 2021. He is 8-5 overall and 0-1 in bowl games after falling to Oklahoma State in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl.
COMMON OPPONENT: Both South Carolina and Notre Dame can claim a victory over Clemson this season, the only two losses the Tigers suffered in 2022 Notre Dame handed Clemson a 35-14 setback in South Bend on Nov. 5, then the Gamecocks upset the Tigers in Clemson by a 31-30 score in the regular-season finale to capture the Palmetto Bowl.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: South Carolina stunned Notre Dame, 36-32, in South Bend on Oct. 20, 1984, achieving its best start in the school’s history with a 6-0 record. The loss dropped Notre Dame to 3-4 and marked the first time since 1956 that the Irish had lost three-consecutive home games. Mike Hold played most of the second half at quarterback in relief of Allen Mitchell, and led the Gamecocks from a 12-point deficit. Hold hit 5-of-9 passes for 67 yards, and ran 15 times for 72 yards. Notre Dame held a 26-14 lead, but Hold rallied South Carolina with a 63-yard drive topped by a 1-yard scoring run and a Kent Hagood 2-point conversion, cutting the lead to 26-22 with 14 minutes to play. Five minutes later, Hold dropped back to pass, evaded the rush and ran 33 yards up the middle behind a block by the wide receiver Eric Poole for the touchdown and a 29-26 lead. A 4-yard touchdown by Quinton Lewis after a Notre Dame fumble stretched the lead to 36-26.
