Notre Dame vs BYU Series History

A look at the football history between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the BYU Cougars, who face off this weekend

Notre Dame and BYU meet on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in this year’s edition of the annual Shamrock Series. The Fighting Irish (2-2) look to extend their two-game winning streak and secure the first victory over a ranked opponent in the Marcus Freeman tenure. On the other sideline, BYU (4-1) looks to keep its hopes for a New Years’ Six bowl alive.

SERIES HISTORY

Notre Dame and BYU have met 8 times previously, with the Irish holding a 6-2 advantage in the series. Despite the fact that the schools are arguably the two most prestigious religiously affiliated universities playing FBS football, their first meeting on the field did not take place until 1992. Notre Dame and BYU played twice under Brian Kelly, with the Irish winning both meetings.

In another fun nugget, Notre Dame enters the matchup with a perfect 10-0 record in Shamrock Series games. The Shamrock Series started in 2009 as a chance to highlight the Fighting Irish brand in iconic stadiums across the country, and after a 2-year hiatus from 2019-2020, Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin last season at Soldier Field.

Notre Dame features a special uniform in Shamrock Series games – if you haven’t seen the Hangover-themed video introducing this year’s “ice white” uniforms, it is worth a watch.

SERIES RESULTS

2013 – Notre Dame 23, BYU 13
2012 – Notre Dame 17, BYU 14
2005 – Notre Dame 49, BYU 23
2004 – BYU 20, Notre Dame 17
2003 – Notre Dame 33, BYU 14
1994 – BYU 21, Notre Dame 14
1993 – Notre Dame 45, BYU 20
1992 – Notre Dame 42, BYU 16

NOTABLE GAMES

2013 – Notre Dame defeated BYU 23-13 on a cold and windy senior day in South Bend, rebounding from a loss to Pittsburgh in the previous game. Tommy Rees threw for 235 yards and a TD, Cam McDaniel rushed for 117 yards, and DeVaris Daniels caught 6 passes for 107 yards and a TD. The Irish scored touchdowns on their first two offensive possessions but then needed to rely on the right leg of Kyle Brindza for three field goals the rest of the way. Trailing 23-13, BYU had one last chance to threaten in the fourth quarter, but Jarron Jones blocked a field goal that would have cut the Notre Dame lead to a touchdown. Notre Dame would lose to Stanford in the season finale before beating Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl to finish 9-4.

2012 – With Tommy Rees filling in for the injured Everett Golson, Notre Dame leaned heavily on the formula that took it to the 2012 BCS championship – stout defense, a strong rushing attack, and clutch plays. The Irish ran for 270 yards against what was the nation’s third-ranked rushing defense, with Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood both breaking 100 yards. Even still, Notre Dame trailed the entire game and did not take the lead until George Atkinson III scored the go-ahead touchdown with 12:52 remaining. The Irish defense held the Cougars scoreless in the second half and allowed only 243 total yards while picking off two passes, one of which by All-American Manti Te’o.

2005 – One week after losing a heartbreaker to USC in the infamous “Bush Push” game, Notre Dame rebounded with a 49-23 victory over BYU. Brady Quinn set the Notre Dame record for passing touchdowns in a game with 6 (4 to Maurice Stovall) and also threw for 467 yards, the 5th-most in Notre Dame history. The victory over BYU was the first in a five-game winning streak to close out the 2005 season before a loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Maurice Stovall vs BYU in 2005 / Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports

1993 – The Irish moved to 7-0 on the season with a 45-20 win over BYU. For the second year in a row, Notre Dame was paced by a strong ground attack, rushing for 307 yards. Lee Becton led the way with 123 yards and a TD, and Ray Zellars added a TD to go along with 2 TDs from Marc Edwards. Kevin McDougal had a strong day through the air with 177 yards passing, and Michael Miller hauled in touchdown passes of 66 and 35 yards. After the BYU win, Notre Dame went on to knock off USC, Navy, and Florida State before falling to Boston College, denying the Fighting Irish the 1993 national title.

1992 – Notre Dame demolished BYU 42-16 in the first-ever meeting of these two programs. Demetrius DuBose kicked off the scoring by recovering a Cougar fumble in the end zone, and the Fighting Irish would go on to run for 308 yards. Jerome Bettis and Reggie Brooks each rushed for 113 yards and Bettis also had two touchdowns. Notre Dame ended the season on a 7-game winning streak, which culminated with a 28-3 victory over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. 

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