# 2014 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2014 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Brian Kelly and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. They compete as an independent.
The Irish started the season with a 6–0 record, ranked as high as No. 5 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, but had a collapse in the second half of the season, losing five of their last six games to finish the regular season at 7–5. Notre Dame's defense suffered significant injuries and yielded over 41 points per game over those six games. For the first time in school history, the Irish gave up thirty points or more in seven consecutive contests.
Despite the disappointing season the Irish finished on a high note, upsetting the heavily favored LSU Tigers (8 point favorites) in the Music City Bowl, 31–28. Kicker Kyle Brindza kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. This was the first win by Notre Dame over a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team since beating the University of Tennessee Volunteers in 2005. This is also Notre Dame's first win over a ranked opponent in a bowl game since 1993, where they defeated No. 6 Texas A&M.

## Before the season
### 2014 NFL Draft

The following former Notre Dame players were selected in the 2014 NFL draft:
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | 16 | Zack Martin | Offensive tackle | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2 | 46 | Stephon Tuitt | Defensive end | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2 | 52 | Troy Niklas | Tight end | Arizona Cardinals |
| 3 | 83 | Louis Nix | Defensive tackle | Houston Texans |
| 3 | 89 | Chris Watt | Offensive Guard | San Diego Chargers |
| 4 | 139 | Prince Shembo | Outside linebacker | Atlanta Falcons |
| 6 | 188 | Bennett Jackson | Cornerback | New York Giants |
| 6 | 189 | T. J. Jones | Wide receiver | Detroit Lions |

### Transfers out / departures

Stephon Tuitt, Louis Nix, Troy Niklas and George Atkinson III all chose to forgo their final year of eligibility and enter the 2014 NFL draft. On April 4, 2014, sophomore cornerback Rashad Kinlaw was dismissed from the team due to violation of team rules. He subsequently left the university following his dismissal from the football program.

### Transfers in

Cody Riggs, a defensive back at Florida, announced he would transfer to Notre Dame in June after he received his degree in May 2014. He would be enrolled in a graduate studies program while exhausting his final season of eligibility.

### Coaching changes

Chuck Martin left to become the head coach of the Miami RedHawks. Bob Diaco departed to become the head coach of the Connecticut Huskies. Brian VanGorder, formerly the linebackers coach of the NFL's New York Jets, was hired to be the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Matt LaFleur, formerly the quarterbacks coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins, was hired to be the new quarterbacks coach. Mike Denbrock was promoted to offensive coordinator, filling the void left by Martin.

### Recruiting class

Brian Kelly received 23 commitments in his fourth full recruiting class including two five-stars: linebacker Nyles Morgan and offensive tackle Quenton Nelson. The class included student-athletes from 14 states.
College recruiting information (2014) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Alex Bars OT | Nashville, TN | Montgomery Bell Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | – | May 7, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84 |||||||
| Grant Blankenship DE | The Colony, TX | The Colony HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | 4.75 | Jul 5, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Jonathan Bonner DE | Chesterfield, MO | Parkway Central HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | 4.8 | Jun 26, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Justin Brent WR | Speedway, IN | Speedway HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 4.52 | Jul 9, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Jimmy Byrne OG | Parma Heights, OH | St. Ignatius HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 5.1 | Dec 8, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Daniel Cage DT | Cincinnati, OH | Winton Woods HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 4.9 | Feb 5, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Jay Hayes DT | Brooklyn, NY | Poly Prep HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | 4.8 | Nov 7, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Kolin Hill DE/OLB | Schertz, TX | Samuel Clemens HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.56 | Dec 15, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Corey Holmes WR | Pembroke Pines, FL | St. Thomas Aquinas HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.48 | Jul 17, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| DeShone Kizer QB | Toledo, OH | Central Catholic HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 4.81 | Jun 11, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Tyler Lautua TE | Paramount, CA | La Mirada HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 4.9 | Dec 16, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Greer Martini LB | Raleigh, NC | Woodberry Forest School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.7 | Jul 3, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Pete Mokwuah DT | Staten Island, NY | St. Joseph HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | –- | Jan 24, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Nyles Morgan LB | Crete, IL | Crete-Monee HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.8 | Jan 4, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84 |||||||
| Sam Mustipher OG | Owings Mills, MD | Good Counsel HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 5.1 | Apr 15, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Quenton Nelson OT | Holmdel, NJ | Red Bank HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | 5.2 | May 1, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Tyler Newsome K/P | Carrollton, GA | Carrollton HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 5.0 | Jun 21, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Nile Sykes LB | Oak Park, IL | Montini Catholic HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.6 | Dec 15, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Drue Tranquill ATH | Huntertown, IN | Carroll HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.49 | Nov 19, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Andrew Trumbetti DE | Demarest, NJ | Northern Valley Regional HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | 4.69 | Mar 23, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Nick Watkins CB | Desoto, TX | Bishop Dunne HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.47 | Nov 1, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Nic Weishar TE | Midlothian, IL | Marist HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | – | Apr 23, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Jhonathon Williams DE | Benton Harbor, MI | Berrien Springs HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | 4.5 | Nov 27, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 6 Rivals: 11 ESPN: 11 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2014 Notre Dame Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014. "2014 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014. |||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Notre Dame | Alma mater (Year) |
| Brian Kelly | Head coach | 5th | Assumption (1982) |
| Mike Denbrock | Offensive coordinator/wide receivers | 5th | Grand Valley State (1987) |
| Brian VanGorder | Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers | 1st | Wayne State (1980) |
| Harry Hiestand | Offensive line/run game coordinator | 3rd | East Stroudsburg (1983) |
| Scott Booker | Tight ends/special teams coordinator | 3rd | Kent State (2003) |
| Tony Alford | Running backs/recruiting coordinator | 6th | Colorado State (1992) |
| Kerry Cooks | Defensive backs | 5th | Iowa (2000) |
| Mike Elston | Defensive line | 5th | Michigan (1998) |
| Bob Elliott | Outside linebackers | 3rd | Iowa (1976) |
| Matt LaFleur | Quarterbacks | 1st | Saginaw Valley State (2002) |
| Paul Longo | Director of football strength and conditioning | 5th | Wayne State (1981) |
| Ryan Mahaffey | Graduate assistant | 1st | Northern Iowa (2011) |

### Roster

The roster is current as of October 8, 2014.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Rice | No. 17 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 48–17 | 80,795 |
| September 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan | No. 16 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 31–0 | 80,795 |
| September 13 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Purdue | No. 11 | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Shamrock Series, rivalry) | NBC | W 30–14 | 56,832 |
| September 27 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | No. 8 | MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, NJ | ABC | W 31–15 | 76,802 |
| October 4 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 14 Stanford | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 17–14 | 80,795 |
| October 11 | 3:30 p.m. | North Carolina | No. 6 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 50–43 | 80,795 |
| October 18 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Florida State | No. 5 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry, College Gameday) | ABC | L 27–31 | 82,431 |
| November 1 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Navy | No. 10 | FedExFieldLandover, MD (rivalry) | CBS | W 49–39 | 36,807 |
| November 8 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 9 Arizona State | No. 10 | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | ABC | L 31–55 | 65,870 |
| November 15 | 3:30 p.m. | Northwestern | No. 18 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | L 40–43 $^{OT}$ | 80,795 |
| November 22 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 24 Louisville | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | L 28–31 | 80,795 |
| November 29 | 3:30 p.m. | at USC | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | FOX | L 14–49 | 79,586 |
| December 30 | 3:00 p.m. | vs. No. 23 LSU | | LP FieldNashville, TN (Music City Bowl) | ESPN | W 31–28 | 60,149 |
| Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 28 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Rice

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • No. 17 Fighting Irish | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 48 |

### Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolverines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 16 Fighting Irish | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
In what looks to be the final meeting between Notre Dame and Michigan, Notre Dame defeated Michigan, 31–0, giving the Irish their most lopsided win against the Wolverines. The game ended Michigan's NCAA record of consecutive games without being shut out. (The Wolverines were last shut out in 1984 versus Iowa). Michigan turned the ball over four times, while Notre Dame had no turnovers. Michigan never reached the red zone in this game. Everett Golson went 23 for 34, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns for the Irish. Notre Dame went to 2–0 on the year.

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| • No. 11 Fighting Irish | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 30 |

### Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 8 Fighting Irish | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Orange | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 15 |

### Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Cardinal | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • No. 9 Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
With 1:09 left in the game and Notre Dame facing a 4th and 11 from Stanford's 23 yard line, Everett Golson finds a wide open Ben Koyack in the corner of the endzone to lift Notre Dame over Stanford 17–14. Stanford, the country's number one defense, had been giving up just 198 total yards of offense a game, but Notre Dame piled up 370 yards. Despite the Irish offense moving the ball, multiple mistakes including botched field goal snaps and turnovers in the red zone kept the game close throughout. Notre Dame's defense was dominant, giving up just 204 total yards and had two interceptions. Further, the Irish defense held Stanford to 47 yards rushing – Stanford's fewest rush yards in a game since 2007. With the win, Notre Dame moves to 5–0.

### North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 43 |
| • No. 6 Fighting Irish | 7 | 21 | 7 | 15 | 50 |
The 6th ranked Irish held off the North Carolina Tar Heels to win in a shootout 50–43. After trailing 14–0 in the 1st, the Irish found some rhythm to score 21 points in a row to take a 21–14 lead. The win marked the first time the Irish put up 50 points against a non-academy team since beating Stanford 57–7 in 2003.

### Florida State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Fighting Irish | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| • No. 2 Seminoles | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
The Irish, who were double digit underdogs, looked to score the game-winning touchdown with :13 left after Everett Golson found a wide open Corey Robinson in the endzone. But the Irish were flagged for a pass interference penalty which took the touchdown away and pushed Notre Dame back 10 yards. Irish turned the ball over on the next play. The penalty was considered controversial by some in a game many consider the game of the year between two top 5 teams. Everett Golson showed why many consider him a Heisman candidate by completing 31 of 52 passes for 313 yards and throwing for 3 touchdowns.

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 6 Fighting Irish | 14 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 49 |
| Midshipmen | 7 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 39 |

### Arizona State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Fighting Irish | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| • No. 11 Sun Devils | 17 | 17 | 0 | 21 | 55 |
1st quarter scoring: ND – Kyle Brindza 46-yard field goal; ASU – Zane Gonzalez, 47-yard field goal; ASU – Jaelen Strong 13-yard pass from Taylor Kelly (Gonzalez kick); ASU – Demario Richard 1-yard run (Gonzalez kick)
2nd quarter scoring: ASU – Damarious Randall 59-yard interception (Gonzalez kick); ASU – Cameron Smith 43-yard pass from Kelly (Gonzalez kick); ASU – Gonzalez, 28-yard field goal; ND – Will Fuller 9-yard pass from Everett Golden (Brindza kick)
3rd quarter scoring:

### Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| • Wildcats | 9 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 43 |
| No. 15 Fighting Irish | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 40 |

### Louisville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Fighting Irish | 3 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 28 |
For the first time in the history of Notre Dame football, the Irish have given up 30 points or more in six straight game. And for the second week in a row, a missed field goal by kicker Kyle Brindza late in the game dooms the Irish. Notre Dame is now 1–4 in the last 5 games after starting 6–0.

### USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| • Trojans | 21 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 49 |

### LSU (Music City Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Fighting Irish | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| No. 23 Tigers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | 17 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 15 | RV | — | — | — | RV |
| Coaches | 17 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 16 | RV | RV | — | — | RV |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 10 | 10 | 18 | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Postseason
### Awards

All-Americans
| Name | AP | Athlon | SI.com |
| Will Fuller, RE | | | HM |
| Jaylon Smith, LB | 2 | 3 | |
| †denotes unanimous selection. NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, SN and WCFF 1st teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections |||||||||||||