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.

2014 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Music City Bowl champion
Music City Bowl, W 31–28 vs. LSU
ConferenceIndependent
2014 record8–5
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Denbrock (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorBrian VanGorder (1st season)
Base defense3–4 multiple
Captains
  • Cam McDaniel
  • Nick Martin
  • Austin Collinsworth
  • Sheldon Day
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
(Capacity: 80,795)
2014 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
BYU    –      8 –5  
Notre Dame    –      8 –5  
Navy    –      8 –5  
Army    –      4 –8  
Rankings from AP Poll

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

Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished the 2013 regular season with an 8–4 record. They beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 29–16 in the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl.

2014 NFL Draft

The following former Notre Dame players were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft:

Main article: 2014 NFL Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionTeam
116 Zack MartinOffensive TackleDallas Cowboys
246 Stephon TuittDefensive EndPittsburgh Steelers
252 Troy NiklasTight EndArizona Cardinals
383 Louis NixDefensive TackleHouston Texans
389 Chris WattOffensive GuardSan Diego Chargers
4139 Prince ShemboOutside LinebackerAtlanta Falcons
6188 Bennett JacksonCornerbackNew York Giants
6189 T. J. JonesWide ReceiverDetroit 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.[1]

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.[2]

Coaching changes

Chuck Martin left to become the head coach of the Miami RedHawks.[3] Bob Diaco departed to become the head coach of the Connecticut Huskies.[4] Brian VanGorder, formerly the linebackers coach of the NFL's New York Jets, was hired to be the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.[5] Matt LaFleur, formerly the quarterbacks coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins, was hired to be the new quarterbacks coach.[6] Mike Denbrock was promoted to offensive coordinator, filling the void left by Martin.[7]

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.

Personnel

Coaching staff
NamePositionYear at Notre DameAlma mater (Year)
Brian KellyHead coach5thAssumption (1982)
Mike DenbrockOffensive coordinator/wide receivers5thGrand Valley State (1987)
Brian VanGorderDefensive coordinator/inside linebackers1stWayne State (1980)
Harry HiestandOffensive line/run game coordinator3rdEast Stroudsburg (1983)
Scott BookerTight ends/special teams coordinator3rdKent State (2003)
Tony AlfordRunning backs/recruiting coordinator6thColorado State (1992)
Kerry CooksDefensive backs5thIowa (2000)
Mike ElstonDefensive line5thMichigan (1998)
Bob ElliottOutside linebackers3rdIowa (1976)
Matt LaFleurQuarterbacks1stSaginaw Valley State (2002)
Paul LongoDirector of football strength and conditioning5thWayne State (1981)

Roster

The roster is current as of October 8, 2014.

2014 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Roster - und.com

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

  • 11 Justin Brent – Freshman
  • 2 Chris Brown – Junior
  • 35 Cam Bryan – Junior
  • 3 Amir Carlisle – Senior
  • 87 Keenan Centlivre – Freshman
  • 10 DaVaris Daniels – Senior
  • 7 Will Fuller – Sophomore
  • 39 Luke Hamel – Freshman
  • 15 Corey Holmes – Freshman
  • 81 Omar Hunter – Sophomore
  • 16 Torii Hunter, Jr. – Sophomore
  • 37 Eric Lee – Senior
  • 20 C. J. Prosise – Junior
  • 88 Corey Robinson – Sophomore
  • 86 Buster Sheridan – Sophomore
  • 83 Austin Webster – Freshman

Tight Ends

  • 9 Mike Heuerman – Sophomore
  • 18 Ben Koyack – Senior
  • 13 Tyler Luatua – Freshman
  • 80 Durham Smythe – Sophomore
  • 84 Ben Suttman – Sophomore
  • 82 Nic Weishar – Freshman
  

Offensive Lineman

  • 71 Alex Bars – Freshman
  • 70 Hunter Bivin – Sophomore
  • 63 Sam Bush – Freshman
  • 67 Jimmy Byrne – Freshman
  • 79 Steve Elmer – Sophomore
  • 65 Conor Hanratty – Senior
  • 75 Mark Harrell – Junior
  • 74 Christian Lombard – Graduate Student
  • 68 Mike McGlinchey – Sophomore
  • 62 Colin McGovern – Sophomore
  • 60 John Montelus – Sophomore
  • 53 Sam Mustipher – Freshman
  • 56 Quenton Nelson – Freshman
  • 78 Ronnie Stanley – Junior

Centers

Defensive Lineman

  • 92 Grant Blankenship – Freshman
  • 55 Jonathan Bonner – Freshman
  • 75 Daniel Cage – Freshman
  • 91 Sheldon Day – Junior
  • 95 Marquis Dickerson – Sophomore
  • 93 Jay Hayes – Freshman
  • 50 Chase Hounshell – Senior
  • 94 Jarron Jones – Junior
  • 64 Ryan Kilander – Freshman
  • 73 Scott Kingsley – Sophomore
  • 89 Jacob Matuska – Sophomore
  • 97 Patrick Mazza – Sophomore
  • 96 Peter Mokwuah – Freshman
  • 45 Romeo Okwara – Junior
  • 56 Anthony Rabasa – Senior
  • 90 Isaac Rochell – Sophomore
  • 98 Andrew Trumbetti – Freshman
  • 53 Justin Utupo – Graduate Student
  • 11 Ishaq Williams – Senior
  • 33 Jhonny Williams – Freshman
  

Linebackers

  • 30 Ben Councell – Senior
  • 42 Michael Deeb – Sophomore
  • 59 Jarrett Grace – Senior
  • 43 Kolin Hill – Freshman
  • 52 Austin Larkin – Sophomore
  • 48 Greer Martini – Freshman
  • 8 Kendall Moore – Graduate Student
  • 5 Nyles Morgan – Freshman
  • 17 James Onwualu – Sophomore
  • 44 Doug Randolph – Sophomore
  • 38 Joe Schmidt – Senior
  • 9 Jaylon Smith – Sophomore
  • 31 John Turner – Junior

Cornerbacks

  • 43 Josh Atkinson – Senior
  • 34 Jesse Bongiovi – Sophomore
  • 21 Jalen Brown – Senior
  • 12 Devin Butler – Sophomore
  • 40 Connor Cavalaris – Senior
  • 41 Matthias Farley – Senior
  • 35 Grant Hammann – Freshman
  • 36 Cole Luke – Sophomore
  • 2 Cody Riggs – Graduate Student
  • 6 KeiVarae Russell – Junior
  • 19 Nick Watkins – Freshman

Safeties

  • 29 Nicky Baratti – Junior
  • 28 Austin Collinsworth – Graduate Student
  • 4 Eilar Hardy – Senior
  • 46 Eamon McOsker – Junior
  • 36 Tyler Price – Sophomore
  • 39 Drew Recker – Sophomore
  • 10 Max Redfield – Sophomore
  • 22 Elijah Shumate – Junior
  • 42 Ernie Soto – Senior
  • 23 Drue Tranquill – Freshman
  

Kickers/Punters

  • 27 Kyle Brindza – Senior
  • 43 John Chereson – Sophomore
  • 85 Tyler Newsome – Freshman

Long Snappers

  • 61 Scott Daly – Junior
  • 99 Hunter Smith – Junior

Season

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 303:30 p.m.RiceNo. 17
NBCW 48–1780,795
September 67:30 p.m.MichiganNo. 16
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 31–080,795
September 137:30 p.m.vs. PurdueNo. 11
NBCW 30–1456,832
September 278:00 p.m.vs. SyracuseNo. 8
ABCW 31–1576,802
October 43:30 p.m.No. 14 StanfordNo. 9
NBCW 17–1480,795
October 113:30 p.m.North CarolinaNo. 6
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN
NBCW 50–4380,795
October 188:00 p.m.at No. 2 Florida StateNo. 5
ABCL 27–3182,431
November 18:00 p.m.vs. NavyNo. 10
CBSW 49–3936,807
November 83:30 p.m.at No. 9 Arizona StateNo. 10
ABCL 31–5565,870
November 153:30 p.m.NorthwesternNo. 18
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN (rivalry)
NBCL 40–43 OT80,795
November 223:30 p.m.No. 24 Louisville
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN
NBCL 28–3180,795
November 293:30 p.m.at USC
FOXL 14–4979,586
December 303:00 p.m.vs. No. 23 LSU
ESPNW 31–2860,149

Rice
Rice at Notre Dame
1 234Total
Owls 7 307 17
• No. 17 Fighting Irish 14 141010 48
See also: 2014 Rice Owls football team

Michigan
Michigan at Notre Dame
(rivalry)
1 234Total
Wolverines 0 000 0
• No. 16 Fighting Irish 7 1473 31
See also: 2014 Michigan Wolverines football team and Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry

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
Notre Dame vs Purdue
(Shillelagh Trophy / Shamrock Series)
1 234Total
Boilermakers 7 700 14
• No. 11 Fighting Irish 7 1076 30
See also: 2014 Purdue Boilermakers football team, Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football § Shamrock Series

Syracuse
Notre Dame vs Syracuse
1 234Total
• No. 8 Fighting Irish 0 14710 31
Orange 0 3012 15
See also: 2014 Syracuse Orange football team

Stanford
Stanford at Notre Dame
(Legends Trophy)
1 234Total
No. 14 Cardinal 7 007 14
• No. 9 Fighting Irish 0 7010 17
See also: 2014 Stanford Cardinal football team and Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry

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
North Carolina at Notre Dame
1 234Total
Tar Heels 14 12107 43
• No. 6 Fighting Irish 7 21715 50
See also: 2014 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

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
Notre Dame at Florida State
(rivalry)
1 234Total
No. 5 Fighting Irish 7 1073 27
• No. 2 Seminoles 7 3147 31
See also: 2014 Florida State Seminoles football team and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalries

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[8] 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.

Notre Dame vs Navy
(Rip Miller Trophy)
1 234Total
• No. 6 Fighting Irish 14 14021 49
Midshipmen 7 10148 39
See also: 2014 Navy Midshipmen football team and Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry

Arizona State
Notre Dame at Arizona State
1 234Total
No. 8 Fighting Irish 3 7714 31
• No. 11 Sun Devils 17 17021 55
See also: 2014 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

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
Northwestern at Notre Dame
(rivalry)
1 234OTTotal
• Wildcats 9 143143 43
No. 15 Fighting Irish 20 7760 40
See also: 2014 Northwestern Wildcats football team and Northwestern–Notre Dame football rivalry

Louisville
Louisville at Notre Dame
1 234Total
• Cardinals 14 377 31
Fighting Irish 3 3148 28
See also: 2014 Louisville Cardinals football team

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
Notre Dame at USC
(Jeweled Shillelagh)
1 234Total
Fighting Irish 0 770 14
• Trojans 21 14140 49
See also: 2014 USC Trojans football team and Notre Dame–USC football rivalry

LSU (Music City Bowl)
Notre Dame vs LSU
(Music City Bowl)
1 234Total
• Fighting Irish 7 1473 31
No. 23 Tigers 7 7140 28
See also: 2014 LSU Tigers football team and 2014 Music City Bowl

Rankings
See also: 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
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 NR NR NR RV 
Coaches 17 15 11 9 8 8 5 5 8 7 8 16 RV RV NR NR RV 
CFP Not released 10 10 18 NR NR NR NR Not released

Postseason

Awards

All-Americans

Name AP AFCA FWAA TSN WCFF Athlon CBS ESPN FOX Scout SI.com USAT
Will Fuller, REHM
Jaylon Smith, LB23
†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       

References
  1. Rashad Kinlaw dismissed from Notre Dame football program
  2. "University of Florida transfer will join the Irish program in June". Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  3. Miami hires Notre Dame OC Chuck Martin
  4. Bob Diaco agrees to take UCONN Huskies job
  5. Irish officially hire Jets' VanGorder
  6. LaFleur To Notre Dame Archived 2014-01-27 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Mike Denbrock Named Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator". Archived from the original on 2014-12-14. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  8. Controversial Pass Interference Penalty cost ND Game
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