The 2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their eighth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Irish compiled a 10–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 445 to 279, and were ranked No. 11 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. In six games against ranked opponents, they lost to No. 15 Georgia, No. 7 Miami (FL), and No. 20 Stanford, and defeated No. 11 USC, No. 14 NC State, and No. 16 2017 LSU Tigers football team, the latter in the Citrus Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Brandon Wimbush (1,870 passing yards), running back Josh Adams (1,430 rushing yards), wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (33 receptions for 515 yards), kicker Justin Yoon (7 points scored), and linebacker Te'von Coney (116 total tackles). Offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson were consensus first-team picks on the 2017 All-America college football team.

The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Schedule

2017 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Schedule

Before the season Before the 2017 season began, quarterback DeShone Kizer and defensive end Isaac Rochell were selected in the 2017 NFL draft. Other key players transferred from the program, including quarterback Malik Zaire (to Florida), offensive lineman Tristen Hoge (to BYU), and offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux (to UCF). Inbound transfers included safety Alohi Gilman (from Navy).

The months prior to the season also saw numerous changes in the coaching staff, as assistant head coach Mike Denbrock left for Cincinnati, offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. became head coach at Western Kentucky, and Bob Elliott left for Nebraska. New hires and positions changes included: Mike Elko – hired as defensive coordinator Chip Long – hired as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Brian Polian – returned as special teams coordinator Clark Lea – hired as linebackers coach DelVaughn Alexander – hired as wide receivers coach Tom Rees – returned as quarterback coach Tyler Santucci – hired as defensive analyst Matt Balis – hired as director of football performance

Rankings

Game summaries Temple

On September 2, Notre Dame defeated Temple, 49–16. The Irish tallied 606 yards of offense including 422 rushing yards. Three Notre Dame backs gained over 100 rushing yards: Josh Adams (161 yards), Dexter Williams (124 yards) and quarterback Brandon Wimbush (106 yards).

Georgia

On September 9, Notre Dame lost to Georgia, 20–19. With 3 minutes, 34 seconds left to play, the Bulldogs took a one-point lead on a 30-yard field goal by kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. On The Irish's final drive, Georgia linebacker Davin Bellamy strip-sacked quarterback Brandon Wimbush, and linebacker Lorenzo Carter recovered the fumble with 1:27 left to seal the victory. For the Bulldogs, Jake Fromm made his first career start at quarterback in place of the injured Jacob Eason.

Boston College

On September 16, Notre Dame defeated Boston College, 49–20. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush rushed for 270 yards with four touchdowns, breaking a record for the most rushing yards by a Notre Dame quarterback. Also, running back Josh Adams rushed for 229 yards in three quarters. It was the first time in Notre Dame football history that two players rushed for more than 200 yards in a single game.

Michigan State

On September 28, Notre Dame defeated Michigan State, 38–18. The Irish scored on their opening drive, a seven-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by quarterback Brandon Wimbush's 16-yard touchdown run. Notre Dame added to their lead three minutes later with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Julian Love go to up 14–0 over the Spartans. The Irish defense forced three turnovers in the game, all of which the Irish converted into touchdowns. The Irish offense racked up 5.8 yards per play, including rushing for 182 yards against the Spartans defense that came into the game in the top 10 in rush defense.

Miami (OH)

On September 30, Notre Dame defeated Miami (OH), 52–17. On the second play from scrimmage, running back Josh Adam ran 73 yards for a touchdown. Another Adams touchdown run—this one a 59-yarder—was bookended by two Miami turnovers that the Irish converted into 14 points. The 28-point first quarter marked the most points for the Irish in a single period since 2005. The victory was the 900th win in Irish program history.

North Carolina

On October 7, Notre Dame defeated North Carolina, 33–10. After a scoreless opening period, quarterback Ian Book found receiver Cameron Smith for a six-yard touchdown pass. On the second play of the next offensive series, running back Josh Adamas scored on a 73-yard touchdown run. Later in the game, running back Deon McIntosh added two rushing scores for the Irish who gained 341 of its 487 total yards on the ground. Book made his first career start at quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Wimbush (right foot).

USC

On October 21, Notre Dame defeated No. 11 USC, 49–14. The Irish defense started the game forcing a USC turnover on the Trojans' first offensive play of the game. The Irish forced three turnovers and took a commanding 28–0 lead at halftime. Running back Josh Adams had 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including an 84-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Irish rushed for a total of 377 yards and averaged eight yards per carry during the game. With this victory, Notre Dame earned the largest margin of victory in the USC rivalry in a half century. The last time was 51–0 in 1966.

NC State

On October 28, Notre Dame defeated NC State, 35–14. Coming into the game, NC State had a six-game winning streak, and the Irish had a five-game winning streak. NC State had the sixth best rushing defense in the country, andr Notre Dame ahd the sixth best rushing offense. In the first quarter, both offenses struggled to move the ball, but the Wolfpack got on the board first with a blocked punt that was recovered in the end zone to give NC State a 7–0 lead. Notre Dame responded with a two-play drive capped with a touchdown pass by Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush, who threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Durham Smythe. The teams traded scores in the second quarter, but the Irish took a 21–14 lead with another touchdown pass by Wimbush, this time an 11-yard pass to wide receiver Kevin Stepherson. Before the first half ended, the Wolfpack was threatening to score, as they had the ball at the Irish 35-yard line. On third and 10, the Irish were able to get a sack on quarterback Ryan Finley to push the Wolfpack out of field-goal range. After halftime, the Irish started to take control with a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown by Irish cornerback Julian Love giving the Irish a two-touchdown lead. Josh Adams put the game away with a 77-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Josh Adams finished the game with 202 rushing yards, and the Irish as a team finished the game with 318 rushing yards. That was more than twice as many rushing yards that the Wolfpack defense had allowed on the year, as the previous most was 133 rush yards by Furman. This was the sixth straight game the Irish had won by 20 points or more. This was also the first time since 2012 that the Irish had two wins over opponents ranked in the top 15 in a season and the first time since 1989 that they did it in consecutive weeks. It was also the sixth time the Irish ran for 300 yards or more in a game this season.

Wake Forest

On November 4, Notre Dame defeated Wake Forest, 48–37. Though the Irish defense gave up a season-high 580 yards of offense and 37 points, the Irish rushed for 380 yards and racked up 710 total yards of offense, 10 yards shy of tying the school record. This was the seventh time in nine games during the 2017 season that the Irish rushed for over 300 yards.

Miami (Florida)

In a highly anticipated matchup, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Miami Hurricanes met in a crucial game that had major College Football Playoffs implications for the winner. Miami prevailed in a one-sided contest in which the Hurricanes defense shut down the high powered offense of Notre Dame, including Josh Adams. Coming into the game, the Irish had just two turnovers in the previous six games, including no turnovers during that span when quarterback Brandon Wimbush started. They turned it over four times in the contest that was turned into 24 points for the Hurricanes. A pick six by True Freshman Trajan Brady just before halftime gave Miami a commanding 27–0 lead at halftime and Notre Dame never recovered. The Irish had just 109 yards rushing (averaged 324 yards a game coming in), 8 points (averaged 41 points a game) and just 261 total yards of offense (averaged 440). With this loss, the Irish dropped out of the College Football Playoff conversation.

Navy

Notre Dame's match against historic rival Navy proved to be a competitive game for the Irish, with Notre Dame ultimately prevailing 24–17. After Navy took a 17–10 lead on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Zach Abey to Craig Scott in the 3rd quarter, Navy finished the game with a missed field goal, an interception, and a turnover on downs, all in Irish territory. The Irish went ahead in the 4th quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Wimbush to wide receiver Kevin Stepherson to close out the game. A week after giving up 41 points, the Irish defense held Navy to just 17 points, despite Navy controlling the game clock 42:42 to 17:18.

Josh Adams ran for 106 yards on 18 carries. Josh Adams topped 3,000 career yards and now has the 4th highest single season rushing total in Notre Dame history at 1,337. He needs 101 yards next weekend against Stanford to break the record.

Stanford

Heading into the 4th quarter, the Irish had a 20–17 lead in a tightly contested game, but back to back turnovers by the Irish turned the game around in a hurry, as the Cardinal took advantage and turned both turnovers into touchdowns. Less than five minutes into the final quarter, the Cardinal had a 38–20 lead. The Irish tried to play catch up for the rest of the quarter, but a turnover on downs and an interception at the goal line halted any comeback bid.

LSU (Citrus Bowl)

With the Irish trailing 17–14 with less than 2 minutes to play, quarterback Ian Book connected on a 55-yard touchdown pass to tight end Miles Boykin, giving the Irish an improbable lead late in the game. The Irish defense forced LSU to turn the ball over on downs on the next series, securing Notre Dames first bowl win on New Year's Day since January 1, 1994.