Sept. 2, 2006,
Atlanta, Ga.
Notre Dame 14,
Georgia Tech 10
After closing the gap to 10-7 just
11 seconds before halftime, Notre Dame limited Georgia Tech to a mere 66 yards
of offense and forced four punts in the second half. They added the final points
of the game to their total with six-and-a-half minutes to go in the third
quarter. Brady Quinn
completed 23 of 38 passes for 246 yards and assured victory by converting a
quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 near midfield with just over a minute
remaining. Darius Walker was a yard shy of the century mark on the ground and
scored the go-ahead touchdown after a personal foul on third down gave the Irish
a first-and-goal.
Sept. 9, 2006, South
Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame 41, Penn State 17
The Irish scored 27 before the
Nittany Lions put up their first three points of the game on a field goal in the
third quarter. After settling for two field goals to start the game, Brady Quinn
completed 12 of 16 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the second
quarter. Overall,
Quinn completed 25 of 36 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. The Irish
defense returned a fumble 25 yards for a score, and Notre Dame’s special teams
successfully faked a punt with a 43-yard run that set up a 1-yard
touchdown.
Sept. 16, 2006,
South Bend, Ind.
Michigan 47, Notre
Dame 21
Michigan scored more points against
the Irish than anyone had at home in 46 years as Brady Quinn threw three
interceptions. Notre Dame was behind 26-7 prior to getting its initial first
down and had scored only because the Wolverines had thrown an interception at
their own 4-yard line. Michigan quarterback Chad Henne was
12-of-22 for 220 yards, and the Wolverines rushed for 120 more. The Irish were
held to four yards rushing on 17 attempts and were 2-of-14 on third down
conversion attempts.
Sept. 24, 2006, East
Lansing, Mich.
Notre Dame 40,
Michigan State 37
In an utter collapse, the Spartans
allowed the Irish to overcome a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter by giving
up 19 to Notre Dame. Down 37-21 entering the fourth
quarter, Brady Quinn connected on touchdown passes to Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight to cut the lead to four points with just under five minutes remaining.
A 19-yard pick-six
with 2:53 remaining capped the comeback for Notre Dame.
Sept. 30, 2006,
South Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame 35,
Purdue 21
Brady Quinn picked the Boilermakers
apart, completing 24 of his first 28 passes and finished by hitting on 29-of-38
for 316 yards. Darius Walker also torched Purdue for 146 yards on 36 carries.
Notre Dame scored on
four of its first five possessions to open up a 28-7 lead before halftime, and
Rhema McKnight helped the cause with a career-high 10 catches for 120 yards and
two touchdowns. Purdue’s loss ended a seven-game
winning streak for the Boilermakers.
Oct. 7, 2006, South
Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame 31,
Stanford 10
The Irish continued Stanford’s
season-long winless streak as Brady Quinn threw for three touchdowns and Darius
Walker added 153 yards on the ground for Notre Dame. Quinn finished with 232
yards through the air on 27-of-37 completions. Notre Dame rushed for 204 yards
against the Cardinals -- only 22 yards less than Stanford’s entire offensive
output. It was Walker’s second consecutive 100-yard rushing game, and he also
had six catches for 45 yards. A 1-of-8 performance on third down
conversions helped to seal Stanford’s fate.
Oct. 21, 2006, South
Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame 20, UCLA
17
Against 4-2 UCLA, Notre Dame needed
a 45-yard touchdown pass from Brady Quinn to Jeff Samardzija with 27 seconds
left in the game to complete the Irish’s third come-from-behind victory of the
season. Quinn threw
for over 300 yards, while Samardzija tied the school record of 22 career
touchdown receptions. Samardzija finished the game with eight catches for 118
yards. Although Notre
Dame had only 41 yards rushing in the game, the Bruins’ ground attack was even
worse with only 26 yards to their credit.
Oct. 28, 2006,
Baltimore, Md.
Notre Dame 38, Navy
14
For the 43rd consecutive time, the
Irish defeated the Midshipmen as Brady Quinn completed 18 of 25 pass attempts
for 295 yards and scored on a run from 19 yards out. Notre Dame only led 17-14 in the
second quarter as Navy rushed for 211 yards prior to halftime. But the
Midshipmen were unable to stop the Irish’s offense and didn’t do so for the
first time until Notre Dame had moved out ahead, 31-14. The victory preserved the longest
active win streak against one opponent in NCAA history.
Nov. 4, 2006, South
Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 26
While the Irish defense and special
teams floundered, the Irish offense flourished as Brady Quinn passed for 346
yards and four touchdowns. After moving out to a 24-7 lead,
Notre Dame gave up a 90-yard kickoff return and then a 72-yard touchdown
reception that pulled the Tar Heels within 12 points. But the Irish would add
one more touchdown to their total and held North Carolina without a point from
the 7:25 mark in the third quarter on. Notre Dame’s defense allowed the
Tar Heels a measly 31 yards on the ground and 244 yards of offense
overall.
Nov. 11, 2006, Air Force Academy, CO
Notre Dame 39, Air
Force 17
Facing their second academy
opponent of the season, the Irish wasted little time jumping out to a lead as
Brady Quinn hit Jeff Samardzija on a 51-yard pass with 14:06 to go in the first
quarter. By the end of the first 15 minutes of play, Notre Dame held a 20-3
advantage. Quinn ended
the day with four touchdowns through the air and 207 yards overall to complement
Darius Walker’s 153 yards on the ground. The Irish added points to their
total courtesy of a 76-yard return of a blocked field goal and won despite the
Falcons’ 38:35 to 21:25 advantage in time of possession and their 79-46
advantage in the number of offensive plays run for each team.
Nov. 18, 2006, South
Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame 41, Army
9
With their decisive win over the
Black Knights, the Irish extended their record to 36-1 over the service
academies over the course of the last 20 years. The victory marked Notre Dame’s
eighth straight win of the season. In his final appearance at home as
a senior, Brady Quinn was 22-of-30 for 218 yards. He did, however, throw his
first interception in seven games on Notre Dame’s first possession. Finding themselves down by a field
goal, the Irish proceeded to score on their next five possessions. It was Notre
Dame’s first victory wearing green jerseys since 1985, when USC fell,
37-3.
Nov. 25, 2006, Los
Angeles, Calif.
USC 44, Notre Dame
24
This year, the Trojans didn’t need
the “Bush Push” to take down the Irish. Instead they simply rushed out to a 21-3
lead by scoring on their first three possessions, which covered 71, 26 and 59
yards. All three of those drives were in the first quarter. From there, Southern
California simply went on cruise control, and Notre Dame wouldn’t get any closer
than 11 for the remainder of the night. Trojan quarterback John David Booty threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, while Brady Quinn
completed just 22 of 45 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Quinn was
sacked three times.