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Notre Dame and BYU meet on Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah in front of what should be a raucous environment for a primetime faceoff between undefeated teams. ESPN’s College GameDay will make its first trip to Provo since 2009 for this top-10 matchup. The Fighting Irish have been impressive while racing off to a 6-0 start while the Cougars are 5-0 in their own right. 

SERIES HISTORY

Notre Dame and BYU have met 9 times previously, with the Irish holding a 7-2 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 and most recently met in the first year of Marcus Freeman’s tenure in 2022, an Irish victory, and Freeman’s first over a ranked opponent. 

SERIES RESULTS

2022 – Notre Dame 28, BYU 20 (Las Vegas)
2013 – Notre Dame 23,BYU 13 (South Bend)
2012 – Notre Dame 17,BYU 14 (South Bend)
2005 – Notre Dame 49,BYU 23 (South Bend)
2004 –BYU 20, Notre Dame 17 (Provo)
2003 – Notre Dame 33,BYU 14 (South Bend)
1994 –BYU 21, Notre Dame 14 (South Bend)
1993 – Notre Dame 45,BYU 20 (Provo)
1992 – Notre Dame 42,BYU 16 (South Bend)

NOTABLE GAMES

2022 – Notre Dame 28, BYU 20

After starting 0-2 with losses to Ohio State and Marshall, Notre Dame picked up Marcus Freeman’s first victory over a ranked opponent and improved to 3-2 on the 2022 season with a “Shamrock Series” victory over BYU in Las Vegas. QB Drew Pyne played one of his best games in a Notre Dame uniform, completing 22 of 28 passes for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns, while both Audric Estime and Logan Diggs topped 90 yards rushing to pace an Irish rushing attack that ground out 234 rushing yards. The Fighting Irish trailed 6-3 after the first quarter, but one of Michael Mayer’s 2 receiving touchdowns gave Notre Dame a lead they would never relinquish with 14:19 left in the second quarter. The Irish would extend the lead to 25-6 in the third quarter, but back-to-back Cougar drives cut the lead to 25-20. A Blake Grupe field goal extended the lead to 28-20, Notre Dame forced a turnover on downs, and the offense was able to grind out the last 3:37 to seal the victory. Notre Dame was stunned 16-14 by Stanford the following week before the Irish ripped off 5 straight wins before falling in the season finale at USC. 

2013 – Notre Dame 23, BYU 13

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 – Notre Dame 17, BYU 14

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 – Notre Dame 49, BYU 23

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. 

1993 – Notre Dame 45, BYU 20

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 42, BYU 16

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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