The 2004 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third and final year under head coach Tyrone Willingham, the Irish compiled a 6–6 record, scored 289 points, and also gave up 289 points on defense. They lost four of their last five games, including a loss to Oregon State in the Insight Bowl. Willingham was fired on November 30, and defensive coordinator Kent Baer took over as interim head coach for the Insight Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Brady Quinn (2,586 passing yards), running back Darius Walker (786 rushing yards), wide receiver Rhema McKnight (42 receptions for 610 yards), and kicker D.J. Fitzpatrick (67 points scored, 34 of 35 PAT, 11 of 15 field goals). Defensive end Justin Tuck won the team's most valuable player award.

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

Schedule

Preseason The 2004 season began with doubts and criticism for the Irish. With Julius Jones graduating as fourth-leading rusher in Notre Dame history, the Irish hoped to replace him with a talented recruiting class. However, Willingham struggled in his second full year of recruiting and the new class was ranked 30th in the nation. Despite signing highly sought after recruit Darius Walker, the 17 man class only included three four-star recruits.

Game summaries BYU The season began poorly for the Irish with a loss at BYU. Despite Brady Quinn improving at the quarterback position, completing over 50 percent of his passes for 265 yards, the Irish only managed to gain 11 yards rushing.

Michigan

ESPN.com Notre Dame next faced a highly ranked Michigan team at home and Willingham stated that an improved running game would be important if the Irish were to be able to beat the Wolverines. Darius Walker answered Willingham in his first collegiate game, gaining 115 yards and scoring two late touchdowns to lead the Irish in the upset. With the win the Irish were rejuvenated,

Michigan State

The Irish rallied to move to 3–1 on the season with wins over Michigan State and Washington. Some in the media began comparing Willingham to some of Notre Dame's legendary coaches and said the team would win seven or eight games in the season, and be back in national championship contention by 2005.

Washington

Purdue With renewed expectations, the Irish hoped to continue their streak and beat 15th ranked Purdue, who hadn't won at Notre Dame in 30 years. The Boilermakers' quarterback, Kyle Orton, torched the Irish defense handing them a 25-point loss to end the rally.

Stanford The Irish got back on track and beat Stanford, making Notre Dame the second school to reach 800 wins.

Navy Notre Dame defeated Navy for the 41st straight time, to move into the rankings for the first time since their 2003 loss to Michigan.

Boston College

The Irish didn't stay ranked for long, as Boston College once again beat the Irish on a late score. Tennessee The Irish had three games left, and needed one win to become bowl eligible, but looked as if that win wouldn't come in their next game as they faced the 9th ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. The Irish defense, however, stepped up, and, after knocking out quarterback Erik Ainge on a sack, returned an interception for a touchdown to upset the Volunteers and become bowl eligible.

Pittsburgh Once again ranked, the Irish returned home for their final home game against Pittsburgh. Losing on a late score, the team allowed five passing touchdowns by an opponent for the first time ever at home.

USC Visiting USC for the final regular season game, the Irish again lost to the Trojans by 31.

Oregon State (Insight Bowl)

The Irish accepted a bid to play in the Insight Bowl, however, in a highly criticized move, two days later fired Willingham. Defensive coordinator, Kent Baer, led the Irish, hoping to "win one for Ty," however, the Oregon State Beavers, led by four touchdown passes from Derek Anderson, beat the Irish in their seventh consecutive bowl loss. The Beavers never trailed in the game, and easily defeated the Irish 38–21. Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson threw for 359 yards and four touchdown passes, with no interceptions

The Irish ended 2004 with a 6–6 record and in need of a coach.

Aftermath of the Willingham firing In firing Willingham, the Notre Dame athletic department cited a relatively poor record of 21–15, a weak recruiting class, and three losses, each by 31 points, to rival USC. However, the Irish also hoped to entice Urban Meyer, the head coach of Utah, to lead Notre Dame. Meyer had just led the Utes to an undefeated season and he had a clause in his contract that stated he could leave Utah without a penalty to coach for the Irish. When Meyer instead took the head coaching position at Florida, the Irish were ridiculed in the media, saying that the Notre Dame coaching position is no longer as prestigious as it was in the past. After over a week without a coach, the Irish hired New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as head coach. Weis was an alum of Notre Dame, and became the first alum to coach the team since 1963. At least one sports writer stated that Weis was a choice that made sense for the program. Notwithstanding, after the fact Willingham's firing remained controversial with some believing he was treated unfairly.Then again Ty Willingham was a major failure at the University of Washington- in fact going 0–12 in his last season.

Statistics Passing Brady Quinn - 191 of 353 (54.1%) for 2,586 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, 125.87 efficiency Pat Dillingham - 4 of 6 (66.7%) for 31 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 110.07 efficiency Football Review 2004, pp. 36-37.

Rushing Darius Walker - 786 yards on 185 carries, 4.2-yard average, 7 touchdowns Ryan Grant - 515 yards on 127 carries, 4.1-yard average, 5 touchdowns Marcus Wilson - 138 yards on 35 carries, 3.9-yard average, 1 touchdown

Receiving Rhema McKnight - 42 receptions for 610 yards, 14.5-yard average, 3 touchdowns Matt Shelton - 20 receptions for 515 yards, 25.8-yard average, 6 touchdowns Anthony Fasano - 27 receptions for 367 yards, 13.6-yard average, 4 touchdowns Maurice Stovall - 21 receptions for 313 yards, 14.9-yard average, 1 touchdown Jeff Samardzija - 17 receptions for 274 yards, 16.1-yard average, 0 touchdowns

Scoring D.J. Fitzpatrick (PK) - 67 points, 34 of 35 PAT, 11 of 15 field goals Darius Walker (RB) - 42 points, 7 touchdowns Matt Shelton (WR) - 36 points, 6 touchdowns Ryan Gant (RB) - 30 points, 5 touchdowns Anthony Fasano (TE) - 24 points, 4 touchdowns

Punt returns Carlyle Holiday - 29 returns for 314 yards, 10.8-yard average, 0 touchdowns

Tackles Mike Goolsby - 97 total tackles, 43 solo tackles Brandon Hoyte - 74 total tackles, 39 solo tackles Quentin Burrell - 72 total tackles, 42 solo tackles Tom Zbikowski - 70 total tackles, 37 solo tackles Derek Curry - 65 total tackles, 42 solo tackles

References