The 1996 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eleventh and final year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Irish compiled an 8–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 407 to 181, and were ranked No. 19 in the final AP poll and No. 21 in the final UPI poll. They defeated No. 6 Texas and No. 16 Washington, but lost to No. 4 Ohio State and unranked Pitt (overtime) and USC (overtime). They did not play in a bowl game, turning down an invitation to play Auburn in the Independence Bowl.
No Notre Dame players received first-team honors on the 1996 All-America college football team. Defensive end Renaldo Wynn was selected as the team's most valuable player. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Ron Powlus (1,942 passing yards), Autry Denson (1,179 rushing yards, 66 points scored), wide receiver Malcolm Johnson (449 receiving yards), tight end Pete Chryplewicz (27 receptions), and linebacker Kinnon Tatum (77 tackles).1996 Football Review, p. 50.
The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
Game summaries Navy Notre Dame participated in the Emerald Isle Classic, billed as the Shamrock Classic that year. The game was played in Dublin on November 2 at Croke Park, where Notre Dame beat Navy by a score of 54–27.
USC
Roster
Statistics Passing Ron Powlus - 133 of 232 (57.3%) for 1,942 yards, 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions Jarious Jackson - 10 of 15 (66.7%) for 181 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Rushing Autry Denson - 1,179 yards, 5.8-yard average, 8 touchdowns Robert Farmer - 660 yards, 8.5-yard average, 8 touchdowns Marc Edwards - 381 yards, 4.6-yard average, 8 touchdowns Randy Kinder - 247 yards, 4.7-yard average, 3 touchdowns Jamie Spencer - 222 yards, 5.8-yard average, 5 touchdowns
Receiving Malcolm Johnson - 25 receptions for 449 yards, 2 touchdowns Emmett Mosley - 24 receptions for 369 yards, 0 touchdowns Pete Chryplewicz - 27 receptions for 331 yards, 4 touchdowns Shannon Stephens - 9 receptions for 193 yards, 1 touchdown Marc Edwards - 16 for 179 yards, 2 touchdowns Raki Nelson - 8 receptions for 128 yards, 1 touchdown Autry Denson - 11 receptions for 111 yards, 2 touchdowns
Scoring Autry Denson - 66 points, 11 touchdowns Marc Edwards - 62 points, 10 touchdowns, 1 two-point conversion Jim Sanson - 57 points, 39 of 45 PAT, 6 of 9 field goals Robert Farmer - 48 points, 8 touchdowns Jamie Spencer - 36 points, 6 touchdowns Allen Rossum - 24 points, 3 punt returns for touchdown, 1 kickoff return for touchdown Pete Chryplewicz - 24 points, 4 touchdowns Randy Kinder - 18 points, 3 touchdowns
Tackles Kinnon Tatum - 77 Lyron Cobbins - 72 Benny Guilbeaux - 62 Renaldo Wynn - 61 Bertrand Berry - 60 Alton Maiden - 56 Melvin Dansby - 55 Kory Minor - 53 Covington - 53 Allen Rossum - 50
References