2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo.svg 150px Independent Independent 8–5 Brian Kelly 1st Charley Molnar 1st Bob Diaco 1st Spread 3–4 Michael Floyd By Game Notre Dame Stadium Sun Bowl champion Sun Bowl W Won 33–17 vs. Miami (FL) The 2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their first year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Irish compiled an 8–5 record, outscored opponents by a total of 342 to 263, and were unranked in the final AP and Coaches Polls. They opened the season losing three of the first four games, but rebounded and won the final four games, including a 33–17 victory over unranked Miami (FL) in the Sun Bowl.2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football August 9, 2026 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/2010-schedule.html Wide receiver Michael Floyd tallied 79 receptions for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns and was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player. The team's other statistical leaders included quarterback Dayne Crist (2,033 passing yards), running back Cierre Wood (603 rushing yards), linebacker Manti Te'o (133 total tackles), and kicker David Ruffer (91 points scored, 37 of 40 extra points, 18 of 19 field goals). The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. Schedule 2010 AP Eastern September 4 3:30 p.m. w Purdue Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 23–12 80,795 September 11 3:30 p.m. l Michigan Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 24–28 80,795 September 18 8:00 p.m. l y Michigan State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry ABC, ESPN2 31–34 OT 78,411 September 25 3:30 p.m. l Stanford 16 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 14–37 80,795 October 2 8:00 p.m. w y Boston College Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA Holy War ABC 31–13 44,500 October 9 3:30 p.m. w Pittsburgh Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 23–17 80,795 October 16 2:30 p.m. w Western Michigan Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC 44–20 80,795 October 23 12:00 p.m. l y Navy New Meadowlands Stadium East Rutherford, NJ rivalry CBS 17–35 75,614 October 30 2:30 p.m. l Tulsa Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC 27–28 80,795 November 13 2:30 p.m. w Utah 15 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC 28–3 80,795 November 20 7:00 p.m. w y Army Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY Shamrock Series, rivalry NBC 27–3 54,251 November 27 8:00 p.m. w y USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA rivalry ABC 20–16 85,417 December 31 Friday 2:00 p.m. w y Miami (FL) Sun Bowl El Paso, TX Sun Bowl) (rivalry CBS 33–17 54,021 Preseason Coaching changes Following the 2009 season, Notre Dame fired head coach Charlie Weis after the Irish finished 6-6, well below expectations of competing for a BCS bowl berth.http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/113009aac.html Charlie Weis Will Not Be Retained As Notre Dame Football Coach und.cstv.com 2009-11-30 2009-12-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20110617053205/http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/113009aac.html 2011-06-17 dead Brian Kelly was named as his replacement on Dec 10, 2009.http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121009aaq.html Brian Kelly Named 29th Head Football Coach At Notre Dame und.com 2009-12-10 2009-12-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20110617053245/http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121009aaq.html 2011-06-17 dead Running Backs coach Tony Alford was the lone assistant retained from Weis's staff.http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121809aae.html Tony Alford To Remain On Notre Dame Football Coaching Staff und.com 2009-12-18 2010-01-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20100207043350/http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121809aae.html 2010-02-07 dead Before Rob Ianello could be considered, he took the head job at the University of Akronhttp://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121009aac.html Akron Names Rob Ianello Head Football Coach und.cstv.com 2009-12-10 2010-01-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20110617053536/http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121009aac.html 2011-06-17 dead Ron Powlus followed Ianello to Akron. Player departures Irish stars Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate chose to forgo their final years of eligibility and declare for the 2010 NFL draft.https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=4721703 Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen decides to enter draft ESPN.com Friend Tom December 7, 2009 2010-01-03 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/12/07/clausen-nfl.ap/index.html ND's Clausen, Tate turning pro SI.com December 7, 2009 2010-01-03 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20091214212026/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/12/07/clausen-nfl.ap/index.html December 14, 2009 The Irish also lost a number of seniors to graduation, including linemen Eric Olsen, Paul Duncan and four-year starter Sam Young. Other notable losses included running back James Aldridge, wideout Robby Parris, and George West on offense. On defense, ND lost senior captains Kyle McCarthy and Scott Smith, Raeshon McNeil, Sergio Brown, John Ryan and Ray Herring to graduation. Standout special teams player Mike Anello also finished his final year of eligibility. Sophomore defensive back E.J Banks left the team in August 2010, but will still be enrolled at the school. On August 31, within days of the September 4 season opener against Purdue, sophomore wide receiver Shaquelle Evans was granted his release from the team, and decided to enroll at UCLA.https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/ncf/news/story?id=5570358 Source: Former Irish WR Evans enrolls at UCLA 14 September 2010 Freshman Derek Roback also left the program in early September, as his desire to play quarterback led to his transfer to Ohiohttp://www.irishsportsdaily.com/blogs/lorenzos-blog/3210-derek-roback-transfers-to-ohio Derek Roback Transfers To Ohio 2010-09-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20100912141845/http://www.irishsportsdaily.com/blogs/lorenzos-blog/3210-derek-roback-transfers-to-ohio 2010-09-12 dead Player additions With his first recruiting class, Brian Kelly received 23 signed commitments from high school players across the United States. Among them was five early-enrollees: Quarterback Tommy Rees, Wide Receiver Tai-ler Jones, Cornerback Lo Wood, Cornerback Spencer Boyd and Safety Chris Badger. Spencer Boyd transferred to USF in early July,http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2010/07/notre-dame-transfer-boyd-chooses-usf.html Notre Dame transfer Boyd chooses USF 2010-08-25 2010-08-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20100819090718/http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2010/07/notre-dame-transfer-boyd-chooses-usf.html dead and Chris Badger left on a two-year Mormon mission to Ecuador in August.http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16164/Badger-leaving-Notre-Dame-to-serve-mission Badger leaving Notre Dame to serve mission | Deseret News www.mormontimes.com 6 June 2022 https://archive.today/20120905034834/http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16164/Badger-leaving-Notre-Dame-to-serve-mission 5 September 2012 dead On April 2, 2010, Notre Dame recruit Matt James, who committed to Notre Dame on National Signing Day, died when he fell from a three-story hotel balcony in Panama City, Florida.https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Matt-James-top-Irish-signee-dead-after-spring-?urn=ncaaf-231916 Dr. Saturday Game summaries Purdue 2010 Purdue Boilermakers football team Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Shillelagh Trophy: Purdue Boilermakers (0–0) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) September 4 3:30 p.m. Purdue 0 3 0 9 Notre Dame 7 6 7 3 Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana 80,795 Partly sunny • 64 F C • Wind NW 16 mph km/h knot Dave Witovet NBC Tom Hammond and Mike Mayock Box Score Purdue Robert Marve31/42, 220 Yds, 2 INT Dan Dierking9 Rush, 56 Yds Keith Smith12 Rec, 80 Yds Notre Dame Dayne Crist19/26, 205 Yds, TD Armando Allen18 Rush, 93 Yds, TD Michael Floyd5 Rec, 82 Yds Brian Kelly's debut with Notre Dame PUR ND collapsed 1 2:01 Notre Dame 7 84 2:26 RushTD Armando Allen 22 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 0 7 2 11:09 Notre Dame 8 50 2:53 FG 22 David Ruffer 0 10 2 3:50 Purdue 15 79 7:19 FG 25 Carson Wiggs 3 10 2 0:43 Notre Dame 9 45 3:07 FG 46 David Ruffer 3 13 3 10:20 Notre Dame 5 30 2:12 RecTD TJ Jones Dayne Crist 5 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 20 4 14:48 Purdue SafetyTackle Armando Allen Ryan Kerrigan, Charlton Williams 5 20 4 11:55 Purdue 7 55 2:53 RushTD Robert Marve 23 good Carson Wiggs run/pass good/failed/incomplete 12 20 4 4:30 Notre Dame 10 39 3:47 FG 37 David Ruffer 12 23 12 23 Michigan Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry Wolverines 14 7 0 7 Fighting Irish 7 0 10 7 Michigan State 2010 Michigan State Spartans football team Michigan State–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Megaphone Trophy: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–1) at Michigan State Spartans (2–0) September 18 8:00 p.m. EDT Notre Dame 7 0 14 7 3 Michigan State 0 7 14 7 6 Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, Michigan 78,411 Overcast • 61 F C • Wind N 5 mph km/h knot Jerry McGinn ABC/ESPN2 Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, and Holly Rowe Box Score Notre Dame Dayne Crist32/55, 369 Yds, 4 TD, INT Armando Allen13 Rush, 71 Yds Theo Riddick10 Rec, 128 Yds, TD Michigan State Kirk Cousins23/33, 245 Yds, 2 TD, INT Le'Veon Bell17 Rush, 114 Yds, TD B.J. Cunningham7 Rec, 101 Yds, TD ND MSU collapsed 1 5:28 Notre Dame 9 80 2:24 RecTD Michael Floyd Dayne Crist 7 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 0 2 2:22 Michigan State 7 94 3:17 RecTD Keshawn Martin Kirk Cousins 6 good Dan Conroy run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 7 3 14:20 Michigan State 2 74 0:35 RushTD Edwin Baker 56 good Dan Conroy run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 14 3 12:25 Notre Dame 6 74 1:49 RecTD Kyle Rudolph Dayne Crist 10 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 14 3 5:51 Michigan State 11 73 6:29 RushTD Le'Veon Bell 16 good Dan Conroy run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 21 3 1:29 Notre Dame 11 77 4:16 RecTD Theo Riddick Dayne Crist 15 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 21 21 4 13:20 Notre Dame 5 52 1:29 RecTD Michael Floyd Dayne Crist 24 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 28 21 4 7:43 Michigan State 4 56 2:12 RecTD B.J. Cunningham Kirk Cousins 24 good Dan Conroy run/pass good/failed/incomplete 28 28 OT Notre Dame 4 9 FG 33 David Ruffer 31 28 OT Michigan State 4 25 Other Charlie Gantt 29-yard touchdown reception from Aaron Bates 31 34 31 34 Stanford Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry #16 Cardinal 10 6 3 18 Fighting Irish 3 3 0 8 Boston College Holy War (Boston College–Notre Dame) Fighting Irish 21 3 7 0 Eagles 7 6 0 0 Pittsburgh Panthers 3 0 7 7 Fighting Irish 7 10 3 3 Western Michigan Broncos 7 10 0 3 Fighting Irish 7 20 14 3 Navy Fighting Irish 3 7 0 7 Midshipmen 7 14 14 0 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 12 6 7 3 Fighting Irish 13 7 7 0 Utah #15 Utes 3 0 0 0 Fighting Irish 7 7 14 0 Army 2010 Army Black Knights football team Army–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Shamrock Series: Army Black Knights (6–4) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–5) November 20 7:00 p.m. EDT Army 3 0 0 0 Notre Dame 0 17 10 0 Yankee Stadium • Bronx, New York 54,251 Mostly cloudy • 48 F C • Wind N/NW 11 mph km/h knot John McDaid NBC Tom Hammond and Mike Mayock Automated ScoreBook Army Trent Steelman2/7, 39 Yds, 2 INT Patrick Mealy6 Rush, 30 Yds Davyd Brooks1 Rec, 27 Yds Notre Dame Tommy Rees13/20, 214 Yds, TD, INT Cierre Wood14 Rush, 88 Yds Tyler Eifert4 Rec, 78 Yds, TD Notre Dame wore green jerseys ARMY ND collapsed 1 2:10 Army 17 78 8:45 FG 20 Alex Carlton 3 0 2 14:50 Notre Dame 6 36 2:15 FG 47 David Ruffer 3 3 2 11:55 Notre Dame 4 40 0:50 RushTD Robert Hughes 1 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 10 2 8:01 Notre Dame 5 71 2:17 RecTD Tyler Eifert Tommy Rees 31 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 17 3 14:00 Notre Dame IntTD Darrin Walls 42 good David Ruffer run/pass good/failed/incomplete 3 24 3 5:23 Notre Dame 6 16 2:25 FG 39 David Ruffer 3 27 3 27 thumb|Notre Dame at USC, November 27 USC 2010 USC Trojans football team Jeweled ShillelaghNotre Dame 0 13 0 7 USC 3 0 10 3 November 27 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA 8:00 p.m. EST Rain yes 1 4:09 USC Joe Houston 45-yard field goal USC 3-0 2 2:39 ND Michael Floyd 1-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 7-3 2 0:07 ND Duval Kamara 1-yard pass from Tommy Rees (kick failed) ND 13-3 3 11:02 USC Joe Houston 23-yard field goal ND 13-6 3 5:40 USC Mitch Mustain 1-yard run (Joe Houston kick) Tied 13-13 4 6:25 USC Joe Houston 37-yard field goal USC 16-13 4 2:23 ND Robert Hughes 5-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 20-16 yes On a rainy Southern California night, the Trojans' Joe Houston kicked a 45-yard field goal to give USC a first quarter lead. The second quarter, however, belonged to the Irish, as QB Tommy Rees completed a pair of 1-yard pass touchdowns to Michael Floyd and Duval Kamara, with Kamara's coming just before the half. David Ruffer missed the extra point on the second touchdown. In the third quarter, the Trojans kicked a field goal and Mitch Mustain ran in for a 1-yard touchdown, which was aided by a Notre Dame fumble. Joe Houston's 37-yard field goal gave the Trojans a fourth quarter lead. But Notre Dame came back with a 5-yard rush touchdown by Robert Hughes to give the Irish the lead back and the game. Notre Dame finally ended USC's streak of consecutive victories, which dated back to 2001. USC's attempt to come back was stopped by a Notre Dame interception at the one-yard line. Miami (FL) 2010 Sun Bowl thumb|left|Tommy Rees calls an audible at the 2010 Sun Bowl. Notre Dame 14 13 3 3 Miami (FL) 0 3 0 14 December 31 Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX 2:00 p.m. EST Cloudy Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson CBS yes 1 11:02 ND Michael Floyd 3-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 7-0 1 4:35 ND Michael Floyd 34-yard pass from Tommy Rees (David Ruffer kick) ND 14-0 2 13:21 ND Cierre Wood 34-yard run (David Ruffer kick) ND 21-0 2 4:50 ND David Ruffer 40-yard field goal ND 24-0 2 0:27 ND David Ruffer 50-yard field goal ND 27-0 2 0:00 MIA Matt Bosher 47-yard field goal ND 27-3 3 7:12 ND David Ruffer 19-yard field goal ND 30-3 4 10:36 MIA Leonard Hankerson 6-yard pass from Stephen Morris (Matt Bosher kick) ND 30-10 4 4:01 MIA Tommy Streeter 42-yard pass from Stephen Morris (Matt Bosher kick) ND 30-17 4 1:21 ND Nick Tausch 34-yard field goal ND 33-17 yes Tommy Rees passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns to Michael Floyd as Notre Dame beat Miami 33–17. After a 20-year hiatus in the series, it was all Irish in the latest installment of a storied rivalry that became known during the 1980s as "Catholics versus Convicts." The Irish reached the end zone on three of its first four possessions. Rees tossed TD passes of 3 and 34 yards to Floyd and Cierre Wood broke free on a 34-yard scoring run. David Ruffer added field goals from 40, 50 and 19 yards. The Irish defense picked off Miami starting quarterback Jacory Harris 3 times and logged 4 total interceptions in the first half to help the team jump out to a 27–0 lead in the first half. The Hurricanes tried to rally in the 4th quarter behind backup quarterback Stephen Morris, who threw a 6-yard touchdown to Leonard Hankerson and a 42-yard scoring play to Tommy Streeter, but it was too late by then. Rees was able to make some key first downs to effectively run out the clock late in the 4th quarter. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=303652390 https://web.archive.org/web/20110102191705/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=303652390 dead January 2, 2011 Tommy Rees, Michael Floyd help Notre Dame dominate Miami ESPN 2010-12-31 2010-12-31 The game sold out in 21 hours, the fastest in the Sun Bowl's 77-year history, and the crowd of 54,021 set a bowl attendance record. Floyd's two touchdowns pushed him past Jeff Samardzija and Golden Tate to claim 28 career touchdowns, the most in Irish history. Senior safety Harrison Smith logged three interceptions in the first half, tying the Sun Bowl record. The Irish victory also made Brian Kelly the first Fighting Irish coach to win a bowl game in his first season (Notre Dame did not play in bowl-games from the 1925 through 1968 seasons due to a self-imposed ban on post-season play). Personnel Players 2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster Quarterbacks  10 Dayne Crist (JR)  16 Nate Montana (JR)  13 Tommy Rees (FR)  15 Brian Castello (SR)  14 Luke Massa (FR)  17 Matthew Mulvey (JR)  12 Andrew Hendrix (FR) Running backs 5 Armando Allen, Jr. (SR) 29 Patrick Coughlin (SR) 25 Jonas Gray (JR) 27 Derry Herlihy (SR) 31 Cameron Roberson (FR) 20 Cierre Wood (SO) 33 Robert Hughes FB (SR) Wide receivers 28 Austin Collinsworth (FR) 3 Michael Floyd (JR) 42 Dan Franco (SR) 21 Barry Gallup Jr. (SR) 81 John Goodman (JR) 38 Christopher Gurries (SR) 86 Bennett Jackson (FR) 7 T. J. Jones (FR) 18 Duval Kamara (SR) 6 Theo Riddick (S0) 87 Daniel Smith (FR) 19 Robby Toma (SO) 1 Deion Walker (JR) Tight ends 80 Tyler Eifert (SO) 88 Jake Golic (SO) 83 Mike Ragone (SR) 9 Kyle Rudolph (JR) 82 Alex Welch (FR) 41 Bobby Burger FB (SR) Center 52 Braxston Cave (JR) 57 Mike Golic, Jr. (JR) 51 Dan Wenger (SR) 62 Bill Flavin LS (SR) Offensive guard 65 Mike Hernandez (JR) 76 Andrew Nuss (SR) 78 Trevor Robinson (JR) 59 Chris Stewart (SR) 66 Chris Watt (SO) Offensive tackle 72 Alex Bullard (SO) 73 Lane Clelland (JR) 75 Taylor Dever (SR) 74 Christian Lombard (FR) 71 Dennis Mahoney (JR) 70 Zack Martin (SO) 64 Tate Nichols (FR) 77 Matt Romine (SR) August 2026 Coaching staff Name Position Year at Notre Dame Alma Mater (Year) Brian Kelly Head coach 1st Assumption (1982) Bob Diaco Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers 1st Iowa (1995) Charley Molnar Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks 1st Lock Haven (1984) Mike Elston Defensive line/special teams coordinator 1st Michigan (1998) Chuck Martin Defensive backs/recruiting coordinator 1st Millikin (1990) Ed Warinner Offensive line 1st Mount Union (1984) Mike Denbrock Tight ends 1st (second stint) Grand Valley State (1987) Tony Alford Wide receivers 1st Colorado State (1992) Tim Hinton Running backs 1st Wilmington (1982) Kerry Cooks Outside linebackers 1st Iowa (2000) Paul Longo Strength and conditioning 1st Wayne State University (1981) August 2026 Statistics Passing Dayne Crist - 174 of 294 (59.2%) for 2,033 yards, 15 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 129.3 passer rating Tommy Rees - 100 of 164 (61.0%) for 1,106 yards, 12 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 132.0 passer rating Nate Montana - 9 of 18 (50.0%) for 116 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception, 93.0 passer rating 2010 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football August 8, 2026 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/2010.html Rushing Cierre Wood - 603 yards on 119 carries, 5.1-yard average, 3 touchdowns Armando Allen - 514 yards on 107 carries, 4.8-yard average, 2 touchdowns Robert Hughes - 300 yards on 68 carries, 4.4-yard average, 2 touchdowns Jonas Gray - 100 yards on 20 carries, 5.0-yard average, 0 touchdowns Dayne Crist - 74 yards on 52 carries, 1.4-yard average, 4 touchdowns Receiving Michael Floyd (WR) - 79 receptions for 1,025 yards, 13.0-yard average, 12 touchdowns Theo Riddick (WR) - 40 receptions for 414 yards, 10.4-yard average, 3 touchdowns Tyler Eifert (TE) - 27 receptions for 352 yards, 13.0-yard average, 2 touchdowns Kyle Rudolph (TE) - 28 receptions for 328 yards, 11.7-yard average, 3 touchdowns T.J. Jones (WR) - 23 receptions for 306 yards, 12.2-yard average, 3 touchdowns Robby Toma (WR) - 14 receptions for 187 yards, 13.4-yard average, 0 touchdowns Cierre Wood (RB) - 20 receptions for 170 yards, 8.5-yard average, 2 touchdowns John Goodman (WR) - 15 receptions for 146 yards, 9.7-yard average, 0 touchdowns Armando Allen (RB) - 17 receptions for 138 yards, 8.1-yard average, 0 touchdowns Scoring David Ruffer (K) - 91 points, 37 of 40 PAT, 18 of 19 field goals Michael Floyd (WR) - 72 points, 12 touchdowns Cierre Wood (RB) - 30 points, 5 touchdowns Dayne Crist (QB) - 24 points, 4 touchdowns Tackles Manti Te'o (LB) - 133 total tackles, 66 solo tackles Harrison Smith (DB) - 91 total tackles, 55 solo tackles Gary Gray (DB) - 66 total tackles, 48 solo tackles Kapron Lewis-Moore - 62 total tackles, 20 solo tackles Carlo Calabrese (LB) - 62 total tackles, 29 solo tackles Robert Blanton (DB) - 53 total tackles, 29 solo tackles Zeke Motta (DB) - 50 total tackles, 30 solo tackles Brian Smith (LB) - 50 total tackles, 22 solo tackles Darius Fleming (LB) - 48 total tackles, 27 solo tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks Awards and honors Wide receiver Michael Floyd, who tallied 79 receptions for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns, was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player.Michael Floyd Named 2010 Football Most Valuable Player FightingIrish.com January 21, 2011 August 9, 2026 https://fightingirish.com/news/2011/01/22/michael-floyd-named-2010-football-most-valuable-player No Notre Dame players received first-team honors on the 2010 All-America college football team. Linebacker Manti Te'o received second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated. Kicker David Ruffer was a finalist for the Lou Groza Awardhttps://www.espn.com/chicago/ncf/news/story?id=5844119 Irish's David Ruffer a Groza finalist November 24, 2010 ESPNChicago.com December 11, 2012 and received second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated and third-team honors from Rivals.com. References Notre Dame Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons Category:Sun Bowl champion seasons Notre Dame Fighting Irish football