1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Independent 13 11 9–3 Lou Holtz 10th Dave Roberts 2nd Multiple I formation Bob Davie 2nd 4–3 Derrick Mayes Paul Grasmanis Derrick Mayes Shawn Wooden Dusty Zeigler Notre Dame Stadium Orange Bowl L Lost 26–31 vs. Florida State The 1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1995 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Irish compiled a 9–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 366 to 216, and were ranked No. 11 in the final AP poll and No. 13 in the final UPI poll. They lost the season opener to unranked Northwestern and also lost to No. 7 Ohio State, but defeated No. 13 Texas, No. 15 Washington, and No. 5 USC. They concluded the season with a loss to No. 8 Florida State in the Orange Bowl.1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football August 3, 2026 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1995-schedule.html1995 Football Review: The 55th Annual Post-Season Report The Notre Dame Scholastic January 25, 1996 August 3, 2026 https://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1995s.pdf Notre Dame Archives No Notre Dame players received first-team honors on the 1995 All-America college football team. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Ron Powlus (1,853 passing yards), Randy Kinder (809 rushing yards), Derrick Mayes (48 receptions for 881 yards), and Marc Edwards (72 points scored).1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football August 3, 2026 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1995.html1995 Football Review, p. 46. The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. Schedule 1995 AP Eastern September 2 2:30 p.m. l 9 Northwestern Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 15–17 59,075 September 9 3:30 p.m. w y 25 Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN rivalry ABC 35–28 70,569 September 16 2:30 p.m. w 24 Vanderbilt Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC 41–0 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-get-well-card-to-holtz/140557044/ Chicago Tribune Get-well card to Holtz: Irish blowout September 17, 1995 February 8, 2024 Newspapers.com September 23 12:30 p.m. w 21 Texas 13 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN NBC 55–27 59,075 September 30 3:30 p.m. l y 15 Ohio State 7 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH ABC 26–45 95,537 October 7 3:30 p.m. w y 23 Washington 15 Husky Stadium Seattle, WA ABC 29–21 74,023 October 14 12:00 p.m. w y 17 Army Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ rivalry ABC 28–27 74,218 October 21 2:30 p.m. w 17 USC 5 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 38–10 59,075 October 28 2:30 p.m. w 12 Boston College Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN Holy War NBC 20–10 59,075 November 4 1:30 p.m. w 8 Navy Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry NBC 35–17 59,075 November 18 7:45 p.m. w y 8 Air Force Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO rivalry ESPN 44–14 54,482 January 1, 1996, 1996 8:00 p.m. l y 6 Florida State 8 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL Orange Bowl, rivalry CBS 26–31 72,198 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-florida-st-figures-out/140598837/ Chicago Tribune Florida St. figures out Irish puzzle January 2, 1996 February 9, 2024 Newspapers.com Game summaries Northwestern 1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team Northwestern–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Northwestern Wildcats at #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish September 2, 1995 1:30 p.m. CST Northwestern 7 3 7 0 Notre Dame 0 9 0 6 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana 59,075 NBC Tom Hammond, Bob Trumpy, John Dockery Northwestern vs. Notre Dame USA Today http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/scores95/95245/95245366.htm September 2, 1995 June 23, 2019 First quarter NW - Dave Beazley 6-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) Second quarter ND - Kevin Kopka 35-yard field goal NW - Sam Valenzisi 37-yard field goal ND - Robert Farmer 5-yard run (kick failed) Third quarter NW - D'Wayne Bates 26-yard pass from Steve Schnur (Valenzisi kick) Fourth quarter ND - Randy Kinder 2-yard run (conversion failed) NORTHWESTERN DETERMINED TO BUCK THE ODDS Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-08-23-9508230295-story.html August 23, 1995 June 23, 2019 NOTRE DAME STUNNED BY NORTHWESTERN The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/09/03/notre-dame-stunned-by-northwestern/c396cd52-ee22-47cd-bf81-5741b9673a98/ September 3, 1995 June 22, 2019 Witnesses recall Northwestern's 1995 upset of Notre Dame Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-northwestern-notre-dame-1995-oral-history-spt-1114-20141113-column.html November 13, 2014 June 23, 2019 Purdue 1995 Purdue Boilermakers football team Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purdue Boilermakers September 9, 1995 2:30 p.m. EST Notre Dame 0 14 14 7 Purdue 7 3 3 15 Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana 70,569 Box Score First quarter PUR - Rogers 42 yard run (Bobich kick) Second quarter ND - Kinder 30 yard pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) ND - Mayes 12 yard pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) PUR - Bobich 25 yard field goal Third quarter ND - Sollman 15 yard pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) PUR - Bobich 21 yard field goal ND - Mosley 51 yard pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) Fourth quarter PUR - Watson 13 yard run (Bobich kick) PUR - D Brown 54 yard interception return (Rogers reception for two-point conversion) ND - Kinder 52 yard run (Kopka kick) Top Rushers ND - Kinder - 14 rushes, 142 yards PUR - Mike Alstott - 21 rushes, 115 yards Top Passers ND - Ron Powlus - 17/25, 252 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs PUR - Rick Trefzger - 15/27, 181 yards, 2 INTs Top Receivers ND - Mayes - 7 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD PUR - Alford- 7 receptions, 91 yards Vanderbilt 1995 Vanderbilt Commodores football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Vanderbilt Commodores at #24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish September 16, 1995 1:30 p.m. CST Vanderbilt 0 0 0 0 Notre Dame 7 20 7 7 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana 50,975 NBC Box Score First quarter ND - Kinder 6 run (Kopka kick) Second quarter ND - FG Kopka 38 ND - A Denson 5 run (Kopka kick) ND - Edison 8 fumble return (Kopka kick) ND - FG Kopka 22 Third quarter ND - Edwards 1 run (Kopka kick) Fourth quarter ND - Edwards 1 run (Kopka kick) Texas 1995 Texas Longhorns football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #13 Texas Longhorns at #21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish September 23, 1995 12:30 p.m. EST Texas 7 6 7 7 Notre Dame 10 8 8 28 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana 59,075 NBC Box Score First quarter ND - FG Kopka 27 ND - Mosley 64 punt return (Kopka kick) TEX - Fitzgerald 1 pass from J Brown (Dawson kick) Second quarter ND - Mayes 11 pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) TEX - Fitzgerald 15 pass from J Brown (kick failed) ND - 2 point defensive conversion by A Rossum Third quarter TEX - S Bradley 1 pass from J Brown (Dawson kick) ND - Kinder 3 run (Edwards run for two-point conversion) Fourth quarter ND - Edwards 3 run (Kopka kick) ND - Edwards 12 pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) TEX - Fitzgerald 19 pass from J Brown (Dawson kick) ND - Edwards 27 run (Kopka kick) ND - A Rossum 29 interception return (Kopka kick) Ohio State 1995 Ohio State Buckeyes football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #7 Ohio State Buckeyes September 30, 1995 3:30 p.m. Notre Dame 0 17 3 6 Ohio State 0 14 14 17 Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio 95,537 Clear, 80 F C, Wind 10-15 SSE John Nealon ABC Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, and Lynn Swann Box Score First quarter No scoring Second quarter ND - Kevin Kopka, 20-yard field goal ND - Randy Kinder 3-yard run (Kevin Kopka kick) OSU – Terry Glenn 10-yard pass from Bobby Hoying (Josh Jackson kick) ND - Randy Kinder 7-yard run (Kevin Kopka kick) OSU - Dimitrious Stanley 17-yard pass from Bobby Hoying (Josh Jackson kick) Third quarter ND - Kevin Kopka, 22-yard field goal OSU – Rickey Dudley 15-yard pass from Bobby Hoying (Josh Jackson kick) OSU – Terry Glenn 82-yard pass from Bobby Hoying (Josh Jackson kick) Fourth quarter OSU – Eddie George 5-yard run (Josh Jackson kick) ND - Randy Kinder 13-yard run (run failed) OSU - Eddie George 3-yard run (Josh Jackson kick) OSU - Josh Jackson 35-yard field goal Top passers OSU – Bobby Hoying – 14/22, 272 yards, 4 TD ND - Ron Powlus - 13/26, 243 yards, 1 INT Top rushers OSU – Eddie George – 32 rushes, 207 yards, 2 TD ND – Randy Kinder – 28 rushes, 143 yards, 3 TDs Top receivers OSU – Terry Glenn – 4 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TDs ND - Derrick Mayes - 5 receptions, 125 yards Top tacklers ND - Lyron Cobbins - 5 solo, 9 assists (14 total) OSU - Greg Bellisari - 4 solo, 8 assists (12 total) Interceptions OSU - Shawn Springs (1) Fumbles Recovered OSU - Matt Bonhaus (1) Washington 1995 Washington Huskies football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #15 Washington Huskies October 7, 1995 3:30 p.m. EST Notre Dame 7 0 0 22 Washington 7 0 7 7 Husky Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana 74,023 Box Score First quarter ND - Mayes 10 pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) UW - Shehee 1 run (Wales kick) Second quarter No scoring Third quarter UW - Desaussure 13 pass from D. Huard (Wales kick) Fourth quarter ND - Mayes 30 pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) UW - Shehee 22 run (Wales kick) ND - A. Denson 7 run (Mayes reception for two-point conversion) ND - A. Rossum 77 interception return (Kopka kick) Army 1995 Army Cadets football team Army–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Army Cadets October 14, 1995 3:30 p.m. EST Notre Dame 14 7 7 0 Army 7 0 7 13 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 74,218 Box Score yes 1 Notre Dame Denson 2 yard run (Kopka kick) Notre Dame 7-0 1 Army Leshinski 1 yard pass from McAda (Parker kick) Tie 7-7 1 Notre Dame Edwards 2 yard run (Kopka kick) Notre Dame 14-7 2 Notre Dame Denson 2 yard run (Kopka kick) Notre Dame 21-7 3 Notre Dame Edwards 46 yard pass from Powlus (Kopka kick) Notre Dame 28-7 3 Army Conroy 5 yard run (Parker kick) Notre Dame 28-14 4 Army Conroy 3 yard run (Parker kick) Notre Dame 28-21 4 Army Gantt 7 yard pass from McAda (pass failed) Notre Dame 28-27 yes Gainesville Sun. 1995 Oct 15. USC 1995 USC Trojans football team Notre Dame–USC football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #5 USC Trojans at #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish October 21, 1995 2:30 p.m. EST USC 0 7 3 0 Notre Dame 6 15 0 17 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana 59,075 NBC Box Score First quarter ND - M. Edwards 9-yard run (kick failed) Second quarter USC - K. Johnson 17-yard pass from Wachholtz (Renden kick) ND - M. Edwards 2-yard run (R. Powlus reception for two-point conversion) ND - A. Denson 4-yard run (Kopka kick) Third quarter USC - Renden 25-yard field goal Fourth quarter ND - Safety, K. Minor tackled K. Wachholtz in end zone ND - P. Chryplewicz 2-yard pass from Powlus (Edwards run for two-point conversion) ND - M. Edwards 1-yard run (Kopka kick) Boston College 1995 Boston College Eagles football team Holy War (Boston College–Notre Dame) Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Boston College Eagles at #12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish October 28, 1995 2:30 p.m. EST Boston College 0 7 3 0 Notre Dame 7 3 7 3 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana 59,075 NBC Box Score First quarter ND - Edwards 17 pass from Powlus (Cengia kick) Second quarter BC - O. Walker 2 run (McGuire kick) ND - FG Cengia 22 Third quarter ND - Edwards 2 run (Cengia kick) BC - FG McGuire 41 Fourth quarter ND - FG Cengia 26 Navy 1995 Navy Midshipmen football team Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Navy Midshipmen at #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish November 4, 1995 1:30 p.m. EST Navy 7 10 0 0 Notre Dame 7 7 14 7 Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana 59,075 Box Score yes 1 Navy Scott 15 yard run (Covarubias kick) Navy 7-0 1 Notre Dame Wallace 8 yard pass from Powlus (Cengia kick) Tied 7-7 2 Navy Fay 3 yard run (Covarubias kick) Navy 14-7 2 Notre Dame Powlus 1 yard run (Cengia kick) Tied 14-14 2 Navy Graham 216 yard field goal Navy 17-14 3 Notre Dame Mayes 42 yard pass from Krug (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 21-17 3 Notre Dame Mayes 3 yard pass from Krug (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 28-17 4 Notre Dame Denson 24 yard run (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 35-17 yes Air Force 1995 Air Force Falcons football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Army Cadets November 18, 1995 7:45 p.m. EST Notre Dame 10 10 17 7 Air Force 0 0 7 7 Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado 54,482 Box Score yes 1 Notre Dame Kinder 17 yard run (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 7-0 1 Notre Dame Cengia 30 yard kick Notre Dame 10-0 2 Notre Dame Denson 3 yard run (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 17-0 2 Notre Dame Cengia 26 yard kick Notre Dame 20-0 3 Notre Dame Cengia 30 yard kick Notre Dame 23-0 3 Air Force Addison 8 yard pass from Morgan (Thompson kick) Notre Dame 23-7 3 Notre Dame Denson 30 yard run (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 30-7 3 Notre Dame Kinder 5 yard run (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 37-7 4 Notre Dame Thorne 5 yard run (Cengia kick) Notre Dame 44-7 4 Air Force Brooks 11 yard pass from Morgan (Thompson kick) Notre Dame 44-14 yes 1996 Orange Bowl 1995 Florida State Seminoles football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #8 Florida State Seminoles vs. #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish January 1, 1996 8:00 p.m. EST Florida State 7 7 0 17 Notre Dame 10 0 7 9 Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida 72,198 Jimmy Harper (SEC) CBS Sean McDonough and Pat Haden Box Score First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Not So Golden: Florida State 31, Notre Dame 26 https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-01-02-9601020190-story.html Chicago Tribune January 2, 1996 January 23, 2021 Roster 1995 Notre Dame Fighting Irish f 82 Fr Bobby Brown Bobby Brown (wide receiver) WR y 98 Sr Pete Chryplewicz TE y 44 Jr Marc Edwards Marc Edwards (American football) FB y 31 Jr Robert Farmer RB 7 Fr Jarious Jackson QB y 83 So Malcolm Johnson Malcolm Johnson (wide receiver) WR y 26 Jr Randy Kinder RB y 11 Jr Thomas Krug QB y 1 Sr Derrick Mayes WR y 54 Fr Luke Petitgout T y 3 Jr Ron Powlus QB y 79 Fr Mike Rosenthal G y 71 Fr Jerry Wisne T y 77 Sr Dusty Zeigler C y 13 Jr Bertrand Berry LB y 6 Jr Lyron Cobbins LB 23 Fr Autry Denson CB y 93 Sr Paul Grasmanis DT y 27 Fr Bobbie Howard LB y 4 Fr Kory Minor LB y 15 So Allen Rossum CB y 2 Jr Kinnon Tatum LB y 22 Sr Shawn Wooden Shawn Wooden (American football) CB y 48 Sr Renaldo Wynn DE y 20 Fr Kevin Kopka K 8 Fr Hunter Smith P y *Lou Holtz Dave Roberts (OC) Bob Davie (DC) Charlie Strong (DL) 2015-12-20 Statistics Passing Ron Powlus - 124 of 217 for 1,853 yards, 12 touchdowns, 7 interceptions Tom Krug - 13 of 21 for 186 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception Rushing Randy Kinder - 809 yards, 5.7-yard average, 9 touchdowns Marc Edwards - 717 yards, 5.1-yard average, 9 touchdowns Autry Denson - 695 yards, 5.1-yard average, 8 touchdowns Robert Farmer - 194 yards, 4.5-yard average, 1 touchdown Receiving Derrick Mayes - 48 receptions for 881 yards, 6 touchdowns Marc Edwards - 25 receptions for 361 yards, 3 touchdowns Emmett Mosley - 17 receptions for 268 yards, 1 touchdown Pete Chryplewicz - 17 receptions for 204 yards, 1 touchdown Scoring Marc Edwards - 76 points, 12 touchdowns, 2 two-point conversions Randy Kinder - 60 points, 10 touchdowns Autry Denson - 48 points, 8 touchdowns Kevin Kopka - 45 points, 27 of 28 PAT, 6 of 11 field goals Derrick Mayesl - 38 points, 6 touchdowns, 1 two-point conversion Scott Cengia - 27 points, 12 of 12 PAT, 5 of 5 field goals Tackles Lyron Cobbins - 105 Kinnon Tatum - 82 Bert Berry - 76 LaRon Moore - 70 Brian Magee - 69 Paul Grasmanis - 69 Shawn Wooden - 63 Renaldo Wynn - 57 Awards and honors Split end Derrick Mayes received second-team honors from Football News and the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) on the 1995 All-America college football team. He was also a semifinalit for the Biletnikoff Award and was selected as the team's most valuable player.1995 Football Review, p. 47. Offensive guard Ryan Leahy received third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press. The team had five captains: Paul Grasmanis, Ryan Leahy, Derrick Mayes, Shawn Wooden, and Dusty Zeigler. Emil Sitko, who played for Notre Dame in the 1940s, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame References Notre Dame Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons Notre Dame Fighting Irish football