SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After Saturday's game, when will BYU and Notre Dame meet again on the football field?
In 2010, on the day BYU announced it would be going independent, it also announced a six-year scheduling deal with Notre Dame that started last year.
While the Cougars agreed to play the first two games of the series in South Bend, the Irish agreed to play twice in Provo. The other two contests are set to be played at Notre Dame Stadium.
However, no dates have been announced for future games between the two teams.
Last year, Notre Dame joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports but football, and will play five ACC teams each year in football.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall has said that he would like to play the Fighting Irish on a yearly basis. But is there any concern that future games won’t be played between the two schools?
“Not on our part,” Mendenhall said. “I trust (Notre Dame) to keep their agreement.”
NIX OUT: Notre Dame nose guard Louis Nix underwent surgery Thursday on a torn meniscus. Nix, a junior, will be sidelined for the final two regular-season games, including Saturday’s contest against BYU, and the bowl game.
Kona Schwenke, who was recruited by BYU out of high school, and Jarron Jones are expected to share time at nose guard.
RECORD-SETTING DAY: In 2005, Mendenhall’s first year as head coach, BYU lost to Notre Dame, 49-23.
Irish quarterback Brady Quinn threw for six touchdown passes, which is a single-game school record. Meanwhile, receiver Maurice Stovall set single-game school records for receptions (14) and touchdowns (four) in that game.
HOLY FOOTBALL: Notre Dame, a Catholic university, has a 20-11 all-time record against the other three FBS teams that have religious affiliations.
The Irish are 5-2 against BYU (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), 13-9 against Boston College (Jesuit), and 2-0 against Baylor (Baptist).
Notre Dame has won five consecutive games against religiously affiliated schools.
Duke (Methodist), Northwestern (Methodist), SMU (Methodist), Syracuse (Methodist), TCU (Disciples of Christ), Tulsa (Presbyterian), USC (Methodist) and Wake Forest (Baptist) all maintain a historic relationship with a church, but currently consider themselves nonsectarian.
KEEP ON TRUCKIN’: BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy liked the way freshman running back Algernon Brown played against Idaho State. One play in particular play impressed him.
“Algie’s run in the third quarter, when he ran somebody over,” Van Noy said. “It looked like he was going to get dropped for maybe a 1-yard gain, then broke two tackles and ended up trucking somebody. That’s always good to say.”
NOTES: Notre Dame is 13-0 under coach Brian Kelly when the Irish don't turn the ball over. … Irish placekicker Kyle Brindza is 11 of 12 in game-winning, game-tying, overtime or fourth-quarter lead-extending field goals in his career. … Saturday is senior day at Notre Dame. Kelly could become the first Irish coach to win his first four senior day games since Dan Devine (1975-78).