Notre Dame By The Numbers In 2016: 20-16

20 Receptions by Notre Dame’s tight ends corps last year that totaled 233 yards — with 13 of them for 190 yards by then freshman Alize Jones. Those were easily the lowest single season totals in head coach Brian Kelly’s first six seasons, and the first time it was less than 31 catches for under 300 yards. It was the lowest overall total at the position since Bob Davie’s final season as a head coach in 2001 when Notre Dame tight ends totaled eight catches, six of them by senior/future NFL player John Owens.

We project the 20 to be doubled this season, with Jones — who also is expected to line up as a boundary (W) receiver on occasion — getting near the 30 range, while senior Durham Smythe and junior Nic Weishar also contribute. Even junior Tyler Luatua and senior Jacob Matuska, whose main role will be blocking, could add to the total.

19 Games during Kelly’s 78 at Notre Dame in which the Irish did not commit a turnover — and the record happens to be 19-0 in such contests. Particularly notable is that for all the talk about early season sloppiness, the Irish have not committed a turnover in their first two games each of the last two seasons.

Repeating that effort in this year’s opener at Texas would go a long way toward a 1-0 start.

18 Career passes broken up by senior cornerback Cole Luke, who could be one of the top three Notre Dame pro prospects on this year’s roster but who has quietly played in the shadows. If he gets six more PBUs this year, which would meet his season average thus far, his 24 would finish his career fifth on the all-time chart, behind first-round picks Clarence Ellis (32), Harrison Smith (28), Luther Bradley (27) and 2002 consensus All-American Shane Walton (25).

Also just ahead of him for now are second-round selection Dave Waymer (22) and first-round pick Todd Lyght (20.5), his current position coach.

With four interceptions this year, Luke also would become only the fifth Notre Dame player since 1979 to have at least 10 in his career, joining Lyght, fellow first-round picks Jeff Burris (now a defensive analyst for the Irish) and Tom Carter, plus Walton.

17 Tackles recorded last season by current starting Mike linebacker Nyles Morgan. Eight of them were in kickoff coverage, with the other nine coming in the 41 snaps he played as a backup linebacker to fifth-year senior linebacker and captain Joe Schmidt. Now a junior, much will fall on Morgan — who joined guard Quenton Nelson as the most heralded Irish recruit in 2014 — to enhance a defense that has been maligned under the direction of third-year coordinator Brian VanGorder.

16 In Notre Dame’s last 16 bowl trips (since 1994), it is 4-12, which is similar to the 4-11 mark former Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler posted in the postseason in which he was on the sidelines for when healthy. That’s a figure that is often mocked about the College Football Hall of Fame coach that is deemed one of the game’s legends, but now the teasing has been transferred to Notre Dame collectively. It is exacerbated when none of the four wins came in a major.

Notre Dame is 17-18 overall in bowls. Its 13-6 mark in the postseason through 1993 was the best percentage (.684) in the nation for teams that had played in at least 15 bowls.

Tomorrow: 15 to 11.