How many times has Army beaten Notre Dame? Series record between Black Knights, Irish

Posted by Admin November 23, 2024 Football

When Notre Dame announced the return of its Shamrock Series to Yankee Stadium with a game against Army in 2024, little was thought about the game between the two longtime foes beyond the novelty of playing a football game in a baseball stadium.

Now, the matchup has considerably more significance.

In a development few outside of West Point may have seen coming, Saturday’s game between the Fighting Irish and Black Knights will be one of the most consequential on the Week 13 college football schedule, with massive College Football Playoff implications tied to the outcome.

If Notre Dame wins, it will improve to 10-1 and be a win against a languishing USC team away from securing a spot in the playoff field. If Army is able to pull off the upset, the Knights will not only stay undefeated, but also keep their hopes of an appearance in the newly expanded 12-team playoff alive — a dream that could even manage to keep a power conference champion (most likely the Big 12) out of the event entirely.

If the latter scenario is to be, Army will have to earn a victory in a game in which it’s a two-touchdown underdog, though considering the team it’s playing was handed its lone loss by Northern Illinois, it’s not a totally implausible outcome.

For the Knights to win, though, they’ll have to overcome quite a bit of history. Here’s what you need to know about the history of the Army-Notre Dame series, including how many times the Knights have beaten the Irish:

How many times has Army beaten Notre Dame?

Army has eight all-time victories against Notre Dame in a series dating back to 1913, as noted by Notre Dame’s 2024 football record book.

When was the last time Army beat Notre Dame?

If the Knights are able to knock off the Irish Saturday at Yankee Stadium, about 45 miles south of the academy’s West Point campus, it will break an agonizingly long skid.

Army’s last victory against Notre Dame came in 1958, meaning the Knights have lost 15 consecutive games against the Irish.

That triumph, a 14-2 win at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, came in a meeting of top-five teams, with Army at No. 3 and Notre Dame at No. 4. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins, the Knights finished that season 9-0-1, the last undefeated season in program history — something that could soon change based on Saturday’s result.

The Irish went on to go 6-4 in 1958 in what would ultimately be its final season under coach Terry Brennan.

Army-Notre Dame series record

Notre Dame leads the series against Army 39-8-4, including a 23-5-3 mark in games played at neutral sites, which make up the majority of the all-time meetings between the programs.

The two teams haven’t played since 2016, when the Irish defeated the Knights 44-6 in a game played at the Alamodome in San Antonio. In its three victories against Army since 2006, Notre Dame has won by an average of 31.3 points.