Last Week’s Duke-Notre Dame Game on NBC Delivers 4.371 Million Viewers, Most-Watched Notre Dame on NBC Afternoon Home Opener in 14 Years
Paul Burmeister, Tony Dungy, Jac Collinsworth and Terry McAulay to Call Matchup
This Week’s ND on NBC Podcast, Released Every Thursday, to Feature Collinsworth Interview with USF Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 17, 2020 – NBC Sports’ 30th season of Notre Dame Football continues this Saturday, Sept. 19, when the No. 7 Fighting Irish (1-0) host South Florida (1-0) at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Last week’s Notre Dame season opener on NBC, in which the Fighting Irish topped Duke, 27-13, delivered 4.371 million viewers, making it the most-watched Notre Dame on NBC afternoon home opener in 14 years (vs. Penn State on 9/9/06, 6.902 million TV viewers) and nearly tripling the viewership of last season’s home opener against New Mexico (1.513 million viewers on Sept. 14, 2019).
Saturday’s Duke-Notre Dame game was also the most-watched Notre Dame on NBC matchup since 2018, when the Fighting Irish faced Michigan in primetime (7.105 million TAD on Sept. 1, 2018) and is the most-watched college football game of the 2020 season to-date.
This weekend’s game marks the first time Notre Dame football will be presented on USA Network and features Paul Burmeister handling play-by-play duties this week as Mike Tirico covers the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Burmeister is joined by Super Bowl-winning head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy as lead analyst and new NBC Sports host and Notre Dame alum Jac Collinsworth.
Collinsworth will host NBC Sports’ pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage throughout the season, and will report from Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday while sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen continues her NHL on NBC Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. Terry McAulay serves as the on-air rules analyst.
Following last weekend’s victory over Duke, Notre Dame moved to No. 7 in the country. The Fighting Irish were led last week by QB Ian Book, who passed for 263 yards and one touchdown, and RB Kyren Williams, who totaled 205 yards from scrimmage (112 rushing, 93 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns.
South Florida, Notre Dame’s only non-conference opponent this season, opened their 2020 campaign with a 27-6 victory over The Citadel last weekend. In their one previous meeting, USF topped the Fighting Irish, 23-20, on Sept. 3, 2011.
On this week’s episode of the ND on NBC Podcast, host Jac Collinsworth speaks with USF offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who is the son of former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis. Episodes are released every Thursday, you can find them here.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will stream coverage of all 2020 Notre Dame home games.
2020 NBC NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE | |||
DATE | TIME (ET) | OPPONENT | NETWORK |
Sat., Sept. 19 | 2:30 p.m. | South Florida | USA Network |
Sat., Oct. 10 | 7:30 p.m. | Florida State | NBC |
Sat., Oct. 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisville | NBC |
Sat., Nov. 7 | 7 p.m. | Clemson | NBC |
Sat., Dec. 5 | TBD | Syracuse | NBC |
This year, NBC Sports Group and Notre Dame will kick off their 30th season. NBC Sports Group and the University of Notre Dame began their landmark Notre Dame Football relationship in 1991 and have renewed the partnership numerous times. The current agreement runs through the 2025 season.
--NBC SPORTS--