Texas-Notre Dame College Kickoff Game Makes TV History

Labor Day weekend served as the start of the college football season, and what a weekend it was. The phrase that comes to mind is topsy-turvy. Several ranked powerhouses fell, including the likes of LSU and Oklahoma. Teams from the state of Texas had strong showings like the University of Houston and Texas A&M, but the biggest story was the Texas Longhorns hosting the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame to cap the football weekend.

The thrilling contest, which saw the University of Texas squander a 31-14 lead in the second half, only intensified as Notre Dame’s special teams blocked a PAT (point after touchdown) and ran it back 98 yards to tie the game 37-37 with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter. A bewildered home crowd, fearing the worst, was on pins and needles as the game continued into overtime. And so was the rest of America.

Texas would claim a 50-47 double-overtime victory over No. 10-ranked Notre Dame in front of a crowd of 102,315 – the largest crowd to see a game inside the Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. Nationally televised on ABC, the overtime thriller drew 11.1 million total viewers, the highest TV viewership for a college football kickoff weekend ever across all networks. Last season’s Labor Day night game, where Ohio State squared off against Virginia Tech, drew 10.6 million total viewers.

The win over Notre Dame marks the first Longhorns win over a Top-10 opponent at home since October 25, 2008 against No. 7 Oklahoma State.

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night – and the Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt is cleared for action. Are you ready for some football?