Notre Dame Football: 5 most gut-wrenching losses of Brian Kelly era

5. Tulsa 28, Notre Dame 27 (Oct. 30, 2010)

After three years of mediocrity under Weis, Notre Dame fans were excited to see some change with Kelly at the helm. While it was an improvement, 2010 didn’t go exactly according to plan as the Irish started the season with a 1-3 record following consecutive losses to Michigan, Michigan State, and Stanford. The Irish then went on a 7-2 run, but the damage had already been done.

As if the early struggles weren’t enough, Notre Dame’s final loss of the season came in devastating fashion, a 28-27 defeat that ended on Tommy Rees’s third interception of the day. The Irish finished with better overall offensive numbers, but were outplayed in just about every other category including the run game and special teams.

While the Irish’s 33-17 Sun Bowl victory over Miami would eventually help matters, the Tulsa loss looked to be one of the more demoralizing defeats in recent memory. At the time, it appeared to be a fitting end to an up and down season.

This loss served as a terrible ending to what had been a terrible week for the Irish after experiencing the death of a peer who passed away in a lift accident while filming practice. This, among comparatively minor incidents such as starting quarterback Dayne Crist’s season-ending knee injury in the first quarter, remains one of the most somber weeks in program history.