[7], As of 2016, the 1988 Irish squad is also the most recent to win the national title. The Irish scored early and often as Notre Dame dazzled their home crowd of 59,075 with a 54-11 victory. That Notre Dame stuffed. [18] After Rice scored an early field goal in the first quarter, Rocket Ismail returned his first of two kickoffs, a 78-yard return for a score. 2 point conversion. NOTRE DAME, Ind. But the Noles will always have that rap video!! [16] After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out. Required fields are marked *. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). 1. 1 ranked Miami, ending their 36-game regular season winning streak. 1988 Notre Dame 12 0 National Champions Web The 1. The Irish rang the bell three more times in the second quarter for a 42-0 halftime lead. [21] Two plays later, running back Mark Green took a handoff up the middle, then found daylight to his right and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. Holtz marhaled his troops at halftime and the Irish generated nearly 200 yards rushing yards in the second half, with Rice streaking in from the 8 in the third quarter for a 13-3 working margin. [7], Paul "Bear" Bryant Award Coach of the Year, Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[27]. All players listed played for the 1988 team. "Notre Dame (8-0) Gets by Navy, 22-7". [9] Tony Rice ran for an 8-yard touchdown and Michael Stonebreaker added a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final quarter to end any hopes of a Spartan upset. White, Gordon S (1988-10-09). [16], Air Force opened the game with an impressive ground attack. [16] After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out. [7][22] In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10-0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, whom he suspended for disciplinary reasons. The following is a list of Notre Dame players that would go on to play or be drafted to play in the National Football League over the next four years. 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, 1988 NCAA Division I-A independents football records, 1988 Michigan State Spartans football team, Michigan StateNotre Dame football rivalry, 1988 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, "Catholics vs. Convicts The Irish pulled out a gritty win over a bitter foe", "College football's best of the last 20 years", "CFN's Tuesday Question - The All-Time Greatest Regular Season Games", "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)", "MIDWEST ROUNDUP;No. tamar July 1, 2020 Wiring Diagram No Comments. There was new founded athleticism at outside linebacker wit Andre Jones, Flash Gordon and mercurial freshman Arnold Ale. Holtz inserted his new weapon, Rocket Ismail as an end on the punt block team. [21] After making the catch at Penn State's 20-yard line, Ismail broke Eddie Johnson's attempted tackle and jogged into the end zone. [9] The second half was a different story for the Irish offense, as quarterback Tony Rice and company amassed 195 yards on 33 carries in the second half. [18] Junior fullback Anthony Johnson rushed for two of Notre Dame's seven TDs, while Tony Brooks and Rodney Culver also added touchdowns. He and Lou had been assistants, at different times, under Woody Hayes. Bo was, in 1988, in his 20th year as coach of the Maize and Blue and one of his specialties was not losing to the same team in consecutive years. [16] In the second quarter, The Irish continued to run the ball, with quarterback Tony Rice and running back Anthony Johnson both running for touchdowns. The Irish came into the game at 9-0 while Penn State was 5-5, on the verge of their first losing season in 50 years. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. Eight members of Notre Dames 1988 national. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Rice had a balanced backfield, including Mark Green and Tony Brooks. The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. They started slowly, driving for a 45 yard field goal by Billy Hackett. [1] The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31-30 upset of No. Then Rice threw a beautiful crossing pattern to Rocket Ismail for a 29 yard TD pass and a 23-3 lead. [13] Tony Rice scored on a 2-yard keeper to tie the game 7-7. [1] The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 3130 upset of No. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. [8] Michigan's Mike Gillette, who had given the Wolverines the lead with 5:34 left by kicking a 49-yard field goal, had one final chance to give Michigan the win, narrowly missing from 48 yards as the final gun sounded. We belonged on the same field with the mighty Canes. Join our linker program. During the pre-game warmups the Canes ran through the Notre Dame team and bumped into a number of Notre Dame players. /** * Error Protection API: WP_Paused_Extensions_Storage class * * @package * @since 5.2.0 */ /** * Core class used for storing paused extensions. 0. [16] Of main concern was Air Force's wishbone ground attack, which came into Notre Dame Stadium averaging 46 points and 432 rushing yards a game. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. The Official Athletic Site of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Or write about sports? The issue was still, technically, in doubt, but the Irish responded and early in the 4th quarter Rice found Frank Jacobs alone in the end zone for a TD pass. [11] The Irish improved to 3-0 while the Boilermakers dropped to 1-2 on the year. Lou was comfortable with his quarterback, Tony Rice. hot topic assistant manager job description; Tags . Notre Dame and USC entered the game undefeated and ranked number one and two respectively for the first time ever in their storied series. There are four former Notre Dame captains on the roster Green (1988), Becton (1994), DL Brian Hamilton (1994) and DL Melvin Dansby (1997). George Williams pressured Steve Walsh, and Pat Terrell easily batted the ball away from Leonard Conley. But Bo was having none ot it.. This season, in some fashion, Notre Dame will celebrate the Silver Anniversary of this team. [21] Five plays later, Notre Dame scored from Penn State's two. [11], Tony Rice rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a third to lead the Fighting Irish to a 42-14 blowout of Stanford. "Notre Dame 20, Michigan State 3". The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. The 1988 squad, one of 11 national title squads for the Irish, is considered to be one of the best undefeated teams in the history of college football. Visit ESPN to view the Notre Dame Fighting Irish team roster for the current season "We could have won the game," said Panther coach Mike Gottfried, "but we made just enough mistakes to lose it. All rights reserved. [11] The Irish exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, highlighted by a 54-yard Rice touchdown pass to Rocket Ismail. [13] The 30-20 victory in the rain did little to inspire confidence that Notre Dame could beat No. The 1988 went 12-0 and ranked No. Do you have a sports website? He knew the state, he knew the culture, he knew a little about the option. The Irish ran it out after the onside kick was recovered by South Bend Adams Anthony Johnson. [12] Rice scored runs of 30 yards and 6 yards while the Irish tailbacks added 3 other scores with touchdowns from Mark Green, Tony Brooks, and Anthony Johnson. [16] The flanker took the ball inside the Air Force 10 and battled his way just over the goal line late in the third quarter. His name was Joe Moore, and well, Joe did not take a lot of time to learn the Notre Dame culture. Moore got after it with vigor, right away, Camel dangling from his lips. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Or not. Collected 28 ground balls, recorded six draw controls and caused 24 turnovers. Harris injured his shoulder. Published by at June 13, 2022. Read more about our data coverage. [8], MSU threatened Notre Dame early with a 1st-quarter field goal, but that would be the only points of the day the Notre Dame defense would allow as the Irish downed MSU 20-3. Categories . [12] Freshman standout tight end Derek Brown added the Irish's sole passing touchdown in the 3rd quarter. The fake punt. Associated Press (1988-09-25). Terms & Conditions! [9] The star of the game was Notre Dame's defense, which held the Spartans to 89 yards rushing for the game. The University of Notre Dame was dubbed the "Catholics" and the University of Miami was dubbed as "the Convicts". People who had watched Miami come back in Ann Arbor for a 31-30 victory by overcoming a 30-14 deficit with 5 minutes to go, then suffered deja vu. [16] In at running back, Belles took a pitch from Tony Rice, stepped back to his right and threw to a wide open Ricky Watters. Pritchett earned second-team All-America honors in 88 while making 112 tackles. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Notre Dame is well known for being the Irish football team and also for the achievments the team has accomplished. [16] In the second quarter, The Irish continued to run the ball, with quarterback Tony Rice and running back Anthony Johnson both running for touchdowns. [16], Air Force opened the game with an impressive ground attack. Find out more. Eight members of Notre Dame's 1988 national championship football team including '88 tri-captain Mark Green and standout inside linebacker Wes Pritchett help comprise the list of 55 former Irish football players who will participate in Charity Bowl 2000. The Irish were methodical and inevitable. "We could have won the game," said Panther coach Mike Gottfried, "but we made just enough mistakes to lose it. [11] It was one of the worst losses by Purdue in the history of the series, and its worst loss since a 48-0 drubbing in 1970. [3][4][5], 13th ranked Notre Dame debuted its season against No. He was flanked by George Williams and rawboned Jeff Alm. On Wednesday, Freeman took his mother to the White House for a state dinner where they will meet President Joe Biden who was a 15 year veteran of the United States Senate in 1988. It seemed that destiny required this moment. The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Received Preseason All-America First Team honors by Inside Lacrosse. S3E4: Breaking Down Notre Dame Football Spring Position Battles, Notre Dame Football: Audric Estime Primed for Massive 2023 Season, Previewing the 2023 Notre Dame Running Backs Room, S3:E3: Notre Dame Football Has an OC and a Perception Problem, Ara Parseghian: Tribute To A Notre Dame Football Legend, #1 George Gipp: Notre Dame Footballs Top 25 Players, #2 Johnny Lujack: Notre Dame Footballs Top 25 Players. The former Irish players will travel to Hamburg, Germany, for a July 8 game against the Hamburg Blue Devils football club, at Volkspark Stadium. Holtz' long odyssey from West Virginia to Kent State to Ohio State to William and Mary to NC State to the Jets to Arkansas to Minnesota had wound up in South Bend, and the National Championship . The game was living up to the buildup. Air Force came in to South Bend and the offense, relishing the opportunity to play against a defense less stellar than the Canes, rolled easily and won 41-13. [12], Notre Dame, a loser to Pittsburgh three years in a row, narrowly avoided another such upset as the Irish improved to 5-0 on the season. [16] One of the highlights was a 50-yard halfback pass late in the third quarter thrown by 3rd-string quarterback Steve Belles. [7] Lou Holtz's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown. And Lou had hired a new Offensive Line Coach. [17] "We couldn't control the line of scrimmage," Holtz said after the victory. He was big, elusive and could reset and throw the ball the few times he was flushed from the pocket. [23] The USC Trojans were having a great season under head coach Larry Smith and standout quarterback Rodney Peete. Rice seemed to be improving as a passer. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. [21] Ismail was so wide open, he scored even though he had to wait for Rice's underthrown pass. Alvarez thought not only that the move would not be problematic, but also that either or both might be playmakers. [21] In the second quarter, Notre Dame drove 60 yards in five plays to go ahead, 14-0. The roster, scoring and goaltender statistics for the 1988-89 Notre Dame playing in the NCAA. The game will benefit Kinder Helfen Kindern (Kids Helping Kids), as well as a charity designated by the Notre Dame alumni players. Brown 11-yard pass from Walsh (pass failed), Smagala 64-yard interception return (kick failed), This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 14:48. [11] Notre Dame scored early and often, starting with a 38-yard Rice option run for a touchdown. Find out more. The Official Athletic Site of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Associated Press (1988-11-06). Notre Dame and USC entered the game undefeated and ranked number one and two respectively for the first time ever in their storied series. Nevertheless the schedule looked daunting. The large run was the result of a failed Panther blitz attempt. [7] Lou Holtz's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown. 1987 had ended with the taste of ashes. [11] Tailback Mark Green added a 7-yard touchdown run and Ricky Watters returned a punt 66 yards for a score. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Miami had lost only one game, an upset to Penn State in Tempe, since Johnsons second year. Rice ran in the two point conversions and it was a clinching 34-13. 16-0. [13] Notre Dame answered back with a 52-yard Tony Brooks run to the 2-yard line. [9] 156 yards came on 19 carries in the third quarter alone. Others from the 88 championship roster headed to Hamburg are FL/TB Steve Belles, FL Pat Eilers, DL Bryan Flannery, DL Andre Jones, DL George Marshall and DB Brandy Wells. 25 years ago. 2023 The University of Notre Dame. Fighting Irish. [11] Coach Lou Holtz used three separate quarterbacks in the second quarter and four total in the game. While it would start out 0-2, the two losses would be to Notre Dame and Miami,and the Wolverines would not lose again, including a season-ending Rose Bowl win over USC. He knew how Nehlen and the Mountaineers would come at him. Browner and Bradley had, Bobby Taylor later did, and yes, Virginia, Ron Powlus, pre-collarbone injury, would in the next decade.. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl . We weren't good enough to beat them inside. Nevertheless, the squad rushed out, touched the sign, exited the tunnel. [13] The Panthers made a number of critical mistakes that led the Panthers to believe they did more to lose the game more than Notre Dame did to win it. [13], The critical moment of the game came in the second half, when late into the fourth quarter the Irish were clinging to a 23-20 lead when the Panthers forced the Irish into a 4th and long from their own 23-yard line. Associated Press (1988-10-02). Todd Lyght was an All-America candidate at cornerback. Miami always came alive on the road trying to get in the first intimidation and pushing the home fans back in their seats. The offensive line was responding, in a fashion, to Joe Moore. With 45 seconds left, as he had for Miamis first score, Walsh hit Andre Brown for an 11 yard touchdown Notre Dame 31, Miami 30. Read more about our data coverage. Template:College Football National Champion navbox. "Undefeated Irish Avert an Upset". We're not a very good team right now. American Football Database is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Everyones eyes turned to October 15, 1988. Die Hard was the top movie in 1988 and Los Angelenos thought the Coliseum was Nakitomi Plaza, that Larry Smith was Bruce Willis John McClain and that Lou Holtz would wind up like Hans Gruber.. Objective Keith Jackson was calling the game. [21] Rice set up the score with another pass to Watters - a 27-yard play that moved the ball to Penn State's 33-yard line. The Mountaineers got their first score, but a mere 29 yard field goal. The other good news was that the Pitt outing would not leave the Irish overconfident for Miami. The most comprehensive coverage of The Fighting Irish Football roster, schedule game summaries, scores, highlights on the web. [12] Despite the lopsided score, Stanford did mount two of the longest scoring drives against the Irish to date, with a 68-yard drive by quarterback Brian Johnson and a 73-yard drive by back-up quarterback Jason Palumbis. The rout was on! In the third quarter Rice tossed a 67 yarder to Ismail, and the final margin was 21-3. Chris Zorich, from CVS right there on the Chicago Skyway, having lifted weights (lots of them) and gotten acclimated as a freshman in 87, was ready to go at Nose Guard. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. The glum Trojan faithful exited and headed to Julies to drown their national championship sorrow. With a fourth and three at his own 46, Johnson went to an old standby, the fake punt. The game clock seemed as gooey and gelatinous as Dalis famous clock. ed bicknell wife; can i take melatonin during colonoscopy prep notre dame football roster 1988. The Irish were 10-0, and so were the USC Trojans, Pac-X Champions , Rose Bowl bound, who had ridden Rodney Peetes arm to outscore opponents 346-135. Stirring victories over Michigan, SC and Alabama raised hopes that were dashed in annoying season ending losses to Penn Stae in the cold of State College, to the Miami Hurricanes by shutout in the sunny Orange Bowl, and then to Texas A&M in the cloudy Cotton Bowl. Record: 12-0 (1st of 105) (Schedule & Results), Bowl Game: Won Fiesta Bowl 34-21 versus West Virginia. [7][22] In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10-0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, whom he suspended for disciplinary reasons. Notre Dame got started early, scoring on their first possession, an 87-yard on 12 play drive. [16] In the end, the Irish defense held the explosive Falcons to 54 yards rushing in the second half and 195 for the game, 237 yards below its season average. [21] On second-and-5 from Penn State's 48-yard line, Tony Rice threw a 17-yard pass to Ricky Watters, who was wide open 15 yards downfield. The Irish continued to work through the schedule with a month to go before the third head of the three headed monster on the regular season schedule, (USC, in the Coliseum, following Michigan and Miami). [9] Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries. 1988. [12] Rice completed 11 of 14 passes for 129 yards and rushed for 107 yards. In the fourth quarter after another Irish touchdown, Rice blocked the extra point, and Billy Stone took it into the Notre Dameend zone for 2 points, the first such defensive conversion for two in NCAA history. We feel fortunate to win. Moment of truth. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Pretty cool . Also participating are DL Alton Maiden, DL George Marshall, LB Karl McGill, DB Mark Monahan, RB Emmett Mosley, LB Jeremy Nau, OL Brendan OConnor, P Scott Palumbo, OL Mike Perrino, OL Ron Plantz, DB Stephen Pope, LB Jeremy Sample, LB Jack Shields, RB Chris Smith, DL Darnell Smith, OL Jon Spickelmier, WR Charles Stafford and OL Greg Stec. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. 1 Miami 31-30", "25 years of college football's memorable games", "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Unbeaten Notre Dame Posts 7th Victory", "2006 USC Media Guide: USC Football History", "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Lou Holtz of Notre Dame Raps the Gavel Again", "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 165)", "Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coaching Awards", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1988_Notre_Dame_Fighting_Irish_football_team&oldid=1149805683, Stonebreaker 39 yard interception return (Ho kick), Brooks 34-yard pass from Belles (Ho kick), C. Williams 10-yard pass from Fox (Sullivan kick), A. We're not a very good team right now. [16] Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis took his team inside the Irish 20 on the game's first offensive drive. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. All players listed played for the 1988 team. Lous way or the highway! [11] Purdue's lone touchdown was a fourth quarter 7-yard pass from Brian Fox to Calvin Williams. Notre Dame 52-Purdue 7, embarassing both the Boilers and the besotted Illuminati. [16] Coach Holtz admitted he was scared all week of a potential upset of his young Notre Dame squad. Lou felt comfortable with what Alvarez was building on the defensive side of the ball. [17] One positive Lou Holtz saw was the play of the defense. West Virginia had had a magical unbeaten season under Don Nehlen. But Lou Holtz went back to work with a vengeance in the Spring. -. Notre Dame. 1 Miami the following week. Ho notched his third field goal early in the fourth quarter and the Irish led 16-14.. [11] Tony Rice's first passing touchdown on the year was an 8-yarder to freshman tight end Derek Brown. It was the first big game on the campus since the 1980 Michigan game and would be for the pole position in the polls. "Notre Dame 54, Rice 11". [16] Air Force answered before the end of the half with a touchdown to cut Notre Dame's lead to just seven points. In the second half, running back Mark Green added the final touchdown of the day(aided by a key 22-yard gain on a 3rd down screen play by Anthony Johnson) to help defeat the Trojans. [7] Holtz was named national coach of the year for taking the Irish squad from an 8-4 record the previous year to national title winners the following year. Then came the play that caused the biggest eruption in Notre Dame Stadium since the green jersey entry of 77. [13] Notre Dame answered back with a 52-yard Tony Brooks run to the 2-yard line. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! The option was the offensive style, and Notre Dame had a powerful running attack. Here we celebrate the Silver Anniversary team, Holtz champions of the 1988 season. WVU scored late for the 34-21 final. A let down was not in the cards. 2 in college football history. Later in the quarter the Irish marched to the USC goal line and Mark Green punched it in for the 14-0 lead. [16] Holtz's fears seemed to be valid during the rain in the first half as Notre Dame only held a 7-point lead at the half. [2] The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football. George Streeter started at safety opposite converted receiver Pat Terrell, with Corny Southall the lead backup. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC.
