Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2019 53 the defense helped limit Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell to 116 yards on 29 tough carries. Jan. 1, 1979: Miracle On Ice Notre Dame staged its greatest comeback ever to defeat 9-2 Houston, 35-34, and finish No. 7 in the country versus the No. 1-ranked schedule. On the eve of the contest, the city was hit with its worst ice storm in de- cades. Game-time temperature was 20 degrees with a wind chill of minus-7 degrees. With 7:25 left and Houston lead- ing 34-12, the turning point occurred when freshman Tony Belden blocked a Cougars punt and classmate Steve Cichy caught it and raced for a 33- yard touchdown. After sitting out most of the second half because of low body tempera- ture, Irish quarterback Joe Montana returned to steer two more touch- down drives and two two-point con- versions. An eight-yard touchdown pass to Kris Haines as time expired knotted the score at 34. With starting kicker Chuck Male sidelined because of an injury, backup Joe Unis, a Dallas na- tive, kicked the extra point — only to see the Irish penalized for being offside. He kicked it again from five yards back for the final margin. Jan. 1, 1993: Wrecked Crew In the second half, Notre Dame used a methodical ground game with tailback Reggie Brooks (115 rushing yards), fullback Jerome Bettis (75 rush- ing yards, three touchdowns, one on a pass reception) and even quarterback Rick Mirer (55 yards) to wear down 12-0 Texas A&M's vaunted Wrecking Crew defense orchestrated by coordi- nator Bob Davie, who would be Notre Dame's head coach from 1997-2001. Notre Dame finished 10-1-1 and No. 4 in the country with a seven-game winning streak after the resounding 28-3 conquest. "I think this is the best team in the country right now," Holtz said after- wards. "This is as good as any team I've coached, and that includes the 1988-89 teams [that won a school-re- cord 23 straight games]." Jan. 1, 1994: Champions Without A Crown Rallying from a 21-14 second-half deficit, Notre Dame emerged with a 24-21 victory versus 10-1 Texas A&M on Kevin Pendergast's 31-yard field goal with 1:38 left, plus a defensive stand afterwards. Alas, despite defeating national champion Florida State Nov. 13, the 11-1 Irish finished No. 2 to the Semi- noles, who defeated 11-0 Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl. At the end of the Orange Bowl, Notre Dame had believed it would be awarded the national title, or at worst gain a split. Twenty-four years later, another op- portunity for such glory is to be had in the Cotton Bowl. ✦ Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One of a Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectables in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM MEMORABILIA TICKETS NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 PERSONALS Call 877-630-8768 to advertise M A R K E T P L A C E PRAYER TO THE BLESSED MOTHER - (Nev- er known to fail) Oh, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heav- en. Blessed Mother of the Son of God; Immacu- late Virgin, assist me in this necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my ne- cessity. There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands. (3 times). Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands. (3 times). Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. Amen. This prayer must be said for 3 days and after 3 days your request will be granted and the prayer must be published. Thank you. H.A.T. BOWL GAME Tickets & Packages 2019 Tickets Now On Sale 800-925-2500 www.notredametickets.com Different Venue, Same Prestige From 1937-2009, the Cotton Bowl was held in Dallas at, appropriately enough, Cotton Bowl Stadium. Since 2010, though, it has been based at Arlington, Texas, in AT&T Stadium. Notre Dame's lone appearance there was a 37-34 victory versus No. 22 Arizona State in the Shamrock Series on Oct. 5, 2013. One element that remains familiar is that with its 13-0 record, Clemson will be the fifth opponent Notre Dame has faced in the Cotton Bowl Classic that entered the game unbeaten. The Irish are 3-1 in such outings. Including Clemson this year, Notre Dame's eight foes in the Cotton Bowl entered with a combined record of 84-5 (.944 winning percentage). — Lou Somogyi Running back Lee Becton and his 1993 team- mates defeated Texas A&M in the 1994 Cotton Bowl, the school's most recent major bowl win. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA