Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/114977
Under the Dome With the teams evenly divided up talent-wise, the Gold team with a backfield of tailback Tony Brooks, fullback Braxston Banks and quarterbacks Steve Belles/Kent Graham defeats the Blue team whose backfield is led by quarterback Tony Rice, fullback Anthony Johnson and tailback Mark Green, 27-9. The Gold also features Ricky Watters, shifted from tailback to flanker while Brooks and Green handle tailback. Watters scores the game���s first touchdown on a nine-yard pass from Graham. However, minutes later Graham throws an interception that safety Greg Davis returns for a 22-yard touchdown ��� the lone touchdown by the Blue team. Rice completes only 6 of 19 passes and throws two interceptions in the losing effort. In five scrimmages, Rice completes only 36.3 percent of his 77 passes, raising questions about whether third-year head coach Lou Holtz���s option offense can raise the Irish from a 43-36-1 record the past seven years ��� including losing the last three in 1987 by a combined 80-30 score. 20 Years Ago: April 24, 1993 In one of the most competitive Blue-Gold Games, senior quarterback Kevin McDougal is named Offensive MVP after he rallies his Blue team from a 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit to a 2117 victory over the Gold team quarterbacked by Paul Failla. McDougal finishes 16-of-26 passing for 260 yards with two touchdowns. He completes the 30yard game winner to Clint Johnson with 5:34 left. Head coach Lou Holtz refuses to name a starting quarterback, referring more to the McDougal/ Failla tandem as ���1 and 1-A.��� Popular opinion has incoming freshman Ron Powlus, the National Player of the Year, as the probable heir to graduated three-year starter Rick Mirer. The day after the game, Mirer is the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft (behind Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe), and three other Notre Dame players are taken with the first 20 picks: junior fullback Jerome Bettis (10th), junior cornerback Tom Carter (17th) and tight end Irv Smith (20th). Inside linebacker Demetrius DuBose and running back Reggie Brooks ��� fifth in the 1992 Heisman balloting ��� are selected in the second round. In all, six Notre Dame players are selected within the first 45 picks. ��� Lou Somogyi ������Gimme Five The Big East basketball conference, which began in 1979, will have its last hurrah this spring. Charter member Syracuse and Pittsburgh (joined in 1982) will begin competition in the ACC during the 2013-14 school year, while another charter member, Connecticut, will try to find a new home. West Virginia joined the Big 12, Rutgers the Big Ten and Louisville the ACC. Notre Dame, which entered the Big East during the 1995-96 academic year, will begin ACC competition in its Olympic sports beginning in 2013-14. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey quietly established himself as one of the league���s most consistent coaches. Entering the Big East Tournament this March, Brey had moved into fourth place for most league victories. The other four in the top five are already in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Rk. Coach, School Big East Record Pct. 1. Jim Boeheim, SU 412-219 .653 2. Jim Calhoun, UC 309-181 .631 3. John Thompson, GU 231-123 .653 4. Mike Brey, ND 143-95 .601 5. Lou Carnesecca, SJU 139-80 .635