Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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62 NOV. 7, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED E very time over the past 25 years when Notre Dame has faced a mega-opponent — such as Clemson this Nov. 7 — I have used an admittedly unsuitable phrase on why the Fighting Irish could or even should win: "They're due." Since 2005, it's even been amended to "they're overdue." Either way, it's inappropriate be- cause it speaks to entitlement rather than merit (or in many cases, an ap- preciable disparity in personnel). Still, it was a remnant of my child- hood and young adult years from 1970-89 while immersed in Fighting Irish football and basketball fortunes. The opportunities such as the one with Clemson almost seemed like an- nual events back then, with the good guys in the Blue and Gold coming out on top more often than not. In an extraordinary 20-year stretch from 1970-89, Notre Dame's football team vanquished a No. 1-ranked op- ponent seven times (I include 11-0 Ala- bama in the 1975 Orange Bowl because 11-0 Oklahoma was on probation), and so did the men's basketball program. It almost felt like a Fighting Irish birth- right to regularly play and win such matchups while on national television. On three of those occasions, it re- sulted in a football national title with triumphs against No. 1 Alabama in the 1973 Sugar Bowl, No. 1 Texas in the 1978 Cotton Bowl and No. 1 Mi- ami during the 1988 regular season. In basketball, it was highlighted by snapping UCLA's NCAA-record 88- game winning streak in 1974 while scoring the game's last 12 points in the final 3:22 for a 71-70 victory. It was an era where "God Made Notre Dame No. 1" bumper stickers were not only popular, you actually began to believe it might be true. If an opponent from that time was ranked No. 1 or had a long winning streak and then had to face Notre Dame, it was most of the time the death knell for that foe. However, in the 20 years from 1990-2009, it occurred only once in football, a 31-24 conquest of Florida State on Nov. 13, 1993, elevating the Irish program to No. 1 for one week. I've often referred to it as a "last hurrah" of a bygone era. What it has come to is the near upsets of No. 1 Nebraska in 2000 (a 27-24 loss in overtime) and No. 1 USC in 2005 (an 11th-hour 34-31 defeat) may actually have been the most fa- mous moments during the football team's "Lost Decade" from 2000-09. With the arrival of Brian Kelly in 2010, there have been pockets of le- gitimate contention, which became dimmed by sobering defeats to the current version of "The Big Three": Alabama (42-14 to conclude 2012), Clemson (30-3 in the 2018 College Football Playoff) and Ohio State (44-28 in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl). Since 2017, Notre Dame is a laud- able 39-6 (.867), but there still have been no conquests of a team that fin- ished in the Associated Press top 10. Contrast that to the three years from 1988-90, when the 33-4 Irish defeated 10 — count 'em 10 — that placed in the final top 10. Consequently, this Clemson game takes me back to October 1973, when 5-0 Notre Dame was preparing to confront top nemesis USC, the reign- ing national champ with a 23-game unbeaten string. The five Irish wins entering the contest were against opponents who were a combined 7-21 — similar to the 9-22 record of the 2020 opponents Notre Dame defeated in the first five contests this season (not even yet in- cluding 2-4 Georgia Tech last week). What I remembered back then was how 10th-year head coach Ara Par- seghian was constantly referred to by so many as unable to win "the big one" — from the 1966 tie at No. 2 Michigan State through not defeating USC six straight years from 1967-72. Rapture was found with that 23-14 victory over USC in 1973, and it pro- pelled the national title achieved later that season. The main criticism of the 11-year Kelly regime, along with the lack of developing a transcendent quarter- back, is mostly faltering in grand- stage moments. Even now against Clemson, the moment might be miti- gated because of quarterback Trevor Lawrence testing positive for CO- VID-19, making his status uncertain. If the Irish win without facing Lawrence, it becomes downplayed. If they win even with Lawrence in the lineup, it becomes, "Yeah, but he was recovering, and just wait until Dec. 19." And if they lose, then they get ridiculed for missing out on a golden opportunity. Make no mistake, any Irish victory here will be earned and worthy of adulation. A team can only do what it can on the field without feeling it's due, even after paying plenty of dues. ✦ It's What You Do, Not When You're Due THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com Brian Kelly's Notre Dame team must earn it on the field against Dabo Swinney's top-ranked Clemson squad when the two schools square off Nov. 7. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA