Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2021 15 UNDER THE DOME 50 Years Ago: Sept. 4, 1971 Sports Illustrated's preseason college football preview has Notre Dame No. 1, despite the graduation of Heisman Trophy runner-up Joe Theismann at quarterback. The reason is that 16 of 22 starters on offense and defense return — led by an impregnable front four with Walt Patulski, Mike Kadish, Greg Marx and Fred Swendsen — from the previous year's 10-1 team that finished No. 2 af- ter ending Texas' 30-game winning streak in the Cotton Bowl. At quarterback, head coach Ara Parseghian has four candidates: senior Bill Etter, juniors Pat Steenberge and Jim Bulger, and sophomore Cliff Brown. "There is no need to choose until the Friday night before the first game," Parseghian said. "There's no problem having two quarterbacks work with the first unit." 45 Years Ago: Sept. 1, 1976 Ten days prior to the season opener against No. 9 Pitt, junior backup quar- terback Joe Montana — who helped rally Notre Dame to three comeback victories off the bench in 1975 — separates his right shoulder during practice, which ends up sidelining him all year. The injury occurs against the No. 1 de- fense when Montana turns back to avoid a hard-charging Ross Browner, but he is then crushed from the blind side by the other end, Willie Fry. "I feel bad for Joe," second-year Irish head coach Dan Devine said. "He was just starting to come along." 30 Years Ago: Sept. 7, 1991 In Notre Dame's first game under the NBC contract which gives the network exclusive rights to home contests, the Fighting Irish roll up 578 yards total offense (327 rushing and 251 passing) in 90-degree heat to defeat Indiana 49-27. The top highlight is a 58-yard touchdown connection between junior quarterback Rick Mirer and junior tight end Irv Smith, both future first-round picks, to up the lead to 42-20. Smith was hit at the Indiana 25, but dragged one Hoosier defender the final 20 yards, and two more over the final few yards, to score. 25 Years Ago: Sept. 5, 1996 In its most recent Thursday night game, No. 6 Notre Dame overcomes seven fumbles (four lost) to post a 14-7 win at Vanderbilt. The Commodores total only 126 yards of offense, but 59 came on a touch- down pass with 11:16 left to take a 7-6 lead. The Irish respond with a 75-yard march that takes 14 plays and is capped by a three-yard TD run by fullback Marc Edwards. Quarterback Ron Powlus completes all five passes for 61 yards, most notably an 18-yard connection to Malcolm Johnson on third-and-14 from his 42-yard line. 10 Years Ago: Sept. 3, 2011 In maybe the most surreal game ever at Notre Dame Stadium, first-time opponent South Florida — coached by Skip Holtz, son of Notre Dame icon Lou Holtz — emerges with a stunning 23-20 victory. The game lasts a record five hours and 59 minutes because Notre Dame Stadium is evacuated twice due to storms and lightning. The Irish commit five turnovers to USF's zero and on four occasions Notre Dame fails to score from the red zone — three of them inside the Bulls' 10-yard line (and two inside the 5). The first is on the opening series when a fumble by senior running back Jonas Gray is returned for a 96-yard touchdown to help propel USF to a 16-0 halftime lead. "Today was probably the strangest game anybody has ever been a part of," said Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees, who replaced starter Dayne Crist in the second half and completed 24 of 34 passes for 296 yards with two scores. Five Years Ago: Sept. 4, 2016 In front of a Texas-record crowd of 102,315, No. 10 Notre Dame rallies from a 17-point second-half deficit only to lose 50-47 in double overtime at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns built a 31-14 lead six minutes into the third quarter, only to see the Fighting Irish reel off 21 unanswered points to take a 35-31 early in the fourth quarter. Texas responded with a long touchdown drive, but Notre Dame's Jarron Jones blocked the point-after attempt and it was returned 98 yards for two points by sophomore Shaun Crawford to tie the game at 37-37 and set the stage for overtime. The last time that the Irish scored on a blocked extra point attempt occurred on Sept. 23, 1995, also against Texas when Dallas native Allen Rossum scored from 98 yards out. After trading touchdowns with the Irish, the Longhorns limited Notre Dame to a field goal and went on to score the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime. Senior backup quarterback Tyrone Swoopes — the same player that finished just 7-of-22 passing for 93 yards in a 38-3 loss to the Irish in South Bend the previous season — ran for a six-yard touchdown to lift the Longhorns to a dramatic win. "I'm proud of the resiliency they showed on the road down 17 points in the second half," Irish head coach Brian Kelly said after the game. "That's something that we can really build on." Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Sept. 1-7 Shaun Crawford's 98-yard return off a blocked extra point attempt at Texas in 2016 helped Notre Dame send the game into overtime, but the Irish eventually fell 50-47 to the Longhorns. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS