Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 25, 2021 15 55 Years Ago: Sept. 24, 1966 Sophomores Terry Hanratty and Jim Seymour put on the greatest passing exhibition in school history during their initial game in a Notre Dame uniform. During No. 6 Notre Dame's 26-14 win over No. 8 Purdue, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Bob Griese at quarterback, Hanratty completes 16 of 24 passes for 303 yards, with Seymour snar- ing 13 for 276 yards that includes 84-, 39- and seven-yard touchdowns. Only four other times since then has a Notre Dame player eclipsed 200 receiving yards in a game, with Golden Tate the most recent (244 versus Washington in 2009). Purdue tallies first on a 94-yard fumble return by Leroy Keyes (the 1968 Heisman runner-up), but Notre Dame answers with Nick Eddy return- ing the ensuing kickoff for a 96-yard score and Hanratty-Seymour connecting on the 84-yard tally. 50 Years Ago: Sept. 25, 1971 Head coach Ara Parseghian wins for the first time in five tries at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium with "The Genuflect Play" in No. 2 Note Dame's 8-7 comeback victory. Trailing 7-0 with 2:58 left in a monsoon, Notre Dame cornerback Clarence Ellis blindsides the Purdue punter who picks up his fumbled snap in the end zone, forcing another fumble that defensive end Fred Swendsen recovers for a touchdown. Parseghian then calls for the two-point conver- sion in which tight end Mike Creaney falls to one knee at the line of scrimmage (hence, genuflecting) while playing possum, allowing the rush to come in. He then sneaks into the end zone while quarter- back Pat Steenberge, under heavy duress, lofts the pass to a wide-open Creaney for the two points. 15 Years Ago: Sept. 23, 2006 In a downpour at East Lansing, No. 11 Notre Dame falls behind 17-0 in the first quarter at Michigan State and still trails 37-21 with just more than eight minutes left in the contest at East Lansing. Within a span of six minutes quarter- back Brady Quinn finds wide receivers Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight on 43- and 14-yard scores, and cornerback Terrail Lambert returns a Drew Stanton interception toss for a 27-yard tally. An- other interception by Lambert on MSU's final drive seals the 40-37 victory. It is the largest margin the Irish rally from in the fourth quarter since trailing by an almost similar 37-20 score at USC in 1986 before winning 38-37. 10 Years Ago: Sept. 24, 2011 Sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees directs an 11-play, 85-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter to lead Notre Dame to a 15-12 victory at Pittsburgh. Rees struggled prior to that drive, completing just 15 of 32 passes for 135 yards with an inter- ception, but went 8 of 8 for 74 yards and the game-winning six-yard score to junior Tyler Eifert with 6:48 remaining in the game. Rees connects with Eifert four times for 34 yards on the drive, and then finds him again for the two-point conversion that gives the Irish a three-point lead. Eifert finishes with a career- high eight receptions for 75 yards. Pitt has one last chance and drives to the Notre Dame 40 before going backward. Freshman de- fensive end Aaron Lynch sacks Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri on first down and then sophomore linebacker Prince Shembo notches Notre Dame's fifth and final sack on third down, setting the Panthers up with a fourth-and-26 that they are unable to convert. Notre Dame's other touchdown comes on a 79-yard run by senior running back Jonas Gray in the second quarter. However, it takes Rees' heroics for the Irish to overcome eight penalties and two costly turnovers. "He's growing up and seeing some things," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said of Rees after the game. "There were some new looks for him that he had not seen before that we had to adjust. And after Tommy sees it, he gets much more comfortable." Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Sept. 22-28 Sophomore Jim Seymour hauled in 13 receptions for 276 yards and three touchdowns in his first game in an Irish uniform to help No. 6 Notre Dame top No. 8 Purdue 26-14. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS UNDER THE DOME DID YOU KNOW... Your home address will be automatically changed to the mailing address on file with the US Postal Service? ALL addresses are cross-referenced with the USPS National Change of Address database. It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP. Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? Most forwarding requests expire in 60 days and DO NOT always include periodical mail. Issues are discarded at their discretion. You should call your local post office to verify your delivery address? Don't assume the post office knows your vacation or moving schedule. AVOID COSTLY DELAYS & REPLACEMENTS! Blue & Gold Illustrated Customer Service: 1–800–421–7751 We are happy to assist, but due to privacy laws all postal address changes must be completed by you.