Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 13, 2021 53 one series, freshman Martin tackled Davis on consecutive plays for losses totaling 17 yards. There were 10 turnovers total, six by Notre Dame and four by Army. And an- other six times, the teams turned the ball over on downs, Army four times and Notre Dame twice. Army had a great scoring chance early, recovering an Irish fumble at the Notre Dame 23-yard-line. But the Irish stiffened and stopped Blanchard's rushes on third and fourth downs. In the second quarter, Notre Dame drove from its 12-yard-line 86 yards to the Army 4-yard line, but was stopped short by a fourth-down penalty. The second half was an even tighter defensive duel, with neither team penetrat- ing the other's 20-yard line. Army's Arnold Tucker made the second of his three inter- ceptions to stop a promising Notre Dame drive. Then, on the next play, Blanchard got loose and raced down the sideline to- ward a likely score when Lujack came out of nowhere to make a touchdown-saving shoestring tackle. The drive ended when Brennan picked off an Army pass at the Notre Dame 10-yard line. Leahy accurately summed up the after- noon as "a terrific battle of defenses." Army retained its No. 1 AP ranking and thumped No. 5 Penn the next week in Phil- adelphia. In its finale, though, it struggled with a woeful 1-7 Navy squad, barely nip- ping the Middies (21-18). Notre Dame, meanwhile, blanked Northwestern (27-0) and Tulane (41-0), then traveled west and throttled No. 16 Southern Cal (26-6) to finish 8-0-1. Both teams could make a valid claim for the top spot in the polls. Army had beaten three teams that finished in the top 20 — Michigan, Penn and Oklahoma — but its strength of schedule was offset somewhat with wins over Villanova, Cornell and Columbia. Notre Dame was more impressive in its victories, with an average score of 34-3 (against 29-9 for Army). The Irish were dominant in what we today would call "the eye test" and edged the Cadets in the final polling, denying Army its third straight national title, and giving Leahy his second in four seasons as Irish head coach. He would add to that list in 1947 and 1949. ✦ Your book order supports the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. Order autographed and inscribed books at www.RockneSociety.org/Shop Get the full story on these iconic Notre Dame figures These books make great gi s for any Notre Dame fan "A must-read real jewel… wonderfully researched and detailed." --SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE "The defini ve piece on this American hero." --COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards Coach For A Na on: The Life and Times of Knute Rockne Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com Head coach Frank Leahy led the Irish to national championships immediately before (1943) and after (1946) he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS