Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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the fifth quarter lou somogyi victory in three years. It's getting to be a "program" with its 35‑5 record the past three years (same as Alabama). Can Notre Dame continue such consistency for the long haul now that Kelly did so well in the always crucial third-season acid test for Fighting Irish head coaches? Prior to 2012, the last three times Notre Dame won at least 10 games, the drop was precipitous. • From 11-1 in 1993 to 6-5-1 in 1994. It marked the downward slope under Holtz. • From 10-3 in 2002 to 5-7 in 2003. The "Return to Glory" celebration under first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham in '02 was the epitome of fool's gold. • From 10-3 in 2006 to 3-9 in 2007. This could be anticipated amid the poor recruiting in 2004 and 2005, but a stronger infrastructure still could have stolen six wins. The Fighting Irish are too far along in 2013 to have such an egregious fallback, but they must still demonstrate that last year was not an aberration. To do that you have to not only get to the BCS but also win those type of showdowns the way other Irish programs did. Coming off a 1973 national title, Notre Dame's 1974 edition lost half of its starters either to graduation, injuries or suspension — yet it was playing for a spot in the national title on the last day of the regular season. It finished No. 6 after defeating 11‑0 Alabama in the Orange Bowl. The 1978 Irish graduated six of their seven All-Americans from the 1977 national champs, yet while playing the nation's toughest schedule still finished No. 7 and won a major bowl. The defending national champs from 1988 graduated two consensus All-Americans, lost three other stars to suspension, faced the nation's No. 1 schedule, but still finished No. 2 with a 12-1 record. The 1992 team lost a plethora of stars, including the NFL's No. 2 pick at quarterback (Rick Mirer), the No. 10 overall selection (Jerome Bettis) and the game-breaking tailback who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting (Reggie Brooks), plus the distraction of "The Book" (Under The Tarnished Dome) was looming. Notre Dame finished 11-1 and a controversial No. 2. It was still a "program" then. Since January, there has been plenty of hand-wringing about all that Notre Dame has lost: The leaders of each position unit on defense, most notably consensus All-American Manti Te'o; four of the top six receivers, including first-round pick Tyler Eifert; the top two rushers, Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood; and the blindside hit with Golson. Such setbacks might make one believe the days of 8-4 or 7-5 might return, just like they have in recent years after "teaser" seasons. Or it's an opportunity where Notre Dame doesn't flinch as a program. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com