Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 19, 2022 13 75 Years Ago: Nov. 22, 1947 For the first time in 26 years, No. 1-ranked Notre Dame scored 5 touchdowns in one quarter while jumping to a 32-0 first-quarter lead against SEC member Tulane (who would be the league champ two years later) en route to 59-6 victory. It would be the largest margin of victory under head coach Frank Leahy in his 11 seasons at Notre Dame — except Leahy is not at the game while recovering from an illness. Acting head coach Ed "Moose" Krause saw Tulane lose two fumbles off kickoffs in the first quarter. Halfbacks Emil Sitko and Terry Brennan scored twice apiece, while Bill Gompers added a 37-yard scoring run within the game's initial 15 minutes. The final Irish touchdown late in the game was tallied by fifth-team halfback Jim Brennan, Terry's brother. The Irish would not surpass this single quarter point total until 49 years later on Nov. 16, 1996, when it would rack up 40 second-quarter points in a 60-6 victory at home versus Pitt. 45 Years Ago: Nov. 19, 1977 After a 49-0 victory versus Air Force in the home finale, No. 6 Notre Dame accepted an invitation to play No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2, 1978. For the third time in nine seasons, the Fighting Irish would face a No. 1 Longhorns team in Dallas. Both 10-0 Texas and 9-1 Notre Dame have one more regular-sea- son game remaining on the road — the Longhorns at Texas A&M and the Irish at Miami — so it was not assured yet that the game would be for the national title. In the win over the Falcons, running back Vagas Ferguson scored 3 touchdowns, includ- ing 56 yards on Notre Dame's first play from scrimmage, while Joe Montana completed 11 of 15 passes for 172 yards with a touchdown to Kris Haines. 10 Years Ago: Nov. 24, 2012 No. 1-ranked Notre Dame clinched a berth in the BCS Na- tional Championship Game to be played Jan. 7, 2013, with a 22-13 victory at USC, and joined the 1988 and 1989 juggernauts as the only Irish teams to reach 12 victories. Kyle Brindza tied a school record with 5 field goals converted, highlighted by a career-long 52-yarder to end the first half. Running back Theo Riddick carried 20 times for 146 yards and the team's lone touchdown, linebacker Manti Te'o recorded his amazing sev- enth interception of the season, and the nation's No. 1 defense made a late goal line stand to douse any final hope by the Trojans, who finished the regular season 7-5. The victory continued a remarkable 24-year pat- tern of the Irish coming out of nowhere to vie to a title. In 1964, following a 34-45 run from 1956-63 (including 2-7 in 1963), first-year head coach Ara Parseghian led the Irish to No. 1 before a last-minute loss in the finale at USC. Twenty-four years later, after a seven-year run of 43-36-1 and losing a minimum of four games each time, third-year head coach Lou Holtz led a 12-0 national title campaign. And in 2012, 24 years later again, after five straight five-loss seasons, third-year head coach Brian Kelly guided a remarkable 12-0 finish in the regular season. Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Nov. 19-25 UNDER THE DOME Running back Theo Riddick rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown in a 22-13 win over USC to help Notre Dame clinch a berth in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA An officially licensed Notre Dame children's book. The perfect gift for Notre Dame alumni, families, and fans of all things Irish! INSPIRED BY Mike Brown '01 ORDER NOW! www.LepGameDay.com