Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 2, 2023 15 UNDER THE DOME 45 Years Ago: Sept. 9, 1978 The defending national champion Fighting Irish were stunned in their home opener by Missouri, 3-0, in 94-degree weather. It was the first shutout of Notre Dame since a 0-0 tie at Miami 13 years earlier, a string of 132 games. Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Montana com- pleted only 4 of 17 passes in the first half with 1 interception and also had 2 fumbles. In the second half, No. 5 Notre Dame drove down to the Tigers' 11-, 1-, 4-, 28- and 25-yard lines — but came up empty on all five possessions. A lost fumble, three missed fourth-down opportunities (two on fourth-and-1) and a mishandled snap on a 32-yard field goal attempt kept the offense off the board, while a fourth-quarter field goal by Missouri spelled the difference. Notre Dame head coach Dan Devine — who held the same post at Missouri from 1958-70 — chastised himself after the game for "not real- izing that field goals win football games." 40 Years Ago: Sept. 10, 1983 Ranked No. 1 in the preseason by Sporting News and No. 5 by the Associated Press despite finishing 5-6 and 6-4-1 in head coach Gerry Faust's first two seasons, Notre Dame backed up the lofty expectation with a scintillating 52-6 vic- tory in the opener at Purdue in 95-degree heat. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak by the Irish in Ross-Ade Stadium, marked the most points ever tallied in the venue by any op- ponent and was the second largest margin of victory in the 55-game series. After averaging only 16.4 points in its previous 10 trips to Ross-Ade Stadium, Notre Dame built a 31-0 lead by halftime. Quarterback Blair Kiel finished 9-of-14 passing for 166 yards with touch- down tosses to future Pro Bowl players Greg Bell and Mark Bavaro. Bell totaled 4 touchdowns overall, while sophomore Allen Pinkett and fresh- man Hiawatha Francisco rushed for 115 and 81 yards, respectively. 35 Years Ago: Sept. 10, 1988 No. 13 Notre Dame defeated No. 9 Michigan — the preseason No. 1 according to Sporting News — 19-17 in the season opener under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium. Special teams tallied all of the Fighting Irish points, first on an 81-yard punt return by sopho- more Ricky Watters and then on 5-5, 135-pound senior and pre-med major kicker Reggie Ho's 4-of-4 field goal kicking in his initial start. The final trey came from 26 yards out with 1:13 re- maining, minutes after Michigan's Mike Gillette had converted from 49 yards to give the Wolver- ines a 17-16 edge. On the game's final play, Gillette lined up for a 48-yard attempt that missed, enabling Notre Dame to avoid a fourth straight defeat after getting out- scored 80-30 in the final three contests of 1987. Huge questions remained at quarterback with Tony Rice, who began the night 0-of-8 passing with an interception. On the 71-yard game-win- ning drive, though, Rice scrambled for a 21-yard gain, completed a clutch 18-yard toss to running back Tony Brooks and kept the chains moving with a second-effort, 4-yard run on third-and-4. The young Irish defense with a completely new starting line permitted only 213 yards of total offense. Sophomore linemen Chris Zorich and George "Boo" Williams combined for 22 tackles, linebacker Michael Stonebreaker recorded 16 stops after sitting out the previous season for academic reasons, and first-time starting rush end Frank Stams added 2 sacks. The victory over the Wolverines elevated Notre Dame from No. 13 to No. 8. 30 Years Ago: Sept. 11, 1993 An anticipated rout of Notre Dame by No. 3 Michigan in The Big House instead turned into a Fighting Irish celebration with a 27-23 victory. The Wolverines were a nine-point favorite for several reasons. One, the defending Big Ten and Rose Bowl champs had drubbed Washington State 41-14 in their opener. Two, Notre Dame struggled with Big Ten doormat Northwestern, trailing 12-7 in the second half before rallying to a 27-12 win. The effort dropped the Irish from No. 7 to No. 11 in the AP poll. Finally, Notre Dame was considered a fractured and distracted team following the recent publish- ing of "Under The Tarnished Dome: How Notre Dame Sold Its Soul For Football Glory." The Irish responded with a 43-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kevin McDougal in the opening series. A 56-yard punt return for a score by Mike Miller and another McDougal scoring run of 11 yards gave the Irish a 24-10 cushion by halftime. Head coach Lou Holtz was given a victory ride off the field by his players, and the Irish vaulted from No. 11 to No. 4, tying the highest leap from one week to the next in Holtz's 11 seasons from 1986-96. Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Sept. 7-13 UNDER THE DOME In his first start, Reggie Ho — a 5-5, 135-pound senior — made all four of his field goal attempts to help Notre Dame beat No. 9 Michigan on Sept. 10, 1988. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS