Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 16, 2023 15 75 Years Ago: Sept. 25, 1948 After back-to-back national titles in 1946 (8-0-1) and 1947 (9-0), Notre Dame found itself in an unusual situation in its 1948 opener — trailing for the first time in three seasons (75 quarters of play, nearly 19 full games). Purdue took a 13-12 lead in the third quarter at Notre Dame before a blocked punt by the Fighting Irish resulted in a 70-yard touchdown return by John Panelli to give them the lead back for good. Trailing 28-20, Purdue scored a late touch- down, but because the two-point conversion wasn't a part of college football until 10 years later, Notre Dame held on for the 28-27 win. 70 Years Ago: Sept. 26, 1953 Four years earlier, after Notre Dame finished 10-0 and No. 1 and Oklahoma 11-0 and No. 2, coaching titans Frank Leahy and Bud Wilkinson agreed to a home-and-home series that would begin in 1952-53. The Irish won the first at home in 1952, 27-21 — and then as the No. 1 team again to open 1953 by defeating the No. 6 Sooners in Norman, 28-21. After trailing 14-7, Notre Dame scored 21 straight points that began with tackle Frank Var- richione blocking a quick kick. The go-ahead score came on a 41-yard pass from quarterback Ralph Guglielmi, who set up the tally by inter- cepting a pass on defense. John Lattner, the Heisman Trophy winner that year, sealed the victory with a late interception at the Irish 32-yard line. Oklahoma would not lose again, posting an NCAA-record 47 consecutive wins, until Novem- ber 1957 — also at home to Notre Dame. 55 Years Ago: Sept. 21, 1968 The No. 3-ranked Fighting Irish opened the sea- son with a 45-21 thumping of No. 5 Oklahoma at home. It is the second highest-ranked opponent Notre Dame has defeated in an opener, eclipsed only by a 21-0 win versus No. 4 Texas in 1954. The senior passing combination of quarterback Terry Hanratty and wideout Jim Seymour — known as "Fling & Cling" — connected 9 times for 101 yards, most notably back-to-back touch- downs to give Notre Dame a 21-14 halftime lead after it had trailed 14-7. The offense racked up 571 yards of total of- fense, 357 on the ground, with Jeff Zimmerman's 17 carries for 87 yards and Bob Gladieux's three short scoring runs pacing the attack. 50 Years Ago: Sept. 22, 1973 Eager to erase the memory of a horrific 40-6 loss to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, No. 8 Notre Dame opened the new season with a 44-0 rout of Northwestern (which had upset Michigan State a week earlier), its largest margin of victory in the 40 games played between the two teams. Junior quarterback Tom Clements played a nearly flawless first half, completing 9 of 12 passes for 152 yards with a touchdown to split end Peter Demmerle, and added 2 short scoring runs to build a 37-0 lead at the intermission. After the game, Clements also learned that his 14-year-old sister, Alice, had died from injuries sustained a day earlier when a car hit her while she was walking along the highway. Prior to the game, a priest had sent word to Tom's father, Dr. Harry Clements, that Alice had passed away, but Dr. Clements withheld the news until after the game before returning with his son back home to McKees Rock, Pa. 45 Years Ago: Sept. 23, 1978 For the first time since fielding a football team in 1887, Notre Dame began a season 0-2 follow- ing a 28-14 loss at home to Michigan, which it played for the first time in 35 years. The reigning national champion Fighting Irish, led by quarterback Joe Montana, fell at home in the opener as well to Missouri, 3-0. 35 Years Ago: Sept. 24, 1988 After scoring only 1 touchdown on offense the first two games, the unit detonated with 7 during a 52-7 romp over Purdue. Freshmen Derek Brown at tight end and Raghib "Rocket" Ismail at wide- out both had TDs on their first career catches. Following a 38-yard run by quarterback Tony Rice to open the scoring, he tossed 8- and 54- yard touchdowns to Brown and Ismail, respec- tively. The victory elevated the Irish from No. 8 to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll. UNDER THE DOME Irish quarterback Tom Clements accounted for three first-half touchdowns while leading the way for a 44-0 victory over Northwestern to open the 1973 season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Sept. 21-27 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. 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