Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527865
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 19, 2024 13 35 Years Ago: Oct. 21, 1989 Defending national champion Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 in the country and in the midst an 18-game win streak, yet found itself trailing archrival and No. 9-ranked Southern Cal 17-7 at halftime on a cold, blustery afternoon in South Bend. The 10-point deficit at the break was preceded by a pregame melee that was reportedly incited by the Fighting Irish — who had knocked off the Tro- jans in six straight meetings — when they blocked the Trojans' exit off the field following warm-ups. Then, "the Irish received a rather rude, but none- theless timely wake-up call in the form of a USC serenade," per Sports Illus- trated. The Trojans reportedly sang a mocking rendition of the Notre Dame fight song to the Irish as both teams headed off to the locker room at the half. On a day during which they turned the ball over 5 times — including a pair of fumbles by star receiver Raghib Ismail that led to 2 touchdowns for the Trojans — the Irish still managed to rally in the second half. Southern Cal quarterback Todd Marinovich completed 33 of 55 throws for 333 yards with 3 touchdowns but was also intercepted 5 times, which kept the Trojans from padding their lead. The Trojans drove inside the Notre Dame 40-yard line three more times — to the 36, 8, and 7, with the last such drive coming at 2:39 to go in the game before stalling — yet came away with no points. Meanwhile, the Irish got their ground game going in the final 30 minutes, rushing for 197 of their 266 yards, with running backs Ricky Watters and Anthony Johnson scoring on 2- and 35-yard runs to put the Irish on top after three quarters. After Marinovich put the Trojans back in the lead at 24-21 with just more than nine minutes to go in the game, the Irish drove 80 yards for the game-winning score. Quarterback Tony Rice's day was a mixed bag — 5-of-16 passing with 1 interception, 99 yards on 18 rushing attempts with a fumble — but after he connected with Ismail on a 40-yard pass completion, his 15-yard run put the Irish up 28-24 with 5:18 to go, and the Irish defense made their goal-line stand to seal the victory. "There isn't any difference between these two teams," Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz told Sports Illustrated after the game. "I'm 4-0 against USC, and I could just as easily be 1-3. And if you had told me before the game we'd have 5 turnovers, I'd have said, 'We won't win.'" UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: October 19-25 Todd Lyght had 1 of Notre Dame's 3 interceptions against USC quarter- back Todd Marinovich, which helped the Irish rally for a 28-24 victory against their archrival in 1989. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS A Notre Dame love story for the one you love this Christmas! Theresa McKenna is an '89 graduate, and this uplifting story about much more than Christmas makes a perfect gift Blue & Gold Special $30 (retail $45) Dear Readers, Please enjoy the beautiful artwork from the talented Kathleen Keifer as a special thank you for purchasing the hardcover edition of Life in Christmas Letters. Kathleen, like me, is a Notre Dame graduate who holds the university near to her heart. The back cover is a print of Kathleen's painting Midnight Mass. Visit kathleenkeifer.com to see more work featuring the University of Notre Dame, California landscapes and pop art. Thank you for your purchase, and I hope you enjoy this uplifting story. Warm regards, bit.ly/BlueGold30 Also available at the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, theresamckenna-author.com and Amazon Holiday sale for the ND special hardbound edition with Kathleen Keifer's Midnight Mass artwork on the back cover