Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 23, 2024 13 70 Years Ago: Nov. 27, 1954 A marvelous rushing performance by No. 4 Notre Dame's starting backfield in the rain and mud at home allowed the Irish to prevail with a 23-17 victory versus No. 17 USC. Irish quarterback and future College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ralph Guglielmi completed only 1 of 7 passes in the inclement conditions, but fullback Don Schaefer and halfbacks Jim Morse and Joe Heap combined for 376 yards rushing on 55 carries. The sophomore Morse — who 60 years later would underwrite Notre Dame's FieldTurf — carried 19 times for 179 yards. His 72-yard touchdown gallop with 5:57 left in the contest gave Notre Dame the lead for good before adding a late safety. Morse also tallied the first Irish touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Heap, whose 17 carries amassed 110 yards. Schaefer added 19 carries for 87 yards and a score. 45 Years Ago: Nov. 24, 1979 For the first time in its history, Notre Dame played a football game on foreign soil and defeated the Miami Hurricanes 40-15 in front of an audience of 62,574 at Tokyo, Japan. The victory in a quagmire snapped a two-game losing streak for the Fighting Irish, and they finished 7-4 — their first season with at least four losses in 16 years. The trip overseas also served as a form of a bowl game because the Irish were not invited to any postseason outings nor inclined to go. Miami quickly fell behind 14-0 when Notre Dame running back Vagas Ferguson scored on the open- ing possession, and then the Irish defense followed with cornerback Dave Waymer intercepting a pass by freshman quarterback Jim Kelly that he returned 3 yards for a touchdown. Ferguson carried 35 times for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns to cap a record-breaking season that saw him tote the ball 301 times for 1,437 yards and 17 touchdowns — all single-season records to this day. Waymer tied an Irish single-game record when he returned a second interception for another touch- down, this one from 37 yards out by reserve quarterback Mike Rodrigue in the fourth quarter to up the lead to 40-7. Sophomore linebacker Bob Crable finished the year with 187 tackles — a school record that also still stands. He also blocked a punt in this game for a safety. The Irish produced only 250 yards of total offense, but Waymer's 2 interception returns and 46- and 43-yard punt returns by freshman Dave Duerson set up short fields on two touchdown drives. First-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger's Hurricanes, who upset Penn State earlier in the season, finished 5-6. 40 Years Ago: Nov. 24, 1984 For the first time in 18 years, Notre Dame defeated USC (19-7) in the Los Angeles Coliseum to cap an amazing turnaround to the season. From a 3-4 start in which they were booed off their home field three consecutive weeks in losses, the Fighting Irish rebounded with four straight victories to finish 7-4 and receive an invitation to play SMU in the Aloha Bowl. The triumphs included 30-22 at No. 6 LSU, the SEC champion; a 44-7 shellacking of Penn State, which would play for the national title a year later; and the victory in the rain and mud at Pac-10 champion USC, which would go on to win the Rose Bowl. The Trojans lost 6 fumbles in the wet conditions, while Notre Dame committed only 1 turnover. After USC took a 7-0 lead, Irish freshman wideout Tim Brown scored his first career touchdown on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Steve Beuerlein. A 3-yard Allen Pinkett scoring run provided a 13-7 halftime lead, and two 45-yard field goals by kicker John Carney in the second half sealed the outcome. 30 Years Ago: Nov. 26, 1994 Notre Dame had its 11-game win streak versus Southern Cal snapped with a 17-17 tie at Los Angeles Coliseum and finished the 1994 season with a disappointing 6-5-1 record. The Fighting Irish held a 17-10 lead and had a chance to ice the game with less than six minutes to go, when it had fourth-and-short deep in Trojans territory, but instead opted to attempt a 37-yard field goal and go up 10. However, senior walk-on Stefan Schroffner had his kick blocked and returned deep into Irish territory. The Trojans cashed in with a game-tying touchdown one minute later. Although Notre Dame and USC each had another possession, the game ended in a draw. "The USC game was frustrating," Irish head coach Lou Holtz said. "With six minutes to go we were about to go up by two scores, and the next thing we know, they've tied the game. "It's been a very frustrating year. We could have easily been 10-1 this year, but things didn't go our way. We aren't making any excuses for that." UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame History: Nov. 23-29 FOOTBALL SEASON DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS Exclusively For Subscribers Of Blue & Gold Illustrated Our digital football-season newsletter is emailed every pre-game Wednesday. They include printable team rosters and depth charts for both teams. Be sure to get your email on the list!* *For your convenience, we'll send you a direct link to each newsletter via email as soon as each edition is published. Please send your EMAIL ADDRESS to BGIsupport@BlueandGold.com For more information, visit BlueGoldOnline.com In 1979, head coach Dan Devine and team captains Tim Foley (79), Dave Waymer (34) and Vagas Ferguson (32) celebrated a 40-15 win over Miami in Japan. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS