Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2025 75 ies — some blue-clad and others red — obscured the line. It was a touchdown. Notre Dame led 6-3 after its kick failed. Stanford then started gaining yards steadily — everything old "Pop" tried seemed to be working. He was especially fond of plays that kept Cardinal backs wide in the backfield for a pass, then they ran up the field once they had the ball. But the Irish were spotting the pattern, and it matched what coach Slip Madigan of St. Mary's — a former Irish star — had told them in his scouting report. On a third-and-five from deep in Irish territory, Nevers faded and attempted a cross-field pass. Layden anticipated this play and perfectly timed a leap be- tween two Cardinal targets. He snared the ball and dashed into an open field and waltzed into the end zone to complete a 78-yard play. Crowley made the kick and the Irish led 13-3 at the half. The Cardinal forced an early break in the second half when they partially blocked a Layden punt three plays into the third quarter. But a field goal try sailed wide, and later another fell short. On a Layden punt, the ball went di- rectly to Stanford's Fred Solomon, but he bobbled the ball and it bounded away from him. Chuck Collins brushed Solo- mon aside, and Irish end Ed Hunsinger flew past, picking up the ball and racing 20 yards into the Cardinal end zone. Another huge Stanford miscue had re- sulted in Notre Dame's 20-3 lead. But the Cardinal had far too much pride to lie down. Nevers picked off a pass by Layden at the Notre Dame 29- yard line. The muscular blond was never more determined. Nevers, a human bat- tering ram, made one gain after another. Then, with the Irish line bunched, he reared back and hit Ted Shipkey with a short pass for a touchdown. The kick sliced Notre Dame's lead to 20-10, and the third quarter ended a minute later. As the fourth quarter slid by, Stanford and Nevers never quit. The Cardinal drove deep into Irish territory. A touchdown here could cut the lead to three points. Nevers had to have the ball. It was fourth down inside the 1-yard line. Adam Walsh encouraged his mates as they bunched together on the Irish goal line. They had a pretty good idea of who was headed their way. Nevers took the snap, smacked into the ND wall and fell forward. Stuhldre- her ignored the piercing pain in his ankle and drove his 152-pound frame into the pile. The stack of gridders was untangled and revealed the football — less than six inches short of the goal line. Notre Dame ball. Stanford hearts sank. Minutes later, Layden intercepted a desperate heave by Nevers at the Notre Dame 37 and summoned the energy to outrun a beaten Stanford eleven 63 yards for a clinching touchdown. Crow- ley's kick made it 27-10 and Irish fans everywhere knew that the game was over. Almost all the Shock Troops re- entered the game. The gun sounded, and the battle of the ages was history. Notre Dame had survived the knock- out punches of a great opponent, made the most of its opportunities and capped its most memorable season to be truly crowned with glory. ✦ Your book order supports the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. Order your autographed, inscribed copy TODAY by visi ng www.RockneSociety.org/Shop/ Special Centennial Commemorative Edition LOYAL SONS: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards Get the full story on these iconic Notre Dame figures A great read for any Notre Dame fan! "A must-read real jewel… wonderfully researched and detailed." --SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE SPECIAL CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE EDITION National Award-Winning Author Jim Lefebvre T h e s t o r y o f T h e F o u r H o r s e m e n a n d N o t r e D a m e F o o t b a l l ' s 1 9 2 4 C h a m p i o n s Loyal Sons Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com