Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 27, 2025 15 55 Years Ago: Sept. 26, 1970 No. 6-ranked Notre Dame ended a three-year losing streak to in-state rival Purdue with a 48-0 thrashing in a rainstorm at Notre Dame Stadium, the highest margin of victory in the series history at the time. The Fighting Irish outgained the Boilermakers in total yardage 633-144 and forced 6 turnovers. Four years earlier, in the most recent prior Notre Dame victory versus Pur- due, Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty had completed 16 of 24 passes for 304 yards with 3 touchdowns, all to Jim Seymour. In this one, Notre Dame senior quarterback Joe Theismann also completed 16 of 24 passes for 276 yards with 3 touchdowns, all to Tom Gatewood, tying Seymour's single-game record. Gatewood finished with 12 catches for 192 yards, while Seymour had 13 receptions for 276 yards in the 1966 game. 50 Years Ago: Sept. 27, 1975 One week after making the cover of Sports Illustrated, Notre Dame quar- terback Rick Slager experienced the "SI jinx" when in the first quarter against Northwestern he threw an interception and then suffered an injury after the No. 7 Irish fell behind 7-0. Making his first appearance in Notre Dame Stadium, sophomore quarter- back Joe Montana stepped in and steadily guided his troops to a 31-7 victory, completing 6 of 11 passes for 80 yards with a 14-yard touchdown to running back Mark McLane. He also added 28 rushing yards with a score. Also making their home debuts were freshman fullback Jerome Heavens, who rushed 15 times for 106 yards, and freshman middle linebacker Bob Golic, who recorded 10 tackles in his first career start. 35 Years Ago: Sept. 22, 1990 Trailing 19-7 in the fourth quarter at No. 24 Michigan State, the top-ranked Fighting Irish rallied for a 20-19 victory, highlighted by "The Immaculate Deflection." Notre Dame drove 81 yards on 12 plays and scored the game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds left on a 1-yard run by Rodney Culver. Three plays earlier from the Spartans' 25-yard line, quarterback Rick Mirer on a rollout fired a pass to wideout Adrian Jarrell, but the ball instead hit Michigan State defensive back Todd Murray directly in the chest. The ball ricocheted off Murray high into the air before a diving Jarrell caught it near the sideline at the 2-yard line. It marked the 26th Irish win in 27 games, and the 13th against ranked teams. 20 Years Ago: Sept. 24, 2005 In what first-year Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis jokingly dubbed "The Ty Bowl," the No. 16 Irish notched a 36-17 win at Washington. The Huskies' head coach, Tyrone Willingham, was ousted 10 months earlier by Notre Dame after a three-year record of 21-15. The term more remembered after the game is "Pass Right." On the Wednes- day before the game, Weis visited with 10-year-old Montana (named after Joe Montana) Mazurkiewicz, who had inoperable brain cancer. Weis asked what Mazurkiewicz would like the first play to be and he responded "pass to the right." Mazurkiewicz passed away the day before the game, but Weis kept his word — even though the first Irish play had to be run from their two-foot line. The play-action pass from quarterback Brady Quinn to tight end Anthony Fasano picked up 13 yards, with Fasano hurdling a defender for extra yardage. It had far greater reaching impact when it became a national story the following day. 10 Years Ago: Sept. 26, 2015 The Fighting Irish rushed for 457 yards while posting their highest-scoring game in two decades in a 62-27 victory over Massachusetts. The 62 points were the most by the Irish since a 62-0 win over Rutgers in 1996 in Lou Holtz's final home game as Notre Dame coach. Freshman wide receiver C.J. Sanders 52-yard punt return touchdown late in the first half of a tight game (21-20) that ignited a stretch of 41 unanswered points by the Fighting Irish. Senior running back C.J. Prosise led the way for the overwhelming ground attack, racking up 149 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 15 carries. Freshman running back Josh Adams added 133 yards and 1 score on 13 attempts, while freshman quarterback Brandon Wimbush had 4 rushing attempts for 92 yards and a touchdown. 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Freshman quarterback Brandon Wimbush was one of six Irish ball carriers who accounted for 457 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground in a 62-27 victory over Massachusetts in 2015. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA