Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 17 55 Years Ago: Sept. 4, 1971 Sports Illustrated's preseason college football preview listed Notre Dame at No. 1, despite the graduation of Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Joe Theismann. The reason was that 16 of 22 starters on offense and defense returned — led by an impregnable front four with Walt Patulski, Mike Kadish, Greg Marx and Fred Swendsen — from the previous year's 10-1 team that finished No. 2 after ending Texas' 30-game winning streak in the Cotton Bowl. At quarter- back, head coach Ara Parseghian had four candidates: senior Bill Etter, juniors Pat Steenberge and Jim Bulger, and sophomore Cliff Brown. "There is no need to choose until the Friday night before the first game," Parseghian said. "There's no problem having two quarterbacks work with the first unit." 50 Years Ago: Sept. 1, 1976 Ten days prior to the season opener against No. 9 Pitt, junior backup quar- terback Joe Montana — who helped rally Notre Dame to three comeback vic- tories off the bench in 1975 — separated his right shoulder during practice, which would sideline him all year. The injury occurred against the No. 1 defense when Montana turned back to avoid a hard-charging Ross Browner, but he was then crushed from the blind side by the other end, Willie Fry. "I feel bad for Joe," second-year Irish head coach Dan Devine said. "He was just starting to come along." 20 Years Ago: Sept. 5, 1996 In its most recent Thursday night regular-season game, No. 6 Notre Dame overcame 7 fumbles (4 lost) to post a 14-7 win at Vanderbilt. The Commo- dores amassed only 126 yards of total offense, but 59 came on a touchdown pass with 11:16 left to take a 7-6 lead. The Irish responded with a 75-yard march that took 14 plays and was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by fullback Marc Edwards. Quarterback Ron Powlus completed all 5 passes for 61 yards, most notably an 18-yard con- nection to Malcolm Johnson on third-and-14 from his 42-yard line. 10 Years Ago: Sept. 3, 2011 In maybe the most surreal game ever at Notre Dame Stadium, first-time opponent South Florida — coached by Skip Holtz, son of Notre Dame icon Lou Holtz — emerged with a stunning 23-20 victory. The game lasted a record 5 hours and 59 minutes because Notre Dame Sta- dium was evacuated twice due to storms and lightning. The Irish committed 5 turnovers to USF's 0, and on four occasions Notre Dame failed to score from the red zone — three of them inside the Bulls' 10-yard line (and two inside the 5). The first was on the opening series when a fumble by senior running back Jonas Gray was returned for a 96-yard touchdown to help propel USF to a 16-0 halftime lead. "Today was probably the strangest game anybody has ever been a part of," said Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees, who replaced starter Dayne Crist in the second half and completed 24 of 34 passes for 296 yards with 2 scores. 10 Years Ago: Sept. 4, 2016 Notre Dame rallied from a 31-14 deficit in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on three of their next four possessions to take a 35-31 lead at Texas. However, what would've been the largest comeback victory in more than 30 years for the Irish wasn't to be. The Longhorns rebounded for a 50-47 double-overtime triumph in front of a Texas-record crowd of 102,315. The 47 points were the most ever by a Fighting Irish football team in defeat. The previous high occurred in a 46-44 three-overtime loss to Navy on Nov. 3, 2007. Five Years Ago: Sept. 5, 2021 In his Fighting Irish debut, quarterback Jack Coan completed 26 of 35 passes for 366 yards with 4 touchdowns and an interception he threw on a Hail Mary to lead No. 9 Notre Dame to a 41-38 overtime victory at Florida State. It marked the first overtime road win for Notre Dame in program history. The Irish had been 0-3 in such games, falling 27-20 at Southern Cal on Nov. 30, 1996, 34-31 at Michigan State on Sept. 18, 2010, and 50-47 at Texas in double overtime on Sept. 4, 2016. Coan's 366 passing yards were the most ever in a season opener for a Notre Dame quarterback, surpassing the previous high set by Irish offensive coordi- nator Tommy Rees (346) in 2013. Coan tied the school record for touchdown passes (4) in a season opener, joining Jimmy Clausen (2009) and Ron Powlus (1994). Coan also became the first Irish quarterback to eclipse 300 passing yards with 4 touchdowns since Clausen in 2009. UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Aug. 30-Sept. 5 Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer accounted for 292 yards of total offense and 6 touchdowns in a 50-47 double-overtime loss at Texas in 2016. The 47 points are the most ever scored by Notre Dame in a defeat. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA