Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546555
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 19, 2026 51 homa 7-yard line, where Hanratty threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. But the Sooners, backed up deep, ended up punting on third down to keep the wind. Notre Dame responded with a short scoring drive, Eddy catch- ing a 14-yard pass from Hanratty for the score. Their next drive fea- tured consistent gains by Bleier and Larry Conjar, and it was capped when Hanratty ducked around right end from 2 yards out for the score. The Irish led 17-0 at the half. There was no letup for Notre Dame after halftime. Tom Schoen returned a punt 18 yards to the Soon- ers' 40, and Hanratty went to work again, driving the Irish to score in seven plays, Eddy bursting through for the final foot and a 24-0 lead. Notre Dame's defense was spectac- ular throughout. Jim Smithberger in- tercepted a Sooner pass, setting up a 9-yard touchdown burst by Bleier for a 31-0 advantage. Later, a high snap from center on a punt gave the Irish the ball on Oklahoma's 12. Back- ups Frank Criniti, Dave Haley and Coley O'Brien t o o k t u r n s r u s h i n g , O'Brien gaining the final five yards for the score. Final: No. 1 Notre Dame 38, No. 10 Oklahoma 0. "That's funny how this comes out," Parseghian said. "We've been right at the five-touchdown and 430-yard mark for the last four games." O k l a h o m a c o a c h Mackenzie was especially impressed with Notre Da m e 's d e fe n s e . " We just couldn't get out- side on Notre Dame. It looks like you can, but the play of those ends (Page and Rhoads) just killed us. We tried to double team the tackles (Duranko and Hardy), but one thing about them, you can only keep them away so long. You know they're coming. It's only a matter of time." After their trip to Norman, the Irish kept their streak going with wins over Navy (31-7), Pitt (40-0) and Duke (64-0). That set up the "Game of the Century," the epic 10-10 tie with Michigan State. And after a 51-0 thrashing of Southern Cal, the Irish were voted No. 1 for their eighth consensus national championship. The final statistics for the season were staggering — Notre Dame out- scored their 10 opponents, 362-38. Twelve players earned All-American recognition, with Eddy, Lynch, Page and guard Tom Regner named consen- sus All-Americans. Eight seniors were drafted into the NFL, and Parseghian, Lynch and Page were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The reunion Sept. 12 honored a team whose accomplishments remain central to Notre Dame football history. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com Legacy Award The Family of Tom "Red" Hearden '27 Legacy Award The Family of Jack Vainisi '50 Inspira on Award Greg Blache '72 Leadership Award Tom Clements '75 Humanitarian Award Dr. Robin Goldsmith '87 Teamwork Award Ed Policy '93 Determina on Award Jim Flanigan '94 Innova on Award Louie Gen ne '97 Champion Award John Wroblewski '04 and Josh Sciba '07 e Knute Rockne Memorial Society Congratulates e 2026 Rockne Spirit of Sports Award Winners Head coach Ara Parseghian led the 1966 F ighting Irish to a 9-0-1 record and the consensus national championship. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS