Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 7, 2026 13 85 Years Ago: Nov. 1, 1941 No. 6-ranked Notre Dame took its 5-0 record into Yankee Stadium against unbeaten No. 14 Army, but rain the previous evening turned the field into a muddy obstacle course. The conditions helped ground the Irish passing attack and turned the afternoon into a punting duel. Notre Dame had one final opportunity to score with seven seconds remain- ing and the ball at Army's 20. The Irish spread Harry Wright, Steve Juzwik and Angelo Bertelli to the right for a final play. Instead, the slippery snap sailed through Dippy Evans' arms. Evans retrieved the ball and evaded two tacklers before being tackled out of bounds as time expired. The 0-0 tie became the lone blemish on Frank Leahy's 8-0-1 debut season, Notre Dame's first unbeaten campaign since Knute Rockne's final team in 1930. 80 Years Ago: Nov. 2, 1946 With its showdown against No. 1 Army a week away, No. 2 Notre Dame took care of Navy in Baltimore, riding its depth and running game to a 28-0 victory. Gerry Cowhig opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Floyd Simmons, slowed by injuries earlier in the season, added a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to give the Irish a 21-0 halftime lead. The Irish finished with advantages of 27-8 in first downs and 444-139 in total yards while improving to 5-0. The shutout began a stretch of four con- secutive games in which Notre Dame did not surrender a point, including the famous scoreless tie with Army. 60 Years Ago: Nov. 5, 1966 No. 1-ranked Notre Dame hosted Pitt as a 39-point favorite, but led only 7-0 at halftime. Then senior Irish halfback Nick Eddy returned the second-half kickoff for an 85-yard touchdown (his second touchdown runback in only four tries all season). Notre Dame's special teams then made it 21-0 when Tom Schoen returned a punt for a 63-yard tally followed by a successful two-point conversion. The Irish ended up covering the spread with a 40-0 victory. 50 Years Ago: Nov. 6, 1976 No. 11 Notre Dame built a 14-3 lead at Georgia Tech on two Al Hunter touchdown runs, but the Yellow Jackets turned the afternoon into an unfor- gettable lesson in option football. After Ross Browner sacked quarterback Gary Lanier on an early passing play, Tech coach Pepper Rodgers abandoned the pass altogether. Lanier never got a throw away, finishing with 0 attempts. A touchdown with 23 seconds remaining in the first half cut Notre Dame's lead to 14-10. David Sims then scored on runs of 10 and 16 yards after half- time as the Yellow Jackets reeled off 20 unanswered points for a 23-14 upset. Georgia Tech rushed for 368 yards, its entire offensive output, while hold- ing Notre Dame to 178 total yards and just 34 after halftime. 35 Years Ago: Nov. 2, 1991 Junior quarterback Rick Mirer threw for a career-high 303 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead No. 5 Notre Dame to a 38-0 victory over Navy on a chilly South Bend afternoon. It marked the 700th win in program history. Mirer's third touchdown pass raised his season total to 17, breaking the school record of 16 shared by Bob Williams in 1949, John Huarte in 1964 and Joe Theismann in 1970. Jerome Bettis also scored 2 touchdowns for the sixth consecutive game. The Irish improved to 8-1 and extended their winning streak against Navy to 28 games. Many spectators departed early to escape the conditions, prompting Lou Holtz to suggest afterward that those who stayed should be recruited to ride in the Iditarod. 30 Years Ago: Nov. 2, 1996 Despite being more than 3,600 miles from their campus, the Fighting Irish were truly at home during their 54-27 victory versus Navy at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. For only the second time ever, the Notre Dame varsity football team played on foreign soil, with the first occurring in the 1979 regular-season finale in Tokyo, Japan, a 40-15 victory over Miami. A total of 38,651 fans watched Notre Dame's first game in Ireland. Notre Dame rushed for 303 yards, led by sophomore Autry Denson's 16 carries for 123 yards. Senior fullback Marc Edwards scored 3 of the team's 6 rush- ing touchdowns, and the floodgates opened when defensive end Renaldo Wynn scored on a 24-yard fumble return to give the Irish a 28-7 cushion in the third quarter. The victory also extended Notre Dame's winning streak against Navy to 33 games, breaking the NCAA record of 32 previously held by Oklahoma over Kansas State. 20 Years Ago: Nov. 4, 2006 Senior wide receiver Jeff Samardzija rewrote the Notre Dame record book while helping the No. 11 Irish defeat North Carolina 45-26 at Notre Dame Stadium. Samardzija's 42-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brady Quinn in the third quarter gave him 23 career scoring catches, moving him past Derrick Mayes into first place in school history. He finished with 6 receptions for 177 yards. Quinn completed 23 of 35 passes for 346 yards with 4 touchdowns, includ- ing 2 to Rhema McKnight and 1 to John Carlson. Tom Zbikowski added a 52- yard punt return for a touchdown, while Derek Landri and Trevor Laws each blocked an extra-point attempt. Notre Dame improved to 8-1 with its sixth consecutive victory. UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Nov. 1-7 Notre Dame made its first appearance in Ireland a memorable one, defeat- ing Navy 54-27 at Dublin's Croke Park on Nov. 2, 1996. The Irish rushed for 303 yards and 6 touchdowns while extending their winning streak against the Midshipmen to an NCAA-record 33 games. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS