Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/176703
Irish defensive back Pat Terrell knocked down a two-point conversion pass at the dramatic conclusion of Notre Dame's 31-30 victory over Miami in 1988, the pivotal moment of the championship season. file photo Walsh slid his feet up in the pocket and cocked his arm back, and Stams hacked the ball out of his hands. The ball bounced forward, and the torque on Stams' body sent him twirling forward, too. Zorich ran up to recover the fumble, giving the ball back to the offense at the 28-yard line. It was Miami's seventh turnover. Up 31-24, Notre Dame ran the ball twice, draining the clock and forcing Miami to use a timeout. Holtz called a pass play on third down, but the Miami blitz got to Rice, sacking him and forcing the fumble. The Canes had the ball at the Notre Dame 14-yard line with 2:10 left. Leonard Conley slipped through the line, running for three yards before Terrell tackled him. Walsh threw a quick out to Gary, and Streeter instantly tackled him for no gain. On third down, Walsh threw behind Gary at the goal line, and Wes Pritchett broke up the pass. Just like the possession on the Gary fumble, Miami, down seven, had a fourth-down-and-seven from the 11-yard line. "On those fourth-and-long situations I was taught, 'Hey, we've got these very athletic receivers. Just put the ball in a position for them to make a great catch,'" Walsh said. He faced no pressure when the ball was snapped. He timed a pass across the field to the front right corner of the end zone, where Andre Brown ran under it to make the catch, rolling on the ground as he grabbed his second score on the day. Notre Dame 31, Miami 30. Jimmy Johnson called timeout because the Hurricanes would go for the two-point conversion. The Canes didn't play for ties. They played for wins. Alvarez kept cool in his black-tinted sunglasses, gathering the Notre Dame defense on the sideline. The Irish knew