Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct. 7, 2013 Issue

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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where have you gone? who would also earn his law degree but go into NFL coaching, became one of the most venerated team leaders in school history with his poise and dualthreat skills (7-of-12 passing for 169 yards in the national title game against Alabama, plus 15 carries for 74 yards). A Touch Of Luck — Entering Thanksgiving weekend, the Irish were No. 5 and had accepted a bid to play No. 2 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The problem was if No. 1 Ohio State beat unbeaten Michigan in the regular-season finale, the Buckeyes would play for the title in the Rose Bowl. And if Michigan won, perhaps it would be the new No. 1. Notre Dame needed a tie in the Buckeyes-Wolverines showdown to "kill two birds with one stone." Voila! Ohio State 10, Michigan 10. The door was opened to be No. 1. Ohio State would trounce USC 42‑21 in the Rose Bowl, but at 11‑0‑1 it finished behind the 11-0 Irish after Notre Dame's Sugar Bowl thriller. "If we had played Alabama 10 times, The Season DateOpponent Sept. 22 Northwestern Sept. 29 at Purdue Oct. 6 Michigan State Oct. 13 at Rice Oct. 20 at Army Oct. 27 USC Nov. 3 Navy Nov. 10 at Pitt Nov. 22 Air Force Dec. 1 at Miami Dec. 31 vs. Alabama* * Sugar Bowl Result 44-0 20-7 14-10 28-0 62-3 23-14 44-7 31-10 48-15 44-0 24-23 we probably don't win five," Casper said. "We made one less mistake than they did." Notable Achievements There were five accomplishments in 1973 that will be difficult, if not impossible, to match: • Unscathed — Since 1950, only two of Notre Dame's 64 teams have finished unbeaten and untied: 1973 (11-0) and 1988 (12-0). More games now give a lesser margin of error. • 350.2 yards rushing per game — Easily a school record. The most since then was 287.7 by head coach Lou Holtz's 12-1 team in 1989. • Single-digits scoring defense — Including the Sugar Bowl victory, this was the last Irish team to allow less than 10 points per game (8.0). Last year's crew did a remarkable job to finish at 12.8. • Iconic Plays — No season might have two more memorable plays in Notre Dame lore. The Tom Clementsto-Robin Weber pass in the closing minutes of the 1973 Sugar Bowl might be the most famous play in school history. Halfback Eric Penick's 85-yard run against USC might be the most famous touchdown run ever at Notre Dame Stadium. • Thanksgiving At Home — The Air Force game was moved to Thanksgiving — unlikely to ever happen again at Notre Dame Stadium. That also was the last time the Irish didn't have a sellout at home. The 1973 Fighting Irish truly embodied a great "college team" in a professional manner. ✦

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