Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/181992
Since the 1980s, Notre Dame has continued to have more success attracting and luring blue-chip talent from the Lone Star State. That growth is reflected in our Notre Dame "All-Texas" starting lineup featuring 25 players. Other than at the running back position, most of these players suited up for Notre Dame within the last 30 years: QUARTERBACK: Carlyle Holiday (2000-04, San Antonio) On National Signing Day 2000, the option specialist stunned many when he selected the Fighting Irish over Nebraska, which had produced recent stalwarts such as Tommie Frazier, Scott Frost and 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch. Holiday directed an 8-0 start in 2002 and finished his career with 2,876 yards passing and 898 rushing before moving Triumph In Texas The state of Texas has been one of the best places to visit for the Notre Dame football program. Let us count the ways: • One hundred years ago, Notre Dame made its Lone Star State debut with a 30-7 victory over Texas in Austin to finish head coach Jesse Harper's first season with a 7-0 mark while playing its first true national schedule. The victory snapped the Longhorns' 12-game winning streak. • In Notre Dame's first-ever trip to Dallas for a game, Dec. 3, 1949, head coach Frank Leahy's Fighting Irish clinched their third national title in four years and finished a remarkable run of four straight seasons without a defeat with a pulsating 27-20 victory versus SMU in front of 75,457 at the Cotton Bowl. "I never saw more excitement in a game in my life," Leahy said afterwards. • On Jan. 1, 1971, Notre Dame ended No. 1 Texas' 30-game winning streak with a 24-11 victory in the Cotton Bowl. • Seven years later on Jan. 2, 1978, 11-0 and No. 1 Texas faced 10-1 and No. 5 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl again, and the Irish pulled another upset, 38-10 — and vaulted all the way to No. 1 to win their second national title in Dallas. The only city where it has clinched more national titles is Los Angeles, with victories in season finales at USC in 1930, 1947 and 1966. • One year after, Jan. 1, 1979, Notre Dame staged its greatest comeback ever, rallying from a 34-12 deficit with 7:25 remaining in the contest to defeat Houston 35-34. • Notre Dame had back-to-back Cotton Bowl victories against 12-0 Texas A&M to end the 1992 (28-3) and 1993 (24-21) seasons. • Jim Sanson's 39-yard field goal as time elapsed provided a 27-24 win at Texas in 1996 — improving Notre Dame's all-time mark in Austin to 4-0. • In games played at Dallas, Notre Dame is 9-3, highlighted by a 5-2 record in the Cotton Bowl from Jan. 1 1970 through Jan. 1, 1994. The seven Cotton Bowl appearances are the most for Notre Dame at any postseason venue, with the Orange Bowl second with five. Notre Dame's five victories in the Cotton Bowl are also the most in one postseason game, with the Orange and Sugar next in line with only two apiece. Especially notable is that the five Cotton Bowl triumphs came against teams that brought a collective 52-3 record (.945 winning percentage) into the game. • Overall, Notre Dame's record in the state is an impressive 17-4 (.810), with the most recent outing a 33-17 Sun Bowl victory against Miami in El Paso on Dec. 31, 2010. — Lou Somogyi