Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/195693
Under the Dome ✦ Gimme Five Notre Dame's 37-34 victory against Arizona State Oct. 5 marked the 18th time in the football program's history that the Fighting Irish won a game despite surrendering at least 30 points. The first occurred Oct. 18, 1975, when Notre Dame rallied from a 30-10 fourth-quarter deficit at Air Force to post a 31-30 victory. The Irish also had victories by the same score against Miami (1988) and Purdue (1998). The most recent such win prior to this year's conquest of the Sun Devils was a 59-33 result versus Air Force in 2011. Lou Holtz won the most games at Notre Dame while yielding at least 30 points, with six in his 11 seasons from 1986-96. Successor Bob Davie (1997‑2001) and Charlie Weis (2005-09) had four apiece in their five seasons, while Dan Devine (1975-80) and now Brian Kelly have two each. Only five other times did an opponent score at least 34 points against Notre Dame — as Arizona State did this season — and fail to win the game. Here are those five, starting with the most points: Opponent (Year) 1. Hawaii (1991) 2t. USC (1986) 2t. Michigan State (2006) 4. LSU (1998) 5. Houston ('79 Cotton Bowl) Score 48-42 38-37 40-37 39-36 35-34 Torii Hunter Jr. 'Catching' On This October 's American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers created some intrigue on Notre Dame's practice field. Boston native and head coach Brian Kelly is an avid fan of the Red Sox, while freshman receiver Torii Hunter Jr.'s father Torii Sr. — a 17-year Major League Baseball veteran and five-time All-Star — is the right fielder for the Tigers. In game two Oct. 13, Hunter Sr.'s leaping attempt to try to snare David Ortiz's dramatic grand slam in the eighth inning that tied the game (Boston went on to win 6-5) led him to crash over the fence and take a nasty spill into the bullpen. "I just told him he can't have his dad throwing his body around like that," Kelly said. Although Hunter Sr. — a winner of nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards — wasn't injured and continued to play, the son did not display great empathy for the effort. "He said his dad should have made the catch," Kelly joked. Hunter Jr. has been making his own share of catches in football practices recently after gradually recovering from a cracked femur suffered last winter while practicing for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He had a slight setback in recovery during the summer, but seemed to be on