Under the Dome
35 Years Ago: Nov. 4, 1978
Junior tailback Vagas Ferguson sets a single-game Notre Dame record with 219 yards rushing during
a 27‑7 victory against 7-0 and No. 11-ranked Navy in a game played at Cleveland. Head coach George
Welsh's Midshipmen entered the contest ranked No. 1 in total defense, allowing a measly 158.1 yards
per game (57.0 on the ground).
Highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown run by Ferguson, Notre Dame accumulates 530 yards total offense, with 375 coming on the ground. Fullback Jerome Heavens — who held the previous single-game
record with 200 yards rushing — adds 100 yards rushing to help the No. 15 Irish to their sixth straight win.
25 Years Ago: Oct. 29, 1988
No. 2 Notre Dame comes out flat and posts an uninspiring 22-7 victory against a Navy team that lost
52‑6 to Pitt the previous week.
However, because No. 1 UCLA, with Troy Aikman at quarterback, is upset at home by Washington State,
34-30, the Fighting Irish are elevated to No. 1 for the first time since Sept. 19, 1981.
That seven-year stretch without seeing the No. 1 ranking was, at the time, the second longest in school
history, behind the 10 years from Oct. 2, 1954, until Nov. 7, 1964.
— Lou Somogyi
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