Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/366772
GAME PREVIEW: RICE coverage against Rice's strength might prove crucial and maybe even as a harbinger to the season. COORDINATED EFFORTS While this will be Brian VanGorder's debut at Notre Dame in his role, Rice will have a new offensive coordinator in Larry Edmondson going against him. The difference is Edmondson has been with Rice head coach Da- vid Bailiff the past five seasons before getting promoted to the coordinator post when John Reagan accepted the coordinator and offensive line coach position at Kansas last December. Last year, Rice eclipsed 3,000 yards rushing and 2,000 yards passing for the first time during its 10-4 campaign, but Edmondson's first game as the co- ordinator saw the Owls produce only 145 yards total offense (61 rushing and 84 passing) in the 44-7 bowl loss to Mississippi State. ✦ Rice Treats This is only the fifth time Rice has been on Notre Dame's football schedule, and in each of the previous four the Fighting Irish enjoyed prosperous years. Notre Dame is 40‑3 (.903) in the years where Rice was on the schedule, highlighted by two national titles. • The initial meeting occurred in 1915. On Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25), Notre Dame won 36‑7 at Texas — and then two days later traveled to Houston and crushed the Owls 55‑2 for a final 7‑1 record under third‑year coach Jesse Harper. • In 1973, the Irish played in Rice Stadium — which would host the Super Bowl three months later — at night and scored a touchdown each quarter for a 28‑0 victory. Owls head coach Al Conover, a flamboyant showman, invited every priest in the diocese to the Rice sideline for the game and sent 17 "captains" — all the team's Catholics — out for the coin toss. The win improved Notre Dame to 4‑0 en route to the national title. • A phenomenal defensive effort by Rice, plus 30 yards in penalties on Irish head coach Ara Parseghian, helped the score to be deadlocked at 3‑3 when Notre Dame took possession at its 20 with 12:53 left in the contest. The Irish used 9:45 on 20 plays, capped by fullback Wayne "The Train" Bullock's one‑yard score for the final 10‑3 outcome. The drive was virtually a carbon copy of the legendary one at Oklahoma to snap the Sooners' NCAA‑record 47‑game winning streak with the 7‑0 victory. There, Notre Dame took possession at its 20 with 12:51 left in the contest and drove 80 yards in 20 plays that milked 9:01. In Parseghian's final season, the Irish finished 10‑2 and defeated No. 1 Alabama 13‑11 in the Orange Bowl to place No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and No. 4 in UPI. • The Nov. 12, 1988, game with Rice transpired by accident. Notre Dame was supposed to visit SMU that season, but when the Mustangs received the NCAA's "death penalty" in 1987 for repeated rules violations, the Irish were able to get Rice as a replacement — and at home. It would mark the first time in school history Notre Dame played seven home games in one season. After rising to No. 1 a week earlier for the first time in seven years, Notre Dame cruised to a 54‑11 win over the Owls, highlighted by freshman Raghib "Rocket" Ismail's 88‑ and 83‑yard kickoff returns for touchdowns. Head coach Lou Holtz's juggernaut went on to capture the national title with a 12‑0 mark. — Lou Somogyi