Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME ✦ GIMME FIVE This year, Stanford is attempt- ing to become the fourth team to defeat Notre Dame at least 10 times in the past 25 seasons. The Cardinal pulled major up- sets of the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium in 1990 and 1992. The former was against a No. 1 team that ended Notre Dame's 19- game home winning streak (the longest since 1950), and the lat- ter was the lone defeat of that season for Lou Holtz's team. Stanford has beaten the Irish four of the last five years — just like Michigan had prior to 2014. Because of Notre Dame's need to keep a presence in California for recruiting pur- poses, the series with USC and Stanford have become "un- touchables," along with Navy. All the other long-standing Irish rivalries have either ended or will be more intermittent. Every year since 1998, Notre Dame has played at USC in even- numbered years and Stanford in odd-numbered years on Thanksgiving weekend. Here are the top five teams with the most victories versus Notre Dame since 1990: Team Wins Vs. ND Since 1990 1. USC 12 (24 games) 2. Michigan 11 (20 games) 3. Michigan St. 10 (22 games) 4. Stanford 9 (22 games) 5t. Purdue 5 (25 games) 5t. Pitt 5 (18 games) ND ingenuity at work creating jobs in South Bend ... South Bend Woodworks founded in 2013 by Mike Lindburg '71. Officially licensed gift items designed for ND families and loyal fans. American Made, handcrafted from the finest woods. Buy any ND item by October 20, 2014 and receive 20% off. Enter coupon code BG1014. SouthBendWoodworks.com 574-232-8875 suffered a season ending injury. Rees also was col- lege football's top bull- pen man in 2012 when he helped save three victories off the bench (Purdue, Michigan and Stanford) and started a fourth (BYU) because of an injury to Golson. "Sometimes we've got to jump on [Zaire] a little bit because you have a tendency maybe to lack a little bit of that sharpness and that concentration," Kelly said. "We have to keep reminding him, 'Hey, you're one play away from leading this football team.' It's a daily kind of conversation." Unlike running back or receiver, the quarterback position is not one where a player can be inserted during tight spots just to provide the starter a breather. "There is not a temp- tation to put him in the game unless he has to be in the game," Kelly said of Zaire. "Everett has es- tablished himself as the starting quarterback. … It's our job to make sure that our backup quar- terback is, in fact, com- pletely ready to win if he has to go in the game." — Lou Somogyi