Blue and Gold Illustrated

The Irish would go on to crush No. 5 and eventual Rose Bowl champ USC 38‑10. 9. 1997 NAVY: NO HAIL MARY VS. OUR LADY — Trailing 21‑17 with time for only one play from its 29, Navy tosses a deep ball that Irish defensive backs Deke Cooper and Deveron Harper try to intercept. The ball ricochets off them and into the hands of Navy's LeBron Butts, who doesn't break stride toward the end zone — until cornerback Allen Rossum comes from across the field to push him out near the 1‑yard line. If there's any school that shouldn't lose on a "Hail Mary," it's Notre Dame. 10. 1998 PURDUE: DRIVING BACK — Ear‑ lier in the week, Notre Dame safety Tony Driver, a former running back, left for home in Kentucky … only to return. His two interceptions late in a 31‑30 victory versus the Boilermakers help rally the Irish from a 30‑21 fourth‑ quarter deficit. 11. 1998 LSU: BOBBIE & WEAVE — In one of the wackiest games ever played in Notre Dame Stadium — including three defensive touchdowns and a kickoff return for a score — the 39‑36 victory versus the Tigers is sparked by linebacker Bobbie Howard's 89‑yard interception return when the Irish trailed 34‑27. After the missed extra point, Notre Dame has to score again with 1:27 left, and then loses quarterback Jari‑ ous Jackson when he takes a knee in the end zone in the closing seconds and ends up suffering a knee injury instead. 12. 1999 USC: GREATEST COMEBACK — In a monsoon, the Irish fall behind 24‑3 in the second half before Jack‑ son leads the greatest comeback win (25‑24) by Notre Dame in its stadium. The winning points come when tight end Jabari Holloway recovers Jack‑ son's fumble in the end zone during an 18‑yard scramble with 2:40 left in the contest. It ends USC's three‑game winning streak versus the Irish. 13. 1999 NAVY: JJ TO JJ — With 36 sec‑ onds left, Notre Dame avoids yet an‑ other scare from Navy when Jackson finds Jay Johnson for a 16‑yard touch‑ down in a 28‑24 victory. It would be 5‑3 Notre Dame's last victory of the year. 14. 2000 PURDUE: IN THE NICK OF TIME — Kicker Nicholas Setta becomes the first Irish kicker since Harry Oliver versus Michigan in 1980 to boot a game‑winning field goal in Notre Dame Stadium as time elapses. His 38‑yard kick defeats the Drew Brees‑ led Boilermakers, who would go on to win the Big Ten and play in the Rose Bowl. 15. 2000 AIR FORCE: BLOCK PARTY — With 28 seconds left, Air Force kicker Dave Adams lines up for a chip shot 28‑ yard field goal to win the game. In‑ stead, Glenn Earl, whose assignment was to watch the fake, breaks rank and blocks the kick. Notre Dame would win 34‑31 in overtime en route to the BCS. It would later be billed "The $13.5 mil‑ lion block" because of the payoff to the Irish for the big bowl.

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