Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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National Championship Game and finished 12-1 without Rees' steady hand when needed. 2. 1993: KEVIN MCDOUGAL & PAUL FAILLA After the graduation of No. 2 NFL pick Rick Mirer, head coach Lou Holtz declared McDougal No. 1 and Failla No. 1A. Popular opinion held that the job would be incoming freshman and National High School Player of the Year Ron Powlus' in the fall. Instead, Powlus suffered a broken clavicle in the preseason that side- lined him, and McDougal set a Notre Dame career record with his passing efficiency. Yet Failla was regularly inserted in red-zone situations (with defensive back Jeff Burris at running back) and started in a 31-13 victory over USC. McDougal completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,541 yards, and Failla was 19 of 25 (76.0 percent) for 281 yards on a team that finished 11-1 and No. 2. 3. 1980: BLAIR KIEL & MIKE COUREY The Irish were coming off a 7-4 campaign and graduated quarter- back Rusty Lisch, who would play five years in the NFL. Senior Courey won the starting job and was the player of the game in the season- opening 31-10 win over Purdue (completing 10 of 13 passes for 159 yards while adding 59 yards and a score on the ground). Yet it was the freshman Kiel that was inserted in the shotgun look on the game-winning drive the follow- ing week in the dramatic 29-27 win over Rose Bowl champ Michigan (capped with Harry Oliver's 51-yard field goal as time elapsed). Kiel took the starting reins by the fourth game before some late-season rotation oc- curred after the Irish reached No. 1. Courey had to rally the top-ranked Irish to a tie at Georgia Tech, and he also replaced Kiel in the second half at USC when the 9-0-1 and No. 2 Irish lost. Courey also was inserted in a red-zone situation versus No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, but threw an interception into the end zone in the 17-10 defeat. Kiel completed 38.7 percent of his passes for 531 yards and no touch- downs. Courey completed 47.5 per- cent for 348 yards and two scores. Head coach Dan Devine's Irish leaned on a stout defense, led by Scott Zettek and Bob Crable, and a smash-mouth ground game with Jim Stone and Phil Carter, who combined for 1,730 yards rushing. 4. 1987: TONY RICE & KENT GRAHAM After starter Terry Andrysiak was injured in the fourth game, sopho- more option specialist Rice took the throttle, but freshman Graham — who would play in the NFL for a decade — was inserted for passing situations and also made one start. Through nine weeks, Notre Dame was 8-1 and vying for national title contention, but the strategy fell apart in week 10 at Penn State. Late in the first half, Rice drove Notre Dame to the Penn State 3-yard line — when Graham was surprisingly inserted to cross up the Nittany Lions on what