Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: April title, Notre Dame concludes spring drills with a 49-10 victory by the starting Blue team in the 47th annual Blue-Gold Game. Running back Va- gas Ferguson is named the offensive MVP with his 85 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 17 carries, while cornerback Luther Bradley, who in- tercepts three passes, is selected defensive MVP. Headlined by 1976 Outland Trophy winner 35 Years Ago: April 30, 1977 The odds-on favorite to win the 1977 national is a 37-yard field goal by Nicholas Setta to give the Gold a 3-0 victory. In the newly installed West Coast offense, Will- ingham declines to name a starting quarterback between 2000 starter Matt LoVecchio (6-of-14 passing for 58 yards with three interceptions) and 2001 starter Carlyle Holiday (3-of-7 passing for 27 yards). Ross Browner, all 11 starters return to a defense that led the Irish to a 9-3 record and No. 12 finish a year earlier. Two-time All-American tight end Ken MacAfee spearheads nine of the 11 starters returning on offense, with the main question coming at quarterback, where two-year starter Rick Slager had graduated. Rusty Lisch fared well in a relief role for an injured Slager the previous year, but senior Joe Montana, who started three games in 1975, is coming off a shoulder separation that sidelined him all of 1976. Lisch completes 11 of 17 passes in the final scrimmage, while Montana struggles to regain his form. "Lisch has won the No. 1 quarterback spot," sun-splashed Blue-Gold Game following back- to-back BCS berths in head coach Charlie Weis' first two seasons. The appeal can be summarized in two words: Jimmy Clausen. 5 Years Ago: April 21, 2007 A record 51,852 fans are in attendance for the ATTENTION IRISH FANS Packages are available for all Notre Dame home football games Sept. 08 Purdue Sept. 22 Michigan Oct. 13 Stanford Oct. 20 B.Y.U Nov. 03 Pittsburgh Nov. 17 Wake Forest third-year head coach Dan Devine declares after the game. "He's a dedicated athlete and a good student of the game. However, Joe has had a real good last couple of weeks in practice. He just happened to be off today. When a guy is out for a year, it's hard to come back so quickly." ends with two different Blue-Gold Games in Moose Krause Stadium behind the Joyce Center while Notre Dame Stadium continues construc- tion in its expansion to more than 80,000 seats for the 1997 season. The first scrimmage in front of 8,240 sees 15 Years Ago: April 19 & 26, 1997 First-year head coach Bob Davie's first spring backup quarterback Jarious Jackson's (6-of-11 passing for 121 yards with one touchdown) Gold team eke out a 10-6 win against incumbent Ron Powlus' (11-of-17 passing for 113 yards) Blue. The game's first play sees Jackson connect with Malcolm Johnson for an 80-yard score into zone coverage. The second, with 9,241 in attendance, sees Powlus' (16-of-24 passing for 148 yards with one touchdown) team win, 24-14. Running back Clement Stokes is the game's workhorse for both teams with 24 carries that net 139 yards. crowd to 17,025 in head coach Tyrone Willing- ham's first spring with the Irish. Only 58 plays are run in the contest that lasts 10 Years Ago: April 27, 2002 A cold, rainy day limits the Blue-Gold Game a record-low one hour and 22 minutes — and that's with a 20-minute halftime. The lone score www.BLUEANDGOLD.com All Package will include: Jimmy Clausen drew a record crowd (51,852) in the spring of 2007, when the early enrollee made his public debut for Notre Dame in the annual Blue-Gold Game. — described as "the LeBron James of college football" — is an early enrollee vying with soph- omores Demetrius Jones and Zach Frazer, plus junior Evan Sharpley, to be the "Air Apparent" to first-round pick and four-year starter Brady Quinn. However, Clausen is slowed by bone spurs in The High School National Player of the Year his throwing arm and sees limited action in the spring finale. He splits time with Jones on the Blue team, which loses 10-6. Both Clausen (3-of-7 passing for 23 yards) and PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND * Game Ticket- Endzone to the 40 yard line * Two night hotel in either South Bend or Elkhart * Great Customer Service Please visit Jones (3-of-6 passing for 23 yards) have similar stats, but Jones also tosses a first-quarter inter- ception to safety David Bruton, who returns it for a 35-yard score. Jones later connects with Robby Parris for a 15-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 7-6 after a missed PAT. Bruton is named the defensive player of the www.diamondtravel.com for complete details and price or call game, while senior running back Junior Jab- bie's 87 yards rushing on 13 carries earns him offensive player of the game for the winning Gold team. Former Irish head coaches Ara Parseghian (1964-74) and Lou Holtz (1986-96) serve as the game's honorary coaches. 1.602.870.9197 DIAMOND TRAVEL — Lou Somogyi 24 YEARS IN BUSINESS GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE APRIL 2012 13