Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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22 PRESEASON 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI A ra Parseghian's 11 seasons on the Notre Dame sidelines (1964-74) saw him coach 116 games. Ninety-five of them resulted in vic- tory, with only 17 defeats and four ties. Here are his top 10 most defin- ing/powerful moments and why: 10. WISCONSIN SEPT. 26, 1964 — 31-7 Setting: Parseghian's debut came on a rainy day in Madison when Notre Dame was coming off a 2-7 campaign — its fifth straight non- winning season — and averaged an anemic 12.0 points per game. Wisconsin head coach Milt Bruhn had a 6-2 all-time mark versus the new Irish head coach, including a 37-6 win in 1962 when Parseghian's 6-0 Northwestern Wildcats were No. 1 in the country. Bruhn had won three straight versus Parseghian and was victorious in the opener at Notre Dame the year prior. Notes: Wisconsin finished with mi- nus-51 rushing yards, a Notre Dame single-game record to this day. New Irish quarterback John Huarte passed for 270 yards, while receiver Jack Snow grabbed nine passes for a record 217 yards and two scores. No Irish QB threw for more than 243 yards the entire combined season in 1963. The top Irish receiver that same season totaled 233 yards in nine games. Impact: After years of famine in the college football desert, the Notre Dame fandom sensed with ecstasy that the Messiah Coach had arrived to lead them to the Promised Land. 9. USC OCT. 23, 1965 — 28-7 Setting: Led by that season's Heis- man Trophy winner in tailback Mike Garrett, No. 4 USC entered the caul- dron at No. 7 Notre Dame with Par- seghian's troops bent on restitution after the Trojans cost the Fighting Irish the 1964 consensus national title with a 20-17 comeback win in the closing minutes. Note: On 16 carries, Garrett was limited to 43 rushing yards, while all four starting members of the Irish backfield — fullback Larry Conjar, halfbacks Nick Eddy and Bill Wolski and quarterback Bill Zloch — out- rushed him. Conjar scored all four Notre Dame touchdowns while total- ing 116 yards. Impact: In Parseghian's 11 seasons, the only two years where this rivalry did not have one of the two teams with a shot at the national title on the last day of the regular season or New Year's Day was 1965 and 1971. 8. LSU NOV. 21, 1970 — 3-0 Setting: In the Notre Dame Sta- dium home finale this year, the No. 2 and 8-0 Irish squared off against No. 7 LSU, that year 's SEC champion, with national title aspirations on the line. It was Notre Dame's first-ever meeting versus an SEC foe. Note: Despite two future NFL MVPs at quarterback — Joe Theis- mann at Notre Dame and Bert Jones at LSU — the defensive slugfest saw the Irish limited to 240 yards of total offense and LSU 169. Fighting Irish defensive end Walt Patulski was credited with eight tackles for loss. The Irish won on a 24-yard field goal by Scott Hempel with 2:54 left in the game. Impact: Although Notre Dame ac- tually dropped to No. 4 with the win, it received a bid to play No. 1 Texas for a rematch in the Cotton Bowl. 7. PURDUE SEPT. 24, 1966 — 26-14 Setting: No. 6 Notre Dame had zero experience at quarterback and receiver in this crucial opener. Con- versely, No. 8 Purdue, that year 's Rose Bowl winner, featured Heisman candidate Bob Griese, who had led Purdue to an upset of the No. 1 Irish a year earlier by completing 19 of 22 passes for 283 yards. Notes: Similar to the senior Hua- rte-to-Snow tandem in 1964, the sophomore combination of Terry Hanratty and Jim Seymour made a stunning debut in the hard-fought 26-14 victory. Hanratty completed 16 passes for 304 yards, and Seymour grabbed 13 for 276 yards (still a sin- gle-game school record) and three touchdowns. Eddy tied the game on an electrify- ing kickoff return after an early Pur- due score on a fumble return that gave it a 7-0 edge. Impact: With an impregnable de- fense that allowed only 24 points all season, plus a strong ground game, Notre Dame unveiled a passing at- tack that was the last piece needed to vie for the national title. EPIC EVENTS The top 10 most powerful wins (or ties) during the Era of Ara from 1964-74 Ara Parseghian inherited a 2-7 team and a program with five straight non-winning seasons, but wasted no time in turning it around with a 31-7 victory in the 1964 season opener at Wisconsin in his debut on the Irish sidelines. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS