A week after trailing at halftime against a Navy program that was 5-24 in its last 29 games, Notre Dame running back Lee Becton and the Irish defeated No. 1 Florida State in 1993.
the previous week (or weeks), casting a specter of doubt upon them as paper tigers ripe to be mauled. 2) The vaunted Irish opponent must
1) The Irish are required to struggle
whip their foe(s) badly in prior weeks, giving them a look of supremacy. 3) The regular-season game prefer-
ably should be on the road, although we made exceptions in a few cases since 1980. The following upset wins followed that pattern:
Georgia Tech team, No. 1 Notre Dame needed a late field goal by Harry Oli- ver to salvage a 3-3 tie. It dropped to
1980: NOTRE DAME AT ALABAMA Notre Dame A Week Earlier: Against a 1-7
No. 6.
PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
straight national title, the Crimson Tide pounded rival LSU 28-7. No way would head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant go 0-4 against Notre Dame. Outcome: A sensational defensive ef-
Alabama A Week Earlier: In quest of a third
fort led the Irish to a 7-0 upset at Le- gion Field. The lone touchdown drive was four yards, with Phil Carter scor- ing the touchdown.
Irish had to battle for four quarters before beating Navy, 27-10, after being fortunate to tie a week Oregon team (13-13) and losing at home to Arizona (16-13).
1982: NOTRE DAME AT PITT Notre Dame A Week Earlier: The unranked
