Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2 when 11-0-1 Nebraska eked by LSU in the Or- ange Bowl, 17-12. ation: With AP No. 1 Oklahoma ineligible for a bowl, both No. 5 and 9-1 Notre Dame and No. 6 USC still had their eyes on a poten- tial national title in the UPI poll. The Irish had already received a bid to the Orange Bowl to play UPI No. 1 Alabama (Oklahoma could not be ranked in the coaches poll because of proba- tion), while USC would play No. 2 Ohio State in the Rose. Outcome: In stunning NOV. 30, 1974 Notre Dame's Situ- sist from Notre Dame, USC ended up as the UPI national champ with a 10-1-1 record. The Tro- jans rallied in the closing minutes to defeat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, 18-17, while Notre Dame, in Parseghian's final fashion, the Irish built a 24-0 first-half lead. More shocking was that in a span of 16:54, USC scored 55 unanswered points to register a mind-numbing 55-24 victory. Epilogue: With an as- game, upset top-ranked Alabama, 13-11. ation: After Irish head coach Dan Devine an- nounced in August he would retire at the end of the season, his troops surprised the nation with a 9-0-1 start and No. 2 placement, landing them a bid to play No. 1 Geor- gia in the Sugar Bowl for the national title. Outcome: Notre Dame DEC. 6, 1980 Notre Dame's Situ- was limited to 120 yards total offense in a 20-3 de- feat, and a 17-10 loss in the Sugar Bowl would leave a bitter aftertaste to the otherwise surprising 9-2-1 season a year after finishing 7-4. Epilogue: Freshman games in the series, it was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 show- down. However, top- ranked and 10-0 Notre Dame was a 4.5-point un- derdog to the 10-0 Men of Troy. When Irish head coach Lou Holtz then sent home leading rusher Tony Brooks and leading receiver Ricky Watters for repeated tardiness, the odds elevated and "The Coliseum Jinx" appeared alive and well. Outcome: A 65-yard quarterback Blair Kiel summarized the empty feeling for the Irish of seeing yet another na- tional title bid in the Coli- seum fall short. "There's something strange about playing them out here," he said. "They've got some kind of hex on us." tion: For the first time in the 62-year history and 59 1988 Notre Dame's Situa- Co. secured the most recent Fighting Irish na- tional title with a 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. ✦ touchdown run by quar- terback Tony Rice in the first quarter and a 64- yard interception return for a touchdown by Stan Smagala right before halftime provided Notre Dame with a 20-7 cush- ion after the first 30 min- utes. Those huge plays helped nullify the fact that USC would finish the game with more first downs (21-8) and more total yardage (356-253). Notre Dame also com- mitted only one turnover compared to USC's four, a major factor in the 27- 10 Fighting Irish victory. Epilogue: Holtz and