[16] Holtz's fears seemed to be valid during the rain in the first half as Notre Dame only held a 7-point lead at the half. [21] On first down after a Penn State punt, Tony Rice threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Raghib Ismail. The 1988 squad, one of 11 national title squads for the Irish, is considered to be one of the best undefeated teams in the history of college football. The scoreboard changed to Notre Dame 14-USC 7 as Traveler executed that haughty equine prance. Read more about our data coverage. Also participating are DL Alton Maiden, DL George Marshall, LB Karl McGill, DB Mark Monahan, RB Emmett Mosley, LB Jeremy Nau, OL Brendan OConnor, P Scott Palumbo, OL Mike Perrino, OL Ron Plantz, DB Stephen Pope, LB Jeremy Sample, LB Jack Shields, RB Chris Smith, DL Darnell Smith, OL Jon Spickelmier, WR Charles Stafford and OL Greg Stec. They stayed in the parties and the bars, and a surprising number looked up at the TV screen that night to see Kirk Gibsons marvelous home run against Rollie Fingers and the As Scully offered In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened One quote, dual application. [13] After a stalled Irish drive, the Panthers got the ball back and took a 7-0 lead on a Dickerson touchdown. [8], MSU threatened Notre Dame early with a 1st-quarter field goal, but that would be the only points of the day the Notre Dame defense would allow as the Irish downed MSU 20-3. Required fields are marked *. Conference. The Irish were unbeaten. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. [2] The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football. [7], Paul "Bear" Bryant Award Coach of the Year, Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[27]. 18.. [13], The critical moment of the game came in the second half, when late into the fourth quarter the Irish were clinging to a 23-20 lead when the Panthers forced the Irish into a 4th and long from their own 23-yard line. Suddenly, Michigan had a 14-13 lead. [20] After Notre Dame's final touchdown, Rice LB Billy Stone returned the blocked extra-point all the way for two points to account for the final score of 54-11. Categories . 16-0. [18] The Midshipmen fumbled on their second play from scrimmage and six plays later Notre Dame led 7-0 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rice to Derek Brown, before a crowd of 54,926 at Memorial Stadium. [16] After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out. They had hung 59 on Boston College and 51 on normally stingy Penn State. [16] Coach Holtz admitted he was scared all week of a potential upset of his young Notre Dame squad. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Ned Bolcar was one tough inside linebacker but had to be a backup behind stalwarts Wes Pritchett and Mike Stonebreaker. The most comprehensive coverage of The Fighting Irish Football roster schedule game summaries scores highlights on the web. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 6:49AM. Baumann of the Mountaineers added a field goal before halftime and the Fiesta Bowl scoreboard read: Notre Dame 23-West Virginia 6. "We could have won the game," said Panther coach Mike Gottfried, "but we made just enough mistakes to lose it. A let down was not in the cards. Sheesh! Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. And Bo wanted no repeat of that. Lous way or the highway! [18] Ismail became the first Notre Dame player to return two kick-offs for touchdowns in a game since Paul Castner in 1922 against Kalamazoo. On Wednesday, Freeman took his mother to the White House for a state dinner where they will meet President Joe Biden who was a 15 year veteran of the United States Senate in 1988. [21] It was the first time the Fighting Irish had thrown deep all game, and the long pass caught Penn State defensive backs off guard. [1] The Irish beat the teams which finished the season ranked #2, #4, #5, and #7 in the AP Poll. Boy! 0. All rights reserved. Other former Irish players on the roster are FB Ken Barry, LB Kurt Belisle, DL Corey Bennett, OL Matt Brennan, LB Dave Butler, TE Kevin Carretta, WR Cikai Champion, DB Ivory Covington, DB John Covington, TE Mike Denvir, DL Reggie Fleurima, OL Tom Freeman, DB Bill Gibbs, DB Ty Goode, K Ted Gradel, WR Mike James, WR Clint Johnson, OL Rick Kaczenski, OL Jim Kordas, DL Pat Kramer, DB Tim Lynch and RB Dean Lytle. American Football Database is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. During the pre-game warmups the Canes ran through the Notre Dame team and bumped into a number of Notre Dame players. [18] Late in the game, after Rice's third field goal made the score 38-9, Rocket Ismail returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for another touchdown. The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. [13] Notre Dame answered back with a 52-yard Tony Brooks run to the 2-yard line. In the fourth quarter after another Irish touchdown, Rice blocked the extra point, and Billy Stone took it into the Notre Dameend zone for 2 points, the first such defensive conversion for two in NCAA history. Notre Dame got started early, scoring on their first possession, an 87-yard on 12 play drive. [16], Air Force opened the game with an impressive ground attack. [7], As of 2023, the 1988 Irish squad is also the most recent to win the national title. Fighting Irish. 108 ocean avenue, amityville, ny owners May 2, 2022. borders books locations January 21, 2022. Well, there were fisticuffs in the North End Zone. 2 Notre Dame posted its 25th consecutive victory of the Naval Academy, coach Lou Holtz was not happy. [9] Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries. White, Gordon S (1988-10-09). 1987 had ended with the taste of ashes. The Trojans were listless, committing four turnovers, including a back-breaking Rodney Peete interception to Stan Smagala for another Notre Dame touchdown. [21] After making the catch at Penn State's 20-yard line, Ismail broke Eddie Johnson's attempted tackle and jogged into the end zone. NYTimes. 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, 1988 NCAA Division I-A independents football records, 1988 Michigan State Spartans football team, Michigan StateNotre Dame football rivalry, 1988 Penn State Nittany Lions football team, 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team, "Catholics vs. Convicts The Irish pulled out a gritty win over a bitter foe", "College football's best of the last 20 years", "CFN's Tuesday Question - The All-Time Greatest Regular Season Games", "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)", "MIDWEST ROUNDUP;No. Notre Dame is well known for being the Irish football team and also for the achievments the team has accomplished. The Irish came into the game at 9-0 while Penn State was 5-5, on the verge of their first losing season in 50 years. 1 faced No. 25 years ago. [21] The win set the stage for the next week's showdown vs. USC, the final hurdle to the national championship game. Lou, in a move evocative of his player suyspensions before the Arakansas OU game in the the 78 Orange Bowl, sent Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks after they were late for a meeting. The Irish were 1-0. Received Preseason All-America First Team honors by Inside Lacrosse. Howdy! [16] After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out. [16] In the end, the Irish defense held the explosive Falcons to 54 yards rushing in the second half and 195 for the game, 237 yards below its season average. Luther Bradley started at cornerback for the 1973 Notre Dame national championship team and ended his career a champion with Notre Dame's national crown in 1977. Associated Press (1988-10-02). [14][15], A potential letdown after defeating No. 1 Miami 31-30", http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067906/index.htm, "25 years of college football's memorable games", https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-11-29-25-memorable-moments_N.htm, "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Unbeaten Notre Dame Posts 7th Victory", https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/23/sports/college-football-unbeaten-notre-dame-posts-7th-victory.html, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968941,00.html, https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24843840.html?dids=24843840:24843840&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+30%2C+1988&author=Associated+Press&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=1&desc=NOTRE+DAME+ROLLS+ON%2C+STOMPS+NAVY, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/sports/college-football-10-0-irish-send-penn-state-to-5-6.html, "2006 USC Media Guide: USC Football History", https://web.archive.org/web/20080524023557/http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/usc/graphics/media-guides/06-footbl/05fbguide208.pdf, "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Lou Holtz of Notre Dame Raps the Gavel Again", https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/27/sports/sports-of-the-times-lou-holtz-of-notre-dame-raps-the-gavel-again.html?pagewanted=all, "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 165)", https://web.archive.org/web/20080511143720/http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Football-Supplement-07, "Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coaching Awards", http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/11950567165420708%20BB%20Previous%20Winners.pdf, http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/robinson/index.html, https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx, https://web.archive.org/web/20080724182537/http://www.footballdb.com/index.html, Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, Pages using CFB schedule with named parameters, 1988 NCAA Division I-A independents football season, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Stonebreaker 39 yard interception return (Ho kick), Brooks 34-yard pass from Belles (Ho kick), C. Williams 10-yard pass from Fox (Sullivan kick), A. [16] In at running back, Belles took a pitch from Tony Rice, stepped back to his right and threw to a wide open Ricky Watters. [16] Of main concern was Air Force's wishbone ground attack, which came into Notre Dame Stadium averaging 46 points and 432 rushing yards a game. Collected 28 ground balls, recorded six draw controls and caused 24 turnovers. All players listed played for the 1988 team. But Bo was having none ot it.. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The Irish had beaten Michigan soundly, 26-7, in Ann Arbor in 1987. [16] The ball popped free and Terrell recovered the fumble at the Notre Dame 16. Push me, shove you, eh? But this guy made people stop and look when he was going to be in the action. On the very next play, Tony Rice optioned left for a 65-yard touchdown play. [12] Freshman standout tight end Derek Brown added the Irish's sole passing touchdown in the 3rd quarter. After leading by 14-3 at halftime, Notre Dame struck quickly for its final score in the third quarter. The Irish rang the bell three more times in the second quarter for a 42-0 halftime lead. The Irish scored early and often as Notre Dame dazzled their home crowd of 59,075 with a 54-11 victory. [11] The Irish improved to 3-0 while the Boilermakers dropped to 1-2 on the year. [7] In addition to Reggie Ho's game winner, the Irish kicker scored 3 other field goals. The letdown came the following week against Navy in rickety old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. [16] Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis took his team inside the Irish 20 on the game's first offensive drive. The Irish were #1! Notre Dame 52-Purdue 7, embarassing both the Boilers and the besotted Illuminati. 10. We're not a very good team right now. "[17] Favored to beat Navy by five touchdowns, the Irish dropped five passes, lost two fumbles, shanked a punt for a mere 10 yds., and got whistled for having twelve men on the field - all before winning the game 22-7. The Irish had just one more game before Miami, a trip to Pittsburgh to play Mike Gottfrieds Panthers. Then came the play that caused the biggest eruption in Notre Dame Stadium since the green jersey entry of 77. Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter. Search, discover and share your favorite 1988 Notre Dame Football Roster GIFs. 1 in the postseason AP poll, giving Notre Dame its latest national championship. The streak was over. [11] The Irish improved to 3-0 while the Boilermakers dropped to 1-2 on the year. [21] In the second quarter, Notre Dame drove 60 yards in five plays to go ahead, 14-0. [21] It was the first time the Fighting Irish had thrown deep all game, and the long pass caught Penn State defensive backs off guard. He and Lou had been assistants, at different times, under Woody Hayes. The most comprehensive coverage of The Fighting Irish Football roster, schedule game summaries, scores, highlights on the web. Lou would be ready and would ensure that his team would be. Lou was comfortable with his quarterback, Tony Rice. Moment of truth. [16] Air Force answered before the end of the half with a touchdown to cut Notre Dame's lead to just seven points. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl . "Notre Dame 54, Rice 11". [7], As of 2016, the 1988 Irish squad is also the most recent to win the national title. The Mountaineers got their first score, but a mere 29 yard field goal. [21] The win set the stage for the next week's showdown vs. USC, the final hurdle to the national championship game. Holtz inserted his new weapon, Rocket Ismail as an end on the punt block team. At Notre Dame, victory is both expected and traditional. [16] Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry's squad had the best ground gaining offense in the nation. "[17] Notre Dame amassed 396 total yards and held Navy to 192 yards, the lowest for an Irish opponent this year.[17]. [21] On second-and-5 from Penn State's 48-yard line, Tony Rice threw a 17-yard pass to Ricky Watters, who was wide open 15 yards downfield. [13] After an Anthony Johnson touchdown gave the Irish a 14-7 lead, Dickerson scored his second touchdown to tie the game again at 14-14. It seemed that destiny required this moment. [1] The team was coached by Lou Holtz and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana . Pretty cool . tamar July 1, 2020 Wiring Diagram No Comments. They play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana . This season, in some fashion, Notre Dame will celebrate the Silver Anniversary of this team. [9] The second half was a different story for the Irish offense, as quarterback Tony Rice and company amassed 195 yards on 33 carries in the second half. But there is nothing that gets the juices flowing in the Notre Dame community quite like being the underdog in a big game. Now, in 1988, they were. In the second quarter the Irish had the best of it for most of the quarter, with a long 57 yard pass to Ismail setting up a drive capped by a nine yard pass from Rice on a delay to Braxston Banks for the score. The Trojans swiftly got the ball back and the crowd roared for their hero Peete to tie the game. [9] The star of the game was Notre Dame's defense, which held the Spartans to 89 yards rushing for the game. [7] In a 19-17 thriller, walk-on kicker Reggie Ho kicked a 26-yard field goal winner with 1:13 remaining. The best GIFs are on GIPHY. 2 in college football history. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, by a score of a 3421. Was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week (February 14). The Official Athletic Site of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [12] Despite the lopsided score, Stanford did mount two of the longest scoring drives against the Irish to date, with a 68-yard drive by quarterback Brian Johnson and a 73-yard drive by back-up quarterback Jason Palumbis. Two kids from Catholic schools, Tim Grunhard from St. Laurence, and Tim Ryan from Rockhurst in Kansas City, were the guards flanking Mike Heldt. [20] After Notre Dame's final touchdown, Rice LB Billy Stone returned the blocked extra-point all the way for two points to account for the final score of 54-11. Then Reggie Ho, all 55 of him, added a field goal and the Irish had a 10-0 lead. Bright, sunny, football time in Michiana. Eight members of Notre Dame's 1988 national championship football team including '88 tri-captain Mark Green and standout inside linebacker Wes Pritchett help comprise the list of 55 former Irish football players who will participate in Charity Bowl 2000. Then Rice tossed to Rocket Ismail for a 54 yard touchdown pass. The Irish kept grinding, and moved down for a 5 yard running TD by Rodney Culver. With a little over 3 minutes left, Stams banged Walsh again, forcing a fumble which Zorich recovered. The preseason polls in 1988 reflected that sentiment, ranking ND #13. [1] The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31-30 upset of No. 2 Notre Dame posted its 25th consecutive victory of the Naval Academy, coach Lou Holtz was not happy. Big Ten SEC ACC Big 12 Conference USA. Or write about sports? See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. [19] Rodney Culver and Ryan Mihalko ran for touchdowns as Notre Dame opened up a 22-0 lead early in the third quarter en route to reaching an 8-0 record for the first time since 1973. Then Rice threw a beautiful crossing pattern to Rocket Ismail for a 29 yard TD pass and a 23-3 lead. The Canes struck back in the second quarter on a short pass from Walsh to Andre Brown to knot the score at 7. Time had seemed to stop. We weren't good enough to beat them inside. George Williams pressured Steve Walsh, and Pat Terrell easily batted the ball away from Leonard Conley. Cerrato was busy recruiting, and Lou had mentioned he could use some extra speed, so Vinnie, working east to west, stopped in Wilkes-Barre, more accustomed to producing those heavy of thigh rather than swift of foot, but he snagged a player by the name of Raghib Ismail, nicknamed Rocket.. 1 ranked Miami, ending their 36-game regular season winning streak. Hatred makes you blind, Keith! And he kept insisting on it!! But you dont outwit Lou Holtz on special teams, and indeed, the team did save Jimmy Johnson for me. Miami fans love to yak about the Cleveland Gary play, but this was the fulcrum of the second half. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl . [21] Five plays later, Notre Dame scored from Penn State's two. 1988 Notre Dame 12 0 National Champions Web The 1. In the 80s the irish had made bowl heroes out of the previously undistinguished Buck Belue of Georgia and Bucky Richardson of the Aggies. Do you have a sports website? [22] The Irish came into the game as underdogs, but spectacular play of defensive end Frank Stams and cornerback Stan Smagala aided the Irish offense, led by Tony Rice, to an Irish victory. With about 2 minutes gone in the fourth, Carlos Huerta kicked a fild goal from 23 yards and it was Notre Dame 31-Miami 24. He knew how Nehlen and the Mountaineers would come at him. [9] Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries. Roster includes most starters and key reserves. And then some. Rocket Ismail not only had it he was it.. Notre dame football roster 1988. People who had watched Miami come back in Ann Arbor for a 31-30 victory by overcoming a 30-14 deficit with 5 minutes to go, then suffered deja vu. The sellout crowd of 93,829 was the largest in this rivalry since 1955. The Irish next traveled to East Lansing to meet the Spartans, and confront George Perles beloved stunt 4-3. While it would start out 0-2, the two losses would be to Notre Dame and Miami,and the Wolverines would not lose again, including a season-ending Rose Bowl win over USC. There were lumps in the throats of the Irish fans in the stands, but not in the throats of the Irish players. [11] Tailback Mark Green added a 7-yard touchdown run and Ricky Watters returned a punt 66 yards for a score. Terms & Conditions! [13] Tony Rice went 8-14 passing for the game and a third quarter Braxston Banks touchdown gave the Irish the lead for good. [21] Rice set up the score with another pass to Watters - a 27-yard play that moved the ball to Penn State's 33-yard line. The Irish ground game, in their first outing under Joe Moores raspy-throated leadership, kept penetrating into Michigan territory, but could not punch the ball into the end-zone. [13], The critical moment of the game came in the second half, when late into the fourth quarter the Irish were clinging to a 23-20 lead when the Panthers forced the Irish into a 4th and long from their own 23-yard line. Do you have a blog? [11] The second half saw the Irish score ten points with back-ups, a 44-yard field goal by Billy Hackett and a 36-yard run from freshman fullback Rodney Culver. "[17] Favored to beat Navy by five touchdowns, the Irish dropped five passes, lost two fumbles, shanked a punt for a mere 10 yds., and got whistled for having twelve men on the field - all before winning the game 22-7. [7] Holtz was named national coach of the year for taking the Irish squad from an 8-4 record the previous year to national title winners the following year. [7] Irish head coaches Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine also won titles in their third years as head coach. The score was 21-21 at the half, and serious, not morose, fans wandered the concourse at halftime. [12] The Irish defense stymied the Cardinal, holding them to just 111 yards in the first half. Home / / notre dame football roster 1988. notre dame football roster 1988