1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Independent 1 1 12–0 Lou Holtz 3rd Wishbone triple option Barry Alvarez 1st 5–2 Tony Rice Ned Bolcar Andy Heck Mark Green Notre Dame Stadium Consensus national championFiesta Bowl champion Fiesta Bowl W Won 34–21 vs. West Virginia The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year head under coach Lou Holtz, the Irish compiled a perfect 12–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 359 to 135, and were ranked No. 1 in the final AP and UPI polls.1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1988-schedule.html Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football July 26, 20261988 Football Review The Notre Dame Scholastic February 9, 1989 https://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1988s.pdf Notre Dame Archives En route to the national championship, the Irish defeated teams that finished the season ranked No. 2 (Miami (FL)), No. 4 (Michigan), No. 5 (West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl), and No. 7 (USC) in the final AP poll. The 1988 Fighting Irish have been rated as one of the best teams in the history of college football.McAllister Mike http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2004/01/05/perfect.seasons/ https://web.archive.org/web/20051218222812/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2004/01/05/perfect.seasons/ dead December 18, 2005 Top 10 Perfect Seasons si.com 2005-01-05 2008-07-20 The team's victory over Miami, colloquially referred to as the "Catholics vs. Convicts" game, ended the Hurricanes' 36-game regular season winning streak,Burns Marty http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/best_game/06/11/burns.best/index.html Catholics vs. Convicts The Irish pulled out a gritty win over a bitter foe si.com 2008-07-23 2007-07-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20080629045909/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/best_game/06/11/burns.best/index.html 29 June 2008 and is considered one of the most memorable games in all of college football history. Walters John Notre Dame Golden Moments Rutledge Hill Press 2004-07-21 1-59186-042-3 https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2002-11-19-memorable-moments_x.htm College football's best of the last 20 years usatoday.com 2002-11-19 2008-07-23Fiutak Pete Cirminiello Richard Harris John Zemek Matthew http://cfn.scout.com/2/561908.html CFN's Tuesday Question - The All-Time Greatest Regular Season Games CollegeFootballNews.com 2006-08-28 2008-07-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20080821191445/http://cfn.scout.com/2/561908.html 21 August 2008 Linebacker Michael Stonebreaker and defensive end Frank Stams were consensus first-team picks on the 1988 All-America college football team.Football Award Winners National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2016 March 18, 2017 3, 14 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/Awards.pdf Offensive tackle Andy Heck also received first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and United Press International. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Tony Rice (1,176 passing yards, 700 rushing yards) and Rocket Ismail (321 receiving yards, 431 kickoff return yards).1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1988.html Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football July 26, 2026 The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. Schedule 1988 AP Eastern September 10 8:00 p.m. w 13 Michigan 9 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry CBS 19–17 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-irish-magic-hos-4-fg/173472880/ The Plain Dealer Irish magic; Ho's 4 FG's nip Michigan September 11, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com September 17 11:00 a.m. w y 8 Michigan State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry ABC 20–3 77,472 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-irish-run-over-spa/173472955/ The Indianapolis Star Irish run over Spartans, 20–3 September 18, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com September 24 12:00 p.m. w 8 Purdue Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 52–7 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kalamazoo-gazette-irish-erupt-for-42/173473050/ The Kalamazoo Gazette Irish erupt for 42 points in first half against Purdue September 25, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com October 1 7:00 p.m. w 5 Stanford Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry ESPN 42–14 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-rice-irish-dart-past-st/173473139/ Chicago Tribune Rice, Irish dart past Stanford October 2, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com October 8 3:00 p.m. w y 5 Pittsburgh Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA rivalry ESPN 30–20 56,500 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-irish-running-game/173469107/ The Orlando Sentinel Irish running game tramples Pitt, 30–20 October 9, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com October 15 1:30 p.m. w 4 Miami (FL) 1 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry CBS 31–30 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-irish-good-guys-nab/173472352/ The Courier-Journal Irish good guys nab public enemy No. 1 October 16, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com October 22 12:00 p.m. w 2 Air Force Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 41–13 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-irish-overcome-jit/173473259/ The Indianapolis Star Irish overcome jitters to whip Air Force October 23, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com October 29 11:00 a.m. w y 2 Navy Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD rivalry 22–7 54,929 https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-lackluster-irish-sail/173362814/ Detroit Free Press Lackluster Irish sail past Navy October 30, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com November 5 12:00 p.m. w 1 Rice Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN WGN-TV 54–11 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-rocket-puts-notre-dame/173473366/ Chicago Tribune 'Rocket' puts Notre Dame in orbit November 6, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com November 19 12:00 p.m. w 1 Penn State Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry CBS 21–3 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press-notre-dame-rips-penn-state-2/173440259/ Daily Press Notre Dame rips Penn State 21–3 November 20, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com November 26 3:30 p.m. w y 1 USC 2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA rivalry ABC 27–10 93,829 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-rice-wins-game/173473491/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Rice wins game of dueling quarterbacks November 27, 1988 May 30, 2025 Newspapers.com January 2, 1989, 1989 4:30 p.m. w y 1 West Virginia 3 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ Fiesta Bowl NBC 34–21 74,911 https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-defense-rice-lead-ir/140097345/ Detroit Free Press Defense, Rice lead Irish to 8th title January 3, 1989 February 2, 2024 Newspapers.com Rankings November 2025 1988 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 16 13 (1) 13 13 8 8 5 5 4 2 (22) 2 (19) 1 (44) 1 (42) 1 (40) 1 (35) 1 (57) 1 (49) 1 (58 1 2) Coaches 0 16 12 12 11 9 8 5 5 4 2 (10) 2 (8) 1 (30) 1 (32) 1 (31) 1 (29) 1 (42) 1 (42) 1 (42) Game summaries Michigan #9 Michigan at #13 Notre Dame No. 9 Wolverines 0 7 7 3 No. 13 Fighting Irish 10 3 0 6 September 10 Notre Dame Stadium,Notre Dame, IN 8:00 PM EST 59,075 Brent Musburger, Pat Haden, and John Dockery CBS yes 1 10:11 ND Watters 81-yard punt return (Ho kick) ND 7-0 1 ND Ho 31-yard field goal ND 10-0 2 ND Ho 38-yard field goal ND 13-0 2 8:29 MICH Hoard 1-yard run (Gillette kick) ND 13-7 3 4:44 MICH Taylor 1-yard run (Gillette kick) MICH 14-13 4 ND Ho 26-yard field goal ND 16-14 4 MICH Gillette 49-yard field goal MICH 17-16 4 1:13 ND Ho 26-yard field goal ND 19-17 yes 1988 Michigan Wolverines football team Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry 13th ranked Notre Dame debuted its season against No. 9 Michigan in Notre Dame Stadium.http://und.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07fbguidehistory 2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175) und.cstv.com 2008-07-10 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080610005741/http://und.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07fbguidehistory 10 June 2008 In a 19-17 thriller, walk-on kicker Reggie Ho kicked a 26-yard field goal winner with 1:13 remaining. Lou Holtz's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown. In addition to Reggie Ho's game winner, the Irish kicker scored 3 other field goals.White Jr. Gordon S. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/12/sports/college-football-kicking-saves-notre-dame.html Kicking Saves Notre Dame nytimes.com 1988-09-12 2008-07-10 The lone touchdown from Notre Dame came from a Ricky Watters punt return, an 81-yard runback. Michigan's Mike Gillette, who had given the Wolverines the lead with 5:34 left by kicking a 49-yard field goal, had one final chance to give Michigan the win, narrowly missing from 48 yards as the final gun sounded. At Michigan State #8 Notre Dame at Michigan State No. 8 Fighting Irish 0 6 7 7 Spartans 3 0 0 0 September 17 Spartan Stadium,East Lansing, MI 11:00 AM EST 77,472 Gary Bender, Dick Vermeil and Becky Dixon ABC yes Q1 MSU Langeloh 39 yard field goal MSU 3–0 Q2 ND Ho 31 yard field goal Tie 3–3 Q2 ND Ho 22 yard field goal ND 6–3 Q3 ND Rice 8 yard run (Ho kick) ND 13–3 Q4 ND Stonebreaker 39 yard interception return (Ho kick) ND 20–3 yes 1988 Michigan State Spartans football team Michigan State–Notre Dame football rivalry 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.Associated Press Notre Dame 20, Michigan State 3 NYTimes 1988-09-18 Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries. Reggie Ho tied the game with 31-yarder in the second quarter and put the Irish ahead 6–3 at the half with a 22-yard field goal. 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. 156 yards came on 19 carries in the third quarter alone. Tony Rice ran for an 8-yard touchdown and Michael Stonebreaker added a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final quarter to end any hopes of a Spartan upset. The star of the game was Notre Dame's defense, which held the Spartans to 89 yards rushing for the game. Running back Mark Green led the Irish rushing attack with 125 yards on the ground.https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/73632058.html?dids=73632058:73632058&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+18%2C+1988&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=d.14&desc=MIDWEST+ROUNDUP%3BNo.+8+Irish+Leave+Spartans+Smartin%27 https://archive.today/20130201162812/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/73632058.html?dids=73632058:73632058&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+18,+1988&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=d.14&desc=MIDWEST+ROUNDUP;No.+8+Irish+Leave+Spartans+Smartin' dead February 1, 2013 MIDWEST ROUNDUP;No. 8 Irish Leave Spartans Smartin' washingtonpost.com d.14 1988-09-18 2008-07-11 Purdue Purdue at #8 Notre Dame Boilermakers 0 0 0 7 No. 8 Fighting Irish 14 28 3 7 September 24 Notre Dame Stadium,South Bend, IN 12:00 PM EST 59,075 WGN-TV Source: yes 1 ND Rice 38-yard run (Ho kick) ND 7-0 1 ND Brown 8-yard pass from Rice (Ho kick) ND 14-0 2 ND Ismail 54-yard pass from Rice (Ho kick) ND 21-0 2 ND Green 7-yard run (Ho kick) ND 28-0 2 ND Watters 66-yard punt return (Ho kick) ND 35-0 2 ND Brooks 34-yard pass from Belles (Ho kick) ND 42-0 3 ND Hackett 44-yard field goal ND 45-0 4 ND Culver 36-yard run (Hackett kick) ND 52-0 4 PUR C. Williams 10-yard pass from Fox (Sullivan kick) ND 52-7 yes 1988 Purdue Boilermakers football team Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry Tony Rice passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Notre Dame shredded Purdue 52–7.Associated Press Notre Dame 52, Purdue 7 NYTimes 1988-09-25 It was one of the worst losses by Purdue in the history of the series, and its worst loss since a 48-0 drubbing in 1970. Notre Dame scored early and often, starting with a 38-yard Rice option run for a touchdown. Tony Rice's first passing touchdown on the year was an 8-yarder to freshman tight end Derek Brown. The Irish exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, highlighted by a 54-yard Rice touchdown pass to Rocket Ismail. Tailback Mark Green added a 7-yard touchdown run and Ricky Watters returned a punt 66 yards for a score. Coach Lou Holtz used three separate quarterbacks in the second quarter and four total in the game. 3rd-string quarterback Steve Belles hit running back Tony Brooks for a 34-yard score to put the Irish up 42–0 at half-time. 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. Purdue's lone touchdown was a fourth quarter 7-yard pass from Brian Fox to Calvin Williams. The Irish improved to 3-0 while the Boilermakers dropped to 1–2 on the year. Stanford Stanford at #5 Notre Dame Cardinal 0 7 7 7 No. 5 Fighting Irish 6 22 7 7 October 1 Notre Dame Stadium,Notre Dame, IN 7:00 PM EST 59,075 ESPN 1988 Stanford Cardinal football team Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry Tony Rice rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a third to lead the Fighting Irish to a 42–14 blowout of Stanford.Associated Press Notre Dame (4-0) Rolls, 42-14 New York Times 1988-10-02 Rice completed 11 of 14 passes for 129 yards and rushed for 107 yards. Rice scored runs of 30 yards and 6 yards while the Irish tailbacks added 3 other scores with touchdowns from Mark Green, Tony Brooks, and Anthony Johnson. 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. Freshman standout tight end Derek Brown added the Irish's sole passing touchdown in the 3rd quarter. The Irish defense stymied the Cardinal, holding them to just 111 yards in the first half. At Pittsburgh #5 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh No. 5 Fighting Irish 14 3 6 7 Panthers 7 7 3 3 October 8 Pitt Stadium,Pittsburgh, PA 3:00 PM EST 56,500 Station=ESPN 1988 Pittsburgh Panthers football team Notre Dame–Pittsburgh football rivalry Notre Dame, a loser to Pittsburgh three years in a row, narrowly avoided another such upset as the Irish improved to 5–0 on the season.White Gordon S Undefeated Irish Avert an Upset New York Times 1988-10-09 S11 The 30–20 victory in the rain did little to inspire confidence that Notre Dame could beat No. 1 Miami the following week. The Panthers made a number of critical mistakes that led the Panthers to believe they did more to lose the game more than Notre Dame did to win it. "We could have won the game," said Panther coach Mike Gottfried, "but we made just enough mistakes to lose it." Notre Dame struggled to contain Panther quarterback Darnell Dickerson, who at times had 10 seconds or more per play. The Panthers came out strong early, starting the game with an impressive drive, but before the Panthers could score, Irish cornerback Todd Lyght forced a fumble, which Chris Zorich recovered. After a stalled Irish drive, the Panthers got the ball back and took a 7–0 lead on a Dickerson touchdown. Notre Dame answered back with a 52-yard Tony Brooks run to the 2-yard line. The large run was the result of a failed Panther blitz attempt. Tony Rice scored on a 2-yard keeper to tie the game 7-7. 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. Reggie Ho scored a 37-yard field goal to give the Irish a 17-14 half time lead. 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. But a late 12 men on the field penalty against the Panthers gave the Irish new life. The 15-yard penalty gave Notre Dame the ball on its 48-yard line, and 11 plays later Mark Green ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 4:30 left in the game to put victory out of reach for the Panthers. Tony Rice went 8-14 passing for the game and a third quarter Braxston Banks touchdown gave the Irish the lead for good. Miami #1 Miami (FL) at #4 Notre Dame No. 1 Hurricanes 0 21 0 9 No. 4 Fighting Irish 7 14 10 0 October 15 Notre Dame Stadium,Notre Dame, IN 1:30 PM EST 59,075 Brent Musburger, Pat Haden, and John Dockery CBS Source: yes 1 3:36 ND Rice 7-yard run (Ho kick) ND 7-0 2 12:40 Miami A. Brown 8-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick) Tied 7-7 2 7:34 ND B. Banks 8-yard pass from Rice (Ho kick) ND 14-7 2 ND Pat Terrell 60-yard interception return (Ho kick) ND 21-7 2 2:16 Miami Conley 23-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick) ND 21-14 2 0:21 Miami C. Gary 15-yard pass from Walsh (Huerta kick) Tied 21-21 3 8:09 ND P. Eilers 3-yard run (Ho kick) ND 28-21 3 0:37 ND Ho 27-yard field goal ND 31-21 4 13:07 Miami Huerta 23-yard field goal ND 31-24 4 0:45 Miami A. Brown 11-yard pass from Walsh (pass failed) ND 31-30 yes 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami football game 1988 Miami Hurricanes football team The October 15, 1988, game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami Hurricanes is colloquially referred to as the "Catholics vs. Convicts" game. The University of Notre Dame was dubbed the "Catholics" and the University of Miami was dubbed as "the Convicts".http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067906/index.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20121025121510/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067906/index.htm dead October 25, 2012 Pluck of the Irish – Spunky Notre Dame laid claim to the top spot in the national rankings by outlasting No. 1 Miami 31-30 Telander Rick 1988-10-24 Sports Illustrated 2009-10-10https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-11-29-25-memorable-moments_N.htm 25 years of college football's memorable games 2007-12-01 USA Today 2009-10-10 Air Force Air Force at #2 Notre Dame Falcons 6 7 0 0 No. 2 Fighting Irish 6 14 14 7 October 22 Notre Dame Stadium,South Bend, IN 12:00 PM EST 59,075 WGN-TV 1988 Air Force Falcons football team A potential letdown after defeating No. 1 Miami the previous week never materialized for the now 2nd ranked Irish, who used a second half onslaught of power running to down the Falcons 41–13.White Jr. Gordon S. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/23/sports/college-football-unbeaten-notre-dame-posts-7th-victory.html COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Unbeaten Notre Dame Posts 7th Victory nytimes.com 1988-10-23 2008-07-11 Coach Holtz admitted he was scared all week of a potential upset of his young Notre Dame squad. 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. Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry's squad had the best ground gaining offense in the nation. 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. Air Force opened the game with an impressive ground attack. Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis took his team inside the Irish 20 on the game's first offensive drive. But Pat Terrell, the defensive hero of last week's victory over Miami, stepped into the spotlight again, this time with Stan Smagala. Albert Booker, an Air Force halfback, was carrying the ball on second down when Smagala hit him hard. The ball popped free and Terrell recovered the fumble at the Notre Dame 16. After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out. But Notre Dame matched that by going 71 yards to score on Mark Green's 7-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, The Irish continued to run the ball, with quarterback Tony Rice and running back Anthony Johnson both running for touchdowns. Air Force answered before the end of the half with a touchdown to cut Notre Dame's lead to just seven points. The third quarter was all Irish, as five Irish running backs combined for 283 yards, all running for 23 yards or more. One of the highlights was a 50-yard halfback pass late in the third quarter thrown by 3rd-string quarterback Steve Belles. In at running back, Belles took a pitch from Tony Rice, stepped back to his right and threw to a wide open Ricky Watters. The flanker took the ball inside the Air Force 10 and battled his way just over the goal line late in the third quarter. Other scores included a Tony Brooks 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter and another Ricky Watters touchdown catch; this time a 28-yarder from Rice. 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. At Navy #2 Notre Dame at Navy No. 2 Fighting Irish 7 9 6 0 Midshipmen 0 0 7 0 October 29 Memorial Stadium,Baltimore, MD 11:00 AM EST 54,929 Station=WGN-TV 1988 Navy Midshipmen football team Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry Although unbeaten and No. 2 Notre Dame posted its 25th consecutive victory of the Naval Academy, coach Lou Holtz was not happy.Associated Press Notre Dame (8-0) Gets by Navy, 22-7 New York Times 1988-10-30 S4 "We couldn't control the line of scrimmage," Holtz said after the victory. "We couldn't throw consistently, we weren't mentally alert and that's my fault. Our offensive line got beat up, we couldn't run inside. We weren't good enough to beat them inside. We're not a very good team right now. We feel fortunate to win." 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.Reed J.D. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968941,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080304010331/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968941,00.html dead March 4, 2008 A New Crusade at Notre Dame Time 1988-11-21 2008-07-20 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.Associated Press 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://archive.today/20130131211208/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24843840.html?dids=24843840:24843840&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+30,+1988&author=Associated+Press&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=1&desc=NOTRE+DAME+ROLLS+ON,+STOMPS+NAVY dead January 31, 2013 Notre Dame Rolls On, Stomps on Navy Chicago Tribune 1988-10-30 2008-07-20 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. One positive Lou Holtz saw was the play of the defense. "Our defense played really well, but was on the field too long." Notre Dame amassed 396 total yards and held Navy to 192 yards, the lowest for an Irish opponent this year. Rice Rice at #1 Notre Dame Owls 3 3 0 5 No. 1 Fighting Irish 14 17 7 16 November 5 Notre Dame Stadium,Notre Dame, IN] 12:00 PM EST 59,075 WGN-TV 1988 Rice Owls football team The Irish scored early and often as Notre Dame dazzled their home crowd of 59,075 with a 54–11 victory. After Rice scored an early field goal in the first quarter, Rocket Ismail returned his first of two kickoffs, a 78-yard return for a score. The Irish offense quickly followed with three touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions. Junior fullback Anthony Johnson rushed for two of Notre Dame's seven TDs, while Tony Brooks and Rodney Culver also added touchdowns. 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. Ismail became the first Notre Dame player to return two kick-offs for touchdowns in a game since Paul Castner in 1922 against Kalamazoo.Associated Press Notre Dame 54, Rice 11 New York Times 1988-11-06 S6 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. This was the first time a team scored by returning a failed conversion in NCAA Div I history (the rule allowing for the defense to score this way instituted at the start of the 1988–89 season). Penn State Penn State at #1 Notre Dame Nittany Lions 0 3 0 0 No. 1 Fighting Irish 7 7 7 0 November 19 Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN 12:00 PM EST 59,075 Tim Brant, John Dockery and Lesley Visser CBS 1988 Penn State Nittany Lions football team 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. Notre Dame got started early, scoring on their first possession, an 87-yard on 12 play drive.Brown Clifton https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/sports/college-football-10-0-irish-send-penn-state-to-5-6.html 10-0 Irish Send Penn State to 5-6 nytimes.com 1988-11-20 2008-07-10 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. Five plays later, Notre Dame scored from Penn State's two. Rice optioned left, froze the Penn State linebacker Eddie Johnson with a pump-fake, then ran into the end zone. Reggie Ho's extra point made it 7–0. In the second quarter, Notre Dame drove 60 yards in five plays to go ahead, 14–0. 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. Two plays later, running back Mark Green took a handoff up the middle, then found daylight to his right and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. Penn State's only score came on the last play of the first half, when Eric Etze kicked a 52-yard field goal. After leading by 14–3 at halftime, Notre Dame struck quickly for its final score in the third quarter. On first down after a Penn State punt, Tony Rice threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Raghib Ismail. It was the first time the Fighting Irish had thrown deep all game, and the long pass caught Penn State defensive backs off guard. Ismail was so wide open, he scored even though he had to wait for Rice's underthrown pass. After making the catch at Penn State's 20-yard line, Ismail broke Eddie Johnson's attempted tackle and jogged into the end zone. The win set the stage for the next week's showdown vs. USC, the final hurdle to the national championship game. At USC #1 Notre Dame at #2 USC No. 1 Fighting Irish 14 6 0 7 No. 2 Trojans 0 7 3 0 November 26 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,Los Angeles, CA 3:30 EST 93,829 Bill Richardson Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, and Mike Adamle ABC Source: yes 1 10:08 ND Rice 65-yard run (Ho kick) ND 7-0 1 ND Green 2-yard run (Ho kick) ND 14-0 2 2:24 USC Lockwood 1-yard run (Rodriguez kick) ND 14-7 2 0:41 ND Smagala 64-yard interception return (kick failed) ND 20-7 3 USC Rodriguez 36-yard field goal ND 20-10 4 11:55 ND Green 1-yard run (Ho kick) ND 27-10 yes 1988 USC Trojans football team Notre Dame–USC football rivalry Jeweled Shillelagh Notre Dame and USC entered the game undefeated and ranked number one and two respectively for the first time ever in their storied series. It was also the 24th time No. 1 faced No. 2 in college football history. http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/usc/graphics/media-guides/06-footbl/05fbguide208.pdf 2006 USC Media Guide: USC Football History usctrojans.cstv.com 2008-04-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20080524023557/http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/usc/graphics/media-guides/06-footbl/05fbguide208.pdf 24 May 2008 In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10-0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, whom he suspended for disciplinary reasons.Anderson Dave https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/27/sports/sports-of-the-times-lou-holtz-of-notre-dame-raps-the-gavel-again.html?pagewanted=all SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Lou Holtz of Notre Dame Raps the Gavel Again nytimes.com 1988-11-27 2008-07-10 The USC Trojans were having a great season under head coach Larry Smith and standout quarterback Rodney Peete. 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. http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Football-Supplement-07 2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 165) und.cstv.com 2008-04-26 dead 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 11 May 2008 Notre Dame started out fast with Tony Rice surprising the crowd by throwing deep to Raghib Ismail on Notre Dame's first play of scrimmage. On the next drive, Tony Rice optioned left for a 65-yard touchdown play. The Trojans were listless, committing four turnovers, including a back-breaking Rodney Peete interception to Stan Smagala for another Notre Dame touchdown. In the second half, running back Mark Green added the final touchdown of the day(aided by a key 22-yard gain on a 3rd down screen play by Anthony Johnson) to help defeat the Trojans. The sellout crowd of 93,829 was the largest in this rivalry since 1955. Fiesta Bowl 1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl: #3 West Virginia vs. #1 Notre Dame No. 3 Mountaineers 0 6 7 8 No. 1 Fighting Irish 9 14 3 8 January 2 Sun Devil Stadium,Tempe, AZ 4:30 PM EST 74,911 Dick Enberg, Merlin Olsen and Reggie Rucker NBC 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team 1989 Fiesta Bowl Aftermath The 1988 Irish squad won their 11th consensus national title in Lou Holtz's third year as an Irish head coach, equaling the trend of Irish coaches winning the title in their third year. Irish head coaches Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine also won titles in their third years as head coach. 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. His 1989 and 1993 squads narrowly missed repeating the feat. As of 2025, the 1988 Irish squad is also the most recent to win the national title. Roster 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish f 80 SR Steve Alaniz WR -- SR Brad Alge WR 72 SO Joe Allen OT -- JR Shawn Anderson G -- FR Jeff Baker WR -- SO Norm Balentine OT 39 JR Braxston Banks RB 8 SR Steve Belles QB y -- FR Walter Boyd RB 64 SR Mike Brennan Mike Brennan (American football) G y 40 SO Tony Brooks Tony Brooks (American football) RB y 71 JR Dean Brown OT 86 FR Derek Brown Derek Brown (tight end) TE y 5 FR Rodney Culver RB y -- FR Shawn Davis WR -- JR Mike Denisoff WR -- SO James Dillard WR -- SR Ray Dumas WR 13 SR Pat Eilers WR y -- JR Patrick Fallon WR y -- FR Steve Fortunato WR 32 SR Mike Gatti RB 61 SR Tom Gorman G 17 SO Kent Graham QB y 11 SR Pete Graham QB 24 SR Mark Green Mark Green (American football) RB y 75 JR Tim Grunhard G y 73 FR Justin Hall OT -- JR Ted Healy G 66 SR Andy Heck OT y 55 SO Mike Heldt C -- FR Karl Hickey C -- FR Chet Hollister WR 25 FR Raghib Ismail Rocket Ismail RB y 88 SO Frank Jacobs TE 41 SR Joe Jarosz RB 22 JR Anthony Johnson Anthony Johnson (running back) RB y -- SR Chuck Killian OT -- SO Jim Kinsherf C -- FR Lindsay Knapp OT y -- SR Marty Lippincott OT -- SO George Marshall G 76 FR Gene McGuire C y -- JR Ted McNamara RB -- FR Mike Miadich QB 35 SO Ryan Mihalko RB -- FR Trevor Moriarty QB -- JR Dave Prinzivalli C 9 JR Tony Rice Tony Rice (American football) QB y 21 SR Aaron Robb WR 52 SO Tim Ryan Tim Ryan (American football, born 1968) G y 53 SO Winston Sandri G -- FR Rusty Setzer RB -- SO Brian Shannon G 28 FR Rod Smith Rod Smith (defensive back) WR y -- FR Tony Smith WR -- FR Kenny Spears RB 12 SO Ricky Watters WR y 43 JR Rod West TE -- SO Darryl Wodecki OT 97 FR Arnold Ale DE y 90 JR Jeff Alm DT y -- SO Jerry Bodine CB 47 SR Ned Bolcar LB y -- SR Scott Bufton LB -- SO Mike Callan DT -- JR Michael Crounse DT 93 SO Bob Dahl DT y 26 SO Greg Davis SS -- FR Marc deManigold DT -- JR Doug DiOrio FS -- JR Marc Dobbins SS -- JR Rich Earley SS -- JR Joe Farrell LB -- JR Ted FitzGerald DT 92 JR Bryan Flannery DT y -- JR John Foley DT 32 SR D'Juan Francisco CB 38 SR Flash Gordon DE 36 SO Donn Grimm LB y -- JR David Jandric CB 7 SO Andre Jones Andre Jones (linebacker) DE y 74 FR Mirko Jurkovic DT y 37 SO Scott Kowalkowski DE y -- SO Antwon Lark CB 1 SO Todd Lyght CB y -- FR Bernard Mannelly DT -- SR Dan McDevitt CB -- FR Devon McDonald DE -- JR Kevin McShane DE -- SR Mark Nigro DT -- FR George Poorman FS 34 SR Wes Pritchett LB y -- JR Rick Purcell CB -- FR Troy Ridgely LB -- SR Steve Roddy DT -- SR Bob Satterfield CB -- FR Martin Scruggs FS -- JR Chris Shey LB 29 JR Stan Smagala CB y -- FR Mike Smalls LB 31 SR Corny Southall FS 30 SR Frank Stams DE y 42 JR Mike Stonebreaker LB y 27 SR George Streeter George Streeter (American football) SS y 15 JR Pat Terrell FS y 69 SO George Williams DT -- SR Kurt Zackrison DE 50 SO Chris Zorich DT y -- SR Sean Connor P 18 SO Billy Hackett K 14 SR Pete Hartweger P 2 SR Reggie Ho Reginald Ho K y -- SR David Munger P -- FR Rusty Ranallo K 16 SO Jim Sexton P * Lou Holtz Barry Alvarez (DC) George Stewart (LB) Jim Strong (RB) Awards and honors All-Americans Notre Dame Fighting Irish Name AP UPI NEA FC SN FW FN WCF CW Frank Stams, DE 1 1 2 2 1 2 Andy Heck, OT 1 1 1 1 1 2 † Mike Stonebreaker, LB 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Chris Zorich, DT 1 3 Wes Pritchett, LB 2 Ricky Watters, FL 2†denotes consensus selection       Source: Paul "Bear" Bryant Award Coach of the Year Lou Holtzhttp://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/11950567165420708%20BB%20Previous%20Winners.pdf 2007-07-20 The American Heart Association Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coaching Awards Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Lou Holtzhttp://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/robinson/index.html Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Football Writers Association of America 2008-07-20 2008-01-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20080109112742/http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/robinson/index.html dead College Football Hall of Fame inductees NamePositionYear Inducted Lou Holtz Coach 2008 Chris Zorich Defensive Tackle 2007 Raghib Ismail Wide Receiver 2019 Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx Hall of Fame: Select group by school College Football Hall of Fame Football Foundation 2008-04-22 Future NFL players The following is a list of Notre Dame players that would go on to play or be drafted to play in the National Football League over the next four years. All players listed played for the 1988 team. Name Year Team Round Pick Jeff Alm 1990 Houston Oilers 2 41 Ned Bolcar 1990 Seattle Seahawks 6 146 Mike Brennan 1990 Cincinnati Bengals 4 91 Tony Brooks 1992 Philadelphia Eagles 4 92 Dean Brown 1990 Indianapolis Colts 12 316 Derek Brown 1992 New York Giants 1 14 Rodney Culver 1992 Indianapolis Colts 4 85 Bob Dahl 1991 Cincinnati Bengals 3 72 D'Juan Francisco 1990 Washington Redskins 10 262 Mark Green 1989 Chicago Bears 5 130 Tim Grunhard 1990 Kansas City Chiefs 2 40 Andy Heck 1989 Seattle Seahawks 1 15 Mike Heldt 1991 San Diego Chargers 10 257 Raghib Ismail 1991 Los Angeles Raiders 4 100 Anthony Johnson 1990 Indianapolis Colts 2 36 Andre Jones 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 185 Mirko Jurkovic 1992 Chicago Bears 9 246 Scott Kowalkowski 1991 Philadelphia Eagles 8 216 Todd Lyght 1991 Los Angeles Rams 1 5 Gene McGuire 1992 New Orleans Saints 4 95 Wes Pritchett 1989 Miami Dolphins 6 147 Rod Smith 1992 New England Patriots 2 35 Frank Stams 1989 Los Angeles Rams 2 45 Mike Stonebreaker 1991 Chicago Bears Pat Terrell 1990 Los Angeles Rams 2 49 Ricky Watters 1991 San Francisco 49ers 2 45 George Williams 1992 Cleveland Browns 6 163 Chris Zorich 1991 Chicago Bears 2 49 Pat Eilers 1990 Minnesota Vikings Stan Smagala 1990 Dallas Cowboys George Streeter 1989 Chicago Bears Source:http://www.footballdb.com/index.html The Football Database 2008-07-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20080724182537/http://www.footballdb.com/index.html 24 July 2008 References Notre Dame Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons Category:College football national champions Category:Fiesta Bowl champion seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Notre Dame Fighting Irish football