1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Independent 3 2 12–1 Lou Holtz 4th Jim Strong 1st Wishbone triple option Barry Alvarez 2nd 5–2 Tony Rice Ned Bolcar Anthony Johnson Tony Rice Notre Dame Stadium National champion (Berryman, Eck, FACT, Sagarin)Orange Bowl champion Orange Bowl W Won 21–6 vs. Colorado The 1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Irish compiled a 12–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 406 to 183, and were ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll and No.3 in the final UPI poll. In a matchup between No. 1 and No. 2, they defeated Michigan in the second week of the season. Ranked No. 1 for 11 consecutive weeks, their only loss came against No. 7 Miami (FL) in the last game of the regular season. They concluded the year with a victory over No. 1 Colorado in the Orange Bowl.1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1989-schedule.html Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football July 25, 20261989 Football Review The Notre Dame Scholastic https://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1989s.pdf Notre Dame Archives Quarterback Tony Rice won the Football News College Player of the Year award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Several players, including Rice, Todd Lyght, Chris Zorich, and Rocket Ismail received first-team honors on the 1989 All-America college football team. The team's statistical leaders included Rice (1,233 passing yards, 884 rushing yards), Ismail (1,628 all-purpose yards), and linebacker Ned Bolcar (109 tackles).1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1989.html Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football July 26, 20261987 Football Review, p. 7. The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. Schedule 1989 AP Eastern August 31, 1990 8:00 p.m. w y 2 Virginia Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ Kickoff Classic Raycom, WGN 36–13 77,323 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-classically-notre-dame/140155485/ The Record Classically Notre Dame September 1, 1989 February 3, 2024 Newspapers.com September 16 3:30 p.m. w y 1 Michigan 2 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI rivalry ABC 24–19 105,912 https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-call-him-ismail-and-call-n/173904460/ Star Tribune Call him Ismail, and call Notre Dame best in the land September 17, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com September 23 2:30 p.m. w 1 Michigan State Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry CBS 21–13 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-notre-dame-digs-deep-to/173904593/ The Houston Post Notre Dame digs deep to bury Michigan St. September 24, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com September 30 12:00 p.m. w y 1 Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN rivalry ABC 40–7 67,861 https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-irish-leave-boilermak/173904729/ Detroit Free Press Irish leave Boilermakers stuck on the pad, 40–7 October 1, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com October 7 4:00 p.m. w y 1 Stanford Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA rivalry 27–17 86,019 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press-irish-survive-ismails-r/173904852/ The Muncie Star Irish survive; Ismail's return helps Notre Dame get passed Stanford October 8, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com October 14 7:00 p.m. w y 1 Air Force 17 Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO rivalry ESPN 41–27 53,533 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-rocket-propels-i/173904961/ The Indianapolis Star 'Rocket' propels Irish past Air Force October 15, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com October 21 3:30 p.m. w 1 USC 9 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry CBS 28–24 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-irish-overcome/173905133/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Irish overcome mistakes, overtake Trojans, 28–24 October 22, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com October 28 5:00 p.m. w 1 Pittsburgh 7 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry ESPN 45–7 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-pittsburgh-prov/173855816/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Pittsburgh proves no match for No. 1 Notre Dame October 29, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com November 4 12:00 p.m. w 1 Navy Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry SportsChannel 41–0 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kokomo-tribune-irish-blow-navys-anc/173784864/ The Kokomo Tribune Irish blow Navy's anchors aweigh November 5, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com November 11 12:00 p.m. w 1 SMU Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN SportsChannel 59–6 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-its-only-596-as/173905330/ The Courier-Journal It's 'only' 59–6 as Irish pull punches November 12, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com November 18 2:30 p.m. w y 1 Penn State 17 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA rivalry CBS 34–23 86,025 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kalamazoo-gazette-notre-dame-grinds/173856442/ The Kalamazoo Gazette Notre Dame grinds down Penn State November 19, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com November 25 6:30 p.m. l y 1 Miami (FL) 7 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL rivalry CBS 10–27 81,634 https://www.newspapers.com/article/palladium-item-hurricanes-blow-past-iris/173905492/ Palladium-Item Hurricanes blow past Irish mystique November 26, 1989 June 5, 2025 Newspapers.com January 1, 1990 Monday 8:00 p.m. w y 4 Colorado 1 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL Orange Bowl NBC 21–6 81,191 https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-irish-initiate-g/173904250/ Wisconsin State Journal Irish initiate great debate January 2, 1990 June 4, 2025 Newspapers.com Games summaries Vs. Virginia 1989 Virginia Cavaliers football team Kickoff Classic Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Kickoff Classic: No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (0–0) August 31 8:00 p.m. EDT Cavaliers 0 0 0 13 No. 2 Fighting Irish 19 14 0 3 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 77,323 Raycom Sports Phil Stone and Dave Rowe Recap/Box Score First quarter ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 10:46. Notre Dame 7–0. ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:38. Notre Dame 13–0. ND – Rodney Culver 2-yard run (run failed), 1:28. Notre Dame 19–0. Second quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:47. Notre Dame 26–0. ND – Tony Rice 3-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:11. Notre Dame 33–0. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter UVA – Derek Dooley 6-yard pass from Shawn Moore (Jake McInerney kick), 12:41. Notre Dame 33–7. UVA – Bruce McGonnigal 2-yard pass from Shawn Moore. Notre Dame 33–13. ND – Craig Hentrich 32-yard field goal, 1:46. Notre Dame 36–13. Top passers UVA – Shawn Moore – 10/22, 85 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT ND – Tony Rice – 7/11, 147 yards Top rushers UVA – Marcus Wilson – 15 rushes, 80 yards ND – Ricky Watters – 12 rushes, 80 yards, TD Top receivers UVA – Herman Moore – 2 receptions, 30 yards ND – Raghib Ismail – 5 receptions, 121 yards At No. 2 Michigan 1989 Michigan Wolverines football team Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–0) at No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (0–0) September 16 3:30 p.m. EDT No. 1 Fighting Irish 0 7 10 7 No. 2 Wolverines 0 6 0 13 Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan 105,912 Rain ABC Keith Jackson and Bob Griese Recap/Box Score First quarter No scoring Second quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard pass from Tony Rice (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:05. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 24 yards. MICH – Chris Calloway 9-yard pass from Michael Taylor (kick failed), 0:25. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 50 yards. Third quarter ND – Raghib Ismail 89-yard kickoff return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:49. Notre Dame 14–6. ND – Craig Hentrich 30-yard field goal, 4:28. Notre Dame 17–6. Fourth quarter MICH – Derrick Walker 5-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (pass failed), 12:58. Notre Dame 17–12. Drive: 12 plays. ND – Raghib Ismail 92-yard kickoff return (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:46. Notre Dame 24–13. MICH – Greg McMurtry 4-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (J.D. Carlson kick), 4:08. Notre Dame 24–19. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 1/2, 6 yards, TD MICH – Elvis Grbac – 17/21, 134 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ND – Anthony Johnson – 20 rushes, 80 yards MICH – Leroy Hoard – 15 rushes, 56 yards Top receivers ND – Anthony Johnson – 1 reception, 6 yards, TD MICH – Greg McMurtry – 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD Michigan State 1989 Michigan State Spartans football team Michigan State–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Michigan State Spartans (1–0) at No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–0) September 23 3:30 p.m. EDT Spartans 0 6 7 0 No. 1 Fighting Irish 7 7 0 7 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 CBS Jim Nantz and Pat Haden Recap/Box Score First quarter ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 6:16. Second quarter ND – Ricky Watters 53-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:10. Notre Dame 14–0. MSU – John Langeloh 36-yard field goal, 2:54. Notre Dame 14–3. MSU – John Langeloh 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Notre Dame 14–6. Third quarter MSU – James Bradley 30-yard pass from Dan Enos (John Langeloh kick), 6:36. Notre Dame 14–13. Fourth quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:16. Notre Dame 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards. Top passers MSU – Dan Enos – 18/28, 200 yards, TD ND – Tony Rice – 8/15, 90 yards Top rushers MSU – Hyland Hickson – 26 rushes, 84 yards ND – Ricky Watters – 16 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MSU – Courtney Hawkins – 6 receptions, 83 yards ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 27 yards At Purdue 1989 Purdue Boilermakers football team Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3–0) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–1) September 30 12:00 p.m. EDT No. 1 Fighting Irish 14 20 0 6 Boilermakers 0 0 0 7 Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana 67,861 ABC Recap/Box Score First quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:38. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 55 yards. ND – Tony Rice 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:04. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 57 yards. Second quarter ND – Jeff Alm 16-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:44. Notre Dame 21–0. ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:35. Notre Dame 28–0. ND – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:14. Notre Dame 34–0. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter ND – Craig Hentrich 19-yard field goal, 9:47. Notre Dame 37–0. ND – Craig Hentrich 22-yard field goal, 6:18. Notre Dame 40–0. PUR – Rodney Dennis 3-yard pass from Steve Letnich (Larry Sullivan kick), 0:33. Notre Dame 40–7. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 12/15, 270 yards PUR – Steve Letnich – 11/28, 89 yards, INT Top rushers ND – Tony Rice – 12 rushes, 67 yards, TD PUR – Steve Letnich – 13 rushes, 50 yards Top receivers ND – Derek Brown – 4 receptions, 101 yards PUR – Earl Coleman – 2 receptions, 32 yards At Stanford 1989 Stanford Cardinal football team Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4–0) at Stanford Cardinal (1–3) October 7 4:00 p.m. EDT / 1:00 p.m. PDT No. 1 Fighting Irish 0 14 7 6 Cardinal 6 0 8 3 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California 86,019 Recap/Box Score First quarter STAN – John Hopkins 34-yard field goal, 5:14. Stanford 3–0. Drive: 14 plays. STAN – John Hopkins 42-yard field goal, 2:40. Stanford 6–0. Second quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:24. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards. ND – Rodney Culver 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:15. Notre Dame 14–6. Drive: 9 plays. Third quarter STAN – Ed McCaffrey 2-yard pass from Smith (run good), Tie 14–14. Drive: 79 yards. ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:28. Notre Dame 21–14. Fourth quarter ND – Craig Hentrich 20-yard field goal, 12:42. Notre Dame 24–14. STAN – John Hopkins 27-yard field goal, 8:14. Notre Dame 24–17. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards. ND – Craig Hentrich 18-yard field goal, 1:27. Notre Dame 27–17. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 7/17, 102 yards STAN – Steve Smith – 39/68, 282 yards, TD, 3 INT Top rushers ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TD STAN – Tommy Vardell – 9 rushes, 22 yards Top receivers ND – Raghib Ismail – 3 receptions, 67 yards STAN – Jim Price – 14 receptions, 98 yards At No. 17 Air Force 1989 Air Force Falcons football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–0) at No. 17 Air Force Falcons (6–0) October 14 7:00 p.m. EDT / 5:00 p.m. MDT No. 1 Fighting Irish 14 21 3 3 No. 17 Falcons 0 14 0 13 Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado 53,533 ESPN Ron Franklin and Kevin Kiley Recap/Box Score First quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:41. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 80 yards. ND – Ricky Watters 5-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:51. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards. Second quarter ND – Raghib Ismail 56-yard punt return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:42. Notre Dame 21–0. AFA – Greg Johnson 61-yard pass from Dee Dowis (Joe Wood kick), 13:36. Notre Dame 21–7. ND – Anthony Johnson 27-yard pass from Tony Rice (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:46. Notre Dame 28–7. AFA – Steve Senn 26-yard pass from Dee Dowis (Joe Wood kick). Notre Dame 28–14. ND – Raghib Ismail 24-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:30. Notre Dame 35–14. Third quarter ND – Craig Hentrich 20-yard field goal, 8:24. Notre Dame 38–14. Fourth quarter ND – Craig Hentrich 38-yard field goal, 12:42. Notre Dame 41–14. AFA – Steven Wilson 23-yard run (run failed), 9:35. Notre Dame 41–20. AFA – Rodney Lewis 1-yard run (Joe Wood kick), 3:22. Notre Dame 41–27. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 9/13, 123 yards, TD AFA – Dee Dowis – 15/24, 306 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers ND – Ricky Watters – 11 rushes, 96 yards, TD AFA – Rodney Lewis – 13 rushes, 58 yards, TD Top receivers ND – Raghib Ismail – 3 receptions, 25 yards AFA – Steve Senn – 6 receptions, 101 yards, TD 1989 Notre Dame at Air Force – Television broadcast No. 9 USC 1989 USC Trojans football team Notre Dame–USC football rivalry Jeweled Shillelagh Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 9 USC Trojans (5–1) at No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6–0) October 21 3:30 p.m. EDT No. 9 Trojans 14 3 0 7 No. 1 Fighting Irish 7 0 7 14 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 CBS Jim Nantz and Pat Haden Recap/Box Score First quarter USC – Larry Wallace 12-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 12:47. USC 7–0. ND – Tony Rice 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:10. Tie 7–7. USC – John Jackson 15-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 7:47. USC 14–7. Second quarter USC – Quin Rodriguez 25-yard field goal, 10:22. USC 17–7. Third quarter ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:17. USC 17–14. Drive: 8 plays. Fourth quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 13:51. Notre Dame 21–17. Drive: 80 yards. USC – Gary Wellman 16-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 9:01. USC 24–21. Drive: 4 plays. ND – Tony Rice 15-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:18. Notre Dame 28–24. Drive: 80 yards. Top passers USC – Todd Marinovich – 33/55, 333 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT ND – Tony Rice – 5/16, 91 yards Top rushers USC – Ricky Ervins – 12 rushes, 64 yards ND – Tony Rice – 18 rushes, 99 yards, 2 TD Top receivers USC – John Jackson – 14 receptions, 200 yards, TD ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 62 yards right 1989 USC at Notre Dame – Television broadcast 1989 USC at Notre Dame – Highlights No. 7 Pittsburgh 1989 Pittsburgh Panthers football team Notre Dame–Pittsburgh football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 7 Pittsburgh Panthers (5–0–1) at No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–0) October 28 5:00 p.m. EDT No. 7 Panthers 7 0 0 0 No. 1 Fighting Irish 2 15 21 7 stadium[Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 ESPN Recap/Box First quarter PITT – Ronald Redmon 8-yard pass from Alex Van Pelt (Ed Frazier kick), 9:32. Pittsburgh 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards. ND – Safety, Alex Van Pelt downed in end zone, 6:07. Pittsburgh 7–2. Second quarter ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (run good), 13:22. Notre Dame 10–7. Drive: 36 yards. ND – Pat Terrell 54-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:05. Notre Dame 17–7. Third quarter ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:15. Notre Dame 24–7. ND – Raghib Ismail 50-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:53. Notre Dame 31–7. ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 0:49. Notre Dame 38–7. Fourth quarter ND – Steve Belles 13-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 4:12. Notre Dame 45–7. Top passers PITT – Alex Van Pelt – 16/33, 170 yards ND – Tony Rice – 1/7, 29 yards Top rushers PITT – Curvin Richards – 15 rushes, 47 yards ND – Raghib Ismail – 18 rushes, 74 yards, TD Top receivers PITT – Lionel Sykes – 6 receptions, 65 yards ND – Raghib Ismail – 1 reception, 29 yards Navy 1989 Navy Midshipmen football team Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Navy Midshipmen (2–5) at No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–0) November 4 12:00 p.m. EST Midshipmen 0 0 0 0 No. 1 Fighting Irish 14 10 3 14 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 SportsChannel Recap/Box Score First quarter ND – Tony Rice 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:49. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 64 yards. ND – Rodney Culver 11-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:18. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 64 yards. Second quarter ND – Ricky Watters 48-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:36. Notre Dame 21–0. ND – Billy Hackett 27-yard field goal, 0:16. Notre Dame 24–0. Drive: 14 plays, 50 yards. Third quarter ND – Billy Hackett 39-yard field goal, 11:58. Notre Dame 27–0. Fourth quarter ND – Dorsey Levens 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:38. Notre Dame 34–0. ND – Ted McNamara 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:40. Notre Dame 41–0. Top passers NAVY – Alton Grizzard – 8/14, 94 yards ND – Rick Mirer – 8/12, 64 yards Top rushers NAVY – Rodney Purifoy – 11 rushes, 50 yards ND – Ricky Watters – 9 rushes, 134 yards, TD Top receivers NAVY – Shane Smith – 3 receptions, 50 yards ND – Adrian Jarrell – 3 receptins, 28 yards right Full game SMU 1989 SMU Mustangs football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed SMU Mustangs (2–6) at No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–0) November 11 12:00 p.m. EST Mustangs 0 6 0 0 No. 1 Fighting Irish 7 35 10 7 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 Recap/Box Score First quarter ND – Ricky Watters 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards. Second quarter ND – Pete Graham 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:22. Notre Dame 14–0. SMU – Andy Bergfeld 5-yard pass from Mike Romo (kick blocked), 11:37. Notre Dame 14–6. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards. ND – Andre Jones blocked extra point return, 11:37. Notre Dame 16–6. ND – Billy Hackett 34-yard field goal, 8:16. Notre Dame 19–6. ND – Ricky Watters 97-yard punt return (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:04. Notre Dame 26–6. ND – Anthony Johnson 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:02. Notre Dame 33–6. Drive: 64 yards. ND – Safety, Casey Clyce steps out of end zone, 3:00. Notre Dame 35–6. ND – Walter Boyd 14-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:15. Notre Dame 42–6. Drive: 75 yards. Third quarter ND – Rusty Setzer 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 10:51. Notre Dame 49–6. ND – Billy Hackett 32-yard field goal, 5:45. Notre Dame 52–6. Fourth quarter ND – Rod West 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:22. Notre Dame 59–6. Top passers SMU – Mike Romo – 28/54, 194 yards ND – Tony Rice – 5/8, 83 yards Top rushers SMU – Kevin Love – 4 rushes, 5 yards ND – Ricky Watters – 7 rushes, 69 yards, TD Top receivers SMU – Jason Wolf – 9 receptions, 63 yards ND – Raghib Ismail – 4 receptions, 65 yards right Full game At No. 17 Penn State 1989 Penn State Nittany Lions football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10–0) at No. 17 Penn State Nittany Lions (6–2–1) November 18 2:30 p.m. EST No. 1 Fighting Irish 7 14 7 6 No. 17 Nittany Lions 7 3 7 6 Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania 86,025 CBS Jim Nantz and Pat Haden Recap/Box First quarter PSU – Blair Thomas 2-yard run (Ray Tarasi kick), 8:04. Penn St 7–0. Drive: 79 yards. ND – Tony Rice 5-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:19. Tie 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards. Second quarter PSU – Ray Tarasi 38-yard field goal, 13:46. Penn St 10–7. ND – Ricky Watters 12-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:35. Notre Dame 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards. ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:27. Notre Dame 21–10. Third quarter ND – Tony Rice 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:42. Notre Dame 28–10. Drive: 6 plays. PSU – Blair Thomas 3-yard run (Ray Tarasi kick), 4:49. Notre Dame 28–17. Drive: 79 yards. Fourth quarter ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 13:33. Notre Dame 31–17. ND – Billy Hackett 19-yard field goal, 6:53. Notre Dame 34–17. PSU – Terry Smith 5-yard pass from Tom Bill (run failed), 4:31. Notre Dame 34–23. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 5/10, 47 yards, INT PSU – Tom Bill – 6/14, 56 yards, TD Top rushers ND – Tony Rice – 26 rushes, 141 yards, 2 TD PSU – Blair Thomas – 26 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 27 yards PSU – O.J. McDuffie – 2 receptions, 37 yards right Full game (part 1) Full game (part 2) Full game (part 3) Game highlights At No. 7 Miami (FL) 1989 Miami Hurricanes football team Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11–0) at No. 7 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (9–1) November 25 6:30 p.m. EST No. 1 Fighting Irish 0 10 0 0 No. 7 Hurricanes 10 7 7 3 Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida 81,634 Overcast, 77 F Jimmy Harper CBS Jim Nantz, Pat Haden, and John Dockery Recap/Box 'First quarter UM – Carlos Huerta 35-yard field goal, 9:41. Miami (FL) 3–0. UM – Dale Dawkins 55-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:04. Miami (FL) 10–0. Drive: 4 plays. Second quarter ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 8:23. Miami (FL) 10–3. ND – Ned Bolcar 49-yard interception return (Billy Hackett kick), 2:08. Tie 10–10. UM – Stephen McGuire 5-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:24. Miami (FL) 17–10. Drive: 3 plays. Third quarter UM – Dale Dawkins 5-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 4:13. Miami (FL) 24–10. Drive: 22 plays, 80 yards, 10:47. Fourth quarter UM – Carlos Huerta 32-yard field goal, 1:44. Miami (FL) 27–10. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 7/15, 106 yards, 2 INT UM – Craig Erickson – 16/26, 210 yards, 2 TD Top rushers ND – Tony Rice – 20 rushes, 50 yards UM – Stephen McGuire – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD Top receivers ND – Derek Brown – 2 receptions, 19 yards UM – Dale Dawkins – 4 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD right Full game Game highlights 3rd and 43 Vs. No. 1 Colorado (Orange Bowl) 1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team 1990 Orange Bowl Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed 1990 Orange BowlNo. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11–1) vs. No. 1 Colorado Buffaloes (11–0) January 1, 1990 Monday 8:00 p.m. EST No. 4 Fighting Irish 0 0 14 7 No. 1 Buffaloes 0 0 6 0 Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida 81,190 NBC Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh Recap/Box First quarter No scoring Second quarter No scoring Third quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:48. Notre Dame 7–0. ND – Raghib Ismail 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:19. Notre Dame 14–0. CU – Darian Hagan 39-yard run (kick failed), 0:01. Notre Dame 14–6. Fourth quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:32. Notre Dame 21–6. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 5/9, 99 yards CU – Darian Hagan – 4/13, 65 yards Top rushers ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD CU – Eric Bieniemy – 11 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers ND – Pat Eilers – 2 receptions, 47 yards CU – Eric Kissick – 2 receptions, 33 yards Lackluster Colorado Leveled by Notre Dame The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/02/sports/lackluster-colorado-leveled-by-notre-dame.html January 2, 1990 January 1, 2019 Roster 1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish f Steve Belles RB Walter Boyd RB Mike Brennan OL Reggie Brooks RB y 71 Dean Brown OT 86 So Derek Brown Derek Brown (tight end) TE y 5 So Rodney Culver RB y 13 Pat Eilers WR y Pete Graham QB Ray Griggs WR 75 Sr Tim Grunhard OG 25 Jr Raghib Ismail RB KR y Adrian Jarrell WR 22 Sr Anthony Johnson Anthony Johnson (running back) RB y C Craig Lanigan RB Dorsey Levens RB y 76 So Gene McGuire C y Ted McNamara RB 35 Jr Ryan Mihalko RB 3 Fr Rick Mirer QB y William Pollard WR 9 Sr Tony Rice Tony Rice (gridiron football) QB y C 52 Jr Tim Ryan Tim Ryan (American football, born 1968) OG y Rusty Setzer RB Irv Smith TE y Irv Smith Sr. Tony Smith WR 12 Jr Ricky Watters RB y Rod West TE 90 Sr Jeff Alm DT y 47 Sr Ned Bolcar LB y C 93 Jr Bob Dahl DT y 32 D'Juan Francisco DB 36 Donn Grimm LB 7 Andre Jones LB 37 Jr Scott Kowalkowski LB y 1 Jr Todd Lyght CB y Devon McDonald LB 89 Fr Karmeeleyah McGill LB y 29 Stan Smagala CB 21 So Rod Smith Rod Smith (defensive back) DB y 42 Jr Mike Stonebreaker LB y 15 Sr Pat Terrell S y 50 Jr Chris Zorich DL y Billy Hackett K 28 Craig Hentrich K y 16 Jr Jim Sexton P *Lou Holtz Barry Alvarez (DC) Mike Markuson (GA) Awards and honors Senior quarterback Tony Rice received multiple awards and honors: Football News College Player of the Year Finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented by the Kentucky chapter of the National Football Foundation to the country's top quarterback First-team All-America selection by Football News Team most valuable player, as voted by the team Invited to play in the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine all-star game 1989 Football Review, pp. 4-5. Sophomore flanker and return specialist Rocket Ismail received first-team All-America honors from Associated Press (AP), The Sporting News (TSN), Football News (FN), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), and Gannett News Service (GNS). He also received second-team honors from the United Press International (UPI). He also tied for tenth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Junior defensive tackle Chris Zorich received numerous awards and honors including: College Lineman of the Year from the Touchdown Club of Washington, DC Consensus first-team All-America honors, with first-team honors from AP, UPI, TSN, FN, Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF), FWAA, and GNS Lombardi Award finalist Junior cornerback Todd Lyght was a consensus first-team All-America, receiving such honors from AP, UPI, TSN, FN, WCFF, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), NEA, and FWAA. He was also one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award. Senior linebacker Ned Bolcar received second-team All-America honors from the UPI and TSN. Senior defensive tackle Jeff Alm received second-team All-America honors from AP, FN, and GNS. He was also named Notre Dame Lineman of the Year. Senior free safety Pat Terrell received first-team All-America honors from GNS. He was also invited to play in the East-West Shrine all-star game. Sophomore tight end Derek Brown received second-team All-America honors from GNS. Senior offensive guard Tim Grunhard received second-team All-America honors from the NEA. Senior fullback Anthony Johnson received the team's Nick Pietrosante Award as the player who best exemplifies courage, teamwork, loyalty, dedication, and pride. 1990 NFL draft The following Notre Dame players were selected in the 1990 NFL draft: 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Player Position Round Pick Franchise Anthony Johnson Running back 2 36 Indianapolis Colts Tim Grunhard Tackle 2 40 Kansas City Chiefs Jeff Alm Defensive tackle2 41 Houston Oilers Pat Terrell Defensive back 2 49 Los Angeles Rams Mike Brennan Tackle 4 91 Cincinnati BengalsStan Smagala Defensive back 5 123 Dallas Cowboys Ned Bolcar Linebacker 6 146 Seattle Seahawks D’Juan Francisco Defensive back 10 262 Washington Redskins Dean Brown Guard 12 316 Indianapolis Colts https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1990.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071220211214/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1990.htm 2007-12-20 1990 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com Pro-Football-Reference.com References Notre Dame Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons Category:Orange Bowl champion seasons Notre Dame Fighting Irish football