Looking through the annals of Notre Dame football, back to the World War II years, fans will notice that the Irish played some interesting competitors in those days. Teams from places such as Great Lakes Naval Base in the northern suburbs of Chicago, or the Iowa Pre-Flight Academy provided some fierce competition for the Irish. In fact, the "Blue Jackets" of Great Lakes were the only squad to defeat the national champion Irish of 1943, while the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks were on the losing end of Notre Dame's second #1 vs. #2 game of that 1943 campaign. The strength of these military training facilities in the world of college football belied a fundamental change in the reality of the sport during World War II. Traditional football powers throughout the country saw prime talent leave their campuses for training bases in order to prepare for the massive military mobilization that the nation underwent in those years.
Despite this reality of the World War II era, Notre Dame continued to flourish, both on the gridiron, and as a university as a whole. In fact, during the four seasons of World War II (1942-45), the Irish went a combined 31-7-3 (.7927), despite only playing nine home games in those four seasons, due in large part to travel restrictions in place during those years. Five of the seven losses, and two of the three ties in that period came at the hands of Army, Navy, or Great Lakes. Meanwhile, the university as a whole continued to function as well as could be expected with the tremendous diversion of so many college-aged men into the armed forces. In great measure, this could be attributed to the U.S. Department of the Navy selecting Notre Dame as one of its five stations for the training of officers during the war. This move by the Navy essentially spared the university from financial ruin during the lean war years. As the story goes, as a sign of gratitude and goodwill, since World War II Notre Dame has left open on its football schedule a spot for the Naval Academy, a gesture that Navy continues to accept each year.
Of course, the Notre Dame-Navy series dates further back than World War II. Every year since 1927, when the Irish and the Midshipmen first met in Baltimore at Municipal Stadium, these two schools have squared off on the gridiron, making Notre Dame-Navy the longest continuous intersectional series in the country. The Irish have met no opponent more frequently than the Middies; this Saturday marks the 80th meeting between the schools. Overall, the Irish hold a 69-9-1 record over Navy. The 69 wins over Navy are the most for the Irish over any one opponent. Since junior QB Roger Staubach led the Middies to a 35-14 win over the Irish in South Bend in 1963, Notre Dame has won every game between the schools. The 42 consecutive wins by the Irish over the Midshipmen marks the longest such streak by one opponent over another in the history of major college football.
The early years of this series were marked by titanic battles between powerful teams. Navy was the opponent for the Dedication Game at the original Notre Dame Stadium in 1930. Between 1944 and 1950, Navy was one of only two teams to defeat the Irish (Army was the other). In more recent times, the disparity of talent between the schools has become more accentuated, but Navy frequently finds a way to give Notre Dame a tough game. During the teams' last meeting in Baltimore in 2002, the Irish needed to come back in the fourth quarter to pull out a 30-23 meeting. Irish QB Carlyle Holiday completed two fourth quarter TD passes to WR Omar Jenkins, giving #9 Notre Dame the come-from-behind victory. Two seasons ago, in the last neutral site game in the series, Notre Dame dispatched Navy with little difficulty, winning 27-9 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
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Other notes:
-The Irish last started 7-1 in 1998.
-Charlie Weis holds a 15-4 record through his first 19 games as Irish coach, just one game off the 16-3 standard of excellence for modern coaches set by Ara Parseghian in 1964-65.
-Notre Dame faces all three service academies this season. Overall, the Irish hold a 126-22-5 record against Air Force, Army, and Navy.
-Notre Dame holds a 43-6-1 record over Navy in games played at neutral sites.
-Saturday marks the 21st meeting between the schools in Baltimore. The Irish are 16-4 in the previous 20 series games played in Baltimore. Navy's last win over N.D. in Baltimore came in 1956 (33-7).
-The Irish have won 22 consecutive games against Navy played at neutral sites.
-Interestingly, the Middies have never hosted the Irish at their home stadium in Annapolis.
-The Irish are 33-1 against service academies since the start of the Holtz Era in 1986. The sole defeat was the overtime loss to Air Force at home in 1996.
-The Irish have scored 2,140 points against Navy, making them Notre Dame's most scored-against opponent.
-These teams will continue to meet annually, as they have each year since 1927.
-In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is how things stand after last weekend:
#2 Michigan defeated unranked Iowa at home, 20-6, moving their record to 857-280-36 for an all-time winning percentage of .7460. This week, #2 Michigan hosts unranked Northwestern.
#10 Notre Dame came back to defeat unranked UCLA at home, 20-17, moving their record to 817-267-42 for an all-time winning percentage of .7442. This week, #11 Notre Dame meets unranked Navy in Baltimore.
Michigan's lead stands at a shade over 17/10,000ths of a point.
The Irish look to make it 43 in a row this weekend. The game kicks off at noon EDT on CBS.
Go Irish! Beat Navy!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Notre Dame vs. UCLA
In recent times Notre Dame football fans were experiencing what many of them thought was the lowest of low times for the Irish. Former head coaches Bob Davie and Ty Willingham combined to lead the Irish to three losing seasons in five years, the only time in the long history of the program in which the Irish did that. Certainly, Ty Willingham's tenure, which saw the Irish go 5-10 in one fifteen-game stretch, and outscored 566-511 in his last two seasons as Irish coach, is one of the lowest points the program has ever seen.
Fans of a bit older vintage, however, remember a time that might have been even worse. Between 1954 and 1963, the Irish experienced the program's worst ten-year stretch, going a paltry 51-48 (.5152). (Compare this with 1995-2004, when the Irish went 73-47 for a .6083 winning rate.) Starting with 25-year-old rookie head coach Terry Brennan in 1954, N.D. football would nearly be run into the ground. Brennan would win a mere 64 percent of his games in five years, leading to his firing after the 1958 season. With the hiring of former Washington Redskins coach Joe Kuharich shortly thereafter, a trap door opened, sending the Irish spiraling even further downward. During his four-year tenure, the Irish would set a new standard for futility in South Bend, going 17-23 (.425). In the 1960 season, the Irish actually recorded an astounding eight-game losing streak (think about that for a minute) on the way to a final 2-8 record. Fans, who in 1956 thought it couldn't get any worse than the program's first-ever five-game losing streak that season, were proven wrong a mere four years later. Perhaps Kuharich saw the writing on the wall at the end of another mediocre season in 1962, his third 5-5 season in four years, and decided to leave Notre Dame for a position with the NFL office in New York.
With the hasty departure of Kuharich in February 1963, Notre Dame was left to scramble to fill its highest profile position. With the once proud football program in total disarray, Fathers Hesburgh and Joyce, the university's president and executive vice president who had so terribly botched the previous two football coaching hires, knew that they had to hire the right man this time. Instead of rushing through the process, Hesburgh and Joyce tabbed assistant coach Hugh Devore, a Notre Dame graduate and former recruit of Knute Rockne, to lead the team as an interim coach for the 1963 season. The decision was a short-term disaster, as the Irish went on to a Kuharichesque 2-7 campaign in 1963, losing their final five games of the season. Only the cancelation of their game against Iowa because of the assassination of President John Kennedy prevented the Irish from being an even worse 2-8. Of course, the pain and humiliation of that season would pay off in a way, as Hesburgh and Joyce took the time to find the right man for the job. Following the 1963 season, Ara Parseghian was named the new head coach, leading to one of the best periods in the history of the program.
During that 1963 season, referred to by Hall-of-Fame DL Pete Duranko as "the winter of our discontent," the Irish commenced a rare two-game home series against UCLA. The Bruins were one of only two teams that the Irish beat in 1963, along with arch-rival Southern Cal. (Just to show that fate can have a funny sense of humor, the Trojans would be the only team to defeat the Irish in the following 9-1 near-miss season of 1964.) Like several other members of the Pac-10 Conference, Notre Dame and UCLA have played sparingly on the gridiron. Those two games in 1963 and 1964 are the only ones staged between these two schools. The Irish won both games (27-12 in 1963, and 24-0 in 1964), giving them the all-time series lead, 2-0. Interestingly, both games were played in South Bend.
This Saturday, the series will resume for the first time since the Beatles were taking the world by storm and Lyndon Johnson was in the White House. Forty-two years ago, John Huarte and Jack Snow led an offensive showcase against the Bruins. This weekend, Brady Quinn, Rhema McKnight, and Jeff Samardzija look to do something similar.
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Other notes:
-It has been 42 years since the Irish and Bruins last met on the gridiron. The Irish have taken breaks longer than 42 years between games in only seven other series: Rutgers (75 years, 1921-96); Baylor (73 years, 1925-98); Kansas (61 years, 1938-99); Ohio State (59 years, 1936-1995); Rice (58 years, 1915-73); Penn State (48 years, 1928-76); and Washington (46 years, 1949-95).
-The Irish are 10-3 at home against Pac-10 teams since 1997. All three losses came at the hands of Southern Cal (1997, 2003, 2005).
-Notre Dame is 75-39-6 (.650) versus opponents from the Pac-10 Conference all-time. At home, their record is 43-14-1 (.750) versus the Pac-10.
-Aside from schedule "regulars" Southern Cal and Stanford, the last Pac-10 school the Irish faced was Washington last season. The Irish won that game, 36-17.
-The Irish are 7-3 (.700) at home since Charlie Weis became head coach.
-Brady Quinn needs only 10 passing yards to become the 32nd player in college football history with 10,000 or more passing yards.
-These schools are scheduled to meet again next season in Notre Dame's first game in the Rose Bowl since 1925.
-In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is where things stand after last weekend:
#4 Michigan defeated unranked Penn State on the road, 17-10, moving their record to 856-280-36 for an all-time winning percentage of .7457. This week, #2 Michigan hosts unranked Iowa.
#9 Notre Dame was idle. Their record stands at 816-267-42 for an all-time winning percentage of .7440. This week, #10 Notre Dame hosts unranked UCLA.
Michigan's lead expands to 17/10,000ths of a point.
The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. E.D.T. on NBC.
Go Irish! Beat Bruins!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Fans of a bit older vintage, however, remember a time that might have been even worse. Between 1954 and 1963, the Irish experienced the program's worst ten-year stretch, going a paltry 51-48 (.5152). (Compare this with 1995-2004, when the Irish went 73-47 for a .6083 winning rate.) Starting with 25-year-old rookie head coach Terry Brennan in 1954, N.D. football would nearly be run into the ground. Brennan would win a mere 64 percent of his games in five years, leading to his firing after the 1958 season. With the hiring of former Washington Redskins coach Joe Kuharich shortly thereafter, a trap door opened, sending the Irish spiraling even further downward. During his four-year tenure, the Irish would set a new standard for futility in South Bend, going 17-23 (.425). In the 1960 season, the Irish actually recorded an astounding eight-game losing streak (think about that for a minute) on the way to a final 2-8 record. Fans, who in 1956 thought it couldn't get any worse than the program's first-ever five-game losing streak that season, were proven wrong a mere four years later. Perhaps Kuharich saw the writing on the wall at the end of another mediocre season in 1962, his third 5-5 season in four years, and decided to leave Notre Dame for a position with the NFL office in New York.
With the hasty departure of Kuharich in February 1963, Notre Dame was left to scramble to fill its highest profile position. With the once proud football program in total disarray, Fathers Hesburgh and Joyce, the university's president and executive vice president who had so terribly botched the previous two football coaching hires, knew that they had to hire the right man this time. Instead of rushing through the process, Hesburgh and Joyce tabbed assistant coach Hugh Devore, a Notre Dame graduate and former recruit of Knute Rockne, to lead the team as an interim coach for the 1963 season. The decision was a short-term disaster, as the Irish went on to a Kuharichesque 2-7 campaign in 1963, losing their final five games of the season. Only the cancelation of their game against Iowa because of the assassination of President John Kennedy prevented the Irish from being an even worse 2-8. Of course, the pain and humiliation of that season would pay off in a way, as Hesburgh and Joyce took the time to find the right man for the job. Following the 1963 season, Ara Parseghian was named the new head coach, leading to one of the best periods in the history of the program.
During that 1963 season, referred to by Hall-of-Fame DL Pete Duranko as "the winter of our discontent," the Irish commenced a rare two-game home series against UCLA. The Bruins were one of only two teams that the Irish beat in 1963, along with arch-rival Southern Cal. (Just to show that fate can have a funny sense of humor, the Trojans would be the only team to defeat the Irish in the following 9-1 near-miss season of 1964.) Like several other members of the Pac-10 Conference, Notre Dame and UCLA have played sparingly on the gridiron. Those two games in 1963 and 1964 are the only ones staged between these two schools. The Irish won both games (27-12 in 1963, and 24-0 in 1964), giving them the all-time series lead, 2-0. Interestingly, both games were played in South Bend.
This Saturday, the series will resume for the first time since the Beatles were taking the world by storm and Lyndon Johnson was in the White House. Forty-two years ago, John Huarte and Jack Snow led an offensive showcase against the Bruins. This weekend, Brady Quinn, Rhema McKnight, and Jeff Samardzija look to do something similar.
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
Other notes:
-It has been 42 years since the Irish and Bruins last met on the gridiron. The Irish have taken breaks longer than 42 years between games in only seven other series: Rutgers (75 years, 1921-96); Baylor (73 years, 1925-98); Kansas (61 years, 1938-99); Ohio State (59 years, 1936-1995); Rice (58 years, 1915-73); Penn State (48 years, 1928-76); and Washington (46 years, 1949-95).
-The Irish are 10-3 at home against Pac-10 teams since 1997. All three losses came at the hands of Southern Cal (1997, 2003, 2005).
-Notre Dame is 75-39-6 (.650) versus opponents from the Pac-10 Conference all-time. At home, their record is 43-14-1 (.750) versus the Pac-10.
-Aside from schedule "regulars" Southern Cal and Stanford, the last Pac-10 school the Irish faced was Washington last season. The Irish won that game, 36-17.
-The Irish are 7-3 (.700) at home since Charlie Weis became head coach.
-Brady Quinn needs only 10 passing yards to become the 32nd player in college football history with 10,000 or more passing yards.
-These schools are scheduled to meet again next season in Notre Dame's first game in the Rose Bowl since 1925.
-In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is where things stand after last weekend:
#4 Michigan defeated unranked Penn State on the road, 17-10, moving their record to 856-280-36 for an all-time winning percentage of .7457. This week, #2 Michigan hosts unranked Iowa.
#9 Notre Dame was idle. Their record stands at 816-267-42 for an all-time winning percentage of .7440. This week, #10 Notre Dame hosts unranked UCLA.
Michigan's lead expands to 17/10,000ths of a point.
The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. E.D.T. on NBC.
Go Irish! Beat Bruins!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Bye and By
This week's installment will be relatively brief because, like the Irish, I am taking a reprieve from the wear of the college football season.
The Irish are at the mid-point of the 2006 regular season and are taking a much-deserved week off from the gridiron grind. At 5-1, Notre Dame's record is respectable, particularly considering the difficulty of the first five weeks of their schedule. Keeping in mind 0-6 Stanford's record, N.D.'s six opponents have gone a combined 21-9 (.700) in games played against opponents other than the Irish, particularly impressive considering that all six opponents come from BCS conferences. Georgia Tech is ranked #13 and sits atop its division in the ACC. Penn State's only other loss was on the road at #1 Ohio State. #4 Michigan remains undefeated heading into this weekend's game at Penn State. Michigan State has started its mid-season swoon a few weeks early, but their record still stands at 3-3, while Purdue is 4-2 after laying an egg against Minnesota last weekend. Stanford is woeful at 0-6, really this season's only "gimme" so far.
So what of N.D.'s 5-1 start? Two-thousand-six marks the sixtieth time in the 118-season history of Notre Dame football that the Irish have won at least five of their first six games. In the previous 59 seasons of 5-1 or better starts (5-1-0, 5-0-1, or 6-0-0), Notre Dame has a combined record of 503-69-19 (.8672). Looking beyond mere wins or losses, N.D.'s overall point differential through its first six games is the third lowest of any team with a start of 5-1 or better (+40). Only 1998 (+35) and 1939 (+29) saw the Irish start with such a good record, but yet score so few points in relation to its opposition through six games. What does this mean? Many statisticians have observed that a team's overall point differential is a better prognosticator than its record at any given point. If that's the case, then we might expect the Irish to finish the regular season with a record of 9-3, given that other N.D. teams with similar point differentials ended up with winning percentages at or near 75%. Of course, it is also difficult to account for the quality of Notre Dame's opposition this season, as well as Coach Weis's propensity to "call off the dogs" when a game is apparently out of reach, as was the case with the Purdue and Stanford games the past two weeks.
As always, it is interesting to see how an Irish team takes a unique personality from year to year. This year's unit is maddening at times, seemingly content with their pre-season accolades, looking listless and disinterested at times. Yet, they showed a great deal of heart in winning at Georgia Tech, a win that looks more impressive with each passing week, and at Michigan State, where they came from 16 points back to win in the closing minutes of the game. The season's second half gears up next week with UCLA's first visit to South Bend in 42 years, as the Irish face a slate of five very winnable games before the season finale at Southern Cal.
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In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is how things stand after last weekend:
#6 Michigan won at unranked Michigan State, 31-13, extending its record to 855-280-36 for an all-time winning percentage of .7455. This week, #4 Michigan travels to unranked Penn State.
#12 Notre Dame won at home against unranked Stanford, 31-10, extending its record to 816-267-42 for an all-time winning percentage of .7440. This week, #9 Notre Dame is idle.
Michigan's lead over Notre Dame stands at 15/10,000ths of a point.
Enjoy the open weekend!
Go Irish!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
The Irish are at the mid-point of the 2006 regular season and are taking a much-deserved week off from the gridiron grind. At 5-1, Notre Dame's record is respectable, particularly considering the difficulty of the first five weeks of their schedule. Keeping in mind 0-6 Stanford's record, N.D.'s six opponents have gone a combined 21-9 (.700) in games played against opponents other than the Irish, particularly impressive considering that all six opponents come from BCS conferences. Georgia Tech is ranked #13 and sits atop its division in the ACC. Penn State's only other loss was on the road at #1 Ohio State. #4 Michigan remains undefeated heading into this weekend's game at Penn State. Michigan State has started its mid-season swoon a few weeks early, but their record still stands at 3-3, while Purdue is 4-2 after laying an egg against Minnesota last weekend. Stanford is woeful at 0-6, really this season's only "gimme" so far.
So what of N.D.'s 5-1 start? Two-thousand-six marks the sixtieth time in the 118-season history of Notre Dame football that the Irish have won at least five of their first six games. In the previous 59 seasons of 5-1 or better starts (5-1-0, 5-0-1, or 6-0-0), Notre Dame has a combined record of 503-69-19 (.8672). Looking beyond mere wins or losses, N.D.'s overall point differential through its first six games is the third lowest of any team with a start of 5-1 or better (+40). Only 1998 (+35) and 1939 (+29) saw the Irish start with such a good record, but yet score so few points in relation to its opposition through six games. What does this mean? Many statisticians have observed that a team's overall point differential is a better prognosticator than its record at any given point. If that's the case, then we might expect the Irish to finish the regular season with a record of 9-3, given that other N.D. teams with similar point differentials ended up with winning percentages at or near 75%. Of course, it is also difficult to account for the quality of Notre Dame's opposition this season, as well as Coach Weis's propensity to "call off the dogs" when a game is apparently out of reach, as was the case with the Purdue and Stanford games the past two weeks.
As always, it is interesting to see how an Irish team takes a unique personality from year to year. This year's unit is maddening at times, seemingly content with their pre-season accolades, looking listless and disinterested at times. Yet, they showed a great deal of heart in winning at Georgia Tech, a win that looks more impressive with each passing week, and at Michigan State, where they came from 16 points back to win in the closing minutes of the game. The season's second half gears up next week with UCLA's first visit to South Bend in 42 years, as the Irish face a slate of five very winnable games before the season finale at Southern Cal.
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is how things stand after last weekend:
#6 Michigan won at unranked Michigan State, 31-13, extending its record to 855-280-36 for an all-time winning percentage of .7455. This week, #4 Michigan travels to unranked Penn State.
#12 Notre Dame won at home against unranked Stanford, 31-10, extending its record to 816-267-42 for an all-time winning percentage of .7440. This week, #9 Notre Dame is idle.
Michigan's lead over Notre Dame stands at 15/10,000ths of a point.
Enjoy the open weekend!
Go Irish!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Notre Dame vs. Stanford
Each fall on the Notre Dame campus, many freshmen are indoctrinated into the culture of the university through the airing of the classic 1940 film, Knute Rockne All American. Starring Pat O'Brien in the title role, the film features a number of memorable scenes, including future president Ronald Reagan delivering George Gipp's famous deathbed plea to "win one for the Gipper." One scene that is perhaps overlooked, but interesting nevertheless, features a bevy of Hall of Fame coaches discussing with Rockne an upcoming Congressional inquiry about the future of college football. Among the luminaries in that scene are Southern Cal coach Howard Jones, Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, and Stanford coach Glenn "Pop" Warner. Each of the coaches had relationships with Rockne to varying degrees. Jones, for example, owed his job at USC to a recommendation that Rockne proffered when university was looking to find a new head football coach, while Stagg could claim Rockne as part of his coaching tree through Stagg's pupil and Rockne's mentor, Jesse Harper, who played for Stagg at Chicago and coached at N.D. from 1913 through 1917.
Pop Warner's relationship with Rock was highlighted by their teams' lone meeting on the gridiron in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame's first football game on the west coast served as a sign of the program's growing national popularity. In addition to the two coaching legends on either sideline, Notre Dame and Stanford each had rosters boasting tremendous talent. The Indians' biggest star was future Hall of Fame QB Ernie Nevers. Notre Dame, meanwhile, boasted one of the most famous backfields in college football history with QB Harry Stuhldreher, HBs Don Miller and Jim Crowley, and FB Elmer Layden, collectively known at "The Four Horsemen." Less heralded, but no less important was the offensive line, known to history as "The Seven Mules," led by Hall of Famers Adam Walsh and Edgar "Rip" Miller. The two teams were widely known for their offensive firepower, so everyone expected a shootout. It is ironic to note, then, that two defensive plays decided the game. In one of the greatest individual performances in school history Layden scored N.D.'s lone offensive touchdown, but is best remembered for returning interceptions of 70 and 80 yards for touchdowns. Stanford was left reeling from their offensive miscues and N.D.'s ability to capitalize on the Indians' mistakes. Layden's three-touchdown heroics gave Notre Dame a commanding 27-10 victory in their only bowl appearance until 1970, and solidified Notre Dame's claim on its first of eleven consensus national championships.
Despite the ancient beginnings of this series, Notre Dame and Stanford have not been frequent opponents until recent times. Before 1988, when the current series began, the schools had played only four games (1924, 1942, 1963, and 1964) in which the Irish compiled a 3-1-0 record. Since 1988 the schools have played one another every season, with the exception of 1995 & 1996, when Stanford left N.D.'s schedule to make room for a home-and-home series against Washington. Notre Dame leads the series, 14-6-0.
Much like Notre Dame's series with Purdue, the games that stand out in the Stanford series tend to be Cardinal victories, primarily because Notre Dame traditionally has owned the series. In 1990, "Touchdown" Tommy Vardell scored four touchdowns (all from one yard out) to lead the Cardinal to a 36-31 victory over the #1-ranked Irish at home, N.D.'s first home loss since 1986. That game would start a disturbing trend of higher-ranked Lou Holtz-coached Irish squads losing to inferior competition, particularly at home. In 1992, the #7 Irish were still in the thick of national title contention when they took a 16-0 lead over Stanford. The Cardinal, led by head coach Bill Walsh, stormed back to score 33 unanswered points, stealing victory at Notre Dame.
In the last series game played at Notre Dame, Ty Willingham continued his mastery over his former school, winning 23-15 in his final season on the Irish sidelines. Last year, the Irish executed a flawless two-minute drill to score the go-ahead points in the final minute, winning in the last game at old Stanford Stadium, 38-31.
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Other notes:
-The Irish are 6-3 at home during the Weis Era.
-Saturday's game against Stanford will be the first of three games pitting the Irish against Pacific-10 teams this season. After a bye week, the Irish will host UCLA, and later will finish the season at Southern Cal during Thanksgiving weekend.
-So far, all six of Notre Dame's opponents this season have series with the Irish that date back to the 1920s or earlier.
-The Irish have won four consecutive games against Stanford. The Cardinal's last series win came during Thanksgiving weekend in 2001. Interestingly, the four-game Irish winning streak is the longest such streak by either team in the series.
-Notre Dame is 8-2-0 in series games played at Notre Dame Stadium, dating back to 1942. The Irish have won five consecutive home games against the Cardinal. Stanford's last win at Notre Dame was the aforementioned 33-16 victory in 1992.
-The Irish have started 5-1 or better only twice since 1993. In 1998, the Irish started 5-1 on the way to a final 9-3 record. In 2002, the Irish started 6-0 en route to a final 10-3 record.
-The last Irish coach to start his first two seasons with records of 5-1 or better was Ara Parseghian (1964, 6-0-0; 1965, 5-1-0).
-The Bay Area Notre Dame Alumni Club will present the winner of this game with The Legends Trophy, a combination of Irish crystal and California redwood. The trophy was presented for the first time at the 1989 game, a 27-17 Irish victory.
-These schools are scheduled to continue meeting through 2010.
-In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is where things stand after last weekend:
#6 Michigan won at unranked Minnesota, 28-14, extending their record to 854-280-36 for a winning percentage of .7453. This week, #6 Michigan hosts the floundering Michigan State Spartans.
#12 Notre Dame defeated unranked Purdue at home, 35-21, extending their record to 815-267-42 for a winning percentage of .7438. This week, #12 Notre Dame hosts unranked Stanford.
For the third consecutive week, Michigan's lead stands at 15/10,000ths of a point.
The Irish will look to keep their momentum from the MSU comeback and Purdue win going on Saturday. The game kicks off at 2:30 EDT on NBC.
Go Irish! Beat Cardinal!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Pop Warner's relationship with Rock was highlighted by their teams' lone meeting on the gridiron in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame's first football game on the west coast served as a sign of the program's growing national popularity. In addition to the two coaching legends on either sideline, Notre Dame and Stanford each had rosters boasting tremendous talent. The Indians' biggest star was future Hall of Fame QB Ernie Nevers. Notre Dame, meanwhile, boasted one of the most famous backfields in college football history with QB Harry Stuhldreher, HBs Don Miller and Jim Crowley, and FB Elmer Layden, collectively known at "The Four Horsemen." Less heralded, but no less important was the offensive line, known to history as "The Seven Mules," led by Hall of Famers Adam Walsh and Edgar "Rip" Miller. The two teams were widely known for their offensive firepower, so everyone expected a shootout. It is ironic to note, then, that two defensive plays decided the game. In one of the greatest individual performances in school history Layden scored N.D.'s lone offensive touchdown, but is best remembered for returning interceptions of 70 and 80 yards for touchdowns. Stanford was left reeling from their offensive miscues and N.D.'s ability to capitalize on the Indians' mistakes. Layden's three-touchdown heroics gave Notre Dame a commanding 27-10 victory in their only bowl appearance until 1970, and solidified Notre Dame's claim on its first of eleven consensus national championships.
Despite the ancient beginnings of this series, Notre Dame and Stanford have not been frequent opponents until recent times. Before 1988, when the current series began, the schools had played only four games (1924, 1942, 1963, and 1964) in which the Irish compiled a 3-1-0 record. Since 1988 the schools have played one another every season, with the exception of 1995 & 1996, when Stanford left N.D.'s schedule to make room for a home-and-home series against Washington. Notre Dame leads the series, 14-6-0.
Much like Notre Dame's series with Purdue, the games that stand out in the Stanford series tend to be Cardinal victories, primarily because Notre Dame traditionally has owned the series. In 1990, "Touchdown" Tommy Vardell scored four touchdowns (all from one yard out) to lead the Cardinal to a 36-31 victory over the #1-ranked Irish at home, N.D.'s first home loss since 1986. That game would start a disturbing trend of higher-ranked Lou Holtz-coached Irish squads losing to inferior competition, particularly at home. In 1992, the #7 Irish were still in the thick of national title contention when they took a 16-0 lead over Stanford. The Cardinal, led by head coach Bill Walsh, stormed back to score 33 unanswered points, stealing victory at Notre Dame.
In the last series game played at Notre Dame, Ty Willingham continued his mastery over his former school, winning 23-15 in his final season on the Irish sidelines. Last year, the Irish executed a flawless two-minute drill to score the go-ahead points in the final minute, winning in the last game at old Stanford Stadium, 38-31.
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Other notes:
-The Irish are 6-3 at home during the Weis Era.
-Saturday's game against Stanford will be the first of three games pitting the Irish against Pacific-10 teams this season. After a bye week, the Irish will host UCLA, and later will finish the season at Southern Cal during Thanksgiving weekend.
-So far, all six of Notre Dame's opponents this season have series with the Irish that date back to the 1920s or earlier.
-The Irish have won four consecutive games against Stanford. The Cardinal's last series win came during Thanksgiving weekend in 2001. Interestingly, the four-game Irish winning streak is the longest such streak by either team in the series.
-Notre Dame is 8-2-0 in series games played at Notre Dame Stadium, dating back to 1942. The Irish have won five consecutive home games against the Cardinal. Stanford's last win at Notre Dame was the aforementioned 33-16 victory in 1992.
-The Irish have started 5-1 or better only twice since 1993. In 1998, the Irish started 5-1 on the way to a final 9-3 record. In 2002, the Irish started 6-0 en route to a final 10-3 record.
-The last Irish coach to start his first two seasons with records of 5-1 or better was Ara Parseghian (1964, 6-0-0; 1965, 5-1-0).
-The Bay Area Notre Dame Alumni Club will present the winner of this game with The Legends Trophy, a combination of Irish crystal and California redwood. The trophy was presented for the first time at the 1989 game, a 27-17 Irish victory.
-These schools are scheduled to continue meeting through 2010.
-In the ongoing competition between Michigan and Notre Dame for college football's all-time best winning percentage, here is where things stand after last weekend:
#6 Michigan won at unranked Minnesota, 28-14, extending their record to 854-280-36 for a winning percentage of .7453. This week, #6 Michigan hosts the floundering Michigan State Spartans.
#12 Notre Dame defeated unranked Purdue at home, 35-21, extending their record to 815-267-42 for a winning percentage of .7438. This week, #12 Notre Dame hosts unranked Stanford.
For the third consecutive week, Michigan's lead stands at 15/10,000ths of a point.
The Irish will look to keep their momentum from the MSU comeback and Purdue win going on Saturday. The game kicks off at 2:30 EDT on NBC.
Go Irish! Beat Cardinal!
Big Mike
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
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