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On This Date in Sports November 26, 1988: Irish March On

Frank The Tank
Frank The Tank11/26/2023 5:00 AM

Top-ranked Notre Dame finishes the regular season unbeaten at 11-0 after beating #2 USC 27-10 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It was the first time in a rivalry dating back to 1926 that matchup featured the top two teams in the country. The Irish used the big play to bury the Trojans as Tony Rice scored on a 65-yard scramble, and Stan Smagala had a 64-yard pick-six.

The echoes were awakened in 1988 as Notre Dame, in its third season under coach Lou Holtz, was poised for a return to glory. Among the players guiding Notre Dame was sensational freshman Raghib Ismail, nicknamed the Rocket. Seeking their first National Championship since 1977, the Irish opened the season ranked #13 and delivered a 19-17 win over #9 Michigan in a rare night game in South Bend, thanks to a field goal by Reggie Ho. Notre Dame easily won their next four games against Michigan State, Purdue, Stanford, and Pittsburgh to reach #4 in the ranking ahead of their grudge match against #1 Miami. Billed as Catholics versus Convicts, the Irish upset the Hurricane 31-30, turning away a potential winning two-point conversion in the final minute. After wins over Air Force and Navy, Notre Dame reached #1 in the Nation. The Irish followed up their #1 ranking with wins over Rice and Penn State to reach 10-0 heading into their season-ending game in Los Angeles.

USC, under second-year coach Larry Smith, began the season ranked #8 and beat Boston College 34-7. Led by quarterback Rodney Peete, the Trojans rolled their way through the early part of the season, beating Stanford and #3 Oklahoma to climb to third place in the rankings. After wins over Arizona and #18 Oregon, the Trojans survived a scare against #16 Washington, winning 28-27 as they jumped over by Notre Dame, who slid into #2 after beating Miami. After beating Oregon State, the Trojans reached #2, as the Irish went into the top spot with #1 UCLA’s loss to Washington. USC beat Cal and Arizona State before a showdown game against UCLA. In that game, the Trojans beat the #6 ranked Bruins 31-22 as Rodney Peete got the best of Troy Aikman. With the win over UCLA, USC sat at 10-0 heading into a showdown with Notre Dame.

USC entered the game as a slight favorite, but Notre Dame drew first blood as quarterback Tony Rice had a 65-yard touchdown run. Late in the first quarter, the Irish made it 14-0 on a one-yard run by Mark Green, benefiting from a Frank Stams fumble recovery at the USC 19-yard line. USC got on the board as Scott Lockwood completed an 11-play 66-yard drive with a one-yard run to pay dirt. As they drove into Irish territory, the Trojans looked to continue the momentum into halftime. However, Stan Smagala returned a Rodney Peete interception 64 yards for a touchdown with 41 seconds left in the second quarter to give Notre Dame a 20-7 lead at the break as Reggie Ho missed the PAT. USC cut into the lead with a 36-yard field goal by Quinn Rodriguez in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame continued to control the game as Mark Green scored again to complete a ten-play 70-yard drive to make it 27-10, which would be the final score.

Notre Dame would beat #3 West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to claim their 11th National Championship, which at the time was most in Division 1-A. USC, meanwhile, would suffer a 22-14 loss to #11 Michigan in the Rose Bowl.



Frank The Tank
Frank The Tank11/26/2023 5:00 AM