SOUTH BEND – Who knew?
Nobody saw that kind of season coming in 1988 from the Notre Dame football team. In two previous years under head coach Lou Holtz, the Irish finished a combined 13-10. It spent one week ranked in the Top 25 in 1986. It spent one week ranked in the Top Five in 1987. That’s it. The 1987 season ended with three straight losses. Not exactly the look or feel or potential of a team that could/would/should go undefeated the following fall and win it all.
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Little did we know. Little did anyone know that 1988 was one of those years. One of those that we haven’t seen since. Thirty-seven Irish seasons and counting since perfection. Since the last national championship.
Here is a game-by-game review of the 1988 Notre Dame football season that culminated in the school’s 11th and most recent national championship under the late Lou Holtz, who died on March 4 at age 89.
Michigan running back Tony Boles (42) is tackled by Notre Dame linebackers Mike Stonebreaker (top) and Wes Pritchett. ND Football 1988 South Bend Tribune archive photo South Bend Tribune archive, South Bend Tribune
1. No. 13 Notre Dame 19, No. 9 Michigan 17
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
September 10
A home night game to start the season? Check. One of your biggest rivals on the other sideline? Check. Go four quarters without scoring an offensive touchdown, but still win? Uh, check.
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That wasn’t how Notre Dame drew it up, but it worked. Four field goals from Reggie Ho, a 5-foot-5, 135-pound walk-on who came from nowhere to steal the national spotlight. Ho’s 26-yard field goal with 1:13 left gave the Irish the 19-17 lead in a game where they managed only 209 yards of offense. Ricky Watters scored Notre Dame’s only touchdown on an 81-yard punt return in the first quarter.
Notre Dame led at one point 13-0, but came this closefrom opening 0-1, and likely losing any chance at a national championship. When Michigan kicker Mike Gillette’s 48-yard field goal fell a few yards short at the horn, the Irish were 1-0.
Oct 1988; South Bend, IN, ISA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Irish head coach Lou Holtz during the 1988 season at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports Copyright Malcolm Emmons
2. No. 8 Notre Dame 20, Michigan State 3
Spartan Stadium (77,472), East Lansing, Michigan
September 17
Nothing like a good, old-fashioned rock fight that started at 11 a.m. local time against the defending Big Ten/Rose Bowl champions to get the juices flowing in this one. It would become known as the Michael Stonebreaker game.
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The Irish linebacker was everywhere, chasing down ball-carriers from sideline to sideline, pressuring the quarterback, spearheading the defense, and then securing victory by taking an interception back 39 yards for a touchdown. He was part of a defense that allowed the Spartans only 89 rush yards. The Irish lost both fullbacks, Braxston Banks and Anthony Johnson, to injuries, but Tony Brooks moved to that spot and rushed for 66 yards on 11 carries. Mark Green added 125 yards as Notre Dame ran for 245.
The Irish got something from everyone. Rocket Ismail even chipped in … by blocking a punt. That’s how deep and diverse that roster was that season.
Raghib Ismail #25, Wide Receiver for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with his team mates after winning the NCAA Big Ten Conference college football game against the Purdue University Boilermakers on 24th September 1988 at the Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Notre Dame won the game 52 – 7.Raghib Ismail was also known as The Rocket. (Photo by Brian Masck/Allsport/Getty Images)
3. No. 8 Notre Dame 52, Purdue 7
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
September 24
Concerns that the Irish offense might be offensive a third straight week were put to rest early as Notre Dame racked up 355 yards and led 42-0 at halftime. Quarterback Tony Rice rushed for 67 yards and a score, then completed four of six passes for 85 yards and two scores in the first two quarters against a defense that bussed up to campus as the nation’s No. 1 ranked pass defense having allowed 59 pass yards the first two weeks.
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Rice and the Irish made easy work against that.
Ismail caught his first career touchdown pass for 54 yards in this one. How lopsided did it get? Backup quarterback Steve Belles even got in the act with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brooks. After two ugly weeks to start 1988, Notre Dame needed this one. Thanks to Purdue, it got it.
4. No. 5 Notre Dame 42, Stanford 14
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
October 1
A second home night game in the first four weeks was easier than the first. At Holtz’s suggestion, Rice spent the days leading into this one throwing darts in his dorm room to improve his passing accuracy. It worked.
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Rice completed 11 of 14 for 129 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 107 yards and two more scores. He did what he did, then turned it over to the Irish defense, which limited the Cardinal to 59 total yards in a first half that saw the Irish race to a 21-0 lead and lead 28-7 at intermission.
Safety D’Juan Francisco led the Irish with nine tackles. Johnson returned from a two-game injury absence and rushed for 58 yards on 14 carries. Afterward, Rice said sometimes you have games where everything goes your way. It sure did for the Irish.
5. No. 5 Notre Dame 30, Pittsburgh 20
Pitt Stadium (56,500), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
October 8
Notre Dame’s first win over Pittsburgh in six seasons came at a price for a program that leaned so heavily on its offensive line. The Irish left the Oakland area of the city following the rainy afternoon affair down three starters. Justin Hall was lost for the season earlier in the week with an ankle injury. Fellow starters Tim Grunhard and Tim Ryan were hurt during the game.
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Notre Dame found enough able guards and tackles and a center to block its way to 310 rush yards. Brooks carried 17 times for 105 yards. Green added 83 yards on 19 carries. Rice rushed 11 times for 69 yards as the Irish ran for four scores.
This one turned late in the second quarter with a fumble recovery from cornerback Stan Smagala, which squelched what seemed like a certain Pitt scoring drive. Instead of trailing 21-17 at the break, Smagala’s recovery kept Notre Dame ahead 17-14. Save for an early 7-0 deficit, it never trailed again. Look-ahead letdown avoided.
The game between Notre Dame and Miami lived up to the hype. Surpassed it even, to the point where it truly might have been the “Game of the Century.”
6. No. 4 Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Miami (Fla.) 30
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
October 15
Books could be written about this one, and they have. Documentaries could be made about this one, and they have. Where do you start with what many called the “Game of the Century?”
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So many storylines, so many characters. So many subplots on a Chamber of Commerce 70-degree fall afternoon in Northern Indiana. A perfect day for a pre-game fight between the teams in the stadium tunnel. For the “Catholics vs. Convicts” T-shirts being hawked in the tailgate lots. For Lou Holtz telling his team to “save Jimmy Johnson’s ass for me.”
This one lived up to the hype despite Miami’s seven turnovers and Notre Dame letting slip a 21-7 lead. It was an afternoon to remember forever, one that culminated in quarterback turned wide receiver turned safety Pat Terrell’s knock down of a two-point conversion pass that would’ve meant the end of the Irish national championship dreams. It was the second of four wins over Top 10 teams that season for Notre Dame.
Oct 22, 1988; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Irish defensove tackles Jeff Alm (90) and George Williams (69) pressure Air Force Falcons quarterback Dee Dowis (6) at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY NETWORK
7. No. 2 Notre Dame 41, Air Force 13
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
October 22
Notre Dame had Ricky Watters and Air Force didn’t. That was basically the story in this one as Watters, the future NFL standout, went crazy. He caught four passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He returned an Air Force punt for another score. He racked up 178 all-purpose yards. He was all the offense a determined Irish defense needed in a game Notre Dame led 20-13 before 21 unanswered points.
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Air Force and its wishbone offense arrived the national leader in yards per game at 432. The Irish defense limited that attack to 170, including only 39 in the second half. Punts, not first downs, became the Air Force calling card.
In a moment of weakness, or brilliance, Holtz gave his team a rare Sunday off after this one. They deserved it. They had earned it.
8. No. 2 Notre Dame 22, Navy 7
Memorial Stadium (54,929) Baltimore, Maryland
October 29
Maybe it was the ultimate trap game for Notre Dame. Maybe it was the 11 a.m. kick. Whatever it was, it wasn’t so much what happened on the field where the Baltimore Orioles played baseball in this one as Notre Dame did just enough to keep Navy far enough away from making this interesting.
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It was what happened later that day.
Stonebreaker made a game-high 18 tackles. Fellow linebacker West Pritchett added 12 to limit the Midshipmen option to 192 total yards. The Irish led 16-0 at half and 22-0 before Navy sniffed the scoreboard. Notre Dame did enough offensively to overcome two turnovers and seven penalties. It did enough to win despite Holtz’s post-game proclamation that “we’re not a good football team right now.”
It didn’t matter. Not long after Notre Dame moved to 8-0, No. 1 UCLA was upset by Washington State, which meant …
9. No. 1 Notre Dame 54, Rice 11
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
November 5
It didn’t happen after the season-opening win over rival Michigan. It didn’t happen after the drama of the “Game of the Century.” Finally, with two-thirds of the ‘88 season down, Notre Dame became the No. 1 team in the country for the first time under Holtz and for the first time since Sept. 19, 1981.
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Win out and the Irish likely would win a national championship. No pressure, there.
Getting to 9-0 for the first time since 1973 wasn’t as easy as many figured. Rice ― the school, not the Irish QB ―led 3-0 after the game’s opening drive, which was the wake-up call needed for the Irish defense. Notre Dame would hold Rice, the team, to 32 rush yards and register five sacks, including two from maniacal nose tackle Chris Zorich. Ismail returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdown, which last happened for Notre Dame in 1922.
After trailing 3-0, Notre Dame scored 28 unanswered. By halftime, it was 31-6 and time to start thinking about the season’s final home game.
Bryan Flannery #92 Defensive Lineman for the Penn State Nittany Lions and Tim Ryan #52 Offensive Lineman for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during their NCAA Independent college football game on 19 November 1988 at the Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Notre Dame won the game 21 – 3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images)
10. No 1 Notre Dame 21, Penn State 7
Notre Dame Stadium (59,075)
November 19
This was not your father’s Penn State. Or your grandfather’s. Or what anyone had come to expect from legendary head coach Joe Paterno. A loss in this one guaranteed that Penn State would finish 1988 under .500, something that hadn’t happened in Happy Valley since 1938.
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Notre Dame was just too driven, too focused, too good for Penn State on a gray, drizzly, 44-degree late-November afternoon. Rice ran for 91 yards and a score. He threw for 191 and found Ismail for another score. The Irish finished undefeated at home for a second straight season.
Afterward, it was announced that Notre Dame would face West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. The Irish were 10-0 for the first time since 1973 with one more regular-season game to go. It was a big one.
Tony Rice #9, Quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in motion running the football during the NCAA Independent Conference college football game against the University of Southern California USC Trojans on 25th November 1988 at the at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, United States. Notre Dame won the game 38 – 21. (Photo by Tim DeFrisco/Allsport/Getty Images)
11. No. 1 Notre Dame 27, No. 2 USC 10
Memorial Coliseum (93,829), Los Angeles, California
November 26
An afternoon in L.A. featured the first matchup where Notre Dame was No. 1 and USC No. 2. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 game for Notre Dame since the 1966 game against Michigan State ― the 10-10 tie game. The winner of this one would have the inside track at the national championship.
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Holtz made national news hours before kick when he put Watters, the team’s leading receiver, and Brooks, the team’s leading rusher, on a plane back to the Midwest for “repeated lateness.” How would the Irish respond?
It didn’t take long to find out. Rice capped the opening drive, which took only 1:15, with a 65-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career and longest of the season against USC. From then on, it was all Irish, who led 20-7 at halftime thanks to a Smagala 64-yard pick six of USC quarterback Rodney Peete.
It marked the first time in series history that Notre Dame had beaten USC three straight times (all under Holtz) and the first time in program history that Notre Dame was 11-0.
Jan 2, 1989, Tempe, AR, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tony Rice (9) in action against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the 1989 Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. The Irish defeated the Mountaineers 34-21 to win the National Championship. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
12. No. 1 Notre Dame 34, No. 3 West Virginia 21
Sun Devil Stadium (74,911), Tempe, Arizona
January 2, 1989
Notre Dame traveled 1,700 miles to the Arizona desert to win its first national championship since 1977. They could’ve played this one in Indiana, could have played it at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, could have played it on the moon, and the outcome would’ve been the same one-sided, one team dominated affair. Nobody was beating Notre Dame on the second day of the new year.
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When it was over, after Rice had run for 75 yards and thrown for 215, after linebacker Frank Stams earned defensive most valuable player honors with two sacks, after Stonebreaker separated the left shoulder of quarterback Major Harris with a hit on the third play from scrimmage, after the Irish led 23-6 at half, Notre Dame had finished a perfect season with wins over the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 teams in the national polls.
Notre Dame was a team of destiny, a team for the ages, led by a head coach for the ages. Afterward, Holtz described the 1988 Notre Dame football team as “a great football team.”
The head coach was just as good. Legendary, even.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football was the king of the college football world in 1988
