The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, by a score of 34–21. The 1988 squad, one of 11 national title squads for the Irish, is considered to be one of the best undefeated teams in the history of college football.[1] The Irish beat the teams which finished the season ranked #2, #4, #5, and #7 in the AP Poll.[1] They also won 10 of 12 games by double digits.[1] The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31–30 upset of No. 1 ranked Miami, ending their 36-game regular season winning streak.[2] The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football.[3][4][5]
13th ranked Notre Dame debuted its season against No. 9 Michigan in Notre Dame Stadium.[8] In a 19-17 thriller, walk-on kicker Reggie Ho kicked a 26-yard field goal winner with 1:13 remaining.[8]Lou Holtz's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown.[8] In addition to Reggie Ho's game winner, the Irish kicker scored 3 other field goals.[9] The lone touchdown from Notre Dame came from a Ricky Watters punt return, an 81-yard runback.[9] 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.[9]
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.[10] Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries.[10]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.[10] 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.[10] 156 yards came on 19 carries in the third quarter alone.[10] 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.[10] The star of the game was Notre Dame's defense, which held the Spartans to 89 yards rushing for the game.[10] Running back Mark Green led the Irish rushing attack with 125 yards on the ground.[11]
Purdue
Purdue at #8 Notre Dame
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2
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4
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Boilermakers
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0
0
7
7
• No. 8 Fighting Irish
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