Since its completion in 1930, Notre Dame Stadium has played host to some of the greatest matchups in the sport’s history, but this will be the very first time the Irish will play postseason ball on their own turf. The Program’s deep tradition will come face-to-face with the future of college football - and “The House That Rockne Built” will host what's sure to be another classic.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
With the 2024 regular season in the rearview and Conference Championships wrapped up, the College Football Playoff Committee has released their final round of rankings and the official 12-team bracket is set.
In the first round of action, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday December 20th, with the winner advancing to face the Georgia Bulldogs on New Year's Day. By earning the 7th seed, the Irish secured home field advantage and made Notre Dame Stadium the stage for one of its most unique matchups in history.
As we count the days until kickoff, let's take a look at some of the greatest wins ever seen at Notre Dame Stadium. In honor of the inaugural 12-team playoff, we’ve picked (in no particular order) 12 standout Irish home wins.
With more than 110 years of football to consider, we’ve split this list into two eras and two parts: Part 1 will cover “The Classic Era” (1930-1989) and part two will cover “The Modern Era”
(1990-2024).
"The Classic Era" (1930-1989)
1930: Notre Dame - Navy
This game may not show up on a lot of lists about great Irish home wins, but this one is special. The Irish chose their 4th ever matchup with the Naval Academy as the official “dedication game” for the newly completed Notre Dame Stadium, and it was the beginning of a classic season in South Bend.
Jumpin Joe Savoldi scored 3 of the 4 Irish touchdowns on the day, breaking things open in the 2nd quarter with a 23-yard reverse that made him the first player to score in stadium history. Navy was only able to muster a safety late in the 4th quarter following a punt that pinned the Irish offense deep. Notre Dame commanded the game for nearly the entire contest, and went on to win 26-2.
After trouncing the Midshipmen, head coach Knute Rockne led the Irish on a perfect 10-0 campaign with wins over Pitt, Indiana, Northwestern, Army, and USC before earning the program’s 3rd National Title. Only 4 months after winning it all, Rockne died in a tragic plane crash over Kansas, and was immortalized as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. Much like friend and contemporary Babe Ruth, Rockne’s team named their field in his honor - “The House That Rockne Built.”
1946: No. 2 Notre Dame - No. 16 USC
1946 was head coach Frank Leahy’s first season back in South Bend since he departed to serve in World War II, and the Irish were slated to face the Trojans in the season finale. After five straight wins to start the season, Notre Dame earned the No. 2 spot in the polls before facing off with then No. 1 Army. In what would go on to be called the “Game of the Century” the underdog Irish shocked the nation and held the Cadets to a 0-0 stalemate at Yankee Stadium to remain unbeaten.
Notre Dame’s 1946 matchup with USC held a lot of significance. Leahy’s 1943 National Champion squad stayed undefeated until the final week of the season, but dropped their last game. This time around, the 7-0-1 Irish were looking to end their season unbeaten and the only thing in their way was No. 16 USC.
The hype and stakes going into the matchup caused some jitters and mistakes early on, as both sides coughed up the ball and the Irish had several long drives fizzle out before they could secure any points. After a scoreless 1st quarter, Irish sophomore RB Coy McGee broke a 77-yard touchdown run to score the game’s first points early in the 2nd quarter. On their next possession, Notre Dame QB George Ratterman tossed a 22-yard pass over the middle to Leon Hart to go up two scores. The Trojans responded with a drive that took them into field goal territory before a pass interference call put them at Notre Dame’s goal line. Only a play later, USC scored on a QB sneak to narrow the Irish lead to 1 score as the game entered halftime.
Neither team scored in the 3rd, but the 4th quarter opened with a length of the field Notre Dame drive. Ratterman tossed a regular looking screen pass to Floyd Simmons, who followed his blockers and took it 50 yards into Trojan territory. That's when the Irish offense pulled off a true stroke of mastery. Now at the 8 yard line, Ratterman lined the Irish up in the “T-formation” and in a move that fooled both the Trojan defense and the entire home crowd, faked a handoff to the fullback before seamlessly handing the ball off to McGee. Coy bounced outside to the right and slipped just out of reach of a diving Trojan defender, punching it in for his second score of the game. Up two scores in the 4th, Notre Dame cycled in its backups who scored once more to add insult to injury, and the Irish took home a dominant 26-6 win. It was their 4th straight win over USC, and became Notre Dame’s
first unbeaten season in 5 years.
The late-season win over a ranked rival pushed the Irish to a final record of 8-0-1, and helped them jump Army to take the No. 1 spot. The program earned its 5th National Title and Leahy’s 2nd, while leading the nation in both total offense and rushing yards per game, putting up 271 points over 9 games. The Irish defense never allowed more than 6 points in a single game, with an insane 5 shutouts, only 24 points surrendered all season, and the fewest yards allowed in the country.
1973: No. 8 Notre Dame - No. 6 USC
At the start of 1973, all time great Irish head coach Ara Parseghian was entering his 10th season in South Bend with a spot at No. 8 in the polls, and was thirsty for one last shot at the big dance. He led his boys to 5 straight wins to open the season, but hadn’t faced their biggest challenge until game 6.
That “challenge” was No. 5 USC, whose only blemish was a 7-7 tie in week 3 with then No. 8 Oklahoma. With both teams undefeated and in the top-10, there was a sense that this game could decide the national champion. Both offenses started slowly, but the Irish struck first about midway through the 1st quarter with a 32-yard field goal. USC responded with a 65-yard touchdown drive ending in a 1-yard rush by USC’s dynamic RB Anthony Davis. It gave the Trojans their first lead of the day as the 1st quarter came to a close 7-3 USC. The Irish knocked in another field goal, this time from 33-yards, to trim the deficit to 6-7. With under 2 minutes left in the 1st half, Irish QB Tom Clements led an 11-play 47-yard drive to score Notre Dame’s first touchdown of the day. With only 30 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, the Irish took the lead 13-7.
The Irish defense forced a punt on USC’s first drive of the 2nd half, and the Irish began their first drive at their own 15. On the first play of the possession, Irish RB Eric Penick took a handoff around the left side and broke into the clear, flying past multiple Trojan defenders completely untouched. Penick broke a single tackle before completely separating for the score, an incredible 85-yard touchdown to put the Irish up 20-7. USC scored their first points of the 2nd half on the following drive, almost completely on the back of legendary USC and NFL wide receiver Lynn Swann. After QB Pat Haden tossed two big first down throws to Swann, the two connected on a third with a soaring 27-yard touchdown pass to the far right corner of the endzone, trimming the score to 20-14. Just before the end of the 3rd quarter, Irish kicker Bob Thomas knocked in his 3rd field goal of the day, giving Notre Dame some breathing room with a 23-14 lead.
The 4th quarter came with steady rain, and the contest turned into a defensive showcase by
Parseghian’s squad. The Irish defense held strong, and forced two straight Trojan fumbles to give their offense a chance to run out the clock. Unfortunately, USC managed to force Notre Dame’s first turnover of the day on a fumble by Tom Clements, and the Trojans got the ball back with just under 3 minutes left to play. The Irish defense again rose to the occasion, and intercepted a long ball from Haden to ice the game. The Irish then drove to the Trojan’s 20 yard line before they allowed time to expire. The fans rushed the field and surrounded an underdog Notre Dame team that looked to be on the road to a Title.
The win fueled the Irish to a perfect 10-0 final record and thee No. 3 spot in the polls, earning them a matchup against Bear Bryant and the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. In an all time classic matchup, Notre Dame narrowly edged out the Tide 24-23 to become No. 1 in the polls and earned the 1973 National Championship. It became the Program’s 9th National Title and would be both Parseghian’s 2nd and his last. He retired following the 1974 season a living legend.
1977: No. 11 Notre Dame - No. 5 USC
1977 saw things finally come together for Head Coach Dan Devine. Notre Dame started strong, with Montana now healthy and back in the driver’s seat, they opened the season with a solid win against No. 7 Pitt, taking the season opener 19-9. The good vibes wouldn’t last long, as the Irish fell the following week to unranked Ole Miss 13-20, dropping them from No. 3 to No. 11 in the polls.
After three straight wins, the 4-1 and now No. 11 Irish hosted the 5-1 USC Trojans, who’d just moved up to the No. 5 spot in the polls. The underdog Irish warmed up in their traditional homefield Blue & Gold, but when they reentered the locker rooms before kickoff, Kerry green jerseys hung in each locker, birthing the notorious “Green Machine” moniker.
The Irish defense stopped USC’s first drive of the contest near midfield, and forced a 52-yard field goal attempt that fell just short. With excellent starting field position, Montana and the Irish moved down the field methodically, ending in a FB dive for the score by Mitchell to score the game’s first points. On the ensuing drive, the Trojans got deep into Irish territory, but once again settled for a field goal attempt. Like their first try, USC missed the kick and left another 3 points on the board. The Irish failed to get anything going and were forced to punt it away, but got it back only a few plays later, as Irish DB Bergmeyer leapt in front of a USC deep ball and returned it 40 yards to midfield. The Irish offense again failed to make much progress, and were forced to settle for a field goal that ultimately fell short.
After pinning the Irish offense inside their own 5-yard line on an excellent punt, USC forced a fumble that they scooped up for a quick touchdown to tie the game up at 7-7. Notre Dame regained the lead with back to back scores before the half, first on a 1-yard Montana rush after a USC fumble deep in their own territory, and second on a 13-yard pass from Montana to MacAfee. The Irish added a 2-point conversion after a muffed PAT was converted for a score, and went into halftime up 22-7.
Irish defensive lineman Jay Case scored the first points of the 3rd quarter with a 30 yard scoop and score after Bob Golic blocked a USC punt. Notre Dame piled on with another Montana rushing score and another passing touchdown to MacAfee, extending their lead to 42-7 midway through the 4th.
With the game now well out of hand, both teams traded garbage time scores before the Irish took the game 49-14. It would go down in Notre Dame history as “The Green Jersey Game.”
After the win, the Irish assumed the No. 5 sport in the polls, and marched to the end of their season with 9 straight wins and a final 10-1 record. They earned a spot in the 1978 Cotton Bowl against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell. Like so many times that season, the Irish entered as underdogs but dominated the matchup on both sides. After forcing 5 Longhorns turnovers and rushing for 4 scores, Devine, Montana, and the Irish walked away with a dominant 38-10 win and the 1977 National Title. It was Notre Dame’s 10th Title - the first since 1973, and Devine’s one and only Championship as a coach.
1988: No. 13 Notre Dame - No. 9 Michigan
Third year Head Coach Lou Holtz and the Irish welcomed the Bo Shembeckler led Michigan
Wolverines to South Bend for the 1988 season opener. The heavyweight rivalry matchup earned top billing with an 8:00 PM night game broadcast and a sold out Notre Dame Stadium for the 107th time. The Irish got the ball first, but their drive stalled just on the other side of the 50 forcing them to punt. Michigan had even less luck on their opening series, going 3 & out before a punt of their own, but this one was a bit different. After receiving Michigan’s punt at the Irish 19, Ricky Watters exploded immediately, slicing through the dead middle of Michigan's defense completely untouched. As he emerged from the middle, Watters broke left, and Rocket Ismail provided the final block on Michigan’s punter to keep him in the clear. The 81-yard punt return touchdown shocked the Wolverines and put the Irish up 7-0.
After another stop from the Irish defense, Tony Rice led the offense on a promising drive that
ultimately stalled out around the Michigan 25, but they added another 3 points with a Reggie Ho field goal to put the Irish up 10-0. On the ensuing kickoff, the Wolverines return man fumbled around the 20 yard line following a big hit, and the Irish scooped it up. Despite beginning in the red zone, Notre Dame’s offense sputtered once again, largely due to QB Tony Rice’s passing woes, and they settled for another 3 points from Reggie Ho to go up 13-0.
Michigan returned the following kickoff nearly 60 yards to the Notre Dame 38, sparking some life before halftime. The Wolverines scraped together a slow 38-yard 12-play drive that ended with a goal line pile-up ruled a touchdown, narrowing the score to 13-7. On the next drive, the Irish worked their way into Michigan territory before a freak deflected pass from Tony Rice ricocheted into the hands of the Wolverines for an interception, bringing Rice to 0-7 through the air. The first half ended on a Hail Mary from Tony Rice that fell incomplete as time expired, and the Irish entered the half up 1 score.
After several empty possessions, Ricky Watters, the man responsible for Notre Dame’s only
touchdown of the day, muffed a crucial punt return just as he was hit and gave UM the ball around the Irish 15. The Irish defense fought heroically and held the Wolverine’s to 4th & 1 from the 1-yard line, but Michigan’s QB Michael Taylor punched it in on a bootleg to take their first lead of the game, 14-13, with 4:44 left in the 3rd.
Notre Dame responded with an 11-play drive that ended in Michigan’s redzone, but without a
touchdown. Thankfully, “Mr. Dependable” Reggie Ho knocked in his 3rd FG on the day to put the Irish back up 16-14 with 14:17 left in the 4th. Michigan put together a nearly 10 minute drive that ended with kicker Mike Gillette knocking in a 49-yard field goal to put the Wolverines back up 17-16. The Irish began their final drive at their own 20 with just over 5 minutes left in the game. After a pass interference call pushed the Irish to the 35, Rice rolled left on an option and found daylight, dashing for 21 yards into Michigan territory. He then tossed a huge ball to Brooks who took it inside the Michigan 30 for another first down. On 3rd & 4 from the 19, Tony Rice kept the ball on an option play and dove for the 1st down marker, making it by mere inches to extend the drive. After shedding clock with another three plays, Lou
Holtz and the Irish turned once again to kicker Reggie Ho on 4th & 3. The Irish kicker launched a 26 yarder through the uprights to go 4/4 on the day and retake the lead 19-17.
With just under a minute left, Michigan returned the kickoff to their own 36 and began a march into FG territory. After an 8-play drive, Notre Dame’s defense held strong and forced 4th down around the Irish 35, bringing out Gillette to attempt a game winner. The kick fell short as the clock expired, and the Irish crowd engulfed the field in celebration. It was beginning of what many felt could be a march to a Championship.
1988: No. 4 Notre Dame - No. 1 Miami
Notre Dame won 4 straight games after the Michigan game to become 5-0 and faced down yet another major clash in their path to a perfect season. On October 15th, Jimmy Johnson and the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes arrived in South Bend to face off against the No. 4 Fighting Irish. The reigning National Champions brought their hype and cockiness with them, but instead of intimidating Holtz and his squad, it fueled them. Just before kickoff, simmering tensions boiled over when both teams encountered one another in the tunnel, leading to an all-out brawl that only ended when police intervened.
Miami’s opening drive ended with a fumble, allowing the Irish to strike first on a 12-play 75 yard touchdown drive. The Hurricanes responded quickly with a touchdown of their own, but an 80 yard drive ending with a Tony Rice touchdown pass put the Irish up once again. Only 4 plays later, Irish Safety Pat Terrell snagged a tipped ball and returned it 60 yards for a score, extending the Irish lead to 14. Shockingly, the Hurricanes scored two quick touchdowns in the final minutes of the 2nd quarter to even the score at 21-21 just before the half. Notre Dame’s defense came up big on Miami’s first play of the 3rd quarter, forcing a fumble to give the Irish offense a short field. They capitalized with a rushing touchdown and later added a Reggie Ho field goal to extend their lead to 10 as the 4th quarter began.
A Miami field goal cut Notre Dame’s lead to 7 and a quick defensive stop gave them the ball back about halfway through the 4th. After marching deep into Irish territory, Miami’s drive culminated in a 4th and 7 red zone situation. They initially converted on a pass over the middle but controversially fumbled the ball on Notre Dame’s 1 yard line, just a yard shy of tying the game. That fumble would be Miami’s 7th turnover of the day. Shortly after the momentum swing, Tony Rice was stripped on Notre Dame’s 14, giving the Hurricanes yet another chance to decide the game. This time, Miami would capitalize on the turnover with a 4th down touchdown pass, drawing within a point of Notre Dame.
Instead of kicking the extra point to tie, head coach Jimmy Johnson decided to go for the death blow and try for a 2-point conversion. Once again, Pat Terrell saved the day, knocking down a last ditch toss to the back corner of the end zone, sealing the win for the Irish and snapping Miami’s 36 game regular season win streak. The game became an instant classic, being dubbed “Catholics VS Convicts” and is still considered one of the greatest games in college football history.
The 11-0 Irish earned a shot at the National Title, beating No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl 34-21. This win gave Lou Holtz his first National Championship, the program’s 11th, and its first since 1978. Holtz joined Leahy, Parseghian, and Devine by winning it all in his 3rd season, and was named Coach of the Year by three different presenters. The 1988 team is still considered one of the greatest of all time, going undefeated, beating 10/12 opposing teams by double digits, and taking down the No. 2, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 7 ranked teams at season’s end.
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