1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team - wikipedia 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Consensus national champion Fiesta Bowl champion Fiesta Bowl, W 34 -- 21 vs. West Virginia Conference Independent Ranking Coaches No. 1 AP No. 1 1988 record 12 -- 0 Head coach Lou Holtz ( 3rd season ) Offensive coordinator Jim Strong ( 1st season ) Offensive scheme Option Defensive coordinator Barry Alvarez ( 1st season ) Base defense 5 -- 2 Captain Ned Bolcar Captain Andy Heck Captain Mark Green Home stadium Notre Dame Stadium ( c. 59,075, grass ) Seasons ← 1987 1989 → 1988 Division I-A independents football records Conf Overall Team No. 1 Notre Dame -- -- 12 -- 0 -- 0 No. 2 Miami ( FL ) -- -- 11 -- -- 0 No. 3 Florida State -- -- 11 -- -- 0 No. 5 West Virginia -- -- 11 -- -- 0 Southern Miss -- -- 10 -- -- 0 No. 13 Syracuse -- -- 10 -- -- 0 Army -- -- 9 -- -- 0 Louisville -- -- 8 -- -- 0 South Carolina -- -- 8 -- -- 0 Northern Illinois -- -- 7 -- -- 0 Pittsburgh -- -- 6 -- 5 -- 0 Memphis State -- -- 6 -- 5 -- 0 Southwest Louisiana -- -- 6 -- 5 -- 0 Rutgers -- -- 5 -- 6 -- 0 Akron -- -- 5 -- 6 -- 0 Penn State -- -- 5 -- 6 -- 0 Tulane -- -- 5 -- 6 -- 0 Louisiana Tech -- -- -- 7 -- 0 Temple -- -- -- 7 -- 0 Tulsa -- -- -- 7 -- 0 Boston College -- -- -- 8 -- 0 Cincinnati -- -- -- 8 -- 0 East Carolina -- -- -- 8 -- 0 Navy -- -- -- 8 -- 0 Virginia Tech -- -- -- 8 -- 0 Rankings from AP Poll 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 a 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. The Irish beat the teams which finished the season ranked # 2, # 4, # 5, and # 7 in the AP Poll. They also won 10 of 12 games by double digits. The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31 - 30 upset of No. 1 ranked Miami, ending their 36 - game regular season winning streak. The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football. Contents 1 Schedule 2 Roster 3 Rankings 4 Game summaries 4.1 Michigan 4.2 Michigan State 4.3 Purdue 4.4 Stanford 4.5 Pittsburgh 4.6 Miami 4.7 Air Force 4.8 Navy 4.9 Rice 4.10 Penn State 4.11 USC 4.12 Fiesta Bowl 5 Aftermath 5.1 Awards and honors 5.2 Future NFL Players 6 References Schedule Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 10 9 : 00 p.m. No. 9 Michigan No. 13 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN ( rivalry ) CBS W 19 -- 17 59,075 September 17 12 : 00 p.m. at Michigan State No. 8 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI ( Megaphone Trophy ) ABC W 20 -- 3 77,472 September 24 12 : 00 p.m. Purdue No. 8 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN ( Shillelagh Trophy ) W 52 -- 7 59,075 October 1 7 : 00 p.m. Stanford No. 5 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN ( rivalry ) ESPN W 42 -- 14 59,075 October 8 4 : 00 p.m. at Pittsburgh No. 5 Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA ( rivalry ) ESPN W 30 -- 20 56,500 October 15 2 : 30 p.m. No. 1 Miami ( FL ) No. 4 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN ( Catholics vs. Convicts ) CBS W 31 -- 30 59,075 October 22 12 : 00 p.m. Air Force No. 2 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN W 41 -- 13 59,075 October 29 12 : 00 p.m. vs. Navy No. 2 Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD ( rivalry ) W 22 -- 7 54,929 November 5 12 : 00 p.m. Rice No. 1 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN WGN - TV W 54 -- 11 59,075 November 19 12 : 00 p.m. Penn St. No. 1 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN CBS W 21 -- 3 59,075 November 26 3 : 30 p.m. at No. 2 USC No. 1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles ( Jeweled Shillelagh ) ABC W 27 -- 10 93,829 January 2, 1989 4 : 30 p.m. vs. No. 3 West Virginia No. 1 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ ( Fiesta Bowl ) NBC W 34 -- 21 74,911 Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Roster 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster Players Coaches Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 80 Steve Alaniz 72 Joe Allen RB 39 Braxston Banks QB 8 Steve Belles 64 Mike Brennan RB 40 Tony Brooks So 71 Dean Brown TE 86 Derek Brown RB 5 Rodney Culver Fr WR 13 Pat Eilers 61 Tom Gorman QB 17 Kent Graham QB 11 Pete Graham RB 24 Mark Green 75 Tim Grunhard 73 Justin Hall 66 Andy Heck Sr 55 Mike Heldt RB 41 Joe Jarosz WR 25 Raghib Ismail TE 88 Frank Jacobs RB 22 Anthony Johnson 76 Gene McGuire Fr RB 35 Ryan Mihalko QB 9 Tony Rice Jr WR 21 Aaron Robb RB 32 Mike Gatti 52 Tim Ryan 53 Winston Sandri WR 21 Rod Smith WR 12 Ricky Watters TE 43 Rod West Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 97 Arnold Ale DT 90 Jeff Alm Jr LB 47 Ned Bolcar Jr DT 93 Bob Dahl SS 26 Greg Davis DE 92 Bryan Flannery CB 32 D'Juan Francisco LB 36 Donn Grimm DE 38 Darrell Gordon DE 7 Andre Jones DT 74 Mirko Jurkovic LB 37 Scott Kowalkowski CB Todd Lyght So LB 34 Wes Pritchett CB 29 Stan Smagala FS 31 Corny Southall DE 30 Frank Stams LB 42 Mike Stonebreaker SS 27 George Streeter FS 15 Pat Terrell DT 69 George Williams DT 50 Chris Zorich So Special teams Pos. # Name Class 18 Billy Hackett Reggie Ho 16 Jim Sexton 14 Peter Hartweger Head coach Lou Holtz Coordinators / assistant coaches Legend ( C ) Team captain ( S ) Suspended ( I ) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Rankings Further information : 1988 NCAA Division I-A football rankings Ranking movements Legend : █ █ Increase in ranking. █ █ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes. Week Poll Pre 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final AP 13 ( 1 ) 13 13 8 8 5 5 2 ( 22 ) 2 ( 19 ) 1 ( 44 ) 1 ( 42 ) 1 ( 40 ) 1 ( 35 ) 1 ( 57 ) 1 ( 49 ) 1 ( 58 1⁄2 ) Coaches 12 12 11 9 8 5 5 2 ( 10 ) 2 ( 8 ) 1 ( 30 ) 1 ( 32 ) 1 ( 31 ) 1 ( 29 ) 1 ( 42 ) 1 ( 42 ) 1 ( 42 ) Game summaries Michigan # 9 Michigan at # 13 Notre Dame Total Michigan 0 7 7 17 Notre Dame 10 0 6 19 Date : September 10 Location : Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN Game start : 9 : 00 PM EDT Television network : CBS show Scoring summary ND Watters 81 - yard punt return ( Ho kick ) ND 7 - 0 ND Ho 31 - yard field goal ND 10 - 0 ND Ho 38 - yard field goal ND 13 - 0 MICH Hoard 1 - yard run ( Gillette kick ) ND 13 - 7 MICH Taylor 1 - yard run ( Gillette kick ) MICH 14 - 13 ND Ho 26 - yard field goal ND 16 - 14 MICH Gillette 49 - yard field goal MICH 17 - 16 1 : 13 ND Ho 26 - yard field goal ND 19 - 17 13th ranked Notre Dame debuted its season against No. 9 Michigan in Notre Dame Stadium. In a 19 - 17 thriller, walk - on kicker Reggie Ho kicked a 26 - yard field goal winner with 1 : 13 remaining. Lou Holtz 's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown. In addition to Reggie Ho 's game winner, the Irish kicker scored 3 other field goals. The lone touchdown from Notre Dame came from a Ricky Watters punt return, an 81 - yard runback. 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. Michigan State Total Notre Dame 0 6 7 7 20 Michigan St 0 0 0 Date : September 17 Location : Spartan Stadium show Scoring summary Q1 MSU Langeloh 39 yard field goal MSU 3 -- 0 Q2 ND Ho 31 yard field goal Tie 3 -- 3 Q2 ND Ho 22 yard field goal ND 6 -- 3 Q3 ND Rice 8 yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 13 -- 3 Q4 ND Stonebreaker 39 yard interception return ( Ho kick ) ND 20 -- 3 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. Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries. 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. 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. 156 yards came on 19 carries in the third quarter alone. 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. The star of the game was Notre Dame 's defense, which held the Spartans to 89 yards rushing for the game. Running back Mark Green led the Irish rushing attack with 125 yards on the ground. Purdue Purdue at # 8 Notre Dame Total Purdue 0 0 0 7 7 Notre Dame 14 28 7 52 Date : September 25 Location : South Bend, IN Source : ( 1 ) show Scoring summary ND Rice 38 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 7 - 0 ND Brown 8 - yard pass from Rice ( Ho kick ) ND 14 - 0 ND Ismail 54 - yard pass from Rice ( Ho kick ) ND 21 - 0 ND Green 7 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 28 - 0 ND Watters 66 - yard punt return ( Ho kick ) ND 35 - 0 ND Brooks 34 - yard pass from Belles ( Ho kick ) ND 42 - 0 ND Hackett 44 - yard field goal ND 45 - 0 ND Culver 36 - yard run ( Hackett kick ) ND 52 - 0 PUR C. Williams 10 - yard pass from Fox ( Sullivan kick ) ND 52 - 7 Tony Rice passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Notre Dame shredded Purdue 52 - 7. It was one of the worst losses by Purdue in the history of the series, and its worst loss since a 48 - 0 drubbing in 1970. Notre Dame scored early and often, starting with a 38 - yard Rice option run for a touchdown. Tony Rice 's first passing touchdown on the year was an 8 - yarder to freshman tight end Derek Brown. The Irish exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, highlighted by a 54 - yard Rice touchdown pass to Rocket Ismail. Tailback Mark Green added a 7 - yard touchdown run and Ricky Watters returned a punt 66 yards for a score. Coach Lou Holtz used three separate quarterbacks in the second quarter and four total in the game. 3rd - string quarterback Steve Belles hit running back Tony Brooks for a 34 - yard score to put the Irish up 42 - 0 at half - time. The second half saw the Irish score ten points with back - ups, a 44 - yard field goal by Billy Hackett and a 36 - yard run from freshman fullback Rodney Culver. Purdue 's lone touchdown was a fourth quarter 7 - yard pass from Brian Fox to Calvin Williams. The Irish improved to 3 - 0 while the Boilermakers dropped to 1 - 2 on the year. Stanford Total Stanford 0 7 7 0 14 # 5 Notre Dame 6 22 7 7 42 Tony Rice rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a third to lead the Fighting Irish to a 42 - 14 blowout of Stanford. Rice completed 11 of 14 passes for 129 yards and rushed for 107 yards. Rice scored runs of 30 yards and 6 yards while the Irish tailbacks added 3 other scores with touchdowns from Mark Green, Tony Brooks, and Anthony Johnson. Despite the lopsided score, Stanford did mount two of the longest scoring drives against the Irish to date, with a 68 - yard drive by quarterback Brian Johnson and a 73 - yard drive by back - up quarterback Jason Palumbis. Freshman standout tight end Derek Brown added the Irish 's sole passing touchdown in the 3rd quarter. The Irish defense stymied the Cardinal, holding them to just 111 yards in the first half. Pittsburgh Total # 5 Notre Dame 14 6 7 30 Pittsburgh 7 7 20 Notre Dame, a loser to Pittsburgh three years in a row, narrowly avoided another such upset as the Irish improved to 5 - 0 on the season. The 30 - 20 victory in the rain did little to inspire confidence that Notre Dame could beat No. 1 Miami the following week. The Panthers made a number of critical mistakes that led the Panthers to believe they did more to lose the game more than Notre Dame did to win it. `` We could have won the game, '' said Panther coach Mike Gottfried, `` but we made just enough mistakes to lose it. '' Notre Dame struggled to contain Panther quarterback Darnell Dickerson, who at times had 10 seconds or more per play. The Panthers came out strong early, starting the game with an impressive drive, but before the Panthers could score, Irish cornerback Todd Lyght forced a fumble, which Chris Zorich recovered. After a stalled Irish drive, the Panthers got the ball back and took a 7 - 0 lead on a Dickerson touchdown. Notre Dame answered back with a 52 - yard Tony Brooks run to the 2 - yard line. The large run was the result of a failed Panther blitz attempt. Tony Rice scored on a 2 - yard keeper to tie the game 7 - 7. After an Anthony Johnson touchdown gave the Irish a 14 - 7 lead, Dickerson scored his second touchdown to tie the game again at 14 - 14. Reggie Ho scored a 37 - yard field goal to give the Irish a 17 - 14 half time lead. The critical moment of the game came in the second half, when late into the fourth quarter the Irish were clinging to a 23 - 20 lead when the Panthers forced the Irish into a 4th and long from their own 23 - yard line. But a late 12 men on the field penalty against the Panthers gave the Irish new life. The 15 - yard penalty gave Notre Dame the ball on its 48 - yard line, and 11 plays later Mark Green ran for an 8 - yard touchdown with 4 : 30 left in the game to put victory out of reach for the Panthers. Tony Rice went 8 - 14 passing for the game and a third quarter Braxston Banks touchdown gave the Irish the lead for good. Miami # 1 Miami ( FL ) at # 4 Notre Dame Total Miami 0 21 0 9 30 Notre Dame 7 14 10 0 31 Date : October 15 Location : Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana Game start : 2 : 30 PM EDT Game attendance : 59,075 TV announcers ( CBS Sports ) : Brent Musburger, Pat Haden, and John Dockery Source : show Scoring summary 3 : 36 ND Rice 7 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 7 - 0 12 : 40 Miami A. Brown 8 - yard pass from Walsh ( Huerta kick ) Tied 7 - 7 7 : 34 ND B. Banks 8 - yard pass from Rice ( Ho kick ) ND 14 - 7 ND Pat Terrell 60 - yard interception return ( Ho kick ) ND 21 - 7 2 : 16 Miami Conley 23 - yard pass from Walsh ( Huerta kick ) ND 21 - 14 0 : 21 Miami C. Gary 15 - yard pass from Walsh ( Huerta kick ) Tied 21 - 21 8 : 09 ND P. Eilers 3 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 28 - 21 0 : 37 ND Ho 27 - yard field goal ND 31 - 21 13 : 07 Miami Huerta 23 - yard field goal ND 31 - 24 0 : 45 Miami A. Brown 11 - yard pass from Walsh ( pass failed ) ND 31 - 30 Main article : Catholics vs. Convicts The October 15, 1988, game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami Hurricanes is colloquially referred to as the Catholics vs. Convicts game. The University of Notre Dame was dubbed the `` Catholics '' and the University of Miami was dubbed as `` the Convicts ''. Air Force Total Air Force 6 7 0 0 13 # 2 Notre Dame 6 14 14 7 41 A potential letdown after defeating No. 1 Miami the previous week never materialized for the now 2nd ranked Irish, who used a second half onslaught of power running to down the Falcons 41 - 13. Coach Holtz admitted he was scared all week of a potential upset of his young Notre Dame squad. Of main concern was Air Force 's wishbone ground attack, which came into Notre Dame Stadium averaging 46 points and 432 rushing yards a game. Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry 's squad had the best ground gaining offense in the nation. Holtz 's fears seemed to be valid during the rain in the first half as Notre Dame only held a 7 - point lead at the half. Air Force opened the game with an impressive ground attack. Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis took his team inside the Irish 20 on the game 's first offensive drive. But Pat Terrell, the defensive hero of last week 's victory over Miami, stepped into the spotlight again, this time with Stan Smagala. Albert Booker, an Air Force halfback, was carrying the ball on second down when Smagala hit him hard. The ball popped free and Terrell recovered the fumble at the Notre Dame 16. After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out. But Notre Dame matched that by going 71 yards to score on Mark Green 's 7 - yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, The Irish continued to run the ball, with quarterback Tony Rice and running back Anthony Johnson both running for touchdowns. Air Force answered before the end of the half with a touchdown to cut Notre Dame 's lead to just seven points. The third quarter was all Irish, as five Irish running backs combined for 283 yards, all running for 23 yards or more. One of the highlights was a 50 - yard halfback pass late in the third quarter thrown by 3rd - string quarterback Steve Belles. In at running back, Belles took a pitch from Tony Rice, stepped back to his right and threw to a wide open Ricky Watters. The flanker took the ball inside the Air Force 10 and battled his way just over the goal line late in the third quarter. Other scores included a Tony Brooks 42 - yard touchdown in the third quarter and another Ricky Watters touchdown catch ; this time a 28 - yarder from Rice. In the end, the Irish defense held the explosive Falcons to 54 yards rushing in the second half and 195 for the game, 237 yards below its season average. Navy Total # 2Notre Dame 7 9 6 0 22 Navy 0 0 7 0 7 Although unbeaten and No. 2 Notre Dame posted its 25th consecutive victory of the Naval Academy, coach Lou Holtz was not happy. `` We could n't control the line of scrimmage, '' Holtz said after the victory. `` We could n't throw consistently, we were n't mentally alert and that 's my fault. Our offensive line got beat up, we could n't run inside. We were n't good enough to beat them inside. We 're not a very good team right now. We feel fortunate to win. '' Favored to beat Navy by five touchdowns, the Irish dropped five passes, lost two fumbles, shanked a punt for a mere 10 yds., and got whistled for having twelve men on the field - all before winning the game 22 - 7. The Midshipmen fumbled on their second play from scrimmage and six plays later Notre Dame led 7 - 0 on a 10 - yard touchdown pass from Rice to Derek Brown, before a crowd of 54,926 at Memorial Stadium. Rodney Culver and Ryan Mihalko ran for touchdowns as Notre Dame opened up a 22 - 0 lead early in the third quarter en route to reaching an 8 - 0 record for the first time since 1973. One positive Lou Holtz saw was the play of the defense. `` Our defense played really well, but was on the field too long. '' Notre Dame amassed 396 total yards and held Navy to 192 yards, the lowest for an Irish opponent this year. Rice Total Rice 0 5 11 # 1 Notre Dame 14 17 7 16 54 The Irish scored early and often as Notre Dame dazzled their home crowd of 59,075 with a 54 - 11 victory. After Rice scored an early field goal in the first quarter, Rocket Ismail returned his first of two kickoffs, a 78 - yard return for a score. The Irish offense quickly followed with three touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions. Junior fullback Anthony Johnson rushed for two of Notre Dame 's seven TDs, while Tony Brooks and Rodney Culver also added touchdowns. Late in the game, after Rice 's third field goal made the score 38 - 9, Rocket Ismail returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for another touchdown. Ismail became the first Notre Dame player to return two kick - offs for touchdowns in a game since Paul Castner in 1922 against Kalamazoo. After Notre Dame 's final touchdown, Rice LB Billy Stone returned the blocked extra-point all the way for two points to account for the final score of 54 - 11. This was the first time a team scored by returning a failed conversion in NCAA Div I history ( the rule allowing for the defense to score this way instituted at the start of the 1988 - 89 season ). Penn State Total # 1 Notre Dame 7 7 7 0 21 Penn State 0 0 0 The Irish came into the game at 9 - 0 while Penn State was 5 - 5, on the verge of their first losing season in 50 years. Notre Dame got started early, scoring on their first possession, an 87 - yard on 12 play drive. On second - and - 5 from Penn State 's 48 - yard line, Tony Rice threw a 17 - yard pass to Ricky Watters, who was wide open 15 yards downfield. Five plays later, Notre Dame scored from Penn State 's two. Rice optioned left, froze the Penn State linebacker Eddie Johnson with a pump - fake, then ran into the end zone. Reggie Ho 's extra point made it 7 - 0. In the second quarter, Notre Dame drove 60 yards in five plays to go ahead, 14 - 0. Rice set up the score with another pass to Watters - a 27 - yard play that moved the ball to Penn State 's 33 - yard line. Two plays later, running back Mark Green took a handoff up the middle, then found daylight to his right and ran 22 yards for a touchdown. Penn State 's only score came on the last play of the first half, when Eric Etze kicked a 52 - yard field goal. After leading by 14 - 3 at halftime, Notre Dame struck quickly for its final score in the third quarter. On first down after a Penn State punt, Tony Rice threw a 67 - yard touchdown pass to Raghib Ismail. It was the first time the Fighting Irish had thrown deep all game, and the long pass caught Penn State defensive backs off guard. Ismail was so wide open, he scored even though he had to wait for Rice 's underthrown pass. After making the catch at Penn State 's 20 - yard line, Ismail broke Eddie Johnson 's attempted tackle and jogged into the end zone. The win set the stage for the next week 's showdown vs. USC, the final hurdle to the national championship game. USC # 1 Notre Dame at # 2 USC Total Notre Dame 14 6 0 7 27 USC 0 7 0 10 Date : November 26 Location : Los Angeles Game start : 12 : 30 PST Game attendance : 93,829 Referee : Bill Richardson TV announcers ( ABC Sports ) : Keith Jackson, Bob Griese, and Mike Adamle Source : ( 2 ) show Scoring summary 10 : 08 ND Rice 65 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 7 - 0 ND Green 2 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 14 - 0 2 : 24 USC Lockwood 1 - yard run ( Rodriguez kick ) ND 14 - 7 0 : 41 ND Smagala 64 - yard interception return ( kick failed ) ND 20 - 7 USC Rodriguez 36 - yard field goal ND 20 - 10 11 : 55 ND Green 1 - yard run ( Ho kick ) ND 27 - 10 Notre Dame and USC entered the game undefeated and ranked number one and two respectively for the first time ever in their storied series. It was also the 24th time No. 1 faced No. 2 in college football history. In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10 - 0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, whom he suspended for disciplinary reasons. The USC Trojans were having a great season under head coach Larry Smith and standout quarterback Rodney Peete. The Irish came into the game as underdogs, but spectacular play of defensive end Frank Stams and cornerback Stan Smagala aided the Irish offense, led by Tony Rice, to an Irish victory. Notre Dame started out fast with Tony Rice surprising the crowd by throwing deep to Raghib Ismail on the first play of scrimmage. On the very next play, Tony Rice optioned left for a 65 - yard touchdown play. The Trojans were listless, committing four turnovers, including a back - breaking Rodney Peete interception to Stan Smagala for another Notre Dame touchdown. In the second half, running back Mark Green added the final touchdown of the day ( aided by a key 22 - yard gain on a 3rd down screen play by Anthony Johnson ) to help defeat the Trojans. The sellout crowd of 93,829 was the largest in this rivalry since 1955. Fiesta Bowl Main article : 1989 Fiesta Bowl Total # 3 West Virginia 0 6 7 8 21 # 1 Notre Dame 9 14 8 34 Aftermath The 1988 Irish squad won their 11th consensus national title in Lou Holtz 's third year as an Irish head coach, equaling the trend of Irish coaches winning the title in their third year. Irish head coaches Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine also won titles in their third years as head coach. Holtz was named national coach of the year for taking the Irish squad from an 8 - 4 record the previous year to national title winners the following year. His 1989 and 1993 squads narrowly missed repeating the feat. As of 2016, the 1988 Irish squad is also the most recent to win the national title. This title drought looms large as Notre Dame is currently in its 26th year going without winning a title, the longest such streak since they won their first in 1924. Awards and honors All - Americans Name AP UPI NEA FC SN FW FN WCF CW Frank Stams, DE Andy Heck, OT † Michael Stonebreaker, LB Chris Zorich, DT Wes Pritchett, LB Ricky Watters, FL † denotes consensus selection Source : Paul `` Bear '' Bryant Award Coach of the Year Lou Holtz Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Lou Holtz College Football Hall of Fame inductees Name Position Year Inducted Lou Holtz Coach 2008 Chris Zorich Defensive Tackle 2007 Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted. Future nfl players The following is a list of Notre Dame players that would go on to play or be drafted to play in the National Football League over the next four years. All players listed played for the 1988 team. Name Year Team Round Pick Jeff Alm 1990 Houston Oilers 41 Ned Bolcar 1990 Seattle Seahawks 6 146 Mike Brennan 1990 Cincinnati Bengals 91 Tony Brooks 1992 Philadelphia Eagles 92 Dean Brown 1990 Indianapolis Colts 12 316 Derek Brown 1992 New York Giants 14 Rodney Culver 1992 Indianapolis Colts 85 Bob Dahl 1991 Cincinnati Bengals 72 D'Juan Francisco 1990 Washington Redskins 10 262 Mark Green 1989 Chicago Bears 5 130 Tim Grunhard 1990 Kansas City Chiefs 40 Andy Heck 1989 Seattle Seahawks 15 Mike Heldt 1991 San Diego Chargers 10 257 Raghib Ismail 1991 Los Angeles Raiders 100 Anthony Johnson 1990 Indianapolis Colts 36 Andre Jones 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 185 Mirko Jurkovic 1992 Chicago Bears 9 246 Scott Kowalkowski 1991 Philadelphia Eagles 8 216 Todd Lyght 1991 Los Angeles Rams 5 Gene McGuire 1992 New Orleans Saints 95 Wes Pritchett 1989 Miami Dolphins 6 147 Rod Smith 1992 New England Patriots 35 Frank Stams 1989 Los Angeles Rams 45 Mike Stonebreaker 1991 Chicago Bears Pat Terrell 1990 Los Angeles Rams 49 Ricky Watters 1991 San Francisco 49ers 45 George Williams 1992 Cleveland Browns 6 163 Chris Zorich 1991 Chicago Bears 49 Pat Eilers 1990 Minnesota Vikings Stan Smagala 1990 Dallas Cowboys George Streeter 1989 Chicago Bears Source : References ^ Jump up to : McAllister, Mike ( 2005 - 01 - 05 ). `` Top 10 Perfect Seasons ''. si.com. 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Jump up ^ `` 25 years of college football 's memorable games ''. USA Today. 2007 - 12 - 01. Retrieved 2009 - 10 - 10. ^ Jump up to : White Jr., Gordon S. ( 1988 - 10 - 23 ). `` COLLEGE FOOTBALL ; Unbeaten Notre Dame Posts 7th Victory ''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 11. ^ Jump up to : Associated Press ( 1988 - 10 - 30 ). `` Notre Dame ( 8 - 0 ) Gets by Navy, 22 - 7 ''. New York Times. p. S4. ^ Jump up to : Reed, J.D. ( 1988 - 11 - 21 ). `` A New Crusade at Notre Dame ''. time.com. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( 1988 - 10 - 30 ). `` Notre Dame Rolls On, Stomps on Navy ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ Associated Press ( 1988 - 11 - 06 ). `` Notre Dame 54, Rice 11 ''. New York Times. p. S6. ^ Jump up to : Brown, Clifton ( 1988 - 11 - 20 ). `` 10 - 0 Irish Send Penn State to 5 - 6 ''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 10. ^ Jump up to : `` 2006 USC Media Guide : USC Football History '' ( PDF ). usctrojans.cstv.com. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 2008 - 04 - 25. Jump up ^ Anderson, Dave ( 1988 - 11 - 27 ). `` SPORTS OF THE TIMES ; Lou Holtz of Notre Dame Raps the Gavel Again ''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 10. Jump up ^ `` 2007 Notre Dame Media Guide : 2007 Supplement ( page 165 ) ''. und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2008 - 04 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Paul `` Bear '' Bryant College Football Coaching Awards '' ( PDF ). The American Heart Association. Retrieved 2007 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award ''. Football Writers Association of America. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 20. Jump up ^ `` College Football Hall of Famers ''. collegefootball.org. Retrieved 2008 - 04 - 22. Jump up ^ `` The Football Database ''. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 21. 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football -- consensus national champions Jeff Alm Steve Belles Ned Bolcar Tony Brooks Derek Brown Rodney Culver Bob Dahl Pat Eilers Pat Fallon Bryan Flannery Kent Graham Mark Green Donn Grimm Tim Grunhard Andy Heck Reginald Ho Raghib Ismail Anthony Johnson Mirko Jurkovic Scott Kowalkowski Todd Lyght Tony Rice Stan Smagala Rod Smith Frank Stams Pat Terrell Ricky Watters Chris Zorich Head coach : Lou Holtz Assistant coaches : Barry Alvarez Vinny Cerrato Pete Cordelli Chuck Heater Joe Moore John Palermo Jim Strong Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Venues Cartier Field ( 1889 -- 1928 ) Soldier Field ( 1929 ) Notre Dame Stadium ( 1930 -- present ) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Emerald Isle Classic Army Boston College : Holy War Michigan Michigan State Navy Northwestern Pittsburgh Purdue Stanford USC Culture & lore All - time series results History Band of the Fighting Irish Irish Guard Notre Dame Box Notre Dame Leprechaun `` Notre Dame, Our Mother '' `` Notre Dame Victory March '' Play Like a Champion Today Subway Alumni T formation Tall Grass Game 1946 `` Game of the Century '' 1966 `` Game of the Century '' Catholics vs. Convicts 1993 `` Game of the Century '' Bush Push Navy ends the drought Knute Rockne, All American Notre Dame Football on NBC Rudy People Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Four Horsemen NFL draftees Statistical leaders Seasons 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 2017 2018 National championship seasons in bold College football national champions ( poll era ) 1936 -- 1949 1936 : Minnesota ( AP, DS ) / Pittsburgh ( HS ) 1937 : Pittsburgh ( AP, DS, HS ) / California 1938 : TCU ( AP ) / Tennessee ( HS ) / Notre Dame ( DS ) 1939 : Texas A&M ( AP, HS ) / USC ( DS ) 1940 : Minnesota ( AP, DS, HS ) / Stanford 1941 : Minnesota ( AP ) / Alabama ( HS ) 1942 : Ohio State ( AP ) / Georgia ( HS ) 1943 : Notre Dame 1944 : Army ( AP, HS ) / Ohio State 1945 : Army ( AP, HS ) / Oklahoma A&M ( AFCA ) 1946 : Notre Dame ( AP ) / Army ( HS ) 1947 : Notre Dame ( AP ) / Michigan HS ) 1948 : Michigan 1949 : Notre Dame 1950s 1950 : Oklahoma 1951 : Tennessee ( AP, Coaches ) / Michigan State / Maryland 1952 : Michigan State ( AP, Coaches ) / Georgia Tech ( INS ) 1953 : Maryland ( AP, Coaches, INS ) / Notre Dame ( BS ) 1954 : Ohio State ( AP, INS ) / UCLA ( FWAA, Coaches ) 1955 : Oklahoma 1956 : Oklahoma 1957 : Auburn ( AP ) / Ohio State ( Coaches, FWAA, INS ) 1958 : LSU ( AP, Coaches ) / Iowa ( FWAA ) 1959 : Syracuse 1960s 1960 : Minnesota ( AP, Coaches, NFF ) / Ole Miss ( FWAA ) 1961 : Alabama ( AP, Coaches, NFF ) / Ohio State ( FWAA ) 1962 : USC 1963 : Texas 1964 : Alabama ( AP, Coaches ) / Arkansas ( FWAA ) / Notre Dame ( NFF ) 1965 : Alabama ( AP, FWAA ) / Michigan State ( Coaches, FWAA, NFF ) 1966 : Notre Dame ( AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF ) / Michigan State ( NFF ) 1967 : USC 1968 : Ohio State 1969 : Texas 1970s 1970 : Nebraska ( AP, FWAA ) / Texas ( NFF, Coaches ) / Ohio State ( NFF ) 1971 : Nebraska 1972 : USC 1973 : Notre Dame ( AP, FWAA, NFF ) / Alabama ( Coaches ) 1974 : Oklahoma ( AP ) / USC ( FWAA, NFF, Coaches ) 1975 : Oklahoma 1976 : Pittsburgh 1977 : Notre Dame 1978 : Alabama ( AP, FWAA, NFF ) / USC ( Coaches ) 1979 : Alabama 1980 -- 1991 1980 : Georgia 1981 : Clemson 1982 : Penn State 1983 : Miami ( FL ) 1984 : BYU 1985 : Oklahoma 1986 : Penn State 1987 : Miami ( FL ) 1988 : Notre Dame 1989 : Miami ( FL ) 1990 : Colorado ( AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT / CNN ) / Georgia Tech ( Coaches ) 1991 : Miami ( FL ) ( AP ) / Washington ( Coaches, FWAA, UPI / NFF ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1988_Notre_Dame_Fighting_Irish_football_team&oldid=860299006 '' Categories : 1988 NCAA Division I-A independents football season Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons College football national champions Fiesta Bowl champion seasons College football undefeated seasons 1988 in sports in Indiana Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from September 2016 NCAA team season with no sport parameter Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 19 September 2018, at 18 : 22 ( UTC ). 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Question: who did notre dame beat in 1988 national championship
Answer: West Virginia Mountaineers