# 1987 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1987 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tony Rice became the starting quarterback for Notre Dame following an injury to Terry Andrysiak. The Irish would finish the season 8–4 and earn a berth to the Cotton Bowl Classic.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 9 Michigan | No. 16 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | W 26–7 | 106,098 |
| September 19 | 7:45 p.m. | No. 17 Michigan State | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | ESPN | W 31–8 | 59,075 |
| September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at Purdue | No. 8 | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN (rivalry) | | W 44–20 | 68,528 |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | No. 4 | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA (rivalry) | ESPN | L 22–30 | 56,400 |
| October 17 | 3:30 p.m. | at Air Force | No. 11 | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO (rivalry) | | W 35–14 | 51,112 |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | USC | No. 10 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | CBS | W 26–15 | 59,075 |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Navy | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | | W 56–13 | 59,075 |
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Boston College | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Holy War) | | W 32–25 | 59,075 |
| November 14 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 10 Alabama | No. 7 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | CBS | W 37–6 | 59,075 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at Penn State | No. 7 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | CBS | L 20–21 | 84,000 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Miami (FL) | No. 10 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (rivalry) | CBS | L 0–24 | 76,640 |
| January 1, 1988 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. No. 13 Texas A&M | No. 12 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | CBS | L 10–35 | 73,006 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Notre Dame | 10 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 26 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Terry Andrysiak completed 11 of 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown while Notre Dame converted four of Michigan's seven turnovers into scores.

### Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan St | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| • Notre Dame | 19 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 31 |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Notre Dame | 10 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 44 |
| Purdue | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 20 |

### Air Force

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Notre Dame | 14 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Air Force | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |

### USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| • Notre Dame | 3 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 26 |

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Navy | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| • Notre Dame | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |

### Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boston College | 7 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 25 |
| • Notre Dame | 6 | 0 | 12 | 14 | 32 |
* ND: Mark Green 152 Rush Yds
* ND: Tim Brown 294 all-purpose Yds

### Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Alabama | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • Notre Dame | 3 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 37 |

### Cotton Bowl
## Personnel
## Team players drafted into the NFL

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Tim Brown | Wide Receiver | 1 | 6 | Los Angeles Raiders |
| Tom Redehr | Tackle | 3 | 69 | New England Patriots |
| Chuck Lanza | Center | 3 | 70 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Cedric Figaro | Linebacker | 6 | 152 | San Diego Chargers |
| Brandy Wells | Defensive Back | 9 | 226 | Cincinnati Bengals |