# 1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Lou Holtz and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Virginia | No. 2 | Giants StadiumEast Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic) | Raycom, WGN | W 36–13 | 77,323 |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Michigan | No. 1 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | W 24–19 | 105,912 |
| September 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 1 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | CBS | W 21–13 | 59,075 |
| September 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at Purdue | No. 1 | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN (rivalry) | ABC | W 40–7 | 67,861 |
| October 7 | 4:00 p.m. | at Stanford | No. 1 | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (rivalry) | | W 27–17 | 86,019 |
| October 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 17 Air Force | No. 1 | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO (rivalry) | ESPN | W 41–27 | 53,533 |
| October 21 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 9 USC | No. 1 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | CBS | W 28–24 | 59,075 |
| October 28 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 7 Pittsburgh | No. 1 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | ESPN | W 45–7 | 59,075 |
| November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Navy | No. 1 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | SportsChannel | W 41–0 | 59,075 |
| November 11 | 12:00 p.m. | SMU | No. 1 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | SportsChannel | W 59–6 | 59,075 |
| November 18 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Penn State | No. 1 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | CBS | W 34–23 | 86,025 |
| November 25 | 6:30 p.m. | at No. 7 Miami (FL) | No. 1 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (rivalry) | CBS | L 10–27 | 81,634 |
| January 1, 1990 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Colorado | No. 4 | Miami Orange BowlMiami, FL (Orange Bowl) | NBC | W 21–6 | 81,191 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Games summaries
### vs Virginia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Notre Dame | 19 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 36 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game attendance: 77,323
* TV announcers (Raycom Sports): Phil Stone and Dave Rowe
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 10:46. Notre Dame 7–0.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:38. Notre Dame 13–0.
ND – Rodney Culver 2-yard run (run failed), 1:28. Notre Dame 19–0.
Second quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:47. Notre Dame 26–0.
ND – Tony Rice 3-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:11. Notre Dame 33–0.
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
UVA – Derek Dooley 6-yard pass from Shawn Moore (Jake McInerney kick), 12:41. Notre Dame 33–7.
UVA – Bruce McGonnigal 2-yard pass from Shawn Moore. Notre Dame 33–13.
ND – Craig Hentrich 32-yard field goal, 1:46. Notre Dame 36–13.
Top passers
UVA – Shawn Moore – 10/22, 85 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
ND – Tony Rice – 7/11, 147 yards
Top rushers
UVA – Marcus Wilson – 15 rushes, 80 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 12 rushes, 80 yards, TD
Top receivers
UVA – Herman Moore – 2 receptions, 30 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 5 recptions, 121 yards :
Largest crowd for college football game at Giants Stadium

### At Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| Michigan | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 19 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Rain
* Game attendance: 105,912
* TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Bob Griese
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard pass from Tony Rice (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:05. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 24 yards.
MICH – Chris Calloway 9-yard pass from Michael Taylor (kick failed), 0:25. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 50 yards.
Third quarter
ND – Raghib Ismail 89-yard kickoff return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:49. Notre Dame 14–6.
ND – Craig Hentrich 30-yard field goal, 4:28. Notre Dame 17–6.
Fourth quarter
MICH – Derrick Walker 5-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (pass failed), 12:58. Notre Dame 17–12. Drive: 12 plays.
ND – Raghib Ismail 92-yard kickoff return (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:46. Notre Dame 24–13.
MICH – Greg McMurtry 4-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (J.D. Carlson kick), 4:08. Notre Dame 24–19. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 1/2, 6 yards, TD
MICH – Elvis Grbac – 17/21, 134 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
ND – Anthony Johnson – 20 rushes, 80 yards
MICH – Leroy Hoard – 15 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
ND – Anthony Johnson – 1 reception, 6 yards, TD
MICH – Greg McMurtry – 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD :

### Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan St | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Notre Dame | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game attendance: 59,075
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 6:16.
Second quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 53-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:10. Notre Dame 14–0.
MSU – John Langeloh 36-yard field goal, 2:54. Notre Dame 14–3.
MSU – John Langeloh 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Notre Dame 14–6.
Third quarter
MSU – James Bradley 30-yard pass from Dan Enos (John Langeloh kick), 6:36. Notre Dame 14–13.
Fourth quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:16. Notre Dame 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards.
Top passers
MSU – Dan Enos – 18/28, 200 yards, TD
ND – Tony Rice – 8/15, 90 yards
Top rushers
MSU – Hyland Hickson – 26 rushes, 84 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 16 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
MSU – Courtney Hawkins – 6 receptions, 83 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 27 yards :

### At Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 14 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 40 |
| Purdue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game attendance: 67,861
* TV: ABC
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:38. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 55 yards.
ND – Tony Rice 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:04. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 57 yards.
Second quarter
ND – Jeff Alm 16-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:44. Notre Dame 21–0.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:35. Notre Dame 28–0.
ND – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:14. Notre Dame 34–0.
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
ND – Craig Hentrich 19-yard field goal, 9:47. Notre Dame 37–0.
ND – Craig Hentrich 22-yard field goal, 6:18. Notre Dame 40–0.
PUR – Rodney Dennis 3-yard pass from Steve Letnich (Larry Sullivan kick), 0:33. Notre Dame 40–7.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 12/15, 270 yards
PUR – Steve Letnich – 11/28, 89 yards, INT
Top rushers
ND – Tony Rice – 12 rushes, 67 yards, TD
PUR – Steve Letnich – 13 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
ND – Derek Brown – 4 receptions, 101 yards
PUR – Earl Coleman – 2 receptions, 32 yards :

### At Stanford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Stanford | 6 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 17 |
at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
* Date: October 7
* Game attendance: 86,019
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
STAN – John Hopkins 34-yard field goal, 5:14. Stanford 3–0. Drive: 14 plays.
STAN – John Hopkins 42-yard field goal, 2:40. Stanford 6–0.
Second quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:24. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards.
ND – Rodney Culver 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:15. Notre Dame 14–6. Drive: 9 plays.
Third quarter
STAN – Ed McCaffrey 2-yard pass from Smith (run good), Tie 14–14. Drive: 79 yards.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:28. Notre Dame 21–14.
Fourth quarter
ND – Craig Hentrich 20-yard field goal, 12:42. Notre Dame 24–14.
STAN – John Hopkins 27-yard field goal, 8:14. Notre Dame 24–17. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards.
ND – Craig Hentrich 18-yard field goal, 1:27. Notre Dame 27–17.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 7/17, 102 yards
STAN – Steve Smith – 39/68, 282 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TD
STAN – Tommy Vardell – 9 rushes, 22 yards
Top receivers
ND – Raghib Ismail – 3 receptions, 67 yards
STAN – Jim Price – 14 receptions, 98 yards :

### At Air Force

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 14 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 41 |
| Air Force | 0 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado
* Date: October 14, 1989
* Game attendance: 53,533
* TV announcers (ESPN): Ron Franklin and Kevin Kiley
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:41. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 80 yards.
ND – Ricky Watters 5-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:51. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards.
Second quarter
ND – Raghib Ismail 56-yard punt return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:42. Notre Dame 21–0.
AFA – Greg Johnson 61-yard pass from Dee Dowis (Joe Wood kick), 13:36. Notre Dame 21–7.
ND – Anthony Johnson 27-yard pass from Tony Rice (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:46. Notre Dame 28–7.
AFA – Steve Senn 26-yard pass from Dee Dowis (Joe Wood kick). Notre Dame 28–14.
ND – Raghib Ismail 24-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:30. Notre Dame 35–14.
Third quarter
ND – Craig Hentrich 20-yard field goal, 8:24. Notre Dame 38–14.
Fourth quarter
ND – Craig Hentrich 38-yard field goal, 12:42. Notre Dame 41–14.
AFA – Steven Wilson 23-yard run (run failed), 9:35. Notre Dame 41–20.
AFA – Rodney Lewis 1-yard run (Joe Wood kick), 3:22. Notre Dame 41–27.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 9/13, 123 yards, TD
AFA – Dee Dowis – 15/24, 306 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
ND – Ricky Watters – 11 rushes, 96 yards, TD
AFA – Rodney Lewis – 13 rushes, 58 yards, TD
Top receivers
ND – Raghib Ismail – 3 receptions, 25 yards
AFA – Steve Senn – 6 receptions, 101 yards, TD :
* Raghib Ismail 180 all-purpose yards

### USC

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: October 21, 1989
* Game attendance: 59,075
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
USC – Larry Wallace 12-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 12:47. USC 7–0.
ND – Tony Rice 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:10. Tie 7–7.
USC – John Jackson 15-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 7:47. USC 14–7.
Second quarter
USC – Quin Rodriguez 25-yard field goal, 10:22. USC 17–7.
Third quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:17. USC 17–14. Drive: 8 plays.
Fourth quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 13:51. Notre Dame 21–17. Drive: 80 yards.
USC – Gary Wellman 16-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 9:01. USC 24–21. Drive: 4 plays.
ND – Tony Rice 15-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:18. Notre Dame 28–24. Drive: 80 yards.
Top passers
USC – Todd Marinovich – 33/55, 333 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
ND – Tony Rice – 5/16, 91 yards
Top rushers
USC – Ricky Ervins – 12 rushes, 64 yards
ND – Tony Rice – 18 rushes, 99 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
USC – John Jackson – 14 receptions, 200 yards, TD
ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 62 yards :
* Pregame fight in tunnel

### Pittsburgh

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pittsburgh | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Notre Dame | 2 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 45 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: October 28, 1989
* Game time: 5:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 59,075
* TV: ESPN
* Recap/Box
Game information :
First quarter
PITT – Ronald Redmon 8-yard pass from Alex Van Pelt (Ed Frazier kick), 9:32. Pittsburgh 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards.
ND – Safety, Alex Van Pelt downed in end zone, 6:07. Pittsburgh 7–2.
Second quarter
ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (run good), 13:22. Notre Dame 10–7. Drive: 36 yards.
ND – Pat Terrell 54-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:05. Notre Dame 17–7.
Third quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:15. Notre Dame 24–7.
ND – Raghib Ismail 50-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:53. Notre Dame 31–7.
ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 0:49. Notre Dame 38–7.
Fourth quarter
ND – Steve Belles 13-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 4:12. Notre Dame 45–7.
Top passers
PITT – Alex Van Pelt – 16/33, 170 yards
ND – Tony Rice – 1/7, 29 yards
Top rushers
PITT – Curvin Richards – 15 rushes, 47 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 18 rushes, 74 yards, TD
Top receivers
PITT – Lionel Sykes – 6 receptions, 65 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 1 reception, 29 yards :

### Navy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Navy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 14 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: November 4, 1989
* Game attendance: 59,075
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ND – Tony Rice 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:49. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 64 yards.
ND – Rodney Culver 11-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:18. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 64 yards.
Second quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 48-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:36. Notre Dame 21–0.
ND – Billy Hackett 27-yard field goal, 0:16. Notre Dame 24–0. Drive: 14 plays, 50 yards.
Third quarter
ND – Billy Hackett 39-yard field goal, 11:58. Notre Dame 27–0.
Fourth quarter
ND – Dorsey Levens 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:38. Notre Dame 34–0.
ND – Ted McNamara 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:40. Notre Dame 41–0.
Top passers
NAVY – Alton Grizzard – 8/14, 94 yards
ND – Rick Mirer – 8/12, 64 yards
Top rushers
NAVY – Rodney Purifoy – 11 rushes, 50 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 9 rushes, 134 yards, TD
Top receivers
NAVY – Shane Smith – 3 receptions, 50 yards
ND – Adrian Jarrell – 3 receptins, 28 yards :

### SMU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| SMU | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Notre Dame | 7 | 35 | 10 | 7 | 59 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: November 11, 1989
* Game attendance: 59,075
* Recap/Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
ND – Ricky Watters 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards.
Second quarter
ND – Pete Graham 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:22. Notre Dame 14–0.
SMU – Andy Bergfeld 5-yard pass from Mike Romo (kick blocked), 11:37. Notre Dame 14–6. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards.
ND – Andre Jones blocked extra point return, 11:37. Notre Dame 16–6.
ND – Billy Hackett 34-yard field goal, 8:16. Notre Dame 19–6.
ND – Ricky Watters 97-yard punt return (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:04. Notre Dame 26–6.
ND – Anthony Johnson 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:02. Notre Dame 33–6. Drive: 64 yards.
ND – Safety, Casey Clyce steps out of end zone, 3:00. Notre Dame 35–6.
ND – Walter Boyd 14-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:15. Notre Dame 42–6. Drive: 75 yards.
Third quarter
ND – Rusty Setzer 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 10:51. Notre Dame 49–6.
ND – Billy Hackett 32-yard field goal, 5:45. Notre Dame 52–6.
Fourth quarter
ND – Rod West 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:22. Notre Dame 59–6.
Top passers
SMU – Mike Romo – 28/54, 194 yards
ND – Tony Rice – 5/8, 83 yards
Top rushers
SMU – Kevin Love – 4 rushes, 5 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 7 rushes, 69 yards, TD
Top receivers
SMU – Jason Wolf – 9 receptions, 63 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 4 receptions, 65 yards :

### At Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| Penn St | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 18, 1989
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game attendance: 86,025
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden
* Recap/Box
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Blair Thomas 2-yard run (Ray Tarasi kick), 8:04. Penn St 7–0. Drive: 79 yards.
ND – Tony Rice 5-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:19. Tie 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards.
Second quarter
PSU – Ray Tarasi 38-yard field goal, 13:46. Penn St 10–7.
ND – Ricky Watters 12-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:35. Notre Dame 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:27. Notre Dame 21–10.
Third quarter
ND – Tony Rice 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:42. Notre Dame 28–10. Drive: 6 plays.
PSU – Blair Thomas 3-yard run (Ray Tarasi kick), 4:49. Notre Dame 28–17. Drive: 79 yards.
Fourth quarter
ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 13:33. Notre Dame 31–17.
ND – Billy Hackett 19-yard field goal, 6:53. Notre Dame 34–17.
PSU – Terry Smith 5-yard pass from Tom Bill (run failed), 4:31. Notre Dame 34–23.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 5/10, 47 yards, INT
PSU – Tom Bill – 6/14, 56 yards, TD
Top rushers
ND – Tony Rice – 26 rushes, 141 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Blair Thomas – 26 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 27 yards
PSU – O.J. McDuffie – 2 receptions, 37 yards :
Notre Dame's first win in school history at Beaver Stadium

### At Miami (FL)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Miami (FL) | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: November 25, 1989
* Game weather: Overcast, 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 81,634
* Referee: Jimmy Harper
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Pat Haden, and John Dockery
* Recap/Box
Game information :
'First quarter
UM – Carlos Huerta 35-yard field goal, 9:41. Miami (FL) 3–0.
UM – Dale Dawkins 55-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:04. Miami (FL) 10–0. Drive: 4 plays.
Second quarter
ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 8:23. Miami (FL) 10–3.
ND – Ned Bolcar 49-yard interception return (Billy Hackett kick), 2:08. Tie 10–10.
UM – Stephen McGuire 5-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:24. Miami (FL) 17–10. Drive: 3 plays.
Third quarter
UM – Dale Dawkins 5-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 4:13. Miami (FL) 24–10. Drive: 22 plays, 80 yards, 10:47.
Fourth quarter
UM – Carlos Huerta 32-yard field goal, 1:44. Miami (FL) 27–10.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 7/15, 106 yards, 2 INT
UM – Craig Erickson – 16/26, 210 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
ND – Tony Rice – 20 rushes, 50 yards
UM – Stephen McGuire – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD
Top receivers
ND – Derek Brown – 2 receptions, 19 yards
UM – Dale Dawkins – 4 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD :

### Orange Bowl (vs Colorado)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Colorado | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: January 1, 1990
* Game attendance: 81,190
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
* Recap/Box
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:48. Notre Dame 7–0.
ND – Raghib Ismail 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:19. Notre Dame 14–0.
CU – Darian Hagan 39-yard run (kick failed), 0:01. Notre Dame 14–6.
Fourth quarter
ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:32. Notre Dame 21–6.
Top passers
ND – Tony Rice – 5/9, 99 yards
CU – Darian Hagan – 4/13, 65 yards
Top rushers
ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD
CU – Eric Bieniemy – 11 rushes, 66 yards
Top receivers
ND – Pat Eilers – 2 receptions, 47 yards
CU – Eric Kissick – 2 receptions, 33 yards :

## Awards and honors

* Tony Rice, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
* Tony Rice finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
* Raghib Ismail finished in a tie for tenth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

## Team players drafted into the NFL

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Anthony Johnson | Running Back | 2 | 36 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Tim Grunhard | Tackle | 2 | 40 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Jeff Alm | Defensive Tackle | 2 | 41 | Houston Oilers |
| Pat Terrell | Defensive Back | 2 | 49 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Mike Brennan | Tackle | 4 | 91 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Stan Smagala | Defensive Back | 5 | 123 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Ned Bolcar | Linebacker | 6 | 146 | Seattle Seahawks |
| D’Juan Francisco | Defensive Back | 10 | 262 | Washington Redskins |
| Dean Brown | Guard | 12 | 316 | Indianapolis Colts |