20 Years Ago
On Nov. 26, 1988, for the first time in series history, Notre Dame and USC entered the game undefeated and occupying the top two spots in the nation.
Fighting Irish quarterback Tony Rice rushed 65 yards for a touchdown, while cornerback Stan Smagala intercepted USC quarterback Rodney Peete's pass and returned it for a score to secure a 27-10 victory at the Coliseum.
Those two plays occurred in the first half so there was still an entire half to catch up at a 20-7 deficit. (It was a manageable 13-7 with Rodney Peete driving the team to a possible go-ahead touchdown right before the end of the first half, but his receiver fell down, the ND kid picked it off and had an open field. I sometimes think back on that play and play the "what if" game). SC did have a nice drive early in the second half but it stalled and Troy was forced to kick a field goal to close to 20-10. But ND had a final march and the final score to win going away 27-10.
I recall Larry Smith lamenting how the better team lost (I was embarrassed that a Trojan would resort to those tactics after a loss), but years later I ran into one of the SC linemen who played in that game and he related how the Irish had far superior line play and deserved to win (and become the 1988 National Champion).
But how time changes things. That ND mystique is pretty much yesterday. So much so that I am not going to attend the game, one of the few times I have missed it. It just doesn't get me pumped up like the old days. However, I will go to watch UGLA try to pull off a miracle (lots of luck).
Let's not forget the opening drive where SC runs at ND all the way down the field and then brain fart Smith decides to go for the kill on a pass and misses. Then, with ND backed up to the 1 yd line I tell a buddy " watch , they will throw the bomb. " They did, out of trouble, Smith eats another one. Also, Lispy Holtz suspended a couple of key players before the game, so ND was shorthanded, didn't matter.
Damn! I was at that game. I was 12 years old and we sat in the Notre Dame section. It was a terrible day except for the great burgers I had before the game at Julie's. Oh I miss Julie's.