Notre Dame is 2-0-1 on this date:
Bronze Medal, 1948: The Irish complete their third straight unbeaten season — but it comes with a tie at USC (14-14). Leon Hart scored the first touchdown on a superb catch and run (see video at 5:13 mark), but the Irish fall behind late before an 85-yard kickoff return by Bill Gay sets up Emil Sitko's TD with 35 seconds left, with Steve Oracko kicking the extra point. Notre Dame extends its unbeaten streak to 28 games with this 9-0-1 finish, but does not win a third straight national title, finishing No. 2.
Silver Medal, 1954: Twenty-six year-old Terry Brennan concludes his first season as head coach 9-1 with an eight-game winning streak and No. 4 finish after a 26-14 win versus SMU. Joe Heap scores twice for the Irish, the second on an 89-yard run.
Gold Medal, 1926: The first-ever meeting with USC has a capacity audience of 74,378 in the Coliseum, and comes the week after 8-1 Notre Dame was stunned at Carnegie Tech when head coach Knute Rockne opted to do public relations work at Chicago instead. The Irish rally late when Rockne inserts backup QB Art Parisien, a lefty, who leads the game winning drive and tosses a 22-yard touchdown to John Niemiec with two minutes remaining.
Bronze Medal, 1948: The Irish complete their third straight unbeaten season — but it comes with a tie at USC (14-14). Leon Hart scored the first touchdown on a superb catch and run (see video at 5:13 mark), but the Irish fall behind late before an 85-yard kickoff return by Bill Gay sets up Emil Sitko's TD with 35 seconds left, with Steve Oracko kicking the extra point. Notre Dame extends its unbeaten streak to 28 games with this 9-0-1 finish, but does not win a third straight national title, finishing No. 2.
Silver Medal, 1954: Twenty-six year-old Terry Brennan concludes his first season as head coach 9-1 with an eight-game winning streak and No. 4 finish after a 26-14 win versus SMU. Joe Heap scores twice for the Irish, the second on an 89-yard run.
Gold Medal, 1926: The first-ever meeting with USC has a capacity audience of 74,378 in the Coliseum, and comes the week after 8-1 Notre Dame was stunned at Carnegie Tech when head coach Knute Rockne opted to do public relations work at Chicago instead. The Irish rally late when Rockne inserts backup QB Art Parisien, a lefty, who leads the game winning drive and tosses a 22-yard touchdown to John Niemiec with two minutes remaining.
