The Irish are 13-4, with the most recent the 43-40 overtime loss at home to Northwestern in 2014.
Bronze Medal, 1941: No. 5 Notre Dame remains unbeaten at 7-0-1 under first-year head coach Frank Leahy with a 7-6 win at Northwestern, which features Otto Graham at quarterback. Graham would go on to win 10 NFL championships.
Silver Medal, 1997: Believe it or not, this is the only game in Fighting Irish history in which they had neither a turnover nor a penalty.
A 4-5 Notre Dame team stuns No. 11-ranked LSU (which had earlier upset No. 1 Florida) with a 24-6 win in Death Valley. It quickly jumps to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, and the stands are about 75 percent empty — with no pandemic — by the fourth quarter with a 24-0 cushion.
Gold Medal, 1980: Two-time reigning national champ and No. 5 Alabama hosts No. 6 Notre Dame, with the winner expected to receive a berth to play No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Furthermore, there is tremendous motivation to win for Crimson Tide head coach Bear Bryant, who is 0-3 against the Irish.
In a slugfest supreme, the lone score of the game comes after Notre Dame recovers an Alabama fumble four yards from its own end zone, resulting in a two-yard touchdown dive by Phil Carter in the first half in a 7-0 victory. All-American Scott Zettek sets the tone on the first play when he records a tackle for loss (see video). The win elevates the Irish to No. 2, and Bryant laments afterward that he felt like “I wasted an afternoon.”
Bronze Medal, 1941: No. 5 Notre Dame remains unbeaten at 7-0-1 under first-year head coach Frank Leahy with a 7-6 win at Northwestern, which features Otto Graham at quarterback. Graham would go on to win 10 NFL championships.
Silver Medal, 1997: Believe it or not, this is the only game in Fighting Irish history in which they had neither a turnover nor a penalty.
A 4-5 Notre Dame team stuns No. 11-ranked LSU (which had earlier upset No. 1 Florida) with a 24-6 win in Death Valley. It quickly jumps to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, and the stands are about 75 percent empty — with no pandemic — by the fourth quarter with a 24-0 cushion.
Gold Medal, 1980: Two-time reigning national champ and No. 5 Alabama hosts No. 6 Notre Dame, with the winner expected to receive a berth to play No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Furthermore, there is tremendous motivation to win for Crimson Tide head coach Bear Bryant, who is 0-3 against the Irish.
In a slugfest supreme, the lone score of the game comes after Notre Dame recovers an Alabama fumble four yards from its own end zone, resulting in a two-yard touchdown dive by Phil Carter in the first half in a 7-0 victory. All-American Scott Zettek sets the tone on the first play when he records a tackle for loss (see video). The win elevates the Irish to No. 2, and Bryant laments afterward that he felt like “I wasted an afternoon.”
