I attended this game in 1988. The national championship team. The Fighting Irish during this season, defeated the Big Ten champion Michigan, Miami Fla. defending national champions, Pac. Ten champions USC Trojans and undefeated West Virginia, all in one football season. Having seen many Michigan football teams in the late 70's, 80's and 90's, I believe Bo's 1988 may have been his best team. It was talented on both side of the ball, with great depth.
I was at this game!! Season opener. I always tried to go to every NDvMich game at home, ever since my years as a student in the late 70s. Only missed the 84 game to that point. You could feel in the air that this was going to be a special season. I miss the days when THIS GAME was the true start of every college football season! Thought it was going to be a blowout at the end of the 1Q. Rice was spotty. Watters was such a stud. Rocket also on the team. We had talent galore on this team.
This was my 1st time at Notre Dame Stadium, I still remember every sight and sound as Gillette, the All American kicker, lined up for the 47 yard game winning kick. We had got down on the field under the goal post. From where we where standing I could look up and see the right post stretching up directly above me. When Gillette missed the kick I watched it sailing what look like right down the middle when halfway there it seemed like the invisible hand of God reached down and bumped the ball, because it started hooking left and came down right where I was standing about 2 feet wide! In the camera shot I can make out my uncle, who grabbed me and my 2 cousins in a bear hug. You can see him do it on camera, he’s wearing the white shirt. When we rushed the field my uncle somehow got ahold of Reggie Ho, picked him up a foot off the ground and shook him, I still remember exactly what poor Ho looked like as he realized a fanatic had ahold of him with no help in sight. We where the last people to leave the field...I was 13, greatest night of my life; until about a month later when I went to my 2nd game in South Bend. For Catholic’s vs Convict’s.
That is an incredible story! Thanks for sharing. People that have never been part of special games in Notre Dame stadium do not realize what they are missing. Take care Johnny.
This was my first game at ND stadium as a freshman so my seat was in the north end zone. The final kick by MI was in the opposite end zone and we only knew we had won after the crowd at that end started cheering. I'll never forget that moment.
Back when every year Notre Dame played 3 Big ten, mich/mich st./purdue. 3 Pac 10,usc/ucla/stanford. 3 service academy army/navy/air force games then the likes of Penn st an Miami the remaining games. Just a murderous schedule .
I don't think we played UCLA? I think you got the rest of it right but we also had rice that year, also we didn't play army that year, instead we played Pitt
Thank you so much. It is one of my favorite football games ever. I have been looking for the full game for years- could only find some highlights. I was a Big Chris Zorich fan and to me this game was his first entrance on the scene after his freshman year and he took it to the Sr All Everything Michigan Center Vitale and started his amazing college football career. Thank you again- 28 years coaching high school football and I still remember being 15 and watching this game!
You could really tell it was the first game of the season. A lot of mistakes especially on special teams, the timing wasn't quite there on some routes. But both teams played hard and it was a tension-filled, close affair. A very fun game for this neutral to watch. Thanks for posting it.
My senior year. Just as one of the other guys posted, I couldn’t tell from where I was standing whether it was good or not. Just knew he missed by the crowd reaction. Still remember that clearly. It was a heck of a game!
the same block at the 5:35 mark on waters return would be called a clip in the 91 orange bowl against colorado and i have watched that return over 100 times in my life and everytime i see it, greg davis has his helmet in front of the colorado defender, which is the indentifier for an official to make that call if the head is in front no clip, if behind then it is called....one of the worst calls, ruining one of the best moments and possibly the most epic/important returns in the history of football!!!!still makes me sick to this day
you are correct about the 2 losses, i didn't reflect in the comment that notre dame would have moved to the #1 spot, they were 5th coming into that game(losses to psu by 3 and stanford by 5-game where derek brown dropped a mirer pass right between his hands that would have won the game in the final seconds)...i was just referring to epic because the broadcasters were kind of jinxing it ahead of the punt while hyping it up at the same time, kind of like in bball when the announcer talks about how "the player at the stripe has hit his last 16 or whatever in a row and then promptly misses the next one." it cost ga tech(who had a tie on their record against a 6-4-1 unc team) the title and the 3rd ranked hurricanes(who beat fsu by 9) and 4th ranked fsu(lost to mia and aub) both had 2 regular season losses and with the way voters voted back then, it wouldn't have been surprising if both nd and miami got several or as many 1st place votes as ga tech and nd would have in their favor that they beat the end of the season #1 team on the field and a 9 point win over that same miami team that beat fsu, JUST A HUGE CALL, no matter what...sorry for the long response
@@chrisayres2340it's fine. I have also heard a lot of ND fans say "that ref cost us the natty" (i.e my father who doesn't remember the 2 losses) I thought you were also trying to say that, that's my bad
After he reached the NFL, Leroy Hoard had this to say about himself: "If you need 1 yard, I'll get you 3 yards. And if you need 5 yards, I'll get you 3 yards."
Remember when ND would always have someone on the punt or kickoff return who was a threat to take it all the way? Now the punt returner only calls for a fair catch all of the time because evidently simply catching it is all that matters now.
I remember watching the finish live on TV. I was in the fifth grade. I'm not a fan of either of these schools, but this was an amazing football game and both teams had pretty special seasons that year!
@@rpack9815 But the difference between then and now is that Michigan rallied to win the Big Ten and to win the Rose Bowl against a very good USC team. Just miss how players took pride in their schools and in going after conference championships and Bowl wins
That was a dandy... Ichigan got owned on the line but played great red zone D...that Hawaiian kicker for Notre Dame has a leg like I've never seen for a guy his size
this is what the 2023 nd/osu game should have been, as far as fans on the field after the game and on that final drive, if brown gets that pick thus the 10 man(2 down situation doesn't get a chance to happen), but nd has 2024 and as long as they can be ready to play possibly their toughest game at night on the road in the opener against a newly coached but currently discombobulated but embarrassingly RICH(bags for days) A$M program the return to national prominence is here(yes they will have usc on road to end the season, program that is/will be in similar shape as A$M and also having to contend with those end of the year NOW BIG 10 officials, as when you look at the history of that series, there have been some outright crazy calls that precede even my following of the nd football program but have continued at times throughout my life) but outside those 2, there isn't a game on the schedule other than fsu-middle of the season at home that comes close to matching the on paper talent that nd has!!!
Whatever you think of Miami at the time and everyone had their opinions in the 80's, no college team had a better run from '83-'91 than Miami, they could have won 6 or 7 National titles in that stretch had it not been for Penn State in '86 and ND beating them in the season in '88
not really . 84 -85, & 90 they didn't. USC in the 70's Nebraska in the 90's & Bama 70's too had better runs . The best run was Bama from 2008-2023. Plus Bama played a better schedule
@@WalterWhiteFootballSharing Probably b/c you are both losers who dreamed of going to school there but since you had ZERO chance of being admitted you didn't even bother to apply.
@@WalterWhiteFootballSharing All that plus they used to play 7 pansy teams (Holy Cross, Miami of Ohio, etc) then play Purdue, Michigan State, and USC and claim the be superior. 😬
I attended this game in 1988. The national championship team. The Fighting Irish during this season, defeated the Big Ten champion Michigan, Miami Fla. defending national champions, Pac. Ten champions USC Trojans and undefeated West Virginia, all in one football season. Having seen many Michigan football teams in the late 70's, 80's and 90's, I believe Bo's 1988 may have been his best team. It was talented on both side of the ball, with great depth.
And unfortunately we’ll never experience another Notre Dame National Championship. I was 10 when this spectacular season unfolded.
@danielwade1978yes we will. We will get more eventually
I was at this game!! Season opener. I always tried to go to every NDvMich game at home, ever since my years as a student in the late 70s. Only missed the 84 game to that point. You could feel in the air that this was going to be a special season. I miss the days when THIS GAME was the true start of every college football season! Thought it was going to be a blowout at the end of the 1Q. Rice was spotty.
Watters was such a stud. Rocket also on the team. We had talent galore on this team.
This was my 1st time at Notre Dame Stadium, I still remember every sight and sound as Gillette, the All American kicker, lined up for the 47 yard game winning kick. We had got down on the field under the goal post. From where we where standing I could look up and see the right post stretching up directly above me. When Gillette missed the kick I watched it sailing what look like right down the middle when halfway there it seemed like the invisible hand of God reached down and bumped the ball, because it started hooking left and came down right where I was standing about 2 feet wide! In the camera shot I can make out my uncle, who grabbed me and my 2 cousins in a bear hug. You can see him do it on camera, he’s wearing the white shirt. When we rushed the field my uncle somehow got ahold of Reggie Ho, picked him up a foot off the ground and shook him, I still remember exactly what poor Ho looked like as he realized a fanatic had ahold of him with no help in sight. We where the last people to leave the field...I was 13, greatest night of my life; until about a month later when I went to my 2nd game in South Bend. For Catholic’s vs Convict’s.
Great story and you saw 2 games for the ages GO IRISH
The kick was good.
That is an incredible story! Thanks for sharing. People that have never been part of special games in Notre Dame stadium do not realize what they are missing. Take care Johnny.
I was 22 and I still remember this game it was one of they best that yr to go along with beating Miami what a yr GO IRISH ☘️🏈
Two best fight songs in all of college football! This is coming from a PSU fan!
Dont forget about USC my guy
@@andyraphael the most annoying fight song maybe
@@andyraphael Bwaaaahaaaaa! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yes, but you guys got the coolest helmets,... from a Michigan fan. Yes, I'm a minimalist. I like the plain white with black stripe.
This was my first game at ND stadium as a freshman so my seat was in the north end zone. The final kick by MI was in the opposite end zone and we only knew we had won after the crowd at that end started cheering. I'll never forget that moment.
Back when every year Notre Dame played 3 Big ten, mich/mich st./purdue. 3 Pac 10,usc/ucla/stanford. 3 service academy army/navy/air force games then the likes of Penn st an Miami the remaining games. Just a murderous schedule .
I don't think we played UCLA? I think you got the rest of it right but we also had rice that year, also we didn't play army that year, instead we played Pitt
Thank you so much. It is one of my favorite football games ever. I have been looking for the full game for years- could only find some highlights.
I was a Big Chris Zorich fan and to me this game was his first entrance on the scene after his freshman year and he took it to the Sr All Everything Michigan Center Vitale and started his amazing college football career.
Thank you again- 28 years coaching high school football and I still remember being 15 and watching this game!
Look at those defenses damn especially Notre Dame. They used to play some smash mouth football up north
Man I always loved watching Ricky Watters run, such a graceful motion, just like a deer.
You could really tell it was the first game of the season. A lot of mistakes especially on special teams, the timing wasn't quite there on some routes. But both teams played hard and it was a tension-filled, close affair. A very fun game for this neutral to watch. Thanks for posting it.
What a game that was in 1988! 80s college football was 🔥
Present day ND, Jeremiah Love looks just like Ricky Waters! I love that they wear the same number
My senior year. Just as one of the other guys posted, I couldn’t tell from where I was standing whether it was good or not. Just knew he missed by the crowd reaction. Still remember that clearly. It was a heck of a game!
Awesome game, best year in college football.
I always say 89 was the best but 88 was right there. That's crazy though I literally always say that.
❤1970s/ 1980s college football; r ❤ notre dame fight song
Best Notre dame team in my life
I think 93 was best team ND has had for last 40years. Dominated supposed Team of century FSU & just had let down next week smh
I remember this game. Definitely smash mouth football. Go Irish!!!!!
Wishbone offense : smash mouth football
GO BLUE. HAIL TO THE VICTORS
Ricky Watters torched them.
the same block at the 5:35 mark on waters return would be called a clip in the 91 orange bowl against colorado and i have watched that return over 100 times in my life and everytime i see it, greg davis has his helmet in front of the colorado defender, which is the indentifier for an official to make that call if the head is in front no clip, if behind then it is called....one of the worst calls, ruining one of the best moments and possibly the most epic/important returns in the history of football!!!!still makes me sick to this day
I mean we wouldn't have been champions, we had 2 losses going into that game I thought
you are correct about the 2 losses, i didn't reflect in the comment that notre dame would have moved to the #1 spot, they were 5th coming into that game(losses to psu by 3 and stanford by 5-game where derek brown dropped a mirer pass right between his hands that would have won the game in the final seconds)...i was just referring to epic because the broadcasters were kind of jinxing it ahead of the punt while hyping it up at the same time, kind of like in bball when the announcer talks about how "the player at the stripe has hit his last 16 or whatever in a row and then promptly misses the next one." it cost ga tech(who had a tie on their record against a 6-4-1 unc team) the title and the 3rd ranked hurricanes(who beat fsu by 9) and 4th ranked fsu(lost to mia and aub) both had 2 regular season losses and with the way voters voted back then, it wouldn't have been surprising if both nd and miami got several or as many 1st place votes as ga tech and nd would have in their favor that they beat the end of the season #1 team on the field and a 9 point win over that same miami team that beat fsu, JUST A HUGE CALL, no matter what...sorry for the long response
@@chrisayres2340it's fine. I have also heard a lot of ND fans say "that ref cost us the natty" (i.e my father who doesn't remember the 2 losses)
I thought you were also trying to say that, that's my bad
Best channel ever 👌👌👌
TYVM!! :)
Miss hearing these voices calling those games. Jim Nance, Pat Haden...
That Brent Musburger l
Reggie ho to the rescue
After he reached the NFL, Leroy Hoard had this to say about himself:
"If you need 1 yard, I'll get you 3 yards. And if you need 5 yards, I'll get you 3 yards."
@33:06 Wow, that ref got absolutely _rocked._
From Tim Brown to Ricky Watters to The Rocket returning kicks for the Irish.
What's crazy never used rocket didn't know what they had yet .. wow
That is crazy!
..what’s crazy is seeing Ricky Watters playing WR not running back...
Remember when ND would always have someone on the punt or kickoff return who was a threat to take it all the way? Now the punt returner only calls for a fair catch all of the time because evidently simply catching it is all that matters now.
I remember watching the finish live on TV. I was in the fifth grade. I'm not a fan of either of these schools, but this was an amazing football game and both teams had pretty special seasons that year!
Yes. This loss + Miami loss were very painful. This M team was very talented 4 points from a NC.
@@rpack9815 But the difference between then and now is that Michigan rallied to win the Big Ten and to win the Rose Bowl against a very good USC team. Just miss how players took pride in their schools and in going after conference championships and Bowl wins
That was a dandy...
Ichigan got owned on the line but played great red zone D...that Hawaiian kicker for Notre Dame has a leg like I've never seen for a guy his size
I am an ND fan; I seriously want to know what happened to these types of crowds
as a huge college football fan thanks for the uploads any UF games?
ND had a great defense.
great team...maybe 10 were top 100 recruits.
Michigan blew this game with undisciplined play on both sides of the ball
You love to see it!
What time did this game kickoff?
WOW..... never knew Tony was that bad of a passer until watching this gm!?!?!?
He improved a lot
Reggie Ho FGs
1) 10:11
2) 11:39
3) 25:43
4) 31:59
this is what the 2023 nd/osu game should have been, as far as fans on the field after the game and on that final drive, if brown gets that pick thus the 10 man(2 down situation doesn't get a chance to happen), but nd has 2024 and as long as they can be ready to play possibly their toughest game at night on the road in the opener against a newly coached but currently discombobulated but embarrassingly RICH(bags for days) A$M program the return to national prominence is here(yes they will have usc on road to end the season, program that is/will be in similar shape as A$M and also having to contend with those end of the year NOW BIG 10 officials, as when you look at the history of that series, there have been some outright crazy calls that precede even my following of the nd football program but have continued at times throughout my life) but outside those 2, there isn't a game on the schedule other than fsu-middle of the season at home that comes close to matching the on paper talent that nd has!!!
Rice couldn't hit the broad side of a 4 story barn.
Whatever you think of Miami at the time and everyone had their opinions in the 80's, no college team had a better run from '83-'91 than Miami, they could have won 6 or 7 National titles in that stretch had it not been for Penn State in '86 and ND beating them in the season in '88
not really . 84 -85, & 90 they didn't. USC in the 70's Nebraska in the 90's & Bama 70's too had better runs . The best run was Bama from 2008-2023. Plus Bama played a better schedule
He still Buck do you have wide right l( Miami/FSU 1991 or 92-wide right ll)
I do have them and had been meaning to edit them for the past year and just never got to them. They will be coming soon though.
ST killed In the 1st 2 games killed M in this game & Miami game the following week. May have ultimately cost them a National title.
Yes. the Miami game was worse since they missed 2 chip shot field goals.
remember it well a nail biter
My how the game has changed. Both QBs were horrid. Not a single complete pass beyond the line of until the third quarter.
People talk bout Miami, ND celebrated every play jus like Miami did
The ONLY time I ever root for Notre Lame.
I don't know what it is, that makes so much of us dislike Notre Dame. The holier then thou attitude? Annoying drunk Irish dudes too, cop bars.
@@WalterWhiteFootballSharing Probably b/c you are both losers who dreamed of going to school there but since you had ZERO chance of being admitted you didn't even bother to apply.
My 2 favorite teams are Ohio State and whoever plays Michigan.
Randy Blythe Let me guess you must be from Ohio. That’s cool, O-H-I-O.
@@WalterWhiteFootballSharing All that plus they used to play 7 pansy teams (Holy Cross, Miami of Ohio, etc) then play Purdue, Michigan State, and USC and claim the be superior. 😬