Semper Victurus
Disce Quasi Semper Victurus Vive Quasi Cras Moriturus"
("Study like you will live forever; live like you will die tomorrow".) Starting in the late 1870's, this rather intimidating phrase was the Scholastic Magazine credo. Ironically, the Scholastic proved to be the vehicle which has allowed the daily experiences of Notre Dame students during the past 150 years to truly "live forever". Scholastics are a virtual gold mine of Notre Dame history, and more importantly, of insight into the daily lives of its students. These first hand reports of campus life, written by student reporters, give a candid and personal view of important (and trivial) events on the Notre Dame campus. Joe Madonia, an '82 alum and partner in the Chicago law firm of Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, will edit a monthly column of excerpts from his rare and wonderful collection of original Scholastic Magazines spanning the period from 1869 - 1931.
Not all "Irish Legends" originated many decades ago.
Indeed, some are currently unfolding before our eyes. It is difficult,
though, for people to put football games, players, coaches or even
seasons, into perspective until many years have passed and the important
context of history comes into sharper focus. Maybe it's just our
instinctual fear of growing old which precludes us from acknowledging
that an event which can be remembered is not automatically disqualified
from consideration as a "tradition" or a "legend" (I still refuse to
accept the fact, for example, that I was present when the current
"tradition" of choreographed arm waving during the 1812 Overture song
was conceived as a method of trying to rip the movable "bleachers on
wheels" away from the wall during basketball games - I believe that the
residents of section 110 always started it, if memory serves me).
Anyway, despite the psychology issues, perhaps it is not too early for
Irish fans to see the "Snow Bowl" game as the classic it really was.
Somehow, the author of the November 1992 Scholastic account of the game
already seemed to appreciate the liklihood that the game would forever
hold a special place in Irish football history:
From the 1992 Scholastic Football Review
Why They Play The Game
Another classic confrontation at Notre Dame Stadium.
by Peg Ward
With the temperatures dropping and the snow falling, the
Day of Reckoning -- November 14, 1992 -- had arrived. "The cold, the
snow, black shoes, plain uniforms and a traditional rival. This is what
football is all about. This is why we play the game," proclaimed Notre
Dame linebacker Demetrius Dubose.
DuBose and the other Fighting Irish football seniors
would be making their final appearances in the House that Rockne Built,
and they were determined to capture a victory that had eluded them the
past two seasons -- a win over Penn State. In their two previous games
against Penn State, the Irish had lost by scores of 35-13 and 24-21.
Coach Lou Holtz, commenting on these two games, said, "We
didn't play well against Penn State in the second half two years ago in
our stadium, and we didn not play well at all last year at Penn State. I
think our players feel the need to redeem themselves for that."
The question still remained: Would Lou Holtz and the
Notre Dame football team send the Nittany Lions back to Happy Valley
with their tails between their legs, or would the Irish once again be
denied a win over Joe Paterno's charges?
The Irish players took to heart Holtz's call for
redemption and beat Penn State 17-16. With the score staying close
throughtout the game, the contest went down to the wire. Notre Dame,
down 16-9 with a little under five minutes left in the game,
orchestrated a drive down the field that was capped off by quarterback
Rick Mirer's 3-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Bettis. This set up a
spectacular two point conversion catch by Reggie Brooks, the senior
running back who truly emerged this season as the "go-to man" for the
Irish. The victory was the most thrilling in recent memory. As the final
gun sounded, the crowd rushed the field, transforming it into a sea of
cheering students and fans, all reveling in an incredible victory.
The game opened with the Irish offense taking the field.
Senior quarterback Rick Mirer and company wasted little time in marching
into Lion territory. The drive was keyed by two receptions by senior
tight end Irv Smith. Mirer hit Smith for a 19-yard pickup, and two plays
later, as the Penn State defense blitzed, the offensive line held strong
and Mirer was able to find Smith along the sideline for a 14-yard gain
that brought the Irish to the Penn State 15-yard line. Then, the Lion
defense buckled down. Faced with fourth down and four yards to go from
the 9-yard line, Holtz opted to call in the kicking unit. Senior
placekicker Craig Hentrich converted the 26-yard field goal attempt and
put the Irish on the scoreboard early, 3-0.
The teams would trade interceptions on the following two
possessions. The Notre Dame defense spoiled Penn State's offensive debut
by playing with a vengeance. With Penn State still on its own 45-yard
line, Irish linemen Karmeleeyah McGill and Bryant Young brought down
Lion quarterback Kerry Collins in the backfield for a 5-yard loss. Two
plays later Notre Dame regained possession of the ball when free safty
John Covington picked off Collins' first pass attempt of the game.
Collins intended receiver was tightend Ryan Grube, but as the ball
arrived, cornerback Tom Carter put a severe hit on the Penn State
player, causing the ball to be deflected in to the hands of Covington.
Notre Dame regained control of the football at its own
49-yard line, but like Penn State, it too would have a difficult time
holding onto the ball. Under heavy pressure on the Lions' 27-yard line,
Mirer missed target Dean Lytle on a throw over the middle, and the pass
was intercepted by Lion saftey Lee Rubin. It was once again Penn State's
turn to show some offensive firepower. This time the Lions took full
advantage of the opportunity. Penn State drove 72 yards down the field
and, despite a strong goal-line defensive effort by the Irish, running
back Richie Anderson leapt up and over the end zone to put Penn State on
top, 6-3.
Both teams lined up for the usually routine extra point,
but Notre Dame free safety Bobby Taylor had other intentions. In what
would become the key defensive play of the game, the freshman phenom
blocked Penn State kicker V.J. Muscillo's point-after attempt. "That's
something I take pride in," said Taylor. "I tipped one earlier this
season against Michigan State. I just went as high as I could.
Fortunately, I timed it right." This outstanding defensive effort wound
up giving the Irish the one point cushion needed for the victory.
Penn State's touchdown come with 1:26 left in the first
quarter, and neither team would put anymore points on the board until
the final ten seconds of the first half. Throughout the remainder of the
first quarter and continuing well into the second, the Irish and Lion
defenses held the opposing offenses in check. The second quarter would
see four consecutive punts and a turnover by each team. Finally, with
4:14 left in the half, Notre Dame regained possession of the ball, and,
led by the rushing tandem of Reggie Brooks and Jerome Bettis, the Irish
ground game came alive.
Collectively referred to by coach Holtz as "Thunder and
Lightning," this dynamic duo blasted through Penn State's defensive
line, forcing the ball down to the Penn State 6-yard line. Bettis
carried the ball 15 times for 89 yards during the game, despite being
sidelined with a sprained ankle for the opening quarter of the game.
Brooks, meanwhile, set a career high of 23 rushing attempts accumulating
88 yards.
Highlighting this drive was freshmen wide receiver
Derrick Mayes' 12-yard reception. Mayes prevented a possible
interception when he wrestled the ball away from Lion linebacker Brian
Gelzheiser on the play. The Irish still could not put the ball in the
end zone, however. Earlier in the quarter Mirer overthrew Smith in the
end zone on a fourth-and-one play from the 5-yard line. This time, Holtz
opted to take the three points. With time running out in the half,
Hentrich put the ball throught the uprights and the score was tied 6-6.
The third quarter, much like the first half, was
dominated by the defenses. Penn State punted three times and Notre Dame
twice, but the Irish did manage to put three points on the board after a
ten-play, 54-yard drive. Starting from the Irish 26-yard line with ten
minutes left in the third quarter, Mirer connected on passes of nine and
30 yards to wideout Lake Dawson. Bettis rushed for 15 yards on the drive
to bring the Irish down to the Penn State 20-yard line. The Irish still
could not convert on third down, however, and were forced to settle for
a field goal. Hentrich converted the 37-yard attempt with 5:27 left in
the third quarter to put the Irish on top once again 9-6. The third
quarter ended with the same score. It seemed as though both teams were
saving up all their fireworks for the final period.
With the competition
stiff and the score tight, the stage was being set for a last-second
victory. Notre Dame had possession of the football at the start of the
final period, but after a failed fake punt attempt, Penn State regained
control at its own 34-yard line. The Nittany Lion drive was impressive,
as five rushes by Richie Anderson totalled 25 yards and receptions of
15, 7 and 5 yards by O.J. McDuffie brought Penn State to the Irish
15-yard line. The defense hung tough, however, and Bryant Young sacked
Collins for an 8-yard loss to push the Lions back to the 23. Penn State
struck back. On third down and eighteen Collins hit Troy Drayton for a
22-yard pickup that carried the Lions down to the 1-yard line. The Irish
defense dug in deep, refusing to let Paterno's team into the end zone.
Led by Demetrius DuBose and Devon McDonald, Notre Dame stood firm at the
goal line and forced a Penn State field goal. Muscillo converted the
22-yard attempt to even the score at 9-9 with eight minutes left in the
game.
On the ensuing possession, Notre Dame started from its own 32-yard
line. Bettis broke through the Penn State defense for six yards but on
the very next play was taken down in the backfield for a 3-yard loss. On
third-and-seven, Mirer threw over the middle to Irv Smith. Smith pulled
the ball in, but as he struggled to pick up the first down, he collided
with two Penn State players and fumbled the ball. With Gelzheiser
recovering the fumble, the Lions offensive unit took over and began a
march down the field that seemed to spell defeat for the Irish.
Lions
running back Richie Anderson ran right for four yards, and then found
nine yards of daylight down the middle to bring the Lions to the Notre
Dame's 31. Following a run by Brian O'Neal picking his way through the
Irish defense, carrying the ball 13 yards into the end zone. The score,
after the extra point by Muscillo, was 16-9. It seemed as if the Irish
were starting to be haunted by the ghosts of past losses that had come
at the hands of Penn State.
Notre Dame football teams and fans alike,
however, have not been ones to give up hope so easily. At the pep rally
the night before the game, Irish leprechaun Dan Wagner assumed the
personality of a Jimmy Swaggart-like preacher, asking the crowd, "Do you
believe? I said, DO YOU BELIEVE?" Well, the true test of faith was at
hand as the Irish offense took the field. Notre Dame with pride and
confidence on its side, would not disappoint its believers.
The winning
drive was truly one of championship proportions. With 4:25 remaining and
Notre Dame trailing 16-9, the only realistic hope that the Irish had was
to put the ball in the end zone and then go for the two point
conversion. The march down the field started with a few steps backwards,
though. On the first play, linebacker Rich McKenzie sacked Mirer for a
6-yard loss. Mirer followed it up with a stunning 21-yard completion to
Bettis and 15-yard scramble to the Penn State 33-yard line. Ray Griggs
then hauled in a 17-yard reception. From there on in the rushing game
took control. This was Notre Dame football at it's best. With time
running down, Brooks and Mirer alternately carried the ball, pushing the
Irish to the 4-yard line. Finally, with fourth-and-goal to go and 25
seconds remaining, Holtz called a time out. It was do or die. The two
teams met at the line of scrimmage and the ball was snapped. Mirer
dropped back, looked and threw over the middle to a wide open Bettis in
the end zone. With twenty seconds remaining, the touchdown brought Notre
Dame to with one, 16-15.
There was never any doubt that
the Irish would go for the two point conversion. The only question was
who was going to get the call to put the ball in the end zone. The pass
went to Brooks, but if you talked to Lou Holtz before the game, you
would not have thought that the Irish would throw to him in this
situation. Said Holtz. "You wouldn't believe this, but Reggie Brooks has
bad hands. He wouldn't be the first guy I would want to throw to."
The
play actually called for Mirer to throw to one of three players who were
lined up wide on the left. Everyone was covered, however, and as Mirer
rolled right he saw that Brooks, the "fourth option" on the play, was
open in the end zone. Mirer released the ball and Brooks pulled the ball
into his grasp with all the grace and assuredness of a Pro Bowl
receiver. The Irish went ahead 17-16 and with four seconds left, the
spectacular catch guaranteed an Irish win.
What was Brooks reaction to the
winning play? "Well, I made the catch. I had no doubt in my mind that I
was the guy to catch it. I thank the Lord that I got open on the play.
Rick just checked off on his other receivers and spotted me in the
clear."
The victory not only ended another Notre Dame football season at
home, but also ended a long standing rivalry between the two teams,
evening the overall record at 8-8-1. Penn State joins the Big Ten
conference next season and will no longer play Notre Dame. The win
served as the storybook ending to the home season and rivalry between
the Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions, between Lou Holtz and Joe
Paterno, between the Gold and Blue and the White and Blue. It will
surely go down in the long book of Notre Dame football lore as one of
the great games for Fighting Irish football fans to remember.
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