On Jan. 9, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions meet up in the Orange Bowl for a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup. Each school will be competing for the sixth time in the annual classic, with the Irish managing just a 2-3 record, compared to the Nittany Lions’ 4-1 record. In Notre Dame’s five previous trips in the annual classic, the Irish have predictably had some highs and lows along the way.
Below is a look at each of those past five clashes:
1973: Nebraska 40, Notre Dame 6
The 8-2 Irish were facing the 8-2-1 Cornhuskers, who had won the previous two national titles and had Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers in their lineup. Add to that the game being the final one of Cornhuskers coach Bob Devaney’s legendary coaching career and it was all Nebraska.
The defeat was worst loss in Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian’s equally legendary career and was a showcase for Rodgers, who scored four touchdowns and threw for another.
Nebraska held a 20-0 halftime lead, then doubled that margin by the end of the third quarter. Notre Dame finally scored after a driv of nearly eight minutes ended with a Pete Demmerle five-yard catch from Tom Clements.
1975: Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11
One year after the two schools met for the national title, they met in a game that marked the final game in Parseghian’s 11 seasons as Irish head coach. Notre Dame entered the game with a 9-2 record, the first loss coming in a shocking home upset to Purdue. The second was the devastating 55-24 loss at Southern Cal in which Notre Dame jumped out to a 24-0 lead only to see the Trojans score all their points in a 17-minute span.
Parseghian’s pending departure fueled the Irish, who entered their game against the Crimson Tide as an 11-point underdog. Alabama still had hopes of a national title but a fumbled punt return midway through the first quarter was quickly turned into the first of Notre Dame’s two touchdowns.
Two Irish missed field goals followed, but the latter miss was negated thanks to a key offside that led to another touchdown, though the extra point was blocked. The Tide got within two with 3:13 left in the game and got the ball back at their 38. However, Reggie Barnett’s interception clinched the Notre Dame victory.
1990:Notre Dame 21, Colorado 6
Notre Dame was the defending national champion, but their opponent was in the one in position to win the title with a victory. The Irish entered this game with an 11-1 record and were a slim favorite over the undefeated Buffaloes’ and their spotless 11-0 record. For the Irish to emerge as champions, they needed to defeat Colorado and were hoping that Miami, who defeated them five weeks earlier, lost in the Sugar Bowl.
A scoreless first half heightened the tension of the contest, with Colorado failing to capitalize on three scoring opportunities during the first half. Notre Dame finally broke through on its first series after the break when Anthony Johnson and Rocket Ismail each found the end zone to give the Irish a 14-0 lead.
After Colorado whittled six points off its deficit near the end of the third period, the two teams largely spent the final quarter in a defensive struggle. Johnson’s clinching touchdown came with 1:32 left at the end of a lengthy 17-play drive. Ismail was named the game’s MVP, gaining 108 yards on the ground with an injured shoulder.
1991: Colorado 10, Notre Dame 9 – The Phantom Clip
One year later, Colorado was once again on the verge of at least a share of a national championship and managed to accomplish that task with a 10-9 win over the Irish. That victory was nearly snatched away in the final minute when Ismail scored on a 91-yard return, but a phantom clipping call negated the dramatic play.
Before then, the Buffaloes took a 3-0 lead, but the Irish managed to grab the lead before halftime on a Rickey Watters scoring run. Unfortunately, the extra point was blocked and would end up being the difference in the game. The Irish extended the lead to 9-3 on a third-quarter field goal but a Watters fumble led to the Colorado touchdown that would ultimately give them the game and a share of the national title with Georgia Tech.
1996: Florida State 31, Notre Dame 26
Heartbreak for the Irish came as they watched a 26-14 lead with under 12 minutes fall apart. Both teams entered the game with 9-2 records, with this being the last Orange Bowl held at the eponymous facility.
The Irish seemingly took control of the game after Seminoles quarterback Danny Kanell inadvertently stepped out of the end zone for a safety. Then, Notre Dame quarterback Tom Krug, playing in place of an injured Ron Powlus, found Pete Chrypiewicz on a five-yard scoring toss. Two scores in less than six minutes later by the Seminoles, combined with Krug getting flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, gave Florida State the game.
Note: the 2012 BCS National Championship game was played on the site of the Orange Bowl, but was technically not an “Orange Bowl”. It was just the “BCS National Championship Game”.
