In 1993 the integrity of the Notre Dame football program was still strong. Led by Lou Holtz — who brought the school its 11th National Championship in only his third season in South Bend (1988) — the team tore through the regular season in 93. In the second game on their schedule the Irish edged a very good 5th ranked Michigan Wolverine squad (at the Big House) 27-23.
The next week they returned home and blasted Michigan State in South Bend 36-14. Cruising through the rest of the season, led by option quarterback Kevin McDougal, star running back Lee Becton, and future Packer wideout Derrick Mayes, the Irish also easily disposed of their historic rival, the USC Trojans (8-5), 31-13 in front of a raucous, sellout crowd at Notre Dame Stadium. Everyone who followed the sport could see that the momentum of the season was building towards a showdown between the two undefeated powerhouse teams, Holtz's Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles.
The game itself was epic, with the atmosphere of a Vegas prize-fight. FSU entered the game ranked #1 facing a Fighting Irish team ranked directly below at #2. And, as previously stated, both schools held unbeaten records. Notre Dame was a gritty team, running a basic, smash mouth, I-formation style triple-option offense and a bruising style of defense while the Florida State offensive attack was a high-octane machine led by future New York Knicks point guard and 1993 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward and future NFL star Warrick Dunn. Despite their differences stylistically, both teams were unquestionably highly dangerous on the field in all facets of the game.
The Irish played beyond their natural ability level that afternoon, leading the majority of the game and fending off a last minute charge by Ward and his Seminoles to win the game 31-24 when the final gun fired. Notre Dame had beaten the #1 team in the nation and found themselves poised in an incredibly advantageous position to make a run at a National Championship.
Notre Dame was obviously elevated to #1 after the win but Florida State was oddly only dropped down to #2. A highly anticipated rematch in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship seemed inevitable. The Irish had only to get through one season ending contest — essentially a tune up game — against a Boston College squad that had, up to that point, never once beaten the Irish.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame the events of the next week did not stick to the intended script. The Irish horribly underestimated their opponent and with only 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter Notre Dame found themselves down 38-17. While in the previous week the Irish mystique had been strong with the team, swirling throughout the hallowed grounds of Notre Dame stadium during the dramatic underdog victory over FSU, now suddenly things were disturbingly different. But the Irish weren't going to go down without a fight.
Article comments
1 - Steve
It's easy to point to the '93 game and say it was a turning point for both programs since the subsequent records speak for themselves. However, the premise that the game or BC played any role in ND's subsequent downturn is so foolish that it undermines your whole piece. The desire for sports writers to see dependency in otherwise independent events is always amusing. If ND reacted to the BC loss by firing its coach, hiring Tom Coughlin, etc. there would be some logic in your argument. But until you show me show BC figured into Row Powlus's development as QB, ND's decision to part ways with Holtz, or its poor decision making in hiring its subsequent coaches, the 93 game will simply remain an upset. PS. ND finished 2nd in the country that year.
2 - Tony
First of all I never said that the game was the cause of Notre Dame's downturn. I said that from that point on, they have not been successful which they haven't. That was the first big upset, the first big disappointment, before it all went to hell.
For BC the win probably did have more impact because it put them in the national consciousness helping with recruiting, ect.
3 - Tony
PS, a quote from page 2: "And while Notre Dame would still go on to the Cotton Bowl and beat Texas A&M 23-21, they would finish second to Florida State (even though they beat them head to head) in both final polls for the National Championship."
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
"The desire for sports writers to see dependency in otherwise independent events is always amusing."
Every sportswriter is built out of the John Nash mold. It looks silly but you should try it sometime; it's kinda fun!