1992 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
American college football season
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The 1992 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Irish compiled a 10–1–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 409 to 178, and were ranked No. 4 in the final AP and UPI polls. During the regular season, they tied with No. 6 Michigan, lost to No. 18 Stanford, and defeated No. 9 Boston College, No. 22 Penn State, and No. 19 USC. They concluded the season with a victory over No. 4 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.[1][2]
| 1992 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
Cotton Bowl Classic champion | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 4 |
| AP | No. 4 |
| Record | 10–1–1 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Skip Holtz (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Rick Minter (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| MVP | Reggie Brooks |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Notre Dame | – | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | – | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | – | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis State | – | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Army | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Carolina | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | – | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | – | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | – | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | – | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | – | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | – | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guard Aaron Taylor was a consensus first-team pick on the 1992 All-America college football team.[3] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Rick Mirer (1,876 passing yards), running back Reggie Brooks (1,343 rushing yards), Lake Dawson (25 receptions for 462 yards), and linebacker Demetrius DuBose (87 tackles).[4][5]
The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. Northwestern | No. 3 | ABC | W 42–7 | 64,877 | [6] | |
| September 12 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 6 Michigan | No. 3 | NBC | T 17–17 | 59,075 | [7] | |
| September 19 | 3:30 p.m. | at Michigan State | No. 7 | ABC | W 52–31 | 76,188 | [8] | |
| September 26 | 1:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 6 |
| NBC | W 48–0 | 59,075 | [9] |
| October 3 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 18 Stanford | No. 6 |
| NBC | L 16–33 | 59,075 | [10] |
| October 10 | 7:45 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | No. 13 | ESPN | W 52–21 | 52,155 | [11] | |
| October 24 | 1:30 p.m. | BYU | No. 10 |
| NBC | W 42–16 | 59,075 | [12] |
| October 31 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Navy | No. 10 | W 38–7 | 58,769 | [13] | ||
| November 7 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 9 Boston College | No. 8 |
| NBC | W 54–7 | 59,075 | [14] |
| November 14 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 22 Penn State | No. 8 |
| NBC | W 17–16 | 59,075 | [15] |
| November 28 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 19 USC | No. 5 | ABC | W 31–23 | 90,063 | [16] | |
| January 1, 1993 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 4 Texas A&M | No. 5 | NBC | W 28–3 | 71,615 | [17] | |
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Game summaries
At Northwestern
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Fighting Irish | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
- Date: October 31
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
| Q1 | 6:12 | ND | McBride 5 yard pass from Mirer (PAT) | ND 7–0 |
| Q1 | 0:47 | NW | Gissendaner 14 yard run (PAT) | NW 7–7 |
| Q2 | 1:54 | ND | Becton 2 yard run (PAT) | ND 14–7 |
| Q3 | 5:47 | ND | Miller 70 yard pass from Mirer (PAT) | ND 21—7 |
| Q3 | 1:48 | ND | Bettis 24 yard run (PAT) | ND 28–7 |
| Q4 | 6:47 | ND | Brooks 72 yard run (PAT) | ND 35–7 |
| Q4 | 3:27 | ND | McBride 5 yard pass from McDougal (PAT) | ND 42–7 |
Michigan
At Michigan State
Purdue
Stanford
At Pittsburgh
BYU
Navy
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Fighting Irish | 7 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 38 |
| Midshipmen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
- Date: October 31
- Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- Game attendance: 58,769
| Q1 | ND | Burns 5 yard run (Hentrich kick) | ND 7–0 | |
| Q2 | ND | Hentrich 32 yard field goal | ND 10–0 | |
| Q2 | ND | Brooks 24 yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick) | ND 17–0 | |
| Q2 | ND | Brooks 4 yard run (Hentrich kick) | ND 24—0 | |
| Q2 | ND | Smith 3 yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick) | ND 31–0 | |
| Q4 | NAVY | Pritchard 22 yard pass from Van Matre (Rogers kick) | ND 31–7 | |
| Q4 | ND | Becton 9 yard run (Pendergast kick) | ND 38–7 | |
Boston College
Game footage from the final scene of the 1993 film Rudy was shot at halftime.
Penn State
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| • Notre Dame | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
- Date: November 14
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
- Game attendance: 59,075
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play by play), Cris Collinsworth (color), and John Dockery (sideline)
| 1 | ND | Hentrich 26 yard field goal | ND 3-0 | |
| 1 | PSU | Anderson 1 yard run (kick failed) | PSU 6-3 | |
| 2 | ND | Hentrich 31 yard field goal | Tied 6-6 | |
| 3 | ND | Hentrich 37 yard field goal | ND 9-6 | |
| 4 | PSU | Muscillo 22 yard field goal | Tied 9-9 | |
| 4 | PSU | O'Neal 13 yard run (Muscillo kick) | PSU 16-9 | |
| 4 | ND | Bettis 3 yard pass from Mirer (Mirer to Brooks pass) | ND 17-16 | |
With snowfall starting early in the game, heavy during the first half, this game has been nicknamed the "Snow Bowl".[21][22][23]
At USC
Cotton Bowl
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
- Date: January 1
- Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
- Game attendance: 71,615
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Paul Maguire
Roster
| 1992 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Awards and honors
Tailback Reggie Brooks, who led the team with 1,343 rushing yards, an average of 8.0 yards per carry, and 84 points scored,[4] was selected as the team's most valuable player.[24] He also finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.[25] He was also one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award and received second-team honors on the 1992 All-America college football team.[24]
Linebacker Demetrius DuBose won the Nick Pietrosante Award by vote of his teammates.[24]
Quarterback Rick Mirer was selected as a second-team All-American by Football News. He was also a finalist for both the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O'Brien Award.[24]
Former Fighting Irish player Jim Lynch was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame 84 points scored,
1993 NFL draft
The following Notre Dame players were selected in the 1993 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Mirer | Quarterback | 1 | 2 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Jerome Bettis | Running back | 1 | 10 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Tom Carter | Cornerback | 1 | 17 | Washington Redskins |
| Irv Smith | Tight end | 1 | 20 | New Orleans Saints |
| Demetrius DuBose | Linebacker | 2 | 34 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Reggie Brooks | Running Back | 2 | 45 | Washington Redskins |
| Devon McDonald | Linebacker | 4 | 107 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Lindsay Knapp | Guard | 5 | 130 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Craig Hentrich | Kicker | 8 | 200 | New York Jets |
