1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

External videos
External videos
	1989 USC at Notre Dame – Television broadcast
	1989 USC at Notre Dame – Highlights

External videos
External videos
	1989 Notre Dame at Air Force – Television broadcast

1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
National champion (Berryman, Eck, FACT, Sagarin); Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 21–6 vs. Colorado
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 2
Record	12–1
Head coach	Lou Holtz (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Jim Strong (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Barry Alvarez (2nd season)
Captains	Ned Bolcar; Anthony Johnson; Tony Rice;
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
	Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf.			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Notre Dame		–		12	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State		–		10	–	2	–	0
Northern Illinois		–		9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Penn State		–		8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh		–		8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia		–		8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse		–		8	–	4	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana		–		7	–	4	–	0
Akron		–		6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina		–		6	–	4	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		6	–	4	–	1
Louisiana Tech		–		5	–	4	–	1
Army		–		6	–	5	–	0
Louisville		–		6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina		–		5	–	5	–	1
Tulsa		–		6	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss		–		5	–	6	–	0
Tulane		–		4	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers		–		2	–	7	–	2
Boston College		–		2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		1	–	9	–	1
Temple		–		1	–	10	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 12–1. Notre Dame was invited to the Orange Bowl, where the Fighting Irish defeated Colorado. The team played home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	8:00 p.m.	vs. Virginia	No. 2	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic)	Raycom, WGN	W 36–13	77,323	^[1]
September 16	3:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Michigan	No. 1	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 24–19	105,912
September 23	2:30 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	CBS	W 21–13	59,075
September 30	12:00 p.m.	at Purdue	No. 1	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	ABC	W 40–7	67,861
October 7	4:00 p.m.	at Stanford	No. 1	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)		W 27–17	86,019
October 14	7:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Air Force	No. 1	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)	ESPN	W 41–27	53,533
October 21	3:30 p.m.	No. 9 USC	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	CBS	W 28–24	59,075
October 28	5:00 p.m.	No. 7 Pittsburgh	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ESPN	W 45–7	59,075
November 4	12:00 p.m.	Navy	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	SportsChannel	W 41–0	59,075
November 11	12:00 p.m.	SMU	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	SportsChannel	W 59–6	59,075
November 18	2:30 p.m.	at No. 17 Penn State	No. 1	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	CBS	W 34–23	86,025
November 25	6:30 p.m.	at No. 7 Miami (FL)	No. 1	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 10–27	81,634
January 1, 1990	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Colorado	No. 4	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	W 21–6	81,191
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Games summaries

vs Virginia

Kickoff Classic: #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Virginia	0	0	0	13	13
Notre Dame	19	14	0	3	36

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: August 31
Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
Game attendance: 77,323
TV announcers (Raycom Sports): Phil Stone and Dave Rowe
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 10:46. Notre Dame 7–0.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:38. Notre Dame 13–0.
ND – Rodney Culver 2-yard run (run failed), 1:28. Notre Dame 19–0.

Second quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:47. Notre Dame 26–0.
ND – Tony Rice 3-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:11. Notre Dame 33–0.

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

UVA – Derek Dooley 6-yard pass from Shawn Moore (Jake McInerney kick), 12:41. Notre Dame 33–7.
UVA – Bruce McGonnigal 2-yard pass from Shawn Moore. Notre Dame 33–13.
ND – Craig Hentrich 32-yard field goal, 1:46. Notre Dame 36–13.

Top passers

UVA – Shawn Moore – 10/22, 85 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
ND – Tony Rice – 7/11, 147 yards

Top rushers

UVA – Marcus Wilson – 15 rushes, 80 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 12 rushes, 80 yards, TD

Top receivers

UVA – Herman Moore – 2 receptions, 30 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 5 recptions, 121 yards

Largest crowd for college football game at Giants Stadium

At Michigan

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–0) at #2 Michigan Wolverines (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	7	10	7	24
Michigan	0	6	0	13	19

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date: September 16
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Rain
Game attendance: 105,912
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Bob Griese
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard pass from Tony Rice (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:05. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 24 yards.
MICH – Chris Calloway 9-yard pass from Michael Taylor (kick failed), 0:25. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 50 yards.

Third quarter

ND – Raghib Ismail 89-yard kickoff return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:49. Notre Dame 14–6.
ND – Craig Hentrich 30-yard field goal, 4:28. Notre Dame 17–6.

Fourth quarter

MICH – Derrick Walker 5-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (pass failed), 12:58. Notre Dame 17–12. Drive: 12 plays.
ND – Raghib Ismail 92-yard kickoff return (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:46. Notre Dame 24–13.
MICH – Greg McMurtry 4-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (J.D. Carlson kick), 4:08. Notre Dame 24–19. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 1/2, 6 yards, TD
MICH – Elvis Grbac – 17/21, 134 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

ND – Anthony Johnson – 20 rushes, 80 yards
MICH – Leroy Hoard – 15 rushes, 56 yards

Top receivers

ND – Anthony Johnson – 1 reception, 6 yards, TD
MICH – Greg McMurtry – 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD

Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans (1–0) at #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan St	0	6	7	0	13
Notre Dame	7	7	0	7	21

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: September 23
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
Game attendance: 59,075
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 6:16.

Second quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 53-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:10. Notre Dame 14–0.
MSU – John Langeloh 36-yard field goal, 2:54. Notre Dame 14–3.
MSU – John Langeloh 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Notre Dame 14–6.

Third quarter

MSU – James Bradley 30-yard pass from Dan Enos (John Langeloh kick), 6:36. Notre Dame 14–13.

Fourth quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:16. Notre Dame 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards.

Top passers

MSU – Dan Enos – 18/28, 200 yards, TD
ND – Tony Rice – 8/15, 90 yards

Top rushers

MSU – Hyland Hickson – 26 rushes, 84 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 16 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

MSU – Courtney Hawkins – 6 receptions, 83 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 27 yards

At Purdue

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3–0) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	14	20	0	6	40
Purdue	0	0	0	7	7

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: September 30
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
Game attendance: 67,861
TV: ABC
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:38. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 55 yards.
ND – Tony Rice 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:04. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 57 yards.

Second quarter

ND – Jeff Alm 16-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:44. Notre Dame 21–0.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:35. Notre Dame 28–0.
ND – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:14. Notre Dame 34–0.

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

ND – Craig Hentrich 19-yard field goal, 9:47. Notre Dame 37–0.
ND – Craig Hentrich 22-yard field goal, 6:18. Notre Dame 40–0.
PUR – Rodney Dennis 3-yard pass from Steve Letnich (Larry Sullivan kick), 0:33. Notre Dame 40–7.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 12/15, 270 yards
PUR – Steve Letnich – 11/28, 89 yards, INT

Top rushers

ND – Tony Rice – 12 rushes, 67 yards, TD
PUR – Steve Letnich – 13 rushes, 50 yards

Top receivers

ND – Derek Brown – 4 receptions, 101 yards
PUR – Earl Coleman – 2 receptions, 32 yards

At Stanford

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4–0) at Stanford Cardinal (1–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	14	7	6	27
Stanford	6	0	8	3	17

at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California

Date: October 7
Game attendance: 86,019
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

STAN – John Hopkins 34-yard field goal, 5:14. Stanford 3–0. Drive: 14 plays.
STAN – John Hopkins 42-yard field goal, 2:40. Stanford 6–0.

Second quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:24. Notre Dame 7–6. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards.
ND – Rodney Culver 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:15. Notre Dame 14–6. Drive: 9 plays.

Third quarter

STAN – Ed McCaffrey 2-yard pass from Smith (run good), Tie 14–14. Drive: 79 yards.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:28. Notre Dame 21–14.

Fourth quarter

ND – Craig Hentrich 20-yard field goal, 12:42. Notre Dame 24–14.
STAN – John Hopkins 27-yard field goal, 8:14. Notre Dame 24–17. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards.
ND – Craig Hentrich 18-yard field goal, 1:27. Notre Dame 27–17.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 7/17, 102 yards
STAN – Steve Smith – 39/68, 282 yards, TD, 3 INT

Top rushers

ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TD
STAN – Tommy Vardell – 9 rushes, 22 yards

Top receivers

ND – Raghib Ismail – 3 receptions, 67 yards
STAN – Jim Price – 14 receptions, 98 yards

At Air Force

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–0) at #17 Air Force Falcons (6–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	14	21	3	3	41
Air Force	0	14	0	13	27

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Date: October 14, 1989
Game attendance: 53,533
TV announcers (ESPN): Ron Franklin and Kevin Kiley
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:41. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 80 yards.
ND – Ricky Watters 5-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:51. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards.

Second quarter

ND – Raghib Ismail 56-yard punt return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:42. Notre Dame 21–0.
AFA – Greg Johnson 61-yard pass from Dee Dowis (Joe Wood kick), 13:36. Notre Dame 21–7.
ND – Anthony Johnson 27-yard pass from Tony Rice (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:46. Notre Dame 28–7.
AFA – Steve Senn 26-yard pass from Dee Dowis (Joe Wood kick). Notre Dame 28–14.
ND – Raghib Ismail 24-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:30. Notre Dame 35–14.

Third quarter

ND – Craig Hentrich 20-yard field goal, 8:24. Notre Dame 38–14.

Fourth quarter

ND – Craig Hentrich 38-yard field goal, 12:42. Notre Dame 41–14.
AFA – Steven Wilson 23-yard run (run failed), 9:35. Notre Dame 41–20.
AFA – Rodney Lewis 1-yard run (Joe Wood kick), 3:22. Notre Dame 41–27.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 9/13, 123 yards, TD
AFA – Dee Dowis – 15/24, 306 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

ND – Ricky Watters – 11 rushes, 96 yards, TD
AFA – Rodney Lewis – 13 rushes, 58 yards, TD

Top receivers

ND – Raghib Ismail – 3 receptions, 25 yards
AFA – Steve Senn – 6 receptions, 101 yards, TD

Raghib Ismail 180 all-purpose yards

USC

#9 USC Trojans (5–1) at #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
USC	14	3	0	7	24
Notre Dame	7	0	7	14	28

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: October 21, 1989
Game attendance: 59,075
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

USC – Larry Wallace 12-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 12:47. USC 7–0.
ND – Tony Rice 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:10. Tie 7–7.
USC – John Jackson 15-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 7:47. USC 14–7.

Second quarter

USC – Quin Rodriguez 25-yard field goal, 10:22. USC 17–7.

Third quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 9:17. USC 17–14. Drive: 8 plays.

Fourth quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 13:51. Notre Dame 21–17. Drive: 80 yards.
USC – Gary Wellman 16-yard pass from Todd Marinovich (Quin Rodriguez kick), 9:01. USC 24–21. Drive: 4 plays.
ND – Tony Rice 15-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:18. Notre Dame 28–24. Drive: 80 yards.

Top passers

USC – Todd Marinovich – 33/55, 333 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
ND – Tony Rice – 5/16, 91 yards

Top rushers

USC – Ricky Ervins – 12 rushes, 64 yards
ND – Tony Rice – 18 rushes, 99 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

USC – John Jackson – 14 receptions, 200 yards, TD
ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 62 yards

Pregame fight in tunnel

Pittsburgh

#7 Pittsburgh Panthers (5–0–1) at #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Pittsburgh	7	0	0	0	7
Notre Dame	2	15	21	7	45

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: October 28, 1989
Game time: 5:00 p.m.
Game attendance: 59,075
TV: ESPN
Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter

PITT – Ronald Redmon 8-yard pass from Alex Van Pelt (Ed Frazier kick), 9:32. Pittsburgh 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards.
ND – Safety, Alex Van Pelt downed in end zone, 6:07. Pittsburgh 7–2.

Second quarter

ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (run good), 13:22. Notre Dame 10–7. Drive: 36 yards.
ND – Pat Terrell 54-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:05. Notre Dame 17–7.

Third quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:15. Notre Dame 24–7.
ND – Raghib Ismail 50-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:53. Notre Dame 31–7.
ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 0:49. Notre Dame 38–7.

Fourth quarter

ND – Steve Belles 13-yard run (Billy Hackett kick), 4:12. Notre Dame 45–7.

Top passers

PITT – Alex Van Pelt – 16/33, 170 yards
ND – Tony Rice – 1/7, 29 yards

Top rushers

PITT – Curvin Richards – 15 rushes, 47 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 18 rushes, 74 yards, TD

Top receivers

PITT – Lionel Sykes – 6 receptions, 65 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 1 reception, 29 yards

Navy

Navy Midshipmen (2–5) at #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy	0	0	0	0	0
Notre Dame	14	10	3	14	41

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: November 4, 1989
Game attendance: 59,075
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Tony Rice 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:49. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 64 yards.
ND – Rodney Culver 11-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:18. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 64 yards.

Second quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 48-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:36. Notre Dame 21–0.
ND – Billy Hackett 27-yard field goal, 0:16. Notre Dame 24–0. Drive: 14 plays, 50 yards.

Third quarter

ND – Billy Hackett 39-yard field goal, 11:58. Notre Dame 27–0.

Fourth quarter

ND – Dorsey Levens 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:38. Notre Dame 34–0.
ND – Ted McNamara 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:40. Notre Dame 41–0.

Top passers

NAVY – Alton Grizzard – 8/14, 94 yards
ND – Rick Mirer – 8/12, 64 yards

Top rushers

NAVY – Rodney Purifoy – 11 rushes, 50 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 9 rushes, 134 yards, TD

Top receivers

NAVY – Shane Smith – 3 receptions, 50 yards
ND – Adrian Jarrell – 3 receptins, 28 yards

External videos
Full game

SMU

SMU Mustangs (2–6) at #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
SMU	0	6	0	0	6
Notre Dame	7	35	10	7	59

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: November 11, 1989
Game attendance: 59,075
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Ricky Watters 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards.

Second quarter

ND – Pete Graham 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:22. Notre Dame 14–0.
SMU – Andy Bergfeld 5-yard pass from Mike Romo (kick blocked), 11:37. Notre Dame 14–6. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards.
ND – Andre Jones blocked extra point return, 11:37. Notre Dame 16–6.
ND – Billy Hackett 34-yard field goal, 8:16. Notre Dame 19–6.
ND – Ricky Watters 97-yard punt return (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:04. Notre Dame 26–6.
ND – Anthony Johnson 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 4:02. Notre Dame 33–6. Drive: 64 yards.
ND – Safety, Casey Clyce steps out of end zone, 3:00. Notre Dame 35–6.
ND – Walter Boyd 14-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 0:15. Notre Dame 42–6. Drive: 75 yards.

Third quarter

ND – Rusty Setzer 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 10:51. Notre Dame 49–6.
ND – Billy Hackett 32-yard field goal, 5:45. Notre Dame 52–6.

Fourth quarter

ND – Rod West 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 3:22. Notre Dame 59–6.

Top passers

SMU – Mike Romo – 28/54, 194 yards
ND – Tony Rice – 5/8, 83 yards

Top rushers

SMU – Kevin Love – 4 rushes, 5 yards
ND – Ricky Watters – 7 rushes, 69 yards, TD

Top receivers

SMU – Jason Wolf – 9 receptions, 63 yards
ND – Raghib Ismail – 4 receptions, 65 yards

External videos
Full game

At Penn State

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10–0) at #17 Penn State Nittany Lions (6–2–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	7	14	7	6	34
Penn St	7	3	7	6	23

at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania

Date: November 18, 1989
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game attendance: 86,025
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden
Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter

PSU – Blair Thomas 2-yard run (Ray Tarasi kick), 8:04. Penn St 7–0. Drive: 79 yards.
ND – Tony Rice 5-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:19. Tie 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards.

Second quarter

PSU – Ray Tarasi 38-yard field goal, 13:46. Penn St 10–7.
ND – Ricky Watters 12-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:35. Notre Dame 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 5:27. Notre Dame 21–10.

Third quarter

ND – Tony Rice 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 8:42. Notre Dame 28–10. Drive: 6 plays.
PSU – Blair Thomas 3-yard run (Ray Tarasi kick), 4:49. Notre Dame 28–17. Drive: 79 yards.

Fourth quarter

ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 13:33. Notre Dame 31–17.
ND – Billy Hackett 19-yard field goal, 6:53. Notre Dame 34–17.
PSU – Terry Smith 5-yard pass from Tom Bill (run failed), 4:31. Notre Dame 34–23.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 5/10, 47 yards, INT
PSU – Tom Bill – 6/14, 56 yards, TD

Top rushers

ND – Tony Rice – 26 rushes, 141 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Blair Thomas – 26 rushes, 133 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

ND – Raghib Ismail – 2 receptions, 27 yards
PSU – O.J. McDuffie – 2 receptions, 37 yards

Notre Dame's first win in school history at Beaver Stadium

External videos
Full game (part 1)
Full game (part 2)
Full game (part 3)
Game highlights

At Miami (FL)

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11–0) at #7 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (9–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	10	0	0	10
Miami (FL)	10	7	7	3	27

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Date: November 25, 1989
Game weather: Overcast, 77 °F (25 °C)
Game attendance: 81,634
Referee: Jimmy Harper
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Pat Haden, and John Dockery
Recap/Box

Game information

'First quarter

UM – Carlos Huerta 35-yard field goal, 9:41. Miami (FL) 3–0.
UM – Dale Dawkins 55-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:04. Miami (FL) 10–0. Drive: 4 plays.

Second quarter

ND – Billy Hackett 22-yard field goal, 8:23. Miami (FL) 10–3.
ND – Ned Bolcar 49-yard interception return (Billy Hackett kick), 2:08. Tie 10–10.
UM – Stephen McGuire 5-yard run (Carlos Huerta kick), 0:24. Miami (FL) 17–10. Drive: 3 plays.

Third quarter

UM – Dale Dawkins 5-yard pass from Craig Erickson (Carlos Huerta kick), 4:13. Miami (FL) 24–10. Drive: 22 plays, 80 yards, 10:47.

Fourth quarter

UM – Carlos Huerta 32-yard field goal, 1:44. Miami (FL) 27–10.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 7/15, 106 yards, 2 INT
UM – Craig Erickson – 16/26, 210 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

ND – Tony Rice – 20 rushes, 50 yards
UM – Stephen McGuire – 21 rushes, 83 yards, TD

Top receivers

ND – Derek Brown – 2 receptions, 19 yards
UM – Dale Dawkins – 4 receptions, 123 yards, 2 TD

External videos
Full game
Game highlights
3rd and 43

Orange Bowl (vs Colorado)

#1 Colorado Buffaloes (11–0) vs. #4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	0	14	7	21
Colorado	0	0	6	0	6

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Date: January 1, 1990
Game attendance: 81,190
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

No scoring

Third quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:48. Notre Dame 7–0.
ND – Raghib Ismail 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:19. Notre Dame 14–0.
CU – Darian Hagan 39-yard run (kick failed), 0:01. Notre Dame 14–6.

Fourth quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:32. Notre Dame 21–6.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 5/9, 99 yards
CU – Darian Hagan – 4/13, 65 yards

Top rushers

ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD
CU – Eric Bieniemy – 11 rushes, 66 yards

Top receivers

ND – Pat Eilers – 2 receptions, 47 yards
CU – Eric Kissick – 2 receptions, 33 yards

^[2]

Personnel

1989 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB		Steve Belles
RB		Walter Boyd
OL		Mike Brennan
RB		Reggie Brooks
OT	`71`	Dean Brown
TE	`86`	Derek Brown	So
RB	`5`	Rodney Culver	So
WR	`13`	Pat Eilers
QB		Pete Graham
WR		Ray Griggs
G	`75`	Tim Grunhard	Sr
RB	`25`	Raghib Ismail	Jr
WR		Adrian Jarrell
RB	`22`	Anthony Johnson (C)	Sr
RB		Craig Lanigan
RB		Dorsey Levens
C	`76`	Gene McGuire	So
RB		Ted McNamara
RB	`35`	Ryan Mihalko	Jr
QB	`3`	Rick Mirer	Fr
WR		William Pollard
QB	`9`	Tony Rice (C)	Sr
G	`52`	Tim Ryan	Jr
RB		Rusty Setzer
TE		Irv Smith
WR		Tony Smith
RB	`12`	Ricky Watters	Jr
TE		Rod West

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DT	`90`	Jeff Alm	Sr
LB	`47`	Ned Bolcar (C)	Sr
DT	`93`	Bob Dahl	Jr
DB	`32`	D'Juan Francisco
LB	`36`	Donn Grimm
LB	`7`	Andre Jones
LB	`37`	Scott Kowalkowski	Jr
CB	`1`	Todd Lyght	Jr
LB		Devon McDonald
LB	`89`	Karmeeleyah McGill	Fr
CB	`29`	Stan Smagala
DB	`21`	Rod Smith	So
LB	`42`	Mike Stonebreaker	Jr
S	`15`	Pat Terrell	Sr
DL	`50`	Chris Zorich	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Billy Hackett
K	`28`	Craig Hentrich
P	`16`	Jim Sexton	Jr

Head coach

Lou Holtz

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Barry Alvarez (DC)
Mike Markuson (GA)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Awards and honors

Tony Rice, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award^[3]
Tony Rice finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Raghib Ismail finished in a tie for tenth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Team players drafted into the NFL

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Anthony Johnson	Running back	2	36	Indianapolis Colts
Tim Grunhard	Tackle	2	40	Kansas City Chiefs
Jeff Alm	Defensive tackle	2	41	Houston Oilers
Pat Terrell	Defensive back	2	49	Los Angeles Rams
Mike Brennan	Tackle	4	91	Cincinnati Bengals
Stan Smagala	Defensive back	5	123	Dallas Cowboys
Ned Bolcar	Linebacker	6	146	Seattle Seahawks
D’Juan Francisco	Defensive back	10	262	Washington Redskins
Dean Brown	Guard	12	316	Indianapolis Colts

^[4]

References

^ "Classically Notre Dame". The Record. September 1, 1989. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lackluster Colorado Leveled by Notre Dame". The New York Times. January 2, 1990. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.

[1] "Classically Notre Dame". The Record. September 1, 1989. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Lackluster Colorado Leveled by Notre Dame". The New York Times. January 2, 1990. Retrieved January 1, 2019.

[3] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[4] "1990 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.

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