Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 10, 2026 15 95 Years Ago: Oct. 10, 1931 Notre Dame's then-school-record-tying 20-game winning streak came to a halt with a scoreless tie against Northwestern on a rain-soaked afternoon at Chicago's Soldier Field, with 65,000 in attendance. The two teams combined for 17 fumbles. Despite recovering 6 of those 17 fumbles, intercepting 2 passes and Ed "Moose" Krause blocking a kick, Notre Dame was unable to generate any points. 75 Years Ago: Oct. 5, 1951 In Notre Dame's first-ever night game, Irish senior halfback John Petitbon had what can be considered the single greatest individual quarter of football in the program's annals. A capacity crowd of 52,331 was in attendance at Briggs Stadium, Detroit's Major League Base- ball park, to witness the historic event between the Irish and the University of Detroit Titans. Petitbon, the brother of future Washington Redskins head coach Richie Petitbon, gathered in the opening kickoff and raced 85 yards for a touchdown. Shortly thereafter, Notre Dame's Billy Barrett fielded a punt and reversed it to Petitbon, who scampered 73 yards for a touch- down. Before the first quarter was completed, Petitbon took a pitchout from quarterback John Mazur and raced 39 yards for a score. Three different routes of scoring, all by one man in one quarter, totaling 197 yards. 35 Years Ago: Oct. 5, 1991 Sophomore fullback Jerome Bettis rushed for 179 yards on 24 carries, scoring 3 rushing touch- downs in the process, and senior tailback Tony Brooks added 122 yards on the ground in just 17 carries during a 42-26 victory at Stanford. It marked only the second time two Irish backs have each had at least 100 yards rushing apiece while combining for more than 300 yards with the run. The other time it occurred was in a 1978 victory versus Navy when Vagas Ferguson romped for 219 and Jerome Heavens netted 100. Stanford had been the only team to hold Notre Dame to less than 200 yards rushing in 1989 and 1990, and it upset the No. 1 Irish 36-31 at Notre Dame Stadium in 1990. While building a 28-7 halftime lead in this contest, the Irish amassed 250 yards rushing on their way to a 363-yard output. 25 Years Ago: Oct. 6, 2001 The first Notre Dame team ever to start 0-3 ended the drought with a 24-7 victory at home against Pitt. Making his first career start in Notre Dame Stadium, sophomore quarterback Carlyle Holiday passed for only 70 yards on 13 attempts but led the team in rushing with 122 yards on 19 carries, highlighted by a 67-yard third-quarter touchdown run that provided the Irish a 17-7 advantage. Just two minutes earlier, Pitt was in the process of going ahead 14-10 when wideout R.J. English, on his way to a 26-yard touchdown, fumbled the ball inside the 5-yard line without being hit. Notre Dame safety Abram Elam recovered the loose ball at the 1-yard line, and four plays later Holiday's run made it a 14-point swing. "Unbelievable," embattled Notre Dame fifth- year head coach Bob Davie said of the fumble. "That was huge, but you know what? We de- served it … as hard as these kids have worked and persevered. But that was a strange play." 15 Years Ago: Oct. 8, 2011 The Fighting Irish won a 59-33 shootout over Air Force in South Bend. It was the most com- bined points ever for a game at Notre Dame Stadium, breaking the previous mark of 90. And the 59 points were the most by Notre Dame since beating Rutgers 62-0 in 1996 — Lou Holtz's final home game as Irish coach. The two teams combined for 1,125 yards of total offense — 565 by Air Force and 560 by Notre Dame. Notre Dame scored touchdowns on all six of its first- half possessions en route to a 42-16 halftime lead. Seven different Irish players reached the end zone — tight end Tyler Eifert and receivers Michael Floyd, Theo Riddick and Robby Toma all caught touchdown passes from quarterback Tommy Rees, while running backs Jonas Gray (twice),Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III tallied rushing scores. Rees completed 19 of 25 throws for 208 yards in the first half and finished 23-of-32 passing for 261 yards with 4 touchdowns. 10 Years Ago: Oct. 8, 2016 North Carolina State knocked off Notre Dame 10-3 in a game played in hurricane conditions and after the start of the second half was delayed because of lightning. A waterlogged field saturated by Hurricane Matthew's heavy rains and wind-whipped by its gusts rendered both offenses totally ineffective. The teams combined for 5 turnovers, had a total of 10 fumbles and lost 4 of them. The Wolfpack's Dexter Wright returned a blocked punt for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:43 remaining. Notre Dame put together a late drive into the Wolfpack red zone, but a shotgun snap on fourth-and-8 squibbed past quarterback DeShone Kizer with 1:52 to play and the Wolf- pack ran out the clock. UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Oct. 4-10 ✦ Your home address will be automatically changed to the mailing address on file with the US Postal Service? ALL addresses are cross-referenced with the USPS National Change of Address database. ✦ Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? Most forwarding requests expire in 60 days and DO NOT include periodical mail. Issues are discarded at their discretion. ✦ It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? Don't assume the post office knows your vacation or moving schedule! To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP and verify your delivery address with your local post office. DID YOU KNOW... AVOID COSTLY DELAYS & REPLACEMENTS! Blue & Gold Illustrated Customer Service: 1–800–421–7751 (Monday – Friday, 10 am to 4 pm) We are happy to assist, but due to privacy laws all postal address changes must be completed by you. North Carolina State and Notre Dame com- bined for 10 fumbles and 5 turnovers (1 inter- ception, 4 fumbles) in a game played during Hurricane Matthew in Raleigh, N.C., in 2016. The Wolfpack prevailed 10-3 after scoring the lone touchdown of the game on a blocked punt in the fourth quarter. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP