Happy Tuesday to all as we’re now 88 days until Notre Dame football returns.

What better way to look at today than by looking back at the game-by-game breakdown that made up Notre Dame’s ultimate 12-0 season and national championship in 1988?

It’s the last year Notre Dame had a perfect season that included a bowl win and featured a few epic games en route to Lou Holtz and the Irish winning a national title in Holtz’s third season at the helm.

Tony Rice, Rocket Ismail, Ricky Watters, Chris Zorich, Michael Stonebreaker, Pat Terrell, and Todd Lyght were only a few of the stars that made that team so great.

With 88 days remaining until Notre Dame-Ohio State, here’s a look back at that ’88 season, game by game.

Game 1: No. 13 Notre Dame 19, No. 9 Michigan 17

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The legend of Reggie Ho was born on September 10, 1988 as the walk-on kicker made four field goals in Notre Dame’s 19-17 triumph over Michigan.  The only Notre Dame touchdown on the night came by way of an 81-yard punt return for a score by Ricky Watters.

Game 2: No. 8 Notre Dame 20, Michigan State 3

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Tony Rice ran for a third quarter score while a Michael Stonebreaker interception return for a touchdown provided Notre Dame with enough offense to secure the megaphone trophy in a 20-3 win at Michigan State.

Game 3: No. 8 Notre Dame 52, Purdue 7

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Tony Rice threw for a pair of first half touchd

Game 4: No. 5 Notre Dame 42, Stanford 14

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Notre Dame’s ground attack was far too much for Stanford to handle as the Irish ran for five of their six touchdowns in a 42-14 rout of the Cardinal.

Game 5: No. 5 Notre Dame 30, Pitt 20

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It wasn’t the prettiest of performances but perhaps the Irish were looking ahead a bit as an epic showdown the next week awaited.  Whatever the case, Notre Dame outlasted Pitt 30-20 in a game that saw things tied as late as the third quarter.

Game 6: No. 4 Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Miami 30

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Just how epic was this game?  The fact that all you have to say is “Catholics vs. Convicts” and over 30 years later emotions can be brought back as if it happened last night.  Notre Dame forced a remarkable seven Miami turnovers on the day, including a pick-six by Pat Terrell.  Terrell wasn’t done however as he knocked away Steve Walsh’s two-point conversion attempt with under a minute to play.

Game 7: No. 2 Notre Dame 41, Air Force 17

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Ricky Watters caught four passes for a 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns while returning a punt for a third score in Notre Dame’s rout of Air Force.

Game 8: No. 2 Notre Dame 22, Navy 7

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After an unimpressive showing against Navy, Lou Holtz declared “We’re not a very good football team right now”.  Despite the sluggish performance, Notre Dame walked out of the weekend ranked number one in the nation as previous number one UCLA was upset by Washington State.

Game 9: No. 1 Notre Dame 54, Rice 11

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Tony Rice ran for 194 yards and Rocket Ismail returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns as Notre Dame rolled winless Rice to move to 9-0.

Game 10: No. 1 Notre Dame 21, Penn State 3

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In another case of “winning ugly” Notre Dame outlasted Penn State with a 21-3 victory.  The win clinched Notre Dame a berth in the Fiesta Bowl while the loss guaranteed Penn State their first losing season in 50 years.

Game 11: No. 1 Notre Dame 27, No. 2 USC 10

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Notre Dame stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks were both sent home on the Saturday morning of the epic 1 vs. 2 showdown in Los Angeles after showing up late to multiple team functions.  Notre Dame’s defense rose to the occasion and Tony Rice’s 65-yard touchdown run early on got things going as the Irish stayed unbeaten in a 27-10 victory over their biggest rival.

Game 12, Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Notre Dame 34, No. 3 West Virginia 21

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Tony Rice’s biggest passing performance of the season came at a great time as his 214 yards through the air helped pave the way to a 34-21 victory over West Virginia.  The Irish jumped out the 16-0 and 23-6 leads before clinching the national championship.

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