Michigan vs Notre Dame: 5 best games in the history of the rivalry

By Luke Norris | Aug 30, 2018

September 11 2010: University of Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton (8) attempts to bring down Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist during the Wolverines 28-24 victory over the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Eric Bronson/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images) /

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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 10: Head Coach Lou Holtz (L) of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish talks with head coach Bo Schembechler (R) of the University of Michigan before their NCAA football game against each other September 10, 1988 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Holtz coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1986-1996. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

3. 1988: Notre Dame 19, Michigan 17

The 1988 campaign was certainly a special one for Notre Dame and it began as the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish hosted the ninth-ranked Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium to open their season. This was Bo Schembechler’s 20th year as the Michigan head coach and he prided himself in not losing to the same team two years in a row, only having done so on three occasions, twice to Ohio State and once to Iowa. This would be number four.

Lou Holtz and the Irish had stomped the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, 26-7, the previous year but this game would certainly be a little closer. Notre Dame took the early lead with a phenomenal 81-yard punt return from Ricky Watters and jumped out to a 13-0 lead after two field goals from five-foot-five-inch kicker Reggie Ho, who would turn out to be the star of this game.

But Michigan certainly wasn’t going to go away quietly. A long kickoff return from Tony Boles set up a one-yard touchdown run from LeRoy Hoard to cut the deficit and another one-yard touchdown run, this time from Mike Taylor, in the third quarter gave the Wolverines a 14-13 lead.

That was the score heading into the fourth quarter before another Reggie Ho field goal gave Notre Dame a two-point edge that wouldn’t last long. Michigan kicker Mike Gillette gave the Wolverines the lead back, 17-16, but the Irish marched back down the field to set up another Ho field goal to take a 19-17 lead with 1:13 remaining. The Wolverines picked up some nice yardage on the ensuing kickoff but just couldn’t get close enough and Gillette missed a long field goal to win it for Michigan.

This win catapulted Notre Dame into the top 10 in the rankings and they would go on to beat Miami in the famous “Catholics vs. Convicts” game and would also win their No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with USC on their way to the national championship.

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