Last summer, when previewing ND’s upcoming opponents, Florida State had the look of a reloaded team coming off a 13-1 season. In fact, they were ranked #10 in the preseason polls, and at that time, I rated the game a toss-up. But that’s not the way the football bounced. Fast forward to this week, and the Seminoles come into Notre Dame Stadium 1-7, ranking near the bottom of practically every meaningful statistical category.
It’s been a long season in Tallahassee.
But things haven’t always been this way.
In fact, let me tell you a tale about the 1993 “Game of the Century”.
In November of 1993, #1-ranked Florida State, led by head coach Bobby Bowden and dynamic quarterback Charlie Ward (who won the Heisman Trophy that year), visited #2 Notre Dame. ND was the underdog that day, but Lou Holtz’s Irish had plenty of weapons, including a pulverizing ground game and a suffocating defense led by the likes of Bryant Young and Bobby Taylor.
NBC billed the matchup on the air all week as “The Game of the Century.” The hype for the game was such that ESPN’s College GameDay was essentially invented for it. The show had been around for a few years in the studio, but for this hugely anticipated matchup, GameDay moved for the first time ever to a live, on-campus location.
Notre Dame fans that day smelled a national title. The ND crowd arrived early and was on its feet for virtually the entire game. The noise in Notre Dame Stadium was deafening.
Florida State took an early 7-0 lead, but behind the direction of ND quarterback Kevin McDougal and 26 carries by Lee Becton, the Irish ground game got rolling. ND led 24-7 midway through the third quarter. But then, the Florida State offense came alive. With 1:39 remaining, Florida State was within seven points and had the ball. In three plays, they drove the field, and with three seconds remaining, they had reached the ND 14-yard line.
One play left for everything.
The home crowd did its part, raising the cacophony a few more decibels.
After a Notre Dame timeout, Ward set his team in a shotgun formation, motioned a silent count with his left leg and took the snap. He rolled left, and fired the ball to a Florida State receiver who flashed open in the corner of the end zone. For a millisecond, I recall my heart skipping. But safety Shawn Wooden saved the day. He flashed across the goal line and batted the ball away.
Final score: Notre Dame 31, Florida State 24.
Notre Dame was number 1.
A euphoric student section flooded the field, and a raucous celebration ensued. The bash carried on late into the night. All over South Bend horns honked and parties broke out. Pure celebratory joy was in the air.
Lou Holtz’s post-game remarks described the triumph as, “one game that lived up to the hype”. The broadcast crew promptly started pushing for a New Year’s Day Bowl rematch.
The dream unfortunately ended for the Fighting Irish the next week at the hands of Boston College. But for one week, Notre Dame-Florida State had the undivided attention of the football world in a game that indeed lived up to its billing as “The Game of the Century.”
I now return you to 2024.