1990 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1990 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 9–3 with a loss to Colorado in the Orange Bowl. The team played home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

1990 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Orange Bowl, L 9–10 vs. Colorado
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 6
AP	No. 6
Record	9–3
Head coach	Lou Holtz (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Gary Darnell (1st season)
Captains	Mike Heldt Chris Zorich Todd Lyght Ricky Watters
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
Seasons ← 1989 1991 →

1990 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 14 Louisville			–					10	–	1	–	1
No. 3 Miami (FL)			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 4 Florida State			–					10	–	2	–	0
No. 6 Notre Dame			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 11 Penn State			–					9	–	3	–	0
Louisiana Tech			–					8	–	3	–	1
Southern Miss			–					8	–	4	–	0
Temple			–					7	–	4	–	0
Syracuse			–					7	–	4	–	2
Army			–					6	–	5	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina			–					6	–	5	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina			–					5	–	6	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana			–					5	–	6	–	0
Navy			–					5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State			–					4	–	6	–	1
Boston College			–					4	–	7	–	0
Tulane			–					4	–	7	–	0
West Virginia			–					4	–	7	–	0
Akron			–					3	–	7	–	1
Pittsburgh			–					3	–	7	–	1
Rutgers			–					3	–	8	–	0
Tulsa			–					3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

This was the final season that Notre Dame's home games aired on ESPN, ABC, or CBS, as NBC took over beginning the following year. However, a home playoff game aired on ESPN and ABC in 2024.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	8:00 p.m.	No. 4 Michigan	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	CBS	W 28–24	59,075
September 22	2:30 p.m.	at No. 24 Michigan State	No. 1	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 20–19	80,401
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Purdue	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	SportsChannel	W 37–11	59,075
October 6	12:00 p.m.	Stanford	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		L 31–36	59,075
October 13	12:00 p.m.	Air Force	No. 8	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 57–27	59,075
October 20	2:30 p.m.	No. 2 Miami (FL)	No. 6	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	CBS	W 29–20	59,075
October 27	6:45 p.m.	at Pittsburgh	No. 3	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ESPN	W 31–22	56,500
November 3	12:00 p.m.	vs. Navy	No. 2	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (rivalry)		W 52–31	70,382
November 10	2:30 p.m.	at No. 9 Tennessee	No. 1	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	CBS	W 34–29	97,123
November 17	4:00 p.m.	No. 18 Penn State	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ESPN	L 21–24	59,075
November 24	8:00 p.m.	at No. 18 USC	No. 7	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	ABC	W 10–6	91,639
January 1, 1991	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Colorado	No. 5	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	L 9–10	77,062
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

Michigan

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

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

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: September 15
• Game time: 8:05 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter ND – Rick Mirer 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:28. Notre Dame 7–0. MICH – J.D. Carlson 38-yard field goal, 7:01. Notre Dame 7–3. ND – Reggie Brooks 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:59. Notre Dame 14–3. Second quarter MICH – Desmond Howard 25-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (J.D. Carlson kick), 3:56. Notre Dame 14–10. Third quarter MICH – Allen Jefferson 1-yard run (J.D. Carlson), 7:49. Michigan 17–14. MICH – Desmond Howard 25-yard pass from Elvis Grbac (J.D. Carlson kick), 7:33. Michigan 24–14. Fourth quarter ND – Rodney Culver 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 12:59. Michigan 24–21. ND – Adrian Jarrell 18-yard pass from Rick Mirer (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:40. Notre Dame 28–24. Top passers MICH – Elvis Grbac – 17/30, 190 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT ND – Rick Mirer – 14/23, 165 yards, TD Top rushers MICH – Jon Vaughn – 22 rushes, 201 yards ND – Rodney Culver – 19 rushes, 95 yards, TD Top receivers MICH – Desmond Howard – 6 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD ND – Raghib Ismail – 4 receptions, 42 yards

Michigan State

#1 Notre Dame at #24 Michigan State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Fighting Irish	7	0	0	14	21
Spartans	0	12	7	0	19

• Date: September 22
• Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
• Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Bob Griese

• Source: [1]

Scoring summary

1		ND	Watters 5 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 7-0
2		MSU	Langeloh 42 yard field goal	ND 7-3
2		MSU	Safety, blocked punt out of end zone	ND 7-5
2		MSU	Hickson 1 yard run (Langeloh kick)	MSU 12-7
3		MSU	Duckett 1 yard run (Langeloh kick)	MSU 19-7
4	13:13	ND	Watters 2 yard run (Hentrich kick)	MSU 19-14
4	0:34	ND	Culver 1 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 21-19

The Immaculate Deflection - Rick Mirer's 24-yard completion to Adrian Jarrell, which bounced off hands of MSU LB Todd Murray up and into Jarrell's arms at MSU 2. Three plays later, Culver scored. "There's definitely somebody looking out for us. There's somebody on our side," said Mirer.

• Notre Dame's 60th victory as No. 1 ranked team & 5-0-1 vs. MSU when ranked #1

Purdue

Stanford

Stanford at #1 Notre Dame

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Cardinal	7	8	14	7	36
Fighting Irish	7	17	7	0	31

• Date: September 22
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
• Game attendance: 59,075

• Source: [2]

Scoring summary

1		ND	Mirer 1 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 7-0
1		Sta	Milburn 9 run (Hopkins kick)	Tied 7-7
2		ND	Hentrich 29 yard field goal	ND 10-7
2		ND	T. Smith 11 yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick)	ND 17-7
2		ND	T. Smith 15 yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick)	ND 24-7
2		Sta	Vardell 1 yard run (Palumbis to McCafferty pass)	ND 24-15
3		Sta	Vardell 1 yard run (Hopkins kick)	ND 24-22
3		ND	Culver 1 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 31-22
3		Sta	Vardell 1 yard run (Hopkins kick)	ND 31-29
4		Sta	Vardell 1 yard run (Hopkins kick)	Sta 36-31

Air Force

Miami (FL)

#2 Miami (FL) at #6 Notre Dame

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Hurricanes	10	7	0	3	20
• Fighting Irish	10	6	6	7	29

• Date: October 20
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
• Game start: 2:40 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Referee: Dick Burleson
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Tim Brant

       

Scoring summary

Q1	12:17	MIA	McGuire 1-yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 7–0
	6:51	ND	Hentrich-25 yard field goal	MIA 7–3
	1:43	MIA	Huerta 23-yard field goal	MIA 10–3
		ND	Ismail 94-yard kickoff return (Hentrich kick)	Tie 10–10
Q2	11:48	ND	Hentrich-44 yard field goal	ND 13–10
	8:10	MIA	Erickson-1 yard run (Huerta kick)	MIA 17–13
	4:16	ND	Hentrich-34 yard field goal	MIA 17–16
Q3	5:24	ND	Hentrich-36 yard field goal	ND 19–17
	1:45	ND	Hentrich 35-yard field goal	ND 22–17
Q4	14:01	MIA	Huerta 25-yard field goal	ND 22–20
	6:16	ND	Culver 21-yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick)	ND 29–20

Pittsburgh

Navy

#2 Notre Dame vs. Navy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Fighting Irish	7	3	21	21	52
Midshipmen	0	10	7	14	31

• Date: November 3
• Location: Giants Stadium
• Game attendance: 70,382

Scoring summary

Q1		ND	Bettis 1 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 7–0
Q2		NAVY	Pace 1 yard run (Schenk kick)	Tie 7–7
Q2		ND	Hentrich 31 yard field goal	ND 10–7
Q2		NAVY	Schenk 27 yard field goal	Tie 10–10
Q3		ND	Culver 7 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 17–10
Q3		ND	Watters 2 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 24–10
Q3		ND	Mirer 30 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 31–10
Q3		NAVY	Grizzard 6 yard run (Schenk kick)	ND 31–17
Q4		ND	Brooks 3 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 38–17
Q4		NAVY	Berghutt 19 yard pass from Grizzard (Schenk kick)	ND 38–24
Q4		ND	Ismail 54 yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick)	ND 45–24
Q4		NAVY	Mason 7 yard pass from Grizzard (Schenk kick)	ND 45–31
Q4		ND	Lyght 53 yard kickoff return (Hentrich kick)	ND 52–31

Tennessee

#1 Notre Dame at #9 Tennessee

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Fighting Irish	7	3	7	17	34
Volunteers	6	0	14	9	29

• Date: November 10
• Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN
• Game start: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Referee: Jimmy Harper
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Tim Brant

• Source: [3]

Scoring summary

1		TEN	Burke 46 yard field goal	TEN 3-0
1		ND	Culver 59 yard pass from Mirer (Hentrich kick)	ND 7-3
1		TEN	Burke 22 yard field goal	ND 7-6
2		ND	Hentrich 26 yard field goal	ND 10-6
3		TEN	Thompson 10 yard run (Burke kick)	TEN 13-10
3		ND	Watters 68 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 17-13
3		TEN	Harper 32 yard pass from Kelly (Burke kick)	TEN 20-17
4		ND	Hentrich 20 yard field goal	Tied 20-20
4		TEN	Burke 45 yard field goal	TEN 23-20
4		ND	Watters 10 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 27-23
4		ND	Ismail 44 yard run (Hentrich kick)	ND 34-23
4		TEN	Harper 23 yard pass from Kelly (pass failed)	ND 34-29

The Irish traveled to Knoxville and pulled off a thrilling 34–29 victory over the 9th-ranked Tennessee Vols. The Irish built a 4th quarter lead and held off a furious late comeback by Tennessee.

Penn State

USC

Colorado (Orange Bowl)

#5 Notre Dame vs. #1 Colorado

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Irish	0	6	3	0	9
• Buffaloes	0	3	7	0	10

• Date: January 1
• Location: Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
• Game attendance: 77,062
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh

  

Scoring summary

Q2		CU	Jim Harper 22-yard field goal	CU 3–0
	7:32	ND	Ricky Watters 2-yard run (PAT blocked)	ND 6–3
Q3		ND	Craig Hentrich 24-yard field goal	ND 9–3
		CU	Eric Bieniemy 1-yard run (Harper kick)	'CU 10–9

Notre Dame lost a heartbreaker to top-ranked Colorado in the Orange Bowl, 10–9. The Irish were undone by three third-quarter turnovers and a controversial penalty flag that negated a late punt return touchdown by Ismail. Colorado would go on to win a share of the national championship.

Roster

1990 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class FB 6 Jerome Bettis Fr RB 40 Tony Brooks Jr TE 86 Derek Brown Jr RB 5 Rodney Culver Jr WR 87 Lake Dawson Fr WR 25 Raghib Ismail Sr WR 10 Adrian Jarrell So OT 65 Lindsay Knapp Jr RB 4 Dorsey Levens So TE 80 Oscar McBride Fr OT 76 Gene McGuire Jr QB 3 Rick Mirer So G 52 Tim Ryan Sr WR 12 Ricky Watters Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 9 Jeff Burris Fr CB 32 Willie Clark Fr CB 29 John Covington Fr DT 93 Bob Dahl Sr LB 31 Demetrius DuBose So LB 42 Michael Stonebreaker Jr CB 1 Todd Lyght Sr LB 89 Karmeeleyah McGill So LB 46 Brian Ratigan So CB 21 Rod Smith Jr DT 97 Bryant Young Fr DT 50 Chris Zorich Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K, P 28 Craig Hentrich So P 16 Jim Sexton Sr	Head coach Lou Holtz Coordinators/assistant coaches Gary Darnell (Defensive coordinator) Skip Holtz (Wide receivers) Robert McFarland (Graduate assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Awards and honors

• Raghib Ismail finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
• Raghib Ismail, Walter Camp Award
• Chris Zorich: Lombardi Award

Team players drafted into the NFL

• Despite being drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League signed Raghib Ismail to a four-year contract worth 18 million dollars in April 1991. The Ismail signing included four million dollars upfront.