September 5, 1996
Notre Dame at Vanderbilt Final Stats
By Jeremy Dixon, The Scholastic 1996 Football Review
Yogi Berra once said, “It’s like deja vu all over again.”
Notre Dame football fans had that same feeling on September 5 in downtown Nashville. After last year’s disastrous opening against Northwestern, the Irish were looking to make quick work of Vanderbilt and finally put last year behind them. But victory wishes and national championship dreams nearly turned into nightmares as the Irish escaped with only a 14-7 victory.
Disaster loomed as close as the rains from Hurricane Fran that threatened the Nashville skies all day and night. Despite complete domination on the defensive side of the ball and more than 400 yards of total offense, the Irish simply could not put Vanderbilt away.
From the opening possession, the offense showed an inability to hold on to the football. Tailback Robert Farmer made the mistake of fumbling on Notre Dame’s fourth play from scrimmage and landed in Lou Holtz’s doghouse, not seeing the field again until the second quarter.
Fortunately, the Commodores did not want the ball either. Taking over at the Notre Dame 43 after the fumble, quarterback Damian Allen tried to test the Irish secondary deep, only to throw the ball into the hands of safety Jarvis Edison, who returned it to the 33 before fumbling. But this one was picked up by Lyron Cobbins to retain possession for the Irish.
After driving to the Vandy 20, the Irish offense stalled. Ron Powlus was ineffective early, completing just three of eight in the first quarter and often seeming to pass to the fans in the first row. He missed a wide-open Pete Chryplewicz for a sure touchdown on third down, bringing Scott Cengia on for a 37-yard field goal attempt that went wide right. Cengia found a spot on the bench next to Farmer, and he didn’t see the field again that day.
The defense kept the Irish in the game, allowing Vandy only two first downs in the first quarter and forcing two turnovers, the second one as time ran out in the first quarter. Kinnon Tatum forced running back Jason Dunnavant to fumble, giving the Irish the ball at the Vanderbilt 43. The Irish offense again failed to capitalize on the Vanderbilt mistake. They moved to the 32 before a questionable intentional grounding penalty on Powlus pushed the Irish back to midfield, where the drive sputtered.
The rest of the second quarter was a showcase of either powerful defense or inept offense as both teams swapped possessions like kids trade candy the day after Halloween. The Irish offense could find no rhythm. Midway through the second quarter, Powlus completed a 22-yard pass to Malcolm Johnson to start an Irish drive. Two plays later, it was Mark Edwards who coughed up the ball on Notre Dame’s 36-yard line, giving the Commodores a prime opportunity to score.
Once again, the defense saved the day for the Irish as Melvin Dansby and Kory Minor sacked Allen on first down. The play was followed by a one-yard pass and a short run that brought punter Bill Marinangel onto the field again. A pooch punt forced Notre Dame to start at its own 3-yard line with just over four minutes left in the half.
PowIus orchestrated a strong drive for the Irish, utilizing the screen pass to perfection. The key play was a screen to Edwards, who rambled 23 yards to move Notre Dame into field-goal range at the Vanderbilt 23. But the Vandy defense made a stand, forcing Powlus into two bad passes and a short completion.
To the surprise of Irish fan, it was not Cengia who trotted out to try the field goal, but freshman Jim Sanson. Irish fans found an answer to their prayers in the form of a kicker. Not only did Sanson nail the field goal, but he also booted the ensuing kickoff six yards deep in the end zone, a feat the Irish had not accomplished in recent memory.
Receiving the second-half kickoff, Notre Dame looked to capitalize on any momentum it may have gained before the break. The Commodores kicked the ball out of bounds, giving the Irish good field position at their own 35. Holtz came out looking to establish the running game and his troops responded. Edwards, Farmer and Powlus moved the ball upfield behind the offensive line, averaging around five yards a run.
Once again however, the backs could not hold on to the ball. Edwards lost the ball again, but it took an Irish bounce off the artificial turf into the hands of Powlus, who picked up the first down. Not to be outdone, Farmer fumbled on the next play. Thanks to another lucky bounce, he recovered it to retain possession. But now the offense was out of sync and had to settle for another Sanson field goal, this one from 32 yards.
“I think Jim Sanson did an excellent job,” Holtz said. “He kicked much better in the game than he did in practice.”
After the Commodores went three and out, the offense took the field again and began its second drive of the half. After not throwing a pass on the previous drive, Powlus began with a 10-yard toss to Edwards. Consistently moving the ball upfield with an impressive mix of pass and run, the Irish finally looked to be on their way to their first touchdown of the year.
Not so fast, however, as Farmer fumbled the ball for the third time on the Vanderbilt 33-yard line to kill the drive. The quarter ended with both teams trading possessions, and it looked more like a game of hot potato than football.
After another Vanderbilt punt, Notre Dame took the field at its own one-yard line. After two Powlus passes and a Denson run, it seemed appropriate to give the ball to the usually sure-handed Edwards. But for an unprecedented third time in a game, he fumbled, creating a golden opportunity for Vanderbilt to take the lead.
“I’m embarrassed over how I played,” Edwards said. “There’s no excuse for turn ing the ball over. I tried everything I could to lose this game for this team.”
The Vanderbilt offense took over on the 23, but soon was forced back. A holding call and a Dansby sack forced a second-and-40 situation. A short run by Dunnavant set up third-and-a-mile from midfield when disaster struck and the defense made its only mistake of the game. Allen dropped back and lofted a perfect pass to a streaking Todd Yoder, who out-jumped Ivory Covington for the ball and fell into the end zone for six.
“I was so pumped up, I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better than that, with the exception of us winning,” Yoder said. “When I saw the ball go up, I knew I had a shot. Damien made a great throw, and I just went up and got it.”
“I thought I was back at Miami in 1989,” Holtz recalled. “That was a third-and-43 and they made it. But [Yoder] made a great play and they made a great throw.”
Now trailing 7-6, Notre Dame had to prove to itself and its fans that it would not lose the season opener to Northwestern, er, Vanderbilt. For the first time all evening, the offense rose to the occasion. Powlus went 5-for-5 for 61 yards on the winning drive, utilizing all his receivers, including freshman Raki Nelson, who caught his first career pass. When not fading back to pass, Powlus could depend on Denson and Edwards, who guarded the ball with their lives while picking up yardage. There were no mistakes as the Irish converted all three third-down opportunities. Finally, it was Edwards who got the call, hitting pay dirt from three yards out to put the Irish on top. He then added the two-point conversion to complete the scoring.
“We’ve all seen the guy who booted the double-play ball and then comes up and hits a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth,” Holtz said of Edwards. “He’s the hero.”
The Commodores still had life, but the defense again stymied them. On first down from his own 36, Allen found Dunnavant out of the backfield. Racing to midfield, he met safety A’Jani Sanders, who knocked the ball loose. Covington scooped it up and the Irish ran out the clock.
Leaving Vanderbilt Stadium, many Irish fans were shocked and dismayed. How did Notre Dame win despite losing four fumbles? Was this merely first-game jitters or a sign of things to come? Answers to these questions would come soon enough as the Irish prepared for the meat of their schedule – Texas, Ohio State and Washington.