Notre Dame’s offense struggles in Pittsburgh before Rocket motors to the rescue

By Jim Kuser
1990 Scholastic Football Review

“P-I-T-T. Let’s Go Pitt”shouted a raucous sellout crowd on a cold night at Pitt Stadium. Pittsburgh was a team on the bubble. It had begun the season with high hopes that had turned into elusive expectations. The talent was there but the team chemistry was not One poll had picked the Panthers as high as eighth during the pre-season. This lofty status was instantly eradicated following Pitt’s humiliating 52-10 loss to Oklahoma on national television weeks before its showdown with Notre Dame.

But tonight was different. This was Pitt’s 100th season of football. This was Pitt’s biggest home game, with campus fraternities and sororities preparing for post-game victory parties that would live in lore. This was Notre Dame, a traditional rival because of its proximity and its history of stealing much of Pennsylvania’s top football talent. Said one Pitt undergraduate, “Playing Notre Dame is second only to playing Penn State. The student body is really pumped for this game. It means the world to us and to our schooL”

Pitt has a knack for playing the Irish tough, whether the game is at home or away. In 1987, the Irish marched unbeaten into Pitt and left with a 30-22 defeat. In 1988, it took a little luck and last minute heroism for the Irish to pull out a win in a match played at Pitt. Notre Dame went on to win the national championship. Last year, Pitt was ranked in the top ten by all polls when it came to South Bend for its annual tango with the Irish. Notre Dame embarrassed the Panthers 45-7. It was payback time for all of the things that had been irking Pitt fans and players over the years.

A win against the Irish would salvage the 100th season, putting the icing on the Pitt birthday cake. However, Notre Dame was up for the challenge and blew out Pitt’s birthday candles with a single puff. Who provided this puff? None other than Raghib “Rocket” Ismail.

Although the game was characterized by uncharacteristically sloppy play on the Notre Dame side of the ball, the Irish weathered the storm and prevailed 31-22. Penalties took the life out of already lackluster drives. Panther aggressiveness coupled with the hard artificial turf, took a heavy toll on the Irish, who lost punter Craig Hentrich to a broken thumb and nose guard Chris Zorich to a dislocated knee cap.

“That was the most banged up I have ever seen Notre Dame,” observed a Pitt assistant coach afterward, “and we still could not beat them. This was not a pretty football game.”

The Rocket, whose thigh bruise remained sensitive, played as if he were the healthiest athlete on the field. His 214 all-purpose yards included a 76 yard touchown run in the fourth quarter that sealed the Irish victory. It was the longest run from scrimmage of his career.

More astonishing was that Rocket gained 109 of his career-high 116 rushing yards in the fourth quarter, thereby saving his best for last. Head Coach Lou Holtz was all smiles when it came to commenting on his ace-in-the-hole after the game.

“We really were not moving the ball effectively. Fortunately, Rocket gave us the spark that we needed to win.” Rocket was typically humble after the game. “When you put on that golden helmet, it is do or die. At this time of year, there are only two types of teams: those that are going somewhere, and those that are trying to stop them from going somewhere. We want to go somewhere.”

To their credit, the Panthers proved to be a troublesome opponent for the Irish. Pitt quarterback Alex Van Pelt took advantage of good pass protection against a depleted Irish pass rush (Andre Jones did not make the trip due to a thigh injury from the previous week against Miami and Zorich was knocked out of the game) to throw for 384 yards on 37 completions. Van Pelt’s success through the air confirmed what a Pitt assistant coach had believed to be a vicious rumor.

“I was told that if you are going to move the ball on Notre Dame, you have to throw. I guess that is true.” Notre Dame linebacker Donn Grimm was discouraged by Van Pelt’s exploitation of the Irish secondary. “I was getting frustrated because Alex was hitting his passes all over the field. His completion percentage is probably above 100. We really did not play with the intensity that we should have.”

In spite of what the players might have thought, Holtz was relatively pleased with the defensive effort. “Our defense carried the team for 50 minutes. It was the last ten minutes that hurt us.” Indeed those ten minutes, when the Notre Dame lead was narrowed from 17 to nine, were cruel to the Irish. Although Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer did not post good numbers, (five completions on 16 attempts and one interception), Holtz was very happy with the poise shown by the sophomore. He; showed signs, for the first time as a starter, of overcoming the adversity of an off night in order to lead his team to victory.

“Rick proved tonight why he is our starter,” said Holtz afterward. “He was out of rhythm physically but he had his head in the game. The effort was there. When he threw his interception, he was the guy who made the tackle down field. He is a tough kid with a bright future as long as he keeps that positive frame of mind.”

Mirer was surprised by Holtz’s kudos. “I did not do anything to help us win. Sure, I made that tackle on the interception but that was it. The other guys carried me.” Perhaps one reason for Mirer’s off night was that those “other guys,” namely his offensive linemen, were weary from the previous week’s showdown with Miami.

The Miami game battered many of the trenchmen, who had to face the likes of Russell Maryland and Maurice Crumm. It was demanding to expect brilliant pass protection the week after the Miami game. Consequently, Mirer had a lot of hurried throws that were off the mark. Call it sloppy, filled with penalties. Call it another manifestation of Rocket’s dominance. Call it Mirer’s coming of age. Call it what you will. The important thing is that it was a “W” in the record books, and any “W” against Pitt is something the Irish can never take lightly.

Besides, it is always nice to crash a birthday party and come away with cake.