The Irish visit Penn State a week after the demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers and are blown out by the Nittany Lions 35-13
By Jim Kuser
1991 Scholastic Football Review
"I told my wife yesterday that this thing could ugly. And it did. It got very, very ugly." - Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz
One week after dropping a heartbreaking 35-34 decision at home to the upstart Tennessee Volunteers; the Notre Dame Fighting Irish traveled to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, to take on the tenacious Penn State Nittany Lions. This game has always been one of great importance and of great interest to those that follow college football because perennially, and particularly throughout the 1980s, the team that wins soars to the top of the polls and the team that loses stumbles to the bottom of the polls. Before Notre Dame lost to Tennessee, this game was received the billings that accompany any game that has national championship implications. But, because Notre Dame lost to Tennessee and fell seven spots in the polls, the national championship implications of this game were washed away. Instead, this game was to be played for pride. New Year’s Day bowl invitations whistled in the wind, but they seemed secondary. What was primary was the show that was to start at 3:30 EST between two of college football perennial powerhouses: the 12th-ranked Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame and the 8th-ranked Nittany Lions of Pennsylvania State University.
“Any time that Notre Dame and Penn State go head-to-head there are going to be hard hits,” said Notre Dame linebacker Demetrius DuBose. “These are two tough teams playing to outdo one another.”
Going into the game, Notre Dame was still seething about a last second loss to Penn State at a year ago and the loss to Tennessee at home a week ago in what was the last home game for the seniors on the 1991 Notre Dame team. A win at Penn State would help soothe these wounds.
Notre Dame sought not to rectify a situation: Notre Dame sought to avenge a situation. Rarely in the long, heralded history of Notre Dame football have the Fighting Irish seen themselves in a losing light. Today was the day to step out from this unaccustomed light However, Penn State had alternative plans in what was the last home game for the seniors on the 1991 Penn State team. The Nittany Lions were not about to allow the Irish to be spoil their party.
With the overall series record of this rivalry tied at 7-7-1, this was the last time that these two teams would tangle at Beaver Stadium for a long time as Penn State prepares to exit the ranks of the Independents and join the Big Ten. And so, here were two traditional powerhouses playing for pride. Here were Notre Dame and Penn State. The Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions; the Blue and the Gold versus the Blue and the White; Lou Holtz and Joe Paterno, two of college football’s most prominent coaches.
There was a record-setting crowd of 96,672 at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium – a crowd pumped and loud as they anxiously awaited what was to be a battle. But on this day, the battle became a blowout as a rumbling Penn State offense and a rambling Penn State defense combined to crush Notre Dame 35-13.
“What happened to Notre Dame?” asked the Fighting Irish faithful. “We fought for a win, but Penn State was too strong today,” answered Holtz after the game. “They are a very, very good football team. Their defense was at its best. Their quarterback Tony Sacca was at his best.”
Sacca’s statistics on the day were a sharp 14-20 passing for 151 yards. He had no interceptions, two touchdowns, and a long of 45 yards. Definitely his most impressive skill was his mobility; although the Penn State offensive line provided protection, Sacca again and again avoided all pursuit.
I was glad to see Tony get it together in this game,” said Sacca’s coach Paterno. “He has shown himself to be a good quarterback, but today he showed himself to be a great quarterback.”
There were many “prime time performers” in this game for the Nitany Lions. Running back Richie Anderson carried the ball 26 times for 136 yards, two touchdowns, and a long of 57 yards. Wide receiver O.J. McDuffie grabbed the ball four times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. The trio of Sacca, Anderson and McDuffie was so effective that Penn State never even attempted a field goal in this game. They marched around the field with the ease of the marching band at halftime.
Study these offensive statistics to see why Penn State was so dominant. In a very un-Notre Dame-like performance, the Irish totaled only 109 yards rushing on 31 attempts to Penn State’s 263 yards rushing. The average gain in the game for the Fighting Irish was 4.2 yards, and the average gain in the game for the Nittany Lions was 5.8 yards. The statistics in the time of possession are just as lopsided. Notre Dame took 21:13 off of the clock while Penn State held the ball for 36:48. But the most telling statistic was turnovers. Notre Dame fumbled away five times to Penn State’s once.
“Their offensive line blew us off of the ball as the game got going,” said Holtz. “Their strength and their speed showed itself.”
As always, Notre Dame tried to rally. This time, the rally started on the Penn State 3-yard line where, on a fourth down and goal-to-go with thirty-two seconds remaining in the first half quarterback Rick Mirer rolled out to his left and fired a ball barely above the raised arms of an open receiver Rodney Culver. The halftime score could have been 21-14, but the miscue left the score at a more daunting 21-7.
Morale was low, and after half-time, Notre Dame did not come close to being competitive.
“We are not the type of team that plays come-from-behind football,” said Holtz. “We would have had a good thing going if we went in at the half down by seven. Instead, we went in down by fourteen, and we fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half. It was disappointing and discouraging.”
But Holtz bounced back at the conclusion of his post-game press conference. “In 1987, we lost 21-20 to Penn State and were then blown out by Miami. In 1991, we lost 35-34 to Tennessee and were then blown out by Penn State,” said Holtz. “But remember what happened the season after 1987 so don’t bury us too quick. I don’t handle losing two in a row well. We still have Hawaii and the bowl game to rectify this thing. 1992 starts today and we will rejuvenate.
“We will be back.”