Notre Dame Football: Throwback Thursday – 1997 vs. LSU
By Andrew Hall
After the departure of legendary Head Coach Lou Holtz, the Notre Dame football team struggled mightily in Bob Davie’s first year. Following an opening day victory against Georgia Tech, the Irish dropped five out of their next six games. With a 2-5 record, Notre Dame’s bowl hopes looked bleak.
Notre Dame needed to win their next five games to qualify for a bowl game. At the time, fewer bowls existed. With less post-season contests in play, only a 7-5 record would allow the Irish a bid.
The Irish won bouts against Boston College (52-20) and Navy (21-17). Next, Notre Dame faced one of the toughest opponents, No. 11 LSU.
Notre Dame vs. No. 11 LSU
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The Fighting Irish traveled to Baton Rouge with a 4-5 record. With a 7-2 record, the Tigers had defeated No. 1 Florida. But, the 1997 tilt between the Irish and Tigers completely went the way of Notre Dame.
From the outset, the Irish dominated LSU. Notre Dame jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on an Autry Denson touchdown run. Before the end of the first quarter, the Fighting Irish lead 17-0 over the Tigers.
Despite being one of the more intimidating venues in College Football, the LSU fans sleepwalked through a daytime contest.
In the third quarter, Notre Dame pushed the lead to 24-0. Eventually, LSU Running Back Kevin Faulk scored late in the fourth quarter. The Tigers failed their two-point conversion to make the score 24-6. The game ended with an 18-point Irish victory.
Rest of the 1997 Season
Notre Dame finished the season with two more victories. The week following their victory over LSU, the Irish defeated No. 22 West Virginia. Notre Dame then tallied their seventh victory with a 23-22 win over Hawaii in Honolulu.
With their seventh win, the Irish earned a bid to play in the Independence Bowl against LSU. The rematch did not go the way the first meeting did. The Irish lost 27-9 and finished the year 7-6.