Orange Bowl
1975
Notre Dame 13
Alabama 11
1975 ORANGE BOWL- MIAMI- Alabama and Notre Dame locked horns again.
Although the stakes weren't as high (only Alabama was ranked number one,
undefeated and looking for a national championship), the atmosphere was
just as electric and frenzied as the 1973 Sugar Bowl. And this game was
to be Ara Parseghian's last as head coach at Notre Dame. After 11
successful seasons and two national championships, he was hanging up his
coach’s playbook.
The Fighting Irish, though decided underdogs with their 9-2 ledger,
gave Parseghian a proper going-away present, a 13-11 victory that denied
the Tide the national title for the second straight year and gave
Alabama and coach Paul ‘‘Bear’’ Bryant its eighth consecutive non-win in
bowl competition.
Notre Dame staked itself to a 13-0 lead midway through the opening
half and withstood the Tide’s offensive thrust until the final gun
sounded. The Irish got their first touchdown in the opening period.
Alabama fumbled a Tony Brantley punt and Al Samuel recovered the ball at
the Tide’s 16-yard line. Three plays later Notre Dame faced a
fourth-and-one call at the seven. Wayne Bullock powered his way over the
left side for three yards and a crucial first down. On the next play, he
slithered into the end zone on a four-yard jaunt for the first Irish
score. Dave Reeve added the extra point.
With 50 seconds left in the first quarter, the Notre Dame offense
took control at its own 23-yard line and quarterback Tom Clements
engineered another scoring drive - this one encompassing 77 yards in 17
plays and taking 7:21 off the clock. The Irish attempted only one pass
in the march, a nine-yard completion to Mark McLane. The running game
featured McLane and Samuel working the sweeps and Bullock picking up his
yardage up the middle. The drive almost stalled at the Alabama 28-yard
line when the Irish faced a fourth-and four situation. But an offsides
call on the Tide on the Irish field-goal attempt gave Notre Dame new
life. The Irish made the most of that resurrection, as McLane took a
pitchout and ran 12 yards. Two plays later he twisted loose from the
Alabama defense and went nine yards for the score. Reeve’s kick was off
the mark and Notre Dame had to settle for a 13-0 lead.
The Irish fumbled on their next possession and gave the Tide the
football on the Notre Dame 40-yard line. Alabama’s game plan was to go
to the air, and quarterback Richard Todd hit Ozzie Newsome for 11 yards
and Jerry Brown for 12 yards to help the Tide move to the Notre Dame
eight-yard mark. But the Irish defense dug in, and Alabama could manage
only a 21-yard field goal by Danny Ridgeway.
After a scoreless third quarter in which the Irish held Alabama to
just three first downs, all by passing, Notre Dame took over at its own
eight. The offense, dormant since the second quarter, surged to life.
Samuel picked up 20 yards on a pair of sweeps to get the Irish out of
the hole. But the Tide stopped a fourth-down try and immediately went to
work.
Again, Alabama, which had averaged only 11 passes a game during the
season, went to the air. Todd carried the Tide to the Irish 12-yard line
but then delivered an interception to John Dubenetzky, who returned the
ball 16 yards to the 26. The Irish couldn’t put together a sustained
drive and turned the ball over to Alabama with 4:29 left. On fourth down
and five yards to go, Todd let loose a 48-yard touchdown pass to Russ
Schamun. The Tide added two points on a conversion pass from Todd to
George Pugh.
Alabama got the ball back with just under two minutes remaining.
Needing only a field goal to avenge the 24-23 loss in the ’73 Sugar
Bowl, Todd tossed to Schamun for a 16- yard gain and to Randy Billinsley
for an eight-yard reception. But Reggie Barnett intercepted Todd’s next
throw and sealed the verdict in favor of the Irish.
It proved to be a fitting finale for Parseghian, who downplayed the
emotional impact of his last game as Irish head coach.
“I told the players before the game that I’d like to win this last
one,’’ he said. ‘‘But I told them they didn’t owe me anything. They owed
it to themselves, and they won it that way. We won as a team and we lost
as a team. That’s the way I told them to look at the game.’’
Ara Parseghian went out a winner (video). Notre Dame wouldn’t have had it any other way.
John Dubenetsky picks off a Richard Todd pass inside the 15 yard line to stop a late Bama drive.
Goodbye, Ara.
Attendance- 71,801
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
ND- Bullock 4 run (Reeve kick)
Second Quarter
ND- McLane 9 run (kick failed)
ALA- FG Ridgeway 21
Fourth Quarter
ALA- Schamun pass 48 from Todd (Pugh PAT pass from Todd)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UA- Culliver 11-60, Shelby 5-25
ND- Bullock 24-83, Samuel 10-39, McLane 8-30, Clements 11-26
Passing
UA- Todd 13-24-194
ND- Clements 4-7-19
Receiving
UA- Newsome 6-68, Schamun 5-126, Billingsley 3-17
ND- Demmerle 2-12
