1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
National champion (Matthews, NCF)
Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 24–21 vs. Texas A&M
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record11–1
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSkip Holtz (2nd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorRick Minter (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
MVPJeff Burris
Captains
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
1993 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Notre Dame – 11–1–0
No. 24 Louisville – 9–3–0
Cincinnati – 8–3–0
Army – 6–5–0
Memphis State – 6–5–0
Tulsa – 4–6–1
Navy – 4–7–0
Tulane – 3–9–0
Southern Miss – 2–8–1
East Carolina – 2–9–0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eighth year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Irish compiled an 11–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 403 to 194, and were ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UPI polls. They were selected as the national champion by the National Championship Foundation. During the regular season, they defeated No. 3 Michigan and No. 1 Florida State, but lost to No. 17 Boston College. They concluded the season with a victory over No. 7 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Florida State was ranked No. 1 in the final AP and UPI polls despite having lost to Notre Dame.[1][2]

Offensive tackle Aaron Taylor and defensive back Jeff Burris were consensus first-team picks on the 1993 All-America college football team.[3] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Kevin McDougal (1,541 passing yards), tailback Lee Becton (1,044 rushing yards), split end Derrick Mayes (24 receptions for 512 yards), kicker Kevin Pendergast (87 points scored), and linebacker Justin Goheen (92 tackles).[4][5]

The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 22:30 p.m.NorthwesternNo. 7
NBCW 27–1259,075
September 1112:00 p.m.at No. 3 MichiganNo. 11
ABCW 27–23106,851[6]
September 182:30 p.m.Michigan StateNo. 4
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 36–1459,075
September 253:30 p.m.at PurdueNo. 4
ABCW 17–067,861
October 23:30 p.m.at StanfordNo. 4
ABCW 48–2080,300
October 92:30 p.m.PittsburghNo. 4
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 44–059,075
October 167:30 p.m.at BYUNo. 3
ESPNW 45–2066,247
October 232:30 p.m.USCNo. 2
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
NBCW 31–1359,075
October 3012:00 p.m.vs. NavyNo. 2
ABCW 58–2761,813
November 132:30 p.m.No. 1 Florida StateNo. 2
NBCW 31–2459,075
November 201:30 p.m.No. 17 Boston CollegeNo. 1
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (Holy War)
NBCL 39–4159,075
January 1, 19944:30 p.m.vs. No. 7 Texas A&MNo. 4
NBCW 24–2169,855

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP77114444322221 (62)4 (1)54 (1)2 (12)
Coaches6 (1)6105444 (1)3 (2)2 (3)2 (3)2 (2)2 (2)1 (60)4 (1)4 (1)4 (1)2 (25)

Season summary

The 1993 season opened with tempered expectations for the Irish following the loss of four first-round NFL draft picks, among them quarterback Rick Mirer and running back Jerome Bettis. Notre Dame entered the year ranked seventh in the AP preseason poll.

The team also suffered a major setback when Ron Powlus, a highly touted freshman quarterback and the nation's top high school recruit, was lost to injury during the final preseason intrasquad scrimmage. “There was a strong chance he would be No. 1,” Holtz said, but with Powlus sidelined, he named Kevin McDougal the starter for Notre Dame's 1993 season opener.[7]

On November 13, Notre Dame played Florida State in a matchup of unbeatens, with the two ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP poll. The Irish won the game, 31–24, to put themselves in position to lock up a chance to play for the national championship [8] with a win over Boston College in their final game. However, the Eagles kicked a field goal as time expired to secure the upset, winning 41–39. Although both the Irish and the Seminoles had one loss, and Notre Dame won the head‑to‑head meeting, it was Florida State that was selected to face Big 8 champion Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Irish would settle for a Cotton Bowl bid, where they defeated Texas A&M.

Game summaries

Northwestern

Team 1 234Total
Northwestern 0 660 12
• Notre Dame 7 01010 27
    Scoring summary
    1NDBercich 21 yard interception return (Pendergast kick)ND 7-0
    2NWLundy 6 yard pass from Williams (kick failed)ND 7-6
    3NWLundy 11 yard run (pass failed)NW 12-7
    3NDZellers 6 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 14-12
    3NDPendergast 29 yard field goalND 17-12
    3NDPendergast 27 yard field goalND 20-12
    3NDBurris 2 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 27-12

    Michigan

    Team 1 234Total
    • Notre Dame 10 1430 27
    Michigan 3 7013 23
      Scoring summary
      1NDMcDougal 43 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 7-0
      1MichElezovic 32 yard field goalND 7-3
      1NDPendergast 24 yard field goalND 10-3
      2NDM. Miller 56 yard punt return (Pendergast kick)ND 17-3
      2MichWheatley 1 yard run (Elezovic kick)ND 17-10
      2NDMcDougal 11 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 24-10
      3NDPendergast 19 yard field goalND 27-10
      4MichWheatley 4 yard run (Elezovic kick)ND 27-17
      4MichHayes 13 pass from Collins (Collins pass failed)ND 27-23

      [9]

      Michigan State

      Team 1 234Total
      Michigan St 7 007 14
      • Notre Dame 0 16137 36
      • Source:
      Scoring summary
      1MSUThomas 1 yard run (Stoyanovich kick)MSU 7-0
      2NDFarmer 1 yard (kick failed)MSU 7-6
      2NDPendergast 26 yard field goalND 9-7
      2NDZellers 4 yard pass from McDougal (Pendergast kick)ND 16-7
      3NDPendergast 23 yard field goalND 19-7
      3NDPendergast 31 yard field goalND 22-7
      3NDEdwards 1 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 29-7
      4NDBecton 12 yard pass from McDougal (Pendergast kick)ND 36-7
      4MSUColeman 5 yard pass from Miller (Stoyanovich kick)ND 36-14

      Purdue

      Stanford

      Pittsburgh

      Team 1 234Total
      Pittsburgh 0 000 0
      • Notre Dame 7 61021 44
      • Date: October 9
      • Location: Notre Dame Stadium
      Scoring summary
      Q1NDBecton 8 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 7–0
      Q2NDZellars 19 yard run (kick failed)ND 13–0
      Q3NDPendergast 27 yard field goalND 16–0
      Q3NDZellars 11 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 23–0
      Q4NDKinder 31 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 30–0
      Q4NDFarmer 3 yard run (Marsh kick)ND 37–0
      Q4NDBurris 60 yard punt return (Schroffner kick)ND 44–0

      [10]

      BYU

      USC

      Team 1 234Total
      USC 0 706 13
      • Notre Dame 14 1430 31
      Scoring summary
      1NDBecton 70 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 7-0
      1NDEdwards 2 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 14-0
      2NDBurris 4 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 21-0
      2USCStrother 13 yard pass from Johnson (Salmon kick)ND 21-7
      2NDZellars 29 yard pass from Failla (Pendergast kick)ND 28-7
      3NDPendergast 43 yard field goalND 31-7
      4USCMcWilliams 8 yard pass from Johnson (pass failed)ND 31-13

      [11]

      Team 1 234Total
      • Notre Dame 3 142120 58
      Navy 10 1430 27
      Scoring summary
      1NAVYBucchianeri 38 yard field goalNAVY 3-0
      1NDPendergast 32 yard field goalTied 3-3
      1NAVYDixon 31 yard pass from Kubiak (Bucchianeri kick)NAVY 10-3
      2NDEdwards 3 yard run (Pendergast kick)Tied 10-10
      2NAVYStramanak 1 yard run (Bucchianeri kick)NAVY 17-10
      2NDEdwards 10 yard run (Pendergast kick)Tied 17-17
      2NAVYScreen 53 yard pass from Kubiak (Bucchianeri kick)NAVY 24-17
      3NDDawson 44 hard pass from McDougal (Pendergast kick)Tied 24-24
      3NDKinder 70 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 31-24
      3NDFarmer 9 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 38-24
      3NAVYBucchianeri 34 yard field goalND 38-27
      4NDBurns 3 yard run (Pendergast kick)ND 45-27
      4NDEdwards 1 yard run (kick failed)ND 51-27
      4NDTaylor 31 yard interception return (Pendergast kick)ND 58-27

      [12]

      Florida State

      Team 1 234Total
      Florida State 7 0710 24
      • Notre Dame 7 1437 31

      The #2 Fighting Irish prevailed over the #1 Florida State Seminoles as ESPN's College GameDay made its first campus visit.

      Boston College

      Team 1 234Total
      • Boston College 10 14710 41
      Notre Dame 0 14322 39
      Scoring summary
      18:02BCDavid Gordon 28 yard field goalBC 3-0
      1BCIvan Boyd 5 yard pass from Glenn Foley (Gordon kick)BC 10-0
      211:58NDRay Zellars 39 yard pass from Kevin McDougal (Pendergast kick)BC 10-7
      2BCIvan Boyd 35 yard pass from Glenn Foley (Gordon kick)BC 17-7
      25:52ND#9 1 yard run (Pendergast kick)BC 17-14
      20:21BCPete Mitchell 3 yard pass from Glenn Foley (Gordon kick)BC 24-14
      311:24BCDarnell Campbell 22 yard run (Gordon kick)BC 31-14
      33:20NDPendergast 29 yard field goalBC 31-17
      411:13BCPete Mitchell 2 yard pass from Glenn Foley (Gordon kick)BC 38-17
      410:12NDLee Becton 29 yard run (Becton pass to McDougal)BC 38-25
      44:02NDRay Zellars 4 yard run (Pendergast kick)BC 38-32
      41:09NDDawson 4 yard pass from McDougal (Pendergast kick)ND 39-38
      40:00BCDavid Gordon 41 yard field goalBC 41-39

      Texas A&M

      Roster

      1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
      Players Coaches
      Offense
      Pos.#NameClass
      TE 98 Pete Chryplewicz So
      RB 37 Travis Davis Jr
      WR 87 Lake Dawson Sr
      WR 1 Derrick Mayes So
      FB 30 Marc Edwards Fr
      QB 8 Paul Failla Jr
      RB 25 Randy Kinder Fr
      TE 80 Oscar McBride Sr
      QB 15 Kevin McDougal Sr
      C 61 Tim Ruddy Sr
      OT 75 Aaron Taylor Sr
      RB 34 Ray Zellars Jr
      C 77 Dusty Zeigler So
      		 Defense
      Pos.#NameClass
      LB 47 Pete Bercich Sr
      S 9 Jeff Burris Sr
      CB 32 Willie Clark Sr
      CB 29 John Covington Sr
      DT 44 Jim Flanigan Sr
      DT 55 Oliver Gibson Sr
      DT 93 Paul Grasmanis So
      CB 34 Brian Meter Sr
      LB 49 Tony Peterson Sr
      CB 21 Bobby Taylor So
      CB 22 Shawn Wooden So
      DE 48 Renaldo Wynn So
      DE 97 Bryant Young Sr
      		 Special teams
      Pos.#NameClass
      K, P 26 Rob Leonard Sr
      K 28 Drew Marsh Sr
      Head coach
      Coordinators/assistant coaches
      Legend
      • (C) Team captain
      • (S) Suspended
      • (I) Ineligible
      • Injured Injured
      • Redshirt Redshirt

      Awards and honors

      Offensive tackle Aaron Taylor won the Lombardi Award as the best college football lineman.[13] He was also a consensus first-team pick on the 1993 All-America college football team.[3]

      Free safety Jeff Burris was a consensus first-team All-American.[3] He was also selected as the ABC Sports Defensive Player of the Year and was selected by his teammates as Notre Dame's most valuable player.[13]

      Cornerback Bobby Taylor was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and received first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America and the Newspaper Enterprise Association.[13]

      Center Tim Ruddy received first-team All-America honors from College & Pro Football Newsweekly. He also received second-team honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), and Football News. Ruddy also received Academic All-America honors.[13]

      Defensive tackle Bryant Young was selected as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. He also received second-team honors from the AP, UPI, and Football News.[13]

      1994 NFL draft

      The following Notre Dame players were selected in the 1994 NFL draft.

      Player Position Round Pick NFL club
      Bryant YoungDefensive tackle17San Francisco 49ers
      Aaron TaylorTackle116Green Bay Packers
      Jeff BurrisCornerback127Buffalo Bills
      Tim RuddyCenter265Miami Dolphins
      Jim FlaniganDefensive tackle374Chicago Bears
      Willie ClarkCornerback382San Diego Chargers
      Lake DawsonWide Receiver392Kansas City Chiefs
      John CovingtonSafety5133Indianapolis Colts
      Tony PetersonLinebacker5153San Francisco 49ers
      Pete BercichLinebacker7211Minnesota Vikings

      References

      1. ↑ "1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
      2. ↑ "1993 Football Review" (PDF). The Notre Dame Scholastic – via Notre Dame Archives.
      3. 1 2 3 "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 14. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
      4. ↑ "1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
      5. ↑ 1993 Football Review, p. 40.
      6. ↑ Angelique S. Chengelis (September 12, 1993). "U-M season under siege". The Detroit News. pp. 1E, 6E – via Newspapers.com.
      7. ↑ "Injury Drops Powlus For Loss A Broken Collarbone Puts The Berwick Native, Who Was Vying For Starting Quarterback At Notre Dame, Out For At Least Two Months And Possibly". Times Leader. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
      8. ↑ Fighting Irish Win Game of the Century The Tech (MIT newspaper) Mike Duffy and Andrew Heitner. Volume 113, Issue 59 : Friday, November 19, 1993
      9. ↑ Blue & Gold Illustrated 1994 Notre Dame Football Preview
      10. ↑ Gainesville Sun. 1993 Oct 10. Retrieved 2018-Oct-28.
      11. ↑ Gainesville Sun. 1993 Oct 24.
      12. ↑ Gainesville Sun. 1993 Oct 31.
      13. 1 2 3 4 5 1993 Football Review, pp. 36-37.
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