One of the most famous games in the Notre Dame-USC rivalry came in 1977. The Irish warmed up on the field in their regular blues, but they returned for the game wearing green, and they won that game.
Fast forward to the teams’ 1985 meeting. [autotag]Gerry Faust[/autotag] decided to do what predecessor [autotag]Dan Devine[/autotag] did, but he didn’t do it in the same way. Rather, the Irish played the first half in their blues before sporting green for the second half of a 37-3 blowout win. Faust explained his decision-making afterwards:
USC vs Notre Dame (1985)
*the original jersey swap pic.twitter.com/Rft0aMkxmx— College Football Classics (@ClassicsCFB) July 14, 2024
The victory came in the middle of a four-game winning streak, but all it ultimately did was make the Irish’s 5-6 season look better. Faust resigned at the end of the year and was replaced by [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag], who would lead the Irish to their most recent national championship in 1988. It was a reminder that even though a jersey swap might seem cool, people won’t care as much if you’re a so-so team.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89