Irish Breakdown

31 Years Later: A Look Back at the Epic Notre Dame vs. Florida State Game

Thoughts after rewatching No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Notre Dame as an adult

Nick Shepkowski

unknown date 1993; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Irish head coach Lou Holtz leads his team onto the field during the 1993 season at Notre Dame Stadium.
unknown date 1993; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Irish head coach Lou Holtz leads his team onto the field during the 1993 season at Notre Dame Stadium. / RVR Photos-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame and Florida State take the field against each other this weekend in a game that was supposed to be the biggest at Notre Dame Stadium in 2024.

Instead, it's a Notre Dame team fighting for the College Football Playoff, taking on a Florida State team that is fighting to show competence.

The 7-1 Fighting Irish are more than a three-touchdown favorite in the game as the Seminoles are 1-7 and haven't scored more than 16 points on American soil this fall.

With the lack of big game buzz surrounding this game, I decided to go back and rewatch the game that I'm fairly sure got me to fall in love with college football back in 1993.

Regardless of your age, you're likely familiar with how it went. Notre Dame was undefeated and ranked No. 2, hosting an unbeaten Florida State squad late in November.

I had some free time this week and decided to sit and watch the entire broadcast, commercials included, to a video that is posted on YouTube. Here is where my mind went over those roughly three-and-a-half hours.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State 1993 Game of the Century: Pregame

The "Main Street" open just isn't done in any sporting event anymore. Not that there aren't advertisements all over this telecast, but today you'll never see a major network spend roughly three minutes setting the stage in such a classic form without getting numerous sponsors mentioned in there.

I forgot about Florida State showing up to Notre Dame Stadium in green and yellow FSU hats. That team certainly didn't lack any swagger.

Lou Holtz just oozes confidence. "If we play well we're going to win" he says during the pregame. Not "should" or "could" but will.

OJ Simpson says he watched Florida State's star kicker during pregame and that he missed his last nine field goal attempts. I wonder what else OJ saw happening in the future that afternoon.

Bobby Bowden refers to Rudy as a "picture show" in his sit-down interview with Bob Costas. I didn't realize Bowden was 85-years old in 1993.

Charlie Jones on the call gives Notre Dame football a clear big-game feel on NBC. If only that remained the case through the years.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State 1993 Game of the Century: 1st Quarter

I entirely forgot about Notre Dame coming out of the locker room early to be there when Florida State ran out of the tunnel. Holtz letting them do that brings back memories of the "Save Jimmy Johnson's *** for me!" upon seeing that.

Notre Dame Stadium has never been half as loud as it was this day since expanding the seating.

First two plays of the game sees Derrick Brooks make two tackles within a yard of the line of scrimmage for Florida State. Playing like a future Hall of Famer early on.

Ray Zellers drops a third down pass that would have been an easy first down on the opening drive for Notre Dame.

United States Postal Service ads are all over this thing. Did you know priority shipping was just $2.90 in 1993? It starts at $7.70 in case you were wondering.

Matt Frier would have played a decade in the NFL if Tom Brady was throwing him passes.

Charlie Ward breaks free for two runs of a combined 34 yards on the opening drive before Florida State takes a 7-0 lead. Will Notre Dame's defensive line show up today?

Notre Dame throws a little bit to open up the run in the second drive which ends in an Adrian Jarrell touchdown run on a reverse. Derrick Brooks a rare mess-up over pursuing that and letting Jarrell get free.

Charlie Jones tells the story of Florida State offensive lineman Jesus Hernandez escaping Cuba by raft to get to Key West. He talks about Hernandez sitting on his mom's lap in the raft as non-chalantly as he may have sat on her lap on a city bus.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State 1993 Game of the Century: 2nd Quarter

Bobby Bowden was always into trick plays but was extra itchy with them early in this one. Can't help but think that made Florida State feel like it wasn't good enough to win straight up, as Lou Holtz used to always say.

The pass to set up the run thing really worked. By Notre Dame's third possession they are absolutely beating the daylights out of Florida State up front.

Derrick Brooks changing his shoes every other possession in the first half is quite the thing. Would love to see how many plays he missed with this and just how many yards Notre Dame picked up with him on the sidelines.

As good as Brooks has been when he's on the field, Bryant Young has been just as dominant for Notre Dame. I might be crazy but these guys both look like they could end up in Canton one day.

Jeff Burris just dropped an easy interception. If I remember right that happens at least twice more in this.

Now Lake Dawson is dropping wide open passes that are keeping points off the scoreboard.

Jeff Burris isn't dropping handoffs. Goal line specialist back puts the Irish up 21-7 late in the second quarter.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State 1993 Game of the Century: Halftime and 3rd Quarter

Halftime and Notre Dame leads 21-7. Feels like it should be more like 31-7 based on how things went. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad.

Wind was a massive factor in this game as the first half already showed. Why did Lou opt to take the wind out of halftime and allow Florida State to have it for the fourth?

NBC broadcast spends a minute discussing Notre Dame offensive play caller Skip Holtz and nepotism. Oh, if this outlet could only see itself three decades later.

Drop counter update: Jeff Burris 3 (interceptions), Lake Dawson 2 (huge first downs).
Point differential off of those five: Significant

Lake Dawson drop with Notre Dame up 21-7 felt deflating. At worst it would have ended inside the Florida State 10, but there is a good chance he scores a touchdown on it. Instead the Scott Pendergast field goal feels like a loss immediately after even though the Irish go up by 17.

Why did NBC keep showing the Florida State kicker? I get he was on Sports Illustrated but he missed one kick from 54-yards out this day. He had to have been in the top five people in terms of camera time this afternoon.

Warrick Dunn gets his first touch almost halfway through the third quarter with Florida State trailing by 17. First touch goes for a big gain, second one ends up in the end zone.

Notre Dame play calling entirely took its foot off the gas after going up by 17. Even after Florida State gets it within 10, it's like the Irish are just trying to grind out clock and not work in the pass at all, even though passing to set up the run is how the offensive got going early.

Jeff Burris just dropped a would-be interception number four. Florida State cashes in for a field goal moments later. Down to a 24-17 Irish lead.

I swear every commercial break NBC plays a promo for Backdraft that is airing on Sunday night. This station has long been fascinated by the Chicago fire department.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State 1993 Game of the Century: 4th Quarter

Notre Dame finally comes out throwing and what do you know - offense starts moving the ball again.

Two of Notre Dame's biggest scapegoats had this game gone poorly are also two of its biggest heroes. Lake Dawson makes a huge third down to catch to keep a fourth quarter drive alive. Moments later Jeff Burris runs in his second touchdown of the day to make it 31-17.

Notre Dame defense flying around and forces Florida State into a fourth down with 6:22 left. Bobby Bowden opts to punt. I can't start to imagine how badly the analytical minds would rip him if they were around back then. Heck, Todd Christensen on the broadcast does quite the job of the same.

Notre Dame leads 31-17 yet Charlie Jones just spent at least a minute saying how Florida State just needs a touchdown, two-point conversion, and a field goal to tie it. He was in the process of repeating himself a third time when he finally realizes he's wrong.

I'm sure Madonna: The Girlie Show being a part of every-other commercial break during this game absolutely thrilled some of the Notre Dame brass...in more ways than one.

Notre Dame is showing no clue how to burn clock while its still a two score game. Snapping the ball multiple times with the clock running but 10 seconds or so on the play clock. Appear in a hurry to give the ball back to Florida State.

Adrian Jarrell's second to last punt of the game is another case. Its bouncing around and Notre Dame picks it up instead of letting another few seconds roll off.

Florida State never quits in this game but Notre Dame refuses to deliver a knockout punch. One semi-big play at so many times and it isn't interesting in the final moments. Alas...

I entirely forgot about the personal foul on Florida State at the Notre Dame five-yard line following getting stopped on third down. Fourth and goal from the 20 for Florida State and...

Another knockout blow not delivered. Instead, a pass that should have been knocked down is instead deflected right into the hands of a Florida State receiver for the touchdown. Unreal.

Notre Dame 31, Florida State 24 with 2:07 left. Shawn Wooden recovers the ensuing onside kick - a play he'll soon be forgotten for having made.

Notre Dame burns off about a minute of clock before punting back to Ward and Florida State.

In the long history of football there has perhaps never been a worse time to have your worst career punt than Jarrell had in the closing seconds. Five yards and Florida State is in business.

Florida State marches down the field but has own clock management issues. Instead of spiking the ball with 10 seconds left deep in Notre Dame territory it lets the clock run a few seconds before getting the ball deflected with three seconds to play.

Shawn Wooden bats it away and Notre Dame escapes.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State 1993 Game of the Century: Final Thoughts

Watching this game back it is more clear that Notre Dame is the better team but just didn't deliver that knockout blow when it could have.

From the first half where it could have been a three or four score lead for the Irish to dropping potential interceptions and touchdowns as the game went on. Florida State hung around as so much of this game was Notre Dame getting in its own way.

Lou Holtz said before the game that if Notre Dame played well it would win. After watching this knowing the result going in, Notre Dame played well at times and mindlessly at others. If it makes just one or two of these plays and wins by multiple possessions, I'm guessing the voters rank them No. 1 in January instead of Florida State.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

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