The 1988 season finale marked the first meeting between Notre Dame and USC in which the programs were ranked atop the national polls. Traveling to Los Angeles, the #1 Fighting Irish were underdogs against the second-ranked Trojans. Notre Dame sped out of the gate, when quarterback Tony Rice (‘90) raced for a 65-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. Lou Holtz’s team never looked back, and bested its unbeaten rival, 27-10. In this video, Rice and teammate Scott Kowalkowski (‘91) talk about the game that capped off Notre Dame’s perfect regular season.

Tony Rice’s 65-yard touchdown run on the opening drive put the Irish ahead – and they never looked back.