Notre Dame's Lou Holtz Tribute Against Miami Was Better Than Fans Realized

While some certainly try to rival it, no single game is thought of more when one hears the name of a former Notre Dame head football coach, and Lou Holtz is mentioned.

Although Holtz helped guide Notre Dame to a national championship and won several massive games in his 11 years heading the program, one stands out more than any other.

1988: Catholics vs. Convicts.

No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Miami, a thriller that went down to the wire as Notre Dame held onto the massive victory, en route to its most recent national championship.

Because of that, it was no surprise when Notre Dame announced last week that it would be honoring Holtz, who passed away this past spring, during Saturday's game against No. 1 Miami.

How it unfolded showed that even the best-laid plans can be surpassed.

Notre Dame's Official Plans That Honored Holtz

Notre Dame announced last week that it was putting out a Lou Holtz fashion line with Under Armour, where proceeds would go to his Holtz's Heroes Foundation. That was fun and all, and Fighting Irish legend Jerome Bettis showing off some of the gear on College GameDay this past Saturday certainly didn't hurt sales.

Just before kickoff, roughly a score of former captains during Holtz's time at Notre Dame presented the colors for the national anthem, with Ricky Watters, Bryant Young, Marc Edwards, and Chris Zorich being among the several there.

The band also got into the act, dedicating the Alma Mater at halftime to the beloved coach, while mutliple Holtz speeches from over the years played on the video board throughout the contest.

For Lou 💚#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/aw8SU0PEQy
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) November 8, 2026

As great as that all was, the actual game between Notre Dame and Miami couldn't have honored him in any greater of way.

Knocking Off No. 1 Miami

Talking to anyone associated with the Notre Dame football program, and even the bookmakers, the Fighting Irish weren't an underdog of any kind against Miami this time around. The only place Miami was seen as better than Notre Dame overall was in the rankings - as the Hurricanes were No. 1 in both the AP Poll and College Football Playoff rankings.

Best Games #7

Notre Dame vs Miami 1988
“Catholics vs Convicts”

ND took down the #1 ranked Canes inside Notre Dame Stadium. Here is the pivotal play from the game as Miami goes for a 2 point conversion. ND wins 31-30. pic.twitter.com/ueFaF2wtdO
— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) July 18, 2019

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Miami being stopped on a pass to the end zone late - where have we seen that before?

While this Miami team didn't bring in the same type of winning streak, nor was it coming off a national championship like it was in 1988, but it was still a thrilling win over the top-ranked Hurricanes on a night nobody who was there will ever forget.

31-24 Final Score

While the Catholics vs. Convicts battle in 1988 was Holtz's most famous clash, it's nearest rival would be the 1993 "Game of the Century" when No. 2 Notre Dame knocked off No. 1 Florida State.

In terms of how the game played out Saturday night, the 1993 classic is the much better comp.

"We have no obligation to the TV to keep it interesting" is what Holtz famously told his Notre Dame team in the week leading up to the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, and with how that game started, it certainly didn't seem like it'd be interesting.

Leading 24-7 in the third quarter that day, it looked like Notre Dame had that game in the bag, before Florida State came roaring back with a chance to tie it late.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the "We have no obligation to the TV" quote didn't come to mind when Notre Dame went up 24-3 this past Saturday night.

And just like that, in a thrilling win over 30 years ago, the team from Florida again came roaring back.

And again, Notre Dame held on to a 31-24 victory that it had been in control of for the vast majority.

For Notre Dame fans of a certain age, the parralels were simply undeniable.

Notre Dame Gets Boston College Again After Beating No. 1

While the classic wins over Miami and Florida State are what we best remember the Holtz era for, no loss under him at Notre Dame was more heartbreaking than what happened a week after the Irish beat No. 1 Florida State.

An underdog Boston College team came to town and took advantage of a Notre Dame squad that had some trouble refocusing after the massive win a week earlier.

#1 Notre Dame vs. Boston College (1993) pic.twitter.com/O9NsIXf9cc
— College Football Classics (@ClassicsCFB) October 20, 2026

And what do you know, here comes Boston College again.

The last time Notre Dame knocked off No. 1, when it beat Clemson 47-40 in a double-overtime thriller in 2020, it played at Boston College the following week.

For the third time in a row after knocking off No. 1, Notre Dame gets a date with the Eagles this Saturday.

Keep the "LOU" sticker on the helmets, but honor him this week by not letting what happened 33 years ago this November, happen again.

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