Just to demonstrate how really old I am, the introduction to the television show The Lone Ranger was “Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.” Seems appropriate as we anticipate Saturday’s matchup against Notre Dame.

The yesteryear was 1993 and the thrilling day in this case was November 20. The place was South Bend, Indiana.

Actually, we’ll go back a little further to start. November 7, 1992. The Eagles were to play Notre Dame in South Bend (after the first-ever BC-ND game in Foxborough in 1975, BC played three successive games at Notre Dame). The Eagles came into the game ranked #9, with only a 24-24 tie with West Virginia blemishing their 7-0-1 record. Notre Dame was 6-1-1, but ranked #8.

The rivalry was called the “Holy War,” as it included the only two Catholic universities to field Division 1 teams. To give you a hint of the outcome in 1992, that Monday’s Heights carried the headline “Holy War ends with Eagles’ crucifixion.” (Are we getting close to sacrilege there?)

The Irish dominated BC. Only a BC touchdown in the last two minutes prevented a shutout in the 54-7 Notre Dame victory. BC coach Tom Coughlin and many an Eagles fan did not appreciate it when ND coach Lou Holtz, with his team holding a huge lead in the second half, called for a fake punt, which was successful in securing another first down for the Irish.

The Eagles split their final two regular season games to finish 8-2-1, ranked #16, but lost to Tennessee in the Hall of Fame Bowl game.

Back to 1993, the week before the BC game, undefeated and #2 Notre Dame had defeated #1 Florida State and taken the top national ranking. The Eagles that season had slipped a bit, coming into South Bend 8-2, ranked #17.

Just to set the scene. #1 Notre Dame, having just wrecked the Eagles the year before, playing their last game of 1993 at home against an “okay” top 20 Boston College team. What could stop their march to the national championship?

Page one of the November 21, 1993, Boston Globe

Sweet revenge, indeed. It didn’t come easily, either. After running out to a 38-17 lead with 11:13 remaining in the game, BC watched the Irish mount a furious comeback. Notre Dame scored 22 points in the next 10 minutes and led the Eagles 39-38 with 1:01 to go. 

Starting BC’s final drive on the BC 25, quarterback Glenn Foley missed his first two passes. He then hit tight end Pete Mitchell for 12 yards. Two plays later, he passed to Mitchell again for 24 yards. A nine-yard screen to WR Ivan Boyd set up a 41-yard field goal attempt with five seconds left.

David Gordon, BC’s kicker, had been a soccer player at the University of Vermont before transferring to BC and walking on to the team roster as a non-scholarship player. His longest field goal up to that point had been 39 yards. Earlier in the season, he had missed a 40-yard field goal that would have given BC a win over Northwestern. Earlier in this game, he had missed a 40-yard field goal, aiming at the same goalposts.

The Boston Globe account: “The snap was high but Foley was able to grab it out of the air and somehow got it down perfectly. Gordon said he struck it a little bit high, with a little bit too much toe. At first, he said, ‘I thought it was blocked. I like to kick it a little better than that. You could tell by the rotation of the ball that it wasn’t perfect. But I guess it was good enough.'”

Yes, it was. Thousands of BC fans who had attended the game rushed out onto the field, while players milled about, hands on their heads, seeming unable to process what had happened.

Here is the lead up to the last play of the game and the aftermath.

And if you really want to appreciate the game, here is a condensed version of the entire game, but just action, no huddles, etc. (41:15).

The Eagles had put up the most points on Notre Dame since USC had scored 42, 14 years earlier. They outgained the Irish 477-427 in total offense. Foley was 30 of 48 for 315 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Mitchell caught 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

#4 Notre Dame went on to defeat Texas A&M in the 1994 Cotton Bowl. #11 BC lost again in the last game of the regular season to #5 West Virginia, but, ranked #17, beat Virginia in the Blockbuster Bowl to finish 9-3.