As Notre Dame fans, we all have those games we never forget—and this is one of them.
We’ve all heard about the “Orange Bowl jinx”… that lingering storyline that seemed to follow the Irish into Miami year after year. But on New Year’s Night in 1990, something felt different. This wasn’t just another bowl game—it was a moment. A chance to prove who they really were after a tough loss to Miami, and to remind the college football world exactly what Notre Dame football is made of.
I came across this gem while digging through old Notre Dame Football Review archives, and it felt like the perfect Throwback Thursday story to share. Because this one isn’t just about a win—it’s about what happens when a team refuses to stay down.
Let’s take a look back at the night the Irish rose from the ashes in Miami and took down the nation’s top-ranked team…
The excerpt below is from the 1989 Football Review, published in Scholastic, Notre Dame’s student magazine (Vol. 131, No. 11), and written by Jim Maggio.
Rising from Orange Ashes
Looking back, this game wasn’t just about ending a so-called jinx or beating the No. 1 team in the country. It was about something deeper.
It was about a team that got knocked down… heard the noise… and chose to respond not with words, but with action.
Three goal-line stands. Missed opportunities by Colorado. And then—when it mattered most—Notre Dame taking control and never looking back. That’s the kind of toughness that defines great teams. The kind that doesn’t panic. The kind that waits, believes, and then delivers.
And maybe that’s why this game still resonates all these years later. Because it’s a reminder that setbacks don’t define you—how you respond does.
On that night in Miami, the Irish didn’t just win a football game…
They reminded everyone exactly who they were.
And honestly? That’s a lesson that goes far beyond the field.
Cheers & GO IRISH!
