1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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17th edition National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | January 2, 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season | 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Sun Devil Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Tempe, Arizona | ||||||||||||||||||||
MVP | Tony Rice (QB, Notre Dame) Frank Stams (LB, Notre Dame) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Favorite | Notre Dame by 5 points [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Frank Shepard (SWC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 74,911 | ||||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nielsen ratings | 17.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, played on Monday, January 2, was the 18th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. It featured the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. With both teams undefeated, the Fiesta Bowl was the stage for the "national championship" for the second time in three years. As in 1987, the Fiesta Bowl featured two independents squaring off for the national title. The Fighting Irish defeated the Mountaineers to win their first national championship since 1977, and their most recent to date.
Also, as in 1987, the game was played on January 2, but this was because New Year's Day fell on a Sunday in 1989 and, per protocols, all of the bowls that would normally take place that day were played on January 2. With NBC no longer televising the Rose Bowl, the kickoff for the Fiesta Bowl was moved three hours later, to 2:30 p.m. MST, [2] and the game now had NBC's top broadcast team of Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen.
This was the last national championship game before the start of the Bowl Coalition system in 1992, which was intended to ensure that the national championship would be decided on the field in bowl games such as this one. It would later be replaced by the Bowl Alliance, BCS, and later the College Football Playoff systems, which took greater steps to prevent a split national championship from ever happening again.
After West Virginia quarterback and Heisman candidate Major Harris separated his shoulder on the third play of the game, Notre Dame took control to claim their record eleventh national championship. Though Harris would return to the game he was severely hampered by his injury. [3] Coach Nehlen later admitting that WVU had to abandon a large portion of its gameplan due to the injury of Harris. [4] WVU also suffered the loss of three other starters during the 1st half which did not help matters. They were NG Jim Gray, OG John Stroia, and productive reserve running back Undra Johnson also left the game early with a knee injury on his first carry. [3] [5] Johnson had rushed for over 700yds and 11 TDs during the 1988 season. [6] WVU had already went into the game without its starting FS Darrell Whitmore who was injured in the final game of the season. [7]
Billy Hackett started the scoring with a 45-yard field goal to give Notre Dame an early 3–0 lead. Running back Anthony Johnson then scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, but the ensuing extra point missed, and the score remained 9–0. Early in the second quarter, Rodney Culver added a 5-yard touchdown run to increase Notre Dame's lead to 16–0. Charlie Baumann of West Virginia scored on a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to 16–3.
Later in the second quarter, Tony Rice threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Raghib Ismail, to extend the lead to 23–3. Mountaineer Charlie Baumann added a 31-yard field goal before halftime to make it 23–6.
Early in the third quarter, Reggie Ho added a 32-yard field goal to increase the Irish lead to 26–6. WVU quarterback Harris hit Grantis Bell for a 17-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead to 26–13. He later left the game with an injury. Rice threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Frank Jacobs. Rice later took it in himself for the 2-point conversion, giving Notre Dame a 34–13 lead. WVU scored with a 3-yard touchdown run by Reggie Rembert, who also converted the 2-point conversion, making the score 34–21. Notre Dame sealed the win by intercepting a pass in the end zone. [8]
Notre Dame retained its top ranking in the final AP poll and West Virginia fell to fifth.As of 2024, this remains the most recent national championship for the Irish.
Scoring Summary | Score | ||
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1st Quarter | |||
ND – Billy Hackett 45-yard field goal | ND 3–0 | ||
ND – Anthony Johnson 1 Yard rush (pat failed) | ND 9–0 | ||
2nd Quarter | |||
ND – Rodney Culver 5-yard rush (Reggie Ho kick) | ND 16–0 | ||
WV – Charlie Baumann 29-yard field goal | ND 16–3 | ||
ND – Tony Rice 29-yard pass to Raghib Ismail (Reggie Ho kick) | ND 23–3 | ||
WV – Charlie Baumann 32-yard field goal | ND 23–6 | ||
3rd Quarter | |||
ND – Reggie Ho 32-yard field goal | ND 26–6 | ||
WV – Major Harris 17-yard pass to Grantis Bell (Charlie Baumann kick) | ND 26–13 | ||
4th Quarter | |||
ND – Tony Rice 3-yard pass to Frank Jacobs (Tony Rice run) | ND 34–13 | ||
WV – Reggie Rembert 3-yard rush (Greg Jones pass to Reggie Rembert) | ND 34–21 |
Statistics | West Virginia | Notre Dame |
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First Downs | 19 | 19 |
Rushes–yards | 37–108 | 59–242 |
Passing yards | 174 | 213 |
Passes | 14–30–1 | 7–11–1 |
Total yards | 282 | 455 |
Punts–average | 7–45 | 4–37 |
Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 2–0 |
Turnovers by | 1 | 1 |
Penalties-yards | 3–38 | 11–102 |
Time of possession | 23:17 | 36:43 |
Major Harris is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers during the 1980s. Harris was a first-team All-American in 1989 and finished fifth and third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1988 and 1989, respectively. He was also the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year in 1988 and 1989. Harris was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Donald Eugene Nehlen is a former American football player and coach. He was head football coach at Bowling Green State University (1968–1976) and at West Virginia University (1980–2000). Nehlen retired from coaching college football in 2001 with a career record of 202–128–8 and as the 17th winningest coach in college football history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and has served as a president of the American Football Coaches Association.
The Virginia Tech–West Virginia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Virginia Tech Hokies and West Virginia Mountaineers. The teams met 53 times between 1912 and 2021, every year from 1973 to 2005, and as conference foes from 1991 to 2003 as members of the Big East Conference. The winner of the game receives the Black Diamond Trophy sponsored by Rish Equipment Company, headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia. It was introduced in 1997 and was meant to symbolize the Appalachian region's rich coal heritage
The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34–21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. With 4 of the final Top 5 teams being independents, 1988 became a focus for fans and critics who wondered how the traditional conferences would deal with the indies.
Patrick Christian White is an American football coach and former player who is an offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a quarterback on the NFL and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft.
Tony Rice is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and World League of American Football (WLAF). Rice is perhaps best remembered as the dynamic option quarterback of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 1988 national championship team under coach Lou Holtz. Rice played professional football for three seasons for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Barcelona Dragons of the World League from 1990 to 1992. He also played for Munich Thunder in the Football League of Europe in 1994.
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William L. Stewart, nicknamed "Stew", was an American football coach. He was named interim head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan in December 2007. After leading the Mountaineers to a 48–28 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, he was named the school's 32nd head football coach on January 3, 2008. Stewart resigned in the summer of 2011. He was previously the head coach of Virginia Military Institute for three seasons.
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