It won't be Catholics versus Convicts, Jimmy Johnson coaching against Lou Holtz, or even a meeting of Top 25-ranked
teams.
But the Miami Hurricanes (7-5) will be taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-5) for the first time in 20 years when the teams meet New Year's Eve in the 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
"This is one of those situations where the history speaks for itself," UM interim head coach Jeff Stoutland said in a statement released by the school. "We have two great programs that have a rich football tradition and we are playing in the second-oldest bowl on national television."
UM, still searching for a head coach after Randy Shannon was fired hours after a season-ending loss to South Florida on Nov. 27, enjoyed a spirited rivalry with Notre Dame in the 1980s when both teams were in the national title hunt. The Canes played the Irish 19 times from 1971 to 1990 -the last few meetings among the most memorable in college football history.
In 1987, the Canes shut out Notre Dame 24-0 in the Orange Bowl in late November then went on to its second national title on New Year's Day. The following season, Notre Dame ended No. 1-ranked UM's 36-game unbeaten streak in the regular season with a controversial 31-30 win in South Bend, Ind., a game preceded by a fight which began in the entrance tunnel and ended on the field. Notre Dame then went on to win its last national title.
In 1989, UM got its revenge, blowing out the top-ranked Irish 27-10 at the Orange Bowl - converting a historic 3rd down and 43 in the process - on its way to another national title. The following season, Notre Dame hosted and won the final meeting between the teams 29-20 in 1990.
Back in July, the teams signed a deal to to renew their rivalry Oct. 6, 2012 at Soldier Field in Chicago with two other games (at South Bend in 2016 and in Miami in 2017) to follow.
The Hurricanes, who haven't won a bowl game since 2006, have never faced Notre Dame in a bowl game. The Irish lead the all-time series 15-7-1.
“After waiting 77 years, the stars have finally lined up for us," said Sun Bowl chairman John Folmer said. "I have spent 40 years as a volunteer and I would have never thought I would see the day that Notre Dame and Miami would play in the Sun Bowl.”
The stars did align Saturday for the Canes and Irish to meet. For starters, no Pac-10 teams had to be available so the Irish could be available to the Sun.
That happened when Oregon knocked off Oregon State (making the Beavers 5-7 and ineligible for the post-season) and Arizona State's appeal to become bowl eligible was denied Friday by the NCAA. The other part of the equation? Notre Dame had to fall past the Champs Sports Bowl. That happened when West Virginia beat Rutgers to finish 9-3, and UConn knocked off South Florida to win the Big East title and earn a BCS birth. The Champs Sports Bowl, having just signed a four-year contract with the Big East to replace the Big Ten, were hard pressed to skip over a 9-3 West Virginia for the Irish.
Notre Dame is led by an offensive trio of quarterback Tommy Rees, running back Cierre Wood and wideout Michael Floyd. The Fighting Irish rank 29th nationally in passing offense and 63rd in total offense. On defense, Notre Dame is led by linebackers Manti Te’o and Harrison Smith and defensive backs Harrison Smith and Gary Gray. The Irish are 26th nationally in pass efficiency defense and 29th in scoring defense.
“Following our victory at USC, we internally targeted the Sun Bowl as a great game for us because of the national exposure the game receives and the top-notch opponent we will face in Miami," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "This game will serve as a perfect prelude to the three-game series we’ll experience in the coming years. We look forward to the great reception our school will receive in El Paso and experiencing the hospitality that has been a trademark of the Sun Bowl
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/05/1958792/miami-hurricanes-to-face-notre.html#ixzz17HNQB4s7
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