Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State is only 49 days away

To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.

This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football. 

With 49 days remaining until kickoff, we look back at running back Allen Pinkett and his school-record 49 rushing touchdowns.

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A less fondly remembered period of Notre Dame football history was not shy on stars. Or record-setters.

The Irish went 25-20-1 from 1982-85, a four-year period that ended with head coach Gerry Faust’s ousting. They lost at least five games each of those last three years and went 5-6 in 1985, missing a bowl game altogether.

All told, it was a patently poor time to set a notable individual record.

But Pinkett did. It may have landed with less fanfare than it deserved amid a 1984 season that hinted the Faust Era might be irreversibly headed off course. That doesn’t make it any less impressive.

Thirty-five seasons have passed since Pinkett left Notre Dame after totaling a school-record 49 rushing touchdowns. No one has surpassed that mark. Maybe that’s in part because most star running backs these days are three-and-done in college and won’t come close to Pinkett’s 889 career rushing attempts. Or because nearly all college offenses now incorporate more than one back. Even so, Pinkett still has two of the five highest single-season rushing touchdown totals in program history.

Autry Denson came close to besting Pinkett’s record, with 43 touchdowns from 1995-98. Jerome Bettis scored 33 in three seasons (1990-92) and broke Pinkett’s and Vagas Ferguson’s single-season mark of 17 set in 1984 and 1979, respectively. (Bettis had 20 in 1991). No Irish running back from the 21^st century scored more than 27 rushing touchdowns, which Kyren Williams totaled from 2020-21.

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Pinkett’s first introduction to the nation came in a 31-16 win over then-No. 1 Pitt and quarterback Dan Marino on Nov. 6, 1982. Pinkett, then a freshman, was the No. 2 running back behind Phil Carter that season. He watched from the sidelines in nervous awe of the Irish’s opponent.

“I was saying to myself, ‘This isn’t the Pitt Panthers, this is the Pittsburgh Steelers,’” Pinkett later recalled. “These guys were huge. I saw one guy take Phil Carter and throw him on the ground so hard he bounced off it. When I had my opportunity to go in, I was literally running scared. I didn’t want to get body-slammed like I saw Phil get body-slammed. I had an extra gear.”

Turns out, it helped him spark Notre Dame’s upset.

“A little sprint draw, I start out to the right,” Pinkett said. “I go, I find the hole, run to my left and I stopped. What I saw was a crease where two defensive backs were trying to converge on me. I’m saying, ‘I have to get to that spot as fast as I possibly can. I put my head down, ran and sure enough, beat them through.

“Next thing I know, I kept looking around, looking around. ‘Is anyone close to me? The only person I could see was Mike Haywood, who was trailing behind me – he was a receiver. That end zone couldn’t get to me fast enough.”

He reached it – 76 yards later. The touchdown gave Notre Dame a 24-16 lead with just over eight minutes left in the game.

With that run, everyone met Notre Dame’s future star. Pinkett was a two-time All-American and finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1985. He became the first Irish player to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. He left as the program’s all-time leading rusher, with 4,131 yards. (Denson later broke that record).

Pinkett had a four-touchdown game in a 1983 loss at Penn State and scored three in a 1984 home victory over the Nittany Lions. He broke Red Salmon’s school-record 36 career rushing touchdowns in the latter. He totaled 53 career touchdowns (49 rushing, three receiving, one return).

The Houston Oilers selected Pinkett in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He played six professional seasons, rushing for 2,324 yards and 21 touchdowns.