A look back at memorable matchups between Notre Dame and Florida State

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Florida State Seminoles take the field on Saturday, it will be the 12th time the two storied programs have met on the gridiron.

They first met in 1981, and Florida State leads the all-time series 6-5.

Here’s a look back at some of the memorable matchups between the teams starting with 1993.

1993: No. 2 Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Florida State 24

The No. 2 Irish hosted the No. 1 Seminoles in what many call “The Game of the Century.”

The Irish outplayed the Seminoles all game, leading 31-17 heading into the fourth quarter. But with under two minutes in the game, Florida State drove down the field.

On 4th-and-20, Charlie Ward threw a pass that bounced off Irish safety Brian McGee and into the hands of Kez McCorvey for a touchdown, putting the Seminoles down by seven.

But on the last play of the game, Ward rolled out and had his pass batted down by Shawn Wooden —Irish win 31-24.

2011: No. 25 Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14

Notre Dame and Florida State met for the seventh time in the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl.

The unranked Irish were up 14-3 heading into the fourth quarter against the 25th-ranked Seminoles.

That’s when the Irish fell apart, allowing 15 unanswered points and dropping the game 18-14.

2014: No. 2 Florida State 31, No. 5 Notre Dame 27

The No. 5 Irish came into this matchup with the defending national champion as double-digit underdogs but were up 17-10 at halftime.

Fast forward to the final 13 seconds of the game, where Florida State holds a 31-27 lead.

The Irish looked to score the game-winning touchdown on 4th-and-goal at the FSU 2-yard line after Everett Golson found a wide-open Corey Robinson in the end zone. But Notre Dame was flagged for offensive pass interference — a penalty that was considered controversial by some.

The touchdown was taken off the board and the Irish were pushed back to the 18-yard line. Down to their last chance, Golson’s desperation pass was picked off in the back of the end zone to end the game.

2021: No. 9 Notre Dame 41, Florida State 38 (OT)

Notre Dame’s most recent matchup with the Seminoles was almost an improbable comeback.

The No. 9 Irish were up 38-20 after three quarters, but the unranked Seminoles put up 18 unanswered points in the fourth to force overtime.

Florida State missed a 37-yard field goal, putting the ball into Notre Dame’s hands.

The Irish went three-and-out, only picking up two yards. But Jonathan Doerer nailed a 41-yard field goal to win the game.