Rockne

The two blueblood programs have played 95 times since 1924, when the story goes that the wife of legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne convinced her husband to schedule the series so she could visit Southern California every other year.

Ronald Reagan’s political slogan when he was running for president was “Win one for the Gipper,” a quote associated with his 1940 football film “Knute Rockne, All American.”

It was time for a Knute Rockne speech, except Taylor struck a more measured tone.

“It’s not like we’re all of a sudden going to give them a Knute Rockne speech, even though none of them know who Knute Rockne was. But that speech wouldn’t work anyway. Show them what we need to do, let them be themselves, that’s the plan.”

It was the Knute Rockne era, so heroes were easy to find, especially one named George Gipp.