Changing up your uniforms, even for one game, need not be complicated if you follow one rule: If you’re going an alternate route dive in with vigor and if you’re doing a throwback get it right with the correct era specifications.

On Tuesday, the Fighting Irish debuted a 1988 throwback uniform to be worn on Senior Day against Boston College that half-heartily tries to dip its toes in that water while apparently adding some modern flair. Full review after the inset pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Helmet

Obviously, going back to a duller gold helmet from the 80’s was going to be problematic on so many levels. They likely couldn’t guarantee it would come out right in the manufacturing process so I’m not too hung up that they didn’t mess with that.

Jersey

So, it appears they changed the jersey number font from the current “Leahy” script used for the regular uniforms but didn’t copy the font from the 1988 uniforms. Very weird. If you’re curious just look at that swooping curve on the ‘1’ from this model compared to that number on Ian Book’s uniform and then Pat Terrell from 1988.

I also believe the monogram on the sleeve should be tweaked to fit the ’88 version, as well.

The fake mesh inside the numbers is hilariously dumb and I’m not wasting anymore time on that.

Pants

They changed the pants from the current mustard gold but yet again did not follow the era-specific pants from 1988 that closely. This throwback has what looks like more of a sandstorm gold matte color similar to what Notre Dame wore in the 2011 season. Maybe a touch more brightness than that. The ’88 pants were Vegas gold and metallic shiny. These look too matte to match that–the jersey number outline also looks like a sandstorm gold as well–although I think once they are on the field they will look more era accurate.

Important to note that the ’88 pants didn’t have a white outline on the left hip monogram and the team wore blue belts, not gold.

Accessories

I’m not sure why this was so hard to replicate. The 1988 team wore black gloves not gray. The gray gloves didn’t come into fashion until the 2000’s.

Maybe the most egregious mistake are the cleats. Lou Holtz made a big deal about black cleats with black laces after the 1970’s and early 80’s saw the Irish wearing white cleats most of the time. The black cleats with white laces were never worn during the Holtz era and come from an era in the early 60’s and into the 1970’s.

Summary

For a lot of people these uniforms are pretty harmless. From afar they look so similar to the normal uniforms as not to be bothered even worrying about how they will look during a game.

From the standpoint of creating an alternate uniform clearly these are mega-boring.

While trying to create a throwback uniform this offering seems so strange and underwhelming. So much more effort could’ve been put into the details to get it correct and why 1988 throwbacks in the first place against Boston College (a team that wasn’t faced in ’88 if that matters) for the 150th anniversary of college football anyway?