The first down total doesn’t seem unusual for a low-scoring game of that era. How about the penalty yards? 20 for USC, 10 for ND. That is about a quarter’s worth today. I think the interception total is 3. One by Day, one by Jones, and one to end the game.
Don’t forget that ND actually had a coach back then compared to now! :)
At the risk of having my account banned by the Admin Moderator, let me say that I can pretty much guarantee you that that discrepancy in penalty yardage is entirely due to the change in player demographics over the course of the last three quarters of a century.
If. You. Know. What. I. Mean...