The 1918 game between Nebraska and Notre Dame would look nothing like any games that came before or after. Inexperience reigned supreme among the players on the field and even the schedule of opponents for both teams looked a bit bizarre. Wartime travel restrictions forced the cancellation of Nebraska's scheduled games against Syracuse, Missouri and West Virginia. In their place Nebraska scrambled to find squads from military bases such as Camp Dodge and the Omaha Balloon School. One traditional game was still in place, however. On Thanksgiving Day the Cornhuskers would welcome back Notre Dame.

The now-annual matchup was actually planned for earlier in November. An outbreak of Spanish flu forced the game to be moved to later in the month. The war actually ended on November 11, 1918 and the teams, still undermanned, were allowed to resume their travels.

Behind new head coach Knute Rockne, Notre Dame the Ramblers, as they were known then, sported a 3-1-1 record. The shortened schedule and constantly changing personnel due to the draft made scouting the teams a difficult task at best.

Wet conditions and light snow kept the crowd small considering the enthusiasm this rivalry had presented in the past. The poor field conditions also influenced Nebraska's game plan. Knowing the Notre Dame squad was quicker and hoping to take advantage of possible fumbles or interceptions, Nebraska head coach William Kline decided early to play a defensive battle. Throughout the game he decided to punt the ball out of trouble rather than risk end runs or plunges. Paul Dobson was the Cornhuskers leader on the field, but that was due to his punting abilities. Fifteen times he kicked the Cornhuskers out of trouble.

Nebraska was only able to rush the ball for 60 yards in the game. Notre Dame's offense faired a bit better with 177 yards of total offense. despite the Catholics' dominance in the offensive stats, most of the game was played inside Notre Dame territory. The Catholics did get as close as the Nebraska's 29 yard line in the third period but, as coach Kline hoped, a fumble ended the drive.