American college football season
1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football |
---|
Cotton Bowl champion |
---|
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 35–34 vs. Houston |
---|
Conference | Independent |
---|
Ranking |
---|
Coaches | No. 6 |
---|
AP | No. 7 |
---|
Record | 9–3 |
---|
Head coach | |
---|
Offensive coordinator | Merv Johnson (4th season) |
---|
Captains | - Bob Golic
- Jerome Heavens
- Joe Montana
|
---|
Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
---|
Seasons |
The 1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Dan Devine, the Fighting Irish compiled an overall record of 9–3. Notre Dame was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Irish beat Houston, 35–34, after quarterback Joe Montana rallied the team from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The team played home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
The team was expected to be one of the top teams of the season. It was said that the team could be "awesome on offense" due to having eight returning starters including, Joe Montana, however, there were concerns about the team losing players due to graduations and injuries. The September 23 game against Michigan was cited as a possible pathway for Notre Dame to earn the #1 ranking.[1]
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
September 9 | 1:30 p.m. | Missouri | No. 5 | | | L 0–3 | 59,075 |
September 23 | 11:50 a.m. | No. 5 Michigan | No. 14 | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
| ABC | L 14–28 | 59,075 |
September 30 | 1:30 p.m. | Purdue | | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
| | W 10–6 | 59,075 |
October 7 | 1:30 p.m. | at Michigan State | | | | W 29–25 | 77,087 |
October 14 | 12:40 p.m. | No. 9 Pittsburgh | | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
| ABC | W 26–17 | 59,075 |
October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at Air Force | No. 20 | | | W 38–15 | 35,425 |
October 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Miami (FL) | No. 19 | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
| | W 20–0 | 59,075 |
November 4 | 1:50 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Navy | No. 15 | | | W 27–7 | 63,780 |
November 11 | 1:30 p.m. | Tennessee | No. 14 | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN
| | W 31–14 | 59,075 |
November 18 | 1:30 p.m. | at No. 20 Georgia Tech | No. 10 | | | W 38–21 | 54,526 |
November 25 | 4:10 p.m. | at No. 3 USC | No. 8 | | ABC | L 25–27 | 84,256 |
January 1, 1979 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Houston | No. 10 | | CBS | W 35–34 | 32,500 |
|
Game summaries
Michigan
Game information |
First quarter - ND – Dennis Grindinger 6-yard pass from Joe Montana (Joe Unis kick), 14:07. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive:
Second quarter - MICH – Rick Leach 4-yard run (Gregg Willner kick). Tie 7–7. Drive: 59 yards.
- ND – Vagas Ferguson 4-yard run (Joe Unis kick). Notre Dame 14–7. Drive:
Third quarter - MICH – Doug Marsh 5-yard pass from Leach (Willner kick). Tie 14–14. Drive:
Fourth quarter - MICH – Marsh 17-yard pass from Leach (kick failed). Michigan 20–14. Drive:
- MICH – Ralph Clayton 40-yard pass from Leach (run failed). Michigan 26–14. Drive:
- MICH – Safety, Montana tackled by Curtis Greer in end zone. Michigan 28–14.
| - Top passers
- MICH – Rick Leach – 8/20, 110 yards, 3 TD
- ND – Joe Montana – 16/29, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT
- Top rushers
- Top receivers
| |
- The Reunion Game - first meeting between the two schools in 35 years
- Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the game
Pittsburgh
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | #9 Pittsburgh | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 | • Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 26 | |
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | ND | Heavens 1-yard run (Unis kick) | ND 7-0 | | 2 | | PITT | Trocano 3-yard run (Schubert kick) | Tied 7-7 | | 2 | | PITT | Schubert 33-yard field goal | PITT 10-7 | | 4 | | PITT | Trocano 3-yard run (Schubert kick) | PITT 17-7 | | 4 | | ND | Haines 8-yard pass from Montana (pass failed) | PITT 17-13 | | 4 | | ND | Montana 1-yard run (kick failed) | ND 19-17 | | 4 | | ND | Ferguson 3-yard pass from Montana (Unis kick) | ND 26-17 | |
Notre Dame handed #9 Pittsburgh its first loss of the season.[2] Jerome Heavens, who had never seen Knute Rockne, All American, surpassed George Gipp on the school's all-time rushing list. Heavens passed Gipp on his 24th carry but lost yardage on his 25th before moving past him for good on his 26th attempt. "I think the Gipper tackled me on that," Heavens said.[3]
Cotton Bowl
The Cotton Bowl win over Houston on New Year's Day was Notre Dame's 600th victory.[4]
Personnel
References
- ^ Michigan, Notre Dame Test Crucial, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Axelrod, Phil (October 16, 1978). "Hot Montana outduels Tracano". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 16.
- ^ "Irish stir the echoes with 26-7 win over Pitt." Eugene Register-Guard. p. 18. 1978 Oct 15.
- ^ "2010 Notre Dame football media guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
|
---|
Venues | |
---|
Bowls and rivalries | |
---|
Culture and lore | |
---|
People | |
---|
Seasons | |
---|
National championship seasons in bold |
| This college football 1970s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |