# 1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

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.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 9 | 1:30 p.m. | Missouri | No. 5 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | | L 0–3 | 59,075 |
| September 23 | 11:50 a.m. | No. 5 Michigan | No. 14 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | ABC | L 14–28 | 59,075 |
| September 30 | 1:30 p.m. | Purdue | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | | W 10–6 | 59,075 |
| October 7 | 1:30 p.m. | at Michigan State | | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | | W 29–25 | 77,087 |
| October 14 | 12:40 p.m. | No. 9 Pittsburgh | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | ABC | W 26–17 | 59,075 |
| October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at Air Force | No. 20 | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO (rivalry) | | W 38–15 | 35,425 |
| October 28 | 1:30 p.m. | Miami (FL) | No. 19 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | | W 20–0 | 59,075 |
| November 4 | 1:50 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Navy | No. 15 | Cleveland Municipal StadiumCleveland, OH (rivalry) | | W 27–7 | 63,780 |
| November 11 | 1:30 p.m. | Tennessee | No. 14 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | | W 31–14 | 59,075 |
| November 18 | 1:30 p.m. | at No. 20 Georgia Tech | No. 10 | Grant FieldAtlanta, GA (rivalry) | | W 38–21 | 54,526 |
| November 25 | 4:10 p.m. | at No. 3 USC | No. 8 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | ABC | L 25–27 | 84,256 |
| January 1, 1979 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Houston | No. 10 | Cotton BowlDallas, TX (Cotton Bowl) | CBS | W 35–34 | 32,500 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Game summaries
### Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #5 Michigan | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Notre Dame | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 11:50 a.m. EST
* Game attendance: 59,075
* Referee: Gene Calhoun
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Schenkel and Frank Broyles
* Recap
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
MICH – Harlan Huckleby – 96 yards
ND
Top receivers
MICH
ND :
* 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 |
Notre Dame handed #9 Pittsburgh its first loss of the season. 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.

### Cotton Bowl

The Cotton Bowl win over Houston on New Year's Day was Notre Dame's 600th victory.