# 1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish finished unranked in both major polls for the first time since 1963.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 15 | 3:20 p.m. | at No. 6 Michigan | No. 9 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | W 12–10 | 105,111 |
| September 22 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Purdue | No. 5 | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN (rivalry) | | L 22–28 | 70,567 |
| September 29 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 7 Michigan State | No. 15 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | | W 27–3 | 59,075 |
| October 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech | No. 10 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | | W 21–13 | 59,075 |
| October 13 | 3:30 p.m. | at Air Force | No. 10 | Falcon StadiumColorado Springs, CO (rivalry) | | W 38–13 | 34,881 |
| October 20 | 12:50 p.m. | No. 4 USC | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | ABC | L 23–42 | 59,075 |
| October 27 | 2:30 p.m. | South Carolina | No. 14 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | | W 18–17 | 59,075 |
| November 3 | 1:30 p.m. | Navy | No. 13 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | | W 14–0 | 59,075 |
| November 10 | 1:30 p.m. | at Tennessee | No. 13 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | | L 18–40 | 86,489 |
| November 17 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 14 Clemson | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | | L 10–16 | 59,075 |
| November 24 | 11:00 p.m. | vs. Miami (FL) | | Japan National StadiumTokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl, rivalry) | | W 40–15 | 62,574 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Michigan | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Date: September 15
* Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 105,111
* TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
MICH – Bryan Virgil 30-yard field goal, 7:31. Michigan 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 84 yards.
ND – Chuck Male 40-yard field goal. Tie 3–3. Drive:
Second quarter
MICH – Stan Edwards 1-yard run (Bryan Virgil kick), 10:48. Michigan 10–3. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:39.
ND – Chuck Male 40-yard field goal, 4:48. Michigan 10–6. Drive:
Third quarter
ND – Chuck Male 22–yard field goal. Michigan 10–9. Drive:
ND – Chuck Male 39-yard field goal. Notre Dame 12–10. Drive:
Top passers
ND – Rusty Lisch – 5/10, 65 yards
MICH – B. J. Dickey – 9/18, 106 yards
Top rushers
ND – Vagas Ferguson – 35 rushes, 118 yards
MICH
Top receivers
ND
MICH :
Bob Crable (10 tackles) leaped to block the potential-game winning field in the final seconds.

### At Air Force

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Notre Dame | 10 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 38 |
| Air Force | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Navy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
* ND: Ferguson 34 Rush, 155 Yds (first player in school history with 3,000 career rushing yards)

### Vs. Miami (FL)
## Roster
## Team players in the NFL

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Vagas Ferguson | Running back | 1 | 25 | New England Patriots |
| Dave Waymer | Conerback | 2 | 41 | New Orleans Saints |
| Tim Foley | Tackle | 2 | 51 | Baltimore Colts |
| Rusty Lisch | Quarterback | 4 | 89 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Bobby Leopold | Linebacker | 8 | 210 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Rob Martinovich | Tackle | 10 | 261 | Kansas City Chiefs |