North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll
The 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Irish, coached by Dan Devine, ended the season with 11 wins and one loss, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic by a score of a 38–10.[2] The 1977 squad became the tenth Irish team to win the national title and were led by All-Americans Ken MacAfee, Ross Browner, Luther Bradley, and Bob Golic. Junior Joe Montana, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, was the team's starting quarterback.
Dan Devine entered his third year as head coach, coming off of a 9–3 season in 1976 that culminated in a Gator Bowl win over Penn State .[3] Devine returned a highly touted defense, featuring 1976 Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, defensive end Willie Fry, and All-American linebacker Bob Golic.[3] On offense, quarterback Joe Montana earned the starting job and led an offense that included running backs Jerome Heavens and Vagas Ferguson and All-American tight end Ken MacAfee.[3] Montana, earned a reputation as "the comeback kid", had two come from behind victories in the fourth quarter, against Purdue and Clemson, down 17 and 10 respectively.[3] After a surprising loss to unranked Ole Miss, patience among the fans was running thin, who considered Devine's previous 8–3 and 9–3 seasons as lackluster compared to the team success under Devine's predecessor, Ara Parseghian.[4] The Irish rebounded to win their remaining games, including a 49–19 rout of USC in the now famous "Green Jersey Game."[4] The Irish earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they defeated No. 1 and unbeaten Texas by a score of 38–10 to capture Notre Dame's tenth national title.[3] The Irish leaped four spots in the polls after the Cotton Bowl Classic victory to claim the consensus title.[3]
Location: Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game attendance: 59,075
Scoring summary
2
ND
Montana 1-yard run (kick failed)
Notre Dame 6-0
2
GT
Ivery 97-yard kickoff return (Smith kick)
Ga. Tech 7-6
2
ND
Eurick 8-yard pass from Montana (Montana run)
Notre Dame 14-7
2
ND
Haines 18-yard pass from Montana (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 21-7
3
ND
Waymer 68-yard pass from Montana (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 28-7
3
ND
Heavens 2-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 35-7
3
ND
Ferguson 1-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 42-7
4
ND
Ferguson 56-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 49-7
4
ND
Stone 14-yard pass from Lisch (kick failed)
Notre Dame 55-7
4
ND
Stone 21-yard run (Unis kick)
Notre Dame 62-7
4
ND
S. Hart 31-yard pass from Koegel (Unis kick)
Notre Dame 69-7
4
GT
D. Hill 18-yard pass from Hardie (Smith kick)
Notre Dame 69-14
Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the third straight week, and for every home game through the end of the 1980 season. The 69 points were the second most ever scored at Notre Dame Stadium.
Clemson[]
1
2
3
4
Total
• Notre Dame
7
0
0
14
21
Clemson
0
10
7
0
17
Date: November 12
Location:Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game attendance: 54,189
Scoring summary
1
ND
Heavens 5-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 7-0
2
Clem
Ariri 30-yard field goal
Notre Dame 7-3
2
Clem
Fuller 10-yard run (Ariri kick)
Clemson 10-7
3
Clem
Brown 1-yard run (Ariri kick)
Clemson 17-7
4
ND
Montana 2-yard run (Reeve kick)
Clemson 17-14
4
ND
Montana 1-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 21-17
This was the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Clemson.
Air Force[]
1
2
3
4
Total
Air Force
0
0
0
0
0
• Notre Dame
21
14
7
7
49
Date: November 19
Location: Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game attendance: 59,075
Game weather: cloudy, 40 degrees
Scoring summary
1
ND
Ferguson 56-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 7-0
1
ND
Ferguson 9-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 14-0
1
ND
Heavens 1-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 21-0
2
ND
Ferguson 2-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 28-0
2
ND
Haines 33-yard pass from Montana (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 35-0
3
ND
Eurick 2-yard run (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 42-0
4
ND
Schmitz 11-yard pass from Lisch (Reeve kick)
Notre Dame 49-0
This was the final game for Air Force head coach Ben Martin after 20 seasons. It also remains the most lopsided game in the 30-game series between Notre Dame and Air Force (the Fighting Irish lead 24-6).