Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2023 53 Penn State's Chuck Fusina early in the fourth quarter. Ted Burgmeier ended the Nittany Lions' final threat with an interception at the Irish 3-yard line and returned it 32 yards. Hunter and the Irish bled out the clock and celebrated an impressive 20-9 victory. After the game, the Irish weren't shy about what the victory meant to them. "I look at this as the first game of the 1977 season," said MacAfee, who finished with 5 catches for 78 yards. "We've made our first step to the na- tional championship. Now we just have to win 11 more games." Ross Browner echoed the sentiment. "This victory sets the stage for us to win the national championship next year," he said. "We're ready to take off." "I can't wait until spring so we can start again," Eurick added. The momentum, talent and energy would propel the Irish to become 1977 national champs. * * * Notre Dame's two subsequent trips to the Gator Bowl were not as successful, as they were part of the record nine- game bowl losing streak between the 1994 and 2006 seasons. In 1998, the first season of the Bowl Championship Series, the Irish were in contention for a BCS bowl with a 9-1 record heading into the regular-season finale at Southern Cal. But with two backup quarterbacks, including fresh- man Arnaz Battle, they found the going tough against the stiff Trojan defense and dropped a 10-0 decision. Against Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl, Notre Dame fell behind early and battled back but fell short, losing 35-28 to the No. 12 Yellow Jackets. In 2002, Ty Willingham's first season, Notre Dame raced to an 8-0 record with a series of narrow, improbable victo- ries, before dropping games to Boston College and Southern Cal to finish the regular season 10-2. In Jacksonville, they fell to North Carolina State by a 28-6 score. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com Junior Ross Browner and the Irish defense held Penn State to a late touchdown in Notre Dame's 1976 Gator Bowl victory. Browner received the Outland Trophy that season as the nation's best defensive lineman. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS 2022 Honorees Legacy Award Families of Glen Carberry and Tom Lieb, Class of 1923 Living Legend Award John Huarte '65 Communicator Award Bill Dwyre '66 Champion Award John Carney '87 Humanitarian Award Karen Phelps Moyer '87 Inspira on Award Alex Montoya '96 Trailblazer Award Dr. Carrie Has ngs '98 Leadership Award Kory Minor '99 Courage Award Joey Getherall '01 The Knute Rockne Memorial Society wishes to thank all who helped make the 2022 Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards Celebra on a great success. We appreciate your par cipa on and support. Relive this great event by visi ng www.RockneSociety.org