BY LOU SOMOGYI
O
n any top-10 list of the greatest
games in Notre Dame football
history, the usual suspects will
appear: Ohio State '35, Okla-
homa '57, Michigan State '66, Alabama
'73, Miami '88 …
However, if one were to compile a
list of the most underrated or overshad-
owed games in Notre Dame annals, its
lone previous trip to Clemson (prior
to this Oct. 3) on Nov. 12, 1977, might
qualify with the No. 1 versus No. 2
showdown against Iowa Pre-Flight (a
14-13 Fighting Irish win) at the top of
the charts.
Notre Dame's march to the 1977 na-
tional title is broken into two segments.
One was the early season struggles
during a 4-1 start. The preseason favor-
ites to win the national title averaged
only 20.6 points per game, were upset at
Ole Miss (20-13) and had to rally behind
third-team quarterback Joe Montana to
defeat Purdue in the fourth quarter.
"Dump Devine" bumper stickers —
referring to third-year head coach Dan
Devine — were being sold right outside
Notre Dame Stadium.
Part two was the birth of "The Green
Machine."
Starting with the 49-19 victory versus
No. 5 USC Oct. 22, in which new green
jerseys were surprisingly sprung on the
Irish for inspiration, Devine's football
team began to emerge as the most domi-
nant in the land.
In six of its last seven games, Notre
Dame averaged 49.5 points per game
and won by an average of 38.8, high-
lighted by thrashing No. 1 Texas in the
Cotton Bowl, 38-10, to claim the national
title.
The one game, though, where it was
the ultimate struggle for survival came
in its first trip to Clemson's "Death Val-
ley."
"There was not a tougher game that
year than the Clemson game," 1977 All-
America Notre Dame cornerback Luther
Bradley recalled.
"As the years have gone by, I've told
everyone that was the critical game that
year," 1977 Notre Dame team MVP and
tight end Ken MacAfee said. "People re-
SURVIVAL IN
DEATH VALLEY
Notre Dame's march to the
1977 national title was
nearly halted at Clemson
