In Notre Dame’s lengthy bowl history, few endings have been as dramatic as their 35-34 Cotton Bowl win over the Houston Cougars on Jan. 1, 1979. The contest was highlighted by a thrilling Irish comeback that was fueled by an unlikely source: chicken soup. That magic elixir allowed Joe Montana to close out his Notre Dame career with the type of clutch play that would continue through his remarkable NFL career.
The victory over Houston put an exciting cap on a season that began with two disappointing losses. Those defeats helped end any talk of repeating as national champions.