Search - 1979 Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Houston on DVD

A true classic

M. Johnson | Buffalo, NY | 06/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I'd just like to say hats off to the NCAA for releasing classic football and basketball games on DVD. This one is the "Chicken Soup Game", so named because Notre Dame's quarterback Joe Montana was fed chicken soup at halftime. Joe was suffering from hypothermia and he was fed the soup in an attempt to raise his body temperature.

The Fighting Irish got off to a quick start, leading 12-0 early on. But the Houston Cougars came roaring back (no pun intended) to score 34 points. With over seven minutes left in the game and holding a commanding 34-12 lead, Houston coach Bill Yeoman called off the dogs and sent the second stringers out onto the field. Oops. The Irish battled back and tied the game with no time remaining when Montana, who'd been largely ineffective until the 4th quarter rally, connected with Kris Haines in the end zone to tie the game at 34. The extra point gave Notre Dame an unbelievable 35-34 victory.

Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung call the action on the CBS telecast. Thankfully, Hornung doesn't bring out the gold-and-green pom poms and is objective on commentary. The video quality is very good, with the exception of whenever CBS cut to taped shots of players. Overall, a recommended purchase for all college football fans."