Notre Dame Football: 10 Best Individual Bowl Performances of the Last 35 Years

Notre Dame may be one of the most prestigious programs in college football history, but the Irish haven’t exactly had much recent success in the postseason, as they had a nine-game bowl losing streak before winning their last two bowl games.

Still, if you look over the last 35 years of Notre Dame’s bowl history, you’ll see some of the best individual player performances in the history of the school.

Joe Montana’s “Chicken Soup Game” in the 1979 Cotton Bowl is obviously one of the most memorable, but there were plenty of other bowl performances by Notre Dame players that deserve recognition as well.

Here’s a look at the 10 best individual bowl performances by Notre Dame players in the last 35 years.

RB Al Hunter: 1976 Gator Bowl

Al Hunter isn't one of the most iconic names in Notre Dame history, but he did have a chance to shine in the 1976 Gator Bowl against Penn State.

Hunter rushed for 102 yards on 26 carries and scored both of Notre Dame's touchdowns, as the Irish went on to beat the Nittany Lions 20-9 down in Jacksonville.

Running Backs Jerome Heavens and Vagas Ferguson: 1978 Cotton Bowl

Notre Dame running backs Jerome Heavens and Vagas Ferguson were two of the stars of Notre Dame’s 38-10 dominating victory over an Earl Campbell-led Texas team in the 1978 Cotton Bowl.

It was Campbell who was supposed to be the big running back of the game, but Heavens and Ferguson stole away his thunder, as the two backs each broke the 100-yard rushing mark, with Ferguson adding a 17-yard receiving touchdown in the second quarter.

The two backs were a big reason that Notre Dame was able to topple the No. 1 Longhorns and win the 1977 national championship.

QB Joe Montana: 1979 Cotton Bowl

In one of the most memorable individual performances in Notre Dame history, legendary quarterback Joe Montana managed to overcome the flu and lead the Irish to a last-second 35-34 victory over Houston in the 1979 Cotton Bowl with the aid of some chicken soup.

"The Comeback Kid" only completed 13 of his 34 pass attempts for 163 yards, but it was his final pass to receiver Kris Haines that is the one that everyone remembers.

The victory capped off one of the greatest careers by one of the greatest players in Notre Dame history.

QB Tony Rice: 1989 Fiesta Bowl

QB Tony Rice cemented his place in Notre Dame history with a huge MVP performance in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl against West Virginia.

Rice threw for 213 yards and added 75 yards on the ground to help propel the Irish to a 34-21 victory over West Virginia, which earned the program its 11th national championship.

LB Frank Stams: 1989 Fiesta Bowl

Tony Rice may have been the star on offense for Notre Dame in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl, but he wasn't the only player who shined in the game.

LB Frank Stams had two sacks and three critical tackles against West Virginia, and he was one of the main reasons that QB Major Harris and the Mountaineers were held largely in check.

Stams earned MVP honors for his performance, and his play in the game helped to boost his draft stock. He eventually became a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1989 NFL draft.

NG Chris Zorich: 1991 Orange Bowl

“The Meanest Player in College Football” Chris Zorich lived up to his reputation in the 1991 Orange Bowl.

Although Notre Dame came up a point short against No. 1 Colorado, the Irish's All-American nose guard still did everything he could to contain Colorado’s offense and hold the Buffaloes to just 10 points.

Zorich was a menace throughout the game and caused constant havoc for the Colorado offense, and his performance ended up earning him MVP honors for the game.

RB Jerome Bettis: 1992 Sugar Bowl

Notre Dame managed to upset the heavily favored Florida Gators 39-28 in the 1992 Sugar Bowl by consistently feeding the ball to its big powerhouse back, Jerome Bettis, who wore down the Gators defense and proved to be nearly unstoppable down in New Orleans.

Bettis rushed for 150 yards and scored three touchdowns against Florida in one of the greatest rushing performances in Notre Dame postseason history.

WR Derrick Mayes: 1996 Orange Bowl

Notre Dame came up short against Florida State in the 1996 Orange Bowl, but Irish WR Derrick Mayes still managed to earn MVP honors for his great performance against the Seminoles.

Mayes hauled in touchdown passes of 33 and 39 yards, and he consistently tore through the Florida State secondary all game long.

QB Jimmy Clausen: 2008 Hawaii Bowl

Jimmy Clausen, the most highly touted recruit to ever sign with Notre Dame, certainly didn't have the type of career in South Bend that many were expecting, but he did end up having one great bowl performance to hang his hat on.

In the only bowl appearance of his collegiate career, Clausen threw for 401 yards and hit five touchdowns against Hawaii in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl.

The 49-21 bowl victory put a positive bow on an otherwise disappointing 7-6 season.

WR Michael Floyd: 2010 Sun Bowl

The renewal of the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry in the 2010 Sun Bowl didn’t turn out to be very entertaining, as the Irish blew by the Hurricanes 33-17, but there was one player who put on a show, and that was Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd.

Floyd embarrassed the Miami secondary, as he hauled in six passes for 109 yards and scored two touchdowns. The big 6’3’’, 225-pound receiver could have used his postseason performance to propel him into the first round of the 2011 draft, but he decided to return for his senior year instead.