1978: Michigan-28 Notre Dame-14

Game played on September 23, 1978 in South Bend.

1978 Michigan Wolverines Starting Lineups...

OFFENSE:

Wide Receiver - Rodney Feaster
Wide Receiver - Alan Mitchell
Wide Receiver - Gene Johnson
Left Tackle - Jon Giesler
Left Guard - John Arbeznik
Left Guard - John Powers
Center - Steve Nauta
Right Guard - Greg Bartnick
Right Tackle - Mike Leoni
Right Tackle - Bill Dufek
Right Tackle - John Powers
Right Tackle - Bubba Paris
Tight End - Gene Johnson
Tight End - Doug Marsh
Wing Back - Ralph Clayton
Wing Back - Alen Mitchell
Wing Back - Roosevelt Smith
Quarterback - Rick Leach
Fullback - Russell Davis
Tailback - Harlan Huckleby
Tailback - Butch Woolfolk
Tailback - Roosevelt Smith

DEFENSE:

Defensive Tackle - Chris Godfrey
Defensive Tackle - Dale Keitz
Middle Guard - Mike Trgovac
Middle Guard - Dale Keitz
Defensive Tackle - Curtis Greer
Outside Linebacker - Jerry Meter
Outside Linebacker - Tom Seabron
Outside Linebacker - Ben Needham
Inside Linebacker - Ron Simpkins
Inside Linebacker - Ben Needham
Inside Linebacker - Andy Cannavino
Inside Linebacker - Mark DeSantis
Inside Linebacker - Mel Owens
WS Cornerback - Mike Jolly
SS Cornerback - Mark Braman
SS Cornerback - Gerald Diggs
SS Cornerback - Dan Murray
Safety - Mike Harden
Safety - Stu Harris

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Michigan
• Wolverines
• Football
• Notre
• Dame
• Fighting
• Irish
• Rick
• Leach
• Joe
• Montana

[wooddog21]

Ah, the good old days, much better than today! Steve Threat should be playing for Eastern MIchigan, Nick Sheridan should be playing for Hillsdale!

[kronicbud52]

I wish Rick would have went pro football.

[kronicbud52]

rick leach is my 2snd cousin, my whole family is football crazy. He is def. a michigan legend. I too played football in high school, could have went to college and played but didn't.

[GamblerLV]

I'm sure Bo wasn't putting him down as a baseball player, he was just saying that he should be playing football. Ricky did fine as a baseball player, by the way he was at the Michigan spring scrimmage, and he said he would have loved to play in this spread Michigan will be using.. and yeah Ricky to AC would have been something..

[harveybullocks1281]

yeah i'll admit it, if Ricky was throwing to AC we would've won the national championship, but alas some things weren't ment to be. Still i disagree with Bo on the idea that Ricky was "wasting his time" on the baseball field, i think the fact that he was able to become a starter on a big league squad (the Blue Jays) speaks volumes to his athletecism.

[GamblerLV]

whoops sorry on the typo BUT i disagree Ricky would have made a great NFL QB, even BO said he was wasting his time on a baseball field..

During his junior and senior year he had become a nice passer, but Michigan just didnt have the great WR's then.. of course he woudnt be running the ball in the pros..

[harveybullocks1281]

Ricky was a SENIOR in this game not a junior. I personally think he would've been great in the CFL but not in the NFL cause the NFL didn't start treating running QB's kindly until the 90s, and Leach wasn't really the kind of drop back QB that the NFL wanted back then.

[markusr2001]

Michigan's option offense and ISO plays off guard really destroyed Notre Dame in this one. Surprising. However, in this game stupid penalties (offsides and unsportsmanlike conduct) just killed the Irish.

The 1978 offense was run-centric, but a good passing team too.

[guyNbluejeans]

I wish I could step into a time machine and go back and watch the game in person.

[GamblerLV]

Ricky would have made a great pro QB, he was a tough, smart player, Ricky played all 4 years, and was a fine QB, he didn't have the WR's back then, they used RB's and TE's as recievers, Ricky was a junior and Montana was a senior and ND was coming off the N.C. Bo had been running the option and wishbone all day, and he saw ND cheating to cover the option, so he had Ricky set up to run the option on those last TD's, and then he pulled up and passed for TD's. This was a HUGE away game and win.