Montana

Joe Montana’s Purdue Comeback

Published

10 months ago

June 26, 2025

By the fall of 1977, Joe Montana’s future in football felt uncertain. A series of injuries and inconsistent play had dimmed the spotlight that once shone so brightly on the junior quarterback. For much of that Purdue game, Montana watched from the sidelines as his team struggled to find its rhythm. But when backup quarterback Gary Forystek went down with a broken collarbone in the fourth quarter, Montana was thrust back into the action. What followed wasn’t just a comeback—it was a foreshadowing of greatness.

The article below, “Comeback Kid Conquers Purdue” by John Stenson, appeared in Volume 119, Number 7 of Scholastic Magazine on January 27, 1978, as part of the official 1977 Notre Dame Football Review. It captures the drama, the grit, and the heart of a game that helped reignite Montana’s legend—and Notre Dame’s national championship hopes.

Comeback Kid Conquers

Purdue

by John Stenson

For so long it was simply a memory. Joe Montana had a lot to look back on in his four years at the Dome, but on this October afternoon one would swear his diary was complete. The cheers, which once surrounded him were no longer heard. He was the forgotten man in the Irish attack, and why would anyone be foolish enough to think his statistics would change within the confines of Ross Ade Stadium?

As far as the team was concerned, they were in the midst of a beginning that they would rather have forgotten. There was a scare that first weekend until Cavanaugh got hurt and the Panthers ran out of gas. And then there was that debacle against Mississippi which seemed to put the Irish hopes into a severe tailspin. Now it was time for the Boilermakers, and for the third week in a row it appeared that the Irish might have been outmatched. Purdue’s offense centered around freshman quarterback Mark Hermann. This freshman standout from Carmel, Indiana, had thrown for over 600 yards in his first two games of the season. It appeared on the first drive of the afternoon that he was going to have little trouble adding to this total. Starting from his own 20, Hermann guided the Boilermakers downfield for the first score of the afternoon. Sixty of those yards came through the air with the clincher coming on a touchdown pass from Hermann to speedy Reggie Arnold for the final ten yards.

The Irish offense, keeping pace with its performance in the previous two encounters, could go nowhere early and it was the defense that created the first score. Hermann had good field position in the early going but when he was finally trapped deep in his own territory, his inexperience paid larger dividends for the Irish. Working from his own 10, he overthrew his intended receiver, Raymond Smith, into the waiting arms of Doug Becker. Becker returned it 20 yards for what appeared to be an Irish touchdown until clipping was detected. The Irish offense then got to make the first tally as Rusty Lisch hit Terry Eurick in the end zone.

Hermann would not fold against the Irish defense. Before halftime Hermann would roll up 270 yards in the air completing two other touchdown strikes to Jappy Oliver and Raymond Smith while staking Purdue to a 24-14 third-quarter lead. On the other side, the Irish offense was listless. Lisch and Eurick had teamed up again for an Irish tally, but as the third quarter came to a close, Notre Dame looked as though they had nearly accepted defeat.

The fourth quarter brought more movement to the offense. Gary Forystek, who took over for Lisch at halftime, began to move ND downfield connecting with MacAfee and putting the Irish on the Purdue 30-yard line. Then, on second and seven it appeared that the Irish had finally cashed in their chips. On this play Forystek rolled to his right and decided to keep the ball. He carried it all the way down to the 17 before being met by a host of Boilermakers and suffering a broken collarbone. Now the stage was set. It would be Montana’s turn to recapture the spotlight. The only question left to be answered was whether he could conjure up another dream.

The Irish had to settle for a field goal on the drive which cut the deficit to seven points with over ten minutes left in the game. Now Notre Dame’s defense rose to the occasion. The passing game, which had been there for the taking all afternoon, had suddenly fallen apart. Purdue was resorting to their little-used ground attack and gaining yardage with it until Hermann was forced back to the air and made his second mistake of the game. This time it was Luther Bradley who had the honor of picking off the errant pass, putting the offense back in the driver’s seat at the Boilermaker 48-yard line. Montana’s game plan was a simple one on this drive. A sideline pass to Kris Haines and then a pass across the middle to MacAfee brought the Irish deep into Purdue territory. From there Montana returned to his big tight end for the tally, and with a Reeve conversion the score was tied at 24-24. In a period of eight minutes, Montana had guided the offense from apparent defeat to new life. He had given them the spark they had long been missing. Now it was showtime.

As they had done for much of the second half, the defense played it tough in the waning minutes. Montana got the ball on his own 30 with just over three minutes left, and everyone in the stadium realized he would not be denied. The “Monongahela Minuteman” went straight to the air, using MacAfee and Haines as his targets. Four completions between these two receivers brought the ball to the Purdue 10. On first down Montana turned to his ground game. First it went to Orsini, who brought them to the five. Then, on second and goal, sophomore Dave Mitchell fought his way to the end zone. The miracle was complete. Joe Montana had again returned to the spotlight, where he seemed to belong.

That day in Ross–Ade Stadium marked the beginning of Montana’s mythos—the first of many fourth-quarter comebacks that would come to define his career. But more than that, it was a reminder that even when the crowd quiets and the headlines move on, greatness has a way of breaking back through. For Notre Dame fans, this wasn’t just a comeback—it was the return of a quarterback who would become one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Cheers & GO IRISH!

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The ugly truth behind ‘restoring Montana values’ • Daily Montanan

Published

4 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Restoring Montana values.

When you hear that term, your ears should perk up. This phrase isn’t folksy nostalgia; it’s shorthand for something else. It’s Republican code. It’s an old trick. Take one of grandpa’s old slogans and use it to mean something else. Usually something vile. Something about 50 or 100 years past its sell-by date.

Republicans like to talk about restoring “Montana values.” It’s like they are promising to bring back nickel candy. They aren’t. It sounds harmless, even virtuous. Let’s be clear: It isn’t.

So, what does “Restoring Montana Values” mean today in Republican speak? It means a never-ending stream of unconstitutional laws intended to deny certain groups of Montana citizens their constitutional rights. But, they won’t say that out loud. These laws are consistently unconstitutional. And, here’s the subterfuge – Republicans blame our nonpartisan judges. Not the legislature. Not the governor. Not the unconstitutional laws. Just the judges.

Republicans continue to adopt laws that violate basic freedoms under our Constitution. There is a pattern. Our courts find these bills to be unconstitutional. So, Republicans claim that the problem is woke, out-of-control, radical, liberal judges. (Whew! It’s hard to fit all that outrage into one sentence.) They blame all of the world’s problems on the judicial branch. What Republicans are doing is making “Montana Values” a campaign slogan for something sinister. It’s an attack on the independence of our judicial branch.

Republicans have a “solution.” Restore “Montana Values” by getting rid of our nonpartisan judges. Make judicial elections red team vs. blue team. Not more justice. Just more bad politics.

To be clear – when the legislature knowingly passes bills that violate the Constitution, and our judges find them unconstitutional – that has nothing to do with politics. That is the role of judges. It’s called judicial review. It dates back to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1803 in Marbury vs. Madison.

Republicans have gone so far as to attack Chief Justice John Marshall (and the unanimous court). They claim that the Supreme Court got it wrong. Courts do not have the power to find legislative actions unconstitutional. They are trying to erase 223 years of legal precedent.

State Sen. Tom McGillvary from Billings is a high priest in the “Blame the Woke Judges Order.” He has lectured on why the Supreme Court got it wrong in Marbury vs. Madison. I am sure that McGillvary prayed about it, but it might have helped if he had gone to law school and actually studied the Constitution. Bold. Or, just dishonest. You get to decide.

Republicans’ attack on judicial review just doesn’t ring true. It’s like proclaiming that the person with the fewest points is the winner of the Scrabble game. You can smell that argument; it isn’t perfume.

Blaming judges for doing their jobs. That is the antithesis of Montana values.

The real issue is why Republicans want to deny people their constitutional rights. Could there be anything more inconsistent with Montana values than that? Our Constitution is the foundation of our law. It is the social contract between the people of our great state. Our Constitution isn’t just the law; it’s how we treat each other; how we value every person; and how we respect the rights of all people. Violating our Constitution is totally inconsistent with Montana Values.

Montana has a libertarian streak. Independence is a good thing. You don’t have to agree with me or even like me for us to get along and be good neighbors. People get to believe what they believe and pretty much do what they want, so long as they don’t hurt someone. But, there is a line. You can’t deny people their Constitutional rights. That is over the line.

If Republicans want to restore Montana values: Easy. All they have to do is honor and follow the Montana Constitution.

In 1972, 100 Montana citizens crafted our Constitution. Delegates sat in alphabetical order, not by party. Pragmatism bent party loyalty to build a consensus. It’s not a Republican constitution or a Democratic constitution. It isn’t woke or fascist. It’s ours. Eighty-nine out of 100 delegates approved. Montana citizens –not Republicans; not Democrats. Montanans.

And then, in June of 1972, Montana citizens voted to approve the new Constitution. It holds our values.

Republicans want to deny some Montana citizens their Constitutional rights.

Well? That’s not Montana values.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for April 11, 2026

Published

16 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 11, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from April 11 drawing

06-47-49-53-60, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 11 drawing

01-21-26-29-32, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 11 drawing

05-06-07-30, Bonus: 04

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 11 drawing

18-20-26-37-39

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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