Montana

Joe Montana’s Purdue Comeback

Published

4 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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Montana

Missoula Woman Arrested After False Claims And Drug Discovery

Published

1 day ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Missoula Woman Arrested After False Claims And Drug Discovery

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – On October 28, 2025, a Missoula Police Department Officer was dispatched to a possible physical disturbance at Council Grove Apartments. The caller, 41-year-old Danielle Auwen, reported someone was beating up her “baby-daddy.” The officer arrived on scene and contacted Auwen. The officer confirmed there was no threat or physical disturbance taking place.

Auwen advised that she heard people taunting her from inside the walls of the apartment and was shaking and stuttering. The officer observed that Auwen was displaying signs of paranoia due to drug intoxication. Dispatch advised that Auwen was previously permanently trespassed from the Council Groves Apartments.

Another officer advised that the apartment manager wanted Auwen removed and charged. Auwen advised that she was aware of the trespass, but stated she thought it was cancelled. Another officer pointed out trespass paperwork was taped to the front door of the apartment where Auwen was located. Auwen was arrested and asked the officer to grab her bag.

Officers Searched Her Bag at the Jail

The officer determined Auwen was on probation and contacted the Probation and Parole Office. The on-call Probation Officer requested that Auwen be violated for a probation violation and search the bag Auwen requested be brought to the jail. During a search of the bag, the officer located eleven yellow pills, determined to be Gabapentin. The officer contacted the PO, who advised Auwen was not prescribed Gabapentin.

According to court documents, Auwen currently has an open case and a pending Petition to Revoke in Montana’s Fourth Judicial District Court before the Honorable Leslie Halligan. Given that Auwen is now charged with an additional felony, while violating her conditions of release by Missoula County District Court and her conditions of probation, the State requested a warrant in the amount of $25,000 be issued for Auwen’s arrest.

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports

Auwen is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal trespass to property. According to the jail roster, her bond was set at $50,000 for a probation violation and $25,000 for the drug charge.

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.

Cities with the most UFO sightings in Montana

Stacker compiled a ranking of cities with the most UFO sightings in Montana using data from the National UFO Reporting Center.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

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Montana

Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import Argentina beef

Published

2 days ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import Argentina beef

HELENA — When President Donald Trump announced a plan last week to import more beef from Argentina, it drew quick criticism from ranchers in Montana. Now, Montana’s members of Congress say they’re pushing the administration to change course.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told MTN he quickly began hearing from Montanans in the cattle business after reports came out about Trump’s plan.

“The word I would describe is they feel betrayed,” he said.

(Watch the video to hear more reaction from Montana’s congressional delegation.)

Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import beef from Argentina

Daines said Montana beef producers have already been under pressure from drought and market forces. He said this step was “an unforced error” by the administration.

All four members of Montana’s congressional delegation are Republicans. They all say the Republican president’s plan was the wrong direction and that they’ve made that case when speaking with administration leaders.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who represents Montana’s western congressional district, says he understands why Trump wanted to tackle high beef prices, but that this wasn’t the right way for him to do it.

“Having a healthy cattle industry, having a healthy poultry industry and having a healthy supply chain for food is really national security,” he told MTN. “So he understands that, and I think we’re going to see some action in making sure or calming a lot of the fears from the cattlemen out there.”

Earlier this year, Daines visited Argentina and met with its conservative president, Javier Milei, during a South American tour advocating for Trump’s trade policies. He said his opinions on the country and its government don’t play any role in his feelings on this proposed deal.

“I don’t care if this is Argentinian beef or beef coming from anywhere else in the world,” he said. “The answer for what’s going on right now in the markets is not to import more beef – bottom line. It doesn’t matter where it comes from; it happens to be Argentina.”

Daines said it would be better for Montana’s cattle industry for the U.S. to focus on opening export markets rather than import markets. In 2017, Daines celebrated an agreement that led to China buying millions of dollars in Montana beef – but he said Thursday that the country has shut the doors to American beef during the ongoing trade dispute with the Trump administration.

“We were shipping over $1 billion a year in beef last year, and now it’s gone to zero,” he said.

In a statement to MTN, Sen. Tim Sheehy said he’s been talking with Trump and his team, looking for a path forward.

“Empowering hardworking ranchers who feed America and lowering prices for American families at the grocery store are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Both can be accomplished by lowering input costs and providing a reliable, pro-growth environment for producers so ranchers can grow their operation, capture more of the value they create, and feed the nation with affordable, healthy, high-quality beef.”

Zinke and Daines say they also see areas where the federal government can make moves that will benefit both Montana ranchers and Montana consumers. Daines wants Congress to do more to tackle the huge market share four large packing companies have in the beef industry – a situation he calls a “monopoly.”

“Our ranchers don’t set the price; that price is set for them,” he said.

Zinke wants to put additional emphasis on country-of-origin labeling for beef.

“In Montana, we have a brand and that brand has value,” he said. “When it’s made in Montana, you know it’s at the top, the quality is there. And our ranchers sell premium product – that’s important.”

Daines said he supports country-of-origin labeling also, though he wants to make sure any additional steps the U.S. takes doesn’t lead to unintended consequences or retribution from countries like Canada.

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