1980 Cotton Bowl Classic

Televised by CBS, the game kicked off shortly after 1 p.m. CST, as did the Sugar Bowl on ABC.[7] The Dallas weather was fair and 60 °F (16 °C),[6] a vast improvement over the previous year's subzero wind chill.

Nebraska halfback Jarvis Redwine opened the scoring with a nine-yard run late in the first quarter to complete an 85-yard drive. Houston responded midway through the second quarter with their own drive, 71 yards in six plays which ended with a touchdown run by quarterback Terry Elston to tie the game at seven each, the score at halftime.[8]

The third quarter was scoreless and Kenny Hatfield kicked a field goal to give the Cougs a 10–7 lead with 8:25 remaining. But Nebraska recovered a Houston fumble at the 31 and scored six plays later on a six-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Quinn to tight end Jeff Finn to take the lead at 14–10. After the kickoff, Houston started at their own 34 with 3:48 remaining, and Elston drove his team to the Nebraska six with nineteen seconds left. It was fourth and one as Elston snapped the ball, scrambling and throwing through two defenders' hands to Eric Herring in the end zone, to give Houston the lead with twelve seconds left. Nebraska could not work a miracle of their own as the Cougars gained their second Cotton Bowl win in three years.[8][9]

Statistics	Houston	Nebraska
First Downs	18	13
Rushes–yards	61–206	41–136
Passing yards	119	91
Passes	9–19–0	11–22–1
Total Offense	80–325	63–227
Punts–average	7–42.0	10–40.6
Fumbles–lost	7–3	1–1
Turnovers	3	2
Penalties–yards	2–22	7–90

Source: [4][5][6][8]

Houston climbed to fifth in the final AP poll and Nebraska dropped to ninth. The Cornhuskers went to bowls for the next eighteen years under Osborne before his retirement, but not to the Cotton Bowl; they returned in 2007. The Cougars returned five years later but lost, and have not won a Cotton Bowl since this game.