1981 Sugar Bowl

The 1981 Sugar Bowl was the 47th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1980–81 bowl game season, it matched the undefeated and top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference, and the seventh-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. A slight underdog,[1] Georgia won, 17–10.[2][3][4][5]

1981 Sugar Bowl
47th edition
Georgia Bulldogs Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(11–0) (9–1–1)
Southeastern Independent
17 10
Head coach: 
Vince Dooley		 Head coach: 
Dan Devine
APCoaches
11
APCoaches
78
1234 Total
Georgia 10700 17
Notre Dame 3070 10
DateJanuary 1, 1981
Season1980
StadiumLouisiana Superdome
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
MVPHerschel Walker (Georgia RB)
FavoriteNotre Dame by 1 point[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersKeith Jackson and Frank Broyles

Teams
Main article: 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season

Georgia
Main article: 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football team

Notre Dame
Main article: 1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Game summary

The game kicked off shortly after 1 p.m. CST, televised by ABC, at the same time as the Cotton Bowl on CBS.[6]

In the first quarter, Notre Dame scored first on a 50-yard Harry Oliver field goal. Another Notre Dame scoring opportunity in the first quarter was foiled when Bulldog freshman Terry Hoage blocked a field goal. Hoage had been a last-minute addition to the roster by head coach Vince Dooley for his kick blocking ability. Due to good field position Georgia's Rex Robinson would eventually boot a 46-yard field goal of his own to tie the game at three.

On the ensuing kickoff, a communication gaffe between the Irish's deep return players resulted in neither one fielding the kick which bounced at the one-yard line and was recovered by Georgia's Bob Kelly. Two plays later, Bulldog running back Herschel Walker scored on a one-yard touchdown run as Georgia led 10–3. In the second quarter, Walker scored on a three-yard run making the score 17–3 at halftime.[4][5]

The only score in the second half came in the third quarter; Notre Dame scored on a one-yard run to close the margin to 17–10. Georgia's defense held on to that lead, giving Georgia the victory and the 1980 national championship.

True freshman Walker rushed for 150 yards and was named Sugar Bowl MVP. Bulldog defensive back Scott Woerner made several key plays throughout the day including a late game interception that sealed the win.[4][5] Georgia was first in both final polls.

Scoring

First quarter

  • Notre Dame – Harry Oliver 50-yard field goal
  • Georgia – Rex Robinson 46-yard field goal
  • Georgia – Herschel Walker 1-yard run (Robinson kick)

Second quarter

  • Georgia – Walker 2-yard run (Robinson kick)

Third quarter

  • Notre Dame – Phil Carter 1-yard run (Oliver kick)

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Statistics
Statistics   Georgia   Notre Dame
First Downs1017
Rushing Yards52–12050–190
Passing Yards7138
Passing1–13–012–28–3
Total Offense65–12778–328
Punts–Average11–38.55–42.0
Fumbles–Lost0–01–1
Turnovers04
Penalties–Yards6–328–69
Source:[2][3][4][5]

Note

This Sugar Bowl marked the debut of Georgia's costumed mascot Hairy Dawg.

President Jimmy Carter was in attendance, three weeks before leaving office.

References
  1. "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1981. p. 25.
  2. Musick, Phil (January 2, 1981). "Georgia stakes claim to No. 1". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13.
  3. Looney, Douglas S. (January 12, 1981). "The ball bounces Georgia's way". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  4. "'How 'bout them Dawgs?'". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). wire services. January 2, 1981. p. 19.
  5. "Georgia's convince Dawgs are No. 1". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. p. 1D.
  6. "Sports menu: television". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 1, 1981. p. 29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.