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 AP Coaches 1 1 AP Coaches 7 8
1 2 3 4 Total Georgia 10 7 0 0 17 Notre Dame 3 0 7 0 10
Date	January 1, 1981
Season	1980
Stadium	Louisiana Superdome
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
MVP	Herschel Walker (Georgia RB)
Favorite	Notre Dame by 1 point[1]
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC
Announcers	Keith 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 Downs	10	17
Rushing Yards	52–120	50–190
Passing Yards	7	138
Passing	1–13–0	12–28–3
Total Offense	65–127	78–328
Punts–Average	11–38.5	5–42.0
Fumbles–Lost	0–0	1–1
Turnovers	0	4
Penalties–Yards	6–32	8–69

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.

External links

• Sugar Bowl – January 1, 1981