Menu

1979 college football season

1979 Indiana Football: Lee Corso’s Best Year In Bloomington

, , , , , , ,

Today, Lee Corso is nationally recognized for his work as an ESPN college football analyst. He’s right behind colleague Kirk Herbstreit as the face of college football. When he coached the 1979 Indiana football team, Corso was just a witty—if mostly unknown head coach—trying to get a program over the hump.

READ ABOUT THE LOU HOLTZ ERA AT NOTRE DAME

Indiana had been on hard times since reaching the Rose Bowl in 1967 and then having a winning season in 1968. Corso took over in 1973 and started with three awful years.  He followed it up with a 14-18-1 stretch from 1976-78. Indiana came into the 1979 college football season looking to finally grasp another bowl bid.

The team’s best player was tight end Bob Stephenson, whose 49 catches were second in the Big Ten. Tim Clifford was a respectable quarterback, with a 56% completion rate and 7.2 yards-per-attempt, each ranking him fourth among conference quarterbacks. The running game was split between Mike Harkrader and Lonnie Johnson, who combined for over 1,500 yards.

Indiana opened the season at Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ Dennis Mosely would end up winning the Big Ten rushing title and Iowa broke out to a 26-3 lead. A new era didn’t exactly look to be dawning. But the Hoosiers rallied. Clifford went 19/28 and his 316 passing yards set a new school record. He threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with just under a minute left to complete a 30-26 comeback win.

IU came out of that win and blew out lowly Vanderbilt, then got an 18-10 win over mediocre Kentucky, both wins at home. A visit from a bad Colorado team brought disappointment—a 17-16 loss to end the non-conference schedule on a dour note.

A road trip to Wisconsin produced an ugly game, even if it ended with a 3-0 win for the Hoosiers. But given the Badgers would only finish 4-7, there wasn’t a lot to be optimistic about—especially when eventual Big Ten champ Ohio State demolished Indiana 47-6 in Columbus the following week.

The Hoosiers got healthy with a 30-0 home win over a hideous Northwestern team. On the final weekend of October they went to 10th-ranked Michigan and played their best game of the year. Indiana was ready to get out of Ann Arbor with a 21-21 tie (overtime did not exist until 1996). Michigan had one final chance from the IU 45-yard-line and they made it count, a bomb to Anthony Carter that broke Hoosier hearts, 27-21.

There was still reason for the Hoosiers to feel good about the way they had played and they hosted Minnesota a week later. Gopher quarterback Mark Carlson had the highest completion percentage in the conference and finished second in total passing yards. But it was the Indiana offense that stole the show, rolling to a 42-24 win. The points kept coming in a 45-14 win at Illinois.

The rivalry game with Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket, against the conference’s best quarterback in Mark Herrman, ended with a 37-21 loss at home, but Indiana had still won seven games and gotten Corso’s long-sought bowl invitation.

And while it wasn’t a New Year’s Day bowl, it was still a pretty attractive invite. The Holiday Bowl offered not just a winter trip to San Diego, but the chance to play ninth-ranked BYU. The Cougars were undefeated and as the WAC champion, were contractually obligated to the Holiday.

There was bad blood between BYU and Indiana leading up to the December 21 game. BYU felt disrespected by the Big Ten. Indiana was motivated by reports that BYU was disappointed they hadn’t drawn a more high-profile opponent.

Both offenses came out firing. BYU took a 7-0 lead, but Clifford responded with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Stephenson, and then a one-yard TD run for a 14-7 lead. The Cougars tied the game back up, 14-14 after the first quarter.

Clifford ran in for another touchdown from a yard out and IU led 21-17 at the half. The third quarter was wide open. BYU got two touchdown passes, but Indiana added 10 points of their own. BYU clung to a 34-31 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Indiana’s Tim Wilbur, a defensive back who doubled as a punt returner, brought a punt back 62 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. It was part of the Hoosiers consistently winning the battle of “little things.” They were better on special teams and by intercepting three passes, they won the turnover battle 4-1.

BYU kept coming, with a field goal to cut the lead to 38-37 and then driving down to the Indiana 10-yard line with time for one more play. The field goal team came onto the field…and the short kick was missed. Indiana could celebrate.

As it turned out, this was Corso’s high point in Bloomington. He never made another bowl game.  But his ’79 Indiana team was a memorable one, they played an epic bowl game and got a #19 finish in the final polls.

1979 Florida State Football: Bobby Bowden’s Breakthrough Year

, , , , ,

Florida State’s floundering football program had been taken over in 1976 by a guy named Bobby Bowden, and he immediately got the Seminoles respectable at 5-6. The next two years saw FSU win a combined 18 regular season games. Bowden’s program was coming and 1979 Florida State football produced the breakthrough year.

READ GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS

Ron Simmons was an All-American defensive tackle and who anchored that side of the ball. Offensively, Bowden could get physical with 1,000-yard rusher Mark Lyles, and the coach alternated two quarterbacks, Jimmy Jordan and Wally Woodham. They threw the ball a lot by the standards of the day—a combined 332 attempts for both, the most any starting quarterback that made it to a New Year’s Day bowl game threw. Jackie Flowers, with his 37 catches for 622 yards was the top target.

Florida State had enough respect to be ranked #19 when the season began. They opened with five opponents who hovered more or less around the .500 mark. The Seminoles nipped Southern Miss, crushed Arizona State and beat Miami in the three home games that started the year. Then they survived a tough game at Virginia Tech, 17-10 and shut out Louisville. Florida State was up to #9 in the country.

After beating a bad Mississippi State team 17-6, Bowden took his team to Baton Rouge. LSU wasn’t great, but they were decent, finishing the season with a winning record. And Death Valley was no more hospitable to visitors in the late 1970s then it is today.

Jordan got most of the time at quarterback, and though he was a little erratic—14-for-31—he made big plays. Those fourteen completions got a stunning 312 yards. He threw three touchdown passes, a 53-yard strike to Hardis Johnson and a 40-yard pass to Flowers. Florida State won 24-19 and moved up to #6.

The following week at lowly Cincinnati was a trap game and FSU survived it, 26-21. It set up another important test, this one at home with South Carolina and their talented running back George Rogers.

Florida State took an early 13-0 lead before Rogers, who would win the Heisman the following year and have a good NFL career, ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run. FSU never really contained the big and explosive back, but they had a running game of their own. Lyles gained 132 yards on 25 carries and the Seminoles were vastly better in the air. This time it was Woodham, efficiently moving the ball at 15/29 for 145 yards (not bad numbers in this era) and the ‘Noles pulled away to a 27-7 win.

An undefeated season and major bowl invite was now in FSU’s crosshairs and they didn’t let up, crushing mediocre Memphis, 66-17. The season finale was with Florida, who went winless this season. The Seminoles put their rival out of their misery with a 27-14 win. They went to the Orange Bowl ranked #4 and paired up with traditional power Oklahoma, ranked #5 with a 10-1 record.

There was no viable path for the Oklahoma-Florida State winner to claim a national title. Alabama and Ohio State were both unbeaten, but even if they both lost, that would mean third-ranked and USC (undefeated at 10-0-1) needed to beat Ohio State and that would crown the Trojans. The Orange Bowl was boxed out, but the storyline of traditional power versus up-and-comer was no small consolation prize.

Florida State started quickly, but you could tell they weren’t quite ready for prime-time. An early 7-0 lead might have been bigger if not for some mistakes. Watts broke through with a 61-yard touchdown run that tied the game and it was all Oklahoma the rest of the way in a 24-7 win. Simmons would concede afterward that the Sooners simply had more talent.

But we know how the story ends for Bowden’s tenure in Tallahassee. He got increasingly more talent, became a major bowl regular and won a couple national championships. It all started back in 1979.

1979 Oklahoma Football: The Sooner Schooner Rolls To Another Orange Bowl

, , , , ,

Barry Switzer had the Sooner Schooner running at full blast during the 1970s and the final year of the decade wasn’t much different. Oklahoma was a regular on the New Year’s Day stage and had won consecutive national titles as recently as 1974-75. The 1979 Oklahoma football team came into the season with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Billy Sims back at running back and an All-American linebacker in George Cumby.

READ GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS

The Sooners’ high-speed wishbone offense, built on the option, had a new starting quarterback in J.C. Watts, a future Republican congressman from the state. Watts only threw 81 passes all season, but he still ran for 455 yards and his ten rushing touchdowns were second in the old Big Eight Conference only to Sims’ 22. Stanley Wilson provided another threat at running back.

Oklahoma  was ranked #3 in the country to start the season, trailing only defending national co-champs Alabama and USC. The Sooners started off the season with four straight decisive wins over mediocre competition in Iowa, Tulsa, Rice and Colorado. The first real test came on October 13 when they met fourth-ranked Texas in Dallas.

OU capitalized on an early turnover, and Watt hit Wilson with an 11-yard touchdown pass and a 7-3 lead. But Texas took the lead back in the second quarter, and then simply outmuscled Oklahoma. The proud Sooners were outrushed 223-128 and allowed the Longhorns to control the ball for nearly 39 minutes. The game ended 16-7 and Oklahoma slipped to #8 in the polls.

Switzer’s team resumed the blasting of mediocrity with blowouts over Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas. Mixed in this timeframe was another blowout of Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had won seven games this year, coming mostly out of nowhere with a rookie head coach that Switzer would one day become indelibly linked—Jimmy Johnson.

The blowouts were setting up Oklahoma for their season-ending showdown with Nebraska, but with 1979 being a year where the chalk mostly held, it wasn’t helping OU move up the polls. They escaped Missouri 24-22 and were still sitting on #8 when it was time to host the third-ranked Cornhuskers for the conference championship and automatic Orange Bowl invite that went with it.

Sims had taken a modest step back from his Heisman standards of 1978—he rushed for 300 fewer yards and USC running back Charles White ended up winning the award in 1979. But don’t tell anyone from Nebraska that the ’79 version of Sims was watered down—he poured it on for 247 rush yards on 28 carries.

After trailing 7-3 at the half, Oklahoma scored consecutive touchdowns and though Nebraska scored with just under five minutes left, the Sooners closed out a 17-14 win. They moved up to #5 in the rankings.

Florida State was a newcomer to the national stage under a relatively unknown head coach named Bobby Bowden. Even though the Seminoles went undefeated, they were ranked #4. There was no realistic path to a national championship, but they got the nod to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Whether it was talent, experience with the big stage or a combination of both, the Sooners were ready for prime-time and the Seminoles were now. Oklahoma spotted FSU an early 7-0 lead. Watts tied the game with a 61-yard touchdown jaunt and OU took over the rest of the way.

Defensive back Bud Herbert intercepted FSU quarterback Jimmy Jordan to set up the go-ahead score. Herbert later intercepted backup QB Wally Woodham. The game ended 24-7, the outcome never in serious doubt.

Oklahoma closed the season as they had begun, ranked #3 and trailing only Alabama and USC. The Sooner Schooner continued to churn along in the national elite.

1979 Nebraska Football: One More Time It Was Close But Not Quite

, , , , ,

The 1979 Nebraska football team flirted with greatness and settled for being really good. For better or for worse, the ’79 Cornhuskers fit the program profile during this era.  

READ GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS

Nebraska had been a consistent winner since Tom Osborne took over for the legendary Bob Devaney in 1973, but the Cornhuskers had an Oklahoma problem. Osborne lost his first five games to the Sooners. When Nebraska finally beat them and won the Big Eight’s Orange Bowl bid in 1978, they were forced into a rematch with OU—which the Cornhuskers lost decisively.

Osborne had a team that was simultaneously a respected national power, while also seen as Oklahoma’s little brother. Nebraska was ranked #8 to begin the 1979 season.

The running game was what it was about in Lincoln. Jarvis Redwine, a transfer from Oregon State, stepped into the lineup and went over 1,100 yards. He was supported by I.M. Hipp, Andra Franklin and Craig Johnson, who all cleared 500 yards and finished among the Big Eight’s top ten rushers.

When Nebraska wanted to throw, their quarterbacks, Jeff Quinn and Tim Hager, could target the nation’s best tight end in Junior Miller. His seven touchdown catches were easily the Big Eight’s best and in this offensive scheme in this era, his 23 catches marked him a modern-day Antonio Gates.

The Huskers opened the season with a 35-14 win over Utah State and then escaped a road trip to mediocre Iowa, 24-21. They were moved to #6 in time to host a nationally televised game with Penn State at the end of September.

Nebraska started poorly, with Penn State scoring the first two touchdowns, one off a Pick-6. Then the Cornhuskers got down to business. Hager connected with Miller on a short touchdown pass of 11 yards, and then hit the great tight end on a 70-yard scoring strike. Nebraska scored 28 points in the second quarter and never looked back on their way to a 42-17 win.

Even though it wasn’t a great Penn State team—Joe Paterno’s squad was ranked #18 coming in and wouldn’t make a major bowl game—it still qualified as a big-time statement win for Nebraska. They had dominated the Lions on the ground, winning rush yardage 298-160, with Redwine going for 124. When the next polls came out, Nebraska was in the top five.

There were no serious tests in October, blowing through New Mexico State, Kansas and, Oklahoma State and Colorado by a combined score of 173-10. Oklahoma State, on its way to seven wins under first-year coach Jimmy Johnson, was the only one of these teams even remotely capable of being on the same field with the Cornhuskers, who were ranked #2 in the nation by the end of the month.

Nebraska went to Missouri to open November. The Tigers were a pretty good team, and no one needed to persuade Osborne—the previous year, a loss to Mizzou cost the Huskers a chance to play for the national championship. This time Nebraska won, but it wasn’t easy in a 23-20 win. Another fairly close game, this time to a poor team at home—21-12 over Kansas State—resulted in Nebraska slipping to #3 in the polls.

The Cornhuskers blew out Iowa State to set up the season finale with Oklahoma. The Sooners had lost a non-conference game to Texas and were realistically out of the national title race. Nebraska was blocked out by fellow unbeatens Alabama and Ohio State, neither of whom they could possibly play in a bowl game.

It would take an inside straight to finish #1, but there was still an undefeated season and the not-so-small matter of simply beating Oklahoma still on the line when Nebraska went to Norman on November 24.

After taking an early 7-0 lead, the game proved to be the same-old, same-old when it came to facing Oklahoma. The Cornhusker defense, lacking All-American talent, was overrun by OU’s star running back Billy Sims. Nebraska trailed 17-7 with less than five minutes left when they scored on a trick “fumblerooski” play, where Quinn took the snap, set the ball on the ground and an offensive lineman picked up and ran for a touchdown. But the game ended at 17-14 and Nebraska settled for a Cotton Bowl date with Houston.

The Cotton Bowl was a good tough football game on a sunny day in Dallas. Houston led 10-7 in the fourth quarter, but a fumble on their own 31-yard line set up a Nebraska touchdown with less than four minutes left. The Cornhuskers had a 14-10 lead and the Cougars had a backup quarterback in Terry Elston in the game.

Elston ended up an unlikely hero. He led the team gradually down the field and faced a fourth-and-goal on the six-yard line. On that decisive play, Nebraska had every receiver blanketed. But Elson took chance and rifled it toward Eric Herring. It caromed off a defender and into Herring’s hands. Nebraska had lost another 17-14 game.

The Cornhuskers finished ninth in the final polls. The loss just added to the close-but-not-quite trend that would trail them for another fifteen years.

1979 Ohio State Football: A National Championship Near-Miss

, , , , , ,

It was a new era for 1979 Ohio State football. The Buckeyes had a relatively disappointing season in 1978 and it was followed by a disastrous ending in the Gator Bowl when legendary head coach Woody Hayes punched an opposing player and was fired. Earle Bruce was the new coach and had healing to do within the program, as well as get the tide turned against archrival Michigan, who had won the previous three games and Rose Bowl bids.

READ GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS

Bruce had a talented sophomore quarterback in Art Schlichter, who would finish in the top six of the Heisman voting three straight years and eventually be the second overall pick in the NFL draft before wrecking his career with a gambling problem. The offense was well-balanced, with Calvin Murray and Ricardo Volley sharing the rushing load and wide receiver Doug Donley catching 37 passes for 800 yards, the latter a high number by the standards of the time.

Ken Fritz was one of the best guards in the country and made All-American and in spite of all the turmoil, this was still Ohio State. But the pollsters didn’t see it that way and amazingly, given the lack of parity in college football at the time, the Buckeyes were unranked to start the year.

Ohio State opened with a 31-8 win over an average Syracuse team and quickly got back in the polls at #15. Then the Buckeyes went to mediocre Minnesota and fell behind 14-0. In what was perhaps a turning point for the program, Ohio State rallied and won 21-17. They rolled Washington State 45-29 and prepared for a nationally televised visit to UCLA.

The bad year the Bruins would have, finishing 5-6, was by no means apparent at this time, though they had lost to Houston already. UCLA was still ranked #17 and they bolted to a quick 10-0 lead. For the second time in the month of September, Ohio State faced a double-digit deficit.

Murray ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run and after three quarters the game was tied 10-10. UCLA got a field goal and drove deep into Buckeye territory before missing a chip shot field goal. Ohio State had the ball on their own 20 with 2:21 left. Schlichter calmly completed six straight passes, including the winning touchdown with 46 seconds The 17-13 win vaulted the Buckeyes to #8 in the rankings.

After a lackluster 16-7 win over Northwestern to open Big Ten play, Ohio State clicked into high gear. They blasted Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois and Iowa by a combined score of 223-20 and moved up to #2 in the AP poll, trailing only unbeaten Alabama.

Now it was time to go to Ann Arbor. It hadn’t been a great year for the 13th-ranked Wolverines, but they had still only lost twice, to Purdue and Notre Dame. Ohio State needed the win just to get back to the Rose Bowl, to say nothing of the national title.

The Buckeye secondary allowed a deep touchdown pass to spectacular Wolverine wide receiver Anthony Carter and trailed 7-6 at halftime. In the third quarter, after being set up with good field position by a shanked punt, Schlichter threw a touchdown pass and even after the missed two-point conversion, they led 12-7.

Another deep ball allowed to Carter set up a Michigan touchdown and two-pointer and the game was 15-12. Ohio State turned to their special teams to win it. They went all-in for a punt block midway through the fourth quarter, exploiting what had been a Wolverine flaw throughout the year. Jim Laughlin blocked the punt, Todd Bell recovered it and scored. Ohio State won 18-15 and was returning to Pasadena.

Ohio State also moved to the top of the AP poll, while Alabama retained the top spot in the UPI poll. USC was ranked right behind the two 11-0 teams. The Crimson Tide would play Lou Holtz’s Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl early in the day. If the Tide lost, the Buckeyes and Trojans would take the field knowing they were playing for an undisputed national championship. And even if Alabama won, Ohio State would still play for a share of the crown.

The raw talent level of USC, their accomplishments of recent seasons and their relative homefield advantage led them to be a 7 ½ point favorite. And in spite of being eliminated by an Alabama victory in the early time slot, USC jumped out 10-0, with McDonald throwing a 53-yard touchdown pass. But Ohio State had come back all season long and they did again here, grinding out a 16-10 lead with five minutes left in the game.

But the Trojans’ Heisman-Trophy winning running back Charles White broke hearts across the state of Ohio. He tore off two runs that totaled 60 yards, then finished it off with a short TD run. USC won 17-16.

It was a crushing loss, but there was hope for the future. Where the real disappointment comes in is that Ohio State didn’t make it back to Pasadena until 1984, when they again lost to USC. It would be well into the late 1990s before the Buckeyes again made a serious run at a national championship. And it would be 2002 before they would actually win it all for the first time in the post-Woody Hayes era.

1979 USC Football: A Repeat Bid Comes Up Just Short

, , , , ,

The 1979 USC football program entered the season on a high. They had reached the Rose Bowl twice in the previous three years under fourth-year head coach John Robinson and won both times. In 1978, they were voted a share of the national championship, splitting the title with Alabama. Those same two teams, the Trojans and Crimson Tide opened the 1979 season atop the polls. USC was #1 with ‘Bama right behind them.

READ GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS

USC was known as “Tailback U” back in those days and Charles White was the latest heir. White rolled for over 2,000 yards rushing and won the Heisman Trophy.

There was a backup running back who didn’t turn out too badly either—Marcus Allen ran for 694 and finished eighth in the Pac-10 in rush yardage.

White and Allen were just two pieces of what was a loaded team. Brad Budde led the offensive line at guard and won the Lombardi Award. Dennis Johnson was an All-American linebacker. Future NFL players in linebacker Chip Banks and defensive backs Dennis Smith and Joey Browner were in the lineup. There was a future NFL head coach in defensive back Jeff Fisher.

And the fourth defensive back? Another guy who turned out well, in safety Ronnie Lott, merely the consensus choice as the best to ever play his position in the NFL.

Beyond all this, the Trojans were more balanced offensively than the Tailback U reputation gave them credit for. Paul McDonald, the lefty quarterback, threw for over 2,200 yards and had an excellent 18/6 TD-INT ratio. McDonald didn’t have the NFL future his teammates did, but he could at least exact a price if opposing defenses stacked the box.

It’s not surprising that USC, coming off a year where they were co-national champs, was ranked #1 in the preseason. Four of the first five games were against bad teams, and they rolled through Texas Tech, Oregon State, Minnesota and Washington State. The one reasonably difficult game came at LSU, ranked #20 at the time, though the Tigers would finish 6-5. USC got the win in Baton Rouge, 17-12.

October 13, against a mediocre Stanford team, produced the strange game that proved costly. USC jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and all looked good. Then the script flipped, the Cardinal scored three touchdowns and the game ended in a 21-21 tie. USC slipped to #4 in the polls, while Alabama continued to churn along and moved into the top spot.

A road trip to traditional rival Notre Dame was next. The game was tied 7-7 at the half, when White started to open up. He ran for two third-quarter touchdowns, but the Trojans still clung to a 21-14 lead. White kept coming, with two more touchdowns in the final quarter. With 591 yards of total offense, USC finally pulled away, 42-23.

Victories over Cal and Arizona, both respectable teams on their way to bowl games, by a combined 58-21 score follow and it set up a big game at 15th-ranked Washington. The Trojans 4-0-1 record in Pac-10 play led the conference, but the Huskies were right behind at 4-1. If USC won, they clinched the Rose Bowl. If Washington won, they needed only beat woeful Washington State the following week.

The game was good, but the Trojans survived it in Seattle, 24-17. The regular season ended with UCLA in the Coliseum (at the time, it was home to both schools). The Bruins were having an uncharacteristic poor year and USC made mincemeat of their rival, 49-14. They entered the Rose Bowl ranked third in the nation.

Ohio State had won the Big Ten, enjoying a comeback season under first-year head coach Earle Bruce. Not only that, they were 11-0 and held the top spot in the AP poll. Alabama had cruised to a perfect season of their own and led the UPI poll. The Trojans were #3.

The Tide was playing in the Sugar Bowl in the early afternoon time slot and their game would be over when the Rose Bowl started, or shortly thereafter. USC would know if they had a chance at the national title. They did not. The Tide won decisively over Arkansas.

In spite of Ohio State’s ranking, the oddsmakers priced USC as a 7.5 point favorite. The Trojans looked ready to prove the bookmakers right, as they built a 10-0 lead in the first half. Lefty quarterback Paul McDonald threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to strike the first blow. The Buckeyes came back, with a 53-yard scoring pass of their own from Art Schlicter. 

The Ohio State signal-caller would one day be chosen second in the NFL draft, before being undone by gambling addiction. None of his personal problems were known today, as he looked to lead his team to a national championship. Three more field goals gave Ohio State a 16-10 lead as the clock approached five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

USC started on its own 17-yard line, needing to go the distance. Heisman winner Charles White showed why he was the latest in an assembly line of running backs that was preceded by Ricky Bell and succeeded by Marcus Allen. Today, the Trojan program produces quarterbacks, but back then it was running backs. White ripped off runs of 32 & 28 yards to quickly get his team in striking distance. With 1:32 left, he ended the drive by somersaulting into the end zone. Touchdown and ballgame, 17-16.

The Trojans finished the season #2 in the nation, concluding a two-year stretch where they and Alabama were clearly the class of college football. That’s what make the ensuing years so surprising. USC only got the Rose Bowl bid twice during the entire decade of the 1980s. In neither case were they remotely close to national championship contention. The proud program would not return to national prominence until Pete Carroll came to Los Angeles in the early 21st century.

1979 Alabama Football: A Repeat Title Drive

, , , , ,

Alabama had split the national title with USC in 1978. The Crimson Tide were ranked #2 to start the new season, so they would open needing at least a little bit of help—it was their old nemesis out west in USC that was ranked #1. The bowl structure of the time meant that the SEC champ was locked in to the Sugar Bowl, while the Pac-10 champ was contractually bound for the Rose Bowl. The 1979 Alabama football team got just the tiniest fraction of help, but it was all they needed to barge down the door and win an outright national championship this time around.

READ GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS

Tide head coach Bear Bryant changed out a lot of the spots at the skill position. Steadman Shealy took most of the snaps at quarterback and though he only threw 81 passes all season, Shealy was the team’s leading rusher with 791 yards.

The running backs were a cadre of Steve Whitman, Major Ogilvie, Don Jacobs, John Hill and Billy Jackson, whom Bryant kept moving in and out and constantly attacking defenses with a fresh back behind an offensive line led by All-American guard Jim Bunch.

The top receiver was Keith Pugh, and in this offensive system, his 25 catches for 433 yards seemed to make him look like an early version of Jerry Rice.

Defensively, Alabama only had one All-American, corner Don McNeal. But the whole was much greater than the sum of the parts—the Tide gave up just 5.6 points per game, the best in the land.

The title quest started at mediocre Georgia Tech with a 30-5 win. Alabama then hosted Baylor, a program that was started to move upward—in fact these teams would meet the following season in the Cotton Bowl. The Tide smacked down the Bears 45-zip, then crushed lowly Vanderbilt 66- and shutout overmatched Wichita State.

Florida was a hapless foe that would not win a game, even with future NFL wide receiver and TV analyst Cris Collingsworth in the lineup. ‘Bama beat the Gators 40-0.

That same day, USC blew a three-touchdown lead and tied Stanford 21-21.The Crimson Tide were now atop the polls.

One week later, 18th-ranked Tennessee provided a test. Alabama, playing at home, fell behind 14-0 early and trailed 17-7 at the half. Shealy then did something rare and made a big play with his arm, throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass. Ogilvie got rolling, going for 109 yards on the day and scoring two second half-touchdowns. Alabama took over in the second half and won 27-17.

Easy victories over losing teams in Mississippi State and Virginia Tech followed.  A trip to LSU was nearly fatal—the Tide mustered only a field goal worth of offense. Fortunately, their elite defense saved them, as they pulled off a 3-0 shutout over a team with future Super Bowl-starting quarterback David Woodley.

The defense spun another shutout against 5-6 Miami, and the offense picked up the pace in a 30-0 rout. One more opponent remained and it was archrival Auburn, ranked #14. The Tigers had the SEC Player of the Year, Joe Cribbs in the backfield. Cribbs and his backfield mate James Brooks would each go on to productive NFL careers and they gave Alabama everything the Tide could handle.

Auburn kicked an early field goal, but when Alabama scored two second-quarter touchdowns it looked like business as usual. But with Cribbs running for 93 yards, Auburn came back and took an 18-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

Alabama was getting a big game from Whitman, who carried 14 times for 107 yards, and Shealy, who rushed for 99. The quarterback capped off a drive with an eight-yard touchdown run and the Tide took a 25-18 lead. Auburn came right back, driving to the ‘Bama 24 before the Tide defense finally held.

The undefeated season and national title shot was preserved, but the AP poll moved Alabama down to #2. The Tide still controlled the UPI poll, but now they were again set to share honors with unbeaten Ohio State, bound for the Rose Bowl. In an ironic twist, ‘Bama needed a little help from USC, who would play the Buckeyes.

First things first. There was the not-so-small matter of playing sixth-ranked Arkansas, coached by Lou Holtz. The New Year’s Day bowl schedule at the time had the Sugar Bowl kicking off in the early time slot, to be followed by the Rose at its usual midafternoon time. The Tide would have a chance to make a first impression on the voters.

And they were ready. Even though McNeal fumbled the opening kickoff away, the defense stiffened and the Hogs got only a field goal. ‘Bama controlled the rest of the game behind the outstanding running of Major Oglivie. He scored on runs of 22 & 1, and also had a 50-yard punt return to set up a field goal shortly before the half, as the Tide led 17-3.

Arkansas briefly made it interesting in the third quarter, taking the second half kickoff and driving 80 yards to cut the lead to 17-9. But Alabama sealed the deal with a life-sucking 98-yard drive on nine plays that made the final 24-9. 

There was little doubt the Tide were in for at least a share of the title. Now they had to await the results from Pasadena. Once again, they got the smallest amount of help possible—Ohio State led 16-10 in the fourth quarter, but USC’s Heisman-winning running back Charles White ripped off two long runs that set up the winning touchdown in a 17-16 final.

The national championship belong exclusively to Alabama. It was the last title for the Bear in his extraordinary career.

The 1979 College Football Season’s Road To The Major Bowls

, , , , , , , , ,

Much of the 1979 college football season was spent arguing over the merits of Alabama and USC. The two teams finished as co-national champions in 1978 and were each running at the top of the polls again this season.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

Alabama rolled to an undefeated season, another SEC title and a third straight Sugar Bowl appearance. But USC stumbled—a little bit. They played to a tie with Stanford.

The standards were high in 1979 and that single tie game removed the Trojans from the picture, but it didn’t end the arguing. Ohio State, in their first year post-Woody Hayes was rolling along undefeated and concluded the season 11-0. They reached the Rose Bowl against USC in position to share the title with Alabama.

These three programs—Alabama, USC and Ohio State—defined the race for the national title in 1979, one the Tide would win, as they won the Sugar Bowl while USC nipped Ohio State in the Rose. But there were other compelling stories, as teams raced for what were then just four major bowl spots (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton)…

*Oklahoma and Nebraska continued a dominance of the old Big Eight Conference that lasted through the entire 1970s and almost all of the 1980s. The Sooners claimed the league title and the automatic Orange Bowl ticket. The Cornhuskers went to the Cotton Bowl.

*The Southwest Conference produced two major bowl teams—Houston won the league and the Cotton Bowl date that went with it. Arkansas, led by Lou Holtz, finished the regular season ranked #6 and got a shot at Alabama in the Sugar.

*And the upstart on the New Year’s stage was a then-unheard of head coach named Bobby Bowden, who led up-and-coming Florida State to the Orange Bowl. It was the first time Bowden reached a major bowl and most definitely would not be his last.

This compilation includes four articles, all published individually on TheSportsNotebook.com. The road all eight teams took to the major bowls are described in an article focusing on that particular bowl. You’ll read about their key players, big wins, poll movements and tough losses, as the best college football teams marched the road to January 1.

READ MORE ABOUT THE 1980 SUGAR BOWL
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1980 ROSE BOWL
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1980 ORANGE BOWL
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1980 COTTON BOWL

The Road To The 1979 Holiday Bowl: Indiana & BYU

, , , , , , , , , ,

Today, Lee Corso is nationally recognized for his work as an ESPN college football analyst. You could even argue he’s the face of the sport. At the 1979 Holiday Bowl he was just the mostly unknown, but witty head coach of Indiana looking to get a bowl victory over an undefeated BYU team. The Hoosiers and Cougars played a classic game down to the wire in San Diego. Here’s a look back on how they both got there…

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

Indiana had been on hard times since reaching the Rose Bowl in 1967 and then having a winning season in 1968. Corso took over in 1973 and started with three awful years.  He followed it up with a 14-18-1 stretch from 1976-78. Indiana came into the 1979 college football season looking to finally grasp another bowl bid.

The team’s best player was tight end Bob Stephenson, whose 49 catches were second in the Big Ten. Tim Clifford was a respectable quarterback, with a 56% completion rate and 7.2 yards-per-attempt, each ranking him fourth among conference quarterbacks. The running game was split between Mike Harkrader and Lonnie Johnson, who combined for over 1,500 yards.

Indiana opened the season at Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ Dennis Mosely would end up winning the Big Ten rushing title and Iowa broke out to a 26-3 lead. A new era didn’t exactly look to be dawning. But the Hoosiers rallied. Clifford went 19/28 and his 316 passing yards set a new school record. He threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with just under a minute left to complete a 30-26 comeback win.

IU came out of that win and blew out lowly Vanderbilt, then got an 18-10 win over mediocre Kentucky, both wins at home. A visit from a bad Colorado team brought disappointment—a 17-16 loss to end the non-conference schedule on a dour note.

A road trip to Wisconsin produced an ugly game, but it ended with a 3-0 win for the Hoosiers. But given the Badgers would only finish 4-7, there wasn’t a lot to be optimistic about—especially when eventual Big Ten champ Ohio State demolished Indiana 47-6 in Columbus the following week.

The Hoosiers got healthy with a 30-0 home win over a hideous Northwestern team. On the final weekend of October they went to 10th-ranked Michigan and played their best game of the year. Indiana was ready to get out of Ann Arbor with a 21-21 tie (overtime did not exist until 1996). Michigan had one final chance from close to midfield and they made it count, with a bomb to Anthony Carter that broke Hoosier hearts, 27-21.

There was still reason for IU to feel good about the way they had played and they hosted Minnesota a week alter. Gopher quarterback Mark Carlson had the highest completion percentage in the conference and finished second in total passing yards. But it was the Indiana offense that stole the show, rolling to a 42-24 win. The points kept coming in a 45-14 win at Illinois.

The rivalry game with Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket, against the conference’s best quarterback in Mark Herrman, ended with a 37-21 loss at home, but Indiana had still won seven games and gotten Corso’s long-sought bowl invitation.

BYU head coach Lavell Edwards had his program on the rise. They had won at least nine games a year from 1976-78 and were hungry for some national recognition. Cougar quarterback Marc Wilson would finish third in the Heisman voting in 1979.

 

Wilson spread the ball around in a balanced passing offense that was state-of-the-art for its time. Running backs Eric Lane and Homer Jones were good pass-catchers out of the backfield. Tight end Clay Brown was an eventual second-round NFL draft pick. Wide receiver Lloyd Jones averaged over 22 yards-per-catch as the big-play threat in the offense. Receivers Dean Plater and Bill Davis rounded out an attack that produced six of the Western Athletic Conference’s ten most productive receivers.

BYU had an early opportunity for a non-conference statement, at 14th-ranked Texas A&M. It looked like a game where things would go off the rails, as Wilson underwent an appendectomy the week before the game. But the Cougars hung in there, with a blocked punt and goal-line stand keeping them game close.

Wilson got the ball late, down 17-10 and led a drive for a touchdown with 52 seconds left. Edwards called for the two-point conversion to go for the win and got it. BYU left College Station with a 17-17 win.

After a blowout win over Weber State, BYU began conference play and blasted UTEP 31-7, a win that got them into the national polls at #20. They buried Hawaii, Utah State and Wyoming in rapid succession, scoring a combined 140 points and shooting up to #11.

BYU closed October with a 59-7 win over New Mexico, then rolled past Colorado State and Long Beach State to move into the Top 10. The two best WAC opponents, Utah and San Diego State were still to come. Each could run the football, giving them the potential to keep the Cougar offense off the field. The Utes had a good 1-2 backfield punch with Tony Lindsey and Lewis Walker, while the Aztecs’ Tony Allen won the conference rushing title.

None of it matter. BYU shut out Utah 27-0 and then crushed San Diego State 63-14 to cap off their undefeated season. The WAC had a contractual arrangement for the Holiday Bowl, so San Diego was the Cougars were destined. They weren’t going to win the national championship, but they could cap off a perfect season.

There was bad blood between BYU and Indiana leading up to the December 21 game. BYU felt disrespected by the Big Ten. Indiana was motivated by reports that BYU was also disappointed they hadn’t drawn a more high-profile opponent.

Both offenses came out firing. BYU took a 7-0 lead, but Clifford responded with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Stephenson, and then a one-yard TD run for a 14-7 lead. A short touchdown run from Wilson tied the game 14-14 after the first quarter.

Clifford ran in for another touchdown from a yard out and IU led 21-17 at the half. The third quarter was wide open. Wilson threw two touchdown passes, one to Jones and one to Lane, but Indiana added 10 points of their own. BYU clung to a 34-31 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Indiana’s Tim Wilbur, a defensive back who doubled as a punt returner, brought a punt back 62 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. It was part of the Hoosiers consistently winning the battle of “little things.” They were better on special teams and by intercepting Wilson three times, they won the turnover battle 4-1.

Wilson kept firing and BYU got a field goal to cut the lead to 38-37 and then drove down to the Indiana 10-yard line with time for one more play. The field goal team came onto the field…and the short kick was missed.

Corso would never return to a bowl game. Edwards would be back many times over, including this same venue in 1984 where BYU capped an undefeated season with the national championship. But in the 1979 Holiday Bowl, it was Indiana who celebrated, getting a #19 finish in the final polls. BYU fell to #13 and went back to the drawing board for national respect.

 

The Road To The 1979 Gator Bowl: Michigan & North Carolina

, , , , , , , , , ,

The 1979 Gator Bowl was one of the better matchups on the bowl undercard of that season. It featured Michigan and North Carolina, with the Wolverines looking to atone for a disappointing season and the Tar Heels looking to send a statement that they had arrived. Here’s a look back on how each team navigated the 1979 football season to reach Jacksonville…

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

Michigan was coming off four straight major bowl appearances, the last three as the Big Ten champion in the Rose Bowl. All four times ended in losses, but Bo Schembecler’s program was one of the nation’s best.

The Wolverines were loaded defensively with All-Americans at end, in Curtis Greer, and linebacker with Ron Simpkins. In the defensive backfield, Mike Jolly led the way with four interceptions.

Michigan’s offense was led by a potent running game, with Butch Woolfork’s 990 yards ranking second among Big Ten running backs. Stanley Edwards and Lawrence Reid combined for over 1, 100 more. And while primary quarterback John Wangler was a classic dropback passer, Schembecler could call on B.J. Dickey to mix in a running threat behind center.

Tight end Doug Marsh was the primary target in the passing game, catching 33 passes for over 600 yards and becoming a second-round NFL draft pick the following spring. But the biggest splash came from a freshman in Anthony Carter. The most explosive receiver Schembecler ever hard, “A.C” only caught 17 passes, but they were good for over 27 yards a pop and gave the Michigan offense a new dimension.

The expectations were high as usual, especially with Ohio State seemingly in turmoil and transition following the firing of Woody Hayes after the 1978 season and bringing in Earle Bruce. Michigan was ranked #7 to start the season and opened the year up with a 49-7 thumping of Northwestern.

Ninth-ranked Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor next, and though the Irish would ultimately have a disappointing four-loss season, they didn’t suffer one of those losses here. Michigan trailed 12-10 and was in position to win, but a blocked field goal cost them to the win and dropped the Wolverines to #11 in the polls.

Victories over lowly Kansas and at mediocre Cal closed the non-conference schedule and Big Ten action resumes on October 6 at Michigan State. The Spartans would have gone to the Rose Bowl in 1978 had it not been for probation was coming off an NCAA title run in basketball the previous spring with Magic Johnson. “Little brother” was doing well and Michigan needed to make a stand.

A tough game was tied 7-7 late in the third quarter, when Dickey threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Clayton for the lead and Michigan ultimately won 21-7. They followed that up with a 31-21 win at mediocre Minnesota and a 27-7 win over a terrible Illinois team. That moved the Wolverines back into the Top 10 and set up a visit from Indiana.

The Hoosiers were coached by future ESPN personality Lee Corso and were having their best season since a 1967 Rose Bowl run. The game was tied 21-21 with six seconds left and in the days prior to overtime, it looked like a tie—one that would feel like a defeat for the Wolverines if they couldn’t convert a desperation pass from the Indiana 45-yard line.

Anthony Carter made the most legendary play of his college career, running a deep post, splitting the Hoosier defenders and catching a touchdown pass to complete an improbable 27-21 win. When Michigan followed it up by blasting a subpar Wisconsin team 54-zip, they still controlled their destiny for the Rose Bowl.

It was a three-team race, with Purdue and Ohio State. The Buckeyes were doing quite well under Bruce and were undefeated. The Boilermakers only conference loss was to Ohio State. Michigan would play both teams to close the season.

The ending was disappointing. They lost 24-21 in West Lafayette and even though the Rose Bowl bid was still in their grasp against Ohio State, lost the rivalry game 18-15, allowing a crucial blocked punt in the second half. Michigan was out of the New Year’s Day picture for the first time since 1975 and accepted the Gator Bowl bid as the #14 team in the country.

North Carolina had enjoyed a good run of success under head coach Bill Dooley, who took the program to six bowl games in eight years before leaving to take the Virginia Tech job. Dick Crum replaced him in 1978 and went 5-6 his first year. Crum needed to get things back on track and he had an exceptionally gifted outside linebacker by the name of Lawrence Taylor to build around.

Crum also had one of the ACC’s better quarterbacks in Matt Kupec, who led the conference in completion percentage, yards-per-attempt and touchdown passes. In a controlled passing game, Kupec targeted tight end Mike Chatham and running back Dough Pascal as his main targets. Pascal also ran for 835 yards as a part of a strong two-back attack that was led by 1,000-yard rusher Amos Lawrence.

There were no expectations in Chapel Hill, but UNC changed that with a strong start. They beat an eight-win South Carolina team 28-0 to start the year and two weeks later hosted Pitt. The Panthers were ranked #13 in the country and had a great defensive end in Hugh Green.

In a game played in intense heat, one that left Green cramping up in the second half, North Carolina controlled the ball on the ground with Lawrence and up-and-coming Kelvin Bryant. The Tar Heels won the game 17-7. It was Pitt’s only loss of the season and likely cost them a Sugar Bowl chance at top-ranked Alabama. North Carolina followed up the big win with blowout wins over bad teams in Cincinnati and Army, vaulting into the polls at #14.

A home date with Wake Forest brought the winning streak to an end. The Demon Deacons were on their way to an eight-win season and quarterback Jay Venuto would win ACC honors. They were led by head coach John Mackovic, a future coach of Illinois and Texas, and Wake beat North Carolina 24-19, dropping them to #19 in the polls.

The Tar Heels responded with a clutch win at a good North Carolina State team, who had a future NFL wide receiver in Mike Quick. UNC broke out to a 28-7 lead and was hanging on for dear life at 28-21 with the Wolfpack driving at midfield. Taylor then came up with a sack and forced a fumbled that UNC recovered. They scored a clinching touchdown and won 35-21.

Then the season hit a skid. North Carolina played three pretty good teams in succession, East Carolina, Maryland and Clemson. After a 24-24 tie to East Carolina, the Tar Heels lost to both ACC rivals, and took themselves out of the race for the conference championship that would end up with N.C. State. The 0-2-1 stretch also knocked them out of the rankings.

North Carolina recovered to scrape by mediocre Virginia 13-7 and then win at archrival Duke 37-16. The Heels were still unranked, but at 7-3-1 and heading for the Gator Bowl, then had an opportunity against a high-profile opponent.

The Gator Bowl was played on a Friday night between Christmas and New Year’s, and ABC’s top broadcasting team of Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles had the call. The game proved to be a worthy appetizer for the major bowls.

Michigan drove inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter, but was forced to settle for a field goal. Wangler came right back and hit Carter on a 53-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was missed, a point that would prove to be critical.

Even more critical was what happened on Michigan’s next possession. Deep in his own end, Wangler dropped back to pass and was sacked by Taylor. It wasn’t quite as ugly as a sack Taylor would make in 1985 for the New York Giants, when he ended the career of Washington Redskins’ quarterback Joe Theisman on Monday Night Football. But this one came close to having the same impact—Wangler tore up his knee, was gone for the game and faced a long road back.

North Carolina pulled to within 9-7 at half, and then got a 12-yard touchdown pass from Kupec to take a 14-9 lead after three quarters. A field goal early in the fourth quarter put the Tar Heels up 17-9.

Michigan’s chances of getting a win were close to gone, but they could still salvage a tie, as Dickey led a drive late in the game. With 1:28 left, he hit Carter on a 30-yard touchdown strike. But North Carolina stopped the two-point conversion and held on for the 17-15 win.

North Carolina moved back into the final rankings, finishing at #15. Michigan ended the year ranked #18. There were good times ahead for both programs. UNC grew into a solid ACC program under Crum. Wangler made it back for Michigan and even playing on mostly one leg, helped the Wolverines get back to the Rose Bowl, and finally win it in 1980.

The Road To The 1980 Sugar Bowl: Alabama & Arkansas

, , , , , , , ,

The 1980 Sugar Bowl saw a national title settled in New Orleans for the second year in a row and once again the team doing the claiming was Alabama. After a winning a co-national championship the prior year, the Crimson Tide won it all again. The team standing in their way was Arkansas, coached by Lou Holtz. Let’s look back on the paths Alabama and Arkansas took through the 1979 college football season to reach New Year’s Day 1980 in the Bayou.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

Alabama was ranked #2 in the nation to start the year, right behind USC, whom they had split the title with the year before. Tide head coach Bear Bryant changed out a lot of the spots at the skill position. Steadman Shealy took most of the snaps at quarterback and though he only threw 81 passes all season, Shealy was the team’s leading rusher with 791 yards.

The running backs were a cadre of Steve Whitman, Major Ogilvie, Don Jacobs, John Hill and Billy Jackson, whom Bryant kept moving in and out and constantly attacking defenses with a fresh back behind an offensive line led by All-American guard Jim Bunch.

The top receiver was Keith Pugh, and in this offensive system, his 25 catches for 433 yards seemed to make him look like an early version of Jerry Rice.

Defensively, Alabama only had one All-American, corner Don McNeal. But the whole was much greater than the sum of the parts—the Tide gave up just 5.6 points per game, the best in the land.

The title quest started at mediocre Georgia Tech with a 30-5 win. Alabama then hosted Baylor, a program that was started to move upward—in fact these teams would meet the following season in the Cotton Bowl. The Tide smacked down the Bears 45-zip, then crushed lowly Vanderbilt 66- and shutout overmatched Wichita State.

Florida was a hapless foe that would not win a game, even with future NFL wide receiver and TV analyst Cris Collingsworth in the lineup. ‘Bama beat the Gators 40-0. That same day, USC blew a three-touchdown lead and tied Stanford, vaulting Alabama into the top poll position.

One week later, 18th-ranked Tennessee provided a test. Alabama, playing at home, fell behind 14-0 early and trailed 17-7 at the half. Shealy then did something rare and made a big play with his arm, throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass. Ogilvie got rolling, going for 109 yards on the day and scoring two second half-touchdowns. Alabama took over in the second half and won 27-17.

Easy victories over losing teams in Mississippi State and Virginia Tech followed.  A trip to LSU was nearly fatal—the Tide mustered only a field goal worth of offense. Fortunately, their elite defense saved them, as they pulled off a 3-0 shutout over a team with future Super Bowl-starting quarterback David Woodley.

The defense spun another shutout against 5-6 Miami, and the offense picked up the pace in a 30-0 rout. One more opponent remained and it was archrival Auburn, ranked #14. The Tigers had the SEC Player of the Year, Joe Cribbs in the backfield. Cribbs and his backfield mate James Brooks would each go on to productive NFL careers and they gave Alabama everything the Tide could handle.

Auburn kicked an early field goal, but when Alabama scored two second-quarter touchdowns it looked like business as usual. But with Cribbs running for 93 yards, Auburn came back and took an 18-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

Alabama was getting a big game from Whitman, who carried 14 times for 107 yards, and Shealy, who rushed for 99. The quarterback capped off a drive with an eight-yard touchdown run and the Tide took a 25-18 lead. Auburn came right back, driving to the ‘Bama 24 before the Tide defense finally held.

The undefeated season and national title shot was preserved, but the AP poll moved Alabama down to #2. The Tide still controlled the UPI poll, but now they were again set to share honors with unbeaten Ohio State, bound for the Rose Bowl.

Arkansas had reached the top five of the final polls two years earlier in Holtz’s first year before taking a modest step back in 1978. The Razorbacks were built on the running game, with Roland Sales going behind All-American tackle Greg Kolenda. Quarterback Kevin Scanlan threw 139 passes, which was moderate for the time. Scanlan was reasonably effective, completing 66 percent and getting 8.7 yards-per-attempt.

The Hogs opened the season ranked #20 and had moved up three spots before they played their first game on September 15. Arkansas blew out Colorado State to open the year. The Razorbacks then hosted Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were led by a rookie coach with whom Holtz would one day have an epic battle with—Jimmy Johnson. Nine years before the legendary Catholics vs. Convicts battle of Notre Dame-Miami, Holtz got the best of Johnson. Arkansas won 27-7.

After an easy win over Tulsa and a surprising 16-13 escape of lowly TCU, Arkansas beat Texas Tech 20-6. That win moved them to #10 in the polls in time for their two biggest games of the year, both at home—fellow Southwest Conference rivals Texas and Houston.

Texas was ranked #2 in the country, behind only Alabama, before the Longhorns came to Little Rock. Arkansas won it 17-14 and vaulted to #4, now in the national title picture themselves. When they led sixth-ranked Houston 10-7 at the half the following week, the picture looked even brighter. But the Razorback offense faltered after intermission and they lost 13-10, moving back to #9.

Arkansas opened November with a rout of an awful Rice team and then got an impressive 29-20 win over 17th-ranked Baylor, 29-20. That same day, Texas beat Houston and the Razorbacks were in a three-way tie for first in the SWC, which had an automatic bid to the Cotton Bowl.

The Hogs beat Texas A&M and SMU to end the year and at least claim their share of the conference championship. Texas was upset by A&M in the final week, removing the Longhorns from the tiebreaking and giving the Cotton Bowl bid to Houston on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Either way, Arkansas was ranked #6, with a piece of a league championship and still going to a major bowl as they got set to challenge Alabama.

Arkansas’ challenge was credible for about one quarter. McNeal fumbled the opening kickoff, but Arkansas could get only a field goal out of it. The Tide defense and Major Ogilvie took over. The Hogs couldn’t move, while Ogilvie scored two touchdowns and also had a 50-yard punt return to set up a field goal.

The score was 17-3 by half and after Arkansas briefly made it a game at 17-9, ‘Bama went on a soul-crushing 98-yard drive for the touchdown that sealed the 24-9 win and at least a share of the national championship.

It wasn’t until 1982 that the Sugar Bowl began being played in prime-time, so this was the first game of New Year’s Day. The national championship’s other half would now go up for grabs in the Rose Bowl, where Ohio State was meeting USC. The Buckeyes led 16-10 in the fourth quarter and looked like they might stake their claim. But the Trojans scored a late touchdown, won the game and the national championship belonged exclusively to Alabama.

The Road To The 1980 Rose Bowl: USC & Ohio State

, , , , , , ,

The 1980 Rose Bowl was one of the great battles in the modern era for the “Grandaddy” of all college bowl games. Following the 1979 regular season, Ohio State was undefeated and in position to play for a national title. USC had only one tie on their resume and came into the game with outside hopes of their own. The Trojans and Buckeyes then proceeded to give the country an outstanding football game. Here’s a look back on the path each team took to reach Pasadena.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 

USC had reached the Rose Bowl twice in the previous three years under fourth-year head coach John Robinson and won both times. USC was known as “Tailback U” back in those days and Charles White was the latest heir. White rolled for over 2,000 yards rushing and won the Heisman Trophy.

There was a backup running back who didn’t turn out too badly either—Marcus Allen ran for 694 and finished eighth in the Pac-10 in rush yardage.

White and Allen were just two pieces of what was a loaded team. Brad Budde led the offensive line at guard and won the Lombardi Award. Dennis Johnson was an All-American linebacker. Future NFL players in linebacker Chip Banks and defensive backs Dennis Smith and Joey Browner were in the lineup. There was a future NFL head coach in defensive back Jeff Fisher.

And the fourth defensive back? Another guy who turned out well, in safety Ronnie Lott, merely the consenus choice as the best to ever play his position in the NFL.

Beyond all this, the Trojans were more balanced offensively than the Tailback U reputation gave them credit for. Paul McDonald, the lefty quarterback, threw for over 2,200 yards and had an excellent 18/6 TD-INT ratio. McDonald didn’t have the NFL future his teammates did, but he could at least exact a price if opposing defenses stacked the box.

It’s not surprising that USC, coming off a year where they were co-national champs, was ranked #1 in the preseason. Four of the first five games were against bad teams, and they rolled through Texas Tech, Oregon State, Minnesota and Washington State. The one reasonably difficult game came at LSU, ranked #20 at the time, though the Tigers would finish 6-5. USC got the win in Baton Rouge, 17-12.

October 13, against a mediocre Stanford team, produced the strange game that proved costly. USC jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and all looked good. Then the script flipped, the Cardinal scored three touchdowns and the game ended in a 21-21 tie. USC slipped to #4 in the polls.

A road trip to traditional rival Notre Dame was next. The game was tied 7-7 at the half, when White started to open up. He ran for two third-quarter touchdowns, but the Trojans still clung to a 21-14 lead. White kept coming, with two more touchdowns in the final quarter. With 591 yards of total offense, USC finally pulled away, 42-23.

Victories over Cal and Arizona, both respectable teams on their way to bowl games, by a combined 58-21 score follow and it set up a big game at 15th-ranked Washington. The Trojans 4-0-1 record in Pac-10 play led the conference, but the Huskies were right behind at 4-1. If USC won, they clinched the Rose Bowl. If Washington won, they needed only beat woeful Washington State the following week.

The game was good, but the Trojans survived it in Seattle, 24-17. The regular season ended with UCLA in the Coliseum (at the time, it was home to both schools). The Bruins were having an uncharacteristic poor year and USC made mincemeat of their rival, 49-14. They entered the Rose Bowl ranked third in the nation.

It was a new era at Ohio State. The Buckeyes had a relatively disappointing season in 1978 and it was followed by a disastrous ending in the Gator Bowl when legendary head coach Woody Hayes punched an opposing player and was fired. Earle Bruce was the new coach and had healing to do within the program, as well as get the tide turned against archrival Michigan, who had won the previous three games and Rose Bowl bids.

Bruce had a talented sophomore quarterback in Art Schlichter, who would finish in the top six of the Heisman voting three straight years and eventually be the second overall pick in the NFL draft before wrecking his career with a gambling problem. The offense was well-balanced, with Calvin Murray and Ricardo Volley sharing the rushing load and wide receiver Doug Donley catching 37 passes for 800 yards, the latter a high number by the standards of the time.

Ken Fritz was one of the best guards in the country and made All-American and in spite of all the turmoil, this was still Ohio State. But the pollsters didn’t see it that way and amazingly, given the lack of parity in college football at the time, the Buckeyes were unranked to start the year.

Ohio State opened with a 31-8 win over an average Syracuse team and quickly got back in the polls at #15. Then the Buckeyes went to mediocre Minnesota and fell behind 14-0. In what was perhaps a turning point for the program, Ohio State rallied and won 21-17. They rolled Washington State 45-29 and prepared for a nationally televised visit to UCLA.

The bad year the Bruins would have, finishing 5-6, was by no means apparent at this time, though they had lost to Houston already. UCLA was still ranked #17 and they bolted to a quick 10-0 lead. For the second time in the month of September, Ohio State faced a double-digit deficit.

Murray ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run and after three quarters the game was tied 10-10. UCLA got a field goal and drove deep into Buckeye territory before missing a chip shot field goal. Ohio State had the ball on their own 20 with 2:21 left. Schlichter calmly completed six straight passes, including the winning touchdown with 46 seconds The 17-13 win vaulted the Buckeyes to #8 in the rankings.

After a lackluster 16-7 win over Northwestern to open Big Ten play, Ohio State clicked into high gear. They blasted Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois and Iowa by a combined score of 223-20 and moved up to #2 in the AP poll, trailing only unbeaten Alabama.

Now it was time to go to Ann Arbor. It hadn’t been a great year for the 13th-ranked Wolverines, but they had still only lost twice, to Purdue and Notre Dame. Ohio State needed the win just to get back to the Rose Bowl, to say nothing of the national title.

The Buckeye secondary allowed a deep touchdown pass to spectacular Wolverine wide receiver Anthony Carter and trailed 7-6 at halftime. In the third quarter, after being set up with good field position by a shanked punt, Schlichter threw a touchdown pass and even after the missed two-point conversion, they led 12-7.

Another deep ball allowed to Carter set up a Michigan touchdown and two-pointer and the game was 15-12. Ohio State turned to their special teams to win it. They went all-in for a punt block midway through the fourth quarter, exploiting what had been a Wolverine flaw throughout the year. Jim Laughlin blocked the punt, Todd Bell recovered it and scored. Ohio State won 18-15 and was returning to Pasadena.

Ohio State also moved to the top of the AP poll, while Alabama retained the top spot in the UPI poll. USC was ranked right behind the two 11-0 teams. The Crimson Tide would play Lou Holtz’s Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl early in the day. If the Tide lost, the Buckeyes and Trojans would take the field knowing they were playing for an undisputed national championship. And even if Alabama won, Ohio State would still play for a share of the crown.

The raw talent level of USC, their accomplishments of recent seasons and their relative homefield advantage led them to be a 7 ½ point favorite. And in spite of being eliminated by an Alabama victory in the early time slot, USC jumped out 10-0, with McDonald throwing a 53-yard touchdown pass. But Ohio State had come back all season long and they did again here, grinding out a 16-10 lead with five minutes left in the game.

White then did what he had done against Notre Dame and its take the football game over late. He tore off runs of 32 yards and 28 yards, and with 1:32 left he somersaulted into the end zone. USC won 17-16.

Surprisingly, neither team reached New Year’s Day in position to play for a national title any time in the near future. USC started to slip behind Washington & UCLA after Robinson left to coach the Los Angeles Rams and it took nearly a decade before the Trojans made another serious run. The Buckeyes reached the Rose Bowl following the 1984 season, but not in national championship position. It would be well into the late 1990s before Ohio State was a title contender.

The next actual national championships for each tradition-laden program wouldn’t come until a new century arrived, Ohio State in 2002 and USC in 2003-04. That wouldn’t have been guessed after the battle each team gave the country on New Year’s Day 1980.

Load More