1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Sugar Bowl, L 10–17 vs. Georgia
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 10
AP	No. 9
Record	9–2–1
Head coach	Dan Devine (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	Joe Yonto
Captains	Bob Crable Tom Gibbons John Scully
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				9	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Boston College		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
North Texas State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	9	–	1
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Dan Devine and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

The 1980 season would be Dan Devine's final year as Notre Dame head coach. In August, he had announced that the upcoming season would be his last. The offense had 248 points for, while the defense gave up 128 points.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	3:20 p.m.	No. 9 Purdue	No. 11	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ABC	W 31–10	59,075
September 20	2:30 p.m.	No. 14 Michigan	No. 8	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 29–27	59,075
October 4	1:00 p.m.	at Michigan State	No. 7	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)		W 26–21	76,821
October 11	2:30 p.m.	No. 13 Miami (FL)	No. 7	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 32–14	59,075
October 18	2:30 p.m.	Army	No. 5	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 30–3	59,075
October 25	10:35 p.m.	at Arizona	No. 4	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		W 20–3	56,211
November 1	1:30 p.m.	vs. Navy	No. 3	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (rivalry)		W 33–0	76,891
November 8	1:30 p.m.	at Georgia Tech	No. 1	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)		T 3–3	41,266
November 15	3:50 p.m.	at No. 5 Alabama	No. 6	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	ABC	W 7–0	78,873
November 22	1:30 p.m.	Air Force	No. 2	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 24–10	59,075
December 6	3:50 p.m.	at No. 17 USC	No. 2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	ABC	L 3–20	82,663
January 1, 1981	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Georgia	No. 7	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	L 10–17	77,895
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Bernie Adell RB Ty Barber RB 28 Greg Bell Fr RB Mike Boushka FB 35 Pete Buchanan So G 65 Bob Burger Sr RB 22 Phil Carter So WR 80 Dave Condeni Jr QB 2 Mike Courey Sr TE 81 Marty Detmer Sr WR 1 Ty Dickerson Sr OL Randy Ellis OL Robb Gagnon QB Scott Grooms Fr WR 31 Pete Holohan Sr G 78 Tim Huffman Sr WR Tony Hunter So QB, P 5 Blair Kiel Fr QB 13 Greg Knafelc Sr QB Tim Koegel Sr TE 86 Dean Masztak Jr FB Rob McGarry So RB Larry Moriarty So RB Rodney Morris RB John Mosley Fr OT 71 Phil Pozderac Jr C 57 John Scully (C) Sr OT 74 Mike Shiner So RB Jim Stone Sr RB John Sweeney OL 64 Tom Thayer So WR Tim Tripp TE 95 Nick Vehr Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 94 Tom Bock Jr CB 9 Chris Brown Fr DB Steve Cichy ILB 43 Bob Crable (C) Jr S 22 Dave Duerson So S 20 Angelo Fasano Sr S 27 Tom Gibbons (C) Sr DE 92 Joe Gramke Jr DE John Hankred Sr DL Don Kidd DL Pat Kramer CB 19 John Krimm Jr DL Tim Marshall Fr LB Brendan Moynihan DT 72 Ken Muncy So LB 45 John Rice Jr LB 51 Joe Rudzinski DB Stacey Toran LB 46 Mark Zavagnin So DE 70 Scott Zettek Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Mike Johnston K 3 Harry Oliver Jr LS Bill Siewe	Head coach Dan Devine Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Boulac Bill Meyers Ron Toman (QB) Joe Yonto (DL) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Game summaries

Purdue

#9 Purdue Boilermakers (0–0) at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	10	0	0	10
Notre Dame	10	7	7	7	31

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: September 6
• Game attendance: 59,075
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter ND – Harry Oliver 36-yard field goal, 7:19. Notre Dame 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:50. ND – Rob McGarry 2-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 0:42. Notre Dame 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 4:48. Second quarter ND – Phil Carter 1-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 11:40. Notre Dame 17–0. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:16. PUR – Rick Anderson 26-yard field goal, 4:19. Notre Dame 17–3. Drive: 14 plays, 74 yards, 7:21. PUR – Wally Jones 4-yard run (Rick Anderson kick), 0:34. Notre Dame 17–10. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:04. Third quarter ND – Tony Hunter 9-yard pass from Mike Courey (Harry Oliver kick), 11:36. Notre Dame 24–10. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:24. Fourth quarter ND – Mike Courey 14-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 4:01. Notre Dame 31–10. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 4:50. Top passers PUR – Scott Campbell – 17/26, 178 yards ND – Mike Courey – 10/13, 151 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PUR – John Macon – 9 rushes, 32 yards ND – Phil Carter – 29 rushes, 142 yards, TD Top receivers PUR – Dave Young – 6 receptions, 71 yards ND – Tony Hunter – 3 receptions, 75 yards, TD

ABC Player of Game - Mike Courey (151 yards passing, TD, 59 yards rushing, TD)

Michigan

#14 Michigan Wolverines (1–0) at #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	0	14	7	6	27
Notre Dame	0	14	6	9	29

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: September 20
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter ND – Phil Carter 6-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 13:05. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 16 plays, 70 yards, 7:49. ND – Pete Holohan 10-yard pass from Mike Courey (Harry Oliver kick), 5:00. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 5:56. MICH – Lawrence Ricks 8-yard pass from John Wangler (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick), 1:50. Notre Dame 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:10. MICH – Norm Betts 9-yard pass from John Wangler (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick), 0:31. Tie 14–14. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 0:59. Third quarter MICH – Stan Edwards 2-yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick), 11:57. Michigan 21–14. Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 3:03. ND – John Krimm 49-yard interception return (kick failed), 1:03. Michigan 21–20. Fourth quarter ND – Phil Carter 4-yard run (pass failed), 3:03. Notre Dame 26–21. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 4:30. MICH – Craig Dunaway 1-yard pass from John Wangler (pass failed), 0:41. Michigan 27–26. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 2:12. ND – Harry Oliver 51-yard field goal, 0:00. Notre Dame 29–27. Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 0:41. Top passers MICH – John Wangler – 11/19, 98 yards, 3 TD, INT ND – Mike Courey – 6/13, 62 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers MICH – Lawrence Ricks – 14 rushes, 83 yards ND – Phil Carter – 30 rushes, 103 yards, 2 TD Top receivers MICH – Anthony Carter – 2 receptions, 30 yards ND – Pete Holohan – 2 receptions, 41 yards, TD

Harry Oliver kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired.

At Michigan State

#7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–0) at Michigan State Spartans (1–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	6	7	13	26
Michigan State	9	0	0	12	21

at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan

• Date: October 4
• Game attendance: 76,821
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter MSU – Morten Andersen 29-yard field goal, 10:30. Michigan State 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:16. MSU – Steve Smith 1-yard run (pass failed), 3:26. Michigan State 9–0. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:09. Second quarter ND – Harry Oliver 44-yard field goal, 14:48. Michigan State 9–3. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 3:38. ND – Harry Oliver 28-yard field goal, 0:02. Michigan State 9–6. Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 0:42. Third quarter ND – Phil Carter 12-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 5:33. Notre Dame 13–9. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:27. Fourth quarter ND – Harry Oliver 27-yard field goal, 10:09. Notre Dame 16–9. Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:55. MSU – Anthony Ellis 13-yard run (pass failed), 8:48. Notre Dame 16–15. Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:21. ND – Jim Stone 1-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 7:49. Notre Dame 23–15. Drive: 3 plays, 59 yards, 0:59. MSU – Steve Smith 42-yard pass from John Leister (pass failed), 6:35. Notre Dame 23–21. Drive: 4 plays, 83 yards, 1:14. ND – Harry Oliver 32-yard field goal, 0:46. Notre Dame 26–21. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 5:49. Top passers ND – Blair Kiel – 5/10, 56 yards MSU – John Leister – 11/32, 204 yards, TD, INT Top rushers ND – Phil Carter – 40 rushes, 254 yards, TD MSU – Steve Smith – 9 rushes, 44 yards, TD Top receivers ND – Tony Hunter – 3 receptions, 46 yards MSU – Steve Smith – 2 receptions, 57 yards, TD

Blair Kiel started the second half at quarterback

Miami (FL)

#13 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (4–0) at #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Miami (FL)	0	0	0	14	14
Notre Dame	0	10	6	16	32

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: October 11
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter ND – Blair Kiel 4-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 0:56. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 0:41. ND – Harry Oliver 19-yard field goal, 0:14. Notre Dame 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 16 yards, 0:39. Third quarter ND – Harry Oliver 28-yard field goal, 4:53. Notre Dame 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 3:13. ND – Harry Oliver 38-yard field goal, 2:17. Notre Dame 16–0. Drive: 4 plays, -4 yards, 2:20. Fourth quarter MIA – Pat Walker 13-yard pass from Jim Kelly (pass failed), 13:52. Notre Dame 16–6. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 1:37. ND – Tom Gibbons 53-yard interception return (kick failed), 11:08. Notre Dame 22–6. MIA – Mark Cooper 37-yard pass from Jim Kelly (pass good), 8:43. Notre Dame 22–14. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:25. ND – Harry Oliver 37-yard field goal, 2:06. Notre Dame 25–14. Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 6:37. ND – Jim Stone 27-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 0:09. Notre Dame 32–14. Drive: 3 plays, 30 yards, 1:07. Top passers MIA – Jim Kelly – 13/31, 220 yards, 2 TD, INT ND – Blair Kiel – 4/17, 35 yards Top rushers MIA – Chris Hobbs – 5 rushes, 13 yards ND – Jim Stone – 38 rushes, 224 yards, TD Top receivers MIA – Jim Joiner – 3 receptions, 97 yards ND – Tony Hunter – 2 receptions, 19 yards

• Blair Kiel - first freshman QB to start at Notre Dame since 1951 (Ralph Guglielmi)
• Jim Stone - starting in place of injured Phil Carter gains over 200 yards

Army

Army Cadets (2–2–1) at #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	0	0	3	0	3
Notre Dame	0	17	6	7	30

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: October 18
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter ND – Jim Stone 4-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 8:22. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 2:08. ND – Harry Oliver 49-yard field goal, 1:30. Notre Dame 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 3:08. ND – Mark Zavagnin recovery of blocked punt in end zone (Harry Oliver kick), 0:29. Notre Dame 17–0. Third quarter ARMY – Dave Aucoin 41-yard field goal, 11:03. Notre Dame 17–3. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 2:32. ND – Blair Kiel 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:40. Notre Dame 23–3. Drive: 11 plays, 39 yards, 4:29. Fourth quarter ND – Ty Barber 1-yard run (Mike Johnston kick), 14:14. Notre Dame 30–3. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 0:46. Top passers ARMY – T.D. Decker – 4/15, 46 yards, INT ND – Blair Kiel – 7/19, 74 yards Top rushers ARMY – Dino Harris – 10 rushes, 43 yards ND – Jim Stone – 25 rushes, 122 yards Top receivers ARMY – Warren Waldorff – 2 receptions, 23 yards ND – Nick Vehr – 3 receptions, 44 yards

At Arizona

#4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–0) at Arizona Wildcats (2–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	7	10	0	3	20
Arizona	0	3	0	0	3

at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

• Date: October 25
• Game attendance: 56,211
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter ND – Jim Stone 1-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 6:54. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 8:06. Second quarter UA – Brett Weber 21-yard field goal, 3:16. Notre Dame 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 3:21. ND – Blair Kiel 80-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 2:08. Notre Dame 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 85 yards, 1:03. ND – Harry Oliver 28-yard field goal, 0:00. Notre Dame 17–3. Drive: 8 plays, 27 yards, 1:06. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter ND – Harry Oliver 38-yard field goal, 3:26. Notre Dame 20–3. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:44. Top passers ND – Blair Kiel – 11/20, 152 yards, INT UA – Tom Tunnicliffe – 15/26, 95 yards, 2 INT Top rushers ND – Jim Stone – 29 rushes, 105 yards, TD UA – Hubert Oliver – 8 rushes, 41 yards Top receivers ND – Tony Hunter – 7 receptions, 75 yards UA – Tim Holmes – 2 receptions, 43 yards

Dan Devine's 50th win at Notre Dame

Vs. Navy

Navy Midshipmen (5–2) vs. #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	12	14	0	7	33
Navy	0	0	0	0	0

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: November 1
• Game weather: Overcast
• Game attendance: 76,891
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter ND – Ty Barber 9-yard run (kick blocked), 5:37. Notre Dame 6–0. Drive: 5 plays, 92 yards, 2:09. ND – Pete Buchanan 3-yard run (pass failed), 2:45. Notre Dame 12–0. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 2:31. Second quarter ND – Jim Stone 13-yard run (pass good), 12:40. Notre Dame 20–0. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:00. ND – Harry Oliver 41-yard field goal, 10:34. Notre Dame 23–0. Drive: 3 plays, -9 yards, 1:58. ND – Harry Oliver 50-yard field goal, 1:26. Notre Dame 26–0. Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:23. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter ND – Greg Bell 27-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 9:47. Notre Dame 33–0. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 3:37. Top passers ND – Blair Kiel – 3/8, 32 yards, INT NAVY – Tom Tarquinio – 7/11, 56 yards Top rushers ND – Jim Stone – 33 rushes, 211 yards, TD NAVY – Eddie Meyers – 15 rushes, 53 yards Top receivers ND – Tim Tripp – 1 reception, 17 yards NAVY – Tim Jackson – 2 receptions, 17 yards

• Scott Zettek - AP Midwest Lineman of the Week (8 tackles, 3 sacks)

At Georgia Tech

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–0) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–7)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	0	0	3	3
Georgia Tech	0	3	0	0	3

at Grant Field, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 8
• Game time: 1:30 p.m.
• Game attendance: 41,266
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter GT – Johnny Smith 39-yard field goal, 6:11. Georgia Tech 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 5:25. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter ND – Harry Oliver 47-yard field goal, 4:44. Tie 3–3. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:04. Top passers ND – Blair Kiel – 5/12, 58 yards, 2 INT GT – Ken Whisenhunt – 3/5, 29 yards Top rushers ND – Jim Stone – 21 rushes, 85 yards GT – Matt Bryant – 10 rushes, 42 yards Top receivers ND – Pete Holohan – 5 receptions, 63 yards GT – Leon Chadwick – 2 receptions, 20 yards

At Alabama

#6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–0–1) at #5 Alabama Crimson Tide (8–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	7	0	0	7
Alabama	0	0	0	0	0

at Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama

• Date: November 15
• Game attendance: 78,873
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter ND – Phil Carter 2-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 6:02. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:34. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers ND – Blair Kiel – 5/9, 43 yards ALA – Walter Lewis – 5/11, 53 yards Top rushers ND – Phil Carter – 31 rushes, 84 yards, TD ALA – Walter Lewis – 12 rushes, 58 yards Top receivers ND – Phil Carter – 2 receptions, 19 yards ALA – Bart Krout – 3 receptions, 25 yards

Air Force

Air Force Falcons (2–7–1) at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–0–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Air Force	3	0	0	7	10
Notre Dame	0	3	14	7	24

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

• Date: November 22
• Game attendance: 59,075
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter AFA – Sean Pavlich 35-yard field goal, 1:06. Air Force 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 2:35. Second quarter ND – Harry Oliver 31-yard field goal, 14:09. Tie 3–3. Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 0:52. Third quarter ND – Phil Carter 2-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 5:17. Notre Dame 10–3. Drive: 14 plays, 76 yards, 6:40. ND – Jim Stone 7-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 0:48. Notre Dame 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 3:00. Fourth quarter AFA – Charlie Heath 1-yard run (Sean Pavlich kick), 7:04. Notre Dame 17–10. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 1:28. ND – Jim Stone 2-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 1:51. Notre Dame 24–10. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 5:13. Top passers AFA – Scott Schafer – 3/15, 43 yards ND – Blair Kiel – 6/20, 67 yards, INT Top rushers AFA – Ted Sundquist – 10 rushes, 41 yards ND – Phil Carter – 29 rushes, 181 yards, TD Top receivers AFA – Charlie Heath – 2 receptions, 19 yards ND – Tony Hunter – 1 reception, 25 yards

At USC

#2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–0–1) at #17 USC Trojans (7–2–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	0	3	0	3
USC	0	10	0	10	20

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

• Date: December 6
• Game attendance: 82,663
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter USC – Michael Harper 6-yard run (Eric Hipp kick), 8:23. USC 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 1:42. USC – Eric Hipp 22-yard field goal, 1:31. USC 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 5:28. Third quarter ND – Harry Oliver 30-yard field goal, 0:50. USC 10–3. Drive: 3 plays, -12 yards, 2:08. Fourth quarter USC – Eric Hipp 17-yard field goal, 11:42. USC 13–3. Drive: 3 plays, 0 yards, 2:17. USC – Michael Harper 10-yard run (Eric Hipp kick), 1:09. USC 20–3. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:25. Top passers ND – Mike Courey – 3/8, 25 yards, 2 INT USC – Scott Tinsley – 4/5, 24 yards Top rushers ND – Phil Carter – 20 rushes, 42 yards USC – Michael Harper – 20 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ND – Pete Holohan – 2 receptions, 19 yards USC – Jeff Simmons – 1 reception, 15 yards

Sugar Bowl (vs. Georgia)

#17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–1–1) vs. #1 Georgia Bulldogs (11–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	3	0	7	0	10
Georgia	10	7	0	0	17

at Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Date: January 1, 1981
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 77,895
• TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles
• Recap/Box

Game information

First quarter ND – Harry Oliver 50-yard field goal, 10:41. Notre Dame 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:19. UGA – Rex Robinson 46-yard field goal, 1:45. Tie 3–3. Drive: 8 plays, 20 yards, 3:38. UGA – Herschel Walker 1-yard run (Rex Robinson kick), 1:04. Georgia 10–3. Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:41. Second quarter UGA – Herschel Walker 3-yard run (Rex Robinson kick), 13:49. Georgia 17–3. Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:17. Third quarter ND – Phil Carter 1-yard run (Harry Oliver kick), 0:54. Georgia 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:25. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers ND – Blair Kiel – 14/27, 138 yards, 2 INT UGA – Buck Belue – 1/12, 7 yards Top rushers ND – Phil Carter – 27 rushes, 109 yards, TD UGA – Herschel Walker – 36 rushes, 150 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ND – Pete Holohan – 4 receptions, 44 yards UGA – Amp Arnold – 1 reception, 7 yards

Team players drafted into the NFL

• Blair Kiel – 1984 / Round: 11 / Pick: 281 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Dave Duerson – 1983 / Round: 3 / Pick: 64 Chicago Bears
• John Scully - 1981 / Round: 4 / Pick: 109th pick Atlanta Falcons

Awards and honors

• Former Fighting Irish coach Ara Parseghian was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.