1980 Georgia Bulldogs football team - wikipedia 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football team 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football Consensus national champion SEC champion Sugar Bowl champion Sugar Bowl, W 17 -- 10 vs. Notre Dame Conference Southeastern Conference Ranking Coaches No. 1 AP No. 1 1980 record 12 -- 0 ( 6 -- 0 SEC ) Head coach Vince Dooley ( 17th season ) Offensive coordinator George Haffner Defensive coordinator Erk Russell ( 17th season ) Home stadium Sanford Stadium ( 59,200 ) Seasons ← 1979 1981 → 1980 SEC football standings Conf Overall Team No. 1 Georgia $ 6 -- 0 -- 0 12 -- 0 -- 0 No. 6 Alabama 5 -- -- 0 10 -- -- 0 No. 19 Mississippi State 5 -- -- 0 9 -- -- 0 Florida -- -- 0 8 -- -- 0 LSU -- -- 0 7 -- -- 0 Tennessee -- -- 0 5 -- 6 -- 0 Ole Miss -- -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 Kentucky -- 5 -- 0 -- 8 -- 0 Auburn 0 -- 6 -- 0 5 -- 6 -- 0 Vanderbilt 0 -- 6 -- 0 -- 9 -- 0 $ -- Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll The 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the Georgia Bulldogs of the University of Georgia during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Bulldogs completed the season with a 12 -- 0 record. The Bulldogs had a regular season Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record of 6 -- 0. The Bulldogs completed their season with a victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, 17 -- 10, and were crowned the 1980 national champions. Contents 1 Before the season 2 Schedule 3 Season summary 3.1 Tennessee 3.2 Texas A&M 3.3 Clemson 3.4 Ole Miss 3.5 Vanderbilt 3.6 South Carolina 3.7 Florida 3.8 Auburn 3.9 Georgia Tech 4 Postseason 4.1 Notre Dame 5 Notes 6 References Before the season Herschel Walker, a 6 - 1, 218 - pound running back, and the most sought after high school football player in the nation, signed a national letter of intent to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1980. Schedule Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 6 at Tennessee No. 16 Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN ( Rivalry ) W 16 -- 15 95,288 September 13 Texas A&M * No. 12 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA W 42 -- 0 60,150 September 20 Clemson * No. 10 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA ( Rivalry ) W 20 -- 16 61,800 September 27 TCU * No. 10 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA W 34 -- 3 59,200 October 11 Ole Miss No. 6 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA W 28 -- 21 60,300 October 18 Vanderbilt No. 6 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA ( Rivalry ) W 41 -- 0 59,300 October 25 at Kentucky No. 5 Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY W 27 -- 0 57,239 November 1 No. 14 South Carolina * No. 4 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA ( Rivalry ) ABC W 13 -- 10 62,200 November 8 vs. No. 20 Florida No. 2 Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL ( Rivalry ) ABC W 26 -- 21 68,528 November 15 at Auburn No. 1 Jordan -- Hare Stadium Auburn, AL ( Deep South 's Oldest Rivalry ) W 31 -- 21 74,900 November 29 Georgia Tech * No. 1 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA ( Clean, Old - Fashioned Hate ) W 38 -- 20 62,800 January 1 vs. No. 7 Notre Dame * No. 1 Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA ( Sugar Bowl ) ABC W 17 -- 10 77,896 * Non-conference game. Homecoming. Rankings from AP Poll. Season summary Tennessee The season began with junior Donnie McMickens starting ahead of Walker at tailback as the Bulldogs faced the University of Tennessee on September 6 in Knoxville. With Tennessee gaining a 9 -- 0 lead early in the 2nd quarter, coach Dooley told his offensive coordinator, `` I 'm putting Herschel in... Do n't be afraid to let him carry the ball. '' Tennessee held a 15 -- 2 advantage late in the third quarter when Walker changed the momentum of the game. Late in the third quarter, Walker scored on a pitch sweep from 16 yards out, where he ran over Tennessee 's safety and future Dallas Cowboys teammate, Bill Bates, near the goal line. Walker scored again five minutes later on a 9 - yard touchdown run as Georgia went on to win the game, 16 -- 15. Texas A&M A week later, Georgia hosted Texas A&M as the Bulldogs got off to a 28 -- 0 lead by halftime. With four minutes left in the third quarter, Walker broke off a 76 - yard TD run. He finished with 21 carries for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Aggies. Quarterback Buck Belue complemented Walker 's ground game by going 6 of 13 for 147 passing yards during the contest. Clemson In the games that followed, Georgia raced to a 6 -- 0 start by knocking off Clemson ( 20 -- 16 ), TCU ( 34 -- 3 ), Ole Miss ( 28 -- 21 ), and Vanderbilt ( 41 -- 0 ). Walker ran for 121 yards against Clemson and 69 more versus TCU -- including a 41 - yard run. Georgia 's 20 - 16 win over Clemson was even closer than the score indicated, as the Tigers held Georgia to just 155 total yards, of offense which was just 34 more than Walker 's rush total. Walker needed help from senior CB / PR Scott Woerner to get past defensive - minded Clemson as the return man delivered with a 67 - yard punt return for a score early in the first quarter as the Bulldogs would go on to win a close one. Ole Miss Walker missed much of the Ole Miss game with an injury. Vanderbilt In the Vandy game on October 18, Walker had 23 rushes for a career - high 283 yards, scoring on long touchdown runs of 60, 48, and 53 yards. South Carolina The special teams and defense gave Georgia the upper hand in the two weekends that followed and helped the Bulldogs get past Kentucky ( 27 -- 0 ) and South Carolina ( 13 -- 10 ). The win in Athens, Georgia over the Gamecocks on November 1 featured Walker matching up with the 1980 Heisman Trophy winner, George Rogers. Georgia got out to a 13 -- 0 lead early in the third quarter and held on to win by 3 points. Walker 's 76 - yard touchdown run gave Georgia a commanding lead at 10 -- 0 with early in the 3rd quarter. Walker rushed 43 times for 219 yards. Florida Georgia had made it to 8 -- 0 when coach Dooley 's Bulldogs faced the most daunting task of the year. The game would be affectionately referred to as the `` Miracle on Duval Street '' as second - ranked Georgia faced a 6 -- 1 Florida Gators team in Jacksonville on November 8. Walker started things off by taking a toss sweep play to the right for 72 yards and a score early in the first quarter. Walker carried Georgia 's offense that afternoon by rushing 37 times for 238 yards against the Gators. Georgia extended its lead to 20 -- 10 late in the 3rd quarter when Florida began to mount its comeback. Florida QB Wayne Peace directed two scoring drives that gave the Gators a 21 -- 20 lead late. With time running out on 3rd - and - 11, QB Buck Belue found WR Lindsay Scott for a 93 - yard touchdown pass to give Georgia the win, 26 -- 21. Auburn Georgia clinched the SEC Championship on November 15 by taking out Auburn on the road, 31 -- 21. Walker did most of the work by rushing 27 times for 84 yards, including an 18 - yard touchdown. Georgia Tech Two weeks later, Walker ended the regular season with an exclamation point by scoring on touchdown runs of 1, 23, and 65 yards as Georgia defeated in - state rival Georgia Tech, 38 -- 20. Walker rushed 25 times for 205 yards against the Ramblin ' Wreck. Postseason Notre Dame The Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 at 11 -- 0 as they were invited to play a traditional football power, coach Dan Devine 's Notre Dame Fighting Irish ( 9 -- 1 -- 1 ) in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. on January 1, 1981. With the score tied 3 -- 3, Walker took center stage after Notre Dame failed to properly field a kickoff. Two plays later, Walker dove over the top for a 1 - yard touchdown run to give UGA a 10 -- 3 lead. He took advantage of more Irish misfortune as a Notre Dame fumble set Georgia up at the Irish 22 - yard line. Three plays later, Walker was in the end zone again for a 17 -- 3 lead. Georgia held on to win, 17 -- 10. Walker, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder very early in the game, managed to rush 36 times for 150 yards, including a longest run of 23 yards. At the season 's conclusion, Walker helped his Georgia Bulldogs complete a 12 -- 0 record as the Associated Press voted the University of Georgia No. 1 with 581⁄2 first place votes to Pittsburgh 's 31⁄2. Walker and his teammates were also voted No. 1 by the United Press International Poll -- which listed Georgia with 36 first place votes to Pitt 's three. Notes Jump up ^ Mike Cavan helped provide head coach Vince Dooley with his prized recruit. Jump up ^ Rogers similarly kept pace, gaining 168 yards on 35 carries himself. References Jump up ^ `` Georgia Signs Herschel Walker ''. Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina. Associated Press. April 7, 1980. p. B1. Retrieved February 1, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 73 -- 89. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` From The Mag : That time Herschel Walker trucked Bill Bates ''. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. p. 203. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 90 -- 97, 204. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Guidera, Tim. `` Norris came from nowhere to keep ' Dogs headed somewhere - savannahnow.com - Savannah Morning News ''. Jump up ^ `` Sophomore Carnie Norris, a third string tailback filling in... '' Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 204 -- 207. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. p. 209. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top 5 : Georgia 's top Gator killers of all time ''. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 114 -- 159, 210. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Burns, Robbie ( 2010 ). Belue to Scott ! : The greatest moment in Georgia football history. Macon, GA : H&H Publishing. ISBN 978 - 0 - 615 - 39400 - 8. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 160 -- 169, 211 -- 212. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 170 -- 190, 213. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Smith, Loran ; Grizzard, Lewis ( 1981 ). GLORY ! GLORY !. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers Limited. pp. 190, 201. ISBN 9780931948183. Retrieved September 16, 2013. 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football -- consensus national champions Buck Belue Terry Hoage Daryll Jones Clarence Kay Guy McIntyre Wayne Radloff Rex Robinson Lindsay Scott Herschel Walker Scott Woerner Head coach : Vince Dooley Assistant coaches : Mike Cavan George Haffner Erk Russell Georgia Bulldogs football Venues Herty Field ( 1892 -- 1910 ) Sanford Field ( 1911 -- 1928 ) Sanford Stadium ( 1929 -- present ) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Auburn : Deep South 's Oldest Rivalry Clemson Florida Georgia Tech : Clean, Old - Fashioned Hate South Carolina Tennessee Vanderbilt Culture & lore History Hairy Dawg Uga `` Glory, Glory '' Georgia Redcoat Marching Band First forward pass 1927 Yale game People Head coaches Steadman V. Sanford Larry Munson Morgan Blake NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders Seasons 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 2017 2018 National championship seasons in bold College football national champions ( poll era ) 1936 -- 1949 1936 : Minnesota ( AP, DS ) / Pittsburgh ( BS, HS ) 1937 : Pittsburgh ( AP, BS, DS, HS ) / California 1938 : TCU ( AP ) / Tennessee ( BS, HS ) / Notre Dame ( DS ) 1939 : Texas A&M ( AP, BS, HS ) / USC ( DS ) 1940 : Minnesota ( AP, BS, DS, HS ) / Stanford 1941 : Minnesota ( AP, BS ) / Alabama ( HS ) 1942 : Ohio State ( AP, BS ) / Georgia ( HS ) 1943 : Notre Dame 1944 : Army ( AP, BS, HS ) / Ohio State 1945 : Army ( AP, BS, HS ) / Oklahoma A&M ( AFCA ) 1946 : Notre Dame ( AP ) / Army ( BS, HS ) 1947 : Notre Dame ( AP ) / Michigan ( AP ( post-bowl ), BS, HS ) 1948 : Michigan 1949 : Notre Dame 1950s 1950 : Oklahoma 1951 : Tennessee ( AP, Coaches ) / Michigan State / Maryland / Georgia Tech ( BS ) / Illinois ( BS ) 1952 : Michigan State ( AP, Coaches, BS ) / Georgia Tech ( INS ) 1953 : Maryland ( AP, Coaches, INS ) / Notre Dame ( BS ) 1954 : Ohio State ( AP, BS, INS ) / UCLA ( FWAA, Coaches ) 1955 : Oklahoma 1956 : Oklahoma 1957 : Auburn ( AP ) / Ohio State ( Coaches, BS, FWAA, INS ) 1958 : LSU ( AP, Coaches, BS, FN ) / Iowa ( FWAA ) 1959 : Syracuse 1960s 1960 : Minnesota ( AP, Coaches, FN, NFF ) / Ole Miss ( FWAA ) / Iowa BS ) 1961 : Alabama ( AP, Coaches, FN, NFF ) / Ohio State ( FWAA ) 1962 : USC 1963 : Texas 1964 : Alabama ( AP, Coaches ) / Arkansas ( FWAA ) / Notre Dame ( FN, NFF ) 1965 : Alabama ( AP, FWAA ) / Michigan State ( Coaches, FN, FWAA, NFF ) 1966 : Notre Dame ( AP, Coaches, FN, FWAA, NFF ) / Michigan State ( NFF ) 1967 : USC 1968 : Ohio State 1969 : Texas 1970s 1970 : Nebraska ( AP, FN, FWAA ) / Texas ( NFF, Coaches ) / Ohio State ( NFF ) 1971 : Nebraska 1972 : USC 1973 : Notre Dame ( AP, FN, FWAA, NFF ) / Alabama ( Coaches ) 1974 : Oklahoma ( AP, FN ) / USC ( FWAA, NFF, Coaches ) 1975 : Oklahoma 1976 : Pittsburgh 1977 : Notre Dame 1978 : Alabama ( AP, FWAA, NFF ) / USC ( Coaches, FN ) 1979 : Alabama 1980 -- 1991 1980 : Georgia 1981 : Clemson 1982 : Penn State 1983 : Miami ( FL ) 1984 : BYU 1985 : Oklahoma 1986 : Penn State 1987 : Miami ( FL ) 1988 : Notre Dame 1989 : Miami ( FL ) 1990 : Colorado ( AP, FN, FWAA, NFF, USAT / CNN ) / Georgia Tech ( Coaches ) 1991 : Miami ( FL ) ( AP ) / Washington ( Coaches, FN, FWAA, UPI / NFF ) Southeastern Conference football champions Alabama ( 1933 ) Alabama & Tulane ( 1934 ) LSU ( 1935 ) LSU ( 1936 ) Alabama ( 1937 ) Tennessee ( 1938 ) Georgia Tech, Tennessee, & Tulane ( 1939 ) Tennessee ( 1940 ) Mississippi State ( 1941 ) Georgia ( 1942 ) Georgia Tech ( 1943 ) Georgia Tech ( 1944 ) Alabama ( 1945 ) Georgia & Tennessee ( 1946 ) Ole Miss ( 1947 ) Georgia ( 1948 ) Tulane ( 1949 ) Kentucky ( 1950 ) Georgia Tech & Tennessee ( 1951 ) Georgia Tech ( 1952 ) Alabama ( 1953 ) Ole Miss ( 1954 ) Ole Miss ( 1955 ) Tennessee ( 1956 ) Auburn ( 1957 ) LSU ( 1958 ) Georgia ( 1959 ) Ole Miss ( 1960 ) Alabama & LSU ( 1961 ) Ole Miss ( 1962 ) Ole Miss ( 1963 ) Alabama ( 1964 ) Alabama ( 1965 ) Alabama & Georgia ( 1966 ) Tennessee ( 1967 ) Georgia ( 1968 ) Tennessee ( 1969 ) LSU ( 1970 ) Alabama ( 1971 ) Alabama ( 1972 ) Alabama ( 1973 ) Alabama ( 1974 ) Alabama ( 1975 ) Georgia ( 1976 ) Alabama ( 1977 ) Alabama ( 1978 ) Alabama ( 1979 ) Georgia ( 1980 ) Alabama & Georgia ( 1981 ) Georgia ( 1982 ) Auburn ( 1983 ) Florida ( 1984 ) vacated Tennessee ( 1985 ) LSU ( 1986 ) Auburn ( 1987 ) Auburn & LSU ( 1988 ) Alabama, Auburn, & Tennessee ( 1989 ) Tennessee ( 1990 ) Florida ( 1991 ) Alabama ( 1992 ) Florida ( 1993 ) Florida ( 1994 ) Florida ( 1995 ) Florida ( 1996 ) Tennessee ( 1997 ) Tennessee ( 1998 ) Alabama ( 1999 ) Florida ( 2000 ) LSU ( 2001 ) Georgia ( 2002 ) LSU ( 2003 ) Auburn ( 2004 ) Georgia ( 2005 ) Florida ( 2006 ) LSU ( 2007 ) Florida ( 2008 ) Alabama ( 2009 ) Auburn ( 2010 ) LSU ( 2011 ) Alabama ( 2012 ) Auburn ( 2013 ) Alabama ( 2014 ) Alabama ( 2015 ) Alabama ( 2016 ) Georgia ( 2017 ) National championships in bold Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_Georgia_Bulldogs_football_team&oldid=811343164 '' Categories : 1980 Southeastern Conference football season Georgia Bulldogs football seasons College football national champions Southeastern Conference football champion seasons Sugar Bowl champion seasons College football undefeated seasons 1980 in sports in Georgia ( U.S. state ) Hidden categories : NCAA team season with no sport parameter All articles with 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Question: who did georgia beat in the 1980 national championship
Answer: Notre Dame