# 1980 USC Trojans football team

The 1980 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled an 8–2–1 record (4–2–1 against conference opponents), finished in third place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 265 to 134.
Quarterback Gordon Adams led the team in passing, completing 104 of 179 passes for 1,237 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. Marcus Allen led the team in rushing with 354 carries for 1,563 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hoby Brenner led the team in receiving with 26 catches for 315 yards and no touchdowns.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 13 | at Tennessee* | No. 5 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPN | W 20–17 | 95,049 |
| September 20 | No. 20 South Carolina* | No. 4 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | W 23–13 | 58,385 |
| September 27 | at Minnesota* | No. 5 | Memorial StadiumMinneapolis, MN | | W 24–7 | 55,115 |
| October 4 | Arizona State | No. 4 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | W 23–21 | 69,052 |
| October 11 | at Arizona | No. 2 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | ONTV | W 27–10 | 54,789 |
| October 18 | at Oregon | No. 2 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | USA | T 7–7 | 43,733 |
| November 1 | California | No. 7 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | W 60–7 | 55,658 |
| November 8 | at Stanford | No. 4 | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (rivalry) | ABC | W 34–9 | 84,892 |
| November 15 | Washington | No. 2 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | | L 10–20 | 55,515 |
| November 22 | at No. 18 UCLA | No. 12 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (Victory Bell) | ABC | L 17–20 | 83,491 |
| December 6 | No. 2 Notre Dame* | No. 17 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | ABC | W 20–3 | 82,663 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Minnesota

* Marcus Allen 42 rushes, 216 yards

### Arizona St

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Arizona St | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| • USC | 7 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
* Marcus Allen 36 Rush, 133 Yds

### Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Oregon | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |

### Washington

* Marcus Allen 30 rushes, 216 yards

### Vs. UCLA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| UCLA | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
* Date: November 22
* Game attendance: 83,491
* Eugene Register-Guard, 1980 Nov 23.
Game information :
First quarter
USC – Eric Hipp 32-yard field goal. USC 3–0. Drive:
Second quarter
UCLA – Freeman McNeil 6-yard run (Norm Johnson kick). UCLA 7–3. Drive: 80 yards.
Third quarter
USC – Jeff Simmons 12-yard pass from Scott Tinsley (Eric Hipp kick), 12:05. USC 10–7. Drive:
UCLA – Michael Brant 25-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Norm Johnson kick). UCLA 14–10. Drive:
Fourth quarter
USC – Marcus Allen 1-yard run (Eric Hipp kick), 12:33. USC 17–14. Drive: 10 plays, 43 yards.
UCLA – Freeman McNeil 58-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (kick failed), 2:07. UCLA 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards.
Top passers
USC – Scott Tinsley – 15/27, 146 yards, TD, INT
UCLA – Jay Schroeder – 9/11, 165 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
USC – Marcus Allen – 37 rushes, 72 yards, TD
UCLA – Freeman McNeil – 24 rushes, 111 yards, TD
Top receivers
USC – Jeff Simmons – 5 receptions, 53 yards, TD
UCLA – Freeman McNeil – 2 receptions, 74 yards, TD :

### Notre Dame

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| • USC | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |

## Team players drafted into the NFL

* Ronnie Lott, 1st round, San Francisco 49ers
* Keith Van Horne, 1st round, Chicago Bears
* Dennis Smith, 1st round, Denver Broncos\
* Ray Butler, 4th round, Baltimore Colts
* Kevin Williams, 7th round, New Orleans Saints
* Jeff Fisher, 7th round, Chicago Bears
* Steve Busick, 7th round, Denver Broncos
* James Hunter, 9th round, Pittsburgh Steelers
* Eric Scoggins, 12th round, Baltimore Colts

## Awards and honors

* Former USC Trojans player Tay Brown, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame