# 1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

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

## Game summaries
### Purdue

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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)

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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 time: 2:50 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 78,873
* Referee: Jimmy Harper
* 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

| Quarter | 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

| Quarter | 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)

| Quarter | 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 :

## Awards and honors

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

## 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