# 1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Boise State Broncos. The game was played on December 20, 1980, at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. The culminating game of the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Boise State, 31–29.
The game was also known as the Camellia Bowl, a name that had been used starting in 1961 for various NAIA and NCAA playoff games held in Sacramento. The Colonels, defending champions from 1979, became the first program to play in a second I-AA title game.

## Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1980 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.

### Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Eastern Kentucky finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (5–2 in conference); their losses were to Western Kentucky and Akron. Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA, the Colonels were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff; they defeated Lehigh, the East selection, by a score of 23–20 to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Eastern Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1979.

### Boise State Broncos

Boise State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–1 in conference); their conference loss was to Montana State, with non-conference losses to Southeastern Louisiana and Division II program Cal Poly. Ranked seventh in the final AP Poll for I-AA, the Broncos were the West selection to the playoff; they defeated Grambling State, the South selection, by a 14–9 score to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Boise State in a Division I-AA championship game.

## Game summary

Trailing 24–22 late in the fourth quarter, Eastern Kentucky scored a touchdown on a 60-yard pass completion with only 55 seconds left in the game, taking a 29–24 lead. Boise State then went 80 yards in 43 seconds for the final points of the game, winning 31–29.
Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 10,000; NCAA records indicate 8,157.

### Scoring summary

Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | BSU | EKU |
| 1 | | | | | EKU | 26-yard field goal by David Flores | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | 7:43 | | | | BSU | Kipp Bedard 5-yard touchdown reception from Joe Aliotti, Kenrick Camerud kick good | 7 | 3 |
| 2 | 3:35 | | | | EKU | Tony Braxton 7-yard touchdown run, Flores kick good | 7 | 10 |
| 2 | 1:11 | | | | BSU | David Hughes 1-yard touchdown run, Camerud kick good | 14 | 10 |
| 3 | 12:30 | | 45 | | BSU | Cedric Minter 1-yard touchdown run, Camerud kick good | 21 | 10 |
| 3 | | 12 | 89 | | EKU | Chris Isaac 11-yard touchdown run, 2-point Jerry Parrish run failed | 21 | 16 |
| 3 | 0:43 | | | | BSU | 24-yard field goal by Camerud | 24 | 16 |
| 4 | 11:15 | | 14 | | EKU | Braxton 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed | 24 | 22 |
| 4 | 0:55 | | | | EKU | David Booze 60-yard touchdown reception from Isaac, Flores kick good | 24 | 29 |
| 4 | 0:12 | | 80 | 0:43 | BSU | Duane Dlouhy 14-yard touchdown reception from Aliotti, Camerud kick good | 31 | 29 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 31 | 29 |

### Game statistics

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Colonels | 3 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 29 |
| Statistics | BSU | EKU |
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 86–510 | 74–397 |
| Rushes–yards | 45–152 | 49–147 |
| Passing yards | 358 | 250 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–41–1 | 16–25–1 |
| Time of possession | | |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Boise State | Passing | Joe Aliotti | 24–41, 358 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Boise State | Rushing | Cedric Minter | 22 car, 105 yds, 1 TD |
| Boise State | Receiving | Kipp Bedard | 11 rec, 212 yds, 1 TD |
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing | Chris Isaac | 16–25, 250 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Eastern Kentucky | Rushing | Dale Patton | 9 car, 44 yds |
| Eastern Kentucky | Receiving | David Booze | 8 rec, 105 yds, 1 TD |