1980 Sugar Bowl
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college football game
| name =
| year_game_played = 1980
| game_name = Sugar Bowl
| subheader = 46th Sugar Bowl
| image = Louisiana Superdome - Unbranded - 26 July 2021.jpg
| caption = The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, hosted the Sugar Bowl.
| football_season = 1979
| visitor_name_short = Alabama
| visitor_nickname = Crimson Tide
| visitor_school = University of Alabama
| home_name_short = Arkansas
| home_nickname = Razorbacks
| home_school = University of Arkansas
| visitor_record = 11–0
| visitor_conference = SEC
| home_record = 10–1
| home_conference = SWC
| visitor_coach = Bear Bryant
| home_coach = Lou Holtz
| visitor_rank_AP = 2
| visitor_rank_coaches = 1
| home_rank_AP = 6
| home_rank_coaches = 7
| visitor_1q = 14
| visitor_2q = 3
| visitor_3q = 0
| visitor_4q = 7
| home_1q = 3
| home_2q = 0
| home_3q = 6
| home_4q = 0
| date_game_played = January 1
| stadium = Louisiana Superdome
| city = New Orleans, Louisiana
| MVP = Major Ogilvie (Alabama RB)
| odds = Alabama by 6½ to 10 points{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uesNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5352%2C98734 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Bryant's Crimson Tide faces Razorbacks' stern challenge |date=January 1, 1980 |page=20}}
| referee = Bill Jennings (Big 8)
| attendance = 77,484
| us_network = ABC
| us_announcers_link = List of announcers of major college bowl games
| us_announcers = Keith Jackson and {{nowrap|Ara Parseghian}}
}}
The 1980 Sugar Bowl was the 46th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1979–80 bowl game season, it matched the undefeated and second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #6 Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southwest Conference (SWC). Favored Alabama won {{nowrap|24–9,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pAgdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AZ4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6070%2C153318 |work=Tuscaloosa News |location=(Alabama) |last=Browning |first=Al |title=High Tide swamps Hogs, 24-9 |date=January 2, 1980 |page=1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=njNOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RxMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3786%2C259109 |work=Wilmington Morning Star |location=(North Carolina) |agency=Associated Press |title=Alabama defense stymies Arkansas, 24-9, for Sugar Bowl triumph |date=January 2, 1980 |page=3B}}{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1980/01/14/824298/a-good-thing-came-to-those-who-waited |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=DelNagro |first=Mike |title=A good thing came to those who waited |date=January 14, 1980 |page=30}}}} and gained their third national championship of the decade."46th Annual Sugar Bowl Classic ~ January 1, 1980." [http://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site115.php Article.] Retrieved August 11, 2010.
Teams
{{main|1979 NCAA Division I-A football season}}
=Alabama=
=Arkansas=
{{main|1979 Arkansas Razorbacks football team}}
Led by head coach Lou Holtz, the Razorbacks entered the game at 10–1, sharing the SWC title with 1979 Houston Cougars and the Texas Longhorns. Greg Kolenda was an {{nowrap|All-American}} offensive tackle and quarterback Kevin Scanlon was the Southwest Conference Player of the Year. The Hogs' defense gave up 9.8 points per game on the year, the sixth-best scoring defense in Division I.
Game summary
The game kicked off shortly after 1 p.m. CST, televised by ABC, at the same time as the Cotton Bowl on CBS.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HcopAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LO4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4769%2C122366 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=Bowl guide: Sugar |date=January 1, 1980 |page=21}}
Arkansas scored first in the first quarter, on a 34-yard Ish Ordonez field goal, to give the Razorbacks a 3–0 advantage. Alabama running back Major Ogilvie scored on touchdown runs of 22 and 1 yard and Alabama led 14–3 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Alan McElroy kicked a 25-yard field goal for the Crimson Tide, and they held a 17–3 advantage at halftime.
In the third quarter, Kevin Scanlon of Arkansas threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Robert Farrell and the score tightened to 17–9. In the fourth quarter, Steve Whitman scored on a 12-yard run as Alabama won by a 24–9 margin. Ogilvie was named Sugar Bowl MVP. He rushed for a touchdown in three consecutive Sugar Bowls, all Crimson Tide victories.
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart|VisitorName=ALA|HomeName=ARK|state=}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry
| Quarter=1
| Time=12:54
| Team=ARK
| DrivePlays=
| DriveLength=3
| DriveTime=8
| Type=FG
| yards=34
| Kicker=Ish Ordonez
| Visitor=0
| Home=3
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry
| Quarter=1
| Time=6:37
| Team=ALA
| DrivePlays
| DriveLength=82
| DriveTime=7
| Type=RushTD
| yards=22
| Runner=Major Ogilvie
| kickresult=good
| Kicker=Alan McElroy
| Visitor=7
| Home=3
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry
| Quarter=1
| Time=3:48
| Team=ALA
| DrivePlays=
| DriveLength=22
| DriveTime=4
| Type=RushTD
| yards=1
| Runner=Major Ogilvie
| kickresult=good
| Kicker=Alan McElroy
| Visitor=14
| Home=3
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry
| Quarter=2
| Time=0:25
| Team=ALA
| DrivePlays=
| DriveLength=
| DriveTime=
| Type=FG
| yards=25
| Kicker=Alan McElroy
| Visitor=17
| Home=3
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry
| Quarter=3
| Time=11:37
| Team=ARK
| DrivePlays=
| DriveLength=80
| DriveTime=11
| Type=RecTD
| yards=3
| Receiver=Robert Farrell
| QB=Kevin Scanlon
| 2pt type=run
| 2pt result=no good
| Visitor=17
| Home=9
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry
| Quarter=4
| Time=8:59
| Team=ALA
| DrivePlays=
| DriveLength=98
| DriveTime=9
| Type=RushTD
| yards=12
| Runner=Steve Whitman
| kickresult=good
| Kicker=Alan McElroy
| Visitor=24
| Home=9
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEnd|Visitor=24|Home=9}}
Statistics
Aftermath
Later in the day at the Rose Bowl, Ohio State was defeated {{nowrap|17–16}} {{nowrap|by USC.{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1980/01/14/824291/a-beautiful-rose-even-for-bama-uscs-one-point-victory-over-ohio-state-in-pasadena-provided-all-the-excitement-anyone-could-ask-for-and-it-gave-the-crimson-tide-something-more--its-first-undisputed-national-championship-since-196 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Looney |first=Douglas S. |title=A beautiful Rose, even for Bama |date=January 14, 1980 |page=28}}}} For the first time since 1964, Alabama was voted to the top spot in {{nowrap|both final polls.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pAgdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AZ4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6502%2C347968 |work=Tuscaloosa News |location=(Alabama) |last=Browning |first=Al |title=Could be best ever, Bryant says of champ |date=January 3, 1980 |page=11}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H8opAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LO4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6495%2C1015170 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press|title=It's Bama |date=January 3, 1980 |page=23}}}} It was the Tide's first perfect season since 1966.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{1979 bowl game navbox}}
{{Sugar Bowl navbox}}
{{Alabama Crimson Tide bowl game navbox}}
{{Arkansas Razorbacks bowl game navbox}}
Category:Alabama Crimson Tide football bowl games