1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Independent 10 9 9–2–1 Dan Devine 6th Joe Yonto Bob Crable Bob Crable Tom Gibbons John Scully Notre Dame Stadium Sugar Bowl L Lost 10–17 vs. Georgia The 1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth and final year under head coach Dan Devine, the Irish compiled a 9–2–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 238 to 111, and were ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and No. 10 in the final UPI poll. They were undefeated in their first ten games, but lost their final two games to No. 17 USC and to No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1980-schedule.html Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football July 24, 2026 Center John Scully and linebacker Bob Crable were consensus first-team picks on the 1980 All-America college football team.Football Award Winners National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2016 October 21, 2017 10 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/awards.pdf Defensive end Scott Zettek also received first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Blair Kiel (531 passing yards), running backs Jim Stone (908 rushing yards) and Phil Carter (822 rushing yards), tight end Tony Hunter (23 receptions for 303 yards), and kicker Harry Oliver (73 points scored).1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stats https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1980.html Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football July 24, 2026 The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. Schedule 1980 AP Eastern September 6 3:20 p.m. w 11 Purdue 9 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry ABC 31–10 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-nd-steams-by-purdue/158454352/ Detroit Free Press N.D. steams by Purdue, 31–10 September 7, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com September 20 2:30 p.m. w 8 Michigan 14 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 29–27 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-flint-journal-51-yard-field-goal-on/158454442/ The Flint Journal 51-yard field goal on last play beats UM September 21, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com October 4 1:00 p.m. w y 7 Michigan State Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI rivalry 26–21 76,821 https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-irish-escape-msu/158454520/ Wisconsin State Journal Irish escape MSU ambush October 5, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com October 11 2:30 p.m. w 7 Miami (FL) 13 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 32–14 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-press-irish-rip-miami/158453708/ News-Press Irish rip Miami October 12, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com October 18 2:30 p.m. w 5 Army Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 30–3 59,075 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register-no-5-irish-smot/158400799/ The Des Moines Register No. 5 Irish smother Army, 30–3 October 19, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com October 25 10:35 p.m. w y 4 Arizona Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ 20–3 56,211 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-fake-punt-helps-notre-da/158454611/ Chicago Tribune Fake punt helps Notre Dame run to victory over Arizona October 26, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com November 1 1:30 p.m. w y 3 Navy Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ rivalry 33–0 76,891 https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-record-notre-dame-glad-stone-staye/158452754/ Daily Record Notre Dame glad Stone stayed ready November 2, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com November 8 1:30 p.m. t y 1 Georgia Tech Grant Field Atlanta, GA rivalry 3–3 41,266 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-notre-dame-ties-te/151990618/ The Indianapolis Star Notre Dame ties Tech, 3–3 November 9, 1980 July 25, 2024 Newspapers.com November 15 3:50 p.m. w y 6 Alabama 5 Legion Field Birmingham, AL ABC 7–0 78,873 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71518468/hot-irish-defense-stops-alabama-cold/ Chicago Tribune Hot Irish defense stops Alabama cold November 16, 1980 February 19, 2021 Newspapers.com November 22 1:30 p.m. w 2 Air Force Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 24–10 59,075 Mooshil Joe ND whips Air Force, 24-10 after 'making a few adjustments' https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116039032/the-kokomo-tribune/ January 8, 2023 The Kokomo Tribune Associated Press November 23, 1980 25 Newspapers.com December 6 3:50 p.m. l y 2 USC 17 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA rivalry ABC 3–20 82,663 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-galveston-daily-news-trojans-spoil-i/158454700/ The Galveston Daily News Trojans spoil Irish hopes for shot at national crown December 7, 1980 November 4, 2024 Newspapers.com January 1, 1981 2:00 p.m. l y 7 Georgia 1 Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA Sugar Bowl ABC 10–17 77,895 https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-opportunistic-georgia-fu/134421428/ Chicago Tribune Opportunistic Georgia fulfills national-title dream January 2, 1981 October 31, 2023 Newspapers.com1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football November 4, 2024 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1980-schedule.html Game summaries Purdue Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #9 Purdue Boilermakers (0–0) at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) September 6 Purdue 0 10 0 0 Notre Dame 10 7 7 7 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 ABC Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles Recap/Box 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) Palm Beach Post. 1980 Sept 7. Michigan Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #14 Michigan Wolverines (1–0) at #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–0) September 20 Michigan 0 14 7 6 Notre Dame 0 14 6 9 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 Recap/Box 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. "Last-Play, 51-Yard Kick Gets Irish Past Michigan." Palm Beach Post. 1980 Sept 21. At Michigan State Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2–0) at Michigan State Spartans (1–2) October 4 Notre Dame 0 6 7 13 Michigan State 9 0 0 12 Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan 76,821 Recap/Box 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) Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #13 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (4–0) at #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3–0) October 11 Miami (FL) 0 0 0 14 Notre Dame 0 10 6 16 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 Recap/Box 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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Army Cadets (2–2–1) at #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4–0) October 18 Army 0 0 3 0 Notre Dame 0 17 6 7 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 Recap/Box 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 Gadsden Times. 1980 Oct 19. Retrieved 2018-Oct-19. At Arizona Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5–0) at Arizona Wildcats (2–3) October 25 Notre Dame 7 10 0 3 Arizona 0 3 0 0 Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona 56,211 Recap/Box 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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Navy Midshipmen (5–2) vs. #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6–0) November 1 Notre Dame 12 14 0 7 Navy 0 0 0 0 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 76,891 Overcast Recap/Box 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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–0) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1–7) November 8 1:30 p.m. Notre Dame 0 0 0 3 Georgia Tech 0 3 0 0 Grant Field, Atlanta, Georgia 41,266 Recap/Box 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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–0–1) at #5 Alabama Crimson Tide (8–1) November 15 2:50 p.m. CST Notre Dame 0 7 0 0 Alabama 0 0 0 0 Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama 78,873 Jimmy Harper ABC Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles Recap/Box 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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed Air Force Falcons (2–7–1) at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–0–1) November 22 Air Force 3 0 0 7 Notre Dame 0 3 14 7 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana 59,075 Recap/Box 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 Eugene Register-Guard. 1980 Nov 23. At USC Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–0–1) at #17 USC Trojans (7–2–1) December 6 Notre Dame 0 0 3 0 USC 0 10 0 10 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California 82,663 ABC Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles Recap/Box 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) Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2; text-align:center collapsed #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9–1–1) vs. #1 Georgia Bulldogs (11–0) January 1, 1981 Thursday Notre Dame 3 0 7 0 Georgia 10 7 0 0 Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 77,895 Indoors (dome) ABC Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles Recap/Box 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 Roster 1980 Notre Dame Fighting Irish f Bernie Adell RB Ty Barber RB 28 Fr Greg Bell Greg Bell (running back, born 1962) RB y Mike Boushka RB 35 So Pete Buchanan FB 65 Sr Bob Burger OG 22 So Phil Carter RB y Phil Carter (Canadian football) 80 Jr Dave Condeni WR 2 Sr Mike Courey QB y 81 Sr Marty Detmer TE 1 Sr Ty Dickerson WR Randy Ellis OL Robb Gagnon OL Fr Scott Grooms QB 31 Sr Pete Holohan WR y 78 Sr Tim Huffman OG y So Tony Hunter WR y Tony Hunter (tight end) 5 Fr Blair Kiel QB P y 13 Sr Greg Knafelc QB y Sr Tim Koegel QB 86 Jr Dean Masztak TE So Rob McGarry FB So Larry Moriarty RB Rodney Morris RB Fr John Mosley RB 71 Jr Phil Pozderac OT y 57 Sr John Scully John Scully (American football) C y C 74 So Mike Shiner OT Sr Jim Stone RB John Sweeney RB 64 So Tom Thayer OL y Tim Tripp WR 95 Sr Nick Vehr TE 94 Jr Tom Bock DT 9 Fr Chris Brown Chris Brown (defensive back) CB y Steve Cichy DB 43 Jr Bob Crable ILB y C 22 So Dave Duerson S y 20 Sr Angelo Fasano S 27 Sr Tom Gibbons S C 92 Jr Joe Gramke DE Sr John Hankred DE Don Kidd DL Pat Kramer DL 19 Jr John Krimm CB y Fr Tim Marshall DL Brendan Moynihan LB 72 So Ken Muncy DT 45 Jr John Rice LB 51 Joe Rudzinski LB Stacey Toran DB 46 So Mark Zavagnin LB 70 Sr Scott Zettek DE Mike Johnston K 3 Jr Harry Oliver K Bill Siewe LS *Dan Devine *Brian Boulac Bill Meyers Ron Toman (QB) Joe Yonto (DL) Awards and honors Former Fighting Irish coach Ara Parseghian was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame Center John Scully was named an All-American (1980_All-America_college_football_team) 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 References Notre Dame Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons Notre Dame Fighting Irish football