The 1981 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 45th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1980–81 bowl game season, it matched the ninth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #6 Baylor Bears of the Southwest Conference (SWC). Favored Alabama shut out the Baylor offense and won, 30–2.[2][3][4]
| 1981 Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 45th Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cotton Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Warren Lyles (Alabama NG) Major Ogilvie (Alabama RB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Alabama by 3½ points[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Vance Carlson (Big Eight) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 74,281 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Lindsey Nelson (Play-by-play) Roger Staubach (Color) Frank Glieber (Sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teams
editAlabama
editBaylor
editGame summary
editTelevised by CBS, the game kicked off shortly after 1 p.m. CST, at the same time as the Sugar Bowl on ABC.[5]
Alabama took a 6–0 lead on a pair of Peter Kim field goals.[6] Baylor responded later in the first quarter with its only points of the game when Tommy Tabor sacked Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis in the end zone for a safety to bring the score to 6–2.[7] The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 13–2 at the half following a one-yard Major Ogilvie touchdown run in the second quarter.[6]
After a third Kim field goal in the third, Alabama closed out the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns; Don Jacobs scored on a one-yard run, followed by Mark Nix from three yards out to make the final score 30–2.[6] Alabama linebacker Warren Lyles was named the defensive MVP,[8] and running back Ogilvie took the offensive honors.
Scoring
editFirst quarter
- Alabama - Peter Kim 29-yard field goal
- Alabama - Kim 27-yard field goal
- Baylor - Safety, quarterback Walter Lewis tackled by Tommy Tabor in the end zone
Second quarter
- Alabama - Major Ogilvie 1-yard run (Kim kick)
Third quarter
- Alabama - Kim 42-yard field goal
Fourth quarter
- Alabama - Don Jacobs 1-yard run (Kim kick)
- Alabama - Mark Nix 2-yard run (George Mardini kick)
Statistics
editStatistics Alabama Baylor First Downs 17 13 Rushes–yards 67–241 35–54 Passing yards 98 104 Passes 5–12–0 12–27–3 Total Offense 79–339 62–158 Punts–average 6–37 7–35 Fumbles–lost 5–1 5–4 Turnovers 1 7 Penalties–yards 5–89 6–59
Aftermath
editThis was the final collegiate game for Baylor's All-American linebacker Mike Singletary, a future College and Pro Football Hall of Famer.
In the final AP poll, Alabama climbed to sixth and Baylor dropped to fourteenth.
References
edit- ^ "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1981. p. 25.
- ^ a b c "Bama's Bear outwits Baylor Bears, 30-2". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. January 2, 1981. p. 13.
- ^ a b c "Alabama bombs Baylor in Cotton". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. January 2, 1981. p. 3D.
- ^ a b c Browning, Al (January 2, 1981). "Bama dee-fense big in Big D". Tuscaloosa News. p. 1.
- ^ "Sports menu: television". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 1, 1981. p. 29.
- ^ a b c 1980 Season Game Recaps (PDF). The University of Alabama. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
- ^ Jones, Mike (January 2, 1981). "Tidal wave spoils Baylor's Cotton". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
- ^ Martin, Steve (January 2, 1981). "Lyles' play sacks MVP award". Tuscaloosa News. p. 13. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
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