1978 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl

Last updated

1978 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
Stanford Cardinals Georgia Bulldogs
(7–4)(9–1–1)
2522
Head coach: 
Bill Walsh 		Head coach: 
Vince Dooley
AP Coaches
NR20
AP Coaches
117
1234Total
Stanford0022325
Georgia3127022
DateDecember 31, 1978
Season 1978
Stadium Houston Astrodome
Location Houston, Texas
MVP Steve Dils (QB), Stanford
Gordy Ceresino (LB), Stanford
Referee Jack Baker (WAC)
Attendance34,084
United States TV coverage
Network Mizlou Television Network
Announcers Merle Harmon, Don Perkins and Howard David
Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
 < 1977   1979 > 

The 1978 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl (December) game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Stanford Cardinals, and was played on December 31, 1978, at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was the twentieth edition of the Bluebonnet Bowl. Stanford overcame a 22–0 third quarter deficit and won the game, 25–22.

Contents

Teams

Stanford

Stanford was making its second consecutive bowl appearance under second-year head coach Bill Walsh. Stanford was noted for its pass-heavy offense, led by Sammy Baugh Trophy-award winning quarterback Steve Dils and his targets, receiver Ken Margerum and back Darrin Nelson. [1]

Georgia

A tie in their second-to-last game of the season kept Georgia out of a possible berth in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. Led by long-time coach Vince Dooley, the Bulldogs were ranked #11 and featured a punishing defense and a rushing attack led by SEC offensive player of the year Willie McClendon. [1] The Bulldogs had lost their last three bowl games, dating back to the 1974 Tangerine Bowl.

Game summary

Georgia dominated the first half, scoring on two Carmon Prince touchdown receptions and a Rex Robinson field goal to lead 15–0 at the half. The only miscues were in the kicking game: Robinson missed the extra point on both touchdowns. Early in the third quarter, another Bulldog score on a one-yard run by quarterback Jeff Pyburn made the score 22–0, and it appeared that Georgia would complete a rout. [2]

But following that score, Stanford quarterback Steve Dils hit receiver Ken Margerum on a 32-yard touchdown pass. Stanford's attempt at a two-point conversion was no good, but on Georgia's ensuing possession, running back Willie McClendon fumbled on the Georgia 19. Two plays later, Dils connected with Darrin Nelson for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Stanford then completed a successful two-point conversion, in which kicker Ken Naber faked a kick attempt and then ran into the end zone to make the score 22–14. [3]

Georgia's next possession was three plays and a short punt which gave Stanford the ball at the Georgia 41. Three plays later, Dils hit Margerum again for a 14-yard touchdown pass, and connected with Nelson for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 22–22. [2] [3] The Bulldogs fumbled again (one of five on the day), setting up a Naber 27-yard field goal which gave Stanford a 25–22 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Georgia's Robinson missed another field goal to tie the game and the Stanford defense did the rest to shut down the Bulldogs, led by linebacker Gordy Ceresino's 20 tackles. [3] Ceresino was named the game's defensive MVP; offensive MVP was quarterback Dils, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. [3]

Scoring

First quarter

Second quarter

  • Georgia - Carmon Prince 22-yard pass from Buck Belue (Robinson kick failed)
  • Georgia - Prince 8-yard pass from Jeff Pyburn (Robinson kick failed)

Third quarter

  • Georgia - Pyburn 1-yard run (Robinson kick)
  • Stanford - Ken Margerum 32-yard pass from Steve Dils (Dils pass failed)
  • Stanford - Darrin Nelson 20-yard pass from Dils (Ken Naber run)
  • Stanford - Margerum 14-yard pass from Dils (Dils pass to Nelson)

Fourth quarter

  • Stanford - Naber 24-yard field goal

Aftermath

This was the last game of Bill Walsh's first coaching stint with Stanford; following this game, he became head coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, eventually leading them to three Super Bowl titles. Walsh returned to Stanford in 1992 and coached the Cardinal for three seasons and one bowl victory. Stanford's football program slid after Walsh's departure, and they would not return to a bowl for 8 years when they earned a berth in the 1986 Gator Bowl.

Georgia did not make a bowl in the following season, but Dooley's 1980 team, quarterbacked by Buck Belue, who was a freshman in the Bluebonnet Bowl, was undefeated and named national champion by most media organizations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Walsh (American football coach)</span> American football coach (1931–2007)

William Ernest Walsh was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense. After retiring from the 49ers, Walsh worked as a sports broadcaster for several years and then returned as head coach at Stanford for three seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Cardinal football</span> American college football organization

The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. The team is known as the Cardinal, adopted prior to the 1982 season. Stanford was known as the "Cardinal" for its first two decades of athletic competition, then more commonly as the "Cardinals" until 1930. The name was changed to the "Indians" from 1930 to January 1972, and back to the "Cardinals" from 1972 through 1981. A student vote in December 1975 to change the nickname to "Robber Barons" was not approved by administrators.

Benjamin Franklin "Buck" Belue played American football and baseball at the University of Georgia from 1978 to 1981. He was the quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1980, when the team went 12–0, and, after beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, was named the consensus national champion. One of the key plays in the 1980 season was a 93-yard touchdown pass from Belue to wide receiver Lindsay Scott that led to a victory over the University of Florida, which was at one time tied with two other passing plays as the longest passing touchdown in Georgia history. This record was later broken by Aaron Murray's 98-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Davis in Georgia's victory over North Texas in 2013. Belue was named captain of the 1981 team.

Stephen Whitfield "Steve" Dils is an American retired football quarterback who played 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Georgia Bulldogs football team</span> American college football season

The 1981 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the Georgia Bulldogs of the University of Georgia during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.

The 2005 Outback Bowl featured the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams came into the game ranked, and with only two losses. This was the 19th edition of the Outback Bowl.

The 1977 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-8 Conference during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Led by first-year head coach Bill Walsh, Stanford ended the regular season with an 8–3 record.

The 1978 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-10 Conference during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach Bill Walsh, the Cardinals were 7–4 in the regular season and played their home games on campus at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Their four losses were by a combined total of sixteen points.

The 1982 Sugar Bowl was the 48th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday, January 1. Part of the 1981–82 bowl game season, it matched the #2 Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the defending national champions, and the #8 Pittsburgh Panthers, an independent. The slight underdog Panthers won the game 24–20.

The 2011 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Cardinal were led by former offensive coordinator and new head coach David Shaw, as Jim Harbaugh departed following the 2010 season in order to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and are members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season with 11–2 in overall record, 8–1 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie with Oregon for first place in the North Division. Due to their head-to-head loss to Oregon, they did not represent the division in the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game. They were invited the Fiesta Bowl, their second consecutive BCS game, where they were defeated by Oklahoma State 38–41 in overtime.

The 2012 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal were led by second-year head coach David Shaw. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

The 1977 Sugar Bowl was the 43rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, January 1. Part of the 1976–77 bowl game season, it matched the top-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers and the #5 Georgia Bulldogs, champions of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Independent Pittsburgh won 27–3, and were consensus national champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team</span> American college football season

The 2013 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Mullen, who was in fifth season with Mississippi State in the 2013 season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The 1986 Gator Bowl (December) game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Clemson Tigers, played on December 27, 1986, at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the 42nd edition of the bowl game. Through a sponsorship agreement announced in November, the bowl was officially known as the Mazda Gator Bowl.

The 2014 Gator Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 2014 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 69th edition of the Gator Bowl, it featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers from the Big Ten Conference against the Georgia Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference. The game began at 12:00 noon EST and aired on ESPN2. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com and was officially known as the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

The 1977 Sun Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game, part of the bowl schedule of the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Played on Saturday, December 31, it matched the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference and the Stanford Cardinals of the Pacific-8 Conference at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. It was the 44th edition of the Sun Bowl.

The 2014 Orange Bowl is a college football bowl game that was played on December 31, 2014, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The 81st Orange Bowl is a "New Year's Six Bowl" of the College Football Playoff. It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season.

The 1993 Blockbuster Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Penn State Nittany Lions played on January 1, 1993, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It was the third edition of the bowl game, and a Bowl Coalition game.

The 1991 Aloha Bowl (December) was a post-season college football bowl game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets played on December 25, 1991, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the tenth edition of the bowl game.

The 1971 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football bowl game that featured the Colorado Buffaloes and the Houston.

References

  1. 1 2 "Walsh says crucial plays to decide game". Lodi News-Sentinel. December 30, 1978. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Stanford rallies to top Georgia, 25–22". Spartanburg Herald. January 1, 1979. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "1978 Bluebonnet Bowl" (PDF). Stanford Football Media Guide. Stanford Athletics. p. 161. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.