1980 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1980 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Sun Bowl, L 17–31 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 19
Record	9–3 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach	Emory Bellard (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Melvin Robertson (2nd season)
Home stadium	Scott Field Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1979 1981  →

1980 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Georgia $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
No. 19 Mississippi State	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 6 Alabama	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Florida	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Kentucky	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Auburn	0	–	6	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season is best known for a win over then-#1 Alabama, often considered to be the greatest win in school history. ^{[1] [2]}

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Memphis State *		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN		W 34–7	45,789	[3]
September 13	Louisiana Tech *		Scott Field Starkville, MS		W 31–11	32,812	[4]
September 20	at Vanderbilt		Dudley Field Nashville, TN		W 24–14	29,300	[5]
September 27	at Florida		Florida Field Gainesville, FL		L 15–21	56,225	[6]
October 4	at Illinois *		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		W 28–21	60,889	[7]
October 11	Southern Miss *		Scott Field Starkville, MS		L 14–42	36,211	[8]
October 18	at No. 18 Miami (FL) *		Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL		W 34–31	17,806	[9]
October 25	Auburn		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS		W 24–21	40,822	[10]
November 1	No. 1 Alabama		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)		W 6–3	50,891	[11]
November 15	LSU	No. 19	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)		W 55–31	48,863	[12]
November 22	vs. Ole Miss	No. 17	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Egg Bowl)		W 19–14	62,520	[13]
December 27	vs. No. 8 Nebraska *	No. 17	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)	CBS	L 17–31	34,723	[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

Personnel

1980 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR Black QB 13 John Bond Fr WR James Otis Doss OL Matt Edwards WR David Ellis OL Ronman Grace RB Michael Haddix OL Wayne Harris C 58 Kent Hull RB Donald Ray King RB Danny Knight RB Henry Koontz OL Alan Massey RB Mardye McDole OL Mike McDonald QB Robby Mink QB Tim Parenton WR Jerry Price RB Lamar Windham RB George Wonsley WR Glen Young	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL Eamie Barnes DE 79 Glen Collins LB 99 Johnie Cooks LB Don Edwards DB Lawrence Evans DB Rob Fesmire DB Larry Friday DL Ricky George DL Billy Jackson DB Willie Jackson DB Steve Johnson DL Tyrone Keys LB Rusty Martin DL Mike McEnany LB Curtis Stowers	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K, P Dana Moore So K Bob Morgan	Head coach Emory Bellard Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Game summaries

vs Ole Miss

Ole Miss Rebels (3–7) vs. #17 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Mississippi St	10	0	3	6	19
Ole Miss	0	7	0	7	14

at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Mississippi

• Date: November 22, 1980
• Game weather: Rain
• Game attendance: 62,520

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi St	Passing	John Bond	8/14, 151 Yds
	Rushing	John Bond	15 Rush, 163 Yds, TD
	Receiving
Ole Miss	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MSU MISS 1 Mississippi St 24-yard field goal by Dana Moore 3 0 1 Mississippi St John Bond 57-yard touchdown run, Dana Moore kick good 10 0 2 68 Ole Miss Kinny Hopper 1-yard touchdown run, kick good 10 7 3 Mississippi St 32-yard field goal by Dana Moore 13 7 4 8:20 Ole Miss Gino English 7-yard touchdown reception from John Fourcade, kick good 13 14 4 7:40 Mississippi St Michael Haddix 10-yard touchdown run, kick no good 19 14 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 19 14

^[16]

References

1. Metal Building Dawg (October 23, 2012). "History of MSU vs. Alabama". ForWhomtheCowbellTolls.com.
2. The Croom Diaries (October 27, 2012). "Is This the Biggest Game in MSU History?". MaroonAndWhiteNation.com.
3. "Growling Bulldogs bite, then bury Tigers". The Commercial Appeal. September 7, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Miss. State 31, Louisiana Tech 11". The Clarion-Ledger. September 14, 1980. Retrieved July 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Vandy drops first SEC game 24–14". The Daily News-Journal. September 21, 1980. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Florida snaps SEC jinx". The Tennessean. September 28, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "State holds on to defeat Illinois 28–21". The Greenwood Commonwealth. October 5, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "42–14: USM hands out a 'Dog-whippin'". The Clarion-Ledger. October 12, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "'Canes blow opportunity". The Tampa Tribune-Times. October 19, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "24–21, State's goal-line stand saved a MSU victory and may have cost Auburn's Doug Barfield his job". The Clarion-Ledger. October 26, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Mississippi State stuns Alabama". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 2, 1980. Retrieved February 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Third quarter explosion blows Maroons by LSU". The Crowley Post-Signal. November 16, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Bond leads 'Dogs over Rebels". Enterprise-Journal. November 23, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Cornhuskers mug Mississippi State". The Cincinnati Enquirer. December 28, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
15. "1980 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
16. "Bond Leads MSU Over Mississippi." Ocala Star-Banner. pg. 3C. 1980-Nov-23. Retrieved 2022-Dec-17.