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Notre Dame Football: The 1981 Sugar Bowl – Notre Dame v. Georgia

By Andrew Hall

ATHENS, GA - SEPTEMBER 2: General view of a statue of the Georgia Bulldogs mascot prior to their game against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Sanford Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - SEPTEMBER 2: General view of a statue of the Georgia Bulldogs mascot prior to their game against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Sanford Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame football program is unfamiliar with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Notre Dame and Georgia meet for only the second time in history. The lone matchup between the Irish and the Bulldogs occurred on January 1, 1981, the Sugar Bowl. This game marked the final coaching appearance for Dan Devine.

Georgia’s 1980 football game featured Freshman Running Back Herschel Walker, a player who went on to win the Heisman Trophy in the 1982. The Bulldogs entered the matchup ranked as the top team in the country. Georgia marched through their schedule including No. 14 South Carolina and No. 20 Florida.

Notre Dame limped into New Orleans, Louisiana. Ranked as the No. 2 team in the country, the Irish lost to No. 17 USC, 20-3. Bob Crable, a 2017 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, led the Fighting Irish on defense.

1981 Sugar Bowl

Notre Dame struck first with a 50-yard field goal by Harry Oliver. Following Notre Dame’s field goal, Georgia scored 17 unanswered points. That made the halftime score, 17-3 in favor of Georgia. The Irish drove to a touchdown in the 3rd Quarter to close within in 7 points of the Bulldogs. However, the Irish failed to score again and lost the game, 17-10.

Georgia went on to win the National Championship after ranking No. 1 in the Coaches Poll and AP Poll. Notre Dame finished the 1980 season ranked No. 9 in the AP and No. 10 in the Coaches. Gerry Faust coached his first season as the Notre Dame football coach the next year. This marked a dark period before Lou Holtz took the helm.

Georgia Travels Away From Home

As a side note, many fans, writers, social media users and others claimed that this contest represents the first time the Bulldogs will travel north of the Mason-Dixon line since 1965. As this SBNation article proves, the Colorado-Georgia match occurred in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder, Colorado sits north of the hypothetical line. However, it also proves Georgia does not travel very far frequently.

Here is the full broadcast of the Georgia-Notre Dame battle in the 1981 Sugar Bowl:

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