NFL Old School Game of the Week: Favre Plays Through the Plan to Lead Packers to Upset over Eagles

A hit by Eagles defensive end Reggie White(92) on Packers quarterback Brett Favre would be a game-changing moment for the Packers franchise.

Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre is undeniably one of the toughest players to ever play in the NFL as evident by his streak of 321 consecutive starts at quarterback over a span of nearly two decades of football, most of them with the Green Bay Packers.

The streak is remarkable as Favre would stay in the lineup despite playing with several injuries such as the case in Week 10 of the 1992 NFL season in a performance that would reward the Green Bay franchise down the road.

The Packers came into the Eagles game with a 3-6 record as under first-year head coach Mike Holmgren who had been hired to end decades of mediocrity as Green Bay had made the playoffs only two times since the retirement of head coach Vince Lombardi following the 1967 season.

In the Packers' third game of the season, starting quarterback Don Majkowski would suffer an ankle injury as Favre, who the Packers had traded a first round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for on February 11th, would take over and lead Green Bay to a 24-23 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-legend-of.html).

Favre would lead the Packers to a 17-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first start but Green Bay would lose four of their next five games as the team seemed poised for another losing season.

While the Packers were trying to seek relevance in the NFL, the Eagles were looking to return to the postseason under second year head coach Rich Kotite, who took over for Buddy Ryan after he was fired following the 1990 season after leading the Eagles to three straight playoff appearances.

The Eagles would miss the 1991 playoffs despite a 10-6 record as starting quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season after he tore the ACL in his left knee after a hit by Packers linebacker Bryce Paup.

Two months before the 1992 season began, tragedy struck for the Eagles as Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jerome Brown was killed in a car accident as the team would retire Brown's number #99 and declare they would "Bring it home for Jerome" and win the Super Bowl in Brown's memory.

The Eagles got off to a 4-0 start before losing three of their next five games as tensions rose between Kotite and the team, especially the defense led by All-Pro defensive end Reggie White, remained loyal to Ryan

Despite their recent struggles, the Eagles seemed confident they would get back on track against the Packers as evident by Cunningham's postgame quotes after being benched during Philadelphia's 31-10 win over the Raiders when asked whether or it not he would get the start against Green Bay by saying "It's not like we're playing Minnesota or the Giants or the Cowboys or the Redskins".

The Eagles would get the ball to start the game as they would drive into Green Bay territory before punting the ball to the Packers, who would take over at their 15-yard-line as Favre would complete his first two passes of the game for 26 yards, then found tight end Jackie Harris for an eight-yard completion only for him to fumble the football after a hit by Eagles linebacker Byron Evans as strong safety Rich Miano would recover the fumble to give Philadelphia the ball at their 47-yard-line.

From there, the Eagles would advance to the Packers' 17-yard-line until the drive stalled as Philadelphia would settle for a 34-yard field goal by Roger Ruzak to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter.

The Packers would begin their next possession at their 32-yard-line as Favre would complete a 11-yard pass to fullback Harry Sydney when Favre separated his left shoulder after being driven to the ground by White.

Favre would stay in the game as it was his non-throwing shoulder that was injured as he would hand the ball off to running back Vince Workman on the next play from scrimmage as Vince would took it up the middle and explode for a 44-yard run to put the Packers at the Eagles' 13-yard-line as Workman would run for one yard on the final play of the second quarter.

The second quarter would begin with Favre, bad shoulder and all, completing a seven-yard pass to Harris to set up 3rd & 2 at the five-yard-line where Favre would connect with wide receiver Sterling Sharpe for a five-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 7-3 lead 52 seconds into the second quarter.

 Following a Philadelphia punt, the Packers would take over at their 20-yard-line as Favre would go a perfect 5-of-5 on the drive as he completed five passes to five different receivers for 57 yards on the 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an one-yard touchdown run by Workman to extend Green Bay's lead to 14-3 with 2:21 to go in the second quarter.

The Eagles would try to put some points on the scoreboard before the end of the first half as they would drive from their 21-yard-line to the Green Bay 41-yard-line until Cunningham was sacked by Packers linebackers Johnny Holland and Tony Bennett for a six-yard loss to force a Philadelphia punt.

Favre would take a knee to end the first half with the Packers on top 14-3 as Green Bay would get the ball to start the second half, though they would have to do it without Workman, who left the game with a separated left shoulder.

Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe would catch seven passes for 116 yards and score one touchdown.

The Packers would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Eagles at their 23-yard-line as Cunningham would complete two passes to Roy Green for 31 yards and scramble for 13 yards that got 15 yards added to the run because of a late hit by Packers linebacker George Koonce as Philadelphia would cap off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run by running back Heath Sherman to cut the Green Bay lead to 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Packers would start their next drive at their 19-yard-line as Favre would complete two passes to Harris for 31 yards while Darrell Thompson would reel off a 33-yard run to move Green Bay to the Philadelphia 17-yard-line until Favre was picked off by Eagles linebacker William Thomas to end the drive Packers' threat to increase their lead.

After the Eagles would go three-and-out, the Packers would get the ball back at their 43-yard-line as Green Bay would convert on three straight 3rd down conversions as Favre would find Sharpe for nine yards on a 3rd & 3 at the 50-yard-line, followed by a 19-yard completion to Harris on 3rd & 12, and then another 19-yard completion, this one to Sharpe to give Green Bay a 1st & goal at the Philadelphia three-yard-line.

Favre would then fake a handoff and toss a three-yard touchdown pass to Thompson to increase the Packers lead to 21-10 with 10:37 left in the fourth quarter.

It would take the Eagles 24 seconds to get back into the end zone as Sherman would catch a screen pass from Cunningham and turn into a 75-yard touchdown to cut the Packers' lead back to four points at 21-17.

Following a Packers punt, the Eagles would get the ball back at their 11-yard-line as the drive would begin with a four-yard run by Sherman to set up 2nd & 6 when Cunningham threw deep for Fred Barnett where he drew a pass interference penalty on Packers cornerback Terrell Buckley to move the Eagles 34 yards to the Green Bay 46-yard-line.

Cunningham would try to connect with Barnett again on another deep pass which drew another pass interference penalty, this one on the other starting cornerback, Roland Mitchell, to give the Eagles a 1st & goal on the Packers' two-yard-line when running back Herschel Walker would punch it in for the touchdown to give Philadelphia a 24-21 lead with 5:45 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Packers looked to respond on their next drive but after two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Favre would be picked off again, this time by Evans, who returned the interception 13 yards to the Green Bay 20-yard-line, giving Philadelphia a chance to deliver the knockout punch with another touchdown.

However, Sherman would fumble the football when he was hit by Packers free safety Chuck Cecil as strong safety LeRoy Butler would scoop up the loose ball and run it back 17 yards to the Green Bay 27-yard-line, giving Favre another chance to lead the Packers to the game-tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown with 5:17 left in the game.

After completing a seven-yard pass to Sydney to start the drive, Favre would connect with Sharpe for a 34-yard completion to give Green Bay a 1st down at the Eagles' 32-yard-line where a holding penalty on Miano where give the Packers five extra yards and a fresh set of downs at the Philadelphia 27-yard-line.

Thompson would carry the ball on the next three plays gaining 16 yards until a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would force the Packers to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Chris Jacke to tie the game at 24 with 1:31 left in regulation.

The Eagles would take over at their 11-yard-line with 1:25 to go and two timeouts in their pocket as Kotite went for the conservative approach as Walker would run the ball on 1st down as he gained nine yards as the Eagles seemed content to run out the clock and send the game in overtime.

But on the next play from scrimmage, disaster would strike as Walker was hit in the backfield by Green Bay defensive end Don Davey, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Holland to give the Packers the ball at the Eagles' 23-yard-line with 43 seconds to go and already in field goal range.

Thompson would run for no yards as the Packers would drain the clock to three seconds before calling timeout with three seconds to go as Jacke would come on to attempt the game-winning field goal from 41 yards out.

Jacke's kick was true as his 41-yard field goal split through the uprights as time expired with the Packers pulling off the 27-24 upset as Green Bay improved its record to 4-6 while the Eagles record dropped to 6-4.

Chris Jacke(13) is held up by defensive end Robert Brown after his game-winning field goal.

After the game, Cunningham apologized for his pregame remarks saying he "ran his mouth too much" while linebacker Seth Joyner criticized Kotite for his late-game management saying "Anytime you play conservative in this league you're setting yourself to lose" as it looked like the Eagles' season was falling apart.

However, the Eagles would win five of their last six games of the regular season, including a four-game winning streak to end the regular season, to finish the season with a 11-5 record and earn a Wild Card berth as the Eagles would win their first playoff game since winning the 1980 NFC Championship Game as Philadelphia would score 26 points in the 4th quarter to knock off the New Orleans Saints 36-20(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-eagles-stun.html).

The Eagles would be eliminated the following week as they would fall to the Dallas Cowboys 34-10 as the Eagles would not return to the postseason under Kotite who would be fired after the 1994 season.

As for the Packers, the win over the Eagles began a six-game winning streak as Green Bay would finish the season with a 9-7 record but not enough to qualify for the postseason as a 27-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings prevented Green Bay for making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

However, during the offseason, the Packers would sign White as a free agent as Reggie cited Favre's performance against the Eagles as a reason to sign with Green Bay as he was inspired by Favre's toughness.

With White anchoring the defense and Favre entrenched as the team's starting quarterback, the Packers would make the playoffs six years in a row which included two NFC championships and a 35-21 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI for Green Bay's first NFL championship in 29 years.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Cunningham Leads Eagles Back from 20-Point Deficit to Fly Past Cowboys

The Eagles celebrate with Anthony Toney after he caught what would be the game-winning touchdown.

 In Week 8 of the 1988 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Dallas Cowboys for the first time almost one year since an infamous episode in their bitter NFC East division rivalry.

In that game, the Eagles appeared to be just running out the clock as they had the ball at the Dallas 33-yard-line leading 30-20 with 11 seconds left.

That is when Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham faked taking a knee and fired a pass for Mike Quick toward the end zone.

The pass fell incomplete but the Eagles drew a pass interference penalty which gave them a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line when Cunningham handed the ball off to running back Keith Byars, who punched it in for an one-yard touchdown as time expired with the Eagles winning 37-20, angering Cowboys head coach Tom Landry but pleasing Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan

As the two teams prepared to meet for the first time since the "fake kneel" incident, winning the game was trumpeted over revenge as both teams needed a win.

The Eagles came into the game with a 3-4 record after Philadelphia dug itself a hole following a three-game losing streak in September while the Cowboys came in with a 2-5 record having lost their previous three games.

 The Cowboys got the ball to start the game as they drove 71 yards in nine plays primarily on the right arm of quarterback Steve Peuller, who completed all six of his passes for 66 yards on the drive, culminating with a 18-yard touchdown pass to Ray Alexander to put Dallas ahead 7-0 with 10:25 to go in the first quarter.

Following a Philadelphia punt, the Cowboys got the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Peuller remained perfect as he completed three passes for 48 yards on the drive with the biggest completion going to Alexander whose 26-yard reception set up Timmy Newsome's one-yard touchdown run which increased the Dallas lead to 14-0 with 4:39 left in the first quarter.

It seemed like a blowout was brewing especially after the Cowboys forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Philadelphia 42-yard-line when Peuller handed the ball off to running back Herschel Walker who exploded for a 29-yard run to put Dallas at the Eagles' 13-yard-line.

But it was here that the Eagles' defense showed some signs of life as it did not allow another 1st down and forced the Cowboys to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Roger Ruzek which increased the Dallas lead to 17-0 with just four seconds left in the first quarter which had been dominated by the Cowboys.

Cowboys quarterback Steve Peuller completed 32 of 46 passes for 342 yards and threw one TD.

As the second quarter began, the Eagles had the ball at their 37-yard-line when the offense started to move the ball as Cunningham completed a 15-yard pass to tight end Keith Jackson and a five-yard pass to Byars that put Philadelphia at the Cowboys' 43-yard-line when Cunningham was picked off by Dallas cornerback Ron Francis, who returned the pick 29 yards to the Eagles' 42-yard-line.

From there, the Cowboys would drive 26 yards in five plays to set up another Ruzek field goal, this one from 34 yards out to push the Dallas lead to 20-0 with 9:26 to go in the second quarter.

Despite having only played 20 minutes, the Eagles seemed be down for the count as up to that point they had only overcome a deficit of at least 20 points two times in team history and not since 1959.

However after an exchange of punts, the Eagles put together their best drive of the first half as Cunningham completed four of six passes for 65 yards with the biggest completion being a 33-yarder to Byars on an eight-play, 83-yard drive that was capped with Cunningham's 11-yard touchdown pass to Byars that cut the Cowboys' lead to 20-7 with 2:07 left before halftime.

The Cowboys would begin its next possession at their 31-yard-line following a 20-yard return by Cornell Burbage to give Dallas 1:58 left to score some points before halftime.

Peuller was able to complete passes of 13 yards to Newsome and a pair of passes to Alexander that totaled 30 yards to drive the Cowboys to the Eagles' 26-yard-line with 25 seconds left in the half.

Peuller found Kevin Martin over the middle for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Philadelphia 13-yard-line as the Cowboys scrambled to the line of scrimmage to stop the clock as they had used up all three of their timeouts in the first half.

Peuller threw an incomplete pass but it came as time expired leaving the Cowboys at the Eagles' 13-yard-line with zero points to add to their 20-7 halftime lead.

The inability to stop the clock would come back to haunt the Cowboys.

The Eagles got the ball to start the second half as they took over at their 16-yard-line as Cunningham would catch fire as he completed his first six passes of the half for a total of 55 yards to lead Philadelphia to the Dallas 14-yard-line until an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack forced the Eagles to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Luis Zedejas to cut the Cowboys' lead to 20-10 with 9:13 left in the third quarter.

Dallas would get the ball back at its 32-yard as Peuller completed a 17-yard pass to Martin on a 2nd & 14 then ran for 11 yards on 2nd & 6 to drive the Cowboys to the Eagles' 31-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1.

Landry decided to go for the 1st down which did not pay off as Walker was stopped for no gain by Eagles defensive tackle Doug Bartlett to give Philadelphia the ball back at its 31-yard-line.

However, the Eagles would turn it over one play later as fullback Anthony Toney lost the football after a hit by Dallas defensive end Jim Jeffcoat which was recovered by linebacker Ron Burton to give the ball back to the Cowboys at the Philadelphia 33-yard-line.

Four plays netted 21 yards until back-to-back incomplete passes led to another field goal by Ruzek, this one from 30 yards out which increased the Cowboys' lead to 23-10 with 3:46 left in the third quarter.

That was still the score as the game moved into the fourth quarter as Cunningham would throw eight straight incomplete passes on the Eagles' next three possessions which all resulted in punts while the Cowboys were trying to milk the clock.

It seemed hopeless for the Eagles especially after a Cowboys punt was downed at the Philadelphia one-yard-line with 9:27 left in the game and the Eagles needing to drive 99 yards for a touchdown.

Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham accounted for 332 yards of total offense.

Cunningham would hand the ball off to Byars, who ran for four yards on 1st down, which was followed by a 15-yard pass to Gregg Garrity to get the Eagles some room as they had a 1st down at their 20-yard-line when a late hit penalty was called on Cowboys linebacker Garry Cobb at the end of a Cunningham six-yard run which put Philadelphia at its 41-yard-line.

After two incomplete passes, Cunningham would use his legs on 3rd & 10 as he scrambled for 15 yards and a 1st down in Dallas territory at the Cowboys' 44-yard-line.

A seven-yard pass to Garrity followed by an incomplete pass set up 3rd & 3 when Cunningham connected with Toney for 11 yards and another 1st down at the Cowboys' 26-yard-line.

Two plays later, the Eagles were faced with another 3rd down situation, this time needing 11 yards as Cunningham hit Byars for 20 yards to give Philadelphia a 1st & goal at the Cowboys' seven-yard-line.

Following another incomplete pass, Cunningham would hand the ball off to Toney on a draw play up the middle that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown to cap off the 14-play, 99-yard drive which brought the Eagles to within a touchdown at 23-17 with 6:18 to go.

The Cowboys would get the ball back at their 35-yard-line as Dallas would overcome three penalties  as Peuller completed five of his next six passes for 57 yards to put the Cowboys at the Eagles' 23-yard-line where they faced a crucial 3rd & 3.

It was here that Landry lost track of where his team as he thought they were still at the Eagles' 30-yard-line needing at least 10 yards for the 1st down instead of just three.

The confusion lead to the Cowboys calling a pass play instead of a run as Peuller dropped back to pass where he fired a desperation pass in hopes of avoiding a sack which drew an intentional grounding penalty and pushed Dallas back 12 yards to the Philly 35-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 15.

Instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal, Landry had the Cowboys punt the ball back to the Eagles, who took over at their 15-yard-line with 2:11 left on the clock and just one timeout in their pocket.

A holding penalty on right tackle Ron Heller pushed the Eagles back to their eight-yard-line where they faced a 1st & 17 as Cunningham found Toney for nine yards then threw two straight incomplete passes to force a do-or-die 4th & 8 at the Philadelphia 17-yard-line.

That is when Cunningham hit backup tight end Jimmie Giles for 10 yards and a 1st down at the Eagles' 27-yard-line when following another incomplete pass, Cunningham connected with Garrity for 20 yards and another 1st down at the Philadelphia 47-yard-line.

Cunningham would then ran for five yards to put the Eagles in Dallas territory at the Cowboys' 48-yard-line when Cunningham found Ron Johnson for 19 yards and another 1st down at the Dallas 29-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes later, Philadelphia faced a 3rd & 10 when Cunningham threw a pass intended for Giles, which fell incomplete but drew a pass interference penalty on Cowboys free safety Michael Downs that gave the Eagles an automatic 1st down at the Dallas 20-yard-line.

A five-yard pass to Toney and two more incomplete passes set up another 4th down situation as the Eagles needed at least five yards to keep their chances for victory alive as Cunningham found Garrity for 13 yards to give the Eagles a 1st & goal at the Cowboys' two-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass to stop the clock, Cunningham would roll to his right, stop, and fire a pass for Toney in the end zone who made the catch to tie the game at 23 with just four seconds to go.

All the Eagles needed was Zendejas, who had been cut by the Cowboys two weeks into the 1988 season, was to make the extra point which he did to give Philadelphia its first lead of the game at 24-23.

The Cowboys could do nothing with the ensuing kickoff as time ran out with the Eagles coming away with the stunning 24-23 victory.

Anthony Toney catches the game-winning touchdown pass with four seconds to go.

Dallas would never recover from the loss as they would lose their next six games as they finished with a 3-13 record, their worst record since their inaugural season back in 1960 when the  Cowboys went winless.

In the offseason, the Cowboys would be bought by Jerry Jones who just one day after purchasing the franchise, fired Landry as head coach.

Landry would be replaced by Miami Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson as the Cowboys selected Troy Aikman with the #1 pick in the 1989 NFL draft, setting some of the pieces of what would be the Dallas dynasty of the 1990s.

As for the Eagles, they would go on to finish the season with a 10-6 record which included a 27-26 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-eagles.html)as the Eagles made the playoffs for the first time since 1981 as they clinched the NFC East division title with a 23-7 win over the Cowboys in the final week of the regular season.

The Eagles' Super Bowl hopes would evaporate in the infamous "Fog Bowl" as they were defeated by the Chicago Bears 20-10 in the NFC divisional round.

College Football Old School Game of the Week: Herschel + Woerner Lead Dawgs to National Title Win Over Notre Dame

Herschel Walker would carry the ball 36 times for 150 yards and score two touchdowns in the 1981 Sugar Bowl.

If you told a college football fan or writer before the 1980 season began that the national championship would be decided in the Sugar Bowl and Notre Dame would be involved, most would assume that the Irish would be the ones playing for the right to be named national champions.
But it wasn't Notre Dame that would be playing for the national championship, but their opponents, the Georgia Bulldogs who entered New Year's Day 1981 #1 with a 11-0 record and a chance to claim the national championship with a win over Notre Dame in New Orleans.
Georgia entered the 1980 season with modest expectations as they were ranked #16 in the Associated Press preseason poll.
The Dawgs were led by head coach Vince Dooley, who was entering his 17th season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, having lead them to three SEC titles but never a national championship.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame entered the season ranked #9 in the AP preseason poll despite coming off a 7-4 season in 1979.
The 1980 season would be the last for head coach Dan Devine, who on August 15th, that he would be stepping down as Notre Dame head coach to spend more time with his family.
Notre Dame hoped to give Devine a ride into the sunset with another national title as Devine had lead the Irish to the 1977 national title.
It certainly appeared that the Irish would have a chance to play for the national championship as they won started the season 7-0 to become the #1 team in the country until they a shocking 3-3 tie to 1-7 Georgia Tech dropped them from #1 to #6.
The team that replaced Notre Dame at #1: Georgia.
The Dawgs jumped to the #1 ranking for the first time in school history thanks to freshman phenom running back Herschel Walker, who made his debut in spectacular fashion as he famously ran off Tennessee defensive back Bill Bates for his first career touchdown in sparking a Georgia 16-15 comeback win over the Volunteers in their season opener.
Behind Walker and an opportunistic defense that featured all-American cornerback Scott Woerner which lead the country in turnover margin, the Dawgs climbed up the polls as they jumped all the way to #2 until they faced Florida on the same Saturday as Notre Dame tied Georgia Tech.
In that game, the Dawgs pulled out a miracle 26-21 win as quarterback Buck Belue connected with Lindsay Scott on a 93-yard touchdown pass with over a minute left which kept Georgia undefeated and vaulted them to #1.
While Georgia would finish the season 11-0 with wins over Auburn and Georgia Tech, Notre Dame would jump back up to #2 thanks to a 7-0 win over Alabama, but would fall in their regular season finale 20-3 to USC, dropping them to #7 with a 9-1-1 as they were invited to play Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, who earned their spot in the game as the SEC champion automatically got to play in the Sugar Bowl.

The 1981 Sugar Bowl was the final game in Dan Devine's coaching career.

Notre Dame got the ball to start the game and promptly drove from their own 20 to the Georgia 30-yard-line, thanks to freshman quarterback Blair Kiel's 3-of-4 passing for 46 yards on the drive.
The Irish appeared to convert on 3rd & 2 at the 30-yard-line as Phil Carter ran for five yards, only to have an illegal use of hands nullify the run and push the Irish back five yards for 3rd & 7 at the 35-yard-line.
Carter could only run for three yards, forcing the Irish to settle for a 50-yard field goal by Harry Oliver, which was successful to give Notre Dame a 3-0 lead with 10:41 to go in the first quarter.
The Dawgs begin their first possession of the game at their 20-yard-line when disaster seemed to strike on the second play from scrimmage as Walker dislocated his left shoulder following a hit by strong safety Dave Duerson.
Walker went to the bench where the trainers told Dooley that they thought Herschel was done for the game.
A holding penalty and a quarterback sack forced the Dawgs to punt from their end zone as the Irish would begin their next possession from the Georiga 41-yard-line.
The Irish picked up one 1st down before the Georgia defense stiffened and forced the field goal unit to come on and have Oliver attempt to a 48-yard field goal.
That is when freshman defensive back Terry Hoage busted through the Irish offensive line to block the kick which was recovered by Irish wide receiver Mike Condeni, but since it was 4th down, the ball would go to the Dawgs at the Notre Dame 49-yard-line.
After receiving some treatment from the trainers to get his shoulder to pop back into place, Walker returned to the game and carried the ball six times for 31 yards to lead Georgia to the Notre Dame 18-yard-line for a 3rd & 8 when defensive end John Hankerd sacked Belue for a 11-yard-loss.
Rex Robinson come on and kicked a 46-yard field goal to tie the game at 3 with just 1:45 left in the first quarter as the Dawgs prepared for the ensuing kickoff when the strangest play of the game.
As Robinson's kick was coming toward them, confusion ensued  between returners Jim Stone + Ty Barber on who would catch the kickoff.
Stone yelled for Barber to catch it but Barber could not hear over the Louisiana Superdome crowd and instead ran up the field with Stone as the ball bounced at the four-yard-line.
Since the kick had traveled beyond 10 yards it was a free ball, meaning the Dawgs could recover it without a Notre Dame player touching it before as Dale Carver dived under Stone and Barber to try and recover the loose ball.
While Carver could not grasp the football, his teammate safety Bob Kelly was able to recover the loose ball at the Notre Dame one-yard-line, giving the Dawgs a 1st & goal.
After Belue was stopped for no gain, the junior quarterback handed it off to Walker, who dove over the scrum of players for the game's first touchdown that with Robinson's extra point, gave Georgia a 10-3 lead with 1:04 left in the first quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, the Irish got the ball early in the second quarter only to fumble it away when fullback John Sweeney lost the ball after he was hit by linebacker Frank Ros, which was recovered by defensive back Chris Welton to give the Dawgs the ball at the Notre Dame 22-yard-line.
Walker carried the ball for 12 yards to start the drive, which was followed by a seven-yard scramble by Belue, and then topped off by a Walker run around the right side for a three-yard touchdown to increase the Dawgs' lead to 17-3 with 13:49 left in the second quarter as Georgia had scored 17 points in a span of just 2 minutes and 56 seconds.
On the ensuing Irish possession, Kiel was pulled in favor of Mike Courey in hopes of sparking an Irish comeback.
Courey would lead the Notre Dame offense from their 22-yard-line to the Georgia 13-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 3.
Instead of going for the field goal, Devine decided to gamble and go for the 1st down, but when Courey took the snap, he not only went for the 1st down, but for the touchdown, as he threw a pass toward the right side of the end zone, intended for Pete Holohan.
But Woerner would leap up along with Holohan and pick off the pass, then ran it back to the Notre Dame 19-yard-line.
The rest of the second half would be a stalemate as neither team could mount a drive that could turn into points as the Dawgs went into the locker room with a 17-3 halftime lead.

Scott Woerner made several key defensive plays including two interceptions

After Courey broke his right hand late in the second quarter, Kiel returned to the field and would lead the Irish from their 40-yard-line to the Georgia 13-yard-line in seven plays early in the third quarter.
However, that is when things broke down for the Irish as on 2nd & 10, Kiel threw a pass for Tony Hunter in the end zone, who made the catch, but not could not get one foot inbounds, making the pass incomplete.
Then on 3rd down, Kiel threw a pass for Holohan in almost the exact same spot where Woerner intercepted Courey in the second quarter.
This time, Woerner knocked it down, forcing the Irish to attempt a 30-yard field goal by Oliver, which sailed wide right keeping it a 17-3 game.
Notre Dame would force the Dawgs to punt on their ensuing possession, getting the ball back at their 43-yard-line where they put together their best drive of the game as Kiel completed all four of his passes for 38 yards on a 10-play, 57-yard drive which culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Carter to trim the Georgia lead to 17-10 with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Irish seemed to have all the momentum now especially with their defense stifling the Georgia offense as the Dawgs could only muster one 1st down through three possessions in the third quarter and Belue had not completed a pass up to this point in the game.
After another Georgia punt, the Irish got the ball at their 45-yard-line and drove to the Dawgs' 20-yard-line in six plays as they prepared for a 3rd & 3 situation.
That is when Woerner struck again as he tackled Carter for an one-yard-loss, leading Devine to call on Oliver to attempt a 38-yard field goal in hopes of making it a 17-13 game.
But Oliver's kick sailed wide left and the score remained 17-10 in favor of the Dawgs early in the 4th quarter.
Things appeared bleak for the Irish when on their next possession, Kiel was intercepted by defensive back Mike Fisher, handing the Dawgs the ball at the Notre Dame 37-yard-line with a chance to put the game away.
However, the Dawgs offense could only pick up six yards leading to a 48-yard field goal attempt by Robinson, which he missed, to keep it a 17-10 game.
Following an exchange of punts, the Irish had the ball at their 43-yard-line with 5:10 to play in the game.
The drive began well with a seven-yard run by Carter, but it was followed up by a four-yard loss on a quarterback sack by defensive lineman Eddie Weaver.
Kiel would hit Nick Vehr for six yards on 3rd & 7, setting up a 4th & 1 at the Georgia 48-yard-line with almost three minutes to play.
Even though his defense had put a stranglehold on the Georgia offense, Devine declined to punt the ball and instead went for the 1st down.
Kiel took the snap and instead of handing the ball off to Carter which almost everybody expected, he instead rolled out and threw a pass intended for tight end Dean Mastzak, only to have Woerner make the interception to give the ball back to Georgia at their 34-yard-line with 2:56 left in the game.
Even though he had not completed a pass in the game and had been sacked four times, Belue would come up huge as the Dawgs needed some 1st downs to run out the clock.
First on a 3rd & 3 from the Georgia 41-yard-line, Belue scrambled for six yards to give the Dawgs a 1st down at their 47-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 7 at the 50-yard-line after missing on his first 11 passes, Belue was finally able to complete a pass as he hit Amp Arnold for seven yards and another Georgia 1st down.
An offsides penalty and an eight-yard-run by Walker gave the Dawgs one more 1st down, allowing them to run out the clock and come away with the 17-10 victory despite being outgained 328-127 on offense.

Georgia head coach Vince Dooley is carried off the field by his players after his Bulldogs won the 1980 national title.

As the clock ticked down to zero, Georgia fans swarmed the field and players hoisted up Dooley on their shoulders to celebrate their 12-0 season and the fact that they would be national champions.
Two days later, they would officially be named national champions as the Associated Press and the UPI Coaches poll voted Georgia #1 in their final polls as well in 12 other NCAA-recognized polls.
Notre Dame would finish #9 in the final AP and #10 in the final coaches poll as Devine's career come to an end with a 53-16-1 record in his six seasons at South Bend.
The Irish would go from national power to years of mediocrity as Devine's replacement, Gerry Faust complied a 30-27-1 record over the next five years leading Notre Dame to only two bowl games over that period with the most wins the Irish had in a season during Faust's tenure was seven in both 1983 and 84.
Faust was fired after the 1985 season and replaced by Lou Holtz who in his third year lead the Irish to the national championship.
As for Georgia, they would remain in the national title picture for the next two years thanks to Walker as Georgia would win the SEC the next two seasons and returned to the Sugar Bowl both times with a chance to win the national championship.
But a Clemson win in the 1982 Orange Bowl, denied the Dawgs a chance at back-to-back national championships, as they needed a Clemson loss and a win over Pittsburgh to claim another national title(They lost to Pitt 24-20 in the Sugar Bowl).
The following season, Walker would win the Heisman Trophy as he lead the Dawgs to a 11-0 regular season and a #1 ranking as they entered the Sugar Bowl to face off with #2 Penn State.
However, the Dawgs would lose 27-23 to the Nittany Lions in what turned out to be Walker's final game as he ended up leaving Georgia to sign with the new spring football league, the USFL(United States Football League).
Walker would run for 5,562 yards, including a record 2,411 yards in 1985, during his three-year stint with the New Jersey Generals, before the league folded in 1986.
Walker jumped to the NFL where he spend 12 years in the league rushing for 8,225 for four different teams before his retirement following the 1997 NFL season.
Even four decades after his college career at Georgia, many consider still Walker the greatest college football running back of all time as he finished with 5,259 rushing yards and 49 touchdown runs as many of his records still stand at the University of Georgia.