24 9 6 7 14 3 | 2 1 Alabama 14 3 0 | |
The 1980 Sugar Bowl featured the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, and the sixth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. Alabama defeated Arkansas, 24–9, winning their third national championship of the decade.
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Arkansas
The Razorbacks entered the game at 10–1, sharing the Southwest Conference title with Houston. Greg Kolenda was an All-American offensive tackle. Arkansas' defense gave up 9.8 points per game on the year, the sixth-best scoring defense.
Alabama
Alabama entered the game undefeated, and had won two national championships already in the decade. The Tide did have three close calls however, including a 3–0 win at LSU.
Game summary
Arkansas scored first in the first quarter, on a 34-yard Ish Ordonez field goal, to give the Razorbacks a 3–0 advantage. Alabama running back Major Ogilvie scored on touchdown runs of 22 and 1 yard as Alabama led 14–3 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Alan McElroy kicked a 25-yard field goal giving the Crimson Tide a 17–3 advantage. In the third quarter, Kevin Scanlon threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Robert Farrell as the score became 17–9. In the fourth quarter, Steve Whitman scored on a 12-yard run as Alabama won by a 24–9 margin.
Ogilvie was named Sugar Bowl MVP. He rushed for a touchdown in three consecutive Sugar Bowls.