1980 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
| 1980 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Astrodome | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Houston, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Amos Lawrence, RB Steve Streater, Safety |
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| Attendance | 36,667 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Mizlou | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1980 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Texas Longhorns and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Background
The Tar Heels were champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the second time in four seasons, but first under Crum. This was their second straight bowl game appearance and first Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. Texas was in their first Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl since 1975 after finishing 4th in the Southwest Conference.
Game summary
Amos Lawrence gave the Tar Heels an early lead on a 59 yard touchdown run. However the Tar Heels decided to go for the two point conversion, which failed, keeping it at 6-0. Mike Luck gave the Longhorns a 7-6 lead on his touchdown run in the second period. However Kelvin Bryant gave North Carolina the lead on his go-ahead touchdown run to make it 13-7 at halftime. After allowing 224 yards and 11 first downs in the first half, the Tar Heel defense stiffened up and allowed only two first downs and 36 yards in the second half. They forced a fumbled punt snap later converted into a field goal by Jeff Hayes to make it 16-7 while closing out the scoring and securing the Tar Heel win. [1]
Aftermath
The Tar Heels did not return to the Bluebonnet Bowl before its discontinuation, but they also have not won an ACC title since 1980. The Longhorns returned to the bowl in 1985 and 1987.
Statistics
| Statistics | North Carolina | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 16 | 13 |
| Yards Rushing | 234 | 132 |
| Yards Passing | 121 | 128 |
| Total Yards | 355 | 260 |
| Punts-Average | 5-37.0 | 5-43.6 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 0-0 | 4-1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties-Yards | 5-35 | 3-35 |
