1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Boise State Broncos. The game was played on December 20, 1980, at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. The culminating game of the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Boise State, 31–29.[3][4][5]

1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Camellia Bowl
1234 Total
Boise State 014107 31
Eastern Kentucky 37613 29
DateDecember 20, 1980
Season1980
StadiumHughes Stadium
LocationSacramento, California
Attendance8,157[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC Sports[2]
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
 < 1979 1981

The game was also known as the Camellia Bowl,[2] a name that had been used starting in 1961 for various NAIA and NCAA playoff games held in Sacramento. The Colonels, defending champions from 1979, became the first program to play in a second I-AA title game.

Teams

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The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1980 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.[6]

Eastern Kentucky Colonels

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Eastern Kentucky finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (5–2 in conference); their losses were to Western Kentucky and Akron.[7] Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[8] the Colonels were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff; they defeated Lehigh, the East selection, by a score of 23–20 to reach the final. This was the second appearance for Eastern Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1979.

Boise State Broncos

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Boise State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–1 in conference); their conference loss was to Montana State, with non-conference losses to Southeastern Louisiana and Division II program Cal Poly.[9] Ranked seventh in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[8] the Broncos were the West selection to the playoff; they defeated Grambling State, the South selection, by a 14–9 score to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Boise State in a Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary

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Trailing 24–22 late in the fourth quarter, Eastern Kentucky scored a touchdown on a 60-yard pass completion with only 55 seconds left in the game, taking a 29–24 lead. Boise State then went 80 yards in 43 seconds for the final points of the game, winning 31–29.[10][11]

Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 10,000;[12][13] NCAA records indicate 8,157.[1]

Scoring summary

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Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP BSU EKU
1 EKU 26-yard field goal by David Flores 0 3
2 7:43 BSU Kipp Bedard 5-yard touchdown reception from Joe Aliotti, Kenrick Camerud kick good 7 3
2 3:35 EKU Tony Braxton 7-yard touchdown run, Flores kick good 7 10
2 1:11 BSU David Hughes 1-yard touchdown run, Camerud kick good 14 10
3 12:30 45 BSU Cedric Minter 1-yard touchdown run, Camerud kick good 21 10
3 12 89 EKU Chris Isaac 11-yard touchdown run, 2-point Jerry Parrish run failed 21 16
3 0:43 BSU 24-yard field goal by Camerud 24 16
4 11:15 14 EKU Braxton 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 24 22
4 0:55 EKU David Booze 60-yard touchdown reception from Isaac, Flores kick good 24 29
4 0:12 80 0:43 BSU Duane Dlouhy 14-yard touchdown reception from Aliotti, Camerud kick good 31 29
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 31 29

[3][10][11][12]

Game statistics

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1 2 3 4 Total
Broncos 0 14 10 7 31
Colonels 3 7 6 13 29
 
Hughes Stadium, site of the 1980 I-AA title game
Statistics BSU EKU
First downs 24 19
Plays–yards 86–510 74–397
Rushes–yards 45–152 49–147
Passing yards 358 250
Passing: compattint 24–41–1 16–25–1
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Boise State Passing Joe Aliotti 24–41, 358 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Cedric Minter 22 car, 105 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Kipp Bedard 11 rec, 212 yds, 1 TD
Eastern Kentucky Passing Chris Isaac 16–25, 250 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Dale Patton 9 car, 44 yds
Receiving David Booze 8 rec, 105 yds, 1 TD

[12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Division I Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2013. p. 14. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via ncaa.org.
  2. ^ a b "The Big Sky is high on Boise". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. December 18, 1980. p. 1-C. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Boise St. edges Eastern Kentucky". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. AP. December 21, 1980. p. D5. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Broncos squeak by Colonels, take title". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 21, 1980. p. B2.
  5. ^ "Boise gets title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. December 22, 1980. p. 28.
  6. ^ Embry, Micahael (December 1, 1980). "Division I-AA playoffs set". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. AP. p. 32. Retrieved February 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Eastern Kentucky Colonels 1980 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 11, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ a b "Div. I-AA Final Poll". Daily Record. Morristown, New Jersey. November 26, 1980. p. 40. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Boise State Broncos 1980 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ a b Sutton, Stan (December 21, 1980). "Boise State comeback tips Eastern". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. C 1. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Sutton, Stan (December 21, 1980). "Boise State's comeback shocks Eastern 31-29 in Camellia Bowl". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. C 4. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c "Camellia Bowl". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. December 21, 1980. p. D5. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Statistics". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. December 21, 1980. p. C 4. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

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