10TH ANNUAL FIESTA BOWL
Dec. 26, 1980 |
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Penn State and Ohio State battled in one of the outstanding bowl match-ups of the 1980 season.
The game could have gone either way, as both teams had several opportunities to win. But it was the Nittany Lion defense that held its ground in the second half to help PSU overcome a 19-10 halftime deficit and post a 31-19 victory in front of a record crowd of 66,738.
The game had several fireworks, and it didn’t take long to set them off. On Penn State’s first play from scrimmage, Curt Warner took a handoff off left tackle and sprinted 64 yards for a touchdown to give the Nittany Lions a 7-0 advantage.
It didn’t faze Ohio State, however, as the Buckeyes promptly scored 19 straight points due to a stellar performance by quarterback Art Schlichter. Schlichter completed 15 of 22 first half passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his TD tosses went to split end Doug Donley and the other to Gary Williams.
Penn State managed a 38-yard field goal by Herb Menhardt just eight seconds before the halftime gun, to narrow the OSU lead to 19-10.
Penn State came out of the locker room like gangbusters in the second half, scoring a touchdown in less than five minutes on a three-yard quarterback keeper by Todd Blackledge.
PSU then turned to its ground game. Jonathan Williams had a four-yard TD run to give PSU the lead, and Booker Moore added a 37-yard dash to put the icing on the cake.
The Penn State defense held Ohio State without any net yardage in the third quarter and just 73 yards in the entire second half, after allowing 339 yards in the first half.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Penn State | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Ohio State | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
HOW THEY SCORED
| PSU | OSU | |
| 7 | 0 | Curt Warner 64 yard run (Herb Menhardt kick) |
| 7 | 6 | Doug Donley 23 yard pass from Art Schlichter (kick failed) |
| 7 | 12 | Gary Williams 33 yard pass from Schlichter (kick failed) |
| 7 | 19 | Donley 19 yard pass from Schlichter (Bob Atha kick) |
| 10 | 19 | Menhardt 38 yard field goal |
| 17 | 19 | Todd Blackledge 3 yard run (Menhardt kick) |
| 24 | 19 | Jonathan Williams 4 yard run (Menhardt kick) |
| 31 | 19 | Booker Moore 37 yard run (Menhardt kick) |
YARDSTICK
| PSU | OSU | |
| 22 | First Downs | 23 |
| 56-351 |
Rushes-Yards | 39-110 |
| 177 | Passing Yards | 302 |
| 8-22-0 | Passes | 20-35-1 |
| 74 | Return Yards | 10 |
| 5-40.8 | Punts | 7-38.7 |
| 1-1 | Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 |
| 1-10 | Penalties - Yards | 2-30 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – PENN STATE: Curt Warner 18-155, Booker Moore 10-76, Joel Coles 6-57, Mike Meade 7-30, Todd Blackledge 10-12, Jeff Hostetler 1-12, Jon Williams 4-9. OHIO STATE: Calvin Murray 10-75, Jim Gayle 11-39, Tim Spencer 4-29, Victor Langley 1-(-9), Art Schlichter 13-(-24).
PASSING – PENN STATE: Todd Blackledge 8-22-0-117. OHIO STATE: Art Schlichter 20-35-2-302.
RECEIVING – PENN STATE: Kevin Baugh 3-53, Brad Scovill 3-42, Mike McCloskey 1-22, Curt Warner 1-0. OHIO STATE: Doug Donley 5-122, Gary Williams 7-112, Jim Gayle 4-29, Victor Langley 2-32, Calvin Murray 2-7.
