1970 Cotton Bowl Classic

The 1970 Cotton Bowl Classic[2] was a postseason college football bowl game in the 1969 season, held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, January 1, 1970. The game matched the top-ranked Texas Longhorns (10–0) and the #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–1–1).[3][4]

1970 Cotton Bowl Classic
34th Cotton Bowl Classic
Texas Longhorns Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(10–0) (8–1–1)
SWC Independent
21 17
Head coach: 
Darrell Royal		 Head coach: 
Ara Parseghian
APCoaches
11
APCoaches
99
1234 Total
Texas 07014 21
Notre Dame 3707 17
DateJanuary 1, 1970
Season1969
StadiumCotton Bowl
LocationDallas, Texas
MVPSteve Worster, FB, Texas
Bob Olson, LB, Notre Dame
FavoriteTexas by 7[1]
RefereeCliff Domingue (SWC)
(split crew: SWC, Big Ten)
Attendance71,938
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersLindsey Nelson,
Tom Brookshier

Background

Texas was looking to win its second unanimous national championship in seven seasons, previously won in 1963. The Longhorns, who had already won the national championship of the UPI coaches poll prior to the Cotton Bowl, finished with a perfect season and a second straight Southwest Conference championship. The Associated Press would conduct a final poll following the bowl games.

This was independent Notre Dame's first postseason appearance since the 1925 Rose Bowl, 45 years earlier.

By a vote of its players in mid-November, second-ranked Penn State (10–0) opted to return to the Orange Bowl,[5][6] and faced #6 Missouri (9–1). Penn State had several black players and wished to avoid Dallas due to segregation issues.[7] At the time, the top-ranked team was defending champion Ohio State, who lost the next week at Michigan.

Game summary

On a cool, clear day in Dallas, the two teams were even in first downs and were different in total yards by only 28. Both had over 70 offensive plays, the Irish had their passing attack and the Longhorns with their running attack. Notre Dame scored the first ten points; a Scott Hempel made a short field goal in the first quarter and Joe Theismann threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Tom Gatewood early in the second. After the Irish kickoff, Texas went on a 74-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard Jim Bertelsen touchdown run that made the score 10–7 at halftime. After a scoreless third, the fourth quarter saw three touchdowns, each changing the lead. Longhorn Ted Koy culminated a 77-yard drive with his touchdown run with ten minutes remaining to give Texas a 14–10 advantage.

Theismann then led the Irish on an 80-yard drive and threw a 24-yard pass to Jim Yoder for a 17–14 lead with 6:52 left. The Longhorns then went on a 76-yard drive that included a fourth down pass from James Street to Cotton Speyrer that went eight yards down to the two.[8] On third down from the one, Billy Dale's touchdown plunge came with 68 seconds remaining, too little time for the Irish as Texas secured its second consensus national championship in school history.[3][4][9][10]

Despite the loss, Notre Dame climbed four spots in the final AP poll, ending at fifth.[10]

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8–1–1) vs. Texas Longhorns (10–0)
1 2 34Total
No. 9 Notre Dame 3 7 0717
No. 1 Texas 0 7 01421

at Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX

StatisticsNDTEX
First downs2525
Total yards420438
Rushes/yards43/18967/331
Passing yards231107
Passing: Comp–Att–Int17–27–26–11–1
Time of possession
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Notre DamePassingJoe Theismann17–27, 231 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingBill Barz10 car, 49 yards
ReceivingTom Gatewood6 rec, 112 yards, 1 TD
TexasPassingJames Street6–11, 107 yards, 1 INT
RushingSteve Worster20 car, 155 yards
ReceivingCharles Speyrer4 rec, 70 yards

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2010-12-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "1970 Cotton Bowl Classic Halftime Show". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  3. Jenkins, Dan (January 12, 1970). "Texas hangs on to its No. 1". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
  4. "Texans edge Irish on big fourth downs". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1970. p. 30.
  5. Yake, D. Byron (November 17, 1969). "State gridders pick Orange Bowl". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. p. 22.
  6. "'Orange' Lions say sun rays". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 18, 1969. p. 20.
  7. Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (2009). The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 9781602396777. OCLC 277203337.
  8. "One Longhorn play took game away from Fighting Irish". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. January 2, 1970. p. 8.
  9. http://media.attcottonbowl.com/resource/history/1970/rsrc/1970-Classic-Recap.pdf
  10. "Final: Texas No. 1 and Penn State No. 2". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. January 4, 1970. p. 57.
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