The 1979 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies, played on Saturday, December 22, in El Paso, Texas.[1][2][3][4]
| 1979 Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 22, 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sun Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | El Paso, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Paul Skansi, WR, Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Texas by 7 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Donald Safrit (ACC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 33,412 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Pat Summerall Tom Brookshier Frank Glieber | ||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editThe Huskies were the runner-up in the Pacific-10 Conference, behind USC. The Longhorns had lost two games by a combined total of nine points, with the two losses costing them a Southwest Conference title. This was Washington's first Sun Bowl and Texas' second straight.
Game summary
editHusky defensive lineman Stafford Mays recovered quarterback Rick McIvor's fumble late in the first quarter in Longhorn territory. Ten seconds into the second quarter, junior quarterback Tom Flick threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to freshman Paul Skansi for the first score. On the second play of the Longhorns' ensuing drive, strong safety Greg Grimes recovered McIvor's fumble at the 25-yard line, giving Washington another shot at scoring. Five plays later, Willis Ray Mackey scored on a touchdown run to make it 14–0. But on Washington's next possession, Flick fumbled the ball to defensive lineman Kenneth Sims, who recovered it in Texas territory. Forty three yards later, Donnie Little threw a touchdown pass to Brad Beck with 3:10 to go in the half.
In gusty winds, the rest of the game was a defensive affair, with the Longhorns' fumbles in the first half proving costly. Skansi caught five passes for 52 yards and was named MVP. Mays had 12 tackles, a fumble recovery, and two sacks.[5][6]
Aftermath
editThe Huskies returned to the Sun Bowl three times (1986, 1995, 2002), but lost all three; the Longhorns returned in 1982 and 1994.
Statistics
edit| Statistics | Washington | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 11 | 16 |
| Net Yards Rushing | 98 | 199 |
| Net Yards Passing | 67 | 37 |
| Total Offense | 165 | 236 |
| Passes Intercepted | 1 | 1 |
| Punting-Average | 7–39.1 | 4–39.0 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 3–3 |
| Penalties-Yards | 4–38 | 4-30 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Texas pick by seven". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 21, 1979. p. 21.
- ^ Dawson, Pat (December 23, 1979). "Huskies shine in Sun Bowl upset". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
- ^ "Sun Bowl". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 23, 1979. p. 7D.
- ^ Van Sickel, Charlie (December 24, 1979). "Husky defense key to win". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 16.
- ^ Milloy, Lawyer. "History" (PDF). Washington Huskies 2007 Football Media Guide. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Washington 14, Texas 7 - Recaps - Hyundai Sun Bowl - December 29, 2017 - El Paso, Texas". www.sunbowl.org.
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