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1971 Cotton Bowl Classic
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| game_name | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| subheader | 35th Cotton Bowl Classic |
| image | Cotton Bowl Classic 1971.png |
| date_game_played | January 1 |
| year_game_played | 1971 |
| football_season | 1970 |
| stadium | Cotton Bowl |
| city | Dallas, Texas |
| visitor_school | University of Notre Dame |
| visitor_name_short | Notre Dame |
| visitor_nickname | Fighting Irish |
| visitor_record | 9–1 |
| visitor_rank_AP | 6 |
| visitor_rank_coaches | 5 |
| visitor_coach | Ara Parseghian |
| visitor_conference | Independent |
| visitor_1q | 14 |
| visitor_2q | 10 |
| visitor_3q | 0 |
| visitor_4q | 0 |
| home_school | University of Texas |
| home_name_short | Texas |
| home_nickname | Longhorns |
| home_record | 10–0 |
| home_rank_AP | 1 |
| home_rank_coaches | 1 |
| home_coach | Darrell Royal |
| home_conference | SWC |
| home_1q | 3 |
| home_2q | 8 |
| home_3q | 0 |
| home_4q | 0 |
| MVP | Steve Worster (Texas FB) |
| Bob Olson (Notre Dame LB) | |
| odds | Texas by 7 points |
| referee | Gene Calhoun (Big Ten) |
| (split crew: Big Ten, Southwest) | |
| attendance | 72,000 |
| us_network | CBS |
| us_announcers | Lindsey Nelson, |
| Tom Brookshier |
Bob Olson (Notre Dame LB) (split crew: Big Ten, Southwest) Tom Brookshier
The 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 35th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, January 1. A rematch from the previous year, the undefeated and top-ranked Texas Longhorns of the Southwest Conference were upset by the independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 24–11.
Teams
Main article: 1970 NCAA University Division football season
Notre Dame
Main article: 1970 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
Led by head coach Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame's captains were Larry DiNardo and Tim Kelly, and featured Joe Theismann at quarterback and Tom Gatewood as a wide receiver.
Texas
Main article: 1970 Texas Longhorns football team
Texas was coached by Darrell Royal, and the captains for the Longhorns were Scott Henderson, Steve Worster, Bobby Wuensch and Bill Zapalac. The team also featured Jerry Sisemore at tackle and Jim Bertelsen at running back.
Texas was trying to win consecutive national championships, while Notre Dame was seeking revenge for the previous Cotton Bowl loss to Texas, its first bowl appearance in over four decades.
Game summary
;First Quarter
- (15:38) UT – Happy Feller 23 yard field goal, UT 3–0; 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:33
- (7:58) ND – Tom Gatewood 26 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Hempel kick), ND 7–3; 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:39
- (5:11) ND – Joe Theisman 3 yard run (Hempel kick), ND 14–3; 6 plays, 13 yards, 2:42 ;Second Quarter
- (13:28) ND – Joe Theisman 15 yard run (Hempel kick), ND 21–3; 5 plays, 53 yards, 1:37
- (1:52) UT – Jim Bertelsen 2 yard run (Lester pass from Phillips), ND 21–11; 18 plays, 84 yards, 7:02
- (0:24) ND – Scott Hempel 36 yard field goal, ND 24–11; 8 plays, 78 yards, 1:21
| Statistics | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | border=1}}" | ND | Texas Longhorns | border=1}}" | TEX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 16 | **20** | ||||
| Total yards | 359 | **426** | ||||
| Rushes/yards | 52/146 | **55/216** | ||||
| Passing yards | 213 | **240** | ||||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–19–1 | 10–27–1 | ||||
| Time of possession |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | border=1}}; text-align:center;" | **Notre Dame** | Passing | Joe Theismann | 9–16, 176 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Cieszkowski | 13 car, 52 yards | |||
| Receiving | Yoder | 2 rec, 96 yards | |||
| Texas Longhorns | border=1}}; text-align:center;" | **Texas** | Passing | Eddie Phillips | 9–17, 199 yards |
| Rushing | Eddie Phillips | 23 car, 164 yards | |||
| Receiving | Deryl Comer | 4 rec, 67 yards |
After Texas' initial field goal, Notre Dame scored 21 straight points. Texas scored in the second quarter and Notre Dame added a field goal to lead 24–11 at halftime. Texas committed six turnovers (five fumbles and an interception) while Notre Dame had only two turnovers.
Aftermath
It ended the Longhorns' 30-game winning streak,
Second-ranked Ohio State lost to Stanford in the Rose Bowl, while #3 Nebraska won the Orange Bowl and was named the AP national champion for the 1970 season, with Notre Dame as runner-up.
Texas had been selected as the national champion by the UPI Coaches' Poll, whose final edition was then released at the end of the regular season, prior to bowl games. After a similar occurrence in 1973, the Coaches Poll released its final edition after the bowl games, starting with the 1974 season.
References
References
- (January 1, 1971). "Texas' eyes on destiny". Milwaukee Sentinel.
- Jenkins, Dan. (January 11, 1971). "The one-day season".
- (January 1, 1971). "Texas aims to prove it rates No. 1 spot". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- (January 2, 1971). "Irish snap Texas' streak". Milwaukee Journal.
- "AT&T; Cotton Bowl History - 2011 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic".
- (January 2, 1971). "Notre Dame upsets Texas in Cotton Bowl". Wilmington Morning Star.
- (January 2, 1971). "Irish defense spills Texas". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
- (January 2, 1971). "Revenge-minded Irish top Texas". Eugene Register-Guard.
- (December 8, 1970). "Texas first in final UPI poll". Reading Eagle.
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