At the end of the 1979 Auburn versus Alabama game, the Tide pulled out 25-18 win to close out the regular season. Despite that, they still fell to number two in the polls behind Ohio State. "I'm not worried about polls," said Coach Bryant. "Just Arkansas." The Sugar Bowl that year ultimately ended in a 24-9 Alabama win over Lou Holtz's Arkansas Razorbacks along with a National Championship title for the 1979 team and Coach Bryant. The rest, as they say, is history. Relive the magic of that championship game below.
"Lord they hit us ... I know a couple of my pass receivers really got rocked. And, even when I got the ball off to one of them, somebody was always there to deck me ... we've got a good team, but Alabama killed us. Anybody who doesn't vote them No. 1 is crazy." -- Kevin Scanlon, Arkansas Quarterback, adapted from Bowl, 'Bama, Bowl: A Crimson Tide Tradition by Al Browning, pg. 283
(Photo - Alabama Athletics)
"We have to go out and beat them physically and mentally, convincingly enough that everybody who watches knows we deserve to be ranked No. 1. We have to outhit them, outsmart them, outscore them, and out-quick them." -- Don McNeal on how to beat Arkansas before the 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote -The Tuscaloosa News) (Photo - Alabama Media Group)
"We have a chance to do it all again. The pressure is back on. But we love every minute of it. At Alabama you learn to live with the tenseness of big games, because you learn to love playing for national championships." -- Byron Braggs on the pressure of potentially going back to back in the 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote - The Tuscaloosa News) (Photo - Alabama Media Group)
"This group of Alabama players opened last year winning, won throughout the season and opened a new year winning. Sure I think it is more difficult for a team to win every game than it was in 1966. First, everybody in the world would rather beat us more now than then. Second, everybody has outstanding talent now. I cannot adequately tell you how proud I am of these players." -- Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant after defeating Arkansas 24-9 in the 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote - The Tuscaloosa News) (Photo - Alabama Media Group)
"This is the greatest bunch of young men I have ever been associated with. I am extremely proud of all of them. They have displayed class and character all season." -- Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant after defeating Arkansas 24-9 in the 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote - The Tuscaloosa News) (Photo - Alabama Athletics)
"I have voted them No. 1 all year ,and I will continue to vote them No. 1. I said it before and I'll say it now, I don't think there is anybody in the country that can beat Alabama. Little did I think that the best football team in the country would play an almost perfect game." -- Lou Holtz after suffering a 24-9 defeat from Alabama in the 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote - The Times Picayune) (Photo - Alabama Media Group)
"They've got the classiest players in the country. Alabama deserves to be No. 1 for more reasons than its record. They act like champions. If we had to lose a game like this, I'm glad it was to Alabama. They're what college football is all about." -- Arkansas All American Offensive Tackle Greg Kolenda losing to Alabama 24-9 in the 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote - The Memphis Press Scimitar) (Photo - Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Robert Adams, Birmingham News.
"We knew we had to be ferocious and we were." -- Don McNeal, Alabama defensive back after Alabama beat Arkansas in the January 1, 1980 Sugar Bowl
(Quote - The Tuscaloosa News) (Photo- Alabama Media Group)