The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Great Games and Moments: 1980s
GREAT GAME
#6 Texas 14, #3 Alabama 12
Friday, January 1, 1982
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)
No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Texas teed it up in the 1982 Cotton Bowl with identical 9-1-1 records. It marked the last chance for Paul "Bear" Bryant to beat Texas while at Alabama. On the other hand, UT coach Fred Akers was looking for his first Cotton Bowl victory. Alabama took a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter, before Texas finally got on the board. With 10:38 remaining in the game, quarterback Robert Brewer called a timeout with Texas facing third and long at the Alabama 30-yard-line. Brewer stunned the Crimson Tide with a quarterback draw on the next play, racing to the end zone untouched. On UT's next possession, Terry Orr scored from eight yards out to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive to put UT up 14-10 with 2:05 remaining. Alabama's Joey Jones returned the ensuing kickoff to the Texas 38, and 'Bama QB Walter Lewis took over with 1:54 left. On the very next play, UT's William Graham picked off a Lewis pass at the one. The Longhorns took a safety to insure better field position and make the final margin 14-12. Texas finished the season ranked No. 2 by AP and fourth by UPI.
GREAT MOMENT
#6 Texas 14, #3 Alabama 12
Friday, January 1, 1982
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)
It was a play that looked as though it was drawn up on dirt in the playground - so simple, yet so effective. No. 3 Texas was trailing No. 6 Alabama 10-0 in the fourth quarter, when fans began to wonder if the Longhorns would ever score. But Robert Brewer's quarterback draw on third-and- long surprised everyone in the stadium. The 30-yard touchdown run, that saw Brewer score untouched, gave Texas the momentum it needed to pull off a 14-12 victory in the 1982 Cotton Bowl.
GREAT GAME
#2 Texas 15, #9 SMU 12
Saturday, October 22, 1983
Texas Stadium (Irving, Texas)
No. 2 Texas took sole possession of the Southwest Conference lead with a 15-12 win at the No. 9 Mustangs. Both SMU and Texas entered the game with undefeated 5-0 records and with nationally-ranked defenses. Texas had to come from behind two times and survive six turnovers en route to the win. The teams traded field goals throughout the first three quarters before Todd Dodge came off the bench to engineer a 62-yard scoring drive. Dodge's 7-yard touchdown pass to Bill Boy Bryant put the Longhorns up 13-6 early in the fourth quarter. SMU then drove 80 yards to tie the game, but Jerry Gray was able to bat down SMU QB Lance McIlhenny's two-point conversion pass attempt. UT added a safety for the final margin. The win snapped SMU's 21-game unbeaten streak.
GREAT GAME
#2 Texas 45, Texas A&M 13
Saturday, November 26, 1983
Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
With a national television audience looking on, Texas A&M sought to play spoiler and hang a loss on No. 2 Texas' perfect regular season record. A&M jumped out to a 13-0 lead setting the stage for an aerial assault courtesy of the right arm of Rick McIvor, who entered the game just before the half. McIvor led the Longhorns to 45 points in 15 minutes to turn the tide of the game. He completed 8-of-12 passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns, tying the UT record for TD passes in a game. When you add receiver Bill Boy Bryant's touchdown pass off a double reverse, the five total TD passes set a new school team record. The win marked Fred Akers' second unbeaten regular season in seven years. Texas suffered a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl to dash its National Championship hopes.
GREAT MOMENT
Texas 16, #15 Arkansas 14
Saturday, October 17, 1987
War Memorial Stadium (Little Rock, Ark.)
Texas, down 14-10, started at its own 44-yard-line with 1:48 left on the clock and one timeout to spare. In keeping with the great tradition of exciting Texas/Arkansas matchups, quarterback Bret Stafford answered the call and led the Longhorns on a 11-play, 56-yard drive that culminated in a 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tony Jones with no time left on the clock. Jones, who made the reception just inside the goal line, took a couple of hard hits just as he caught the ball, but the 5-foot-7, 140-pounder somehow managed to hang on. The game was the first in UT history to be decided on the final play of the game.
GREAT GAME
Texas 28, #15 Oklahoma 24
Saturday, October 14, 1989
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)
Texas hadn't beaten Oklahoma since 1983, and it looked as though that streak would stay intact when freshman QB Peter Gardere broke the UT huddle at the Longhorns 34-yard-line with 3:42 left. Having seen its 21-7 halftime lead turn into a 24-21 Sooners advantage, the UT half of the Cotton Bowl rallied behind the Longhorns for one last drive. Four Gardere completions later, the Horns were at the Oklahoma 25-yard-line with a little more than two minutes left in the game. Then, on second-and-10, Gardere rifled a strike to an outstretched Johnny Walker (right) at the goal line for the winning score. On the seven-play drive, Gardere went 5-of-5 for 58 yards. Two Wayne Clements field goals, a 44-yard TD run with a fumbled punt by Mical Padgett, a Gardere to Tony Jones TD pass and a two-point conversion after a blocked PAT rounded out the UT scoring on the wild afternoon. Gardere would go on to defeat OU three more times, making him the first quarterback in Texas history to lead the Longhorns to four wins against the Sooners.