Alabama’s National Championship Games: 1979 Sugar Bowl

I’ve been blessed to have attended some of the Crimson Tide’s biggest games. This series is dedicated to those memorable Alabama games and my experiences in having seen them. –Mike.

It was January 1, 1979. No. 1 Penn State facing No. 2 Alabama. Joe Paterno vs. Bear Bryant. Two storied programs. Two legendary coaches. Penn State entered the game with a perfect 11-0 record, while the Tide had but a single loss. Alabama started the season ranked number one, but was overtaken by Penn State during the year.

The teams were similar in many ways. Both relied heavily on stingy defenses, powerful running games, and surprisingly effective passing games. Penn State was led by future Pro Bowl LB Matt Milen and QB Chuck Fusina. Alabama was led by a myriad of stars on defense, including future New York Jet Pro Bowl Defensive End Marty Lyons, Quarterback Jeff Rutledge, and Running Backs Major Ogilvie and Tony Nathan.

This was my third Sugar Bowl and second one in the Super Dome. The other, in 1976, saw Richard Todd lead Alabama over Penn State, 13-6. I will always remember Coach Bryant walking out for the pregame warm up without his trademark houndstooth hat. After the game the press asked Coach Bryant why he did not wear his hat. “Mama always told me to remove my hat when I was indoors.”

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It was less than a three-hour drive from Foley to New Orleans, so my family and I drove over that morning for the game. I was a 16-year-old high school junior and played center for the Foley Lions. Our coach Lester Smith ran a similar offense to Alabama’s and I was deeply into the Xs and Os of the game. The opportunity to see the National Championship game was a great thrill.

It was a raucous atmosphere. The Bama faithful were out in force, but so were the Penn State fans. It was respectful, but both sides expected to win. During the pregame prayer, Penn State fans yelled “Here we go Penn State, here we go!” The Bama faithful removed our caps and bowed our heads. As soon as the minister said “Amen,” the Bama fans started a loud cheer of “Go to Hell, Penn State, Go to Hell!” It was going to be that kind of atmosphere.

Alabama’s wishbone attack had evolved over the years under Offensive Coordinator Mal Moore. He used a myriad of formations, seldom lining up in the standard full house backfield with one wide receiver. Coach Moore often had Alabama line up in the I formation, full house wishbone with two wide receivers, or a broken bone formation with one running back split wide.

Coach Moore had plenty of weapons with which to work. Rutledge was an excellent passer and a good enough runner to make the option a concern. I believe this team was the best and most diverse wishbone team Alabama ever put on the field. A couple of years later while a student at Alabama, I took a Coaching Football course from Coach Dee Powell; an insiders view into the program. It was really cool to learn the schemes I witnessed in person on college football’s biggest stage.

The Bama defense was stellar. Coach Ken Donahue’s “50” scheme was highly effective and also very aggressive. His scheme was not much different from the basic strategy of today’s Alabama team; large defensive linemen designed to keep blockers off the linebackers, allowing them to make plays.

Penn State was also terrific. They ran a pro-I-style offense that was highly effective with a power running game. This allowed them to use play action passes to great effect. Their defense, led by now infamous coach Jerry Sandusky relied on a 4-3 pro-style defense that was big and athletic. Penn State was known as “Linebacker U,” and this team was no exception.

The game opened with both teams feeling each other out, trying to figure out ways to exploit the other team’s powerful defenses. The game was scoreless when Alabama took over with a minute left in the half. Content to run out the clock, Bama was running base plays out of the wishbone. Penn State began calling time outs in an attempt to get the ball back when Tide RB Tony Nathan broke off a run to the Penn State 30-yard line. With eight seconds left in the half, Jeff Rutledge hit Bruce Bolton for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Penn State fans believed Bolton was bobbling the ball as he landed in the end zone, but this was before replay, so the play stood. My seat was in the north end zone and this play took place in the south end zone, so I couldn’t see it well enough to know. The score counted and Alabama was up 7-0 at the half.

Penn State got on track in the second half and tied the game 7-7 on a Fusina touchdown pass to Scott Fitzkee. Alabama quickly answered with a 62-yard Lou Ikner punt return, followed by an 8-yard TD run by Major Olgivie. The Tide led 14-7 going into the fourth quarter.

Alabama held Penn State and took a punt deep in their own territory. Alabama called a counter option and the Rutledge pitch was jarred loose. Penn State recovered the fumble on the Alabama 19-yard line and they were in business. What would follow would become one of the most remarkable series of plays in Alabama history.

Penn State was moving right to left towards the north end zone. I was sitting in the north end zone, so the action was happening right in front of me. On first down, fullback Matt Suhey ran eleven yards to the eight yard line, making it first and goal. A pitch to Gruman gained six yards to the Alabama two.

On second down from the two, Penn State threw a pass to Fitzkee in the right flat. It looked to everyone that Fitzee would walk into the end zone. Atmore native and cornerback Don McNeal came out of nowhere to knock Fitzee back and keep him from scoring. While the later plays were the most famous, McNeal’s play was just as amazing. I can still see the Crimson No. 28 knocking Fitzkee back from the right pylon of the end zone. It was an amazing play.

On third down from the one, Suhey was met by Alabama linebacker Rich Wingo and stopped short of the end zone. What happened next will go down in the Crimson Tide history. When the ball was set down, Penn State Chuck Fusina came to the line and asked how far it was out of the end zone. Alabama Defensive Tackle Marty Lyons looked at it and said, “About ten inches. You better pass.”

Penn State called time out. On the sideline, Coach Joe Paterno felt Alabama would sell out on the run so he wanted to run a play action pass to the flat. His assistant coaches talked him out of it. The play call was a quick dive to Mike Guman. Nose tackle Byron Braggs and defensive tackle Marty Lyons submarined low and knocked the Penn State line back, clearing a path for inside linebacker Barry Krauss to explode upward and meet Guman head on, pushing him back and into the Penn State backfield.

The Alabama players on the sideline and on the field were ecstatic. Everyone that is, but Krauss, who lay on the field motionless. He had suffered a stinger from getting his bell rung. Coach Bryant would later say “A knock like that is the nicest kind of feeling you can get.”

To this day, McNeal’s and Krauss’ stop of Guman are two of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen. Both were right in front of me and I can still hear the pop of the pads as Krauss hit Guman. The roar of the crowd was as loud a sound as I’ve ever heard. Daniel Moore would later capture this moment in his most famous portrait, Goal Line Stand.

The game wasn’t over, however. Penn State would hold Alabama and force a punt. Alabama shanked the punt and Penn State was set up on the Alabama 25-yard line. However, a Penn State player trying to run off the field during the punt didn’t get off in time, and Penn State was flagged for having twelve men on the field. The next punt, Alabama boomed well into Penn State territory, and the Nittany Lions were unable to make anything out of it. The game was over.

Alabama won 14-7 in the single greatest football game I’ve ever witnessed, and the first of two straight National Championships for Alabama. I hope to witness many more great Alabama games, but it will take one of epic proportion to move ahead of the 1979 Sugar Bowl as the greatest game Alabama has ever played.