1984 Cotton Bowl Classic
| 1984 Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 2, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cotton Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP |
QB John Lastinger (Georgia) LB Jeff Leiding (Texas) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Howard Roe (Big Eight) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 67,891 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Lindsey Nelson and Pat Haden | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1984 Cotton Bowl Classic featured the Georgia Bulldogs of the SEC against the undefeated, number two Texas Longhorns of the SWC.
Georgia first score came on a 43-yard field goal by Kevin Butler in the closing seconds of the first quarter.
Texas led 9-3 with more than four minutes to play . Texas kicker Jeff Ward scored first with a 22-yard field goal on the 'Horns' first possession and added six more points with two more field goals of 40 and 27 yards in the third quarter. A Chip Andrews (Georgia) muffed punt by Texas defensive back Craig Curry late in the fourth quarter allowed Georgia quarterback John Lastinger to run 17 yards for a touchdown with 3:22 left to play to capture a 10-9 victory. The loss was the first for the Longhorns, costing them a possible national title.
Aftermath
Later that evening, top-ranked Nebraska was upset by number five Miami Hurricanes, 31-30, in the Orange Bowl. Miami moved past Nebraska and the Longhorns to secure their first National Championship.