Sugar Bowl
1982
Pittsburgh 24
Georgia 20
In an intense battle featuring five lead changes, Pittsburgh
quarterback Dan Marino clinched the 1982 Sugar Bowl with a late-game,
33-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Brown (video).
The Panthers (10-1) entered the game in an ornery mood. They topped the
Associated Press poll for the last four weeks of the regular season.
However, a 48-14 thrashing by Penn State in the last game of the season
quelled their dreams of a national championship. According to Brown, he
and his teammates saw the trip to New Orleans as a chance for
redemption.
"We had a very strong ego and self-esteem as a team," Brown said
recently. "We had a lot of character and said, 'Let's go down there and
re-establish ourselves.'"
Pittsburgh had a worthy opponent in Georgia (10-1), who was riding an
eight-game winning streak. The Bulldogs had an outside shot at repeating
as national champions thanks to sophomore running back Herschel Walker,
who had banged out 1,807 yards during the regular season.
In the days preceding the game, a "corkboard rivalry" budded between the
two teams. Newspapers quoted players from each side on the subject of
who was the better running back: Walker or Pittsburgh's Bryan Thomas.
The public war of words, said Brown, helped inspire his teammates.
"Our defense was determined to stymie Herschel, and we wanted Bryan to
outrush him," said Brown, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Lower
Burrell, Penn.
The Pittsburgh defense fulfilled its goal, holding Walker to 84 yards on
25 carries. Thomas responded with 129 yards on 26 rushes. Victory,
however, did not come easily for Coach Jackie Sherrill's squad.
Georgia took a 13-10 lead into the fourth quarter. Four plays after
Pittsburgh recovered a fumble on the Bulldogs' 23, Marino and Brown
hooked up for a six-yard touchdown. Georgia answered with an 80-yard
touchdown drive and led 20-17 with 8:31 remaining.
Still down three with 3:36 left, Pittsburgh started its final drive at
its own 20. Thomas' clutch running and a key scramble by Marino helped
carry the Panthers to the Georgia 33. Facing a fourth down and five in
the final minute, Pittsburgh called a timeout to consider its options.
"We told Danny (Marino) to go to the sidelines and make it clear that we
weren't kicking," said Brown. "Jackie was a players' coach, and he said,
'Fine, let's do it.'"
Sherrill called for a play designed to gain the five yards necessary for
a first down. However, when Pittsburgh's running backs kept Georgia's
blitzing linebackers in check, Marino had ample time to pick out an open
man downfield. Brown was that man, catching Marino's bomb in the middle
of the endzone with just 35 seconds on the clock.
"Over the course of the day, I had pretty much had my way with the free
safety covering me (Steven Kelly). I put a nice move on him, broke
inside and was open," said Brown.
The touchdown gave the Panthers a 24-20 win and a No. 4 ranking in the
final AP poll. Georgia followed at No. 6.
Marino, of course, went on to greater glory with the Miami Dolphins. The
future Hall-of-Famer's success has come as no surprise to Brown, who
sensed greatness the first time the two shared a practice field.
"You saw him take the snap, drop back and throw the football; he just
looked like he was great," said Brown, who still keeps in touch with
Marino. "I knew he was going to do amazing things."
Brown's NFL aspirations were dashed when he injured his knee in 1982,
his senior year. He now works as an insurance agent and lives with his
family in Lower Burrell, where he will always be a hometown hero.
"Even today," said Brown, "I'm often introduced as 'the guy who caught
the ball.'"
Bryan Thomas' 129 yards kept the pressure off Marino.
Marino hit Brown for the game winner in the final minute.
Attendance- 77,224
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
UGA- Walker 8 run (Butler kick)
Pitt- FG Everett 41
Third Quarter
Pitt- Dawkins 30 pass from Marino (Everett kick)
UGA- Walker 10 run (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
Pitt- Brown 6 pass from Marino (Everett kick)
UGA- Kay 6 pass from Belue (Butler kick)
Pitt- Brown 33 pass from Marino (Everett kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Pitt- Thomas 25-129, DiBartola 13-68
UGA- Walker 25-84, Belue 7-45
Passing
Pitt- Marino 26-41-261
UGA- Belue 8-15-83
Receiving
Pitt- DiBartola 8-64, Dawkins 6-77, Brown 6-62, Thomas 6-58
UGA- Walker 3-53
