1981 Orange Bowl

Oklahoma was champion of the Big Eight Conference for the eighth consecutive year, and this was their fifth Orange Bowl appearance in six seasons. Florida State was in the Orange Bowl for the second straight year.

Game summary

Ricky Williams scored first for the Seminoles on a touchdown run in the second half, and Oklahoma countered with a field goal by Mike Keeling before halftime. David Overstreet capitalized on a 78-yard kickoff return with his four-yard run to give the Sooners a 10–7 lead. A field goal by Bill Capece tied the game as the third quarter ended. Bobby Butler recovered a botched punt and recovered in the end zone to give the Seminoles a 17–10 lead. With 3:19 remaining, Oklahoma's fate lied in the hands of J. C. Watts, who had turned the ball over three times previously. He led the team on a 78-yard drive, culminating with a touchdown pass to Steve Rhodes with 1:33 remaining. Oklahoma decided to risk it all, and Watts threw a pass to Forrest Valora in the end zone for the two point conversion to give them the lead. Florida State tried to counter back, but Capece's 62 yard field goal fell short, and the Sooners were victorious.^[1]

Aftermath

Florida State did not return to the Orange Bowl until 1993. Oklahoma returned in 1985.

Statistics

Statistics	Oklahoma	Florida State
First Downs	18	23
Yards Rushing	156	212
Yards Passing	128	51
Total Yards	184	263
Punts-Average	2-37.0	4-42.5
Fumbles-Lost	7-5	1-0
Interceptions	0	0
Penalties-Yards	4-32	5-58

References

↑ http://game.orangebowl.org/orange-bowl-history/the-history-of-the-orange-bowl/1980s/1981/

1980–81 NCAA football bowl game season

Independence (Dec. 13) Garden State (Dec. 14) Holiday (Dec. 19) Tangerine (Dec. 20) Fiesta (Dec. 26) Hall of Fame Classic (Dec. 27) Sun (Dec. 27) Liberty (Dec. 27) Gator (Dec. 29) Astro-Bluebonnet (Dec. 31) Cotton (Jan. 1) Sugar (Jan. 1) Rose (Jan. 1) Orange (Jan. 1) Peach (Jan. 2)

Orange Bowl Game

History & conference tie-ins	History Miami Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium College Football Playoff Broadcasters Atlantic Coast Conference Big Ten Conference Southeastern Conference Notre Dame

Games	1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2014 2015 2016

Notes	The game was also the national title game for either the Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, or Bowl Championship Series in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2005. There was an Orange Bowl in January and December in 1996 and 2014. The game was a semifinal for the College Football Playoff in its 2015 edition.

Florida State Seminoles bowl games

Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.

Oklahoma Sooners bowl games

Pound sign (#) denotes BCS National Championship Game.

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