1982 Hall of Fame Classic

The 1982 Hall of Fame Classic, part of the 1982–83 bowl game season, was the sixth annual contest and took place on December 31 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The competing teams were the Vanderbilt Commodores, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Air Force Falcons, representing the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Down 28–17 entering the fourth quarter, 19 unanswered points gave Air Force the 36–28 come-from-behind victory.^[3][6][7]

1982 Hall of Fame Classic
Air Force Falcons Vanderbilt Commodores (7–5) (8–3) 36 28 Head coach:  Ken Hatfield Head coach:  George MacIntyre
1 2 3 4 Total Air Force 7 7 3 19 36 Vanderbilt 7 14 7 0 28
Date	December 31, 1982
Season	1982
Stadium	Legion Field
Location	Birmingham, Alabama
MVP	Whit Taylor (QB, Vanderbilt)[1] Carl Dieudonne (DE, Air Force)[1]
Favorite	Vanderbilt by 9½ points[2]
Attendance	75,114[3][4]
Payout	US$400,000[5]
United States TV coverage
Network	Mizlou[5]
Hall of Fame Classic  < 1981  1983 >

Background

Air Force finished the regular season at 7–5,^[8] with losses to Tulsa, Texas Tech, New Mexico, Colorado State, and Hawaii.^[8] They accepted an invitation to play in the Hall of Fame Classic against Vanderbilt following their upset of Notre Dame on November 20,^[9] then lost at Hawaii the following week. It was the fourth bowl appearance for Air Force, the first in twelve years, and their first in the Hall of Fame Classic. Stanford was the original selection, but became ineligible for bowl participation following their last-play loss to rival Cal, which dropped their record to 5–6.^[9]

The 1982 Vanderbilt squad finished the regular season 8–3.^[10] The Commodores lost to North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia.^[10] They accepted an invitation to play in the Hall of Fame Classic following their 27–16 victory over Tennessee–Chattanooga on November 20.^[9] It was the third bowl appearance for Vanderbilt, the first in eight years, and their first in the Hall of Fame Classic.

Game summary

Vanderbilt got on the scoreboard first after Whit Taylor threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Norman Jordan to give the Commodores a 7–0 lead.^[6] Air Force responded with a one-yard Marty Louthan touchdown later in the first and then on a 19-yard Mike Brown run early in the second to take a 14–7 lead.^[6] The Commodores then scored a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes by Taylor to take a 21–14 halftime lead.^[6]

In the third, the Falcons scored on a 21-yard Sean Pavlich field goal and the Commodores on Jordan's third touchdown reception of the evening to give Vanderbilt a 28–17 lead entering the fourth quarter.^[6] In the fourth, Air Force scored 19 unanswered points on a trio of touchdown runs to secure the 36–28 victory.^[6] For their performances, Vanderbilt quarterback Whit Taylor and Air Force defensive end Carl Dieudonne were named co-MVPs of the game.^[1][3][7]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Air Force Vanderbilt 1 11:06 7 75 Vanderbilt Norman Jordan 28-yard touchdown reception from Whit Taylor, Richard Anderson kick good 0 7 1 1:16 8 37 Air Force Marty Louthan 1-yard touchdown run, Sean Pavlich kick good 7 7 2 9:04 13 80 Air Force Mike Brown 19-yard touchdown run, Sean Pavlich kick good 14 7 2 7:21 5 63 Vanderbilt Phil Roach 15-yard touchdown reception from Whit Taylor, Richard Anderson kick good 14 14 2 0:46 4 50 Vanderbilt Norman Jordan 4-yard touchdown reception from Whit Taylor, Richard Anderson kick good 14 21 3 Air Force 21-yard field goal by Sean Pavlich 17 21 3 Vanderbilt Norman Jordan 4-yard touchdown reception from Whit Taylor, Richard Anderson kick good 17 28 4 10 92 Air Force Ted Sundquist 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 23 28 4 Air Force John Kershner 3-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 29 28 4 Air Force Marty Louthan 46-yard touchdown run, Sean Pavlich kick good 36 28 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 36 28

Source:^[11]

References

1. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 100. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
2. "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 31, 1982. p. 17.
3. "Louthan flies, so do Falcons". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). staff and wire services. January 1, 1983. p. 1B.
4. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 37. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
5. "Stanford, Vanderbilt in Hall of Fame bowl". Daily Record. United Press International. November 16, 1982. p. 10. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
6. Hurt, Cecil (January 1, 1983). "SEC strikes out: Vandy can't stop Air Force wishbone, fall 36–28". The Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). p. 10. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
7. "Unsung lads hit high note". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 1, 1983. p. 17.
8. "Past Seasons Results". 2011 Air Force Football Media Guide (PDF). Colorado Springs, Colorado: United States Air Force Academy. 2011. p. 142. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
9. "Air Force gets bowl invitation". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. November 22, 1982. p. 2D. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
10. "Yearly Results". 2009 Commodore Football Media Guide (PDF). Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University. 2009. p. 162. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
11. "Hall of Fame Bowl". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 1, 1983. p. 18.