GIVE ‘EM HELL, PELL – Part VII: Not quite there yet
A program built by Pell captures a national title giving Gators hope

Someone is selling this gold on eBay.

Last year Georgia had a pretty good team
But in ’81, they won’t be so mean
Lucky plays, this year they’ll lack
We’ll stomp the Bulldogs
And pay ’em back

Football fever has a strange effect
Yonder comes a Bulldog, and he’s runnin’ like heck
But he’s slow, slow, slow
Yes, he’s slow, slow, slow
And the Gators will knock him down.

On the first drive, Florida moved the ball into Georgia territory, but quarterback Wayne Peace overshot wide-open tight end Chris Faulkner, who would’ve easily coasted into the end zone. Opinion on whether he made the catch likely varied based on the colors being worn, but the men in black and white ruled it incomplete despite an impressive aerial protest from wide receiver Tyrone Young.

CREDIT: Clip pulled from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au87ricwKo8&t=2209s]

The opening drive resulted in a punt, but the Bulldogs also opened with a punt close to midfield after a few explosive runs by sophomore running back Herschel Walker.

The first score of the game wouldn’t come until the second quarter. Shortly after Peace missed a streaking Braughton Lang for a sure-fire touchdown, he connected with streaking running back Steve Miller to put the Gators up 7-0. Miller, a walk-on who worked his way into the starting role for the Georgia game, had beaten Bulldogs defensive back Tim Bobo by about 5 yards on his route.

CREDIT: Clip pulled from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au87ricwKo8&t=2209s]

Walker mishandled the ensuing kickoff and had to retreat into the end zone to get the ball. In a precarious situation and unsure of his status as a runner, Walker opted to charge out of the end zone instead of simply taking a knee for a touchback and was stopped on the UGA 2-yard line. Quarterback Buck Belue executed a quick handoff to the upback, Ronnie Stewart, and Florida linebacker Fernando Jackson immediately met the runner in the gap. Stewart’s helmet met the ball which, went flying through the air and landed in the hands of UF defensive tackle David Galloway. A celebratory leap by UF linebacker Wilber Marshall confirmed the recovery and, though the offense needed all four downs, fullback James Jones punched it in on 4th & Goal from the 1-yard line, giving the Gators a 14-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the first half.

CREDIT: Clip pulled from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au87ricwKo8&t=2209s]

Announcer Keith Jackson knew how to set a scene: “The bridge is standing out, almost white against the beat blue of the St. Johns River, which sits right beyond the eaves of Gator Bowl here in Jacksonville. Stunning, beautiful day—almost no wind at all. Temperature middle 70s.”

Keith Jackson knew how to set a scene.

Georgia finally woke up and put together a drive which put the team inside of the UF 25-yard line with 40 seconds left in the second quarter. Belue lined up under center on the right hashmark in an I-formation with the tight end lined up to the left. He took the snap, dropped back 7 yards and hit Walker on a Texas route out of the backfield. There wasn’t a defender within 5 yards of Walker when he made the catch, and the player who ended up coming in second place on the 1981 Heisman ballot raced across the field, stutter-stepped around the 15-yard line to keep the white shirts off balance and beat the Florida defensive backs to the edge for the score at the pylon.

CREDIT: Clip pulled from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au87ricwKo8&t=2209s]

Remember that jingle? “Yonder comes a Bulldog, and he’s runnin’ like heck / But he’s slow, slow, slow.” They were talkin’ about UGA, not Herschel, who finished the first half with 67 yards on 17 carries.

Let’s take a second to learn about Georgia’s pup from 1981 – pulled from georgiadogs.com:

Uga IV was perhaps the most active of all the Georgia mascots, standing as the only one to attend a bowl game every year of his service (1981-89). He took over for Uga III in the 1981 season opener and over the next nine seasons, led Georgia to a record of 77-27-4. The highlight of his career was his personal appearance at the Heisman Trophy Banquet with Herschel Walker in New York on December 9, 1982.

Uga IV was escorted through the banquet hall by the president of the Downtown Athletic Club and was earlier photographed with Walker by news photographers from across the country. The proud Bulldog donned his game jersey for the outing but added the formal touch of a collar and black tie. Uga IV was the first mascot invited to the Heisman Banquet.

Declared “Dog of the Decade” by Vince Dooley in 1991, Uga IV was posthumously awarded the highest honor available to University of Georgia mascots—the Georgia varsity letter.

HALFTIME: FLORIDA 14, GEORGIA 7

Florida nearly received a massive break right out of the gate, but luck stayed by Lindsay Scott’s side in the Gator Bowl as a fumble bounced off the chest of a Gators defender and skirted out of bounds just before anyone in orange and blue could recover.

Peace couldn’t connect with Faulkner all alone over the middle, and Scott’s fumble rolled harmlessly to the sideline. These missed opportunities later became “what ifs.”

Late in the third quarter, Georgia put together a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended with another Herschel Walker touchdown reception to tie the game at 14-14. Florida brought pressure with six defenders, and as a blitzing Marshall closed in on Belue with an unimpeded rush, the veteran quarterback dumped the ball over the middle to Walker. Junior linebacker Tom Wiegmann nearly made the tackle at the 10-yard line, but Walker slipped through his grasp and bulled forward with a full head of steam for a mismatch with UF defensive back Ivory Curry at the 5-yard line. Walker lowered his shoulder pads, causing Curry to hit him high and bounce off as he continued forward for his second touchdown through the air.

Though the score was deadlocked at 14-14, Florida had been outgained by nearly 100 yards on the day. Walker led the charge on the ground and through the air for the Dawgs, but Georgia was looking to take its first lead on the day as the team entered the UF red zone early in the fourth quarter.

On 1st & Goal from the UF 4-yard line, Belue pitched the ball back to Walker, who beat the defense to the edge for his third touchdown, giving Georgia the lead. Kicker Kevin Butler shanked the extra point to the left, and the Dogs led 20-14.

Peace had to put an ugly third quarter behind him and dig deep for the go-ahead quarter. A quick play-action pass led to a bullet over the middle to Faulkner. The athletic tight end made the reception and trucked a UGA defensive back on his way to a 27-yard gain and the first down close to midfield.

On the following play, Peace rolled right and found wide receiver Spencer Jackson for another first down at the UGA 42-yard line. Next up: a completion to Lang for 7 yards, and Miller picked up the first down on the next play.

Facing 3rd & 15 on the UGA 35-yard line after a first-down sack, Peace connected with Lang, who had settled between the zones and found a way to get another first down to keep the drive alive with a 20-yard reception. Miller took the first down carry inside the 10-yard line, and on second down, Peace floated a pretty pass toward the left pylon, allowing Jackson to make an over-the-shoulder Willie-Mays-type grab. Clark booted the extra point through, and much like in 1980, Florida led 21-20 in the fourth quarter.

The clutch eight-play, 80-yard drive spanned just over three minutes, and it was up to Walker to bring the Dawgs back. The next play seemed like it was straight out of a movie. As Belue rolled out, scrambling for his life, a Florida defender was de-cleated. UF defensive tackle David Galloway and linebacker Fernando Jackson tag-teamed their simultaneous high-low tackles from opposite directions. As Belue, still airborne, began to spin forward, Wiegmann came in and knocked him back to complete a vicious cycle of hits from the Gators defense.

How many penalties would be called on that play today?

Walker rolled to over 160 yards as the Dawgs crossed midfield with around six minutes left in the fourth quarter. On 3rd & 8, Belue found Scott on a dig route over the middle for about a 20-yard gain to set Georgia up on the UF 30-yard line, and Walker did the rest. The fifth consecutive Walker run—three of which had been over-the-top attempts near the goal line—found pay dirt to complete a 17-play, 95-yard, eight-minute drive, putting UGA up 26-21 with about three minutes left. Walker was stopped just shy of the end zone on the two-point try.

Herschel Walker had one helluva day: 192 yards rushing on 47 carries with two touchdowns on the ground and four receptions for 55 yards with two touchdowns by air.

“We hit him. We hit him hard—punished him most of the time,” said Florida nose guard Robin Fisher. “But he always got up.”

On the ensuing possession, Peace hit Jackson for a first down, but for some reason, Jackson turned upfield without tucking the ball away, allowing UGA defensive back Steve Kelly to swoop in and easily strip it. The momentum of the fumble carried back close to 7 yards, and defensive lineman Eddie Weaver recovered.

 

Walker caused the stadium to audibly gasp with a fumble on first down, but he recovered as the clock continued to tick. The Gators stuffed two more Walker runs to force a 43-yard field goal attempt with about a minute left in the game. Butler’s kick was almost there, but it went wide right.

Down 26-21 with no timeouts remaining, Florida had one last-ditch effort. Peace drilled a line drive over the middle to Jackson to advance to the UF 40-yard line. On the next play, Peace undershot an open Faulkner and missed out on another first down. Young caught the next pass short of the first down and was tackled immediately in bounds, causing the clock to dip below 30 seconds and running as UF scrambled to the line to get the next snap off around midfield.

Peace did’t get the next snap off until the 20-second mark, but he hit Faulkner for a short pass over the middle to secure a first down to stop the clock until the chains were set. The Gators would have one to two shots at the end zone from the Georgia 45-yard line.

Peace winged a seemingly intentional ball out of bounds to stop the clock with six seconds left, bringing the Gators down to their final play. Florida ran a short route to Lang, hoping to run a quick play to gain a few more yards, but he didn’t get down in time, and the clock expired. Once again, the Bulldogs won 26-21—just like they had the previous year.

“I can’t take another Florida-Georgia game for at least 365 days,” said Georgia head coach Vince Dooley. “Really, I don’t know how many more of these I can stand. Our football team played a gallant game. They had to. Today, we beat a good football team—one that was obviously ready for Georgia. What a game, what game.”

After the game, Pell said, “One of these days, we’re going to come into this game with the long stick instead of the short stick. It was the hardest-hitting game we’ve played.”

Charley Pell had to be down after a yet another late-fourth-quarter loss to those barking folks up north. Perhaps the inspiration behind Pell’s wardrobe, cardigan-wearing-icon Mister Rogers, would have given the Gators a pep talk to help bounce back down the stretch.

Built by Pell: A quick check-in on Clemson’s road to the 1981 national championship

No. 2 Clemson made the trip to Chapel Hill for a showdown with No. 8 North Carolina that would be the first Top-10 matchup in the history of ACC football. A week after dropping 82 points on Wake Forest, the Tigers had to lean on their defense and navigate their way to a 10-8 win, their closest margin of victory in 1981.

“The North Carolina game did more for us winning the national championship than any other game,” said All-American linebacker Jeff Davis. “It was the ultimate test for us. We expected to win in Death Valley, and we expected teams to already be behind when the whistle blew in Death Valley. But to go into the backyard of a top 10-football team with everything at stake and win? That did it for us.”

November 14, 1981
Florida Field (Gainesville, FL)

The Gators returned home for a date with a struggling Kentucky squad. Head coach Fran Curci had led the program to a successful run in the mid to late 1970s but was close to being out of the door with back-to-back 3-8 records. UK knocked off Vandy heading into their matchup with Florida to improve their record to 2-7.

Representatives from the Tangerine, Garden State, Peach and Hall of Fame bowls were all on hand to witness one of the 5-4 Gators’ most impressive performances of the season. Shelby Strother of the St. Petersburg Times wrote, “You could tell who was willing to win for their all-but-fired coach. You could tell who wanted to win because a bowl bid, despite four losses in a season of erratic play and steady disappointment, was still possible. And you knew who was going to win in the first five minutes.”

On the second play of the game, Kentucky moved down to the UF 25-yard line with a 57-yard connection from quarterback Tommy Boyle to wide receiver Joe Phillips. The Wildcats failed to gain another first down, and kicker Rick Strein pushed his 41-yard attempt to the right.

Quarterback Wayne Peace took the field and led a 76-yard scoring drive in which the offense didn’t face a single third down. Peace completed a pair of 14-yard passes, and fullback James Jones notched seven carries on the 10-play drive, capping it off with a 2-yard leaping touchdown to put the Gators up 7-0.

In the middle of the second quarter, Kentucky took over deep in their own territory. Boyle dropped back for a pass, but Florida linebacker Alonzo Johnson broke through the line and forced a fumble that was recovered by UF nose guard Robin Fisher on the Kentucky 3-yard line. Jones scored on the next play, pushing the Florida lead to 14-0.

The rout started to take shape with when Boyle overthrew a pass that ended up in the arms of UF defensive back Ivory Curry later in the second quarter, giving the Gators great field position at the UK 43-yard line. Peace trotted onto the field and hit wide receiver Dwayne Dixon on a 39-yard pass. Running back Lorenzo Hampton scored on the next play, bringing the lead to 21-0.

Following a Kentucky punt, the Gators drove back into UK territory. Wide receiver Broughton Lang caught a quick pass from Peace near the line of scrimmage, juked his defender and tacked on Florida’s third touchdown in seven minutes. At halftime, Florida was up 28-0.

The scoring slowed in the second half as Pell emptied the bench. UF kicker Brian Clark set a school record with a 55-yard field goal in the second half, and linebacker Wilber Marshall’s third-quarter sack doubled as a safety. Marshall recorded 14 tackles (11 solo), four tackles for losses and two sacks, causing Pell to marvel at the sophomore after the game: “I don’t know who it is that selects the Back of the Week and Player of the Week, but somebody’s been overlooking No. 88 [Marshall’s jersey number]. I really don’t know what else he could do.”

Florida ate up the clock for much of the second half while Kentucky scored a couple of times against backups, and the Gators improved to 6-4 to become bowl eligible. Florida ended SEC play 3-3 and tied with Tennessee for fourth place in conference play.

Built by Pell: A quick check-in on Clemson’s road to the 1981 national championship

During the Florida bye week on November 21, 1981, Clemson defeated in-state rival South Carolina to finish 11-0. The Orange-Bowl-bound Tigers would face off with the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who were also the Big Eight conference champions. Dan Marino and top-ranked Pitt were upset the following week at home by No. 11 Penn State, meaning Clemson carried the No. 1 ranking into bowl season with a clear shot at the national title.

Florida may have racked up four losses over the season, but three of those had come down to the final moments against tough competition. One missed field goal, one made field goal and one running back stood between Pell’s 1981 team and a 9-1 record and top-five ranking.

The struggles of 1979 were becoming a distant memory as Gator fans were presented with more evidence, both inside and outside of Gainesville, that they might finally have the coach who would lead the program to its first SEC championship.

November 28, 1981
Florida Field (Gainesville, FL)

Another year of “Wait ‘til Next Year” may have been the reality within the SEC, but the Gators had a chance to end the season on a high note by delivering Pell his first win against a major rival.

Pell was 0-for-Miami, 0-for-Georgia, and 0-for-Florida State heading into the final game in his third season.

Looking back on it, Pell could be granted a certain level of empathy when you stop and realize he was going up against a rival who was in the midst of their best years in school history (UGA), a rival that about to enter their best years in school history (Miami), and a rival that was both in the midst of their best years of school history to date and about to enter even better years (FSU).

Howard Schnellenberger. Vince Dooley. Bobby Bowden. Quite the competition for ole Charley Pell.

Pell was undeterred. During a winless campaign in 1979, two of Florida’s tougher competitive showings were against both Miami and Florida State. In 1980, a young Florida roster played down to the wire with two top-five programs in Georgia and Florida State. In 1981, the Canes needed a last-second field goal, and the Dawgs needed a superhuman effort from Herschel Walker, to scrape by the Gators late in the fourth quarter. These weren’t maddening McElwain-era defeats that sucked the hope of any future success right out of your soul.

Pell was building a monster as three legends patrolled the sidelines of Florida’s chief rival schools, and that monster was finally ready to strike.

After breakthrough seasons that culminated in top-10 finishes in 1979 and 1980, Bobby Bowden’s sixth team at FSU also entered the game unranked at 6-4. The Noles had climbed as high as No. 11 by midseason thanks to wins at Ohio State and Notre Dame, but Marino and Pitt exacted revenge for their 1980 loss in Tallahassee by throttling FSU 42-14.

The 1981 Seminoles faced a five-game road trip like few programs have ever seen. It extended from the middle of September until Halloween and included a bye week after their trip to Lincoln. FSU played at No. 17 Nebraska, No. 7 Ohio State, Notre Dame, No. 3 Pitt and LSU. Somehow, the Noles went 3-2 in that stretch, but it must have exacted a toll on the team as they dropped back-to-back games against Miami (27-19) and Southern Miss (58-14) leading into the finale at Florida.

A game between two 6-4 in-state rivals might lack appeal outside of these two fanbases, but the Peach Bowl added an incentive to an already-heated rivalry: The winner would get to play West Virginia on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.

But the Gators didn’t need any incentive to beat the Seminoles. “They hate us, and we hate them, and that about says it all,” said senior nose guard Robin Fisher. “We just gotta get them this time. It’s my last shot. Man, we just gotta beat them. I think I’ll die if we lose again.”

Fisher and the defense would punish Florida State all day long. But the Gators only managed a single touchdown in the first quarter. After forcing an opening punt, Florida drove from its own 20-yard line to the FSU 23-yard line, but quarterback Wayne Peace fumbled when he collided with running back Johnell Brown on a handoff, and FSU defensive lineman Jarvis Coursey scooped it up.

Another punt gave Peace a shot at redemption, and he connected with Steve Miller on a 30-yard pass play that set the Gators up in the FSU red zone. Five plays later, Peace found tight end Chris Faulkner in the end zone to put the Gators up 7-0.

Florida State quarterback Rick Stockstill was intercepted by UF defensive back Vito McKeever, and the Gators were in business at the FSU 45-yard line. The FSU defense would respond with a big play of its own. Peace attempted a quarterback sneak on 4th & inches inside of the FSU 36-yard line and went nowhere. The Seminoles could not build on that momentum and were forced to punt once again.

Missed opportunities on the offensive side were being overshadowed by the dominance of the Florida defense. “The main thing we tried to do was something different every third down,” said Gators defensive coordinator Joe Kines. “We lined up in the first half in our bases front, then either rushed everybody or dropped everybody. We had great respect for their offense. We wanted to step up in their face to keep them off balance.”

Florida held a 7-3 lead with 2:22 left before halftime when Stockstill pitched the ball back to freshman running back Greg Allen. The ball bounced off of Allen’s stomach and was recovered by Fisher at the FSU 44-yard line.

“One of the coaches said that Greg just looked up and took his eye off the ball,” Bowden said. “It just hit him in the chest. He never saw it. Heck, we were just getting into our two-minute offense. There was 2:22 to play, and we thought we had something going.”

The Gators would turn the turnover into a field goal and tack on another field goal before the half after a short FSU punt to take a 13-3 lead into the locker room.

Unlike in 1980, FSU didn’t have enough in the tank for a second-half comeback, and Florida took four years of frustration out on the Seminoles on the way to a 35-3 victory.

Florida State could only manage 11 first downs against a consistently gritty UF defense. The Noles were held to 59 yards passing and only gained 151 yards in 40 rushing attempts. Stockstill finished the day 5-15 passing for 55 yards and three interceptions (two by UF defensive back Vito McKeever). The defense might’ve been its usual self, but the offense and special teams also assisted in demolishing the Seminoles.

Florida senior kicker Brian Clark set both school and SEC records for consecutive points after touchdowns (62) and the number of field goals in one year (18).

Seven Gators logged multiple carries, led by running back Steve Miller’s 12 for 83 yards. Injured fullback James Jones didn’t start but still managed to carry the ball nine times for 51 yards. However, the star of the game was Peace.

You know the editor of the Orlando Sentinel had been sitting on that idea for the headline for some time. But it wasn’t much of an exaggeration. Peace was nearly flawless, finishing with 20-33 passes for 275 yards and accounting for all four Gator touchdowns through the air. Florida spread the ball around in the passing game, too, as six receivers caught passes. Tight end Mike Mularkey reeled in two touchdown receptions. One of those touchdowns was the result of a fourth-down call on the opening drive of the second half.

Leading 13-3, Florida was driving into FSU territory but needed a crucial play in order to begin to put the game out of reach. Let’s allow Bob Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel to set the scene:

That was the situation, again, as the Gators later faced a fourth-and-inches at the FSU 27. This time, [Florida OC Mike] Shanahan called for a “25-throwback,” or a pass to tight end Mike Mularkey after faking a run to Jones.

Pell gasped. Peace asked for the signal to be relayed a second time, fearing he had misunderstood the signs. Mularkey got nervous.

“No one said anything in the huddle when the play was called,” the tight end said. “I don’t think the lineman understood the importance of a pass on fourth-and-inches.

“Before the snap, I thought, ‘It’s coming to me; I’ve got to fake this guy.’ He [FSU’s James Harris] went for the run, I released and was wide open.”

Harris: “I made a mistake. I expected a run. When I saw Jones diving into the pile without the ball, I knew it was going to be a pass, but I couldn’t get back in time.”

Pell: “It was the gutsiest call we have had in several years.”

Bowden: “It was a great call, a gutty call. Yet, you hope they throw the ball then. Everyone knows you can’t stop Jones from gaining 1 inch. But if they throw the ball, they may drop it like Ohio State did against us.”

This time, however, Mularkey made the catch, turned and rumbled to the end zone.

Pell was effusive with praise after the win: “I hate to be so selfish, but this also was the greatest victory of my coaching career.”

(At this point, it’s worth noting that Pell probably said that same remark after a few wins. Of course, this was the age before the internet, or maybe he believed that the last win was the only one that mattered.)

Pell continued, “All the credit belongs to a group of youngsters that supposedly didn’t know how to win the big games. But they dedicated themselves, just kept going and never lost their intensity.

“There were many heroes today, and one of the biggest was the entire offensive line. We ran well, and our pass protection was outstanding. So was our game plan and our execution.

“The seniors aren’t big in numbers, but they did something very special for Gator football and deserve a special word. They gave me the game ball, and I’m going to paint this ball and put a halo around it. This team has earned the trip to Atlanta to play West Virginia.

“Wayne Peace, well, what can you say? There’s not a better sophomore quarterback in the United States. He rises to the moment. Today, he was brilliant, and his execution was a major factor in the win.”

Peace revealed that the team had dedicated the game to the seniors. “Man, this is what Gator football is all about,” said the prophetic Fisher. “Forget Miami. Florida against Florida State is the big game around here. This is the sweetest day of my life.”

POST-SEASON AWARDS

Defensive tackle David Galloway – 1st team All-America; 1st team All-SEC

Fullback James Jones – 1st team All-SEC

Linebacker Wilber Marshall – 1st team All-SEC

Linebacker Fernando Jackson – 2nd team All-SEC

Defensive back Tony Lilly – 2nd team All-SEC

Kicker Brian Clark – 1st team All-SEC

December 31, 1981
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta, GA)

Expectations were sky high for Charley Pell and the Gators heading into bowl season. Most gambling outlets saw Florida as at least a touchdown favorite heading in their first-ever Peach Bowl appearance and first-ever meeting with the Independent West Virginia Mountaineers.

“According to some stories I’ve read, we’re going to set the Peach Bowl back 30 years. Well, I don’t think we’re that bad,” said WVU head coach Don Nehlen. “Teams in the East aren’t as bad as some people think. We didn’t play a two-game [Pitt and Penn State] schedule. Temple has a hard-hitting team.”

A reporter reminded Nehlen that Georgia had crushed Temple 49-3 earlier in that season, causing the WVU coach to shift topics. I like to imagine a young Paul Finebaum with a full head of hair made that point. (S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C!)

West Virginia finished 8-3 in the regular season with two losses against top-five teams: Pitt and Penn State. The Mountaineers would be making their fourth appearance in the Peach Bowl since 1969, but their first since Bobby Bowden’s final season in 1975. Four losing seasons under Frank Cignetti to close out the decade brought Don Nehlen to Morgantown from Bowling Green in 1980.

Nehlen would eventually build West Virginia into a national title contender later in the decade and would go on to enjoy a 20-year run that saw only three losing seasons in coal country, but this was the first of his 13 bowl appearances. WVU bounced in and out of the rankings throughout the season and traveled to Atlanta as an unranked squad.

Senior quarterback Oliver Luck, the father of Andrew Luck, led the way on the offensive side of the ball while linebacker Darrell Talley took charge of the tough West Virginia defense.

Pell cautioned against overconfidence and openly compared Luck to Miami quarterback Jim Kelly. He saw the Mountaineers offense as an explosive unit and said, “We just hope we slow them down.”

Florida went three and out to start the game, and after receiving the punt at their own 24-yard line, West Virginia methodically made their way down the field on a 12-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a pretty 7-yard touchdown pass from Luck to running back Mickey Walczak.

The Mountaineers seemed like they had an easy time moving the ball on the No. 1 defense in the SEC. West Virginia 7, Florida 0.

“One team was ready to play, and one team worried about the weather,” said UF fullback James Jones. “We weren’t as fired up as we were for the Florida State game. We were more interested in the trip itself than in this game. But the whole game changed on that first series. We had to punt and lost confidence. And their defense was whooping and hollering. They were up, and we were down.”

On the next possession, Florida faced a 3rd & 7 around their own 20-yard line. Peace took the snap under center, rolled left and, after a brief pause, fired a misguided passed a little low. Strong safety Lind Murray caught the ball for the first turnover of the game.

Following the theme of the 1981 season, the Florida defense stepped up their game. On the second play of the WVU possession, Luck fired a pass toward the near sideline, but UF defensive back Kyle Knight jumped into the route and made a diving interception.

Peace took over at the UF 14-yard line, and the Gators looked like they were about to shake off the early rust. Florida approached midfield after a couple of first downs. Peace dropped back nearly 10 yards to his left, cut and nearly slipped on the wet grass but regained his footing to find tight end Mike Mularkey along the right sideline for a Florida first down in West Virginia territory.

A few plays later, with the Gators driving at the WVU 38-yard line, disaster struck. Peace attempted to fire a quick pass, but the wet ball slipped out of his hand and flew straight up into the air. He whirled around in a panicked circle to try to locate the ball to no avail. Defensive lineman Todd Campbell recovered for the Mountaineers, and Nehlen’s offense took over at their own 48-yard line.

“It was our only drive, and it ended in a turnover,” Pell lamented after the game.

West Virginia would not make Florida pay for the Peace fumble, but they did go on to add three field goals before halftime. WVU kicker Paul Woodside went on to set a Peach Bowl record with four field goals in the game. The last was courtesy of an Ivory Curry fumble during the kick return with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half. The Mountianeers led the Gators 16-0 at the half.

Neither team passed the ball all that effectively through the rain in the first half. But West Virginia outrushed the Gators with 105 to -12 yards. The Mountaineers were also up four in the turnover margin after the Gators turned the ball over on five occasions in the first half.

The second half wasn’t much better. The Gators fell behind 26-0 before a late 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bob Hewko to tight end Chris Faulkner. The two-point conversion failed, and the final tally of 26-6 was set. UF finished the game with 105 total yards (135 passing and -30 rushing).

The Gators ended the season on a sour note just one game removed from their best performance of the season. Pell took full responsibility for the lackluster performance: “I think overconfidence was a factor. I think execution was a factor. Yes, the weather was part of it, but it wasn’t the difference. They whipped us and outexecuted us.”

“It seemed like every time we get something going, we fall right back,” Peace said after the game. “We’ve got a lot of growing up to do over the winter.”

Florida’s 7-5 record fell short of expectations with a couple of ugly losses, but the country was starting to take notice of Charley Pell and the Gators.

Built by Pell: Clemson captures the 1981 national championship

Clemson finished the season 12-0 with a victory over Tom Osborne and the Cornhuskers in Miami. The Tigers built a 22-7 lead in the third quarter and held on to secure their first national championship in school history with a 22-15 victory.