Hokie ClubMIAMI 20, VIRGINIA TECH 10
January 2, 1981 - Atlanta, Ga.
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium - Att: 45,384
ATLANTA, Ga. - Explosive Miami of Florida fought off a gallant Virginia Tech comeback to defeat the Hokies, 20-10, in the 13th annual Peach Bowl game.
The Hurricanes scored two touchdowns in the first 16 minutes of the game and appeared to be on their way to an easy triumph after thwarting two Tech threats with interceptions at the goal line. The Hokies, however, had other ideas, holding 18th-ranked Miami to just two field goals the rest of the way.
Over 14,000 Tech fans cheered the Hokies on as they closed the gap to 14-10.
First, place-kicker Dennis Laury booted a Peach Bowl record-tying 42-yard field goal with just 29 seconds remaining in the first half. Then, midway through the third quarter, tailback Cyrus Lawrence capped an 80-yard Tech drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge. The big play in the drive was a 44-yard pass from quarterback Steve Casey to tight end Rob Purdham.
Suddenly, the Hurricanes' lead was just four. But poor field position, penalties and the tough Miami defense prevented Tech from getting any closer.
Lawrence, who lost out in the most valuable offensive player voting to UM quarterback Jim Kelly, rushed for 134 yards on 27 carries. Kelly completed 11 of 22 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.
The Hokie defense, which limited UM to six points after the 13:47 mark of the second quarter, was led by freshman linebacker Ashley Lee's 15 tackles. Safety Mike Scharnus contributed eight tackles and an interception while end Robert Brown and linebacker Mike Johnson were in on eight tackles each.
Miami 7 7 3 3 - 20
Virginia Tech 0 3 7 0 - 10
UM (12:37 re 1st) - Brodsky 15 pass from Kelly (Miller kick)
UM (13:47 re 2nd) - Hobbs 12 run (Miller kick)
VT (0:29 re 2nd) - FG Laury 42
VT (8:52 re 3rd) - Lawrence 1 run (Laury kick)
UM (0:29 re 3rd) - FG Miller 31
UM (6:27 re 4th) - FG Miller 31
| Team Statistics | UM | VT |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 19 | 7 |
| Rushes-yds. | 40-157 | 50-180 |
| Passing yds. | 179 | 119 |
| Total off. | 336 | 299 |
| Passes | 11-22-1 | 9-24-2 |
| Punts-avg. | 5-37.0 | 6-38.1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-1 | 3-0 |
| Penalties-yds. | 6-66 | 7-72 |
Individual Leaders
Rushing - VT, Lawrence 27-134, Dovel 9-41, Casey 13-8, Paige 1-(-3); UM, Roan 16-86, Hobbs 10-66, Neal 4-17, Rush 2-5, Jornea 2-1, Griffin 2-5, Kelly 5-(-21).
Passing - VT, Casey 9-23-1-119, Lawrence 0-1-1-0; UM, Kelly 11-22-1-179.
Receiving - VT, Purdham 2-56, Giacolone 2-30, Hite 2-15, McKee 1-8, Snell 1-8, Dovel 1-2; UM, Brodsky 4-80, Baratta 2-34, Belk 1-27, Walker 2-26, Rodriguez 1-7, Hobbs 1-5.