| Year Game Played: | 1983 |
| Game Name: | Sugar Bowl |
| Subheader: | 49th edition National Championship Game |
| Football Season: | 1982 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Penn State |
| Visitor Nickname: | Nittany Lions |
| Visitor School: | Pennsylvania State University |
| Home Name Short: | Georgia |
| Home Nickname: | Bulldogs |
| Home School: | University of Georgia |
| Visitor Record: | 10–1 |
| Visitor Conference: | Independent |
| Home Record: | 11–0 |
| Home Conference: | SEC |
| Visitor Coach: | Joe Paterno |
| Home Coach: | Vince Dooley |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 2 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 2 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 1 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 1 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 13 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 1Q: | 3 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 6 |
| Date Game Played: | January 1 |
| Stadium: | Louisiana Superdome |
| City: | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Mvp: | Todd Blackledge (Penn State QB) |
| Odds: | Penn State by 4 points |
| Referee: | Vance Carlson (Big Eight) |
| Attendance: | 78,127 |
| Us Network: | ABC |
| Us Announcers Link: | List of announcers of major college bowl games |
| Us Announcers: | Keith Jackson and |
| Navigation 2: | College Football Championship Game |
| Different Previous 2: | 1979 |
| Different Next 2: | 1984 |
The 1983 Sugar Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday, January 1. Part of the 1982–83 bowl game season, it matched the undefeated and top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #2 Penn State Nittany Lions, an independent.[1] Penn State to finish atop the final polls as
See main article: 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season.
See main article: 1982 Penn State Nittany Lions football team.
See main article: 1982 Georgia Bulldogs football team.
The game kicked off shortly after 7 p.m. CST, televised by ABC, at the same time as the Orange Bowl on NBC.[1]
Both teams scored on their first possession of the game. Penn State running back Curt Warner scored on a 2-yard touchdown run and the Nittany Lions He finished the game with 117 yards rushing. Georgia got on the board following a 27-yard field goal from Kevin Butler to make
In the second quarter, after two possessions for each team had ended in punts, Nick Gancitano kicked a 38-yard field goal to put the Nittany Lions ahead, 10–3.
After a 65-yard punt return by Kevin Baugh only resulted in a missed field goal for Penn State, Warner added a 9-yard touchdown run on a 65-yard drive that took just under two minutes. With only 44 seconds left in the first half, Gancitano made a 45-yard field goal for Penn State to take a commanding 20–3 lead.
After the ensuing kick-off, however, quarterback John Lastinger drove the Bulldogs down the field, completing four of five passes, including one that Kevin Harris lateralled to Herschel Walker for a 26-yard gain. With five seconds remaining in the half, Lastinger threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Herman Archie to cut the margin
Opening the second half, Georgia mounted a 64-yard drive, which was capped when Herschel Walker scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the margin to 20–17. Georgia had thus scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions (one to end the first half and one to open the second), with Penn State only touching the ball intermittently to run out the clock in the first half. However, the Bulldogs wouldn't score again for almost 22 minutes of game time and John Lastinger went on to throw two interceptions.
Penn State cashed in on the second one with a 47-yard play-action touchdown pass from Todd Blackledge to wide receiver Gregg Garrity to give Penn State a Lastinger threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Clarence Kay to close the margin to 27–23 with 3:54 left. After the subsequent kick-off, however, Penn State was able to run out the clock, only having to punt as time was expiring.