1980 LSU Tigers football team

The 1980 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Jerry Stovall, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 7–4, with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished tied for fourth in the SEC.^[1]

1980 LSU Tigers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	7–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach	Jerry Stovall (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	George Belu (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Greg Williams (2nd season)
Home stadium	Tiger Stadium
Seasons ← 1979 1981 →

1980 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Georgia $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
No. 19 Mississippi State	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 6 Alabama	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Florida	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Kentucky	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Auburn	0	–	6	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Bo Rein was hired November 30, 1979 after four seasons at North Carolina State as the successor to Charles McClendon, who compiled a 137–59–7 record in 18 seasons. Rein's tenure was cut short after only 42 days when he died in a plane crash January 10, 1980.

Stovall, a former LSU All-America, nine-year National Football League veteran with the St. Louis Cardinals and previously an assistant coach under McClendon, was approved as Rein's successor approximately 36 hours after the plane crash.

LSU was tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference following a Nov. 1 victory over Ole Miss, but subsequent one-sided road losses to Alabama and Mississippi State, plus an ugly September loss to Rice, led bowls to snub the Tigers.

LSU ended on a high note by drubbing bowl-bound Tulane, the Tigers' only win vs. the Green Wave between 1979 and 1982.

As of 2024, this is the last LSU team to finish with a winning record and not be invited to a bowl.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	No. 13 Florida State*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 0–16	77,535	[2]
September 13	Kansas State*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	W 21–0	75,405	[3]
September 20	Colorado*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	W 23–20	74,999	[4]
September 27	at Rice*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 7–17	41,000	[5]
October 4	at No. 19 Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	W 24–7	59,299	[6]
October 11	Auburn	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 21–17	76,094	[7]
October 18	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 17–10	57,800	[8]
November 1	Ole Miss	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 38–16	71,422	[9]
November 8	at No. 6 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 7–28	60,210	[10]
November 15	at No. 19 Mississippi State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	L 31–55	48,863	[11]
November 22	Tulane*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (Battle for the Rag)	W 24–7	69,248	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

Roster

1980 LSU Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 7 Alan Risher So WR 21 Tracy Porter Sr WR 32 Orlando McDaniel Jr RB 47 Hokie Gajan Sr TE 89 Greg LaFleur Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 4 Chris Hutchinson So CB 10 Frank Killeen So CB 11 James Britt Jr S 22 Chris Williams Sr NG 60 George Atyieh Sr LB 51 Albert Richardson So DE 70 Leonard Marshall So LB 94 Lyman White Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 5 David Johnston Jr	Head coach Jerry Stovall Coordinators/assistant coaches George Belu – Offensive coordinator/offensive line Bob Gatling – Quarterbacks Darrel Moody – Running backs Stephen Regan – Wide receivers Otis Washington – Offensive line Greg Williams – Defensive coordinator/defensive backs Pete Jenkins – Defensive line Bishop Harris – Outside linebackers Bobby Morrison – Inside linebackers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster