Experts called it "the Dream Bowl." For Penn State fans, it was simply redemption. The 1983 Sugar Bowl was the type of game that doesn't come along very often -- No. 1 vs. No. 2, to decide the supreme power in college football. The mere thought of watching the top teams in the country duke it out for a national championship left impartial onlookers salivating.

The Nittany Lion faithful saw the game as an opportunity for then-17-year head coach Joe Paterno and company to finally achieve the national recognition they felt they deserved. The Lions had already come up empty-handed after undefeated regular seasons in 1968, '69 and '73, and the folks in Happy Valley longed for a national championship.

Little did they know that the years of heartache would be validated with a victory in one of the most exciting bowl games in college football history.

The task would be daunting, however, as the second-ranked Lions (10-1) faced undefeated No. 1 Georgia, led by Heisman Trophy winner and future NFL star Herschel Walker. The junior running back had amassed 1,752 rushing yards that season, accounting for 61 percent of the Bulldogs' total offense, and Paterno at the time called him "one of the greatest backs that ever played football." Containing Walker became the Lions' key focus and the squad's top motivation in the month leading up to the game.

"We really wanted to come out and stop the Heisman Trophy winner," recalls Lions' co-captain linebacker Ken Kelley. "The guys that we called the 'farm team' that were running the opposing offensive and defensive teams (in practice) were some great young players, but they took a beating that week. We wanted to win that bad, and we never waivered. We had our sights set."

The Penn State defense relied on the memories of the previous season's Fiesta Bowl, in which it held that year's Heisman winner, Marcus Allen, to just 85 yards -- well below his nation-leading 212.9 yards-per-game average.

The Lions also countered with a star running back of their own: senior Curt Warner, who rushed for 1,041 yards in 1982 and wound up holding 41 school records. The media extensively hyped the Warner vs. Walker matchup, but the Penn State back says he never considered it a one-on-one rivalry.

"I was not concerned about Herschel," Warner says. "I was aware of his presence and his awards, but I wasn't going to let it consume me. I was just focused on winning the game and putting all of my efforts into doing that."

Penn State entered the 49th annual Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, 1983, as three-point favorites. A then-record 78,124 fans turned out to the Louisiana Superdome to watch the Lions and Georgia clash for the first time.

On the Lions' opening possession, quarterback Todd Blackledge piloted the offense on an 80-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by Warner. After the teams traded field goals, Penn State's Kevin Baugh returned a punt 66 yards to the Georgia 47-yard line. The Lions seemed poised to take control of the game, but the offense stalled and kicker Nick Gancitano missed a 47-yard field goal.

Warner scored a second touchdown late in the first half and Gancitano added another field goal with 44 seconds remaining, giving the Lions a commanding 20-3 lead. The elusive national championship seemed well within reach -- but that would change very quickly.

Georgia responded with a 66-yard drive, and quarterback John Lastinger's touchdown pass to Herman Archie with five seconds remaining cut the Penn State lead to 10. The elusive Walker finally got on the board in the second half, charging into the end zone on the Bulldogs' first possession to make the score 20-17.

By this time, the Nittany Lion sideline was reeling. Not only had Penn State's 17-point lead been whittled down to just a field goal, but Warner was limping on and off the field between each series with cramps in his lower leg. The team was in need of a spark, and it came in the form of a spectacular catch by receiver Gregg Garrity.

Blackledge faked a handoff to Warner, faded back, and tossed a bomb to Garrity in end zone. The receiver made a diving catch along the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown which rejuvenated the Lions.

"As soon as I saw the ball go up, I knew I was open, and I knew I was going to have a chance to catch it," Garrity recalls. "It just seemed like the ball was hanging up there forever. Todd usually puts a lot of zip on the ball, and he threw a perfect pass, but when a ball is up there that long, you just want it to come down as fast as it can."

Garrity's catch breathed new life into the Penn State offense, but that breath was swiftly sucked out as Georgia recovered a fumble and then drove for a touchdown that made the score 27-23.

Penn State's defense stuffed Walker as he attempted to scramble into the end zone on the ensuing two-point conversion. The Lions were then able to control the ball for the remainder of the fourth quarter, thanks to another clutch reception by Garrity on third down. With six seconds remaining, Ralph Giacomarro punted the ball away, and the Lions' first-ever national championship celebration was underway.

When talking to members of that championship team today, most recall a sense of bewilderment as the clock expired and Paterno was hoisted onto the shoulders of the squad he would soon after annoint "the best football team I ever had."

"It's still hard to explain that feeling," Kelley says. "I remember standing with (center) Dave Opfar in the middle of the field. We were both pumped, but I remember saying to him, 'Wow, we've just won the biggest game in Penn State history, what are we supposed to be feeling now?' "

Warner, who out-gained Walker 117 yards to 103, says it was difficult to comprehend the magnitude of bringing a national championship to a storied football program.

"When you beat the No. 1 team, it's hard to take it away from you," Warner says. "You get this numbing but rewarding feeling. You've spent four years going through a lot of ups and downs, and you're just in disbelief of what's happened."

Garrity, who had four catches for 116 yards, says he was relieved to finally win "the big game" that so many former Penn Staters never had the opportunity to reach. His own father, Jim, played with the Lions from 1952-54, years before any Penn State squad would be crowned champions.

"Just knowing about all those great teams they had, and even though they probably deserved it, none of them ever won a national championship," Garrity says. "Now we were the first. I just felt like it was for all of those teams of the past and the team of the future. It was something that can never be taken away."

For the 170-pound receiver, whose playmaking skills bailed out the Penn State offense that day and helped Blackledge pick up the game's Most Valuable Player award, the completion of Garrity's collegiate career was almost too good to be true.

"If I could write a book, that would be the ending," Garrity says. "When you get one shot to win a national championship and it's the last game of your senior year, that's really special. When you win as a freshman or sophomore, it seems pretty easy, but when you work for four years to get there it's that much more satisfying."

And when you've waited as long as those devoted Lions fans did before a national title, memories of the '83 Sugar Bowl are enough to satisfy you for a lifetime.

Collegian Staff Writer Dustin Dopirak contributed to this story.