1938 Orange Bowl

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1938 Orange Bowl
4th Orange Bowl
1234 Total
Auburn 0600 6
Michigan State 0000 0
DateJanuary 1, 1938
Season
Referee
Tom Thorp[1]
Attendance18,972
Orange Bowl
 < 1937  1939

The 1938 Orange Bowl was a

Burdine Stadium in Miami, Florida, on January 1, 1938. It was the fourth Orange Bowl, and the first held in the stadium. The Tigers won by a score of 6–0, with the game's only points coming in the second quarter on a two-yard touchdown
run by Ralph O'Gwynne. The game holds the Orange Bowl record for the fewest points scored by both teams.

Pre-game buildup

The 1938 Orange Bowl was the fourth game in the annual series. It was the first to be played at Burdine Stadium, which had been built at a cost of $360,000 after the first three games were held in Miami Stadium.[2][3] A total of 18,972 people attended the contest, more than doubling the event's highest attendance to that point,[4] in the stadium that in 1959 had its name changed to the Miami Orange Bowl.[3]

At a meeting of college football coaches, 10 were asked by the Associated Press to pick winners of bowl games. Of the eight coaches who responded, all but one selected Auburn to win the Orange Bowl.[5]

Michigan State

Michigan State, coached by Charlie Bachman, began the 1937 college football season with a 34–6 home victory over Wayne State. The Spartans, who were not members of an athletic conference,[6] then traveled to Ann Arbor and defeated Michigan by a score of 19–14. One week later, the Spartans lost 3–0 to Manhattan in a game played in New York City. Michigan State then went on a six-game winning streak to end the regular season, which included victories against Missouri, Kansas, and Temple. Four of the Spartans' eight wins during the season were by a margin of at least 14 points.[7] The Spartans were invited to the Orange Bowl, and agreed to participate on November 30.[8]

Auburn

The Tigers—often nicknamed the "Plainsmen" by the media of the time[9][10]—were coached by Jack Meagher. Auburn started the season by defeating Birmingham–Southern 45–0. That game was followed by consecutive scoreless ties against Tulane and Villanova. The Tigers then won in Birmingham against Mississippi State, 33–7, and at Georgia Tech, 21–0, to improve to 3–0–2 on the season. On October 30, the Tigers lost for the first time in 1937, falling 13–7 to Rice. In their remaining four games, Auburn defeated Tennessee 20–7, lost at LSU 9–7, tied 0–0 with Georgia, and won 14–0 over Florida.[11] Auburn accepted its invitation six days after Michigan State, having gained permission from the rest of its conference, the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[9] The Tigers needed a change in SEC rules to participate in the Orange Bowl because the conference had instituted a ban on postseason participation in games other than the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl earlier in 1937.[12] On December 10, the SEC dropped its ban, provided that a majority of the conference's membership voted in favor of a team's bowl appearance.[13]

Game summary

The Miami Orange Bowl stadium was the site of the 1938 Orange Bowl

In the first quarter, Auburn threatened twice to score the game's first points, but could not convert on either occasion. First, the Tigers used running plays by

turned the ball over on a Tom McShannock interception of a Kelly pass attempt.[1] McShannock returned the interception 29 yards downfield, but the Spartans were unable to gain a first down during the subsequent drive.[14] Late in the quarter, Kelly gained 26 yards on a running play, giving the Tigers a field position advantage.[10]

At the beginning of the second quarter, Meagher pulled Auburn's starters from the game, and inserted the team's backups.

During the third quarter, Pearce gained 29 yards on a rush, giving the Spartans their first first down of the game.

red zone. No points were scored on the drive, as a fourth-down pass into the end zone was unsuccessful.[1]

Auburn entered the fourth quarter still leading 6–0. The team attempted to increase its lead with a 50-yard drive, which advanced the ball to the Spartans' 26-yard-line. Again, Michigan State's defense held, and the Tigers were unable to pad the lead.[1] Auburn again threatened to score later in the quarter, moving the ball inside the Spartans' 30-yard-line, but was turned away once more without scoring. Meanwhile, the Spartans gained their second first down of the contest in the middle of the quarter when Pingel completed a 23-yard pass.[14] Michigan State was later forced to punt once more without crossing the 50-yard-line.[10] Aronstam wrote that "The Spartans opened a shoot-the-works offensive in the final quarter, but could not penetrate Auburn's stout line with any degree of consistency."[1] The game ended without further scoring, resulting in a 6–0 victory for the Tigers.[14]

Statistical summary

Auburn gained 13 first downs during the game, 11 more than Michigan State, and had a large advantage in total offense, 278 yards to 65. The Tigers ran for 197 yards on the day;[16] Fenton led the team with 76 yards rushing, and Kelly, Heath, and Sitz added 61, 37, and 31 yards respectively. O'Gwynne, who scored the game's only points with his second-quarter touchdown, had 13 rushing yards. For the Spartans, Pearce gained 29 of the team's 40 rushing yards. Pingel, who was named an All-America halfback for his performance during 1937, carried the ball seven times for 12 yards.[14] In the passing game, the Tigers had the advantage in yards gained, 81–25. Both teams were unsuccessful on more than half their pass attempts. however, and there were nearly as many interceptions (five) as passes completed (six).[16] The game's total of six points remains the fewest scored by both teams in an Orange Bowl. Auburn holds the Orange Bowl record for the fewest points scored by a winning team, and the Spartans were one of eight teams to be shut out in an Orange Bowl.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Aronstam, H. J. (January 2, 1938). "Auburn Beats Michigan State In Orange Bowl". The Wilmington Sunday Morning Star. pp. 25–26. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  2. ^ Capital One Orange Bowl 2016 Official Media Guide, pp. 12–13, 24.
  3. ^ a b Grasso, p. 293.
  4. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 1452.
  5. ^ "Coaches Favor Auburn in Orange Bowl Game". Sarasota Herald. Associated Press. December 31, 1937. p. 6. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  6. ^ "1937 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  7. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 513.
  8. The Evening Independent
    . Associated Press. November 30, 1937. p. 4A. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Auburn to Play Michigan State in Orange Bowl Tilt". Sarasota Herald. Associated Press. December 7, 1937. p. 6. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rollins, Larry (January 2, 1938). "Auburn Licks Michigan State, 6–0". The Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Associated Press. p. 21. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  11. ^ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 132.
  12. ^ "Ban on Bowl Football Games Raises Heated Controversy in South". The Spartanburg Herald. Associated Press. March 9, 1937. p. 9. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  13. St. Petersburg Times
    . p. 16. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  14. ^ a b c d e f 2008 Michigan State Football Media Guide (PDF). Michigan State University. 2008. p. 234. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Capital One Orange Bowl 2016 Official Media Guide, p. 24.
  16. ^ a b c "Auburn Squeaks by Spartans". Orange Bowl. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  17. ^ Capital One Orange Bowl 2016 Official Media Guide, pp. 20–22.

Bibliography