1966 Liberty Bowl
1966 Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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8th Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Date | December 10, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season | Network ABC | | |||||||||||||||||||
The 1966 Liberty Bowl was a post-season American
Teams
This was the second time that the two programs had faced each other.[4] The previous meeting, held in 1953, ended in a 26–0 shutout victory for Miami.[4]
VPI
VPI was led on defense by All-America safety Frank Loria, who caught three interceptions and returned three punts for touchdowns as a junior during the 1966 season.[5] In addition, defensive end George Foussekis was named to the Associated Press second-team All-America team,[6] and helped keep the Hurricanes' offense in check for most of the game. On offense,
The game marked just the second time that VPI had played in a bowl game since they first fielded a football team in 1892, following the 1947 Sun Bowl. Future Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer participated in the game as a backup cornerback for VPI.[10]
Miami
The ninth-ranked Hurricanes boasted a 7–2–1 regular-season record, including wins over three teams that played in New Year's bowl games--
Game summary
The game kicked off in frigid 36 °F (2 °C) weather,
In the second half, VPI's fortune turned. Late in the third quarter, their defense stopped Miami's offense again, but instead of receiving the punt cleanly, VPI committed a
Statistics
VPI | UM | |
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 7 | 11 |
Total yards | 111 | 163 |
Passing yards | 75 | 108 |
Rushing yards | 36 | 55 |
Penalties | 6–57 | 7–80 |
Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
Miami's Jimmy Cox was named the game's most valuable player after catching five passes for 77 yards—accounting for nearly half of Miami's total offensive output.[3][16] Miami earned just three rushing first downs during the game, setting a Liberty Bowl record that has yet to be broken.[17]
Each team had two players pass the ball. VPI's Tommy Stafford finished the game having completed four 13 passes for 59 yards and one interception. Several times during the game, VPI had also played with Barker passing the ball. He finished having completed two of his three passes for 13 yards. On the Miami side of the ball, Miller completed nine of 26 passes for 99 yards and Olivo completed one pass for nine yards.[3]
On the ground, VPI's Tommy Francisco led all runners with 21
See also
Notes
- ^ VPI became Virginia Tech in 1970, and the team's nickname became Hokies in 1981.
References
- Sunday News. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. AP. December 11, 1966. p. 48. Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Bowl History: Results and Attendance by Year Archived 2008-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Libertybowl.org, Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 1966 Liberty Bowl Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, Blacksburg, Virginia. Accessed February 20, 2008.
- ^ a b Opponent History: Miami Opponent history database, Hokiesports.com. Accessed January 23, 2008.
- ^ Virginia Tech 2007 Football Media Guide "Hokie All-Americans", p. 174. Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, Blacksburg Virginia. Accessed January 23, 2008.
- ^ Virginia Tech 2007 Football Media Guide "Second & Third-Team All-Americans", p. 175. Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, Blacksburg Virginia. Accessed January 23, 2008.
- ^ 2002 Notable Sports Deaths "July 19", The Associated Press, CNNSI.com. December 29, 2002. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ a b Coaches Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Libertybowl.org, Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Virginia Tech 2007 Football Media Guide "Year-by-Year Scores and Results", p. 180. Virginia Tech Sports Information Department, Blacksburg Virginia. Accessed January 23, 2008.
- ^ Frank Beamer Archived May 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Virginia Tech Athletics Department, Hokiesports.com. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ 2006 Miami Hurricanes Media Guide Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine University of Miami Athletics Department, Miami, Florida. Page 145. Accessed February 20, 2008.
- ^ a b 2006 MPC Computers Bowl Media Guide Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine University of Miami Athletics Department, Miami, Florida. Page 80. Accessed February 20, 2008.
- ^ Ted Hendricks Pro Football Hall of Fame, profootballhof.com. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ 2006 MPC Computers Bowl Media Guide Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine University of Miami Athletics Department, Miami, Florida. Page 74. Accessed February 20, 2008.
- ^ Opponent History:Miami Opponent history database, Hokiesports.com. Accessed January 23, 2008.
- ^ Most Valuable Players Archived 2007-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Libertybowl.org, Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Team Records Archived 2009-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Libertybowl.org, Accessed March 12, 2008.