1968 Gator Bowl
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| Date | December 28, 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Referee E.D. Cavette (SEC; | split crew: SEC, Big Eight) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 68,011 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1968 Gator Bowl, part of the 1968 bowl game season, took place on December 28, 1968, at the Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The competing teams were the Missouri Tigers, representing the Big Eight Conference, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The game featured two eventual College Football Hall of Fame coaches, Dan Devine at Missouri and Bear Bryant at Alabama.[2] Missouri won the game, 35–10.
Teams
Missouri
Missouri finished the regular season with a record of 7–3, with losses to Kentucky, Oklahoma and Kansas. Following the team's loss against Oklahoma, Missouri accepted an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl on November 18.[3] The appearance marked the third for Missouri in the Gator Bowl, and the school's 11th overall bowl game.[4]
Alabama
The 1968 Alabama squad finished the regular season with an 8–2 record, with its two losses coming by a combined three points to Ole Miss and Tennessee. Following the team's victory over Miami, Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl on November 20.[3] The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Gator Bowl, and the school's 22nd overall bowl game.[5]
Game summary
The Missouri Tigers scored first, with a Terry McMillan 4-yard touchdown run to complete an eleven-play, 71-yard drive to take a 7–0 lead.[6][7]
In the second quarter, Alabama scored their only touchdown of the game after Donnie Sutton
For the game, Missouri completed zero passes, but they rushed for 402 yards and they outgained the Crimson Tide 402 yards to 132.[8] The 25-point loss was the worst for Alabama in its 22 bowl game history, and the 35 points Missouri scored were the most Alabama had ever surrendered in a bowl game.[5]
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References
- ^ "1968". Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
- ^ "College Football Hall of Fame" (English). Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Land, Charles (November 20, 1968). "It's Gator Bowl, Missouri for Crimson Tide". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 8. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^ "College Football Data Warehouse: Missouri bowl games". Archived from the original (English) on May 25, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "College Football Data Warehouse: Alabama bowl games". Archived from the original (English) on October 14, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Land, Charles (December 29, 1968). "Missouri does the showing, 35–10". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 11.
- ^ "The Gator Bowl 1968: AP recap". Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ "1960's Game History". taxslayergatorbowl.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.