1974 Gator Bowl
| 1974 Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 30, 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Gator Bowl Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | QB Phil Gargis (Auburn) RB Earl Campbell (Texas) |
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| Attendance | 63,811 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1974 Gator Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Auburn Tigers and the Texas Longhorns.
Background
Auburn started 7-0 on the season, reaching as high as 5th in the polls, before a loss to #11 Florida. A loss to #2 Alabama three weeks later sealed their fate in 2nd place in the Southeastern Conference alongside Georgia. The Longhorns tied for 2nd in the Southwest Conference, with a 3-2 start ending with five victories in their final six games of the regular season, including a victory over #9 ranked Texas A&M. This was the 7th straight bowl appearance for both the Tigers and the Longhorns. This was Auburn's third Gator Bowl of the decade, and the first ever appearance in the Gator Bowl for the Longhorns.
Game summary
After Texas punted the ball to the Auburn 40 after failing to advance the ball from their own 4 after the opening kickoff. Auburn promptly drove the ball 60 yards, culminated by a 7 yard pass from Phil Gargis to Ed Butler. After the Longhorns fumbled the ball at their own 27, the Tigers scored two plays later, on a Mitzi Jackson touchdown plunge, nine minutes into the game. The Longhorns drove from their 23 to the Auburn 18, before they settled for a Billy Scott field goal from 35 yards out. In the second quarter, Jim McKinney blocked a Longhorn punt that fell into the endzone for a safety, making it 16-3 at halftime. In the fourth quarter, a Mike Fuller interception gave the Tigers the ball at the Longhorn 29. A few plays later, Butler caught another touchdown pass from Gargis (with Nugent catching the conversion pass) to make it 24-3. With nine seconds remaining, the Tigers added in their final points on a Chris Wilson 28 yard field goal. Phil Gargis went 6-of-11 for 60 yards and 2 interceptions and 2 touchdowns, with 14 carries for 51 yards, in a co-MVP effort. Earl Campbell went for 91 yards on 23 carries for the Longhorns in an co-MVP effort. [1]
Aftermath
Jordan retired the following season. The Tigers did not return to a bowl until 1982. Neither has returned to the Gator Bowl since this game.
Statistics
| Statistics | Texas | Auburn |
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| First Downs | 14 | 19 |
| Rushing Yards | 203 | 256 |
| Passing Yards | 98 | 70 |
| Total Offense | 301 | 326 |
| Passing (C-A-I) | 10-21-3 | 7-13-2 |
| Punts-Average | 4-28.8 | 2-45.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 5-4 | 7-5 |
| Penalties-Yards | 5-37 | 6-70 |
| Time of Possession | 28:06 | 31:54 |
