1971 Liberty Bowl
The 1971 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers, played on December 20, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee. In the 13th edition of the Liberty Bowl, ninth-ranked Tennessee defeated 18th-ranked Arkansas, 14–13.[2]
| 1971 Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 13th Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 20, 1971 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1971 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Memphis Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Joe Ferguson, Arkansas[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 45,410 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Schenkel, Bud Wilkinson | ||||||||||||||||||||
Setting
#18 Arkansas
Arkansas defeated #7 Cal in War Memorial Stadium to open the season, but suffered a one-point defeat to an unranked Tulsa team two weeks later. The Hogs would upset #10 Texas in Little Rock also, but lost to Texas A&M and tied Rice, costing the Hogs the Southwest Conference.
Game summary
The Volunteers took the lead first, with a two-yard run by Bill Rudder. The Hogs responded with a 36-yard TD strike from Joe Ferguson to Jim Hodge. Scoring wouldn't resume until the fourth quarter, when Razorback Bill McClard kicked 19- and 30-yard field goals. A third McClard kick was good, set up by Louis Campbell's third interception, but a penalty kept the Hogs off the board a fourth time. Arkansas fumbled at their own 36-yard line, and Tennessee's Curt Watson scored three plays later.
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arkansas set a Liberty Bowl record with 104 interception return yards in the contest. This record still stands today.[3] Louis Campbell of Arkansas had three interceptions, also a Liberty Bowl Record.[4]
References
- "Liberty Bowl – Most Valuable Players." Article. Archived August 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- "Liberty Bowl – Bowl History." Article. Archived March 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- "Liberty Bowl – Team Records." Article. Archived December 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- "Liberty Bowl – Individual Records." Article. Archived November 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 13, 2009.