1972 Orange Bowl

The 1972 Orange Bowl was the 38th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 1. The final game of the 1971–72 bowl season, it matched the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Both teams were undefeated; Nebraska, the defending national champion, built a large lead in the first half and won 38–6.[1][2][3][4][5]

1972 Orange Bowl
38th Orange Bowl
National Championship Game
Alabama Crimson Tide Nebraska Cornhuskers
(11–0) (12–0)
SEC Big Eight
6 38
Head coach: 
Paul Bryant		 Head coach: 
Bob Devaney
APCoaches
22
APCoaches
11
1234 Total
Alabama 0060 6
Nebraska 141437 38
DateJanuary 1, 1972
Season1971
StadiumOrange Bowl
LocationMiami, Florida
MVPJerry Tagge   (Nebraska QB)
Willie Harper (Nebraska DE)
FavoriteNebraska by 6 points [1]
RefereeR. Pete Williams (SEC)
(split crew between SEC and Big Eight)
Attendance78,151
United States TV coverage
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersJim Simpson and Kyle Rote

Teams
Main article: 1971 NCAA University Division football season

Alabama
Main article: 1971 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Nebraska
Main article: 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Game summary

Six-point favorite Nebraska entered the game on a 31-game unbeaten streak,[1][6] and scored first on a two-yard touchdown run by Jeff Kinney. Future Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers scored on a 77-yard punt return on the final play of the first quarter, as Nebraska led 14–0. In the second quarter, quarterback Jerry Tagge and Gary Dixon added touchdown runs of one and two yards respectively, as Nebraska led convincingly 28–0 with over eight minutes remaining in the first half. There was no additional scoring before halftime as the Husker defense stifled the Tide's previously potent Wishbone offense with All-American running back Johnny Musso.[7]

In the third quarter, Bama's Terry Davis scored on a three–yard touchdown run making the score 28–6, eliminating the shutout. Nebraska's Rich Sanger kicked a 21-yard field goal at the end of the third quarter, and a one-yard touchdown run by reserve senior QB Van Brownson made the final score 38–6.[4]

With top-ranked Nebraska's 32-point victory, the 1972 Orange Bowl was one of the most lopsided meetings of #1 vs #2, specifically in a season-ending bowl game.

Scoring
First quarter
Second quarter
  • Nebraska – Tagge 1-yard run (Rich Sanger kick), 12:43
  • Nebraska – Gary Dixon 2-yard run (Sanger kick), 8:49
Third quarter
  • Alabama  – Terry Davis 2-yard run (run failed), 5:49
  • Nebraska – Sanger 21-yard field goal, 0:00
Fourth quarter
  • Nebraska – Van Brownson 1-yard run (Sanger kick), 4:45
Source:[1][2][3][8][9]

Statistics
Statistics Alabama Nebraska
First Downs1615
Rushes–yards58–24147–133
Passing yards47159
Passes (C–A–I)3–13–211–20–0
Total Offense71–28867–292
Punts–average7–43.35–42.4
Fumbles–lost5–23–2
Turnovers42
Yards penalized4–584–50
Source:[1][2][3][8][9]

Final polls

Nebraska (13–0) was first in both major polls and was the consensus national champion, having defeated the next three teams in the final AP Poll released on January 3: Oklahoma, Colorado, and Alabama.[10][11][12] The Huskers earned all 55 first-place votes in the AP poll; in the UPI coaches poll released in early December, they received 29 of the 31 first-place votes, with the other two to Alabama.[13]

References
  1. Taylor, Jim (January 2, 1972). "Nebraska blast Alabama". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. F1.
  2. "Nebraska rips Tide, still No. 1". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1972. p. 1, sports.
  3. Reed, Delbert (January 2, 1972). "Cornhuskers kill Crimson Tide dream, 38-6". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). p. 1B.
  4. Jenkins, Dan (January 10, 1972). "All yours, Nebraska". Sports Illustrated: 8.
  5. "Huskers the greatest?". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 3, 1972. p. 2B.
  6. "Orange coaches cautious". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 1, 1972. p. 11.
  7. Grimsley, Will (January 3, 1972). "College grid power switches to Big 8". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. (Florida). Associated Press. p. 18.
  8. "Game-by-game recaps: 1972" (PDF). 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl media guide. January 2019. p. 35.
  9. "Bowl games: 1972 Orange Bowl" (PDF). 2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers football media guide. (supplement). 2005.
  10. Thomas, Ben (January 5, 1971). "Nebraska wins the vote as nation's best college club". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 3B.,
  11. "Huskers solid No. 1". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. January 4, 1972. p. 20.
  12. 1970 College AP Poll cfbdatawarehouse.com
  13. Madden, Bill (December 7, 1971). "Coaches agree". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. p. 32.
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