1950 Gator Bowl
The 1950 Gator Bowl was the fifth edition of the Gator Bowl and featured the Maryland Terrapins representing the University of Maryland and the Missouri Tigers representing the University of Missouri. It was the first-ever meeting of the two teams.[1]
| 1950 Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 5th Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 2, 1950 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1949 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Gator Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Bob Ward | ||||||||||||||||||
Maryland was led by third-year head coach Jim Tatum, who had engineered one season turn-arounds at Maryland and previously Oklahoma. Missouri was coached by his former boss, Don Faurot, under whom Tatum had previous been an assistant coach for the U.S. Navy's Iowa Pre-Flight team.[2] This game was the first in a six-game series between the former colleagues and would last for the remainder of Tatum's tenure at Maryland.[1]
The game was described as a "proving ground" for the split-T formation, which was employed by both teams. Several prominent Southern coaches were in attendance at the game to watch the formation, including Bob Neyland of Tennessee, Wally Butts of Georgia, Frank Howard of Clemson, George Barclay of Washington & Lee, and Tom Nugent of VMI.[3]
Game summary
In the first quarter, Maryland scored on an 11-yard run by Bob Shemonski. Ed Modzelewski rushed for a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter, followed by a six-yard touchdown run by Shemonski again. The extra point kick was unsuccessful, however. In the final quarter, Phil Klein recorded Missouri's only score on a five-yard touchdown run.[4]
Statistical comparison
Maryland recorded 282 yards of total offense, 266 yards of which came on the ground. Missouri recorded 267 yards total, with 100 rushing and 167 passing yards. Maryland achieved 11 first downs, compared with Missouri's 13. The Terrapins lost two fumbles for one yard while the Tigers lost five fumbles for five yards.[4]
Maryland offensive guard Bob Ward was named the game's Most Valuable Player.[4]
References
- Maryland vs Missouri, 1869–2007, Stassen College Football Information, retrieved 18 January 2009.
- Gary King, The Forgotten Man of Oklahoma Football: Jim Tatum Archived 2009-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Sooner Magazine, University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., Spring 2008, retrieved 17 December 2008.
- Gator Bowl Is Proving Ground For Split-T, The Dispatch, December 22, 1949.
- The 5th Annual Gator Bowl – Historical Box Scores Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, The Gator Bowl Association, retrieved 18 January 2009.