Misplaced Pages

The 1959 Orange Bowl featured the Syracuse Orangemen (8–1) and the Oklahoma Sooners (9–1) in the 25th annual Orange Bowl, played on Thursday, January 1, 1959, at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami.

Background

This was Oklahoma's fourth Orange Bowl in six seasons while Syracuse was making their second Orange Bowl appearance in six seasons. Oklahoma had won its thirteenth straight Big Seven title and Syracuse was an independent. The first of the day's four major bowl games, kickoff was at 1 p.m. EST on CBS television, and Oklahoma was a thirteen-point favorite.

Game summary

Oklahoma scored early with a Prentice Gautt rushing touchdown three minutes into the game. With the quarter running down, Syracuse fumbled the ball back to the Sooners after driving to the Sooners red zone. With 2:56 left in the quarter, Brewster Hobby caught a lateral and then passed to Ross Coyle, who ran 79 yards for the touchdown and a 14–0 lead. After a scoreless second quarter, Hobby sealed the game when he returned a Syracuse punt 40 yards for a touchdown to make it 21–0 after three quarters.

Mark Weber gave the Orangemen their only points on his touchdown run after a 69-yard drive, but the two-point conversion failed on an incomplete pass, and that was the end of the scoring. Despite Syracuse's run attack, two fumbles by the backs and two passes that were intercepted doomed the Orange as Oklahoma won their fourth Orange Bowl in six seasons.

Aftermath

In the following season, Syracuse went undefeated and won the national title.

Statistics

Source:

References

1. ^ "Oklahoma lives up to press notices in win". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). UPI. January 2, 1959. p. 2.
2. "Explosive Oklahoma whips Syracuse in Orange Bowl". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1959. p. 17.
3. Segreti, James (January 2, 1959). "Sooners' fast start defeats Syracuse, 21-6". Chicago Tribune. p. 3, sec. 3.
4. "Bowls at glance". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 1, 1959. p. 14.
5. "1959 | Orange Bowl". Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
6. "1959 Orange Bowl".
7. "1959 Orange Bowl". Oklahoma Sooners Football Media Guide. Oklahoma Sooners Athletics. p. 154. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
8. "Sooners speed past Syracuse". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1959. p. 3B.

This college football bowl article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• 1958–59 NCAA football bowl games
• Orange Bowl
• Oklahoma Sooners football bowl games
• Syracuse Orange football bowl games
• 1959 in sports in Florida
• January 1959 sports events in the United States
• College football bowl stubs