The 1968 Gator Bowl , part of the 1968 bowl game season, took place on December 28, 1968, at the Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville , Florida . The competing teams were the Missouri Tigers , representing the Big Eight Conference , and the Alabama Crimson Tide , representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The game featured two eventual College Football Hall of Fame coaches, Dan Devine at Missouri and Bear Bryant at Alabama. ^[2] Missouri won the game, 35?10.

Teams [ edit ]

Missouri [ edit ]

Missouri finished the regular season with a record of 7?3, with losses to Kentucky , Oklahoma and Kansas . Following the team's loss against Oklahoma, Missouri accepted an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl on November 18. ^[3] The appearance marked the third for Missouri in the Gator Bowl, and the school's 11th overall bowl game. ^[4]

Alabama [ edit ]

The 1968 Alabama squad finished the regular season with an 8?2 record, with its two losses coming by a combined three points to Ole Miss and Tennessee . Following the team's victory over Miami , Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl on November 20. ^[3] The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Gator Bowl, and the school's 22nd overall bowl game . ^[5]

Game summary [ edit ]

The Missouri Tigers scored first, with a Terry McMillan 4-yard touchdown run to complete an eleven-play, 71-yard drive to take a 7?0 lead. ^{[6] [7]}

In the second quarter, Alabama scored their only touchdown of the game after Donnie Sutton intercepted a McMillan pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7?7. ^[6] Missouri retook the lead late in the second when McMillan scored from five yards out to give the Tigers a 14?7 lead at the half. ^[6] After a scoreless third quarter, the Crimson Tide scored their final points of the game on a 28-yard field goal by Mike Dean to cut the Missouri lead to 14?10. Missouri responded with three touchdowns to put the game out of reach. ^[6] The first score was set up after Roger Wehrli intercepted a Neb Hayden pass and returned it to the Bama 21 yard line. Four plays later, McMillan scored his third touchdown of the game on a two-yard run. ^[6] Greg Cook scored next on a 35-yard touchdown run and Dennis Poppe had the final points after returning a Scott Hunter pass 47 yards for a touchdown. ^[6]

For the game, Missouri completed zero passes, but they rushed for 402 yards and they outgained the Crimson Tide 402 yards to 132. ^[8] The 25-point loss was the worst for Alabama in its 22 bowl game history, and the 35 points Missouri scored were the most Alabama had ever surrendered in a bowl game. ^[5]

References [ edit ]