1966 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)

The 1966 Cotton Bowl (Dec.) was the 31st edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, December 31. It matched the tenth-ranked SMU Mustangs of the Southwest Conference (SWC) and the #4 Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[3]

1966 Cotton Bowl Classic
31st edition
Georgia Bulldogs SMU Mustangs
(9–1) (8–2)
Southeastern Southwest
24 9
Head coach: 
Vince Dooley		 Head coach: 
Hayden Fry
APCoaches
44
APCoaches
109
1234 Total
Georgia 10707 24
SMU 3600 9
DateDecember 31, 1966
Season1966
StadiumCotton Bowl
LocationDallas, Texas
MVPKent Lawrence (Georgia TB)
George Patton (Georgia T)
FavoriteGeorgia by 6½ to 7 points[1][2]
Attendance75,504
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersJack Drees, Pat Summerall

This "1967 game" was moved up two days to New Year's Eve; because New Year's Day was a Sunday in 1967, the other major bowls (Sugar, Orange, Rose) were played on Monday, January 2. The Dallas Cowboys hosted the NFL Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers at the Cotton Bowl on Sunday.

Teams
Main article: 1966 NCAA University Division football season

SMU
Main article: 1966 SMU Mustangs football team

The #10 Mustangs (8–2) had won the Southwest Conference (SWC) championship (6–1) for the first time since 1948,[4] led by fifth-year head coach Hayden Fry. They won all five games at the Cotton Bowl, their home stadium through 1978.

Georgia
Main article: 1966 Georgia Bulldogs football team

Fourth-ranked Georgia (9–1) shared the Southeastern Conference (SEC) title (6–0) with #3 Alabama, with a one-point loss to Miami as their only blemish. They completed the regular season with a rivalry win over previously undefeated Georgia Tech.[5] Led by Vince Dooley, in the third of his 25 seasons as head coach, the Bulldogs were a seven-point favorite.[1][2] It was their first appearance in a major bowl in seven years.

Game summary

Kickoff for the Saturday game was 1:30 p.m. CST and it was televised by CBS.[6] It is unclear when the decision to play on New Year's Eve was made, but the December 31 game date was in place by late November.[4]

On the second play from scrimmage, Georgia's Kent Lawrence ran 74 yards for a touchdown. SMU responded with a field goal later in the quarter, but Georgia scored ten more points (highlighted by a Billy Payne touchdown catch from Kirby Moore) to lead 17–3. Mike Richardson of SMU scored a touchdown from a yard out to narrow the lead, but the kick was blocked, and it was 17–9 at halftime.

Those were SMU's last points, as Georgia held the Mustangs in check the rest of the game. The Bulldogs scored once more in the fourth quarter, on a four-yard Ronnie Jenkins touchdown run, to seal the game.[7][8] Ultimately, it was Georgia's rushing attack that won the game for the Bulldogs, who had 244 more rushing yards than the Mustangs, who could only muster forty.[9]

Scoring

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

  • Georgia – Ron Jenkins 4-yard run (Etter kick)
Source:[7][8]

Statistics
Statistics  SMU  Georgia
First Downs1117
Yards Rushing40284
Yards Passing16579
Passing (C–A–I)10–20–36–14–1
Total Yards205363
Punts–Average4–36.54–28.5
Fumbles–Lost1–12–1
Turnovers42
Penalties–Yards7–453–37
Source:[7][8]

References
  1. "Tennessee, Georgia bowl picks". Pittsbrgh Press. UPI. December 30, 1966. p. 21.
  2. "Georgia hopes Jenkins ready". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. December 31, 1966. p. 6.
  3. "SMUMUSTANGS.COM 1966 COTTON BOWL - GEORGIA 24, SMU 9 - Official Athletic Site Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on 2015-01-12. Retrieved 2014-12-28.
  4. "'Big Play' leads SMU into Cotton Bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 27, 1966. p. 5B.
  5. "'Dogs slip Tech first defeat, 23-14". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 27, 1966. p. 4B.
  6. "Georgia's rated best". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 31, 1966. p. 9.
  7. Ratliff, Harold (January 1, 1967). "'Dogs reap Cotton Bowl harvest, 24-9". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 1B.
  8. "Georgia power grinds down SMU, 24-9, in Cotton Bowl". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 1, 1967. p. 1, section 4.
  9. "38-49.pmd" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-01-12. Retrieved 2014-12-28.
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