1973 Cotton Bowl Classic

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1973 Cotton Bowl Classic
37th Cotton Bowl Classic
1234Total
Texas037717
Alabama1030013
DateJanuary 1, 1973
Season 1972
Stadium Cotton Bowl
Location Dallas, Texas
MVPLB Randy Braband (Texas)
QB Alan Lowry (Texas)
Referee James Artley (SEC;
split crew: SEC, SWC)
Attendance72,000
United States TV coverage
Network CBS
Announcers Lindsey Nelson, Tom Brookshier and Frank Glieber
Cotton Bowl Classic
 < 1972   1974 > 

The 1973 Cotton Bowl Classic , part of the 1972 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1973, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Texas Longhorns, representing the Southwest Conference (SWC). Texas won the game by a final score of 17–13.

Contents

Teams

Alabama

The 1972 Alabama squad finished the regular season with a 10–1 record and as conference champions. Their only loss came against Auburn in the Iron Bowl by a final score of 17–16 in the famous Punt Bama Punt game. [1] Following their victory over Virginia Tech, university officials announced they accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl. [2] The appearance marked the fourth for Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, their 26th overall bowl game appearance. [2]

Texas

The 1972 Texas squad finished the regular season with a 9–1 record. Their only loss came against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry by a final score of 27–0. Following their victory over TCU, university officials announced they accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl. [2] The appearance marked the fourteenth for Texas in the Cotton Bowl, their 20th overall bowl game appearance and their fifth straight Cotton Bowl appearance after winning their fifth straight Southwest Conference championship by going undefeated in conference play.

Game summary

Alabama opened the game by going up 10–0 as a result of a pair of Alan Lowry interceptions. [3] [4] Steve Wade made both interceptions for the Crimson Tide, and the first resulted in a 50-yard Greg Gantt field goal and the second a 31-yard Wilbur Jackson touchdown. [3] After trading field goals in the second quarter, Alabama took a 13–3 lead at the half. [3] [4] In the second half, the Texas defense shutout the Alabama offense, and a pair of rushing touchdowns from Longhorn quarterback Alan Lowry from three and 34-yards sealed the 17–13 Texas victory. [3] [4]

Scoring summary
QuarterTime Drive TeamScoring informationScore
Plays Yards TOP TexasAlabama
110:067 plays, 17 yards3:33Alabama50-yard field goal by Greg Gantt03
14:491 play, 31 yards00:09Alabama Wilbur Jackson 31-yard touchdown run, Bill Davis kick good010
213:3416 plays, 71 yards6:09Texas24-yard field goal by Billy Schott310
200:037 plays, 66 yards1:33Alabama30-yard field goal by Bill Davis313
34:4315 plays, 59 yards7:17Texas Alan Lowry 3-yard touchdown run, Billy Schott kick good1013
44:227 plays, 80 yards3:20Texas Alan Lowry 34-yard touchdown run, Billy Schott kick good1713
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.1713

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References

  1. Smothers, Jimmy (November 27, 1973). "Gantt makes a promise: No repeat of last year". The Gadsden Times. p. 29. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Reed, Delbert (November 19, 1972). "It's official: Alabama in Cotton Bowl". The Tuscaloosa News. p. B1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Cotton Bowl". 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide (PDF). Tuscaloosa, AL: UA Athletics Media Relations Office. 2010. p. 196. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "1973 Cotton Bowl: Texas 17, Alabama 13". TexasSports.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2011.