1965 Liberty Bowl

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1965 Liberty Bowl
7th Liberty Bowl
1234 Total
Ole Miss 0373 13
Auburn 0700 7
DateDecember 18, 1965
Season1965
StadiumMemphis Memorial Stadium
LocationMemphis, Tennessee
MVPFB Tom Bryan, Auburn
RefereeE.D. Cavette (SEC)
Attendance38,607
Liberty Bowl
 < 1964  1966

The 1965 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Auburn Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels, both of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Played on December 18, 1965, it was the seventh edition of the Liberty Bowl and was won by Ole Miss, 13–7.[1]

Background[edit]

The Rebels had finished 4th in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a rise from the prior year's 7th-place finish. This was the Rebels' 9th straight bowl appearance. As for the Tigers, they finished 2nd in the SEC after tying Tennessee in the beginning of the season and losing to Alabama in the Iron Bowl. This was the first Liberty Bowl played in Memphis, Tennessee, after five editions in Philadelphia and one edition in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The bowl has been played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (originally known as Memphis Memorial Stadium) ever since.

Game summary[edit]

Jimmy Keyes gave the Rebels a 3-0 lead on his 42 yard field goal in the second quarter. With 6:58, Tom Bryan rushed for a touchdown from 44 yards out to make it 7-3 Auburn. Doug Cunningham caught a six yard touchdown pass from Jody Graves to make it 10-7 Rebels in the third quarter. Keyes made it 13-7 on his 30 yard field goal in the following quarter. Auburn had one last chance, reaching the Ole Miss 9. With 33 seconds later, Alex Bowden was sacked on 4th down, clinching the victory for the Rebels. In a losing effort, Tom Bryan rushed for 111 yards on 19 carries.[2]

Aftermath[edit]

Ole Miss reached three more bowl games before the end of the decade. Auburn did not return to a bowl game again until the 1968 Sun Bowl. They later faced Ole Miss in the 1971 Gator Bowl (January).

Statistics[edit]

Statistics Ole Miss Auburn
First downs 12 15
Rushing yards 189 156
Passing yards 24 112
Total yards 213 268
Passing (C-A-I) 4-12-0 11-24-1
Punts-average 9-34.8 8-39
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 5-25 4-29

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Rebs Edge Auburn, 13–7". Kingsport Times-News. December 19, 1965. p. 49. Retrieved July 4, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Ole Miss - History & Records" (PDF). 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.