Grantland Rice Bowl
1965
Tennessee State 14
Ball State 14
Note: Eldridge Dickey, became the first black quarterback to be drafted into the NFL. Dickey was drafted in the first round of the 1968 draft by the Oakland Raiders. Ken Stabler was drafted in the 2nd round. In 1984, Dickey was signed by the Denver Gold of the USFL. Dickey led the Tenssessee State Tigers to undefeated seasons in 1965 and 1966, and he was a three time All America player. Eldridge Dickey died on May 22, 2000 from a stroke.
Safetyman
Noland Smith's 74-yard touchdown punt return late in the fourth quarter
brought Tennessee State from the brink of defeat to a 14-14 tie with
Ball State University in the second annual Grantland Rice Bowl game
Saturday.
Smith, the tiny 160 pound return specialist, fielded the ball at the 26 yard line, slipped through the Ball State kick defenders. Quarterback Eldridge Dickey then hit Johnny Robinson for a two point conversion to tie the score at 14-14 with 2:01 remaining. Tennessee State had missed an extra point attempt in the first period.
A pass interception at the Ball Slate 42 then gave Tennessee State a chance for victory in the final seconds. Eldridge Dickey passed 18 yards to Joe Cooper at the two as the game ended.
Ball State scored both of its touchdowns in the second quarter on drives of 81 and 32 yards after a fumble recovery and a pass interception. Quarterback Frank Houk of Ball State, who received the Granny Award as the game's outstanding player, passes 25 yards to Steve Demuth for the first touchdown and hit Jim Todd with an 18-yard toss for the second. Bill Hajec, who set up the second Ball State touchdown with a 38-yard return of a pass interception, kicked both extra points.
Tennessee State scored in the first period on Dickey's one-yard sneak after recovering a fumble on the Ball State 19. Tennessee State, on a previous drive, had a touchdown nullified by an offside penalty.
Tennessee State drove 74 yards in the fourth quarter, but lost the ball on a fumble at the 14. Bob Coatie recovered.
Ball State, which had used a running attack to win nine regular season games, surprised Tennessee State by going to the air. Houk, who completed 12 of 15 passes for 155 yards, had a string of 10 straight completions.
Both teams remained undefeated with 9-0-1 records. Tennessee State was ranked fifth among the nation's small colleges. The game was played before an integrated crowd of 12,000 in the first college football contest on Tennessee soil between all-Negro team, Tennessee State, and a predominantly all white team.
Ball State News
By BRIAN USHER
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- "They gave us everything we asked, in every game—and so much more." were the words of a proud Cardinal head football coach as he spoke at an awards banquet last Saturday night after the Grantland Rice Bowl.
This was the way Coach Ray Louthen summed up a great- and undefeated- football season that was climaxed earlier that day when his outmanned Cards battled a great Tennessee State team to a 14-14 deadlock.
Over 2,400 Ball State University fans followed the Cardinals nearly 400 miles south to witness a spectacular football clash that wound up in some disappointment and much pride as evidenced by the coach's words Saturday night.
It was another step up for his young university as the players, band and fans made the people down south sit up and take notice when the Cards rolled into town. Before the game even began, the Ball State band caught the attention of the Tennesseans with its bold sound and entrance and then BSU fans poured out of the northwest stands to form a welcoming "alley" for the football players as they burst into the Rice Bowl.
The bigger and faster TSU Tigers, also well-supported by their fans, seized the advantage early in the first quarter as their heralded quarterback, Eldridge Dickey, opened up with a barrage of passes to land the Tigers in paydirt with an early 6-0 lead.
After this shaky start the Ball State defense pulled itself together and shutout the highly-touted TSU offense for the next 50 minutes while the Card offense held onto the football, scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter before that fateful 74-yard return punt with two minutes left threw the game into a tie. But the powerful Tigers were not through yet. A TSU defensive back intercepted a pass by quarterback Frank Houk, who had passed and called a masterful game. With Dickey passing on every play, the Tennessee team marched back up field to the Cardinal 20 yard-line with the clock still running and seconds left.
Dickey rolled out again and hit burley Joseph Cooper on the five with 4 seconds. The big end lowered his head and defensive back Norm Moon met him head-on and cut him down on the two as Bill Hajec piled into the pair to keep Cooper from falling over the goal line.
Time ran out as they unscrambled the pile and both teams remained unbeaten. Both teams had traveled to Murfreesboro with perfect 9-0 records and each refused to yield its claim to an undefeated season.
The Cards ended the first half with a 14-6 lead but without the services of co-captain Steve Psikula, the regular center, who was sidelined with a cracked lower leg bone in the second quarter. Psikula was wheeled back to the sidelines later in the second half on an ambulance cart just in time to see BSU begin losing ground.
Cards quarterback Houk, who was expected to keep the ball on the ground in a running attack, dueled the fabulous Dickey to a standstill as he passed for both BSU touchdowns in the second period.
Houk, who was named the game's most Valuable Player and recipient of the Granny Award, passed to end Steve Demuth in the end zone from 25 yards out for the first Ball State TD and Hajec kicked the extra point.
Hajec set up the second Card score with an alert interception of one of Dickey's throws on the Card 30. Hajec cut to his right behind fine blocking and raced 39 yards to the Tiger 31. Houk, displaying the best passing form of his career, hit Larry Lewis on the 12 with only 27 seconds remaining and fired a bullet to Jim Todd in the end zone with only 14 seconds left in the half. Hajec again added the extra point and the half ended.
The Cardinals were in command again most of the third quarter and late in the period Houk piloted the team on a grim drive from the Card 34 that left BSU on the Tiger 2 as the quarter ended and action switched to the south end of the field. With fourth down and 2 goal line, Houk sent fullback Reeves crashing into the line but he was hauled down at the one-foot line.
Heartened by the goal line stand, the Tennessee offense moved back down the field. But if Ball State blunted a scoring chance, so did the Tennessee team when Bob Coatie pounced on a fumble on the Card 13 to end the drive.
The Cards started pushing the Tiger line back down field but stalled after Houk's gallop to the 35. Then, Nickey Baker turned loose the punt that dropped into the hands of speedy Noland Smith on his own 26-yard line.
Jim Todd, Ball State’s leading rusher, carries in the third quarter.
Tennessee State's QB Eldridge Dickey #10, RB Bill Tucker #32, and WR John Robinson #84.
The Ball State backfield: Front-
Merv Rettenmund,
Coach Ray Louthen.
Back-
Jim Todd,
Denny
Cornelius,
Marv Rettenmund.
Attendance: 12,000
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
TSU- Dickey 1 run (kick
failed)
Second Quarter
BSU- Demuth 25 yard pass from Houk (Hajec kick)
BSU- Todd 18 yard pass from Houk (Hajec kick)
Fourth Quarter
TSU- Smith 74 yard punt
return (Robinson pass from Dickey)
