Orange Bowl
1954
Oklahoma 7
Maryland 0
College
Park, Maryland was the home to the nation’s #1 football team in 1953.
The Terrapins finished the season with a perfect record at 10-0 and had
outscored the opposition 298-31. Coach Jim Tatum was named the national
coach of the year and the team boasted a host of All-Americans.
Operating out of the split T, Maryland ranked sixth in the nation in
total offense with a 359.5 yard average. On defense, the team yielded
only 193.2 yards per game and led the country in rushing (83.9) and
scoring defense (3.1). After the Terps downed Miami 30-0, Hurricanes
coach Andy Gustafson summed up the nation’s top team by saying,
“Maryland has one of the greatest teams I’ve ever seen.” The Terps had
tied with Duke as champions in the inaugural year of the ACC.
The 1954 Orange Bowl would be the first game of a contract that pitted the champion of the Big Seven against the ACC champion. The Big Seven representative was Oklahoma. The Sooners went through conference play undefeated after having been beaten by Notre Dame and tied by Pitt earlier in the season. They entered the Orange Bowl at 8-1-1 and ranked fourth in the nation. But, they were solid 7 point underdogs to Maryland.
The two teams were the dominant powers of college football in the 1950’s, Oklahoma having won the national title in 1950 and Maryland in the final polls of ’53. Controversy abounded before the game in the form of comments by Maryland Coach Jim Tatum. The previous season, following the Notre Dame-Oklahoma game, he was quoted as saying that the only players from either squad that he could use at Maryland were All-Americans Johnny Lattner and Billy Vessels. This offended both schools. Prior to the Orange Bowl, Tatum reminded the press that, while he was coaching at OU in 1946, OU Coach Bud Wilkinson had been his assistant and had learned the split-T from him. Sooner fans thought Tatum was making an alibi for himself by publicly bemoaning the loss of his much-heralded quarterback, Bernie Faloney, to injury. On December 30, Tatum had disallowed members of the pro-Oklahoma press from attending Maryland scrimmages.
In the first quarter, a poor kick had set Maryland up deep in Sooners’ territory. The Terps quickly moved the ball to Oklahoma's 4-yard line for a first down. On the first play from scrimmage, Maryland made a slight gain. On the second play, Maryland added a few feet. On third down Maryland moved to about the 1 yard line. On fourth and a matter of feet, Oklahoma held. The Sooners line had taken all Maryland could give and remained firm. Oklahoma would repeat this feat by holding the Terps inside the ten later in the game.
In the second quarter, Oklahoma's Larry Grigg started from the Maryland 25, was almost tackled by a Maryland defender, but broke loose and wiggled his way across for the go ahead score. Buddy Leake converted and the score was 7-0. That was the story of the game. It was the only score as Oklahoma’s offensive and defensive lines controlled the ballgame.
There were many heroes for OU that afternoon. The 1954 game was the first bowl game in which the players had to play both ways. Sooner hero Grigg also played defensive back. Reserve quarterback, Jack Van Pool, came in to replace Gene Calame who was injured. He played mistake free. Jack Ging's running in the closing four minutes of play picked up critical first down yardage and kept the ball out of Maryland’s hands.
As the final polls were conducted before the bowl games in 1953, Maryland was proclaimed the national champion.
OU's Buddy Leake punts from his own endzone in the first quarter giving Maryland great field position.
Grigg squirms across for the only, and winning, touchdown
The Sooners celebrate by carrying their coaches off the field. That's Wilkinson falling in the middle.
Maryland and Oklahoma defined football power in the 1950's
Attendance- 68,178
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
OU- Griggs 25-yard run (Leake kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UM- Felton 10-51
OU- Griggs 13-89
Passing
UM- Boxold 3-9-42
OU- Calame 4-4-22
Receiving
UM- Nolan 2-31
OU- Burris 3-17
