Orange Bowl
1958
Oklahoma 48
Duke 21
MIAMI, Fla., Jan. 1 (AP)- Oklahoma's alert
Sooners, with generous help from Lady Luck, turned six Duke mistakes
into touchdowns today and smashed the Blue Devils 48-21 in the 24th
annual Orange Bowl football game.
Quarterback David Baker's 94-yard runback of an intercepted pass- the longest sprint in Orange Bowl history- got Oklahoma's first score. Thereafter the hustling Sooners converted two Duke fumbles, a blocked punt, a wild snap from center and another pass interception into touchdowns to win by almost three times the margin the oddsmakers had predicted
Except for Duke's miscues, the 76,318 fans who sat out in hot sunshine might have seen a hard, close battle, for Duke's morale remained unshaken throughout the heart-breaking run of misfortune.
Three times the rugged Blue Devils from the Atlantic Coast Conference showed they could move with authority through the defense of the nation's No. 4 team by driving 65, 70 and 85 yards for touchdowns. And, when the third period ended it was still very much a ball game, with Oklahoma leading just 21-14.
In the final quarter the roof fell in on Duke when the Sooners rang up 27 points on breaks. Here's how Oklahoma's Big Eight champions scored the touchdowns that turned a spine-tingling battle into a rout in the last period.
George Dutrow, trying a quick kick, fumbled and Dennis Morris recovered for Oklahoma on the Duke 24. From the three, Jakie Sandefer galloped around his right end for the score.
Bob Brodhead fumbled and, again, the ball-hawking Morris recovered, this time at the Duke 29. On the next play, Baker went all the way with Brewster Hobby's pass.
Ross Coyle bulled his way through to block a punt by Duke's Pryor Millner and Baker threw eight yards to Hobby for the third Oklahoma touchdown of the period.
Bennett Watts snagged a pass from Broadhead on the Oklahoma 32, raced to the Duke 30, then lateraled to Dick Carpenter, who sped the rest of the way.
It was a wild pass from George Harris that permitted Baker to take off on the explosive run that started the scoring. It sailed into the right flat, and when Baker caught it, he had a clear field to the Duke goal with blockers in front of him.
The run was four yards longer than a 90-yard kickoff return by Camp Wilson of Tulsa in 1945, the longest previous sprint of any kind in the earlier 23 Orange Bowl games. The old record runback of an intercepted pass was 89 yards by Al Hudson of Miami in 1946.
Before Duke, fans had recovered from that jolt, Oklahoma had scored again on another break. Duke's center Ted Royal made a high snap on a fourth down punt formation and Andy Collingham was knocked down at his 13 when he juggled the ball.
On a slick double reverse, Clendon Thomas hurried 13 yards for the second touchdown.
A
fighting mad Duke team battled back to smash 65 yards for a second
period touchdown scored by Hal McElhaney on a one-foot plunge.
In the third period, each team scored and it still looked like the game might go right up to the wire before there was a decision.
After Carl Dodd had retruned a Duke punt back 36 yards to the Duke 14, the Sooners needed six plays to punch through the craggy Duke defense to the goal. Dodd sneaked six inches for the score.
While Oklahoma was cashing breaks for points, the Blue Devils had to get theirs the hard way- driving 65, 70 and 65 yards for their touchdowns. Duke outgained the Sooners 231 yards to 165 on the ground. Oklahoma had an edge in passing- 111 yards and two touchdowns to 97 yards for Duke.
The nationally televised game was the last to he played the Orange Bowl's five-year contract with the Big Eight and Atlantic Coast Conferences. Hereafter, the Big Eight will furnish one team but the other will be picked from the open market.
Today's near record crowd of 76,318 was just 243 under the record of 76,561 set at the Oklahoma-Maryland game in 1956. Oklahoma won its third straight Orange Bowl game. The two previous victories were over Maryland.
Bob Harrison gets after Duke quarterback Bob Brodhead
Sandifer carries for Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl
Sooner Magazine, September 1958
Attendance- 76,318
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
OU- Baker 94 yard interception return (Dodd kick)
Second Quarter
OU- Thomas 13 run (Dodd kick)
DU- McElhaney 1 run (Carlton kick)
Third Qaurter
OU- Dodd 1 run (Dodd kick)
DU- McElhaney 4 run (Carlton kick)
Fourth Quarter
OU- Sandefer 4 run (Dodd kick)
OU- Baker 29 yard pass from Hobby (Boyd kick)
DU- Dutrow 8 run (Carlton kick)
OU- Hobby 9 yard pass from Baker (McDaniel kick)
OU- Carpenter 73 yard interception of lateral (kick failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
OU- Thomas 13-62
Duke- Carlton 15-84
Passing
OU- Hobby, 4-3-48
Duke- Brodhead 6-4-60
Receiving
OU- Baker 1-29
Duke- Latimore 3-33
