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Pecan Bowl 1965
North Dakota State 20 Grambling 7
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By MIKE DAVIS Abilene, Texas Reporter-News Sports Writer
Not only was it a convincing 20-7 Pecan Bowl triumph for the Bison of Coach Darrrell Mudra, but Saturday's victory extended the schools winning streak to 16, including 11 straight this season. And now nobody can take away their national college division championship.
North Dakota State simply beat the giants of Grambling at their own game and proceeded to shove it down their mouth Giving up 34 pounds per man in the offensive line and 32 on the defense, the Bison felt no pain, while the Tigers were caught in a tailtwister.
From the opening kickoff, Mudra's Dakotans proved their national championship worth. Behind the precision blocking of guard Russ Gustin and a puzzling attack led by quarterback Jim Carlson, the Bison were in for blood in 12 plays and 80 yards. H a l f b a c k Vance Conner caught two clutch passes for first downs. The final 25 yards belonged exclusively to sophomore halfback Ken Rota, the 195 pound Little All-American.
Streaking the ends with his fancy cuts, Rota got loose for20 on his first attempt and then banged across on his fourth consecutive carry for the touchdown at 9:19.
Placekicker Mike Armenian's extra point boot sailed far off to the left, the subject of the 25-27 m.p.h. wind.
So good was North Dakota State's ball control game in the opening quarter that the Tigers handled it only once. And, they came closer to the end zone than they ever would for the rest of the afternoon.
Eddie Robinson, the coach' s son and the starting Grambling quarterback directed the Tiger from their own 49 to the Bison 14. This was where the 15.8- yard rushing average of North Dakota State put on a demonsration for the 8,500 paid customers and a 700,000 television audience back in Fargo, N. D and the neighboring areas.
Charles Washington and Henry Dyer each tried the line plunge from the fullback slot and got two yards combined. Dyer passed too deep on a pass option on third down and Bison linebacker Gene Gebhards intercepted a Robinson pass on the next play. This put an end to all serious scoring drives for the Tigers.
Carlson pulled off a bomb late in the second quarter when the defenses were having their best shows. He sailed a long pass to end Lowell Linderman, covering 68 yards for the touchdown with 2:50 left in the half.
Defensive backs Anderson Cheffing and Lawrence Chambers and linebacker George Muse were the gents who gave a futile chase. However, they were a moment late and a Bison short.
Ahneman had the wind at his to back this time and whipped the PAT through the uprights for a 13-0 lead.
Grambling's proudest moment of the first half was the defensive work which smothered one Bison drive. Little All American tackle Frank Cornish and Willie Young smashed two rushing tries and dropped Carlson for a seven yard loss on a pass attempt.
Trailing by 13 points the Tigers came out for the second half, needing a big play to get back in the game. Just like the docter ordered, speedy Eli Smith, a sprinter on the track team, scooped up the second half kickoff at his own seven and ripped for about 30 yards down the left side and cut back for the remaining distance down the right sidelines..
Wesley Bean added the extra point and it had taken just 16 seconds to cut the lead to 13-7. Smith's run was a record for the NCAA regional playoffs and came within four yards of the total offense the Tigers picked up for the entire game.
The Bison seemed to crack under the pressure. A fumbled snap on a fourth down punt by John Matanich gave the Tigers a golden opportunity at the NDSU 25-yard line.
On the second play from scrimmage, cornerback Ron Hanson recovered a fumble and the Dakotans could breathe again.
The rest of the third period was mostly third downs and punt. The ball changed hands seven times while the offenses could manage only one down.
Bean, who had earlier tied a bowl record with a 68-yard punt into the wind, skimmed one off his foot late in the third quarter for three yards putting the Bison in scoring position. From there, Fullback Rich Mische, Rota and Conner carried the load. Mische got the final two yards with help from Gustin's block. Ahneman boot put the Bison out front 20-7 with 12:27 left in the game.
Matanich's booming punts kept the Tigers buried deep in their own territory and that's where the Bison trampled them to death. The Tigers never moved beyond their own 42 in the last period.
In the end, Grambling managed 97 yards on total offense, comparing weakly with the 401 yard season average.
Bison like linebackers Gebhards, Ardell Weigandt and John Neumann had much to do with bottling-up the Tiger rushing game. Tackles Matt Vukelich and George Lansing were also demons for NDSU.
A new punting record was set as both teams combined for 16 punts. The old record was 10 set by Muskingum and Middle Tennessee State last year.
Rota copped high rushing honors with 96 yards on 22 carries for the Bison. Grambling's Dyer, who had averaged better than 100 yards a game on the ground, could get just 42 on 12 logs against the Bison defense.
Carlson hit four of 11 passes for 107, 68 of it to Linderman. Grambling's Robinson managed two completions in 12 tosses for 16.
The Tigers must have thought Bison were running wild. Twice a Bison was seen atop the north endzone goal posts. Don't be alarmed; he was only the mascot.
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Steve Irgens hits Grambling's QB as the rest of the Bison defense closes in. |
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Game action from the 1965 Pecan Bowl. |
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Attendance- 8,500
Scoring Summary
First Quarter NDSU- Rota 3 run (kick failed)
Second Quarter NDSU- Lindcrman 68 yard pass from Carlson (Ahneman kick)
Third Quarter GSC- Smilh 93 kickoff return (Bean kick)
Fourth Quarter NDSU- Mischic 2 run (Ahneman kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing NDSU- Rota 10-96 GSC- Dyer 12-42
Passing NDSU- Carlson 4-11-107 GSC-Robinson- 2-12-16
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Old
Buffalo Bill just thought he killed off all those Bison. A romping,
stomping herd from North Dakota State University thundered on the turf
of Public Schools Stadium on a windy Saturday afternoon and left in
their wake scarce remains of the mountain men from Grambling College.
