Sugar Bowl
1955
Navy 21
Mississippi 0
The 1954 Navy Midshipmen were the Cinderella
team of the college football season. They had upset Army, beating them
for the fourth time in five years. With a 7-2 record, the were invited
to the Sugar Bowl. They were led by quarterback, George Welsh, and
running back, Joe Gattuso. Gattuso, a
175-pound senior, epitomized the Navy squad, playing on both sides of
the ball with a helmet that didn't have a facemask. The team earned the
nickname, the "Team Called Desire" because of their undersized offensive
line.
Mississippi came into the 1955 Sugar Bowl with a 9-1 record, having lost only to Arkansas in Little Rock in a heartbreaker. They were a formidable offensive team, but the defense was their shining glory. They had dominated the competition all season, outscoring the opposition 283-47, in route to the SEC title. The defense was led by Rex Boggan and Billy Kinard.
It was a rainy week in New Orleans. Ole Miss trained hard in Biloxi, but found that the mud and rain slowed down their offensive team considerably. It would prove to be a bad omen. The stadium on game day was packed with 83,000 spectators. Many, clad in their Navy uniforms, were there to see Navy’s first bowl game since 1924. On the strength of the Army win, Navy entered the game ranked #6 in the nation with Mississippi ranked 7th.
Navy took the opening kickoff and marched
70 yards for a three-yard touchdown run by Joe Gattuso to take a 7-0
lead. The Midshipmen carried that seven point lead into halftime.
Navy would also score on its first possession of the second half, taking the kickoff and marching 86 yards. John Weaver’s 16-yard touchdown pass from George Welsh capped the 11-play drive and extended the lead to 14-0. Gattuso would complete the scoring with his second touchdown, a one-yard run in the third quarter. The final score was 21-0.
Quarterback George Welsh played a virtually perfect game. “He was a genius at calling plays today,” said Navy coach Eddie Erdelatz. Welsh, in addition to running the option perfectly, completed 8-of-14 passes for 76 yards. Halfback Jack Weaver had 106 yards rushing. But, it was fullback Gattuso who was given the Warren Miller Trophy as the game’s most valuable player after rushing for 111 yards on 16 carries and scoring two touchdowns. All of this in his first game back since suffering a knee injury. For the afternoon, the Midshipmen outgained the Rebels 442-121, including holding a 295-78 advantage on the ground.
Famed Mississippian and baseball great, Dizzy Dean, was at the game and summed Mississippi’s disappointing day up best perhaps when describing the game like one of his baseball seasons.
“I was having my best season, had won 28 games and they gave me a new car and a truckload of presents the day I went after number 29. I got knocked out of the box in the third inning.”
Ron Beagle churns for yardage after catching pass from George Welch.
Running back Gattuso carries on opening scoring drive.
Jimmy Patton carries for Ole Miss.
Ron Beagle again catches a Welsh pass and falls forward out of the endzone. The play was ruled down at the one.
Attendance- 83,000
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
USNA- Gattuso 3 run (Weaver kick)
Third Quarter
USNA- Weaver 16 yard pass from Welsh (Weaver kick)
USNA- Gattuso 1 run (Weaver kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UM- Cothren 7-24, Patton 5-21, Murihead 7-17
USNA- Gattuso 16-111, Weaver 16-106, Garrow 6-18, Guest 3-16
Passing
UM- Day 2-9-16, Patton 3-6-27
USNA- Welsh 8-14-76, Echard 3-10-40
Receiving
UM- Muirhead 2-16, J. Patton 1-19, Fisher 1-11, Kinard 1-7
USNA- Weaver 3-39, Beagle 3-19, Malynn 1-31, Smith 2-18, Gober 1-18, Hepworth 1-18
