Sugar Bowl
1961
Ole Miss 14
Rice 6
Johnny
Vaught’s Ole Miss Rebels came to the 1961 Sugar Bowl hunting a national
championship. With the only blemish on the record being an October tie
with LSU, the Rebels were ranked #2 in the nation. To find an opponent
for Mississippi proved difficult. Louisiana State segregation laws
severely limited the bowl's choices, and although there was a long-shot
attempt at luring No. 1 Minnesota because the Big Ten's contract with
the Rose Bowl had briefly lapsed, the Sugar settled for the Rice Owls
after their season-ending loss to Baylor because the Bears had already
accepted a Gator Bowl invitation.
The 1960 season had witnessed a resurgence for Rice football. The Owls followed a 1-7-2 season in 1959 with a 7-3 mark, finishing tied for second in the SWC. It was a tall order for the Owls, facing an Ole Miss squad that had been in two of the last three Sugar Bowls.
The game drew a sellout crowd of 82,851 to Tulane Stadium, and the fans saw heavy favorite, Ole Miss, start fast as expected. Quarterback Jake Gibbs took his team on a short touchdown drive on its first possession. Gibbs’ eight-yard scamper gave the Rebels a 7-0 lead in the opening moments. At that point, the game became a little frightening for the Rebels.
There was no scoring in the second period as the defenses for both teams took over. The score was 7-0 at the half. In the second and third periods, Rice got the better of it, driving four times into the Mississippi red zone only to come up empty. Finally, the Owls’ drove 77-yards in 18 plays, Butch Blaine completed the march with a two-yard run around the right end on fourth down. Max Webb’s PAT attempt failed, leaving the Rebels clinging to a one-point lead, 7-6.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Ole Miss drove behind the hard running of Jim Anderson. Anderson’s running set up Gibbs’ three-yard score with 5:16 left. Anderson finished the game with 59 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Rice
had dominated after the game’s opening touchdown by Gibbs. They
outgained the Rebels 281-186 and had a 19-13
advantage in first downs and ran 81 plays to Ole Miss' 60. As New
Orleans States-Item columnist Pie Dufour put it, "Rice left too many men
on base." Following the game, Ole Miss was awarded the national title by
the Football Writer’s Association, and became the first SEC team to win
the Grantland Rice Trophy.
Gibbs dives for yardage during first quarter scoring drive
The '60 Owls were a surprise
Ole Miss media guide
Attendance- 82,851
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UM- Gibbs 8 run (Green kick)
Third Quarter
RU- Blume 2 run (Kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
UM- Gibbs 3 run (Green kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UM- Anderson 15-59, Doty 4-25, Crespino 2-25
RU- Blume 7-54
Passing
UM- Gibbs 5-15-43
RU- Cox 11-20-143, Kerbow 3-7-35
Receiving
UM- Blair 2-18, Crespino 2-21
RU- Webb 3-31
