1942 Cotton Bowl Classic
| 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 6th Cotton Bowl Classic | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1942 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1941 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Cotton Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Dallas, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | T Martin Ruby (Texas A&M)[1] HB Jimmy Nelson (Alabama)[1] E Holt Rast (Alabama)[1] T Don Whitmire (Alabama)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 38,000[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1941 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1942, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Texas A&M Aggies, representing the Southwest Conference (SWC) as conference champions. Alabama won the game 29–21.
Teams
Alabama
The 1941 Alabama squad finished the regular season with an 8–2 record. The Crimson Tide also finished third in SEC play with losses to Vanderbilt and conference champion Mississippi State. Following their victory over Miami, Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl on New Years Day on December 1.[3] The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, and the first bowl game played outside the Rose Bowl Game.[3]
Texas A&M
Texas A&M finished the regular season with a 9–1 with its lone defeat coming against Texas.[4] The appearance marked the second for the Aggies in the Cotton Bowl, as they defeated Fordham 13–12 in the 1941 game.
Game summary
In a game statistically tilted toward the Aggies, Alabama won 29–21, after racing to a 29–7 lead. Alabama then inserted its third-string, allowing for Texas A&M's late scoring.[5][6][7] Alabama had only one first down to A&M's 13; however, under the Southwest Conference rules in 1942, touchdown runs and pass plays were not counted as first downs; Alabama also had 59 rushing yards to A&M's 115; and 16 yards receiving to 194.[5] The Crimson Tide prevailed through special teams play and intercepting seven Aggie passes in their victory.[5][7]
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References
- ^ a b c d National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 95. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Major Bowl Game Attendance" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 33. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ a b Staff Reporters (December 2, 1941). "Tide resumes work next week for Cotton Bowl". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 7. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ Bealmear, Austin (November 28, 1941). "Texas ponds Aggies, 23–0". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. p. 11. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ a b c Staff Reporters (January 2, 1942). "Alabama outscores Texas Aggies in touchdown race, 29 to 21". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 7. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ Staff Reporters (January 4, 1942). "Tiders to Return Home with Bowl Bacon Today". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 10. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- ^ a b "Bowl History – 1942 Cotton Bowl". AggieAthletics.com. Texas A&M Athletics Media Center. Archived from the original on 2009-12-17. Retrieved January 5, 2011.