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1966 Gator Bowl

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1966 Gator Bowl
1234 Total
Tennessee 31500 18
Syracuse 0066 12
DateDecember 31, 1966
Season1966
StadiumGator Bowl Stadium
LocationJacksonville, Florida
MVPDewey Warren (QB, Tennessee) & Floyd Little (HB, Syracuse)[1]
RefereePat McHugh (SEC;
(split crew: SEC, ECAC)
Attendance60,312
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersChris Schenkel
Bud Wilkinson
Bill Flemming
Gator Bowl
 < 1965 (Dec) 1967

The 1966 Gator Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Tennessee Volunteers and the Syracuse Orangemen.

Background

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The Volunteers had finished fifth in the Southeastern Conference, with an 11–10 loss to #3 Alabama being especially damaging. Nevertheless, they were invited to their second straight bowl appearance, the first time they had made consecutive bowls since 1956–57. This was the first Gator Bowl for either team. As for the Orangemen, they were making their fourth bowl appearance in the decade.

Game summary

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Gary Wright kicked two 38 yard field goals to make it 6–0, and Dewey Warren threw touchdown passes to Austin Denney and Richmond Flowers to make it 18–0 at halftime. On the first drive of the second half, Larry Csonka scored on an 8-yard touchdown plunge to make it 18–6 (after a failed conversion play). With only 46 seconds left in the game, Floyd Little made it 18–12 on a 3-yard touchdown plunge (with another failed conversion play), but it wasn't enough. Little (216 on 29 carries) and Csonka (114 on 18 carries) combined for 330 yards rushing in losing efforts. Warren 17-of-29 for 244 yards.[2]

Aftermath

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The Vols returned to the Gator Bowl three years later. The Orangemen did not play in a bowl game again for 13 years. They returned to the Gator Bowl 30 years later.

Statistics

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Statistics Tennessee Syracuse
First downs 14 20
Rushing yards 85 348
Passing yards 244 16
Total yards 329 364
Passes intercepted 1 3
Punts–average 3/43 2/39.5
Fumbles–lost 2–2 3–1
Penalties–yards 4–44 7–79

References

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  1. ^ "1966". Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  2. ^ 1966 Gator Bowl – Syracuse University Athletics
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