1976 Orange Bowl
| MVP | Steve Davis (Oklahoma QB) and Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma DT) |
|---|---|
The 1976 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1976. The Oklahoma Sooners, champions of the Big Eight Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, second-place finishers in the Big Ten Conference, 14–6. This was the first meeting between these two teams.
This was the sixth and final Orange Bowl played on artificial turf. Poly-Turf, similar to AstroTurf, was installed before the 1970 season and lasted six seasons. It was removed in early 1976, following Super Bowl X, and replaced with natural grass.
Teams
Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines finished 2nd in the Big Ten Conference after losing to Ohio State in the annual The Game in Ann Arbor, 21-14. Michigan started 1-0-2, while ending 7-1-0.
Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners were co-champion in the Big Eight Conference to Nebraska. Oklahoma started the season with 8 straight victories before a loss to Kansas made them fall from #2 to #6. They rose back up to #3 after two straight wins over Missouri and Nebraska.
Scoring summary
First quarter
- Oklahoma - Billy Brooks, 39-yard run (Tony DiRienzo kick)
Second quarter
- No score
Third quarter
- No score
Fourth quarter
- Oklahoma - Steve Davis, 9-yard run (Tony DiRienzo kick)
- Michigan - Gordon Bell, 2-yard run (Rick Leach run failed)