1985 Liberty Bowl
| MVP | Baylor QB Cody Carlson |
|---|---|
The 1985 Liberty Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game held on December 27, 1985, in Memphis, Tennessee, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.[1] The game featured the Baylor Bears, of the Southwest Conference, and LSU Tigers, of the SEC. Baylor won the game, 21–7.[2]
Baylor entered the game with a 8–3 overall record and 6–2 conference record. The team was led by head coach Grant Teaff. LSU entered the game with a 9–1–1 overall record and 4–1–1 conference record. The team was led by head coach Bill Arnsparger.[3]
Game summary
Cody Carlson, the Baylor quarterback, tossed scoring passes of 5 and 15 yards to lead the Bears to a 21–7 win. The Tigers' only score came on a Liberty Bowl-record 79-yard punt return by Norman Jefferson.
Baylor overcame the 7–0 deficit to lead 10–7 at the half. Baylor raised their lead to 13–7 in the third quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Syler, but missed a chance to increase their lead to 9 points later in the period when Syler was wide right on a 37-yard attempt.
With Baylor clinging to a 13–7 edge, Carlson, who alternated with Tom Muecke at quarterback for the Bears, capped a 62-yard fourth-quarter march with a 15-yard scoring strike to the split end John Simpson. Carlson then found Matt Clark alone in the end zone with a two-point conversion pass as the Bears took command, 21–7.[4]
Scoring summary
| Quarter | Team | Scoring summary | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | Baylor | |||
| 1 | LSU | Norman Jefferson 79-yard punt return, Lewis kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | Baylor | Matt Clark 5-yard touchdown pass, Syler kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | Baylor | Syler 23-yard field goal | 7 | 10 |
| 3 | Baylor | Syler 35-yard field goal | 7 | 13 |
| 4 | Baylor | John Simpson 15-yard touchdown reception from Cody Carlson, Matt Clark two-point conversion pass good | 7 | 21 |
| 7 | 21 | |||
Statistical summary
Team Statistics
(Rushing-Passing-Total): BU - 215-274-489; LSU - 91-101-192.
Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing (Att.-Yds.-TD): BU - Perry 7-25-0, Rutledge 10-36-0; LSU - Dalton Hillard 20-66-0, Garry James 7-23-0
Passing (Att.-Comp.-Int.-TD-Yds.): BU - Cody Carlson 12-9-0-2-161, Tom Muecke 18-9-0-0-113; LSU - Jeff Wickersham 24-11-0-1-95, Mickey Guidry 3-2-0-0-6.
Receiving (No.-Yds.-TD): BU - John Simpson 3-117-1, Matt Clark 3-31-1; LSU - Garry James 4-25-0, Jean-Batiste 2-23-0. [5]
References
- ^ "Liberty Bowl Results/Attendance". libertybowl.org. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
- ^ "LSU Football Bowl History & Recaps". lsusports.net. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
- ^ "Liberty Bowl: LSU Tries to Limit Baylor's Options". latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
- ^ "Baylor tops LSU in the Liberty Bowl". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
- ^ a b "1985 season / Liberty Bowl scrapbook". digitalcollections.baylor.edu. p. 53. Retrieved 2015-12-06.