1959 Orange Bowl Classic

Oklahoma 21
Syracuse 6

January 1, 1959
Orange Bowl Stadium

Big Plays Propel Sooners

Oklahoma hit Syracuse with three "homerun" plays, and was fortunate to escape the Silver Anniversary Orange Bowl with a 21-6 win. Syracuse dominated the Sooners in every category, including total yardage.

Oklahoma utilized their team speed and scored before the game was yet three minutes old. Fullback Prentice Gautt took a pitchout and went 42 yards around left end for the score. A more spectacular long play came with 2:56 remaining in the initial quarter. Following a Syracuse fumble deep in Oklahoma territory, right halfback Brewster Hobby took a lateral and passed to Ross Coyle in the flat. Coyle took off on a 79-yard touchdown sprint and the Sooners had a 14-0 lead.

Each team's defense frustrated the other's offense. Late in the third, Hobby got through Syracuse's punt coverage and returned the football 40 yards for a 21-0 lead. Syracuse scored its only points in the fourth on a 69-yard drive that ended in Mark Weber's 15-yard run.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• orange
• bowl
• classic
• oklahoma
• sooners
• syracuse
• orangemen
• stadium
• 1959
• prentice
• gautt
• ross
• coyle
• Brewster
• Hobby
• Mark
• Weber

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That was one of Bud Wilkinson's greatest teams, (they'd outscored 10 opponents279-49 and lost only to Texas by 14-15), but Syracuse, (who had outscored 9 opponents by 274-59 and lost only to Holy Cross by 13-14), pounded the ball up and down the field, outgaining the Sooners 311-245. But they hadn't learned to win yet. They had 4 turnovers to 1 and gave up a 42 yard run, a 79 yard pass and a 40 yard punt return and lost 6-21. The next year they were joined by Ernie Davis and won it all.