1964 Orange Bowl

The 1964 Orange Bowl was the thirtieth edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, January 1. The sixth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference defeated the #5 Auburn Tigers of the Southeastern Conference, 13–7.[3][4]

1964 Orange Bowl
30th edition
Nebraska Cornhuskers Auburn Tigers
(9–1) (9–1)
Big Eight Southeastern
13 7
Head coach: 
Bob Devaney		 Head coach: 
Ralph Jordan
APCoaches
65
APCoaches
56
1234 Total
Nebraska 10300 13
Auburn 0070 7
DateJanuary 1, 1964
Season1963
StadiumOrange Bowl
LocationMiami, Florida
FavoriteAuburn by 3 points[1][2]
Attendance72,647
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersCurt Gowdy & Paul Christman

Teams
Main article: 1963 NCAA University Division football season

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Main article: 1963 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Under second-year head coach Bob Devaney, the Cornhuskers won their first Big Eight title since 1940. The only blemish was a home non-conference loss to Air Force. This was Nebraska's third appearance in a major bowl game, and second in the Orange Bowl, the first was nine years earlier.

Auburn Tigers
Main article: 1963 Auburn Tigers football team

The Tigers finished second in the Southeastern Conference; they defeated rival Alabama but lost to Mississippi State in Jackson. This was Auburn's first appearance in a bowl game since 1955, and first Orange Bowl since 1938.

Game summary

Quarterback Dennis Claridge gave the Cornhuskers a 7–0 lead on his 68-yard touchdown run. Dave Theisen added two field goals to give them a 13–0 lead at halftime; Auburn quarterback Jimmy Sidle ran in from thirteen yards out to make it 13–7 after three quarters.[4]

The fourth quarter was scoreless. In the closing minutes, Auburn was driving down the field for the potential win, at the Nebraska eleven. On fourth down, linebacker John Kirby batted a Tiger pass away, and the Cornhuskers gained their first victory in a major bowl game. Claridge ran for 108 yards on the day.[3][4][5]

This was the seventh matchup of the two conferences in the Orange Bowl, the SEC had swept the first six.[3]

Aftermath

This was the last year without an MVP award honored to the best player. Nebraska returned to the Orange Bowl two years later; as of 2020, Auburn has yet to return.

This is the most recent Orange Bowl played during the day; the telecast on ABC was in direct competition with the Cotton Bowl (CBS) and Sugar Bowl (NBC); all three started at around 2 pm EST.[6][7] The broadcast rights transferred to NBC and the kickoff was moved to 8 pm in January 1965, the final game of the network's tripleheader of major bowls (Sugar, Rose, Orange) on New Year's Day.[8]

Statistics
StatisticsNebraska Auburn 
First Downs1117
Rushing Yards204126
Passing Yards30157
Passing (C–A–I)4–9–014–27–1
Total Yards234283
Punts–Average7–38.36–35.2
Fumbles–Lost2–13–1
Turnovers12
Penalties–Yards6–655–39
Source:[3][4]

References
  1. "Sidle faces big Nebraska in Miami clash". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. January 1, 1964. p. 1C.
  2. "Auburn rules choice over big Huskers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1964. p. 51.
  3. "Nebraska muscle subdues Auburn". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1964. p. 2D.
  4. "Huskers' win helps Big 8-Orange tie-up". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 2, 1964.
  5. http://game.orangebowl.org/orange-bowl-history/the-history-of-the-orange-bowl/1960s/1964/
  6. "Teams from South, Southwest lead in post-season football contests". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. December 31, 1963. p. 14.
  7. "Bowl lineups". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). December 31, 1963. p. 10.
  8. "300,000 to see four major bowl games". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1965. p. 40.
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