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Cotton Bowl 1973
Texas 17 Alabama 13 |
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He threw two ghastly interceptions in his first four throws and put suspense back into the pitchout by flinging them off the mark and ill-timed.
It looked like the Longest Day for Texas.
Instead, it became the Finest Hour for Lowry, a reformed defensive back and converted quarterback, who led a magnificent fourth-quarter University of Texas comeback for an upset 17-13 victory over favored and fourth-ranked Alabama.
It was the sure-footed UT signal-caller who tight-roped the sideline for a 34-yard touchdown with 4:22 left which may be remembered as the Cotton Bowl's most talked about play since Alabama star Tommy Lewis tackled Rice's Dickie Maegle from off the bench in the 1954 classic.
What Alabama fans and a nation-wide television audience witnessed on CBS' instant replay should spark controversy for some time, particularly in Tuscaloosa. Down 13-10, with less than 5 minutes remaining, Lowry faked a handoff deftly to his right, spun around and legged it toward his left sideline. He hugged it for most of the 34 yards into the end zone, but came closest to actually touching the out-of-bounds stripe at the Alabama 10-yard line.
Alabama assistant athletic director Charles Thornton witnessed the televised replay several times and noted, "It's a hard angle to judge, but I know Alabama fans are going to say he (Lowry) was out of bounds. The official trailing the play signaled a touchdown and that was that."
Whether Lowry was out or not, (and he says he was not) it was one gorgeous football play, and Texas fans could speculate right back that even had the UT quarterback been ruled out, Texas would have had a first down at the 'Bama 10 with plenty of time and rampant momentum.
The touchdown, Lowry's second of the last half, capped a splendid 80-yard drive that took seven plays following Terry Melancon's big interception of a Terry Davis pass in the UT end zone. A field goal by Texas would have only tied the game, and you know what Bear Bryant would have said about that.
The Tide got one last roll following the game-winning drive, and on fourth down at the Texas 43, it came up Snake Eyes. That happened when the game's most valuable defensive player. UT linebacker Randy Braband, rose up to smack 'Bama halfback Wilbur Jackson for a yard loss on a crucial fourth-and-a-foot situation with 1:49 left.
The ball went over to Texas and Lowry almost broke for another score when he scampered for 34 yards to the Tide 11. The Horns ran out the clock from that point, and Darrell Royal kept his record against Bear Bryant unsullied. Teams representing these two coaching luminaries have met four times and the best Bryant has come out with was a 3-3 tie in the 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl. The win was UT's first in its last three Cotton Bowl appearances and it took a remarkable turnabout to pull it off. Royal himself confessed he thought the Steers were a beaten team at halftime when they trailed 13-3.
The UT defense, tenacious all year, yielded 174 yards on the sharp passes of Davis, but the worst pass the Alabama quarterback threw proved the Tide's ultimate undoing. The Tide was looking for the clinching touchdown with less than eight minutes left as they gazed down at Texas on a first down at the UT 34. Davis dropped back and looked for split end Wayne Wheeler slanting over the middle. Davis hung the ball and Wheeler, Melancon and UT's Tommy Keel went up for a jump ball in the end zone. Melancon, a little-used reserve, yanked it down, his second swipe of the game. And that gave Texas its last shot at winning.
Alabama owned the lead, momentum and all things deemed worthwhile as the first half ended. Davis, a clever engineer, pulled out the Tide's minute-and-a-half offense near the end of the half and maneuvered the Bamans 64 yards to a 30-yard field goal by Bill Davis in a drive that consumed only 1:28. Tight end Dexter Wood caught a 31-yarder to set up that score and gave the UT secondary fits throughout the afternoon, grabbing four for 59 yards.
Lowry's erratic early throwing helped Alabama to a 10-0 lead with 4:48 left in the first quarter. He threw toward tight end Julius Whittier on UT's first possession and Bama safety Steve Wade picked it off at midfield. A few plays later Bama's Long Ranger kicker Greg Gantt boomed his first field goal of the season, a splendid 50-yarder which is a Cotton Bowl record.
Wade intercepted his second pass when Lowry, under pressure, looped the ball and UT suffered a 42-yard runback. On the first play from scrimmage Wilbur Jackson zipped 31 yards unmolested to stake Alabama to a 10-0 lead.
Texas countered with Billy (Sure) Schott's 24-yard field goal following an impressive 66-yard drive, but when Davis whipped his team down the field for the Tide's late field goal, it sure left Alabama in the driver's seat.
Yet Lowry stole the car in the second half, feeding the indefatigable Leaks repeatedly and then keeping himself occasionally. The Leaks-Lowry parlay worked for most of a 59-yard scoring drive with 4:43 left in the third quarter. On the scoring play, Lowry faked to Leaks, who was immediately mobbed, and two-stepped twice to his left and danced all alone into the end zone from three yards out.
Presto! Texas was back in the game and en route to a fantastic finish.
UT's comeback paralleled Lowry's and actually fit an established pattern where the stumpy 5-10 senior is concerned. On several occasions this season Lowry has looked goatish in the early moments only to emerge as hero at the finish. Monday was the finest example.
Lowry had an additional handicap Monday since he entered the game with a slight temperature following a 2-day siege of tonsillitis. Doubtless, there would have been men in red coats who'd have volunteered to remove Lowry's tonsils personally after what he did to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.
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Alan Lowry on historic 34 yard touchdown run. |
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Texas' Terry Melancon provided the game saving interception. |
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Roosevelt Leaks was unstopable with 120 yards. |
Lowry starts off on the run. |
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Lowry crosses the goal line. |
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One of the great moments of jubilation for Royal was beating the Bear in '73. |
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Attendance - 70,000
Scoring Summary
First Quarter UA- FG Gantt 50 UA- Jackson 31 run (Davis kick)
Second Quarter UT- FG Schott 24 UA- FG Davis 30
Third Quarter: UT- Lowry 3 run (Schott kick)
Fourth Quarter: Texas- Lowry 34 run (Schott kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing UA- Jackson 10-64, Bisceglia 11-30, Davis 9-20, LaBue 4-15, Beck 5-6, Billingsley 3-3 UT- Leaks 15-120, Lowry 16-117, Landry 11-37, Ealey 11-24, Fleming 5-18
Passing UA- Davis 10-17-174 UT- Lowry 5-11-61
Receiving UA- Wood 5-81, Wheeler 2-57, Jackson 1-21, LaBue 2-15, Davis 1-12 UT - Moore 2-24, Kelly 1-20, Whittier 1-16
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Alan
Lowry started so badly in Monday's Cotton Bowl game, it looked like he
thought he was still playing defensive back. 
Though
Lowry didn't accomplish much in the first half, he became sufficiently
motivated in the second to wind up romping for 117 yards on 16 carries.
That put him right behind UT's hatchet man Roosevelt Leaks, who slashed
his way for 120 yards on 25 carries right into the teeth of the Alabama
defense. 
