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Liberty Bowl 1960
Penn State 41 Oregon 12
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By RED HAMER The Sporting News
Only 16.624 saw the game from the 100,000 capacity stadium as an early week snowfall of nearly 15 inches, plus tie prospect of freezing temperatures at game time cooled off the advanced ticket sales. Only about 200 tickets were sold at the gate.
The fans who stayed home in front of their television sets and those who braved the 30 degree temperature saw a thrilling contest that was not decided until the final quarter.
After watching his team trail by only 21 to 12 going into the last period and then lose by 29 points, Oregon Coach Len Casanova was hardly thrilled. He was downright saddened.
“Our worst defensive game of the year," he mumbled. "Fact is, I can't remember ever having that many points scored against us, at least in the last ten years "
The early loss of Cleveland Jones, five foot, three inch halfback, because of an injury, Casanova gave some hint that it would be a woeful afternoon.
For Penn State's powerful legions, it was their second straight victory in this second annual bowl- having put aside Alabama, 7 to 0, a December ago.
More noteworthy, it was the culmination of a great home stretch drive for the Rip Engle coached Nittany Lions. It was their fifth straight victory, and their most impressive.
The Lions were so deep in talent- and this factor wore down Oregon in the last quarter- that it was difficult to pick out a single star from among them. But, Dick Hoak, a Pennsylvania-bred quarterback, managed to be in the right place at the right time and he came off with the most valuable player award.
After Oregon breezed 88 yards for a 6 to 0 lead within the first ten minutes, Penn State came back led by Hoak. The handsome 20-year-old senior scored two touchdowns, passed for another, made two pass interceptions that started touchdown marches in the last period, led State's ball earners with 61 yards rushing and topped the Lions’ pass attack with three completions for 67 yards.
Actually, Hoak is State's second-string quarterback. "Coach Engle offered to let me run the first team." explained Hoak, "but I wanted to slay with my own gang,"
Penn State ran out of its huddle so fast that Oregon barely had time to get itself set. On the long drive at the outset of the fourth period, Penn State battered the Duck defenders with relentless pounding at the line and well-faked rollouts by Hoak.
The 95-yard foray carried to the one where Ed Caye, one of 12 backs used by State, crashed for the touchdown. That was the clincher.
Dave Grosz, the talented Oregon quarterback who passed for 178 yards and who figured in both of his team's touchdowns, tossed a couple of boomerangs in the waning moments which' helped push the difference from 28 to 12 to 41 to 12.
Hoak ran back the first interception 24 yards. Dave Hayes, a 207-pound sophomore fullback, made six and then the redoubtable Hoak rolled out 11 yards for the score.
The next time Grosz tried to pass, the aerial again found its way into Hoak's sure hands. He carried back for 11 yards to the Oregon 33. Two plays later from that point, Hoak rolled out in one direction then turned around and threw crossfield to Dick Pae, who lugged the pigskin the final 11 yards into the end zone.
After an exchange of punts in the opening quarter, Oregon went into business on its 12-yard line. On the first scrimmage play, Grosz passed 12 yards. The ball was deflected by a Penn State defender but the tiny Jones, the Duck's finest pass catcher, latched onto it und fell out of bounds.
"As I got up," a sorrowful Jones said afterwards, "somebody's knee caught me in the back. It hurt so much I couldn't run. This was my last college game and it was the first time I've ever been injured since I came to Oregon."
After Oregon cracked the scoring ice first, Penn State, in closing out its season with a 7-3 record, slammed over for three touchdowns in the second period. The Lions took the kickoff following the Oregon score and drove 62 yards for the tying touchdown. The drive took 20 plays and was keyholed by State's ability twice to get the necessary yardage on fourth down. Don Jonas went the last yard. Captain lHank Oppermann, voted the outstanding lineman, kicked the first of four straights PATs to put his team in front to stay, 7 to 6.
Al Gursky, a sophomore, tallied on a two-yard thrust for State's second touchdown after a poor Oregon punt and a lengthy runback by Jonas set the ball up on the Ducks' 37.
The last touchdown before intermission was scored by Hoak on a six-yard rollout. Oregon scored once in the third quarter, The Ducks took over on the Lions 18, Grosz lost a yard, then passed 19 to Bruce. The quarterback slithered to the 10 and then Grayson burst through a huge hole for the touchdown.
Note: From Red Hamer, The Sporting News
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Promoter Ambrose (Bud) Dudley figures that by 1965 the Liberty Bowl will be a success.
The second annual bowl attracted only 16,624 fans, which was about half the attendance of the first year. Yet, Dudley is not giving up his latest promotion. He has three more years on a television contract with the National Broadcasting Co.
Each of the first two years he has sold those rights for $100,000. Helped by the sale of these rights, the gate, etc , the Liberty Bowl was able to give Penn Slate and Alabama $93,000 apiece the first year. Penn State and Oregon are expected to get “between $50.000 and $60,000," according to Dudley.
"I am convinced we can attract a football crowd in cold weather," said Dudley, despite the small turnout for this year's frigid edition.
"If the Eagles can sell out Franklin Field this late in the season, we should be able to do the same thing with Philadelphia Stadium."
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Dick Hoak was the hero for Penn State. |
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| Don Jonas carries as All-American, David Robinson, leads the way. | |
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Jonas scores Penn State's first touchdown.
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Attendance- 16,624
Scoring Summary
First
Quarter
Individual Statistics
Rushing
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PHILADELPHIA,
Pa. - Oregon's Ducks had little to quack about as
they waddled sorrowfully out of snow-rimmed Philadelphia Stadium.
December 17. The Pacific Coast eleven, with a 7-2-1 record and a
reputation for blinding speed and stingy defense, had come 3.000 miles
to play in the Liberty Bowl. Penn State, a one touchdown favorite,
buried that reputation with a 300-yard-plus rushing attack, 41 to 12.
Oregon
went on to score a, touchdown, however, as Grosz passed 17 yards to Paul
Bauge at the Penn State 45 on one play and ran 17 yards himself to the
State one-foot line on another. Grosz personally slammed over for the
touchdown after nine-minutes, 20 seconds of play. Oregon's speed shook
she partisan crowd on the 88-yard, 12-play drive. Especially impressive
was Dave Grayson, a halfback who has been clocked at 9.7 in the 100-yard
dash. In piling up 93 yards on 10 carries. Gray-son led all ball
carriers.
