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Liberty Bowl 1968
Ole Miss 34 Virginia Tech 17
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By Ron Speer Charleston Gazette-Mail
MEMPHIS, Tenn- Mississippi battled back from a flurry of early scores by Virginia Tech and rolled to a 34-17 victory over the fumbling Gobblers in an explosive Liberty Bowl football duel Saturday.
The Rebels wiped out a 17-0 deficit behind the passing of Archie Manning and an alert defense which pounced on three Virginia Tech fumbles and intercepted two passes.
Manning, a lanky sophomore whom Coach Johnny Vaught calls one of his best, ignited the Mississippi comeback with touchdown passes of 21 and 23 yards in the second quarter.
Halfback Steve Hindman put the Rebels ahead to stay on the opening play of the second half with a 79-yard touchdown run. The Rebels, playing in their 12th straight bowl game, clinched the triumph in the last period when Bob Bailey bolted 70 yards for a touchdown with an intercepted pass, and Van Brown kicked a pair of field goals from 46 and 26 yards.
The Gobblers, who had not fumbled in their last five games and boasted a 7-3 season record, swept to the lead with some surprising razzle-dazzle. They startled the Rebels and a record crowd of 46,206- including vice president-elect Spiro Agnew- with a muddle huddle which produced a touchdown on their second running play. Ken Edwards dashed 58 yards for the score on the play in which the Gobblers huddled on the line of scrimmage, quarterback Al Kincaid walked to the ball and casually pitched it to Edwards.
That touchdown took only 27 seconds, and Virginia Tech scored again two minutes later on Terry' Smoot's seven-yard run set up by a Manning fumble. The Gobblers widened the gap on a 29-yard field goal by Jack Simcsak later in the opening period. But then the running attack bogged down and the Rebels rolled to their seventh triumph of the year.
Virginia Tech completed only one pass, and that completion produced only a two-yard gain in the final minutes.
Vaught said a Virginia Tech gamble that backfired after the Gobblers' field goal was the key to the Mississippi comeback. Tech tried an onside kick after the field goal and Mississippi recovered on the Gobblers' 49. The Rebels needed only seven plays to produce their first touchdown and then pulled away.
Virginia Tech pounded through Mississippi's defense for 330 yards rushing, but the lack of a passing attack was fatal for the Gobblers' comeback hopes.
Kincaid, returning to action after a month's layoff, missed on all four throws he tried. Sophomore Wayne Humphries hit one of three.
Manning connected on 12 of 28 passes for 141 yards, but the game's most valuable player award went to Hindman. The senior halfback gained 121 yards rushing and his go-ahead touchdown run was the longest of his career. Edwards, moved to fullback in mid-season, gained 119 yards in 12 carries for Tech. Smoot picked up 91 on 21 tries in the televised game played in 28-degree weather.
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Edwards' 58 yard run started the scoring. |
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Sophomore Archie Manning scrambles. |
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First Ole Miss TD , Shows on a 21 yard pass from Manning. |
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Shows' touchdown from the endzone. |
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Manning fires away. |
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| Ken Edwards of Virginia Tech. | Virginia Tech media guide. |
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Attendance- 46,206
Scoring Summary
First Quarter VT- Edwards 58 run (Simcsak kick) VT- Smoot 7 run (Simcsak kick) VT- FG Simcsak 29
Second Quarter OM- Shows 24 pass yard from Manning (Brown kick) OM- Felts 23 yard pass from Manning (Brown kick)
Third Quarter OM- Hindman 79 run (Brown kick)
Fourth Quarter OM- Bailey 70 yard interception return (Brown kick) OM- FG Brown 46 OM- FG Brown 26
Individual Statistics Rushing VT- Edwards 12-119, Smoot 21-91, Kincaid 15-55, Constantinides 4-45 UM- Hindman 15-121, Bowen 19-65
Passing VT- Kincaid 0-4-0, Humphries 1-3-2
UM- Manning 12-28-141 VT- Crigger 1-2 UM- Shows 6-70, Hindman 3-32, Felts 1-23
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