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1950 Cotton Bowl Classic

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1950 Cotton Bowl Classic
14th Cotton Bowl Classic
1234 Total
North Carolina 00013 13
Rice 01476 27
DateJanuary 2, 1950
Season1949
StadiumCotton Bowl
LocationDallas, Texas
MVPHB Billy Burkhalter (Rice)
C Joe Watson (Rice)
End James Williams (Rice)
RefereeRay McCulloch (SWC;
split crew: SWC, Southern)
Attendance75,000
Cotton Bowl Classic
 < 1949  1951

The 1950 Cotton Bowl Classic featured the Rice Owls and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Background

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The Owls won the Southwest Conference for the fourth time in 15 years. This was their second appearance in the Cotton Bowl Classic and their first since 1938. The Tar Heels were playing in their first ever Cotton Bowl Classic and their third bowl game in Coach Snavely's fifth season with the team. They were champions of the Southern Conference for the 2nd time in three years. They were looking for their first ever bowl win.

Game summary

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The Owls would score 27 straight points before the Tar Heels got on the board, and the Heels never recovered, despite scoring two touchdowns late. The Owls scored early in the second quarter on a Billy Burkhalter touchdown catch from Tobin Rote and Bobby Lantrip scored before the half ended to make it 14–0. James "Froggy" Williams scored in the third quarter on a catch from Rote to make it 21–0, and Burkhalter ended Rice's scoring with his touchdown run to make it 27–0. Not deterred, Paul Rizzo caught a touchdown pass from Charlie Justice to make it 27–7. But the Heels only scored again on a Rizzo run with only 47 seconds left, as the Owls won their second ever Cotton Bowl Classic.[1]

Aftermath

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Snavely would not appear in another bowl game, and he left in 1953. Ten years later, the Tar Heels returned to a bowl game, which they won. The Owls would play in two more Cotton Bowl Classics after winning two more SWC titles before the decade ended, splitting the two.

Statistics

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Statistics Rice North Carolina
First Downs 18 16
Yards Rushing 226 174
Yards Passing 152 80
Total Yards 378 254
Punts-Average 6-38.0 4-42.8
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 3-1
Interceptions 1 1
Penalties-Yards 3-26 4-30

References

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  1. ^ "26-37.pmd" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2014.