1975 Liberty Bowl
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA football yearly game
|game_name= Liberty Bowl
|subheader = 17th Liberty Bowl
|title_sponsor=
|date_game_played= December 22
|year_game_played= 1975
|football_season= 1975
|home_name_short=Texas A&M
|home_nickname= Aggies
|home_record=10–1
|home_coach=Emory Bellard
|home_conference=SWC
|home_rank_AP = 2
|home_rank_coaches = 2
|home_1q = 0
|home_2q = 0
|home_3q = 0
|home_4q = 0
|visitor_name_short= USC
|visitor_nickname= Trojans
|visitor_record=7–4
|visitor_coach=John McKay
|visitor_conference=Pac-8
|visitor_1q = 3
|visitor_2q = 17
|visitor_3q = 0
|visitor_4q = 0
|type=bg
|stadium=Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
|city=Memphis, Tennessee
|MVP= RB Ricky Bell (USC)
|attendance=52,129
|us_network=
|us_announcers=
}}
The 1975 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played on December 22, 1975, in Memphis, Tennessee. In the 17th edition of the Liberty Bowl, the USC Trojans defeated the Texas A&M Aggies, 20–0.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j6Y0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=QOADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6573%2C78438|work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Emotion gone for Liberty Bowl |date=December 22, 1975 |page=5B}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kKY0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=QOADAAAAIBAJ&pg=2172%2C270650 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Trojans can play defense, too |date=December 23, 1975 |page=1C}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HoFIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=g20DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7262%2C3044550 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Southern Cal's McKay enjoys a final Liberty |date=December 23, 1975 |page=14}} This was the first playing of the bowl with the venue named as Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, as its name had been changed from Memphis Memorial Stadium earlier the same month.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42280736/memphis_stadium_named_liberty_bowl/ |title=Memphis stadium named Liberty Bowl |agency=UPI |newspaper=The Greenwood Commonwealth |location=Greenwood, Mississippi |page=7 |date=December 17, 1975 |access-date=January 14, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}
Background
The Aggies had won more games than in the previous season for the third straight year, and it culminated in a conference title, albeit a shared one. The Aggies started the season ranked at #8, opening the season up with a victory over Ole Miss. The Aggies won their first ten games, with the last being against #5 Texas 20–10.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EnozAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LeADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4697%2C8258025 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Aggies break Texas wishbone |date=November 29, 1975 |page=3B}} However, quarterback Mike Jay injured his back during the victory, and David Shipman replaced him for the game against #18 Arkansas in early December. The Aggies lost 31–6 to fall to #6 and finish with a share of the Southwest Conference title with Arkansas and Texas, with the former going to the Cotton Bowl that year.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Yy9OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bu0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7276%2C3365663 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Fired-up Arkansas crushes #2 A&M |date=December 7, 1975 |page=D10}} Instead, the Aggies were invited to the Liberty Bowl, their first ever appearance in the game along with their first bowl appearance since 1968.
The Trojans started their season off ranked fourth in the nation, as they won their first seven games of the season to be at #4 heading into the latter part of their conference schedule. But losses to California, Stanford, Washington, and #14 UCLA dropped them out of the polls and out of the race for the Pacific-8 Conference title, as they finished at 3-4, behind the teams that had beaten USC. This was their fourth straight bowl game along with their first Liberty Bowl appearance. This was the first season that the Pac-8 allowed bowl participation in addition to the Rose Bowl; Cal, Stanford, and Washington stayed at home while fifth place USC was invited to Memphis.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9O9LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5533%2C1330217 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=Only USC 'sure' of bowl |date=November 17, 1975 |page=12}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LsheAAAAIBAJ&sjid=STIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2120%2C4697670 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=USC accepts Liberty bid |date=November 17, 1975 }}
Game summary
A Monday night game, temperatures were around {{convert|35|F}} and all of the scoring was in the first half. Glen Walker started the scoring off with a field goal from 45 yards. Quarterback Vince Evans' 65-yard pass set up a Mosi Tatupu touchdown plunge from a yard out to make it 10–0 in the second quarter. Clint Strozier intercepted a pass at the Aggie 19 to set up a Walker field goal from 40 yards out. A screen pass from Evans to Ricky Bell went 76 yards for a touchdown to give the Trojans a 20–0 lead with 5:14 in the half.
There were no scoring drives in the second half as the Trojans completed the shutout. Texas A&M was completely stymied on the day, turning the ball over four times, including two times when in Trojan territory. Despite having more first downs and rushing yards (15 and 148 yards to USC's 13 and 141, respectively), USC outpassed them 174 to 99 while Bell rushed for 82 yards on 28 carries. With the yards carried in the game, he broke the USC's single season rushing record of 1,880 yards set by O. J. Simpson in 1968 with 1,957 yards in 12 games.{{Cite web |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwYQEnbDQ4Y7eXZ3U2lCTXhpbEU/view?pli=1 |title=2015AZLBHistoryRecordBook.PDF - Google Drive |access-date=2016-12-16 |archive-date=2016-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702203657/https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwYQEnbDQ4Y7eXZ3U2lCTXhpbEU/view?pli=1 |url-status=dead }}
Aftermath
This was head coach John McKay's final game with the Trojans, as he left for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL). USC continued their run with new coach John Robinson, going to three more bowl games in the decade. They have not been invited to the Liberty Bowl since this game. Texas A&M also went to three more bowl games in the decade, though they did not return to the Liberty Bowl again until 2014. The two teams met again two years later in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, which USC won 47–28.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{1975 bowl game navbox}}
{{Liberty Bowl navbox}}
{{Texas A&M Aggies bowl game navbox}}
{{USC Trojans bowl game navbox}}
Category:Texas A&M Aggies football bowl games