1946 Sugar Bowl
The 1946 Sugar Bowl matched the Oklahoma A&M Cowboys and the St. Mary's Gaels.
Background
The Cowboys won the Missouri Valley Conference for the 2nd straight year. St. Mary's was a small school that notably started the season 6-0 with notable wins over USC, California, and Nevada, before a loss to UCLA in the last game ending the unbeaten streak. Both teams were invited after Alabama accepted the invite to the 1946 Rose Bowl instead and Army retained their bowl ban.[1]
Game summary
The Gaels were small compared to the Cowboys, being undersized by at least 15 pounds to a team that averaged 203 pounds and that had war veterans such as Jim Reynolds and Burt Cole. But St. Mary's scored first on a Herman Wedemeyer touchdown pass to Dennis O'Connor. Bob Fenimore responded with a touchdown pass to Cecil Haskins, and Fenimore scored on a touchdown run later in the half. Wedemeyer contributed to the Gaels' final touchdown as he lateraled to guard Carl DeSalvo, who ran 20 yards for a touchdown. But the kick failed, making it only 14-13 at halftime. Fenimore and Reynolds added in touchdown runs in the second half as the lineman size started to make a difference, with St. Mary's four turnovers mattering more than Oklahoma A&M's. Joe Thomas caught a touchdown in the final five minutes to make the final score 33-13 as the Gaels were shut out in the second half, and the Cowboys won their 2nd straight bowl game.[2]
Aftermath
After a Bowl appearance the following year, the Gaels never qualified for a bowl game again, disbanding their team in 2004. The Cowboys did not return to the Sugar Bowl until 2016.
Statistics
| Statistics | St. Mary's | A&M |
|---|
| First Downs | 8 | 15 |
| Yards Rushing | 61 | 217 |
| Yards Passing | 166 | 112 |
| Total Yards | 238 | 339 |
| Punts-Average | 5-43.0 | 4-47.2 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-2 | 0-0 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 4 |
|
References