1970 Liberty Bowl

The 1970 Liberty Bowl, part of the 1970 bowl game season, took place on December 12, 1970, at Memphis Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The competing teams in the 12th edition of the Liberty Bowl were the Tulane Green Wave, competing as an independent, and the Colorado Buffaloes, representing the Big Eight Conference. Tulane won the game, 17–3. This was the last Liberty Bowl played on a Saturday until the 1978 edition.

1970 Liberty Bowl
12th Liberty Bowl
Colorado Buffaloes Tulane Green Wave (6–4) (7–4) Big Eight Independent 3 17 Head coach:  Eddie Crowder Head coach:  Jim Pittman AP Coaches NR 16
1 2 3 4 Total Colorado 0 3 0 0 3 Tulane 3 0 7 7 17
Date	December 12, 1970
Season	1970
Stadium	Memphis Memorial Stadium
Location	Memphis, Tennessee
MVP	David Abercrombie, Tulane TB
Attendance	44,640
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC
Liberty Bowl  < 1969  1971 >

Teams

Colorado

See also: 1970 Colorado Buffaloes football team

Entering the 1970 bowl season, Colorado finished the regular season with a record of 6–4. Following the completion of their regular season, the Buffaloes accepted a bid to play in the Liberty Bowl for the second consecutive year.^[1] The appearance in the game marked Colorado's second in the Liberty Bowl and their sixth overall bowl appearance.

Tulane

See also: 1970 Tulane Green Wave football team

Entering the 1970 bowl season, Tulane finished the regular season with a record of 7–4. Following a 26–14 defeat to the rival LSU Tigers, the Green Wave accepted a bid to play in the Liberty Bowl.^[2] The appearance in the game marked Tulane's first since the 1940 Sugar Bowl and their fourth overall bowl appearance.

Game summary

In an early defensive struggle, Tulane threatened to score first after Rick Kingrea intercepted a Paul Arendt pass and returned it to the Colorado six-yard line.^[3] Four plays later the Green Wave scored first on a 19-yard Lee Gibson field goal.^[3] Colorado evened the score 3–3 in the second quarter on a 32-yard David Haney field goal to cap a 15-play, 63-yard drive.^[3] In the second half the Green Wave scored touchdowns on a pair of David Abercrombie runs to win the game 17–3.^[3][4] For his 124 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Abercrombie was named the game's Most Valuable Player.^[3][4]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Colorado Tulane 1 Tulane 19-yard field goal by Lee Gibson 0 3 2 7:56 15 63 Colorado 32-yard field goal by David Haney 3 3 3 13:18 5 30 Tulane David Abercrombie 5-yard touchdown run, Lee Gibson kick good 3 10 4 8:05 11 49 Tulane David Abercrombie 4-yard touchdown run, Lee Gibson kick good 3 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 3 17

References

1. "Colorado to Liberty". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Associated Press. November 25, 1970. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
2. "Tulane is going to Liberty Bowl". The Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. United Press International. November 30, 1970. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
3. "Tulane stuns Buffaloes". Florence Times. Florence, Alabama. The Associated Press. December 13, 1970. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
4. "Tulane trips Buffs, 17–3, in Liberty". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. December 13, 1970. Retrieved January 16, 2011.