1966 Sugar Bowl
| 1966 Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1965 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Tulane Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1966 Sugar Bowl featured the sixth-ranked Missouri Tigers of the Big Eight Conference and the unranked Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers entered the game with a 7–2–1 record during the 1965 season, while the Gators entered at 7–3.
After a scoreless first quarter, Missouri went on a tear in the second quarter. Brown scored on a 16-yard touchdown run giving the Tigers a 7–0 lead. Roland threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Denny as the Tigers extended their lead to 14–0. Bates kicked a 27-yard field goal as Missouri led 17–0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Bates kicked a 34-yard field goal as Missouri led 20–0 at the end of three. Florida attempted to make a furious comeback in the fourth quarter. Steve Spurrier threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to halfback Jack Harper as Florida got within 20–6. Spurrier threw another 21-yard touchdown pass to end Charles Casey as Florida got within 20–12. Spurrier scored himself from two yards out, as the score became 20–18. Florida failed on three consecutive two-point conversion attempts, and had they just kicked the extra points, they may have ended with a win.
Despite playing on the losing team, Florida's Steve Spurrier was named Sugar Bowl MVP.
Missouri honored the 1966 Sugar Bowl champion Tigers in the 2015 season, bringing the team to midfield at halftime of their 24-10 win over South Carolina, then coached by Spurrier. [1]