The 1969 Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl

The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...

, part of the 1969 bowl game season, took place on December 13, 1969, at Memphis Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team...

 in Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 (SEC), and the Colorado Buffaloes

1969 Colorado Buffaloes football team

The 1969 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 1969 college football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 276 points while the defense allowed 227 points. Led by head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes competed in the Liberty Bowl.-Schedule:-Team...

, representing the Big Eight Conference

Big Eight Conference

The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...

 (Big 8). Colorado won the game 47–33.

Alabama

The 1969 Alabama squad finished the regular season with losses to , Tennessee

1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1969 college football season. The Volunteers offense scored 328 points while the defense allowed 179 points. Led by head coach Doug Dickey, the Volunteers competed in the...

, and to compile a 6–4 record. Following their victory over , the Crimson Tide accepted an invitation to play in the Liberty Bowl on November 17. The appearance marked the second for Alabama in the Liberty Bowl, and their 23rd overall bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

.

Colorado

The 1969 Colorado squad finished the regular season with losses to Penn State, Oklahoma

1969 Oklahoma Sooners football team

The 1969 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1969 college football season. It was the 75th season for the Sooners.-Season:...

 and Nebraska

1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1969 college football season. The team was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. In his first year as offensive coordinator, Tom Osborne instituted the I formation...

 to compile a 7–3 record. Following their victory over Kansas State

1969 Kansas State Wildcats football team

The 1969 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1969. The team's head football coach was Vince Gibson. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1969 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 5-5, and a 3-4 record in...

, the Buffaloes accepted an invitation to play in the Liberty Bowl on November 22. The appearance marked the first for Colorado in the Liberty Bowl, and their fifth overall bowl game.

Game summary

In a game dominated by both offenses, Colorado took a 10–0 first quarter lead. Ward Walsh

Ward Walsh

Ward Walsh is a former running back in the National Football League. He played with the Houston Oilers during the 1972 NFL season before splitting the following season between the Oilers and the Green Bay Packers.-References:...

 scored first on a 13-yard touchdown run and Dave Haney connected on a 30-yard field goal for the Buffaloes. Early in the second quarter, Colorado extended their lead to 17–0 after a three-yard Bobby Anderson

Bobby Anderson

Robert Conrad Anderson is a former American football halfback in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos, the New England Patriots and the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was drafted in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft...

 touchdown run. Alabama responded with touchdown runs of 31-yards from Scott Hunter

Scott Hunter (American football)

James Scott Hunter is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. He played for the Green Bay Packers, the Buffalo Bills, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Detroit Lions...

 and six-yards from George Ranager to cut the lead to 17–13. With less than three minutes remaining in the half, Walsh scored again on 15-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing drive, Alabama responded with a two-yard Johnny Musso touchdown run to make the score 24–19. However, the following kickoff

Kickoff (American football)

A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...

 was returned 91-yards by Steve Engel to give the Buffaloes a 31–19 lead at the half. In the third, Alabama took their only lead of the game following a pair of Neb Hayden touchdown passes; the first came on a 55-yard reception by Griff Langston and the second on a ten-yard reception by Musso to give the Crimson Tide a 33–31 lead. Colorado then scored 16 fourth quarter points to seal the 47–33 victory with a pair of Anderson touchdown runs and a safety made when Bill Brundige

Bill Brundige

William Glenn Brundige is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins for eight seasons between 1970 and 1977. He is currently sixth on the Redskins all-time sack list...

 and Herb Orvis

Herb Orvis

Herbert Vaughn Orvis is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Colts in a ten year career that lasted from 1972 to 1981 in the National Football League....

 sacked

Quarterback sack

In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...

 Hayden in the endzone.