1954 Sun Bowl

1954 Sun Bowl
20th Sun Bowl
Mississippi Southern Southerners Texas Western Miners (9–1) (7–2) Independent Border Conference 14 37 Head coach:  Thad Vann Head coach:  Mike Brumbelow
1 2 3 4 Total Mississippi Southern 0 7 7 0 14 Texas Western 14 16 7 0 37
Date	January 1, 1954
Season	1953
Stadium	Kidd Field
Location	El Paso, Texas
MVP	QB Dick Shinaut (Texas Western)
Referee	W.H. Kisner (Border; split crew: Border, SEC)

The 1954 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Texas Western Miners and the Mississippi Southern Southerners.

Background

The Miners had a two game improvement while finishing third in the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association. One particular highlight for the Golden Eagles was upsetting Alabama (who went on to play Rice in the Cotton Bowl Classic that year). This was the second straight Sun Bowl appearance for Mississippi Southern, and the third in five years for Texas Western.

Game summary

Dick Shinaut returned a kickoff 48 yards to give Texas Western good field position. On the next play, Clovis Riley had run 54 yards to the goal line, until he was hit and fumbled the ball, but John Howle recovered the ball in the end zone to give the Miners a 7–0 lead. Shinaut then threw a touchdown pass to Jesse Whittenton on a screen pass formation that went for 25 yards. Shinaut made it 17–0 in the second quarter on his 25-yard field goal. Howle caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Shinaut to make it 24–0. A Texas Western touchdown run by Joel McCormick made it 30–0. Mississippi Southern responded with two touchdowns of their own (one on a Tommie Wood touchdown catch from Billy Jarrell and the other on a 13-yard touchdown run by Fred Smallwood) to make it 30–14 in the third quarter. But the Miners responded with a touchdown by Riley from 43 yards out to make it 37–14. Riley rushed for 112 yards on 12 carries. Dick Shinaut went 11 of 17 for 158 yards, while kicking four extra points and a field goal in an MVP effort.[1][2][3][4]

Scoring summary

• 1st – Texas Western - Howle 1-yard fumble return (Shinaut kick)
• 1st - Texas Western - Whittenton 25-yard pass from Shinaut (Shinaut kick)
• 2nd - Texas Western - Shinaut 25-yard field goal
• 2nd - Texas Western - Howle 44-yard pass from Shinaut (Shinaut kick)
• 2nd - Texas Western - McCormick 2-yard run (kick failed)
• 2nd - Mississippi Southern - Wood 12-yard pass from Jarrell (McElroy kick)
• 3rd - Southern Miss - Smallwood 13-yard run (Davenport kick)
• 3rd - Mississippi Southern - Riley 43-yard run (Shinaut kick)

Aftermath

The Texas Western went to the Sun Bowl four more times in the next 13 years. The Mississippi Southern upset Alabama the next year in a 6–4 season. They have not returned to the Sun Bowl since this game.

Statistics

Statistics	Texas Western	Mississippi Southern
First Downs	15	13
Yards Rushing	245	166
Yards Passing	158	145
Total Yards	403	311
Punts-Average	5-28.0	4-28.0
Fumbles-Lost	4-2	4-3
Interceptions Thrown	0	0
Penalties-Yards	4-40	3-13

References

1. "History: Bowl Summaries". 2007 UTEP Miners Football Media Guide. El Paso, Texas: University of Texas El Paso Department of Athletics. 2007. p. 153. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
2. "1954 Sun Bowl - UTEP Official Athletic Site". www.utepathletics.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
3. "UTEP 37, Southern Miss 14 | Recaps - Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | December 31, 2021 | el Paso, Texas".
4. "Southern Miss Football :: Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2015.