1972 Sugar Bowl (December)

1972 Sugar Bowl
39th edition
Penn State Nittany Lions Oklahoma Sooners
(10–1) (10–1)
Independent Big Eight
0 14
Head coach: 
Joe Paterno		 Head coach: 
Chuck Fairbanks
APCoaches
58
APCoaches
22
1234 Total
Penn State 0000 0
Oklahoma 0707 14
DateDecember 31, 1972
Season1972
StadiumTulane Stadium
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
MVPTinker Owens (Oklahoma FL)
FavoriteOklahoma by 14 points [1]
Attendance80,123[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersChris Schenkel,
Bud Wilkinson
Sugar Bowl
 < 1972 (Jan) 1973 > 

The 1972 Sugar Bowl (December) was the 39th edition of the college football bowl game, played at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday, December 31. Part of the 1972–73 bowl game season, it featured the second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference and the independent #5 Penn State Nittany Lions.[3] It was played for the first time on New Year's Eve, at night, and Oklahoma shut out Penn State, 14–0.[4][5][6]

The shutout was the first for Penn State in over six years, and it was their first bowl loss in a decade.[4]

This was the only Sugar Bowl between 1950 and January 1995 without a team from the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

  1. ^ "Oklahoma 2-TD favorite to outclass Nittany Lions". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 31, 1992. p. 4B.
  2. ^ "Year-by-Year Results". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  3. ^ "It all ends with the big ones". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 31, 1972. p. 6B.
  4. ^ a b Parascenzo, Marino (January 1, 1973). "Sugar not so sweet for State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 61.
  5. ^ "Paterno mum on move to pros after Sugar Bowl loss". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 1, 1973. p. 4B.
  6. ^ "Sooners win and wait". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. January 1, 1973. p. 24.