| 1970 Orange Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 36th Orange Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Orange Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Miami,Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Chuck Burkhart (PSU QB) Mike Reid (PSU DT) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Missouri by 3 points[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Paul Bertha (ECAC) (split crew between ECAC andBig Eight) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Bryce Wetwiski | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 77,282 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Simpson,Al DeRogatis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 27.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The1970 Orange Bowl was the 36thedition of thecollege footballbowl game, played at theOrange Bowl inMiami,Florida, on Thursday, January 1. The final game of the1969–70 bowl game season, it matched theindependent andsecond-rankedPenn State Nittany Lions and the #6Missouri Tigers of theBig Eight Conference.
A slight underdog,[1] Penn State scored early and won, 10–3.[2][3][4]
The Nittany Lions entered the game on a 21-game winning streak, and were unbeaten in their last 29 games. This was Penn State's second straight Orange Bowl appearance, after they declined an invitation to play top-rankedTexas in theCotton Bowl.
Missouri was co-champion of the Big Eight for the first time since1960; through2021, this remains their most recent conference championship. This was Missouri's third Orange Bowlappearance in ten years; the most recent wasnine years earlier.
This was the sixth straight year for a night kickoff at the Orange Bowl, following theRose Bowl.
A field goal by Mike Reitz gave the Nittany Lions an early lead. After the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers'Joe Moore was hit in the backfield and fumbled on the first play and Penn State recovered. On the next play, quarterback Chuck Burkhart threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to halfbackLydell Mitchell, giving them a 10–0 lead in the first quarter. Missouri had more turnovers (nine, including seven interceptions) than points (a field goal from 33 yards by Henry Brown, scored in the second quarter).
The second half was scoreless and it rained in the fourth quarter. Missouri threatened late, with a first down at the Penn State fifteen with less than two minutes remaining, but resulted in the seventh interception on third down, returned from the two to across midfield. Penn State clinched their second straight undefeated season, but due to Texas' victory in the Cotton Bowl earlier in the day, the Longhorns were declared Associated Press national champions.[2][3][4][5]
| Statistics | Penn State | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 12 | 13 |
| Rushes–yards | 54–57 | 43–189 |
| Passing yards | 187 | 117 |
| Passes (C–A–I) | 12–26–1 | 6–28–7 |
| Total Offense | 80–244 | 71–306 |
| Punts–average | 12–43.1 | 6–44.7 |
| Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 4–2 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 9 |
| Penalties–yards | 5–40 | 3–25 |
The Nittany Lions returned to the Orange Bowlfour years later. Missouri head coachDan Devine left after thefollowing season for theNFL'sGreen Bay Packers, and the Tigers wouldn'tappear in a major bowl until the2023 Cotton Bowl Classic (December). (NOTE: Missouri played in theFiesta Bowl in1972 and the Cotton Bowl in2008 and2014, but those were not considered major bowls at the time played. The Fiesta achieved major bowl status by becoming part of theBowl Coalition in 1992; the Cotton, which lost its major status in 1995 due to the dissolution of theSouthwest Conference, regained major status when it became part of theCollege Football Playoff rotation in 2014.)
This was the last Orange Bowl played on natural grass forseven years; the stadium installed artificial turf (Poly-Turf) prior to the next season.