1976 Tangerine Bowl Recap

Sunday, December 19

Orlando, FL

Oklahoma State University

BYU

December 19, 1976 | Cowboy Football

ORLANDO -- Billed as a show-down between Brigham Young pass-happy quarterback Gifford Nielsen and Oklahoma State running back Terry Miller, the Cowboy defense and Miller were the standouts in a 49-21 triumph for Oklahoma State.

Defensive tackle Chris Dawson intercepted a Nielsen pass in the first quarter and returned it 36 yards for a TD. And while Nielsen completed 23-of-34 passes for 209 yards and a TD, he was intercepted three more times by defensive backs Milton Kirven, Gary Irons and Jerry Cramer.

Meanwhile, Miller ran wild for 173 yards and had scoring jaunts of 78, 6, 3 and 1 yards. The Cowboys rolled up 402 yards total offense, including 375 on the ground, to rout BYU. Cowboy running back Robert Turner supported Miller's running with 80 yards on 22 attempts and a TD, and All-America tackle Phillip Dokes led a parade of OSU defenders that kept constant pressure on Nielsen.