1972 Gator Bowl

The 1972 Gator Bowl was held on December 30, 1972, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. The sixth-ranked Auburn Tigers defeated the 13th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes by a score of 24–3.

1972 Gator Bowl
Auburn Tigers Colorado Buffaloes (9–1) (8–3) SEC Big Eight 24 3 Head coach:  Ralph Jordan Head coach:  Eddie Crowder AP Coaches 6 7 AP Coaches 13 T–14
1 2 3 4 Total Auburn 0 10 7 7 24 Colorado 0 0 0 3 3
Date	December 30, 1972
Season	1972
Stadium	Gator Bowl
Location	Jacksonville, Florida
MVP	Wade Whatley, QB, Auburn Mark Cooney, LB, Colorado
Referee	Charles Bowen (SEC; split crew: SEC, Big Eight)
Attendance	71,114
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC
Announcers	Bill Flemming and Lee Grosscup

Game summary

The scoring was opened in the second quarter by Auburn, as they converted a 27-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead. They extended their lead to ten as they found the end zone later in the same quarter off of a 1-yard run. They took a 10–0 lead into halftime. They controlled the third quarter as well, scoring on a 22-yard pass to take a 17–0 lead into the fourth quarter. The Tigers lost their shutout when the Buffaloes hit a 33-yard field goal, but Auburn quickly responded, scoring a 16-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24–3. The game finished with the same score.

Aftermath

6th-ranked Auburn rose to #5 following their win; #13 Colorado fell to #16.