1974 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl

The 1974 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 23, 1974 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was the sixteenth edition of the Bluebonnet Bowl. The game matched the Houston Cougars against the NC State Wolfpack. It was the final contest of the 1974 NCAA Division I football season for both teams. The game ended in a 31–31 tie.

1974 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl
NC State Wolfpack Houston Cougars (9–2) (8–3) 31 31 Head coach:  Lou Holtz Head coach:  Bill Yeoman AP Coaches 13 9
1 2 3 4 Total NC State 3 7 7 14 31 Houston 0 3 7 21 31
Date	December 23, 1974
Season	1974
Stadium	Houston Astrodome
Location	Houston, Texas
Attendance	35,122
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC
Announcers	Chris Schenkel and Darrell Royal

Teams

The game matched the Houston Cougars against the NC State Wolfpack of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game was the first bowl game featuring the Cougars and the Wolfpack, and was their third overall meeting. The two teams had met twice before, with each team winning one against the other, and the teams' previous meeting was in 1969, when the Cougars defeated the Wolfpack 34–13.

NC State Wolfpack

See also: 1974 NC State Wolfpack football team

The NC State Wolfpack of the ACC entered the game ranked 13 in the AP Poll. During the regular season, they had compiled a 9–2 record, including a 4–2 record against conference opponents; they placed second in their conference standings. The game represented the Wolfpack's first appearance in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

Houston Cougars

See also: 1974 Houston Cougars football team

The conference-independent Cougars entered the game unranked in the AP Poll. Their regular-season record was 8–3. The game represented the Cougars' fourth appearance in the Bluebonnet Bowl; their previous appearance was in the 1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, in which they defeated the Tulane Green Wave 47–7.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NCSU HOU 1 NCSU 37-yard field goal by John Huff 3 0 2 HOU 21-yard field goal by Lennard Coplin 3 3 2 NCSU Roland Hooks 11-yard touchdown run, Huff kick good 10 3 3 HOU John Housman 1-yard touchdown run, Coplin kick good 10 10 3 NCSU Stan Fritts 7-yard touchdown reception from Dave Buckey, Huff kick good 17 10 4 HOU Marshall Johnson 10-yard touchdown run, Coplin kick good 17 17 4 HOU Eddie Foster 73-yard touchdown reception from Bubba McGallion, Coplin kick good 17 24 4 HOU Housman 5-yard touchdown run, Coplin kick good 17 31 4 NCSU Tommy London 9-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 23 31 4 NCSU Dave Buckey 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good 31 31 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 31 31

Source:

Statistics

Statistics	NCSU	HOU
First downs	20	25
Plays–yards	71–354	83–524
Rushes–yards	41–154	69–345
Passing yards	200	179
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–30–2	8–14–2