Zip file of Cards for 1977-Maryland-Final-SOM-Cards.zip
Zip file of Cards for 1977-MINNESOTA-FINAL-SOM-Cards.zip
Strat-O-Matic College Football Posts on this Blog:
“My Maryland” Cards for the 1977 Hall of Fame Game for SOM College Football.
The 1977-78 Hall of Fame Bowl (then called the Hall of Fame Classic) featured the Maryland Terrapins and the Minnesota Golden Gophers and it was played on December 22, 1977, in Birmingham, Alabama. Both teams carried 7-4 records into the game, which marked Maryland’s 5th straight post-season bowl, but the first for Minnesota since 1962.
“That’s something Maryland has going for It,” Coach Cal Stoll of Minnesota said at the time, “For many of their players, it will be the third or fourth post-season game. But I think we have enough leadership on this team that they’ll know how to handle it. Unfortunately the game didn’t exactly go the Gophers way. Minnesota lost 17-7, with running back George Scott scoring two touchdowns for Maryland.
For the Gophers, QB Mark Carlson led an opportunistic offense, and defensive tackle Steve Midboe received the team's Most Valuable Player award. Kicker Paul Rogind and Midboe were named All-Big Ten first team. Defensive tackle Mark Merrill, center Mark Slater and defensive back Bobby Weber were named All-Big Ten second team. Offensive lineman Dennis Fitzpatrick, offensive lineman Bryson Hollimon, defensive lineman Stan Sytsma and corner back Bob Weber were named Academic All-Big Ten. Coach Cal Stoll, in his sixth year at the helm, had one keynote win on their schedule, a 16-0 upset win at home against then #1 ranked Michigan to win the Little Brown Jug. It was the first time Michigan had been held scoreless in over 200 consecutive games.
Coach Jerry Claiborne’s Maryland was a touchdown favorite over the upset-minded Gophers. They had finished in a tie for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and outscored their opponents 254 to 179. (Minnesota had actually been outscored). The team's statistical leaders included QB Larry Dick with 1,351 passing yards, George Scott with 894 rushing yards, and Vince Kinney with 505 receiving yards. The Terrapins had started 1-3 but they righted the ship, and only a tough 10-7 loss to North Carolina ended their hopes for more conference glory.
The 1977 Hall of Fame Classic got started with Minnesota gaining the early upper hand. Golden Golphers tailback Marion Barber rushed for a one-yard touchdown in the opening quarter to give his team a 7-0 lead. Barber is the father of former Minnesota and Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III. Maryland shut out Minnesota over the final three quarters and only allowed the Golden Gophers to accumulate 69 yards of total offense in the second half.
The Terps received two second quarter rushing touchdowns from tailback George Scott. Scott rushed 75 yards on 24 carries in the Maryland victory in Birmingham. Kicker Mike Sochko added a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter.
The Terps held the advantage in both rushing yards (120-113) and passing yards (211-155). The Golden Gophers actually recorded 17 first downs to just 15 for the Terps, but Maryland was able to keep them off the scoreboard.
Claiborne would go on to be the second-winningest coach at Maryland as he put together a 77-37 mark during his 10 seasons with the program. The Terps would only have one losing season over the next four years before Claiborne left for Kentucky.
No comments:
Post a Comment