The 1969 Peach Bowl was a college football postseason

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...

between the West Virginia Mountaineers football and the South Carolina Gamecocks football. It was the second ever

Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially ...

game.

Background

This was West Virginia's first bowl appearance since

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

. The Gamecocks were champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time ever, making their first bowl appearance since 1946.

Game summary

Eddie Williams ran for 208 yards on 35 carries as West Virginia prevailed with a newly installed wishbone offense in a rain soaked game. The Mountaineers attempted only two passes the whole game, but the team ran for 346 yards and forced three turnovers. Bob Gresham had a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Mountaineers a 7–0 lead in the first. Bill Dupree's field goal proved to be the only points the Gamecocks scored all day. One key play occurred as South Carolina attempted to take the lead with the ball at the Mountaineer 7. They were stuffed and held to no points as the Mountaineers scored with :23 remaining on a

Jim Braxton James "Bubby" Robert Braxton (May 23, 1949 – July 28, 1986) was a professional American football fullback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. Collegiate career Jim Braxton started playing college football at West Virginia ...

touchdown plunge to seal the win. The win sealed West Virginia's first 10-win season since 1922.

Aftermath

The Mountaineers reached the Peach Bowl again in 1972. The Gamecocks reached the Peach Bowl 31 years later, in 2010.

References

Peach Bowl West Virginia Mountaineers football bowl games South Carolina Gamecocks football bowl games 1969 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state) December 1969 sports events in the United States {{Collegefootball-bowl-stub