The 1938 Sun Bowl was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

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 Subdivis ...

between the

Texas Tech Red Raiders The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas. The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders, while the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raide ...

and the

West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University, an American university located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The Moun ...

. This was the first

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

played at

Kidd Field Kidd Field is an athletic facility used primarily by the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in El Paso, Texas. Constructed for its then-primary use as a football field in 1938, it was the site of the Sun Bowl until 1963 when Sun Bowl Stadium op ...

Background

The Red Raiders were champion of the

Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Border Conference, officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 season. Centered in the southwestern United State ...

for the first time in school history, which earned them the right to be invited to their first ever bowl game. The Mountaineers' only loss in the season was to Pittsburgh (the eventual champion). This was the first Sun Bowl played at Kidd Field.

Game summary

A fumble by the Red Raiders on their own five yard line was recovered by the Mountaineers at the three. But West Virginia was stopped three times as fourth down approached. However, David Issac picked up his own fumbled while avoiding three tackles and dashed into the end zone, giving them a 7-0 lead. Before the half ended, Tech went on a drive. Led by quarterback Ed Smith, the Red Raiders drove 80 yards, culminating on a Charlie Calhoun one-yard rush for a touchdown. But the extra point was blocked, leaving the game at 7-6. As it turned out, Emmett Moan's extra point kick for West Virginia proved to be the winning margin. A 92 yard touchdown run by Harry Clarke (who ran for 132 yards) was called back for holding, which would've given them the lead. Texas Tech had more yards, completed passes and first downs than the Mountaineers, but their two turnovers cost them dearly.

Statistics

Aftermath

The Mountaineers waited 11 years for their next bowl game, which turned out to be the

. The Red Raiders have played in the Sun Bowl eight more time since this game, though they've only won once.

References

Sun Bowl Texas Tech Red Raiders football bowl games West Virginia Mountaineers football bowl games January 1938 sports events

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