The 1971 Pasadena Bowl was a college football

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 ...

played on December 18 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Part of the bowl schedule of the

1971 NCAA University Division football season The 1971 NCAA University Division football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. Ranked a close second behind Notre Dame in the preseason poll, Nebraska moved up to first place the following week, rem ...

, the Saturday afternoon game featured

San Jose State Spartans The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference (MW) at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football B ...

of the

Pacific Coast Athletic Association The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

(PCAA) and the Memphis State Tigers from the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

(MVC).

Game summary

Trailing 3–0 late in the first quarter, Memphis State defensive back Tom Carlsen blocked a John McMillen punt and recovered it in the end zone to pull ahead 7–3. Dornell Harris scored on a nine-yard run in the second quarter to make it 14–3 at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, the Tigers' final two scores were set up by turnovers. Tailback Paul "Skeeter" Gowen added on to the score with an 18-yard run after an interception and Clifton Taylor sealed the game for the Tigers from two yards out following a fumble recovery. The Spartans could only muster a late touchdown to narrow the final margin, with their five turnovers hurting them despite outgaining them 350–290. Memphis State coach Billy J. Murphy retired after the bowl win, which was the final edition of the

Pasadena Bowl The Pasadena Bowl, known as the Junior Rose Bowl from 1946 to 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, was a college football bowl game. Between 1946 and 1966 and again in 1976 and 1977, the game pitted the California Junior College football champions aga ...

as a University Division (now

Division I FBS The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). A ...

) bowl game.

References

{{San Jose State Spartans bowl game navbox

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

Memphis Tigers football bowl games San Jose State Spartans football bowl games December 1971 sports events in the United States