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BOWL GAMES 1925 DIXIE CLASSIC WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 9, SMU 7
1936 ROSE BOWL STANFORD 7, SMU 0
Thanks to a 19-game unbeaten streak, the 1924 SMU football team was invited to its first postseason bowl, the 1925 Dixie Classic. The Dixie Classic was a college football bowl game played in Dallas following the 1921, 1924 and 1933 seasons. It was the precursor to the Cotton Bowl Classic, which has been played every year since 1937. The Mustangs faced West Virginia Wesleyan in the 1925 Classic on New Year’s Day at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas. The 1924 Mustangs entered the Dixie Classic with 5 wins, 0 losses and 4 ties. The SMU-West Virginia Wesleyan University game was a match-up of two schools started by the United Methodist Church. In fact, some football historians have referred to the game as the very first “Methodist Bowl.” The game was a low-scoring affair, with both teams fighting for field position. After a scoreless first half, SMU’s George Watters blocked a punt in the third quarter, which he recovered in the end zone to give SMU a 7-0 lead. WVW battled back, though, answering with a 40-yard field goal to pull to 7-3. In the fourth quarter, the Wesleyans took the lead on what the Dallas Morning News would call a "luck pass." WVW quarterback DeLong lofted a long ball which SMU's Logan Stollenwerck batted down. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, he knocked the ball directly to WVW's Gale Bullman, who raced into the end zone for a 66-yard score. The PAT, though, was missed. SMU battled back and had a field goal try in the game's final minute for the win. Lawrence Reisor's 30-yard try was no good, however, and Wesleyan prevailed 9-7, handing SMU its first loss in two years.
SMU entered the 1936 Rose Bowl as the nation’s top-ranked team, sporting a perfect 12-0 record and a defense which had shut out eight of its 12 opponents during the regular season. Led by first-year head coach Matty Bell, the Mustangs were matched against a strong Stanford team which took a 7-1 record into the game. Due to a traffic jam, the SMU team bus did not arrive at the Rose Bowl until 20 minutes prior to kickoff. Stanford quarterback Bill Paulman scored on a oneyard sneak in the first quarter to give the Indians the early lead. It proved to be the only score of the game as SMU lost its best scoring opportunity with a fumble on the Stanford 5-yard line. The loss was SMU's only blemish in its first national championship season.
Dallas, Texas January 1, 1925
SMU 0 West Virginia Wesleyan 0
0 0
7 3
0 6
GAME STATISTICS
-
Scoring Summary SMU - Watters punt block, recovered in end zone (Stollenwerck kick) WVW - King 40-yard gield goal WVW - Bullman 66-yard pass from DeLong (PAT missed)
7 9
Pasadena, Calif. January 1, 1936
SMU Stanford
0 7
0 0
0 0
0 0
-
0 7
GAME STATISTICS
Scoring Summary Stanford - Bill Paulman 1-yard run (James kick) Team Statistics First Downs Yards Rushing Yards Passing Total Yards Passes Punts Fumbles-Lost Interceptions Penalties-Yards Attendance
SMU 9 38 105 199 11-31 9-39 1-1 N/A 1-20
Stanford 6 75 42 156 2-6 16-38 3-0 6 4-25 84, 784
Individual Statistics Rushing: SMU - Wilson 11-23, Shuford 5-12; Stanford - Grayson 17-28, Hamilton 15-23
2013 SMU FOOTBALL PAGE 86