The 1967 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played on December 16, 1967, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The ninth edition of the Liberty Bowl, it featured the NC State Wolfpack of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

1967 Liberty Bowl
9th Liberty Bowl
1234 Total
NC State 0707 14
Georgia 0700 7
DateDecember 16, 1967
Season1967
StadiumMemphis Memorial Stadium
LocationMemphis, Tennessee
MVPQB Jim Donnan (NC State)
RefereeCharles Bowen (SEC;
split crew: SEC, ACC)
Attendance35,045
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
Liberty Bowl
 < 1966  1968

Background

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The Wolfpack finished 2nd in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Bulldogs finished 5th in the Southeastern Conference. This was NC State's first bowl since 1963, which was also in the Liberty Bowl. This was Georgia's first ever Liberty Bowl.

Game summary

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A 65 yard drive by the Wolfpack culminated with a Jim Donnan touchdown pass to Harry Martel to make it 7-0 in the 2nd. Georgia responded with a 68 yard drive with Ronnie Jenkins scoring on a touchdown plunge to tie it before halftime. In the second half, the game was decided in the final minutes. NC State drove 73 yards and scored on a Tony Barchuk touchdown run to make it 14-7. Later on, the Bulldogs went on a 98 yard drive, trying to tie the score late in the game. However, QB Kent Lawrence was stopped one yard short of the goal line, as the Wolfpack held on to win the game. Donnan went 16-of-24 for 121 yards and a touchdown in an MVP effort.[1]

Jim Donnan later went on to coach the Georgia Bulldogs.

Aftermath

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Georgia returned to the Liberty Bowl 20 years later in 1987. The Wolfpack returned in 1973.

Statistics

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Statistics NC State Georgia
First downs 14 14
Rushing yards 79 140
Passing yards 128 136
Total yards 207 276
Interception Thrown 1 0
Return Yardage 42 124
Fumbles/Lost 1–1 0–0
Punts–average 7–35.5 6–28.8
Yards penalized 45 67

References

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  1. ^ "Bowl History - N.C. State rallies past Georgia in 1967 Liberty Bowl" (PDF). grfx.cstv.com. p. 78. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2018.