Georgia Tech: 7
Arkansas: 14

After falling 21-14 to the 6th ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the regular season finale, Georgia Tech would look to rebound against the 9th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in the 15h annual Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. The Yellow Jackets and Razorbacks only previous meeting occurred in the 1955 Cotton Bowl when Tech emerged victorious in a 14-6 decision to become the first team in history to win each of the four traditional major bowls (Rose, Sugar, Cotton, and Orange). The 1959 Razorbacks were coached by legendary Tech quarterback Frank Broyles, once an offensive coordinator under coach Dodd. In his playing days, Broyles led the Jackets to the 1944 Sugar, 1945 Orange, and 1947 Oil Bowls.

The Jackets took the ball to open the game and began a promising march towards the Razorback end zone. Reserve quarterback Marvin Tibbetts captained the start of the drive, leading Tech to the Arkansas 37 on a series of plays of less than six yards apiece. Two penalties pushed Tech back to the 47, but Fred Braselton and Gerald Burch combined for 13 yards back to the Razorback 34. Braselton followed up with an 11 yard strike to Floyd Faucette to the 23 and four consecutive runs gained another first down at the 13. The drive eventually stalled at the 8, however, and Calvin James missed a 26 yard field goal wide right with just 2:15 left in the first quarter.

The Razorbacks gained just three yards before punting back to the Jackets, who would begin their second drive at their own 40 yard line. Charles Graining picked up 9 on first down before Tibbetts faked a pitch and raced 51 yards for the game’s first score and a 7-0 lead on the final play of the opening period.

The squads exchanged punts early in the second before Arkansas began at its own 38 on its third drive of the game. A committee of running backs carried the Razorbacks into Tech territory and James Monroe connected with Billy Tranum on a 14 yard strike to the Yellow Jacket 15 yard line. The Hogs went back to the ground for the remainder of the drive with Joe Alberty finally finding the end zone from within the 2 to knot the game at 7-all. The remainder of the second quarter passed without any scores and the teams headed to intermission in a 7-7 deadlock.

The third quarter chugged along with little action until Arkansas began at its own 21 following a Tech punt. James Mooty gained 24 yards to midfield on second down and reeled off 12 more to the Ramblin’ Wreck 38 shortly thereafter. Lance Alworth then gained 15 to the 23 and Mooty scored two plays later on a 19 yard dash to give the Hogs a 14-7 lead with 3:51 left in the period.

Tech advanced as far as the Arkansas 30 early in the fourth, but eventually turned it over on downs at the 32. The game saw no more scoring threats and Arkansas went on to give Tech its first bowl defeat since the Jackets fell 26-12 to Tulsa in the 1945 Orange Bowl. The loss ended an eight game post-season winning streak by coach Dodd.

With the victory, the Razorbacks finished at 9-2, setting a school record for victories in a season.

Statistics:

First downs:
GT – 13
ARK – 15

Rushing yards:
GT – 172
ARK – 218

Passing (Comp-Att-Yds):
GT – 7-18-64
ARK – 2-6-21

Interceptions thrown:
GT – 1
ARK – 1

Fumbles lost:
GT – 0
ARK – 1

Penalty yards:
GT – 15
ARK – 56

References:
Unknown. “Mooty Hogs Half In Arkansas Win.” The Atlanta Journal Constitution.” 1960 Jan. 3