27 21 19 NR 0 20 | 20 18 Colorado 0 20 0 | |
The 1957 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game between the Clemson Tigers and the Colorado Buffaloes.
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Background
Colorado finished second in the Big Seven Conference, but they played in the Orange Bowl over champion Oklahoma due to a rule at the time not permitting consecutive bowl appearances. Clemson was the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference, their first conference title since the Southern Conference title in 1948. This was Clemson's first bowl game since 1951 and first Orange Bowl since 1950. This was Colorado's first bowl game since 1938.
Game summary
John Bayuk led the Buffaloes to a 20–0 halftime lead, beginning with his 2-yard run. Boyd Dowler made it 14–0 on his 6-yard run. Howard Cook concluded the first half scoring with his 26-yard touchdown run. At halftime, Howard threatened to resign if his team did not put up some effort. Clemson responded with 21 straight points. Joel Wells scored two touchdowns from 3 and 58 yards out to narrow the lead to 6, then Bob Spooner gave the Tigers the lead on his 1-yard touchdown run, with 11:22 to go. Strangely, Clemson elected to onside kick the ball, which Colorado recovered. The Buffaloes drove 53 yards in 8 plays and concluded with a John Bayuk touchdown to take the lead once again. With time running down, Clemson recovered a fumble at the Colorado 27. However, Bob Stransky intercepted Charlie Bussey's pass, sealing the win for Colorado.
Aftermath
The Tigers did not return to the Orange Bowl until 1982. The Buffaloes returned in 1962.