This was the first bowl appearance for the Miners; head coach Mack Saxon had been one of the coaches of the El Paso All-Stars, winning team of the inaugural 1935 Sun Bowl, contested between high school teams.
Si Addington gave the Cowboys a 7–0 lead on his 13-yard touchdown run.
O. P. May hit Boyde Arnold for a 40-yard touchdown to respond, but the Miners extra point fell short, keeping the lead 7–6 for Hardin–Simmons.
From there on, the Cowboys dominated, scoring 27 straight points and rushing for 421 yards on 71 carries.
The Miners are the only team to have made appearances at all three venues of the Sun Bowl.