The 1952 Syracuse squad finished the regular season with a record of 7–2 and as winners of the Lambert Trophy for the first time in school history.
[3][4] Alabama opened the scoring on the afternoon with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Clell Hobson to Bobby Luna to take a 7–0 lead.
[5] Syracuse responded on the following possession with their lone points of the game on a 15-yard, Joe Szombathy touchdown run.
[5] Alabama extended their lead to 21–6 at the half with two touchdowns on a one-yard Bobby Marlow run and a 50-yard Thomas Tharp reception from Hobson.
[9] The 55-points still stands as the largest margin of victory for an Alabama football team in a bowl game.