The first quarter saw the first score of the game, as Bobby Spann found James Turley on a 20-yard pass for an Arkansas State touchdown.
The scoring drought was ended in the fourth quarter by East Texas State's Billy Ray Norris, on a 1-yard rush.
The tie ended a streak of 29 consecutive victories by East Texas State.
[2] Arkansas State quarterback Bobby Spann was selected as MVP of the game.
The game's third-place position was soon overtaken, though, as Omaha and Eastern Kentucky finished 7–6 the next year and Juniata and Missouri Valley tied 6–6 the year after that, which put the 1954 edition at the fifth-lowest scoring Tangerine Bowl, a position it maintains to present day (throughout all name-changes and variations of the bowl).