The Miners were in their fourth Sun Bowl of the 1950s in the final year for coach Mike Brumbelow.
The Colonials had just one loss on the season (to West Virginia) and one tie (to Boston) while finishing second in the Southern Conference, but the Colonials were 17th ranked going into their first ever bowl game, though the Miners were favored due to the game being played at the Miners' home field.
Defense proved to be the key ingredient for victory, as the Colonials forced six turnovers and scored a few points of their own in the process.
Ted Colna intercepted a pass and Pete Spera ran in for a touchdown to seal the game for the Colonials in the fourth.
Claude Austin ran for 98 yards on 18 carries to earn MVP honors.