[2][3][4] Entering the bowl season, Wyoming was the only undefeated team in the nation among major schools,[5] but LSU was favored by a touchdown, largely because it had faced a tougher schedule than the Cowboys and virtual home field advantage, as the Tigers were playing just eighty miles (130 km) from their campus.
[1] The first game of a major bowl tripleheader (Rose, Orange) on NBC, it kicked off at 1 pm CST.
Following morning rains, the game was played on soggy natural turf in clammy 45 °F (7 °C) temperatures.
In the fourth quarter, Tiger quarterback Nelson Stokley completed touchdown passes of eight and fourteen yards to end Tommy Morel as LSU rallied for a 20–13 win.
[3][6] The last score occurred with more than four minutes remaining; quarterback Paul Toscano advanced the Cowboys deep into LSU territory, but Wyoming flanker Gene Huey was tackled in-bounds on the five-yard line and time ran out.