Year-by-Year: 1957

Comeback for Tigers Falls Short

Colorado   27
Clemson    21

Clemson mounted one of the greatest comebacks in Orange Bowl history, but fell short when Colorado intercepted a pass deep in its territory on the last play of the game.

In that final series, Clemson's Willie Smith recovered a Buffalo fumble at the Colorado 27 with his team trailing 27-21. But the Buff’s Bob Stransky intercepted quarterback Charlie Bussey's pass to save the game.

After a scoreless first period, Colorado stormed to three quick touchdowns on short runs by John "The Beast" Bayuk and Boyd Dowler and a 26-yard run by Howard Cook. The Buffaloes narrowly missed a fourth touchdown and went into the locker room with a 20-0 cushion.

An inspiring speech by Clemson head coach Frank Howard, in which he threatened to resign if he didn't get a better effort from his team, followed. His squad responded with three second-half scores on a pair of runs by Joel Wells and another by Bob Spooner. A shocked Colorado squad saw the Tigers take a 21-20 lead with 11:22 to go.

Although leading, Clemson attempted an onside kick, but Colorado recovered. It marched 53 yards in eight plays and went ahead for good on Bayuk's second touchdown of the day.

When the Buffaloes later fumbled at their own 26, Clemson had a final shot to win. Stransky's interception, however, nullified that attempt. Colorado's Wells rushed for 125 yards and Bayuk went for 121.

GAME STATISTICS

                            Colorado          Clemson

First Downs                 16                  14

Rushing Plays               52                 60

Rushing Yards             279                217

Passes Attempted         4                   8

Passes Completed         2                   3

Had Intercepted           0                   2

Passing Yards              27                 25

Total Offense             306                242

Punting/Avg.            5/36.6             7/37.9

Fumbles/Lost              8/3                0/0

Penalties/Yards           5/55              4/40    

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Colorado           0          20          0          7           27

Clemson            0          0          14          7          21

SCORING SUMMARY

CO: Bayuk 2 run (Indorf kick); CO: Dowler 6 run (Cook kick); CO: Cook 26 run (kick failed); CL: Wells 3 run (Bussey kick); CL:  Wells 58 run (Bussey kick); CL: Spooner 1 run (Bussey kick); CO: Bayuk 1 run (Indorf kick)

Colorado Head Coach Dallas Ward

Clemson Head Coach Frank Howard