1936 Rose Bowl
The 1936 Rose Bowl was the 22nd Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1936 in Pasadena, California. It featured the undefeated SMU Mustangs against the Stanford Indians, which had one loss. This was the first Rose Bowl to features two teams that were both located west of the Mississippi River, as the bowl game typically pitted the best teams from the eastern and western United States.
Background
Stanford had been to six previous Rose Bowls in a span of 34 years, but they had only compiled a 1–4–1 record. This was the third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance for Stanford's class of 1936 players, nicknamed the "Vow Boys".SMU had a record of 12–0 and was top-ranked with a defense that had shut out their opponents in eight of 12 games. This was their second-ever bowl game but their first marquee bowl appearance.
Game summary
Not wanting to lose for the third consecutive time in the Rose Bowl, Stanford strove to score first, which they did with Bill Paulman's touchdown run in the first quarter. The rest of the game was a defensive struggle, highlighted by Stanford's six interceptions and SMU's crucial fumble at Stanford's five-yard line. In the end, there were 355 combined yards, but also 25 combined punts and only 15 first downs.Scoring
First Quarter
- Stan – Bill Paulman, 1-yard run