1938 Orange Bowl

The 1938 Orange Bowl was the fourth game in the annual series. It was the first to be played at Burdine Stadium, which had been built at a cost of $360,000 after the first three games were held in Miami Stadium. A total of 18,972 people attended the contest, more than doubling the event's highest attendance to that point, in the stadium that in 1959 had its name changed to the Miami Orange Bowl. Michigan State Michigan State, coached by Charlie Bachman, began the 1937 college football season with a 34–6 home victory over Wayne State. The Spartans, who were not members of an athletic conference, then traveled to Ann Arbor and defeated Michigan by a score of 19–14. One week later, the Spartans lost 3–0 to Manhattan in a game played in New York City. Michigan State then went on a six-game winning streak to end the regular season, which included victories against Missouri, Kansas, and Temple. Four of the Spartans' eight wins during the season were by a margin of at least 14 points. The Spartans were invited to the Orange Bowl, and agreed to participate on November 30. Auburn The Tigers—often nicknamed the "Plainsmen" by the media of the time Auburn accepted its invitation six days after Michigan State, having gained permission from the rest of its conference, the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Tigers needed a change in SEC rules to participate in the Orange Bowl because the conference had instituted a ban on postseason participation in games other than the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl earlier in 1937. On December 10, the SEC dropped its ban, provided that a majority of the conference's membership voted in favor of a team's bowl appearance. ==Game summary==

stadium was the site of the 1938 Orange Bowl In the first quarter, Auburn threatened twice to score the game's first points, but could not convert on either occasion. First, the Tigers used running plays by halfbacks Spec Kelly and Jimmy Fenton to go into Michigan State's half of the field, ultimately reaching the Spartans' 12-yard-line; the drive included a 25-yard rush by Fenton. Following three runs, the Tigers faced a fourth down play, and elected to go for a first down or touchdown. Fenton attempted a pass, but it was incomplete, and Auburn lost possession to Michigan State. The Spartans punted back to the Tigers, and John Pingel's kick went out of bounds at Auburn's 37-yard-line. Kelly picked up one first down with a 17-yard rush, and a second on a pass to Dutch Heath. Auburn, however, turned the ball over on a Tom McShannock interception of a Kelly pass attempt. McShannock returned the interception 29 yards downfield, but the Spartans were unable to gain a first down during the subsequent drive. The following play was a run by O'Gwynne, who crossed the goal line for a touchdown while being tackled by Ed Pearce. There was no further scoring in the second quarter, and Auburn held its lead entering halftime. During the third quarter, Pearce gained 29 yards on a rush, giving the Spartans their first first down of the game. The drive stalled with Michigan State unable to reach Auburn's half of the field. The Spartans prevented the Tigers' offense from scoring, and writer H. J. Aronstam commented that "The Spartans played their best in the third period." Near the end of the quarter, Michigan State had possession and Pingel attempted a pass to Ernie Bremer. Heath, however, intercepted the pass off a deflection. The Tigers quickly advanced down the field, and a 17-yard pass completion from Kenmore to Heath placed the ball in the Spartans' red zone. No points were scored on the drive, as a fourth-down pass into the end zone was unsuccessful. Auburn entered the fourth quarter still leading 6–0. The team attempted to increase its lead with a 50-yard drive, which advanced the ball to the Spartans' 26-yard-line. Again, Michigan State's defense held, and the Tigers were unable to pad the lead. Auburn again threatened to score later in the quarter, moving the ball inside the Spartans' 30-yard-line, but was turned away once more without scoring. Meanwhile, the Spartans gained their second first down of the contest in the middle of the quarter when Pingel completed a 23-yard pass. Michigan State was later forced to punt once more without crossing the 50-yard-line. Aronstam wrote that "The Spartans opened a shoot-the-works offensive in the final quarter, but could not penetrate Auburn's stout line with any degree of consistency." The game ended without further scoring, resulting in a 6–0 victory for the Tigers. ==Statistical summary==

Auburn gained 13 first downs during the game, 11 more than Michigan State, and had a large advantage in total offense, 278 yards to 65. The Tigers ran for 197 yards on the day; ==References==