1972 Tangerine Bowl The 1972 Tangerine Bowl , part of the 1972 bowl game season , took place on December 29 , 1972 , at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando , Florida . The competing teams were the Tampa Spartans , that competed as a College Division Independent , and the Kent State Golden Flashes , that competed as a member of the Mid - American Conference ( MAC ) . In the game , Tampa took a 21 – 0 halftime lead , and then held off a Golden Flashes comeback to win 21 – 18 . The game featured two eventual College Football Hall of Fame coaches , Earle Bruce at Tampa and Don James at Kent State . Other players of note that played in the game included eventual Alabama head coach Nick Saban , Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel and Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert for Kent State and eventual # 1 NFL Draft pick John Matuszak for Tampa . Teams . Tampa . The Spartans entered their game against with an overall record of seven wins and two losses ( 7 – 2 ) , and it was speculated the winner of the game would be invited to compete in the Tangerine Bowl . This was the case as a Falcons victory would give them the MAC championship and an automatic bid to the game thus making a rematch against the Spartans unlikely . Tampa did win the game 29 – 22 , and on November 20 , they accepted a bid to play in the Tangerine Bowl . The appearance marked the first for the Spartans in a National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) sanctioned bowl game and their first postseason appearance since their victory in the 1954 Cigar Bowl . Kent State . The Golden Flashes entered their game against with an overall record of five wins , four losses and one tie ( 5 – 4 – 1 ) . With a victory over the Rockets , Kent State won their first all - time MAC Championship and secured the league ' s automatic bid to the Tangerine Bowl . Game summary . The 1972 edition of the Tangerine Bowl kicked off at 8 : 00 p . m . before what was the largest crowd to date for the game . The Spartans took a 14 – 0 first quarter lead on a pair of Buddy Carter touchdown passes to Paul Orndorff . The first was set up after Gerald Tinker fumble d a punt at the Flashes ' 15 - yard line that was recovered by Terry Grantham . On the next play , Tampa led 7 – 0 with Orndorff ' s 15 - yard touchdown reception . Later in the quarter , the second Spartans touchdown was set up by a Tommy Thomas interception return of a Greg Kokal pass to the Kent 38 - yard line . Two plays later , Tampa led 14 – 0 with Orndorff ' s 35 - yard touchdown reception . Tampa ' s final touchdown drive of the night was again setup by a Kent turnover . For the second time , Kokal threw an interception , and on the drive that followed Freddie Solomon gained 60 yards on five carries that included the final two for a touchdown and a 21 – 0 halftime lead . Kent responded in the third quarter with their first touchdown on a 76 - yard Kokal pass to Tinker , and after a missed extra point the score was 21 – 6 . A pair of fourth quarter touchdowns on a ten - yard Kokal pass to Dooner and on a 78 - yard Renard Harmon punt return made the final score 21 – 18 . For his performance of 103 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown , Freddie Solomon was named a co - MVP of the game along with Kent State ' s Jack Lambert on defense .