The 1961 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the 2nd ranked Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss Rebels

University of Mississippi sports teams, originally known as the "Mississippi Flood" , were re-named the Rebels in 1936 and compete in the twelve-member Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I. The school's colors are cardinal red and navy blue , purposely chosen to mirror the school...

, and the unranked Rice Owls

Rice University

William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...

. After winning the game Ole Miss claimed the national championship.

In the first quarter, Rebel quarterback Jake Gibbs

Jake Gibbs

Jerry Dean "Jake" Gibbs is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Yankees as a platoon catcher from 1962 to 1971. His strong hit record in 1968 earned him the nickname "Dead-Eye" Gibbs...

scored on an 8 yard touchdown run. In the third quarter, Rice would score on a 2 yard run by Blume, but the extra point missed and Rice was still trailing 7-6. In the fourth quarter, Ole Miss put the game away with a 3 yard touchdown run from Jake Gibbs as Ole Miss won 14-6. Nevertheless, it was a very difficult win for the Rebels against a huge underdog. Rice won the statistical battle, but their quarterback threw 4 interceptions, and the team made some key mistakes.

Jake Gibbs was named the game's MVP.