| Game Name: | Tangerine Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | December 23 |
| Year Game Played: | 1977 |
| Football Season: | 1977 |
| Home Name Short: | Florida State |
| Home Nickname: | Seminoles |
| Home Record: | 9–2 |
| Home Conference: | Independent |
| Home Rank Ap: | 19 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | NR |
| Home 1Q: | 3 |
| Home 2Q: | 13 |
| Home 3Q: | 11 |
| Home 4Q: | 13 |
| Mvp: | Jimmy Jordan, Florida State (offensive & overall) Willie Jones, Florida State (defensive)[1] |
| Visitor Name Short: | Texas Tech |
| Visitor Nickname: | Red Raiders |
| Visitor Record: | 7–4 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 6 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 8 |
| Type: | bg |
| Attendance: | 44,502[2] |
| Payout: | 190,000 per school |
| Game Link: | Citrus Bowl |
The 1977 Tangerine Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 23, 1977 at Orlando Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game pitted the Florida State Seminoles and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Texas Tech started the season ranked #8 in the nation, winning their first two games of the season before a face-off with #6 Texas A&M, which they lost 33–17. Three straight wins got them to #14, but a 26–0 loss to #1 Texas dropped them out permanently. Wins over TCU and SMU followed, but they lost to Houston and #6 Arkansas to finish the season. They finished tied for fourth in the Southwest Conference. This was their sixth bowl game of the decade. Florida State had just two losses, compounded with a six-game winning streak. They reached #13 at one point (before a loss to San Diego State), but they finished the season strong with a 37–9 thrashing of Florida. This was their first bowl game since 1971.
Jimmy Jordan threw 18-of-25 for 311 yards and three touchdowns en route to an MVP effort. Florida State had 22 first downs to Texas Tech's 21 first downs. Tech had 99 rushing yards (on 44 carries) while the Seminoles had 85 (on 37 carries). Florida State threw for 455 passing yards while the Red Raiders threw for 379. The Seminoles had two turnovers, but the Red Raiders turned it over four times. While Florida State had 10 penalties for 130 yards, they managed to convert their opportunities into points, where as Tech did not do as such, at least until the second half where it was too late.[3] [4]
| Statistics | Texas Tech | Florida State |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 22 |
| Rushing yards | 99 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 279 | 455 |
| Total offense | 378 | 540 |
| Passing | 18–28–2 | 35–35–0 |
| Punts–average | 7–29.6 | 3–35.6 |
| Return yards | 11 | 5 |
| Fumbles–lost | 3–3 | 2–2 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–50 | 10–130 |
The Red Raiders did not qualify for another bowl game until the 1986 Independence Bowl. Florida State's next bowl appearance was the 1980 Orange Bowl.