The 1955 Vanderbilt squad finished the regular season 7–3.[7] The Commodores lost to Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee.[7] They accepted an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl in the days following their loss to Tennessee.[4] The appearance was the first all-time bowl appearance for Vanderbilt.
The 1955 Auburn squad finished the regular season 8–1–1.[4] The Tigers lost to Tulane and tied Kentucky in route to their third-place finish in the conference. They accepted an invitation to play in the Gator Bowl against Vanderbilt in the days following their victory over long-time rivalAlabama.[4] The appearance was the fifth overall bowl appearance and third consecutive in the Gator Bowl for the Tigers.[4]
Vanderbilt got on the scoreboard first after Don Orr threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Joe Stephenson to give the Commodores a 7–0 lead.[8] Auburn responded on the next drive to tie the game at seven after Howell Tubbs connected with Fob James for a 38-yard touchdown reception.[8] The Commodores retook a 13–7 lead on the next drive after Orr scored on a three-yard touchdown run to cap a five-play, 76-yard drive that included a 45-yard run by Orr himself.[8] After having a 51-yard Orr touchdown pass called back because of a holding penalty, Vanderbilt scored later in the quarter on a one-yard Orr touchdown run.[8] The Commodores then scored their final points on the first play of the fourth quarter when Don Hunt scored on a one-yard touchdown run to give Vanderbilt a 25–7 lead.[8] Auburn scored the final points of the game late in the fourth when Joe Childress caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Cook to make the final score 25–13. For their performances, Vanderbilt quarterback Don Orr and Auburn running back Joe Childress mere named co-MVPs of the game.[1]
^ ab"Yearly Results". 2009 Commodore Football Media Guide(PDF). Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University. 2009. p. 159. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
