The 1948 Baylor squad finished the regular season 5–3–2 with losses against Texas, Tulane and SMU and ties against Mississippi State and Rice.[1] Following their tie against Rice, Dixie Bowl officials extended the Bears an invitation to play in the 1949 edition of the game, which Baylor accepted.[2] The Dixie Bowl appearance marked the first ever postseason bowl game for Baylor.[3]
The 1948 Wake Forest squad finished the regular season 6–3 with losses against Boston College, North Carolina and Clemson.[4] Following their victory over Duke, Dixie Bowl officials extended the Demon Deacons an invitation to play in the 1949 edition of the game, which Wake accepted.[5] The appearance marked the first for Wake in the Dixie Bowl and their second overall bowl appearance.[6]
Game summary
Baylor opened the scoring in the first quarter after George Simsintercepted a Wake pass and returned it 52 yards to the Demon Deacons eight-yard line.[7] Sammie Pierce scored from one yard out a few plays later and after Hank Dickerson missed the extra point, the Bears took a 6–0 lead.[3][7] Baylor extended their lead to 20–0 at halftime after Jerry Mangrum scored from one-yard out and Harold Riley connected with Ray Painter for a 12-yard touchdown reception.[3][7] Early in the third, Wake scored their only points of the game on a three-yard Mike Sprock run to make the final score 20–7.[6][7]
^"All-time Results". 2010 Baylor Football Media Almanac(PDF). Waco, TX: Baylor University Department of Athletics. 2010. p. 85. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 13, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^ abc"Bowl Recaps: 1949 Dixie Bowl". 2010 Baylor Football Media Almanac(PDF). Waco, TX: Baylor University Department of Athletics. 2010. p. 117. Archived from the original(PDF) on May 13, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^"Year-by-Year Results". 2010 Wake Forest Football Media Guide(PDF). Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest Athletic Media Relations. 2010. p. 195. Archived from the original(PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
^ ab"Postseason Games: 1949 Dixie Bowl". 2010 Wake Forest Football Media Guide(PDF). Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest Athletic Media Relations. 2010. p. 172. Archived from the original(PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2011.