Who won the 1993 Independence Bowl?
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The 1993 Independence Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Indiana Hoosiers at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana on December 31, 1993. The 18th edition of the Independence Bowl was the final contest of the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 45–20 victory for Virginia Tech. The game was the first bowl victory for Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer and began a record streak of 23 consecutive bowl appearances for Virginia Tech.
1993 Independence Bowl
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In the fourth week of the season, however, Indiana suffered its first loss: a 27–15 conference defeat at the hands of No. 22 Wisconsin. The Hoosiers recovered from the setback, however, and won their next four games—all of which were against Big Ten opponents. The fourth of those victories came against the Michigan State Spartans, who had replaced Wisconsin at the No. 22 spot in the country. Indiana held the Spartans scoreless in a tough defensive battle, earning a 10–0 victory. With a 7–1 record, Indiana appeared to be in position to compete for the Big Ten championship, but consecutive losses to highly ranked Penn State and Ohio State put an end to any thoughts of a championship. The Hoosiers ended the season with a 24–17 win over traditional rival Purdue and accepted a bid to the Independence Bowl.
1993 Independence Bowl
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The 2002 Independence Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Ole Miss Rebels on December 27, 2002, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ole Miss won the game 27–23; Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, who passed for 313 yards and a touchdown, was the offensive player of the game. After the loss, Nebraska finished the season 7–7, ending a forty-year streak of winning seasons for the Cornhuskers.
2002 Independence Bowl
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The 1993 Independence Bowl kicked off at 12:30 p.m. EST on December 31, 1993, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Official attendance estimates indicate a crowd of 33,819, but many seats in the 50,459-seat stadium were empty, indicating a smaller-than-official crowd. The game was broadcast on ESPN in the United States, and Joel Meyers, Rick Walker, and Mike Mayock were the broadcasters. Weather at kickoff was sunny and .
1993 Independence Bowl
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In the first two games of the season, Tech followed through on that promise, winning 33–16 and 63–21 against Bowling Green and Pittsburgh, respectively. A loss to No. 3 Miami followed, but a victory over Maryland in the game that followed gave Tech a 3–1 record, already better than its 1992 win total. After a close loss at No. 14 West Virginia that was determined by a missed last-second field goal by Tech placekicker Ryan Williams, the Hokies won five of their last six regular-season games. These wins included victories over Big East opponent Syracuse and No. 23 Virginia, Tech's traditional rival. With an 8–3 regular-season record and ranked No. 22 in the country by the Associated Press, Tech was extended an invitation to the Independence Bowl, its first bowl bid since the 1986 Peach Bowl.
1993 Independence Bowl
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The Rebels had plummeted to fourth in the SEC West after losing their last three games, including one to Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Tuberville left the team prior to the bowl game for Auburn, leaving the coaching duties to David Cutcliffe, hired on December 2. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders were third in the Big 12 South Division after losing four of their last five games. This was the first Independence Bowl for both teams since 1986, which Mississippi won, 20-17. This was the first Independence Bowl featuring a Big 12 team, and the first to be sponsored by Sanford, a leading manufacturer and marketer of writing instruments.
The Rebels returned to the Independence Bowl the following year. The Red Raiders haven't returned to the Independence Bowl since this game.
1998 Independence Bowl
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Several Independence Bowl records were set during the game, some of which still stand. Indiana's Thomas Lewis returned eight punts in the game and earned 177 receiving yards, including the third-longest pass in Independence Bowl History—a 75-yard reception from quarterback John Paci. Hokie Kicker Ryan Williams set the record for the most extra points in an Independence Bowl game with six, a mark that was tied during the 1995 Independence Bowl.
1993 Independence Bowl
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Temple received and accepted a bid to the Independence Bowl on December 2. The Owls entered the bowl with a 8–4 record (7–1 in conference), having won 6-of-7 to end their regular season. As Temple head coach Geoff Collins resigned in order to take the same position at Georgia Tech, the Owls were led in the Independence Bowl by interim head coach Ed Foley.
2018 Independence Bowl
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Virginia Tech's turnaround from a 2–8–1 season in 1992 was the largest single-season turnaround in school history and was the second-best in the country that year. Tech hoped to improve upon a 1–4 all-time record in bowl games, while Indiana hoped to do likewise for its 3–4 historical bowl-game record. In the week prior to the game, bad weather in Virginia caused travel delays that prevented many fans and the Virginia Tech marching band from arriving at the game early. Two days prior to the Independence Bowl, Tech was shocked by the death of Dr. Richard Bullock, who served as the team's physician from 1971 to 1988. Bullock designed a special football neck protector worn by players during the 1980s and 1990s before being phased out in favor of more advanced padding.
1993 Independence Bowl
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The Tigers and Fighting Irish have met in three subsequent bowls; LSU won the 2007 Sugar Bowl and Notre Dame the 2014 Music City Bowl and 2018 Citrus Bowl.
1997 Independence Bowl