1998 Independence Bowl

1998 Sanford Independence Bowl
1998 Sanford Independence Bowl
Bowl Game
Texas Tech Red Raiders	Ole Miss Rebels
(7–4)	(6–5)
Big 12	SEC
18	35
Head coach: ; Spike Dykes	Head coach: ; David Cutcliffe (interim)
Date	December 28, 1998
Season	1998
Stadium	Independence Stadium
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana
MVP	QB Romaro Miller; DL Kendrick Clancy
Referee	Gordon Riese (Pac-10)
Attendance	46,682
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Dave Barnett, Bill Curry and Dave Ryan
Independence Bowl
< 1997	1999 >

The 1998 Independence Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Background

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.

Game summary

First quarter

Texas Tech: Dorris 22 pass from Peters (Birkholz kick) – 7–0 Texas Tech
Ole Miss: Lucas 33 pass from Miller (McGee kick) – 7–7 tie

Second quarter

Ole Miss: McAllister 32 pass from Miller (McGee kick) – 14–7 Ole Miss
Texas Tech: Birkholz 49 field goal – 14–10 Ole Miss

Fourth quarter

Ole Miss: Peterson 26 pass from Miller (McGee kick) – 21–10 Ole Miss
Ole Miss: McAllister 4 run (McGee kick) – 28–10 Ole Miss
Ole Miss: McAllister 43 kickoff return (McGee kick) – 35–10 Ole Miss
Texas Tech: McCullar fumble recovery for a touchdown (Winn pass) – 35–18 Ole Miss

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Aftermath

The Rebels returned to the Independence Bowl the following year. The Red Raiders wouldn't return to the Independence Bowl until 2023.

In an adjacent development, Tuberville would end up coaching Texas Tech from 2010−12.

Statistics

Statistics	Ole Miss	Texas Tech
First downs	19	18
Rushing yards	139	82
Passing yards	216	203
Interceptions	1	2
Total yards	355	285
Fumbles–lost	3–2	2–1
Penalties–yards	7–86	5–55
Punts–average	5–32.4	6–30.8

References

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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