A pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns allowed Louisiana Tech to overcome an anemic offense, four turnovers and a slew of penalties Tuesday to win the 49th Independence Bowl, 23-14 in Shreveport.
Showing posts with label independence bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label independence bowl. Show all posts
Army: 2024 Independence Bowl Champions
The Independence Bowl has welcomed some significant attendance numbers over the years with schools like LSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Oklahoma casting their lots in the 11th oldest bowl game in the country.
But thanks to heavy rains that fell throughout the Shreveport-Bossier City area on Saturday, an announced crowd of 34,283 hardy souls watched as Army dominated late invitee Louisiana Tech 27-6 in a late game televised on ESPN.
Although the Bulldogs (5-8) have now played in more I-Bowls than any team over the past 48 seasons (6), and defeated Miami in 2019 in their last visit, they were no match for the Black Knights (12-2), who rebounded from a season-ending loss to archrival Navy.
Tech wasn’t supposed to go bowling after coming up short of the necessary six wins, but got a reprieve when Marshall flaked out of coming to Shreveport after losing over two dozen players in the portal.
Tech is now 0-3 all-time versus Army.
Black Knights play keep-away with football
Time was not in Tech’s favor as the Black Knights dominated time of possession in addition to the scoring.
On one first-half drive, Army set an I-Bowl record with 21 plays on a drive that lasted more than 12 minutes. That left a short-handed Tech defense defenseless against the onslaught of the Black Knight offense that ran the ball at will.
The Bulldogs rarely saw the ball in falling behind by three scores and never recovering. In the end, the time of possession favored Army 38:56 to 19:52.
Rumbled on the Red
Playing in a stadium just a few miles from the mighty Red River, site of two Bassmaster Classics, the Bulldogs couldn’t pose a decent run-stop defense with three defensive line starters missing because of the transfer portal.
One of those was Tech’s best defender in David Blay, the No. 2 defensive line prospect in the 2024 portal who is headed to Miami.
A no-star defensive line prospect out of Levittown, Pennsylvania, in 2022, Blay posted 46 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback pressures and 6.5 sacks this season. His sack total was the third best in Conference USA this season.
Tech's defense finished the season as the No. 11-ranked total defense in the nation, allowing just 301.9 yards per game. Army entered the game averaging 298.9 yards per game and put up a lot on the Bulldogs.
Tech offense given little help in run game
Tech, which was making its 14th bowl appearance in history but first since 2020, had just a couple of backup wide receivers missing from the offense that carried the Bulldogs for most of the season. But you couldn’t tell it with the way the offense sputtered in key situations.
The Bulldogs’ only real chance at a TD came with about 11 minutes remaining when redshirt freshman quarterback Evan Bullock tossed an interception in the end zone from 3 yards out on a fourth-down play.
Now 3-2-1 in I-Bowls, Tech couldn’t get its offense untracked behind Bullock, who received no support from his run game. Tech managed just a single rushing yard in the first half while falling behind 21-3 and finished with 49 yards rushing.
Meanwhile, Army quarterback Bryson Daily set the NCAA single-season rushing TD record with three scores against the Bulldogs giving him 32 on the season.
Texas Tech: 2023 Independence Bowl Champions
SHREVEPORT, La. ― The Texas Tech football team ended with a bowl victory for the third year in a row, beating California 34-14 Saturday night at the Independence Bowl.
Behren Morton threw three first-half touchdown passes and Gino Garcia kicked a 25-yard field goal as Tech built a 24-14 lead by halftime. Tahj Brooks, who recently announced he will stay with the team for 2024 on the Covid-bonus year, tacked on a 7-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Tech finished 7-6, winning for the fourth time in five games since a 3-5 start. The Red Raiders snapped a three-game win streak by Cal (6-7), which became bowl eligible by winning its last three games of the regular season.
The Golden Bears led 7-0 after Tech's Drae McCray fumbled the opening kickoff and Fernando Mendoza flicked a 25-yard touchdown pass to Monroe Young, a brother of Red Raiders' tight end-linebacker Matthew Young. On its next possession, Cal went 79 yards to reach the Tech 5-yard line, but linebacker Ben Roberts threw Jaydn Ott for a loss on fourth-and-2.
Morton threw touchdown passes on Tech's next three possessions, to Coy Eakin for 27 yards, Mason Tharp for 15 yards and Loic Fouonji for 14 yards.
Here's the Red Raiders' report card.
Offense: A
This becomes Behren Morton's team in 2024, and he showed what that could look like with a sharp performance. Coy Eakin had a career high in receiving yards, and Eakin, Mason Tharp and Loic Fouonji pitched in with touchdown catches.
Defense: B
Any team's first order of business facing Cal is to contain Pac-12 rushing leader Jaydn Ott. The Red Raiders held the FBS's seventh-leading rusher to 42 yards through three quarters and foiled him twice on fourth down in Tech territory.
Special Teams: B
Tech ostensibly spotted Cal the game's first touchdown with Drae McCray's fumble on the opening kickoff. Xavier White set up a touchdown with a 24-yard punt return, and Austin McNamara pinned the Golden Bears at their 15-yard line or inside three times.
Coaching: A
Golden Bears wobbled the Red Raiders with a first-play touchdown and another long drive on its second possession. Whatever Joey McGuire's staff said worked, because the Red Raiders kept their poise and answered with authority.
Overall: A
Any bowl victory over a team from a power-five conference is a good victory. Can the Red Raiders use it as a springboard for a more satisfying 2024 season than their disappointing follow-up to last year's Texas Bowl triumph?
Houston: 2022 Independence Bowl Champions
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) – University of Houston senior quarterback Clayton Tune connected with junior wideout Nathaniel Dell for a 12-yard touchdown with 20 seconds remaining, and Houston rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Louisiana 23-16 inside Independence Stadium in the Radium Technologies Independence Bowl on Friday afternoon.
The TD pass was Tune's third of the game and 40th of the season, tying him with Western Kentucky's Austin Reed for the most in the nation. Before the winning throw, he completed a 41-yard pass to KeSean Carter on third-and-30 to move Houston into Ragin' Cajuns territory.
The Cougars (8-5) never led until that late touchdown as Tune heated up amid unseasonably cold temperatures in northwest Louisiana. It was 25 degrees at kickoff, with a wind chill of 12 degrees.
Louisiana (6-7) led 13-0 midway through the second quarter and 16-6 at halftime.
Tune, who finished 19 of 28 for 216 yards and was named the Independence Bowl Offensive MVP, led Houston on a 13-play, 70-yard drive to open the second half and hit Dell for a 2-yard touchdown that made it 16-13. Senior defensive back Art Green was named the game's Defensive MVP after recording nine tackles.
Clinging to a 3-point lead, Louisiana stuffed Houston on fourth-and-short at the Ragin' Cajuns 5-yard line midway through the third quarter, but the Cougars eventually tied the game on Kyle Ramsey's 19-yard field early in the fourth.
The Ragin' Cajuns wasted a chance to retake the lead when running back Chris Smith fumbled at the Houston 4.
Louisiana located three hours south of Shreveport, took the opening kick and orchestrated a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ended when tight end Johnny Lumpkin made a dazzling touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone.
The Cajuns got three field goals in the first half from by Kenneth Almendares (42, 42, and 22 yards). Chandler Fields finished 17 of 25 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown.
Tune's first TD toss was a 33-yarder to Carter in the second quarter. Carter finished with 104 yards on three catches, and Dell had six receptions for 44 yards and the two TDs.
ELITE COMPANY
Tune and Reed, who threw six TD passes in Wednesday's New Orleans Bowl victory over South Alabama, are three ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of Southern California and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. Williams still has a bowl game to play and Stroud's Buckeyes are in the College Football Playoff.
THE TAKEAWAY
Louisiana: First-year coach Michael Desormeaux guided the Ragin' Cajuns to their first losing season since 2017 (5-7). The program had posted three consecutive seasons with at least 10 victories (34-5 in that stretch).
Houston: Coach Dana Holgorsen honored one of his mentors, the late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, by wearing a black hoodie with ''STATE'' on the front. Holgorsen played for Leach at Iowa Wesleyan and later coached under him at Texas Tech. Leach died on Dec. 12.
With the win, Holgorsen becomes the first Houston coach to lead the Cougars to multiple bowl wins since Bill Yeoman (6 victories). It also marked the first time a Cougar head coach had led the program to consecutive bowl wins since Yeoman in the 1980 Cotton Bowl Classic (Jan. 1, 1980) and 1980 Garden State Bowl (Dec. 22, 1980).
UP NEXT
Louisiana: The Ragin Cajuns remain in-state to open the 2023 season as they will host another Louisiana school, Northwestern State, on Sept. 2.
Houston: The Cougars open the 2023 campaign at home against UTSA on Sept. 2.
UAB: 2021 Independence Bowl Champions
Dylan Hopkins threw three touchdown passes, including a 14-yard strike to Trea Shropshire in the fourth quarter to give UAB a 31-28 upset of No. 13 BYU on Saturday in the Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.
Hopkins’ game-winning toss came on fourth-and-7 with 6:17 left. It was the second fourth down UAB (9-4) converted on the drive as it won a bowl game for the second time in the program’s 31-year history. BYU was the highest-ranked opponent the Blazers have ever beaten.
Hopkins completed 19 of 23 passes for 189 yards. DeWayne McBride carried 28 times for 183 yards and scored on a 64-yard sprint in the first quarter.
BYU (10-3) was led by Tyler Allgeier, who carried 27 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns in breaking the Cougars’ single-season rushing record. Allgeier topped the mark of Luke Staley who ran for 1,582 yards in 2001. Allgeier finished the year with 1,601 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.
Allgeier’s third score of the game came early in the fourth quarter after Masen Wake ran 29 yards with a shovel pass to the 1-yard line. Allgeier’s touchdown carry gave BYU a 28-24 lead.
But UAB retaliated with a 75-yard drive. McBride carried for 44 yards in the march which milked 8:16 from the fourth-quarter clock.
BYU moved to midfield on its ensuing possession but at the end of a 22-yard reception, Samson Nacua fumbled and UAB’s Mac McWilliams recovered with 3:36 left. The Blazers then ran out the clock as McBride rushed for a pair of first downs and Jermaine Brown (8 carries, 47 yards) carried for another.
The Cougars were without injured starting quarterback Jaren Hall. Baylor Romney completed 15 of 23 passes for 195 yards.
UAB took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Hopkins capped a 60-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Gerrit Prince.
On the Blazers’ next possession, McBride broke into the clear on off tackle run, stiff-armed a defender to the ground and outran two other defenders to the end zone on his 64-yard touchdown run.
But BYU responded with touchdowns on its next two possessions. On a 72-yard drive on which he accounted for all the yards on seven carries, Allgeier capped it with a 1-yard scoring run. Then Nacua scored on a 2-yard end around to tie it.
UAB regained the lead before the half ended as Hopkins capped a 78-yard march with a 23-yard strike to Prince on a wheel route.
–Field Level Media
Louisiana Tech: 2019 Independence Bowl Champions
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs shut out the Miami Hurricanes, 14-0, in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl on Thursday.
The Bulldogs got an 8-yard touchdown run from J'Mar Smith late in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
Louisiana Tech had the first score when Smith passed 26 yards to Israel Tucker for a second-quarter touchdown. Bailey Hale's kick gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
Tech drove 91 yards in 13 plays for the score. The Bulldogs got runs of 13 and 12 yards from Justin Henderson in the drive.
Both teams had opportunities in the first quarter, but were unable to produce any points.
On its first possession, Smith connected with Malik Stanley for a 39-yard gain to the Miami 32-yard line. But two sacks and a 15-yard penalty for a chop block effectively ended the Bulldogs' drive with a punt.
Then, later in the first quarter, Miami's K.J. Osborn returned a punt 33 yards to the Tech 48-yard line. The Hurricanes faced a fourth-and-5 from the Tech 32-yard line. Quarterback Jarren Williams scrambled for what would have been a first down, but a personal foul on the Hurricanes wiped out the first down.
Duke: 2018 Independence Bowl Champions
SHREVEPORT, La. -- Temple was making big special-teams plays, returning interceptions for touchdowns and looking like a team that might crush Duke for a big postseason win.
But the Owls had one problem that couldn't be overcome: Coach David Cutcliffe doesn't lose in Shreveport.
Daniel Jones threw for 423 yards and five touchdowns, T.J. Rahming caught 12 passes for 240 yards and two scores, and Duke recovered from a slow start to blow past Temple 56-27 in the Independence Bowl on Thursday.
Cutcliffe is now 4-0 in the Independence Bowl dating back to 1998.
"When we come to Shreveport," Cutcliffe said with a grin. "Don't bet against us."
Duke (8-5) snapped a two-game losing streak by putting on an offensive show. The Blue Devils scored touchdowns on seven straight drives, flipping a 27-14 deficit in the second quarter to a 56-27 lead by midway through the fourth.
"We kind of hit a lull for a second, but I don't think we ever lost confidence," Jones said. "We knew we had some good stuff and if we caught a few breaks we could catch momentum and keep it rolling."
Jones' five touchdown passes and 423 yards passing both set Independence Bowl records. So did Duke's 56 points. Cutcliffe wasn't surprised by the offensive success because he felt the team's preparation was excellent.
"It was very evident in Durham what their intentions were," Cutcliffe said. "We didn't have a bad minute of practice."
This was Cutcliffe's first Independence Bowl win at Duke. He led Ole Miss to victories in Shreveport in 1998, 1999 and 2002 and is already enshrined in the bowl's Hall of Honor.
Temple (8-5) lost for just the second time in its past eight games.
"We've got a great culture, we love each other and we're tough," Temple interim coach Ed Foley said. "But you still have to go out and make plays. And (Duke) went out and made more plays than us. That's what cost us the game."
The Owls took a 13-7 lead in the first half after Delvon Randall's 52-yard interception return for a touchdown. It was the 10th game this season in which they scored a non-offensive touchdown.
Temple pushed ahead 27-14 late in the second quarter, but Duke responded with 22-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Rahming to pull within 27-21 by halftime.
"When we came in at halftime our offense was hot. It was a just a matter of time," Cutcliffe said.
Temple's Anthony Russo completed 25 of 46 passes for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Owls didn't score in the second half and gave up 42 unanswered points.
"They brought a little more pressure, but that's on me and the offensive line to get that picked up," Russo said. "I just don't think we found our groove in the second half."
JONES COMPLETES TO ... JONES
Things were going so well for Jones that he completed a 6-yard pass to himself during the fourth quarter. He tried to throw a pass over the middle, but a Temple defender batted it into the air before it fell back in Jones' hands and he sprinted forward to make something out of the play.
BIG PICTURE
Temple: The Owls looked great for most of the first half, but once Duke's offense got going, Temple's defense didn't have an answer. Now Temple will focus on the transition to new coach Manny Diaz, who replaces Geoff Collins.
Duke: It was an impressive win for Duke, which scored just 13 combined points in losses to Clemson and Wake Forest to end the regular season. The lopsided result gives the Blue Devils some momentum heading into 2019.
UP NEXT
Temple loses a senior class that's been to four straight bowl games. But the Owls will return some quality players on both sides of the ball, including Russo. Temple hosts Bucknell in the season opener next year.
Duke should return most of its defense next season, but must replace several offensive starters, including three linemen. The Blue Devils have a difficult game against Alabama in Atlanta to open next season.
Florida State: 2017 Independence Bowl Champions
SHREVEPORT, La. -- Freshman James Blackman was throwing the touchdown passes. Another freshman, Cam Akers, was gaining big chunks of yards on the ground.
Florida State might still be a little melancholy after a season that started with national championship hopes ended on Wednesday with an Independence Bowl win. But the performances from young players like Blackman and Akers in the 42-13 victory over Southern Mississippi are a solid hint that the Seminoles could be a powerhouse again in a hurry.
Blackman threw for 233 yards and an Independence Bowl-record four touchdowns, including three to junior receiver Auden Tate. Akers led the Seminoles with 94 yards rushing and also caught a 14-yard touchdown pass.
Blackman started the season's final 12 games after sophomore starting quarterback Deondre Francois suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener. He's had some ups and downs since the promotion, but saved the best for last against Southern Miss.
"It's pretty impressive, he had to grow up really fast," Florida State interim coach Odell Haggins. "He had to take the diapers off and go to work."
Florida State (7-6) ended the season on a four-game winning streak and avoided its first losing season since 1976. Now new coach Willie Taggart takes over and appears to have plenty of talent on the roster to work with going forward.
Southern Miss took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter after a 63-yard touchdown drive that was aided by two 15-yard Florida State penalties, one for unsportsmanlike conduct and the other for roughing the kicker.
But the Golden Eagles couldn't keep the momentum, mainly because of their own mistakes, including four defensive offside penalties on Florida State's opening drive.
"If you can get a little momentum going, you've got a chance to get this thing into the third quarter or the fourth quarter and we'll see what happens," Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. "But give (Florida State) credit, they deserved to win. They made plays, but I thought we fought hard. Just a tough loss today."
Blackman matched an Independence Bowl record with three touchdown passes in the first half to help Florida State take a 23-6 lead.
The Seminoles pushed the advantage to 33-6 late in the third quarter before Southern Miss finally responded with a touchdown. By then, the game was essentially out of reach.
Southern Miss (8-5) was led by Ito Smith, who ran for 92 yards. Kwadra Griggs completed 13 of 25 passes for just 86 yards and a touchdown.
AKERS GETS 1,000
Akers finished his freshman season with 1,024 yards rushing after running for 94 yards on just 13 carries against Southern Miss. The 5-foot-11, 213-pounder broke Dalvin Cook's program record for the most yards rushing by a freshman in a season. Cook had 1,008 yards in 2014.
THE TAKEAWAY
Florida State: The Seminoles earned a good ending to an otherwise dreary season. Florida State was simply more talented than Southern Miss at just about every position and it showed.
Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles were able to grab an early lead, but couldn't keep the momentum. Southern Miss is a program that relishes its opportunities against Power Five opponents, but the talent gap was too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Florida State: The Seminoles get a fresh start with Taggart. Florida State still has a talented roster and there's ample reason to believe it could be a quick turnaround for the storied program.
Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles should be in pretty good shape next season, though they'll have to replace star running back Ito Smith and the entire starting secondary.
North Carolina State: 2016 Independence Bowl Champions
SHREVEPORT, La. -- North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley has a simple philosophy when it comes to getting do-everything threat Jaylen Samuels involved with the offense.
"Just give him the ball in as many ways as possible," Finley said.
The method of choice on Monday was by air, and Finley found Samuels for three touchdowns passes in North Carolina State's 41-17 win over Vanderbilt in the Independence Bowl.
North Carolina State (7-6) won three of its final four games to finish with a winning record. The Wolfpack built a 28-3 lead by midway through the third quarter -- largely thanks to Samuels' touchdown catches of 9, 55 and 17 yards -- and then held off a brief Vanderbilt rally.
Samuels was named the game's Most Valuable Player on offense and his three touchdown catches were an Independence Bowl record. Finley, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 235 yards, hit Samuels six times for 104 yards.
North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren said Samuels' big night wasn't necessarily planned, but when Vanderbilt loaded the defense to stop the run, he was the man who was open. The 5-foot-11, 223-pound junior often has had an unorthodox role on the offense and is listed as a tight end and fullback.
"We were just taking what they were giving us," Doeren said. "And then our receivers did a great job of blocking for him."
Vanderbilt (6-7) had a lot of momentum going into the game thanks to surprising wins over Mississippi and Tennessee to end the regular season. But the Commodores' offense -- which scored a combined 83 points against the Rebels and Volunteers -- struggled for most of the night.
"We looked a little rusty," coach Derek Mason said. "All the way around -- special teams, offense and defense. We just didn't look like the Vanderbilt team that came out of the regular season."
Vanderbilt's Kyle Shurmur completed just 19 of 46 passes for 158 yards and three interceptions.
"There's a fine line between being aggressive and careless," Shurmur said. "And I crossed it a few times."
Even so, the Commodores briefly made things interesting, closing to 28-17 early in the fourth quarter. But that's when NC State's Nyheim Hines responded with a 100-yard touchdown on a kickoff return to put the game out of reach.
THE TAKEAWAY
Vanderbilt: The Commodores' offense took a step backward after some late-season improvement. Veteran running back Ralph Webb had another nice game with 111 yards rushing and a touchdown, but Shurmur's struggles throwing the ball were too much to overcome.
NC State: The Wolfpack end a frustrating season with an impressive win. They were fantastic on defense for most of the night and the Finley-to-Samuels connection couldn't be stopped by Vanderbilt.
WEBB BREAKS RECORD, SAYS HE'S COMING BACK
Webb's 111 yards rushing gave him a school-record 1,283 yards for the season. The junior, who already is Vanderbilt's career rushing leader, said during the postgame press conference that he plans to return for his senior season.
DEFENSIVE MVP
North Carolina State's Airius Moore was named the game's defensive MVP after leading the Wolfpack with nine tackles, including two sacks.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt: The Commodores took a major step forward this season by making a bowl game in Mason's third season. Vanderbilt will have a few holes to fill, but should return several key players in 2017.
NC State: The Wolfpack are still struggling to push into the upper tier of the Atlantic Coast Conference. NC State finishes with another winning season under Doeren, but the program feels a little stuck at the moment.
Virginia Tech Hokies: 2015 Independence Bowl Champions
Although Tulsa lost, the team's fight and this season's turnaround are things that won't be forgotten.
The Golden Hurricane started the game hot with a 48-yard TD run by D’Angelo Brewer to give the Golden Hurricane a 7-0 lead.
Virginia Tech bounced back quick, answering with a 51-yard TD run from Travon McMillian to tie it up 7-all.
The game's lack of defense became very apparent when TU's Zack Langer broke off a long run, leading to a two-yard score to put the Golden Hurricane up 14-7, followed by another VT score to tie it again just minutes in. The tying score tallied 1,000 receiving yards for Isaiah Ford, making him the first 1,000-yard receiver in Virginia Tech history.
At this point, the game was looking like both teams would post 50+ points. Both teams were dominating with the ground game and neither team's defense was making tackles.
Total Yards (11:42, 1st Quarter)
Tulsa- 145
Virginia Tech- 138
The Hokies took their first lead with ten minutes left of one with a 27-yard field goal by Joey Slye, giving VT a 17-14 edge.
The 31 combined points by both teams set an Independence Bowl record for most points in a single quarter.
Sam Rogers increased Tech's lead 24-14 with a 14-yard run. But Tulsa stayed high tempo.
Josh Atkinson hauled in a 44-yard reception from Dane Evans to put TU right back in VT territory. Atkinson's catch helped him slate over 1,000 yards on the season and led to a 9-yard TD connection from Dane Evans to Bishop Louie, cutting Tulsa's deficit 24-21.
By the end of the first, Evans had thrown for 117 yards on 7-10 passing; three of those were to Atkinson for 70 yards.
In just one quarter, Tulsa and VT combined for 463 yards and 45 points.
The Hokies opened the second half hype with a score from Bucky Hodges to put Virginia Tech up 31-21. Tech's 31 points marked the most ever in the 1st half of a bowl game.
VT quickly advanced its lead 45-21 with back to back scores from McMillian and Greg Stroman.
A 29 yarder by Redford Jones and another score from Brewer cut the Hokies lead 45-31 just before the half.
Virginia Tech got the second half rolling with a score from Trey Edmunds that elevated them 52-31. The score recorded the most ever points in a bowl game. Ford also set an Indy Bowl record with 202 receiving yards mid third quarter.
Tulsa fought back, to put up more points. A nine-yard rush up the middle from Evans made it 52-37 as VT lead with 4:11 left of the third quarter.
Later in the final quarter, Evans connected with Atkinson for the TD play, followed by a two-point conversion from Evans to Keyarris Garrett to make it a 10-point game (55-45). At this point, both teams combined for 1,045 yards (7:35 to play). Tulsa continued to fight, posting another score from Garrett to make it 55-52.
In front of a crowd of 31,289 people, Virginia Tech went on to win the record-setting game, 55-52.b
South Carolina: 2014 Independence Bowl Champions
SHREVEPORT, La. -- It took South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier less than two quarters to abandon his game plan and go back to what he knows best.
"We're going to chuck it down the field and see what happens," Spurrier said.
Thanks to Dylan Thompson and Pharoh Cooper, the change of heart worked.
Thompson threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, Cooper caught nine passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, and South Carolina beat Miami 24-21 on Saturday in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl.
South Carolina (7-6) has won a school-record four straight bowl games. Miami (6-7) ended the season on a four-game losing streak and hasn't won in the postseason since 2006.
It didn't look good for the Gamecocks early.
Miami took a 6-0 lead and was controlling the game thanks to Duke Johnson, who ran for 132 yards and caught five passes for 51 yards. South Carolina's offense, meanwhile, wasn't doing much of anything.
But in the middle of the second quarter, Spurrier decided to cut the passing game loose -- even in cold and wet conditions.
The strategic change paid off immediately. Thompson hit Cooper on a long pass over the middle of the field, and the 5-foot-11, 201-pound sophomore made a few more moves in the open field to finish off a 78-yard touchdown play and give the Gamecocks a 7-6 lead.
They never trailed again. South Carolina scored 17 straight points to take a 17-6 halftime lead.
It was a satisfying ending to a frustrating season for the Gamecocks, who started the season with aspirations of competing for Southeastern Conference and national titles before quickly fading into mediocrity.
Spurrier has had just one losing season in 25 seasons as a college head coach -- back during his first season with Duke in 1987.
Miami's Brad Kaaya threw for 236 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The touchdown came late in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard throw to Phillip Dorsett with 2:16 remaining to pull the Hurricanes within 24-21.
But they never got the ball back after South Carolina picked up a crucial first down on Mike Davis' 3-yard run with 1:34 left.
It was an another impressive game for Johnson, the 5-foot-9, 206-pound junior, who likely has played his last game with the Hurricanes and is expected to declare for the NFL draft.
But he had a costly fumble on Miami's 29 with 5:24 remaining, and South Carolina recovered.
Johnson also suffered a right ankle injury on the play and didn't return to the game, although he was up and walking on the sideline in the final minutes. Johnson said after the game that he was "fine" and "probably" could have returned if it had been needed.
"We are what our record is," Miami coach Al Golden said. "But in so many ways, we're better than that."
Two plays after Johnson's fumble, Thompson hit Cooper on a spectacular pass and catch to get down to the Miami 2. Thompson fit the ball into a tight window, and Cooper helped him by leaping over the defender to make the grab.
Thompson trotted into the end zone untouched on the next play, and the Gamecocks had what proved to be an insurmountable 24-14 lead with 4:13 left.
Miami squandered some early opportunities, settling for field goals after long drives stalled.Michael Badgley made field goals from 27 and 26 yards to give the Hurricanes a 6-0 lead by early in the second quarter.
The Gamecocks never looked comfortable until Thompson's 78-yard touchdown to Cooper. Thompson scrambled out of the pocket a few minutes later on a broken play before finding Davis on a 15-yard touchdown pass.
"The golden rule of a quarterback is to never throw back across the field," Thompson said. "But Mike looked so naked out there, I just thought, 'I'll give it a shot, it's my last game.'"
The Gamecocks' defense -- maligned for much of the season -- didn't give up a touchdown until late in the third quarter when Gus Edwards' 3-yard touchdown run and Miami's ensuing 2-point conversion pulled the Hurricanes to 17-14.
Cooper was the game's offensive most valuable player. South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore was the defensive MVP after making 11 tackles.
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