1983 Independence Bowl

August 2023 March 2026 Independence Bowl December 10 1983 1983 Ole Miss Rebels 6-5 SEC Billy Brewer 0 3 0 0 QB Marty Louthan, Air Force DT Andre Townsend, Ole Miss Air Force Falcons 9–2 WAC Ken Hatfield 16 16 3 3 3 0 Mizlou Howard DavidKen WillardSteve Grad bg Independence Stadium Shreveport, Louisiana Raymond Bower (CIFOA) 41,274 The 1983 Independence Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Air Force Falcons. Background The Rebels tied for 3rd in the Southeastern Conference, in their first bowl appearance since 1971. The Falcons had finished 2nd in the Western Athletic Conference, but they were making their 2nd straight bowl game, the first time they had made consecutive bowl games in school history. This was the first Independence Bowl for either team. Game summary In a rain drenched game, the Falcons led 6-0 on two field goals by Sean Pavlich from 44 and 39 yards out. Ole Miss halved the lead on 39 yarder from Neil Teevan in the 3rd, but Pavlich's 27 yarder in the same quarter proved to be the last score of the game. Marty Louthan went 6-of-7 for 71 yards, and Mike Brown ran for 91 yards on 12 carries for the Falcons. In a losing effort, Buford McGee rushed 22 times for 111 yards and Kelly Powell threw 11-of-27 for 138 yards, with 2 interceptions.http://independencebowl.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2014-IBowl-Media-Guide.pdf Archived copy August 11, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150719000404/http://independencebowl.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2014-IBowl-Media-Guide.pdf July 19, 2015 dead Aftermath Hatfield left for Arkansas after the bowl game, though the Falcons continued to prosper under new coach Fisher DeBerry, making four more bowl games in the decade. The Rebels made two more in the decade and two more before Brewer left due to violations in 1993. Air Force returned to the Independence Bowl the following year while Ole Miss returned in 1986. The Rebels gained revenge for this loss by defeating the Falcons 42-29 in the 1989 Liberty Bowl. Statistics Statistics Air Force Ole MissFirst downs 18 11Rushing yards 277 106Passing yards71 138Interceptions 0 2 Total yards 348 244Fumbles–lost 3–3 1–0Penalties–yards 4–19 4–20Punts–average 3–30.3 5–43.6 References Independence Bowl Category:Independence Bowl Category:Air Force Falcons football bowl games Category:Ole Miss Rebels football bowl games Independence Bowl Independence Bowl