| Game name | Independence Bowl |
|---|---|
| Subheader | Independence Bowl XX |
| Title sponsor | Poulan/Weed Eater |
| Date game played | December 29 |
| Year game played | 1995 |
| Football season | 1995 |
| Home name short | LSU |
| Home nickname | Tigers |
| Home record | 6–4–1 |
| Home conference | SEC |
| Home coach | Gerry DiNardo |
| Home 1q | 7 |
| Home 2q | 14 |
| Home 3q | 21 |
| Home 4q | 3 |
| Mvp | Kevin Faulk, RB Gabe Northern, DE |
| Visitor name short | Michigan State |
| Visitor nickname | Spartans |
| Visitor record | 6–4–1 |
| Visitor conference | Big Ten |
| Visitor coach | Nick Saban |
| Visitor 1q | 7 |
| Visitor 2q | 17 |
| Visitor 3q | 0 |
| Visitor 4q | 2 |
| Us network | ESPN |
| Us announcers | Jerry Punch (Play by Play) Bill Lewis (Analyst) |
| Referee | Terry Turlington (Big Eight) |
| Stadium | Independence Stadium |
| City | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Attendance | 48,835 |
The 1995 Independence Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the LSU Tigers and the Michigan State Spartans.
Background
This was the first Independence Bowl to have an at large bid for the Southeastern Conference, which continued on until 2009. The Spartans were 5th in the Big Ten Conference in Nick Saban's first year with the program. LSU was 4th in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference in Gerry DiNardo's first year with the program as well. This was the first Independence Bowl for both teams.
Game summary
Muhsin Muhammad gave the Spartans the lead after catching a touchdown pass from Tony Banks in the first quarter. LSU tied the game on a touchdown run before the quarter ended. Michigan State took the lead again on a Greene touchdown run. A kickoff return for a touchdown by the Spartans along with a field goal by Gardner made it 24-7. Eddie Kennison, however, would give the Tigers life. A 92-yard kickoff return narrowed the lead to 10, and Kevin Faulk's 51 yard touchdown run made the halftime deficit 24-21. The second half was all LSU as Faulk ran for a second touchdown, Gabe Northern recovered a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown, and Kennison caught a touchdown pass from Herb Tyler to give LSU a 42-24 lead by the time the fourth quarter started. The final period had only a LSU field goal and a Spartan safety as the Spartans' six turnovers and limited success with rushing doomed them as LSU won their first Independence Bowl. MVP Kevin Faulk had 234 yards on 25 carries for an average of 9.5 yards. Both the yards and yards per carry are Independence Bowl records.[1] [2][3][4]
Aftermath
The Tigers returned to Shreveport for the Independence Bowl two years later, in 1997. The Spartans have not returned to Shreveport since this game. Saban left Michigan State for LSU after the 1999 season.
Statistics
| Statistics | LSU | Michigan State |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 23 |
| Yards rushing | 272 | 100 |
| Yards passing | 146 | 348 |
| Total yards | 418 | 448 |
| Punts-Average | 4-44.5 | 6-37.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 3 |
| Penalties-Yards | 5-42 | 9-80 |
References
- ^ "LSU wallops Michigan State". The State. December 30, 1995. Retrieved February 8, 2024. – via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- ^ "LSU Football Bowl History & Recaps - LSUsports.net - the Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics". Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ "Independence Bowl history | Shreveporttimes | shreveporttimes.com". Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2015-07-28.