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Independence Bowl 1983
Air Force 9 Mississippi 3
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Instead, the Air Force Academy Falcons and Mississippi Rebels simply tried to stay afloat and thanks to the leg of Sean Pavlich it was the Air Force that did the best job.
Pavlich kicked three field goals in ankle-deep mud to bring the Falcons a 9-3 win over the Rebels in the Independence Bowl- the first of the NCAA's post-season attractions.
"I couldn't be happier with this team," said Air Force coach Ken Hatfield. "This team has been a part of something very big. Our offense moved the ball and controlled the clock and our defense shut them down. It was just the type of game I thought we would be in for."
But nobody expected the deluge which turned the natural turf field into a quagmire.
"Without the rain I think we would have been ripping up and down the field," said Mississippi coach Billy Brewer. "I think it would have been a real contest. The ball was slippery and hard to handle."
More than two inches of ram fell in the area before the kickoff and additional showers fell during the game itself.
The Falcons used their relentless ground game to move into field position good enough for Pavlich's three field goals, producing the Air Force's second consecutive bowl victory.
The victory was Air Force's eighth in a row and enabled the Falcons to finish the year at 10-2, becoming the first team in academy history to win 10 games in a season.
Ole Miss had its five-game winning streak snapped and wound up 6-6.
Pavlich kicked a 44-yarder on the Falcons' opening possession of the game, added a 39-yarder with 7-39 to go m the first half and finally kicked a 27-yarder with 7:59 to go in the third quarter.
Mississippi could score only on Neil Teevan's 32-yard field goal with four seconds left in the first half- a score set up by one of Air Force's three fumbles.
The Rebels blew several opportunities to draw closer or take the lead in the second half. A shanked Air Force punt gave the Rebels possession at the AFA 42, but Ole Miss couldn't convert. In the final quarter, a goal-line stand by the Rebel defense gave Ole Miss new life, but two subsequent possessions ended on downs.
Air Force quarterback Marty Louthan was named the game's Most Valuable Offensive Player. He completed 6-of-7 passes for 71 yards and ran 25 times for 67 yards.
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Air Force recovers a fumble.
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Although playing in a mudbath, Louthan led the Falcons to their record 10th victory. |
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Attendance- 41,274
Scoring Summary
First Quarter AFA- FG Pavlich 44
Second Quarter AFA- FG Pavlich 39 OM- FG Teevan 39
Third Quarter AFA- FG Pavlich 27
Individual Statistics
Rushing OM- McGee 22-111, Humphrey 6-15 AF- Brown 12-91, Louthan 25-67, Kershner 15-58
Passing OM- Powell 11-27-138 AF- Louthan 6-7-71
Receiving OM- Moffett 6-96, Holder 3-27 AF- Kirby 3-49, Rose 2-28
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SHREVEPORT,
La. (UPI)- The Independence Bowl was supposed to be a scoring duel
Saturday night, but that was before the flash flood warnings.
