The 1999 Independence Bowl was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

postseason

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...

between the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

and the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

. It was the last football game of the 20th century

Background

Ole Miss finished tied for 3rd in the SEC West while the Sooners finished tied for second in the Big 12 South under Bob Stoops in his first year with the program. This was Ole Miss' second straight Independence Bowl and Oklahoma's first bowl game since 1994.

Game summary

Ole Miss took a 21–3 halftime lead on two touchdown passes from Romaro Miller (who went 12-of-17 for 158 yards in the first half, a contrast to his 6-of-11 in the second half) and a

Deuce McAllister Dulymus Jenod "Deuce" McAllister (born December 27, 1978) is an American former football running back who played eight seasons for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ole Miss and was dr ...

touchdown run of 80 yards. Oklahoma cut the lead in the third quarter on two touchdown passes from

Josh Heupel Joshua Kenneth Heupel ( ; born March 22, 1978) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the Tennessee Volunteers football, University of Tennessee. Previously he served as head coach at the UCF Knights fo ...

to make it 21–18 going into the final quarter. Binkley made it 24–18 on a field goal with 11 minutes remaining. Oklahoma however scored on a Heupel touchdown pass to Quenton Griffin to make it 25–24 with 2:17 remaining. But the Rebels had one last drive in them, and Les Binkley's 39-yard field goal won the game for the Rebels as the clock expired, giving Ole Miss their fourth straight bowl win. Oklahoma set the record for most passing yards in an Independence Bowl with 390 yards, as Heupel was named co-MVP, along with Tim Strickland, who had an interception for Ole Miss. McAllister went for 121 yards on 17 carries and 55 yards on 3 catches. In losing efforts, Quenton Griffin rushed for 86 yards on 12 carries and had 8 catches for 65 yards while Brandon Daniels caught six passes for 109 yards.

Aftermath

While the Sooners have not returned to the Independence Bowl since this game, they have played in a bowl game at the end of each season since 1999, including four national championship games. The Rebels have returned to the Independence Bowl just once, in 2002.

Statistics

References

Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl ...

Independence Bowl Ole Miss Rebels football bowl games Oklahoma Sooners football bowl games December 1999 sports events in the United States 1999 in sports in Louisiana {{Collegefootball-bowl-stub