The 1981 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

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. ...

and the

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggi ...

Background

The Cowboys finished tied for 3rd in the

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

in their first bowl game since 1976. Meanwhile, the Aggies finished 5th in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...

, in their first bowl game since 1978.

Game summary

In the first quarter, the Cowboys took a 10–0 lead on an Ernest Anderson touchdown run and a field goal. But the Aggies closed the quarter out with a field goal of their own to make it 10–3. As it turned out, the Cowboys were held to zero points for the next two quarters. The Aggies scored on another field goal to make it 10–6. Jimmie Williams and

Gary Kubiak Gary Wayne Kubiak (born August 15, 1961) is a former American football coach and quarterback. He served as head coach for the NFL's Houston Texans from 2006 Houston Texans season, 2006 to 2013 Houston Texans season, 2013 and the Denver Broncos f ...

connected for two touchdown catches of 50 and 38 yards to give the Aggies a 20–10 halftime lead. Another field goal (this from 50 yards) by the Aggies made it 23–10 after three quarters. After an 18 yarder to make it 26–10, the Aggies scored one last time, as Johnny Hector scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 33–10. Vince Orange ran for a 5-yard score to make the final score 33–16. Kubiak went 15-of-20 for 225 yards while Williams caught 5 passes for 118 yards.

Aftermath

Wilson was fired after the season by the Aggies due to the administration not being pleased with his 21-19 record in four years. They hired

Jackie Sherrill Jackie Wayne Sherrill (born November 28, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head football coach at Washington State University (1976), the University of Pittsburgh (1977–1981), Texas A&M University (1982–1988), a ...

, who reached three consecutive Cotton Bowl Classics in his seven-year tenure. The Cowboys reached one more bowl game under Johnson, and four more before the end of the decade. A&M returned to the Independence Bowl in 2000, and the Cowboys returned in 2006.

Statistics

References

{{Texas A&M Aggies bowl game navbox

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 Oklahoma State Cowboys football bowl games Texas A&M Aggies football bowl games December 1981 sports events in the United States