| 1977 Independence Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 17, 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | State Fair Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Shreveport, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | QB Keith Thibodeaux, La. Tech (Offensive) LB Otis Wilson, UL (Defensive) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 22,223 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$75,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1977 Independence Bowl featured the Louisville Cardinals and the Southland Conference champion Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Louisville struck first on a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown by Kevin Miller in the first quarter. Louisiana Tech answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by Lewis to tie the game.[1] The Bulldogs scored another touchdown on a 41-yard Keith Thibodeaux pass to Pree. Still in the first quarter, Thibodeaux threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to McCartney to increase Louisiana Tech's lead to 21–7. In the second quarter, Swiley connected on a 21-yard field goal to give the Dawgs a 24–7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Kevin Miller scored his second touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run to close the gap to 24–14, which would end up being the final score.[2] There were a combined 13 fumbles throughout the game.[3]