2001 Independence Bowl

The 2001 MainStay Independence Bowl, part of the 2001–02 bowl game season, took place on December 27, 2001, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 Conference (Big 12). Alabama won the game, 14–13 in what was the first all-time game between the programs. It was also the first bowl game for Dennis Franchione at Alabama and the second bowl game for Dan McCarney at Iowa State.

2001 MainStay Independence Bowl
Alabama Crimson Tide Iowa State Cyclones (6–5) (7–4) SEC Big 12 14 13 Head coach:  Dennis Franchione Head coach:  Dan McCarney
1 2 3 4 Total Alabama 0 7 0 7 14 Iowa State 3 7 3 0 13
Date	December 27, 2001
Season	2001
Stadium	Independence Stadium
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana
MVP	QB Seneca Wallace (Iowa State)[1] S Waine Bacon (Alabama)[1] LB Matt Word (Iowa State)[1]
Attendance	45,627[2]
Payout	US$2,344,214
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Rich Waltz (Play by Play) Mark May (Analyst) Heather Cox (Sideline)

Teams

Alabama

See also: 2001 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 2001 Alabama squad finished the regular season with a 6–5 record in head coach Dennis Franchione's first season leading the Crimson Tide.[3] Through eight games, the Crimson Tide were 3–5 with losses to UCLA, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU.[3] However, Alabama was able to win their final three games against Mississippi State, Auburn and Southern Miss to finish the regular season bowl eligible with a 6–5 record.[3]

On December 9, Alabama accepted a bid to play in the Independence Bowl for the first time in school history.[4] There was some controversy with the selection of Alabama instead over Ole Miss, as the Rebels (which did not go to a bowl in 2001) had beaten Alabama that year and had a better record of 7–4.[5] Presumably, Alabama was selected because it had a larger fan base and Ole Miss had just played in the Independence Bowl in 1998 and 1999.[5] The appearance marked the 51st all-time bowl appearance for Alabama.[6]

Iowa State

See also: 2001 Iowa State Cyclones football team

Iowa State finished the regular season with a 7–4 record with losses against Nebraska, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Colorado.[7] On December 9, Iowa State accepted a bid to play in the Independence Bowl for the first time in school history.[8] The appearance marked the sixth all-time bowl appearance for the Cyclones.[9]

Game summary

Iowa State scored first on a 36-yard Tony Yelk field goal to lead 3–0 in the first quarter. After reaching the 1-yard line on a 33-yard by Lane Danielsen to close the quarter, the Cyclones scored the game's first touchdown on a 1-yard run by Joe Woodley, for a 10–0 lead.[10] Alabama responded later in the quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run by Andrew Zow to close the gap to 10–7. Yelk missed a 25-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining in the quarter, to keep the score 10–7 at the half.[10]

Third quarter scoring was limited to a 41-yard Yelk field goal to bring the Cyclones' lead to 13–7 heading into the fourth. With 5:31 remaining in the game, Waine Bacon blocked a Yelk punt and Alabama recovered at the Iowa State 29-yard line. Two plays later, Zow hit Terry Jones for a 27-yard touchdown reception, and the extra point gave the Crimson Tide a 14–13 lead.

The Cyclones drove and attempted a late field goal, which appeared to be good, but the referees ruled it no good, sealing the win for Alabama. The call was one of many that the Cyclones would have to deal with over the years including multiple apology letters from the Big 12 conference for mistaken calls that cost ISU wins. After the game, there was some question about whether or not the field goal was actually good, as it sailed directly over one of the uprights. The victory sent Alabama to a 7–5 overall record for the season.[10]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Alabama Iowa State 1 13:18 5 48 1:42 Iowa State 36-yard field goal by Tony Yelk 0 3 2 14:26 5 60 1:49 Iowa State Joe Woodley 1-yard touchdown run, Tony Yelk kick good 0 10 2 9:19 10 80 5:07 Alabama Andrew Zow 8-yard touchdown run, Neal Thomas kick good 7 10 3 2:11 6 31 1:57 Iowa State 41-yard field goal by Tony Yelk 7 13 4 4:44 2 29 0:47 Alabama Terry Jones 27-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Zow, Neal Thomas kick good 14 13 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 13

References

1. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Major Bowls" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 98. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
2. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Major Bowl Game Attendance" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 35. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
3. "2001 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
4. Andrew, Carroll (December 10, 2001). "Tide to go bowling in Shreveport". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1A. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
5. Tommy, Deas (December 10, 2001). "Independence Bowl trip is first for Tide". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1C.
6. "Alabama Bowl History". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
7. "2001 Iowa State season results". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
8. Jeff, Sheldon (December 11, 2001). "Record number of Big 12 teams make bowls". Daily Nebraskan. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
9. "Iowa State Bowl History". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
10. Kirk, Steve (December 28, 2001). "The great escape - Sputtering Bama defense bends, but Cyclones blow it wide right". The Birmingham News. p. 1E.