Liberty Bowl

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For the stadium previously known as Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and where the game is held, see Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Liberty Bowl
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
StadiumSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
LocationMemphis, Tennessee
Previous stadiumsPhiladelphia Municipal Stadium (1959–1963)
Convention Hall (1964)
Previous locationsPhiladelphia (1959–1963)
Atlantic City, New Jersey (1964)
Operated1959–present
Conference tie-insBig 12 #4 Pick[1] vs SEC Pool Pick[2]
The American (alternate)[3]
Previous conference tie-insC-USA (1996–2013)
MWC (1998–2005)
winner of the Commander in Chief's Trophy (1989–1992)
PayoutUS$6 million (2022)
Sponsors
St. Jude (1993–1996)
AXA Financial (1997–2003)
AutoZone (2004–present)
Former names
Liberty Bowl (1959–1992)
St. Jude Liberty Bowl (1993–1996)
AXA Liberty Bowl (1997–2003)
2023 matchup
Memphis vs Iowa State (Memphis 36–26)
2024 matchup
(December 27, 2024)

The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City (New Jersey) Convention Hall in 1964. Since 1965, the game has been held at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. Because of the scheduling of the bowl game near the end of the calendar year, no game was played during calendar years 2008 or 2015, while two games were played in calendar years 2010 and 2016.

Since 2004, the game has been sponsored by Memphis-based auto parts retailer AutoZone and officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Previous sponsors include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (1993–1996) and AXA Financial (1997–2003).

History

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, home of the Liberty Bowl since the 1965 edition

A. F. "Bud" Dudley, a former Villanova athletic director, created the Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia in 1959. The game was played at Philadelphia's Municipal Stadium. It was the only cold-weather bowl game of its time, and was plagued by poor attendance. The first game was the most successful of the five held in Philadelphia, as 38,000 fans watched Penn State beat Alabama, 7–0, in the bowl's inaugural edition.

A group of Atlantic City businessmen convinced Dudley to move his game from Philadelphia to Atlantic City's Convention Hall for 1964 and guaranteed Dudley $25,000.[4] It would be the first major (University Division, now Division I) bowl game played indoors. AstroTurf was still in its developmental stages and was unavailable for the game. Convention Hall was equipped with a 4-inch-thick (100 mm) grass surface with 2 inches (51 mm) of burlap underneath it (as padding) on top of concrete. To keep the grass growing, artificial lighting was installed and kept on 24 hours a day. The entire process cost about $16,000. End zones were only 8 yards long, rather than the regulation 10 yards. 6,059 fans saw Utah rout West Virginia, 32–6. Dudley was paid $25,000 from Atlantic City businessmen, $60,000 from the gate, and $95,000 from television revenues, and cleared $10,000 net profit.[5]

In 1965, Dudley moved the game to Memphis, Tennessee, where it made its home at Memphis Memorial Stadium to much larger crowds; the venue was renamed as Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in December 1975.[6] Having been played every college football season since 1959, the game has established itself as one of the oldest non-New Year's Six bowls.

Matchup

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Liberty Bowl offered an automatic invitation to the winner of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, if that team was bowl eligible.[7] Due to the limited success of service academy football during this era, the only academy to appear in the Liberty Bowl as a result of this arrangement was Air Force, which appeared in four consecutive games, 1989–1992.

Beginning in 1996, the Liberty Bowl began an affiliation with the newly launched Conference USA (C-USA), offering its champion an automatic bid. Beginning in 2005, the winner of C-USA was determined by the newly created C-USA championship game. The winner of that game was customarily offered the bowl berth from 2005 to 2013.

In 1996 and 1997, the opponent for the C-USA champion was a team from the Big East. In 1998, the Liberty Bowl replaced the Holiday Bowl in a shared contract with the Cotton Bowl and had second choice between the WAC champion and a team from the SEC. From 1999 to 2005, the opponent for the C-USA champion was the Mountain West champion. There were two exceptions:

In 1999, the Mountain West Conference did not have an outright champion, as three teams tied for the conference lead. The conference's bid for the game was given to Colorado State.

The bowl's contract from 2006 until 2013 pitted the winner of the C-USA championship game against the eighth pick from the SEC. The American was to provide its fifth-place team as an alternate if the SEC could not provide a team. The SEC was also given veto power for the bowl, and elected to use it in 2011 to block C-USA champion Southern Miss from playing Vanderbilt; instead, Cincinnati got the spot and Southern Miss accepted an invitation to the 2011 Hawaii Bowl instead.[8][9]

Since 2014, the matchup features a team from the SEC against the fourth pick from the Big 12 Conference. The Liberty Bowl is part of a six-bowl SEC pool arrangement that also involves the Duke's Mayo (formerly Belk) in odd-numbered years or the Las Vegas in even-numbered years, Music City, ReliaQuest, Gator, and Texas bowls; these bowls will choose one representative from the conference each, while the College Football Playoff receiving first choice (usually the Sugar Bowl in years it does not serve as a national semifinal) and the Citrus Bowl second choice.

The game is televised nationally on ESPN, and is carried nationwide by ESPN Radio, and internationally by ESPN International.

Recent matchups of note

The 2010 win by UCF was the program's first-ever bowl victory.

The 2011 game matched Coaches' Poll 24th-ranked Cincinnati against upstart Vanderbilt, and unlike most lower tier bowls, it aired on the broadcast network ABC rather than its cable brethren ESPN. Cincinnati defeated Vanderbilt in a second-half comeback.

The 2012 Liberty Bowl featured an unusual rematch of a regular season game between the Iowa State Cyclones (9th place in the Big 12) and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (C-USA champions).[10] Iowa State had defeated Tulsa, 38–23, in the season's first weekend, however Tulsa defeated Iowa State, 31–17, in the Liberty Bowl.[10] Though the bowl normally selects a team from the SEC, it invited Iowa State because the SEC did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all of its contracted bowl games.[11]

In 2020, after a matchup of West Virginia and Tennessee was announced on December 20, the Tennessee program had to withdraw on December 21 due to positive COVID-19 testing.[12] Army, who had accepted an invitation to the Independence Bowl before it was cancelled due to a lack of available teams, was named as their replacement.[13]

In the 2022 matchup, Kansas made their first bowl game appearance in 14 years, against Arkansas. The Razorbacks took an early 38–13 lead in the game. The Jayhawks then scored 25 unanswered points to send the game into overtime. The teams traded touchdowns in the first and second overtime. In the third overtime, with teams alternating two-point conversion attempts per NCAA overtime rules, the Razorbacks scored on their attempt and stopped the Jayhawks' attempt, resulting in a 55–53 Arkansas win. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels set a Kansas single-game record and a Liberty Bowl record for passing yards, with 544.[14]

Game results

Boise State and Louisville square off in the 2004 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.

The first five editions (1959–1963) were played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 1964 game was played in Atlantic City, New Jersey. All subsequent editions have been played in Memphis, Tennessee.

Rankings are based on the AP Poll prior to the game being played.

Date Winning Team Losing Team Attnd. Notes
December 19, 1959 12 Penn State 7 10 Alabama 0 36,211 notes
December 20, 1960 16 Penn State 41 Oregon 12 16,624 notes
December 16, 1961 14 Syracuse 15 Miami (Florida) 14 15,712 notes
December 15, 1962 Oregon State 6 Villanova 0 17,048 notes
December 21, 1963 Mississippi State 16 NC State 12 8,309 notes
December 19, 1964 Utah 32 West Virginia 6 6,059 notes
December 18, 1965 Ole Miss 13 Auburn 7 38,607 notes
December 10, 1966 9 Miami (Florida) 14 Virginia Tech 7 39,101 notes
December 16, 1967 NC State 14 Georgia 7 35,045 notes
December 14, 1968 Ole Miss 34 Virginia Tech 17 46,206 notes
December 13, 1969 Colorado 47 Alabama 33 50,042 notes
December 12, 1970 Tulane 17 Colorado 3 44,640 notes
December 20, 1971 9 Tennessee 14 18 Arkansas 13 51,410 notes
December 18, 1972 Georgia Tech 31 Iowa State 30 50,021 notes
December 17, 1973 16 NC State 31 19 Kansas 18 50,011 notes
December 16, 1974 Tennessee 7 10 Maryland 3 51,284 notes
December 22, 1975 USC 20 2 Texas A&M 0 52,129 notes
December 20, 1976 16 Alabama 36 7 UCLA 6 52,736 notes
December 19, 1977 12 Nebraska 21 14 North Carolina 17 49,456 notes
December 23, 1978 18 Missouri 20 LSU 15 53,064 notes
December 22, 1979 Penn State 9 15 Tulane 6 50,021 notes
December 27, 1980 16 Purdue 28 Missouri 25 35,667 notes
December 30, 1981 15 Ohio State 31 Navy 28 43,216 notes
December 29, 1982 Alabama 21 Illinois 15 54,123 notes
December 29, 1983 Notre Dame 19 13 Boston College 18 47,071 notes
December 27, 1984 16 Auburn 21 Arkansas 15 50,180 notes
December 27, 1985 Baylor 21 12 LSU 7 40,186 notes
December 29, 1986 Tennessee 21 Minnesota 14 51,327 notes
December 29, 1987 15 Georgia 20 Arkansas 17 53,249 notes
December 28, 1988 Indiana 34 South Carolina 10 39,210 notes
December 29, 1989 Ole Miss 42 Air Force 29 60,128 notes
December 27, 1990 Air Force 23 24 Ohio State 11 39,262 notes
December 29, 1991 Air Force 38 Mississippi State 15 61,497 notes
December 31, 1992 20 Ole Miss 13 Air Force 0 32,107 notes
December 28, 1993 25 Louisville 18 Michigan State 7 34,216 notes
December 31, 1994 Illinois 30 East Carolina 0 33,280 notes
December 30, 1995 East Carolina 19 Stanford 13 47,398 notes
December 27, 1996 23 Syracuse 30 Houston 17 49,163 notes
December 31, 1997 Southern Miss 41 Pittsburgh 7 50,209 notes
December 31, 1998 10 Tulane 41 BYU 27 52,192 notes
December 31, 1999 16 Southern Miss 23 Colorado State 17 54,866 notes
December 29, 2000 23 Colorado State 22 22 Louisville 17 58,302 notes
December 31, 2001 23 Louisville 28 19 BYU 10 58,968 notes
December 31, 2002 TCU 17 23 Colorado State 3 55,207 notes
December 31, 2003 25 Utah 17 Southern Miss 0 55,989 notes
December 31, 2004 7 Louisville 44 10 Boise State 40 58,355 notes
December 31, 2005 Tulsa 31 Fresno State 24 54,894 notes
December 29, 2006 South Carolina 44 Houston 36 56,103 notes
December 29, 2007 Mississippi State 10 UCF 3 63,816 notes
January 2, 2009 Kentucky 25 East Carolina 19 56,125 notes
January 2, 2010 Arkansas 20 East Carolina 17 (OT) 62,742 notes
December 31, 2010 UCF 10 Georgia 6 51,231 notes
December 31, 2011 Cincinnati 31 Vanderbilt 24 57,103 notes
December 31, 2012 Tulsa 31 Iowa State 17 53,687 notes
December 31, 2013 Mississippi State 44 Rice 7 57,846 notes
December 29, 2014 Texas A&M 45 West Virginia 37 51,282 notes
January 2, 2016 Arkansas 45 Kansas State 23 61,136 notes
December 30, 2016 Georgia 31 TCU 23 51,087 notes
December 30, 2017 Iowa State 21 18 Memphis 20 57,266 notes
December 31, 2018 Oklahoma State 38 24 Missouri 33 51,587 notes
December 31, 2019 21 Navy 20 Kansas State 17 50,515 notes
December 31, 2020 West Virginia 24 Army 21   8,187 notes
December 28, 2021 Texas Tech 34 Mississippi State 7 48,615 notes
December 28, 2022 Arkansas 55 Kansas 53 (3OT) 52,847 notes
December 29, 2023 Memphis 36 Iowa State 26 48,789 notes

Source:[15][16]: 69, 72 

MVPs

The bowl has named a single MVP for each game, since inception. In nine instances, the MVP has played on the losing team, including four instances in a seven-game span during 1977–1983. The most recent MVP to play on the losing team was Kwame Ellis of Stanford in 1995. Quarterback Rob Perez of Air Force was named MVP twice, in 1990 and 1991.

Source:[16]: 70 
† indicates the MVP played on the losing team

Most appearances

Updated through the December 2023 edition (65 games, 130 total appearances).

Teams with multiple appearances
Teams with a single appearance

Won (12): Baylor, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Texas Tech, USC
Lost (15): Army, Boise State, Boston College, Fresno State, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Rice, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Villanova

Source:[16]: 71 

Appearances by conference

Updated through the December 2023 edition (65 games, 130 total appearances).

Conference Record Appearances by season
Games W L Win pct. Won Lost
SEC 32 21 11 .656 1963, 1965, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 2006, 2007, 2008*, 2009*, 2013, 2014, 2015*, 2016, 2022 1959, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1991, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021
Independents 22 11 11 .500 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1983, 1993, 1995 1960, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1994, 2020
C-USA 17 9 8 .529 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012 1996, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008*, 2009*, 2013
Big 12 11 4 7 .364 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 2012, 2014, 2015*, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023
Big Ten 8 4 4 .500 1980, 1981, 1988, 1994 1982, 1986, 1990, 1993
WAC 8 3 5 .375 1964, 1990, 1991 1989, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2005
Big Eight 7 3 4 .429 1969, 1977, 1978 1970, 1972, 1973, 1980
The American 6 4 2 .667 1996, 2011, 2019, 2023 1997, 2017
ACC 5 2 3 .400 1967, 1973 1963, 1974, 1977
Mountain West 5 2 3 .400 2000, 2003 1999, 2001, 2002
SWC 5 1 4 .200 1985 1971, 1975, 1984, 1987
Pac-10 3 1 2 .333 1975 1976, 1995
SoCon 1 0 1 .000   1964
  • Games marked with an asterisk (*) were played in January of the following calendar year.
  • Records reflect conference membership at the time each game was played.
    • The 1965 game was contested between two SEC teams. Two independent teams have met multiple times.
  • Conferences that are defunct or no longer active in FBS are marked in italics.
    • The Pac-12 Conference appeared in the bowl when the conference was known as the Pac-8 and Pac-10.
    • The American's record includes appearances of the Big East Conference, as The American retains the charter of the original Big East, following its 2013 realignment. Teams representing the Big East appeared in three games, compiling a 2–1 record.
  • Independent appearances: Army (2020), Boston College (1983), East Carolina (1994, 1995), Georgia Tech (1972), Louisville (1993), Miami (FL) (1961, 1966), Navy (1981), Notre Dame (1983), Oregon (1960), Oregon State (1962), Penn State (1959, 1960, 1979), South Carolina (1988), Syracuse (1961), Tulane (1970, 1979), Villanova (1962), Virginia Tech (1966, 1968).

As of 2023, every SEC member except Florida has played in the game. Every current, former or future Big 12 member except Oklahoma and Texas have played in the game. A majority of teams that are members of the Power Five conferences have appeared in the game.

Game records

Team Record, Team vs. Opponent Game
Most points scored (one team) 55, Arkansas vs. Kansas 2022
Most points scored (losing team) 53, Kansas vs. Arkansas 2022
Most points scored (both teams) 108, Arkansas vs. Kansas 2022
Fewest points allowed 0, most recent:
Utah vs. Southern Miss
2003
Largest margin of victory 37, Mississippi State vs. Rice 2013
Total yards 681, Arkansas vs. Kansas 2022
Rushing yards 473, Colorado vs. Alabama 1969
Passing yards 544, Kansas vs. Arkansas 2022
First downs 30, shared by:
Ole Miss vs. Air Force
Arkansas vs. Kansas State
Kansas vs. Arkansas
1989
2015
2022
Fewest yards allowed
Fewest rushing yards allowed –8, Penn State vs. Tulane 1979
Fewest passing yards allowed 2, Ole Miss vs. Virginia Tech 1968
Individual Record, Player, Team Game
All-purpose yards 279, Vincent Marshall (Houston) 2006
Touchdowns (all-purpose)
Rushing yards 254, Bob Anderson (Colorado) 1969
Rushing touchdowns 3, most recent:
Tyhier Tyler,[17] (Army)
2020
Passing yards 544, Jalon Daniels (Kansas) 2022
Passing touchdowns 5, Jalon Daniels (Kansas) 2022
Receiving yards 220, Jameon Lewis (Mississippi State) 2013
Receiving touchdowns 3, Sherrod Gideon (Southern Miss) 1997
Tackles, total 19, shared by:
George Andrews (Nebraska)
A. J. Klein (Iowa State)
1977
2012
Tackles, solo 12, Randy White (Maryland) 1974
Sacks 3, Trenton Thompson (Georgia) 2016 (Dec)
Interceptions 3, shared by:
Louis Campbell (Arkansas)
Jeremiah Castille (Alabama)
1971
1982
Long Plays Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent Game
Touchdown run 99 yds., Terry Baker (Oregon State) 1962
Touchdown pass 89 yds., Pete Gonzalez to Jake Hoffart (Pittsburgh) 1997
Kickoff return 99 yds., David Jones (Kentucky) 2008
Punt return 79 yds., Norman Jefferson (LSU) 1985
Interception return 92 yds., Andy Avalos (Boise State) 2004
Fumble return 74 yds., Morgan Scalley (Utah) 2003
Punt 73 yds., Joey Huber (Colorado State) 2000
Field goal 49 yds., Tanner Gillis (Memphis) 2023

Source:[16]: 73–87 

Media coverage

The earliest editions of the bowl were broadcast by NBC (1959–1963) and ABC (1964–1980). Several different networks carried the 1981 through 1989 games, including USA Network, Katz Broadcasting,[18] and Raycom.[19] Since 1990, the game has been broadcast predominantly by ESPN, with some editions on ABC.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Liberty Bowl teams with Big 12". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 23, 2013.
  2. ^ libertydev. "AutoZone Liberty Bowl". www.libertybowl.org. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  3. ^ "American Athletic Conference - American Athletic Conference Announces 2014-19 Bowl Lineup". theamerican.org. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  4. ^ Mazda, Jason (Dec 31, 2014). "50 years ago, indoor college football debuted in Atlantic City". Press of Atlantic City.
  5. ^ Antonick, John (2005-06-22). "Unique Game". West Virginia Mountaineers. MSNsportsNET.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  6. ^ "Memphis stadium named Liberty Bowl". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Greenwood, Mississippi. UPI. December 17, 1975. p. 7. Retrieved January 14, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Cavanaugh, Jack (1989-11-12). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Boston College Surprises Army". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  8. ^ UCF Knights news, scores & more for the University of Central Florida - Orlando Sentinel Archived 2011-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ John (27 April 2010). "JSilver's UConn blog: Big East Bowl lineup complete". Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  10. ^ a b Chatmon, Brandon (2012-12-02). "AutoZone Liberty Bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  11. ^ Higgins, Ron (2012-12-02). "Tulsa, Iowa State land in Liberty Bowl; Rebels to Birmingham". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  12. ^ "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". utsports.com (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  13. ^ Scarborough, Alex (December 21, 2020). "Army to face West Virginia in Liberty Bowl, replacing Tennessee". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  14. ^ Swaffar, Nathan (December 29, 2022). "Jalon Daniels delivers historic, record-setting performance in Liberty Bowl". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  15. ^ "AutoZone Liberty Bowl" (PDF). Bowl/All Star Game Records. NCAA. 2020. p. 8. Retrieved January 3, 2021 – via NCAA.org.
  16. ^ a b c d "62nd Annual Liberty Bowl History & Record Guide". libertybowl.org. 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020 – via Google Drive.
  17. ^ Bailey, Clay (December 31, 2020). "West Virginia rallies to beat Army 24-21 in Liberty Bowl". apnews.com. AP. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  18. ^ Inman, Julia (December 29, 1983). "WTTV to air Liberty Bowl". The Indianapolis Star. p. 17. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Cleveland, Rick (December 28, 1989). "Liberty Bowl finds a road to recovery". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 21. Retrieved January 4, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Kelly, Doug (ed.). "2019–20 Football Bowl Association Media Guide" (PDF). footballbowlassociation.com. p. 138. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
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