2017 Independence Bowl

The 2017 Independence Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 27, 2017, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The 42nd annual Independence Bowl featured the Southern Miss Golden Eagles of Conference USA against the Florida State Seminoles of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Sponsored by Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar, the game was officially known as the Walk-On's Independence Bowl.

2017 Walk-On's Independence Bowl
42nd Independence Bowl
Southern Miss Golden Eagles Florida State Seminoles
(8–4) (6–6)
C-USA ACC
13 42
Head coach: 
Jay Hopson		 Head coach: 
Odell Haggins (Interim)
1234 Total
Southern Miss 6070 13
Florida State 716109 42
DateDecember 27, 2017
Season2017
StadiumIndependence Stadium
LocationShreveport, Louisiana
MVPJames Blackman (QB, Florida State) & Nate Andrews (DB, Florida State)[1]
RefereeGreg Sujack (MAC)
Attendance33,601
PayoutUS$1,466,200[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersDave LaMont, Ahmad Brooks, Roddy Jones

The contest was televised on ESPN, with kickoff at 1:30 PM (EST). It was one of the 2017–18 bowl games concluding the 2017 FBS football season. Florida State defeated Southern Miss, 42–13.

Team selection

The game featured the Southern Miss Golden Eagles against the Florida State Seminoles.

This was the twenty-third meeting between the schools, with Florida State holding a 13–8–1 advantage. They had most recently played in 1996, when the Seminoles defeated the Golden Eagles by a score of 54–14.[3]

Southern Miss
See also: 2017 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Florida State
See also: 2017 Florida State Seminoles football team

On December 21, 2017, an unofficial report was published on Reddit claiming that the Seminoles were not bowl eligible due to an NCAA rule stating that for an FCS opponent to be countable towards bowl eligibility, the FCS program must have awarded 90% of the FCS scholarship limit.[4] Delaware State, an FCS team that lost to FSU earlier in the season, did not meet the 90% threshold set by the NCAA. Without this win, FSU stood at 5–6 on the season. However, on December 22, 2017, Florida State addressed the issue and stated that Delaware State verified its scholarship situation as eclipsing the 90-percent threshold. This, FSU claims, is due to an alleged established NCAA rule interpretation, allowing academic and other non-athletic scholarships to count towards the required threshold, however they did not reference the interpreted rule.[5] The confirmation officially gave Florida State bowl eligibility, and allowed the team to play in the Independence Bowl.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP USM FSU
1 11:05 8 78 3:55 USM Kwadra Griggs 5-yard touchdown run, Parker Shaunfield kick no good 6 0
1 5:20 12 75 5:45 FSU Auden Tate 20-yard touchdown reception from James Blackman, Ricky Aguayo kick good 6 7
2 12:38 9 80 4:59 FSU Cam Akers 14-yard touchdown reception from James Blackman, Ricky Aguayo kick no good 6 13
2 7:48 8 58 2:51 FSU 29-yard field goal by Ricky Aguayo 6 16
2 1:33 4 24 1:30 FSU Auden Tate 10-yard touchdown reception from James Blackman, Ricky Aguayo kick good 6 23
3 10:45 10 43 4:15 FSU 39-yard field goal by Ricky Aguayo 6 26
3 3:25 9 85 4:40 FSU Jacques Patrick 2-yard touchdown run, Ricky Aguayo kick good 6 33
3 0:44 6 75 2:41 USM Korey Robertson 13-yard touchdown reception from Kwadra Griggs, Parker Shaunfield kick good 13 33
4 13:34 5 30 2:10 FSU Auden Tate 17-yard touchdown reception from James Blackman, Ricky Aguayo kick no good (snap fumbled) 13 39
4 7:32 8 13 3:54 FSU 39-yard field goal by Ricky Aguayo 13 42
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 42

Statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Eagles 6 0 7 0 13
Seminoles 7 16 10 9 42
StatisticsUSMFSU
First downs12 25
Plays–yards55–260 74–452
Rushes–yards28–13145–214
Passing yards129238
Passing: Comp–Att–Int15-27-0 19-29-0
Time of possession22:5237:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Southern MissPassingKwanda Griggs 13-25, 86 yds., 1 TD
RushingIto Smith16 carries, 92 yds.
ReceivingKorey Robertson4 rec., 36 yds., 1 TD
Florida StatePassingJames Blackman18-26, 233 yds., 4 TD
RushingCam Akers 13 carries, 94 yds.
ReceivingAuden Tate 5 rec., 84 yds., 3 TD

References
  1. Deen, Safid (December 27, 2017). "FSU's Cam Akers, James Blackman shine in freshman finales in Independence Bowl". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  2. Bowl payout
  3. Florida State Seminoles vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles series history
  4. "FSU may not be bowl eligible". Reddit.com/r/CFB/. December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  5. "Florida State defies internet detectives and says that it is in fact bowl eligible in a statement". SBNation.com. December 22, 2017.
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