The 2007 AutoZone

AutoZone

AutoZone is a retailer and distributor of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Originally a division of Memphis-based wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, the company went under the name Auto Shack...

 Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl

The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...

, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 29, 2007 at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team...

 in Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

.

The opposing teams were the University of Central Florida

University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...

 (UCF) Knights

2007 UCF Knights football team

The 2007 UCF Knights football team represented the University of Central Florida in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Their head coach is George O'Leary...

, winners of the Conference USA

Conference USA

Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...

 Championship

2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game

The 2007 Conference USA Football Championship Game was played on December 1, 2007 between the UCF Knights, the champion of C-USA's East Division, and the West Division champion, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando, Florida...

 for the first time in school history, and the Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University

The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...

 (MSU) Bulldogs

2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 2007 college football season. The team's head coach was Sylvester Croom, who served his fourth season in the position...

, in their first bowl game under head coach Sylvester Croom

Sylvester Croom

Sylvester Croom, Jr. is the former football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference...

. Mississippi State

2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2007 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 2007 college football season. The team's head coach was Sylvester Croom, who served his fourth season in the position...

 Free Safety Derek Pegues

Derek Pegues

Derek Alan Pegues is an American football defensive back who is currently a free agent.-Personal:He is the cousin of former NFL Linebacker Dwayne Rudd...

 intercepted two passes as part of an outstanding overall defensive effort by the Bulldogs on his way to earning MVP honors. The Bulldogs emerged victorious by a score of 10-3.