2009 Independence Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2009 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
was the thirty-fourth edition of the college football
bowl game
, and was played at Independence Stadium
in Shreveport, Louisiana
. The game started at 5:00 PM US EST
on Monday, December 28, 2009
. The game was telecast on ESPN2
and the Georgia Bulldogs
defeated the Texas A&M Aggies
by a score of 44-20.
The game was Georgia's second appearance in the bowl game. Their previous appearance in the game was a 24–15 victory over the University of Arkansas
in 1991.
As for Texas A&M, the Aggies made their third appearance in the Independence Bowl and now hold an overall record of 1–2. Their last appearance resulted in a 43–41 overtime loss to Mississippi State
on December 31, 2000
, a game since nicknamed the "Snow Bowl" due to the unusual amount of snowfall Shreveport received that day. The entire game was played under extremely wintry conditions, a rarity for Shreveport.
The game was fifth time that the two schools have faced each other in a game. Texas A&M previously held the series advantage 3–1 (now 3-2). The last time, prior to the bowl that the two teams met was a 42–0 victory by Georgia in 1980. The two teams have played in a bowl game against each other once before, as they met in the 1950 Presidential Cup Bowl
. The game, which was played in College Park, Maryland
, was the only ever edition of the Presidential Cup Bowl, and Texas A&M was victorious by a score of 40–20.
Georgia quarterback
, Joe Cox threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs dominated Texas A&M to win their fourth straight bowl game. Tight End
Aron White caught both of Cox's touchdown passes, one from twenty four yards out and the other a two yard catch on his way to being named the game's offensive MVP. Caleb King paced the Bulldogs rushing game with 61 yards on 16 carries and two touchdown scores. Special teams also played a huge part in the Georgia victory. The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown of the game on a kickoff return for a score. They would also block a punt, a field goal kick and receive the ball on the Texas A&M 24 yard line after a bad snap that went over the punter's head. Aggies quarterback, Jerrod Johnson did pass for 360 yards and two touchdowns but did also throw two costly interceptions. Jeff Fuller led A&M with 7 receptions for 101 yards in the losing effort. Georgia would tie an Independence Bowl record with six touchdowns scored and set a bowl record with 30 second half points.
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976....
was the thirty-fourth edition of the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, and was played at Independence Stadium
Independence Stadium
Independence Stadium is a stadium owned by the city of Shreveport, Louisiana and is the home of the Independence Bowl.Formerly known as State Fair Stadium, it is the site of the annual Independence Bowl post-season college football game, initially the Bicentennial Bowl...
in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. The game started at 5:00 PM US EST
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on Monday, December 28, 2009
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. The game was telecast on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
and the Georgia Bulldogs
2009 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2009 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in 2009. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' ninth season head coach Mark Richt. The Bulldogs finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in SEC play and won the...
defeated the Texas A&M Aggies
2009 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 2009 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 2009–2010 college football season. The team was led by second-year head coach Mike Sherman and played their home games at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas...
by a score of 44-20.
The game was Georgia's second appearance in the bowl game. Their previous appearance in the game was a 24–15 victory over the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in 1991.
As for Texas A&M, the Aggies made their third appearance in the Independence Bowl and now hold an overall record of 1–2. Their last appearance resulted in a 43–41 overtime loss to Mississippi State
Mississippi State Bulldogs football
The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program represents Mississippi State University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State has produced 38 All-Americans, 171 All-SEC selections, and 124...
on December 31, 2000
2000 Independence Bowl
The 2000 Sanford Independence Bowl, part of the 2000–01 NCAA football bowl season, took place on December 31, 2000 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana...
, a game since nicknamed the "Snow Bowl" due to the unusual amount of snowfall Shreveport received that day. The entire game was played under extremely wintry conditions, a rarity for Shreveport.
The game was fifth time that the two schools have faced each other in a game. Texas A&M previously held the series advantage 3–1 (now 3-2). The last time, prior to the bowl that the two teams met was a 42–0 victory by Georgia in 1980. The two teams have played in a bowl game against each other once before, as they met in the 1950 Presidential Cup Bowl
Presidential Cup Bowl
The Presidential Cup Game was a postseason American college football bowl game played at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland, on December 9, 1950 between Texas A&M University and University of Georgia....
. The game, which was played in College Park, Maryland
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
, was the only ever edition of the Presidential Cup Bowl, and Texas A&M was victorious by a score of 40–20.
Game summary
Georgia wore their home red jerseys, and Texas A&M wore their away white jerseys.Georgia quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Joe Cox threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs dominated Texas A&M to win their fourth straight bowl game. Tight End
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Aron White caught both of Cox's touchdown passes, one from twenty four yards out and the other a two yard catch on his way to being named the game's offensive MVP. Caleb King paced the Bulldogs rushing game with 61 yards on 16 carries and two touchdown scores. Special teams also played a huge part in the Georgia victory. The Bulldogs scored their first touchdown of the game on a kickoff return for a score. They would also block a punt, a field goal kick and receive the ball on the Texas A&M 24 yard line after a bad snap that went over the punter's head. Aggies quarterback, Jerrod Johnson did pass for 360 yards and two touchdowns but did also throw two costly interceptions. Jeff Fuller led A&M with 7 receptions for 101 yards in the losing effort. Georgia would tie an Independence Bowl record with six touchdowns scored and set a bowl record with 30 second half points.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| No Scoring | TIE 0–0 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| A&M — Jamie McCoy 15 yard pass from Jerrod Johnson Jerrod Johnson Jerrod Terrel Johnson is an American football quarterback who is currently a member of the Arizona Rattlers. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Texas A&M.... (Randy Bullock kick), 2:33 |
A&M 7–0 | ||
| UGA — Brandon Boykin 81 yard kickoff return (Blair Walsh kick), 2:22 | TIE 7–7 | ||
| UGA — Caleb King Caleb King Caleb King is an American football running back, who plays for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2011, and then was cut on September 3. He was re-signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad on September 5... 2 yard rush (Blair Walsh kick), 1:22 |
UGA 14–7 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| A&M — Christine Michael Christine Michael Christine Michael is an American football running back for the Texas A&M Aggies. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2009.-High school career:... 14 yard rush (Randy Bullock kick), 12:36 |
TIE 14–14 | ||
| UGA — Blair Walsh 49 yard, 9:25 | UGA 17–14 | ||
| UGA — Aron White 24 yard pass from Joe Cox Joe Cox (American football) Joe Cox is an American football quarterback. He played college football for four seasons at the University of Georgia, and was the team's starting quarterback for the 2009 season.-Early years:... (Blair Walsh kick), 7:49 |
UGA 24–14 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| UGA — Aron White 2 yard pass from Joe Cox (Blair Walsh kick), 13:19 | UGA 31–14 | ||
| UGA — Caleb King 1 yard rush (Blair Walsh kick), 9:47 | UGA 38–14 | ||
| UGA — Shaun Chapas 5 yard rush (Andrew Jensen missed kick), 4:29 | UGA 44–14 | ||
| A&M — Howard Morrow 5 yard pass from Jerrod Johnson (2 point attempt failed), 1:13 | UGA 44–20 | ||