| Year Game Played: | 1977 |
| Game Name: | Independence Bowl |
| Football Season: | 1977 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Louisville |
| Visitor Nickname: | Cardinals |
| Visitor School: | University of Louisville |
| Home Name Short: | Louisiana Tech |
| Home Nickname: | Bulldogs |
| Home School: | Louisiana Tech University |
| Visitor Record: | 7 - 3 - 1 |
| Visitor Conference: | Independent |
| Home Record: | 8 - 1 - 2 |
| Home Conference: | Southland Conference |
| Visitor Coach: | Vince Gibson |
| Home Coach: | Maxie Lambright |
| Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home 1Q: | 21 |
| Home 2Q: | 3 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Date Game Played: | December 17 |
| Stadium: | State Fair Stadium |
| City: | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Mvp: | QB Keith Thibodeaux, La. Tech (Offensive) LB Otis Wilson, UL (Defensive) |
| Attendance: | 22,223 |
| Payout: | 75,000 |
The 1977 Independence Bowl featured the Louisville Cardinals and the Southland Conference champion Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Louisville struck first on a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown by Kevin Miller in the first quarter. Louisiana Tech answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by Lewis to tie the game.[1] The Bulldogs scored another touchdown on a 41-yard Keith Thibodeaux pass to Pree. Still in the first quarter, Thibodeaux threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to McCartney to increase Louisiana Tech's lead to 21–7. In the second quarter, Swiley connected on a 21-yard field goal to give the Dawgs a 24–7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Kevin Miller scored his second touchdown of the game on a 13-yard run to close the gap to 24–14, which would end up being the final score.[2] There were a combined 13 fumbles throughout the game.[3]
| Statistics | UL | La. Tech |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 11 | 25 |
| Total offense, yards | 161 | 335 |
| Rushes-yards (net) | 44–100 | 44–48 |
| Passing yards (net) | 61 | 287 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 9–23–1 | 19–39–2 |
| Time of Possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UL | Passing | Stu Stram | 7/18, 61 yds, 1 INT |
| Rushing | 17 car, 50 yds | ||
| Receiving | Mark Besanceney | 2 rec, 25 yds | |
| La. Tech | Passing | Keith Thibodeaux | 19/39, 287 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Charlie Lewis | 17 car, 39 yds, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Rod Foppe | 4 rec, 78 yds |