| Year Game Played: | 2004 |
| Game Name: | Independence Bowl |
| Football Season: | 2004 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Miami |
| Visitor Nickname: | RedHawks |
| Home Name Short: | Iowa State |
| Home Nickname: | Cyclones |
| Visitor Record: | 8–4 |
| Visitor Conference: | MAC |
| Home Record: | 6–5 |
| Home Conference: | Big 12 |
| Visitor Coach: | Terry Hoeppner |
| Home Coach: | Dan McCarney |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 6 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 3 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 7 |
| Date Game Played: | December 28 |
| Stadium: | Independence Stadium |
| City: | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Mvp: | QB Bret Meyer (Iowa State) DB Nick Moser (Iowa State) |
| Referee: | Bill LeMonnier (Big Ten) |
| Attendance: | 43,076 |
| Payout: | 2,400,000 |
| Us Network: | ESPN |
| Us Announcers Link: | List of announcers of major college bowl games |
| Us Announcers: | Dave Barnett, David Norrie and Bill Curry |
The 2004 Independence Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Miami RedHawks on December 28, 2004, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was the twenty-ninth time the Independence Bowl had been played and the final game of the 2004 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. Iowa State defeated Miami 17–13.[1]
Typically the Independence Bowl featured teams from the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference, but the entire post-season bowl picture was thrown into chaos after a brawl between Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference) and South Carolina (SEC) caused both teams, which had been bowl eligible, to remove themselves from consideration.[2] With the SEC no longer able to supply enough bowl-eligible teams, Independence Bowl organizers looked elsewhere, and settled on Miami, coming off a second consecutive East Division championship in the Mid-American Conference.[3]
Iowa State came back from a 2-10 2003 season to finish 6–5. A Big 12 team, Iowa State normally would have gone to the Houston Bowl, but with fellow conference members Texas and Oklahoma headed for BCS bowls the remaining Big 12 teams received bids to better games. Iowa State accepted the bid on December 6, 2004. Iowa State previously played in the 2001 Independence Bowl, losing in the last seconds to Alabama 14–13.[4]
Bret Meyer threw 10-of-28 for 144 yards, but he also rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries in an MVP effort.[5]
| Statistics | Miami (Ohio) | Iowa State |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 18 | 22 |
| Rushing Yards | 60 | 295 |
| Passes (C-A-I) | 20-44-1 | 10-28-0 |
| Passing Yards | 240 | 114 |
| Total Yards | 300 | 409 |
| Punts-Average | 8-45.4 | 7-37.9 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 7-48 | 7-71 |
| Third Down Conv. | 2-13 | 9-20 |
| Possession Time | 29:27 | 30:33 |