2006 Independence Bowl Game Date
Moved to December 28

May 19, 2006

Shreveport, La. -- The game date for the 2006 Independence Bowl has been moved back one day to Thursday, Dec. 28, but the game will keep its original kickoff time of 3:30 p.m. CT, Independence Bowl officials announced on Friday after receiving confirmation from officials at ESPN, the bowl’s television partner.
The 31st Independence Bowl was originally set for Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 3:30 p.m. This year’s contest will precede the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on ESPN.

“Moving the game forward to the 28th helps us with a number of logistical matters, and will allow more fans the opportunity to make the trip immediately following the Christmas holiday," said 2006 Independence Bowl Chairwoman Markey Pierre. “We're excited and looking forward to the Thursday afternoon time slot as well as celebrating our 31st Independence Bowl."

ESPN will televise the game to a national audience for the 15th-consecutive year from Independence Stadium, and the bowl will be held on Dec. 28 for the fourth time in the game’s history. Last year’s game, a thriller won by Missouri 38-31 over South Carolina, garnered a 2.75 TV rating, ranking it sixth out of 20 bowl games carried on ESPN.

"We appreciate the flexibility of our long-time partners at the Independence Bowl in agreeing to change the date of the 2006 game to December 28,” said Dave Brown, Vice President, Programming & Acquisitions for ESPN. “That day's Independence Bowl and Pacific Life Holiday Bowl doubleheader will provide a great kickoff to New Year's weekend bowl coverage on ESPN."

The 2004 game between Miami University and Iowa State was one of three past Independence bowl’s to be played on Dec. 28 and was won by the Cyclones, 17-13. The 1994 contest between Virginia and TCU, won by the Cavaliers 20-10, was another one of the occurrences.

The most memorable game played on the 28th, though, was the 1997 contest pitting LSU against Notre Dame. The Tigers won a rematch from earlier in the season by a score of 27-9 in front of an Independence Bowl record crowd of 50,459.

The total team payout for the Independence Bowl has been in excess of $2 million every year since 1998, and is this game widely-regarded as one of the nation’s most competitive and exciting bowl games, evidenced by six of the last seven games being decided by a total of 20 points. The game also pits two of the country’s elite conferences, the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference, against one another.

The Independence Bowl recently extended its partnership with both conferences through 2009, making it one of just three bowl games to feature a Big 12-SEC matchup.

All ticket renewals for the 2006 game have been mailed and new ticket orders are currently being accepted. Anyone who did not receive a renewal form in April should contact the bowl office immediately. Those interested in ticket information can call the Bowl office at 318.221.0712 or toll free at 888.414.BOWL (2695) and can also visit the bowl’s official web site at www.independencebowl.org.

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