1980 Independence Bowl

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The 1980 Independence Bowl matched the McNeese State Cowboys and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. It was played on December 13, 1980, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. McNeese State came in 10-1 as Southland Conference champions, while Southern Miss was 8-3 and an independent. Attendance was 42,600, and the game was broadcast on Mizlou.

Scoring and key moments:
- First quarter: Southern Miss took a 3-0 lead on a 36-yard field goal by Winston Walker. Cleom Terrell then added a 14-yard TD run to make it 10-0.
- The Cowboys answered in the next two quarters with a Buford Jordan TD run and a Stephen Starring TD run, giving McNeese State a 14-10 lead as the fourth quarter began.
- Fourth quarter: Mike Woodard scored a 1-yard TD run for Southern Miss, putting them ahead for good. The final score was Southern Miss 17, McNeese State 14.

Despite outgaining Southern Miss, McNeese State committed four turnovers to Southern Miss’s two, which helped the Golden Eagles hold on to win. MVPs were Stephen Starring (McNeese State) and Jearld Baylis (Southern Miss).

Notes:
- This was McNeese State’s last bowl game, and the Southland Conference would later be reclassified away from Division I-A (now FBS).
- Southern Miss returned to the Independence Bowl in 1988.