OSU flashback: Cowboys defeat Alabama in Independence Bowl 18 years ago today
- Stephen Pingry
- 1 hr ago
It was Mike Gundy's first bowl win as OSU's head football coach.
The Cowboys finished with a flourish -- a 27-yard Jason Ricks field goal, with eight seconds left to play, that lifted OSU past Alabama 34-31 in the PetroSun Independence Bowl.
Two OSU special-teams failures allowed the Crimson Tide to score two quick touchdowns, resulting in a 31-31 tie with 3:18 remaining. The Cowboys answered with a 74-yard drive, highlighted by the dazzling play of tailback Dantrell Savage.
With about 18,000 Cowboy fans among the 45,054 at Independence Stadium, Savage began the possession with a 23-yard run. Seven plays later, on third-and-9 from the Tide 41-yard line, he collected a screen pass from quarterback Bobby Reid and dashed 26 yards.
Alabama burned three timeouts in an effort to rattle Ricks, but the sophomore coolly booted the game-winning field goal.
"That's what (kickers) live for," Ricks said. "When you get that chance, you love it."
