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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Independence Bowl Capsule
12/27/2002 | Football
Dec. 27, 2002
Series Record
First meeting.
Bowl Records
Nebraska 20-20; Mississippi 17-12.
Last Bowl Appearance
Nebraska lost to Miami 37-14 in the 2002 Rose Bowl; Mississippi lost to West Virginia 49-38 in the 2000 Music City Bowl.
Common Opponents This Season
None.
Coaches
Frank Solich, fifth season a Nebraska (49-15); David Cutliffe, fourth season at Mississippi (29-19).
What To Look For
Passing game vs. Running game. Mississippi is led by junior QB Eli Manning. Ole Miss is ranked 20th in passing, averaging 260.3 yards per game. Nebraska's black shirt defense has had trouble against the pass, 60th in the nation. Nebraska QB Jammal Lord is the Huskers leading passer and rusher. The Huskers are fourth in the nation in rushing offense (268.9 ypg.).
Streaks, Stats and Notes
Nebraska carries an NCAA-record 40-year winning streak into the game. ... The Huskers have played in 34 consecutive bowl games. ... Solich has been part of 27 of these contests as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach. ... Nebraska is 19-4-1 against current SEC teams. ... Solich fired fired three defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator Craig Bohl, on Dec. 2 after the Huskers finished their worst season in 41 years. ... Lord is second among quarterbacks in rushing, 1,329 yards and 8 TDs. ... Dahrran Diedrick gained 839 yards (5.1 ypc) with 6 TDs for the Huskers. ... Nebraska is 112th in passing offense (105.3 ypg.). ... Ole Miss has been to five bowl games in the last six years and have won six of its last eight bowls, dating back to 1986. ... Manning led the SEC in passing (260.3 ypg.) and total offense (358.2 ypg.). He completed 58.1 pct. of his passes for 3,088 yards, 20 TDs, 15 INTs. ... Chris Collins (49 rec., 754 yds, 10 TDs) and Bill Flowers (47 rec., 512 yds, 3 TDs) are Manning's main targets. ... The Rebels snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over Mississippi State in their season finale to become bowl eligible. ... Ole Miss' run defense improved this year, allowing 48 fewer yards per game (151.2) this season.