Just so I don't get the reputation as someone who only posts on politics ...
When discussing the Independence Bowl, the national media (including ESPN) will undoubtedly focus on the USM-FSU game from 1989 -- which is understandable.. The entire game is available on YouTube and it featured Brett Favre when only the diehard USM fans knew who he was.
But USM-FSU is actually a much older, more long-lasting, interesting relationship.
The schools played 22 times between 1952 and 1996. And more significantly, 21 times between 1952 and 1989 -- so 21 out of 37 years. FSU only started football in 1950, so essentially from its founding for the next 40 years, USM was one if its most consistent, regular opponents. Moreover, they were both in the Metro Conference for non-football sports from 1982 to 1991 and regularly competed in basketball (when USM also had a good basketball program).
And if you look at USM and FSU from around 1977 to 1982, what you see are potentially the two of the three best Southern independents (Miami being the third), both trying desperately to make it to the big-time. And both essentially trying to do it the same way -- what I will call the "FSU-model" -- play anyone, anytime, anyplace. This is distinct from the way that mid-majors attempt to move up today, which is frequently the "Boise-model" -- play one or two non-conference games against mid-level P5 (which they typically get to play a home-and-home) and hope everything works out. (which is what Fedora tried to do in 2011 and in a sense failed because of Marshall and UAB)
FSU used the FSU-model to become the program we see today, but USM was on the cusp -- particularly in 1981. That is really a fascinating season -- FSU, was doing the FSU-model. FSU had gone 10-1 in the regular season in 1980 and while 1981 had been a slightly disappointing season, the Seminoles were still ranked number 20 in the AP going into the game with USM and had victories, all on the road, against Notre Dame, Ohio State, and LSU with its only losses coming on the road to Pitt (#1), to Nebraska in Lincoln, and at home to Miami.
USM was also trying the FSU-model. USM started the season 4-0 against a bunch of unimpressive opponents (other than Tulane which was coming off of a bowl season -- when there were only a few bowls). Game five would provide a tougher test as USM was playing the number 7 team in the country, Alabama, led by Bear Bryant in Birmingham (Bama's second home). That game ended in a tie 13-13, but was a monumental moral victory for USM. You have to imagine what Alabama was at the time. They had won national championships in 78 and 79 and from the 1977 season until that game with USM, Bama had lost five games -- in total -- while completely dominating the SEC (four of the five losses were to out-of-conference opponents USC, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech). For Southeast football at the time, tying Bama -- especially a scrub, third in the pecking order team from a poor state -- was unheard of.
USM then proceeded to shut-out its next two opponents (Memphis and North Texas) to move to 6-0-1 for the season. Next came a game in Jackson, MS against Miss. State. At the time, USM had risen to #20 in the AP, while Miss. State was enjoying perhaps its greatest period of success in the SEC from the 1940s to the Mullen era. In 1980, Miss. State (9-2 in the regular season) would have won the SEC West if it had existed with wins over Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama (the Tide's only SEC loss during that five-year span discussed above). 1981 was also a good year for the Bulldogs. They were 6-2 at the time and had beaten Auburn, Florida, and Miami with their only losses to a very good Missouri squad and at Alabama. For more than 20 years, this game held the record for the highest attendance ever for a sporting event in Mississippi, and USM won 7-6 in a defensive struggle.
After that monumental win over an in-state rival, USM had to travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State. USM had risen to 14 in the polls on the strength of its victory over Miss. State. USM was lead by its transcendent talent at QB, Reggie Collier. Collier was the dual-threat, option QB, before anyone knew what to do with those; he averaged more than 6.5 yds per carry and had a good arm; Collier was the first QB to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season, and finished 9th in the Heisman ballot in 1981. The game was a massacre. USM beat FSU 58-14, but it was not that close. USM scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions and called off the dogs. And in a time when games were not televised, this one was on ABC National TV. For years afterward, if you asked Bowden about his worst loss, he would bring up this game against USM.
USM rose to number 9 in the AP, 8 in the UPI (coaches poll) and some upstart outfit called ESPN which most people had never heard of ranked USM number 3. 8-0-1 and there were serious discussions about the Sugar or the Orange Bowl. USM only had to beat a bad Louisville squad and a D-1AA Lamar to finish the season 10-0-1 and play in a major bowl. Louisville was 4-6 and suffering through a four-game losing streak -- including a 24-0 loss to Cincy and a 40-7 shellacking at home by Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) in the previous two games (and Louisiana-Monroe was worse then than they are now). It should have been an easy victory, but it would not be the case.
But as USM players to this day complain, Louisville turned on the sprinklers the night before the game -- on a freezing cold night -- and iced the field to negate USM's speed advantage. As Collier explained: "We get to Louisville and it was a snowstorm. It didn't bother us. On Friday, we did a workout on the field and it was fine. On Saturday, the field is covered in ice and we wonder what is going on." USM lost 13-10. Collier, who only threw four interceptions that entire season, threw three interceptions in the first half against the Cardinals. It was a devastating loss. USM went on to win its last game and, at a time when there were very few bowls and any bowl bid was seen as a major accomplishment, got a berth in the Tangerine (later called the Citrus and now the Camping World) Bowl against a very good Missouri team. USM lost that game as well, in what my father still describes as the coldest game he has ever been to (keep in mind it was in Orlando).
1981 was the high-point for USM in many ways. The two programs really diverged from there. While FSU held on to Bobby Bowden, USM got hammered with NCAA sanctions which prompted USM's coach, Bobby Collins, to leave for SMU. In 1982, USM managed to end Bear Bryant's home-winning streak, but the team lost focus waiting for the NCAA hammer. USM and FSU continued to play games for the next few years -- which FSU won (1982, 1986, 1987, 1988). Only the 1982 game was competitive, USM's RB Sam Dejarnette rushed for 304 yards in a losing effort which stood as the single-game high rushing total for USM for a very long time. USM's coaching hire after Collins -- Jim Carmody who had been the Defensive Coordinator in 1980 -- never produced the offense that Collins had (though 1983 was looking very promising before an injury to the QB, Robert Ducksworth against Auburn).
USM and FSU were also almost part of the same football conference -- if the Metro could have only acted before its plans were pulled apart by the ACC (taking FSU) and the Big East.
I guess my point is -- that to longtime USM fans (and I think maybe FSU fans) -- this is not just some monumental mismatch. It may be that, but it is more. These are teams that had a lot of similarities for a long time. Around 1980-1982, they were both on the cusp of exploding. Only one did. There are a lot of reasons why USM was likely never going to be FSU, but there is some part of USM that sees FSU and thinks that is what might have been (or at least some level of that success is what might have been).
You will likely think that I am delusional (and I likely am). USM -- until the Ellis Johnson debacle -- was arguably the best, most consistent G5 school. Between 1934 and 2012, USM never had consecutive losing seasons. There was no extended down period. USM had consecutive winning seasons from 1994 through 2011, and occasionally punctuated those years with excellent teams -- 1996 to 1999 in particular stand out and likely would have made a much bigger impact nationally if not for a 21-7 loss to an undefeated Tulane in 1998.
As an aside, watching ESPN's 30 for 30s, gets really close to just covering USM in the early 1980s. Bobby Collins features prominently in the Pony Express saga. USM was heavily involved in the Marcus Dupree recruiting and even had him enrolled after he transferred from Oklahoma in 1982. And while Reggie Collier never did much as a pro (he was before his time), I always found it interesting that everyone talks about the NFL draft of 1983 (which was also a 30 for 30) as the year of the QB with six QBs taken in the first round. Well, 1983 was a weird year, because the USFL was also in existence and held its draft a couple of months before the NFL draft. Collier went third overall in the USFL draft and had already signed by the time the NFL draft came around. Who knows, there might have been seven first round QBs had Collier been seen as available. Collier was taken in the 6th round (by the Cowboys) in any event. The reason Collier fell in the NFL draft is the same reason (being selected in the USFL draft) that Marino fell to the 27th pick that year -- Marino was the first overall pick in the USFL and there was concern that he might not sign with the NFL.
When discussing the Independence Bowl, the national media (including ESPN) will undoubtedly focus on the USM-FSU game from 1989 -- which is understandable.. The entire game is available on YouTube and it featured Brett Favre when only the diehard USM fans knew who he was.
But USM-FSU is actually a much older, more long-lasting, interesting relationship.
The schools played 22 times between 1952 and 1996. And more significantly, 21 times between 1952 and 1989 -- so 21 out of 37 years. FSU only started football in 1950, so essentially from its founding for the next 40 years, USM was one if its most consistent, regular opponents. Moreover, they were both in the Metro Conference for non-football sports from 1982 to 1991 and regularly competed in basketball (when USM also had a good basketball program).
And if you look at USM and FSU from around 1977 to 1982, what you see are potentially the two of the three best Southern independents (Miami being the third), both trying desperately to make it to the big-time. And both essentially trying to do it the same way -- what I will call the "FSU-model" -- play anyone, anytime, anyplace. This is distinct from the way that mid-majors attempt to move up today, which is frequently the "Boise-model" -- play one or two non-conference games against mid-level P5 (which they typically get to play a home-and-home) and hope everything works out. (which is what Fedora tried to do in 2011 and in a sense failed because of Marshall and UAB)
FSU used the FSU-model to become the program we see today, but USM was on the cusp -- particularly in 1981. That is really a fascinating season -- FSU, was doing the FSU-model. FSU had gone 10-1 in the regular season in 1980 and while 1981 had been a slightly disappointing season, the Seminoles were still ranked number 20 in the AP going into the game with USM and had victories, all on the road, against Notre Dame, Ohio State, and LSU with its only losses coming on the road to Pitt (#1), to Nebraska in Lincoln, and at home to Miami.
USM was also trying the FSU-model. USM started the season 4-0 against a bunch of unimpressive opponents (other than Tulane which was coming off of a bowl season -- when there were only a few bowls). Game five would provide a tougher test as USM was playing the number 7 team in the country, Alabama, led by Bear Bryant in Birmingham (Bama's second home). That game ended in a tie 13-13, but was a monumental moral victory for USM. You have to imagine what Alabama was at the time. They had won national championships in 78 and 79 and from the 1977 season until that game with USM, Bama had lost five games -- in total -- while completely dominating the SEC (four of the five losses were to out-of-conference opponents USC, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech). For Southeast football at the time, tying Bama -- especially a scrub, third in the pecking order team from a poor state -- was unheard of.
USM then proceeded to shut-out its next two opponents (Memphis and North Texas) to move to 6-0-1 for the season. Next came a game in Jackson, MS against Miss. State. At the time, USM had risen to #20 in the AP, while Miss. State was enjoying perhaps its greatest period of success in the SEC from the 1940s to the Mullen era. In 1980, Miss. State (9-2 in the regular season) would have won the SEC West if it had existed with wins over Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama (the Tide's only SEC loss during that five-year span discussed above). 1981 was also a good year for the Bulldogs. They were 6-2 at the time and had beaten Auburn, Florida, and Miami with their only losses to a very good Missouri squad and at Alabama. For more than 20 years, this game held the record for the highest attendance ever for a sporting event in Mississippi, and USM won 7-6 in a defensive struggle.
After that monumental win over an in-state rival, USM had to travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State. USM had risen to 14 in the polls on the strength of its victory over Miss. State. USM was lead by its transcendent talent at QB, Reggie Collier. Collier was the dual-threat, option QB, before anyone knew what to do with those; he averaged more than 6.5 yds per carry and had a good arm; Collier was the first QB to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season, and finished 9th in the Heisman ballot in 1981. The game was a massacre. USM beat FSU 58-14, but it was not that close. USM scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions and called off the dogs. And in a time when games were not televised, this one was on ABC National TV. For years afterward, if you asked Bowden about his worst loss, he would bring up this game against USM.
USM rose to number 9 in the AP, 8 in the UPI (coaches poll) and some upstart outfit called ESPN which most people had never heard of ranked USM number 3. 8-0-1 and there were serious discussions about the Sugar or the Orange Bowl. USM only had to beat a bad Louisville squad and a D-1AA Lamar to finish the season 10-0-1 and play in a major bowl. Louisville was 4-6 and suffering through a four-game losing streak -- including a 24-0 loss to Cincy and a 40-7 shellacking at home by Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) in the previous two games (and Louisiana-Monroe was worse then than they are now). It should have been an easy victory, but it would not be the case.
But as USM players to this day complain, Louisville turned on the sprinklers the night before the game -- on a freezing cold night -- and iced the field to negate USM's speed advantage. As Collier explained: "We get to Louisville and it was a snowstorm. It didn't bother us. On Friday, we did a workout on the field and it was fine. On Saturday, the field is covered in ice and we wonder what is going on." USM lost 13-10. Collier, who only threw four interceptions that entire season, threw three interceptions in the first half against the Cardinals. It was a devastating loss. USM went on to win its last game and, at a time when there were very few bowls and any bowl bid was seen as a major accomplishment, got a berth in the Tangerine (later called the Citrus and now the Camping World) Bowl against a very good Missouri team. USM lost that game as well, in what my father still describes as the coldest game he has ever been to (keep in mind it was in Orlando).
1981 was the high-point for USM in many ways. The two programs really diverged from there. While FSU held on to Bobby Bowden, USM got hammered with NCAA sanctions which prompted USM's coach, Bobby Collins, to leave for SMU. In 1982, USM managed to end Bear Bryant's home-winning streak, but the team lost focus waiting for the NCAA hammer. USM and FSU continued to play games for the next few years -- which FSU won (1982, 1986, 1987, 1988). Only the 1982 game was competitive, USM's RB Sam Dejarnette rushed for 304 yards in a losing effort which stood as the single-game high rushing total for USM for a very long time. USM's coaching hire after Collins -- Jim Carmody who had been the Defensive Coordinator in 1980 -- never produced the offense that Collins had (though 1983 was looking very promising before an injury to the QB, Robert Ducksworth against Auburn).
USM and FSU were also almost part of the same football conference -- if the Metro could have only acted before its plans were pulled apart by the ACC (taking FSU) and the Big East.
I guess my point is -- that to longtime USM fans (and I think maybe FSU fans) -- this is not just some monumental mismatch. It may be that, but it is more. These are teams that had a lot of similarities for a long time. Around 1980-1982, they were both on the cusp of exploding. Only one did. There are a lot of reasons why USM was likely never going to be FSU, but there is some part of USM that sees FSU and thinks that is what might have been (or at least some level of that success is what might have been).
You will likely think that I am delusional (and I likely am). USM -- until the Ellis Johnson debacle -- was arguably the best, most consistent G5 school. Between 1934 and 2012, USM never had consecutive losing seasons. There was no extended down period. USM had consecutive winning seasons from 1994 through 2011, and occasionally punctuated those years with excellent teams -- 1996 to 1999 in particular stand out and likely would have made a much bigger impact nationally if not for a 21-7 loss to an undefeated Tulane in 1998.
As an aside, watching ESPN's 30 for 30s, gets really close to just covering USM in the early 1980s. Bobby Collins features prominently in the Pony Express saga. USM was heavily involved in the Marcus Dupree recruiting and even had him enrolled after he transferred from Oklahoma in 1982. And while Reggie Collier never did much as a pro (he was before his time), I always found it interesting that everyone talks about the NFL draft of 1983 (which was also a 30 for 30) as the year of the QB with six QBs taken in the first round. Well, 1983 was a weird year, because the USFL was also in existence and held its draft a couple of months before the NFL draft. Collier went third overall in the USFL draft and had already signed by the time the NFL draft came around. Who knows, there might have been seven first round QBs had Collier been seen as available. Collier was taken in the 6th round (by the Cowboys) in any event. The reason Collier fell in the NFL draft is the same reason (being selected in the USFL draft) that Marino fell to the 27th pick that year -- Marino was the first overall pick in the USFL and there was concern that he might not sign with the NFL.
