| 1968 Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 10th Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 14, 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Memphis Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | RB Steve Hindman (Ole Miss) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Carl Deane (ACC; split crew: ACC, SEC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 46,206 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1968 Liberty Bowl was an American college football postseason bowl game between the VPI Gobblers (now the Virginia Tech Hokies)[a] and the Ole Miss Rebels of the University of Mississippi. The 10th edition of the Liberty Bowl, it was played at Memphis Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 14, 1968. The game was the final contest of the 1968 NCAA University Division football season for both teams, and ended in a 34–17 victory for Mississippi.
Two years after their appearance in the 1966 Liberty Bowl, VPI was again asked to travel to Memphis for a post-season bowl game. This time, the opponent was Mississippi, who had amassed a 6–3–1 record during the regular season. VPI came into the game with a 7–3 record that included a loss to their previous Liberty Bowl opponent, the Miami Hurricanes.
As in VPI's previous appearance in the Liberty Bowl, the team got off to a fast start. On the game's second play, VPI ran 58 yards for a touchdown, courtesy of a trick play. After Mississippi fumbled, VPI recovered and scored another quick touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, VPI added a field goal to the two touchdowns it had already earned, making the score 17–0. From that point onward, however, almost nothing would go in VPI's favor. They attempted an onside kick following the field goal, but were unable to successfully recover the ball. With good field position following the kick, Mississippi quarterback Archie Manning orchestrated a 49-yard drive for the Rebels' first points of the game.
Mississippi scored another touchdown before halftime, and VPI clung to a 17–14 lead at the beginning of the second half. That three-point lead quickly evaporated, however, as 21 seconds into the third quarter, Mississippi's Steve Hindman ran for 79 yards and a touchdown to give Mississippi a 21–17 lead. Ole Miss added 13 more points before the game ended and earned the victory, 34–17.
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