The 1997 Motor City Bowl was the inaugural edition of the new college football bowl game, and was played at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan on December 26, 1997. The game featured the Marshall Thundering Herd of the MAC and the Ole Miss Rebels of the Southeastern Conference.

1997 Motor City Bowl
1234 Total
Ole Miss 701413 34
Marshall 107014 31
DateDecember 26, 1997
Season1997
StadiumPontiac Silverdome
LocationPontiac, Michigan
MVPStewart Patridge QB Ole Miss
RefereeR.G. Detillier (Big East)
Attendance43,430
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersJerry Punch and Mike Gottfried
Motor City Bowl
  1998

Background

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The Rebels finished third in the SEC Western Division in their first bowl game since 1992. Marshall was champions of the MAC after beating Toledo in the 1997 MAC Championship Game in their first ever season in Division I-A. This was their first bowl game since 1948.

Game summary

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In a game with 1,018 yards of total offense, Stewart Patridge threw 29-of-47 passes for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception to lead Ole Miss to victory. Deuce McAllister at running back. Chad Pennington threw 23-of-45 for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns. Randy Moss caught 6 passes for 173 yards.[1][2][3][4]

Aftermath

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This was the only Motor City Bowl featuring a team from the SEC. Marshall went to the next three Motor City Bowls. Ole Miss went to two more bowl games in the decade.

References

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  1. ^ "N.C.A.A.: FOOTBALL -- MOTOR CITY BOWL; Mississippi Captures Wild One". The New York Times. December 27, 1997.
  2. ^ "Rivalry Rewind: 1997 Motor City Bowl – Ole Miss vs Marshall". August 14, 2014.
  3. ^ "1997 Motor City Bowl". YouTube.
  4. ^ "CBS Sports - News, Live Scores, Schedules, Fantasy Games, Video and more". Archived from the original on December 12, 2005.
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