Liberty Bowl (12/29) - South Carolina vs. Houston
[ESPN] - 4:30 p.m. ET
The South Carolina Gamecocks (7-5) have accepted a bid to play in the 48th
annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., it was announced today. The
Gamecocks will face the Houston Cougars (10-3), champions of Conference USA.
Game time is set for 4:30 Eastern (3:30 p.m. Central time) at Liberty Bowl
Memorial Stadium on Friday, Dec. 29.
"We are very proud to invite South Carolina to play in the 48th
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic," said Steve Ehrhart, Executive
Director of the Liberty Bowl. "We congratulate Steve Spurrier and
everyone in the South Carolina football family on a great season. We invite
all Gamecock fans to Memphis to celebrate their winning season and enjoy Beale
Street, Graceland and all the attractions that make Memphis unique."
The bowl appearance will be Carolina's second straight under head coach
Steve Spurrier. Coach Spurrier becomes the first coach in school history to
take his team to back-to-back bowl games in his first two seasons. The
Gamecocks dropped a 38-31 decision to Missouri in the 2005 Independence Bowl.
This will be the Gamecocks second trip to the Liberty Bowl. Under head
coach Joe Morrison, the Gamecocks participated in the 1988 Liberty Bowl,
falling to Indiana by a 34-10 margin. The Gamecocks are 3-9 all-time in bowl
games, with their wins coming in the 1995 Carquest Bowl against West Virginia
and in the 2001 and 2002 Outback Bowls, both against Ohio State.
South Carolina and Houston have met twice previously on the gridiron, with
the Cougars winning both contests. The Cougars posted a 27-19 win in Houston
in 1973, then won by a 24-14 count in Columbia the following season.
The Liberty Bowl has a long and rich tradition of pageantry and the events
surrounding the Bowl are considered the crown of the Memphis social scene.
The Gamecocks will be staying at the world famous Peabody Hotel in downtown
Memphis, near Beale Street, where the Blues were born. Bands from across the
nation will march on Beale Street during the Liberty Bowl parade, which is
scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 28. Memphis is the birthplace of rock `n roll,
and features Graceland, the home of "The King," Elvis Presley.
One of music's hottest young stars, two-time Grammy Award winner LeAnn
Rimes will bring her unique style to this year's Liberty Bowl Football
Classic. Rimes will perform at the President's Gala and headline the Liberty
Bowl's halftime show.
The Liberty Bowl also has a rich tradition on the field. Four Heisman
Trophy winners have participated in the Liberty Bowl, including Syracuse's
Ernie Davis, Oregon State's Terry Baker, Boston College's Doug Flutie and
Auburn's Bo Jackson. Other greats who played in the game include Archie
Manning, Lawrence Taylor and Kellen Winslow, while coaches such as Bear
Bryant, Tom Osborne and Joe Paterno have patrolled the sidelines.
For ticket information contact the South Carolina athletics ticket office
at 803-777-4274
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