December 03, 2000
The Texas A&M football team accepted an invitation to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Sanford Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. (central) on Dec. 31 at Independence Stadium.
"We're honored to be invited to play in the Independence Bowl," Aggie Head Coach R.C. Slocum said. "Last year the Oklahoma Sooners played in this bowl game and this year they are ranked #1 and playing for the national championship. Mississippi State is a talented team and an outstanding opponent."
Texas A&M is 7-4 on the year and 5-3 in Big 12 play. Mississippi State finished the year 7-4 and 4-4 in the SEC.
The Aggies have made one previous appearance in the Independence Bowl, a 33-16 victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 1981 season.
Texas A&M opened the 1999 season in Independence Stadium against Louisiana Tech, a 37-17 Aggie win.
The series between Texas A&M and Mississippi State is tied at two wins a piece. The last meeting between the two schools was a 14-0 Aggie victory in 1937.