1979 Independence Bowl
Syracuse 31, McNeese State 7
Dec. 15, 1979
Shreveport, La.
A 21-point fourth quarter broke open a close game and gave Syracuse a decisive win over previously unbeaten McNeese State at the fourth Independence Bowl.
Orange running back Joe Morris had 155 yards on 33 carries. SU had only a 3-0 lead at the half on a 40-yard field goal by Gary Anderson. Fullback Ken Mandeville scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, but McNeese State matched that score to cut the Orange lead back down to three.
In the fourth quarter, Bill Hurley threw a 7-yard touchdown to Art Monk and then scored himself from the 1-yard line. Tom Matichak scored SU’s final touchdown from six yards out.
Â
Â
Â
RUSHING: Syracuse - Morris 33-155, Hartman, 18-57, Hurley 9-39, Matichak 2-10, Edsall 2-8, Mandeville 3-5, Warner 6-2. McNeese State - Shankle 16-85, Hadnot 5-24, McClendon 4-16, Millet 5-2.
PASSING: Syracuse - Hurley 5-10-0-51. McNeese State - Millet 5-17-3-102.
RECEIVING: Syracuse - Zambuto 2-27, Sidor 2-17, Monk 1-7. McNeese State - Price 2-55, Branch 2-33, Bates 1-14.
Dec. 15, 1979
Shreveport, La.
A 21-point fourth quarter broke open a close game and gave Syracuse a decisive win over previously unbeaten McNeese State at the fourth Independence Bowl.
Orange running back Joe Morris had 155 yards on 33 carries. SU had only a 3-0 lead at the half on a 40-yard field goal by Gary Anderson. Fullback Ken Mandeville scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, but McNeese State matched that score to cut the Orange lead back down to three.
In the fourth quarter, Bill Hurley threw a 7-yard touchdown to Art Monk and then scored himself from the 1-yard line. Tom Matichak scored SU’s final touchdown from six yards out.
Â
| Â Score By Quarter | Â 1 | Â 2 | Â 3 | Â 4 | Â F |
| Â Syracuse | Â 0 | Â 3 | Â 7 | Â 21 | Â 31 |
| Â MSU | Â 0 | Â 0 | Â 7 | Â 0 | Â 7 |
| Â Scoring Summary | ||
| Â Team | Â Play | Â Score |
|  SU |  Anderson 40 field goal   |  3-0 |
| Â SU | Â Mandeville 1 run (Anderson kick) | Â 10-0 |
| Â MSU | Â Millet 4 run (Stump kick) | Â 10-7 |
| Â SU | Â Monk 7 pass from Hurley (Anderson kick) | Â 17-7 |
| Â SUÂ | Â Hurley 1 run (Anderson kick) | Â 24-7 |
| Â SU | Â Matichak 6 run (Anderson kick) | Â 31-7 |
| Â Team Stats | Â SU | Â MSU |
| Â First Downs | Â 23 | Â 13 |
| Â Rushing Yardage | Â 276 | Â 127 |
| Â Passing Yardage | Â 51 | Â 102 |
| Â Total Offense (Plays-Yds) | Â 83-327 | Â 47- 229 |
| Â Passes | Â 5-10 | Â 5-17 |
| Â Passes Had Intercepted | Â 0 | Â 3 |
| Â Punts/Avg. | Â 4/36.0 | Â 3/43.7 |
| Â Punt Returns | Â 3-18 | Â 2-12 |
| Â Kickoff Returns | Â 2-26 | Â 5-84 |
| Â Fumbles-Lost | Â 1-0 | Â 5-1 |
| Â Penalties-Yards | Â 2-10 | Â 1-3 |
RUSHING: Syracuse - Morris 33-155, Hartman, 18-57, Hurley 9-39, Matichak 2-10, Edsall 2-8, Mandeville 3-5, Warner 6-2. McNeese State - Shankle 16-85, Hadnot 5-24, McClendon 4-16, Millet 5-2.
PASSING: Syracuse - Hurley 5-10-0-51. McNeese State - Millet 5-17-3-102.
RECEIVING: Syracuse - Zambuto 2-27, Sidor 2-17, Monk 1-7. McNeese State - Price 2-55, Branch 2-33, Bates 1-14.
