1995 Liberty Bowl
| 1995 Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 30, 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Kwame Ellis (CB), Stanford | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 47,398 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1995 Liberty Bowl game was a college football bowl game between the Stanford Cardinal and the East Carolina Pirates played on December 30, 1995, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. It was the tenth edition of the bowl game.
Although East Carolina did not reach the end zone on offense—they scored on four Chad Holcomb field goals and a Daren Hart interception return—that effort, combined with strong defense, was enough to defeat Stanford 19–13. The Cardinal scored the game's only offensive touchdown, and Kwame Ellis's return of a blocked punt for a second score contributed to his being named the game's MVP in a losing effort.
Led by first-year coach Tyrone Willingham who replaced Bill Walsh, the Cardinal had been expected to finish last in the Pac-10; instead, the team finished with a 7–3–1 record, good enough for fourth in the conference. Stanford was led offensively by quarterback Mark Butterfield, who had thrown for over 2,500 yards and 19 touchdowns during the season and running back Anthony Bookman, who had run for 900 yards.
East Carolina was led by fourth-year head coach Steve Logan. The Pirates were returning to the Liberty Bowl for the second-straight year after having been blown out 30–0 in the 1994 Liberty Bowl. East Carolina was led by quarterback Marcus Crandell, who had thrown for over 2,700 yards and 18 touchdowns and as a junior, was already East Carolina's all-time passing and offensive yardage leader.
Despite the offensive credentials of both teams, the game turned out to showcase the defenses of both teams. Stanford took the opening kickoff into East Carolina territory before the drive failed. On its next possession, Stanford appeared to be driving again, but Butterfield's pass was intercepted by Daren Hart, who raced 39 yards for a touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Pirate kicker Chad Holcomb kicked a 46-yard field goal. Stanford finally scored on an Adam Salina one-yard plunge to cut the lead to 10–7, but two Holcomb field goals in the last 2:01 of the half made the halftime score 16–7.
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