:: RUST-OLEUM® Fed THIS CH;.\NGES EVEl~YTHING. INTRODUCING THE WORLD'S SMALLEST AND LIGHTEST DSLR CAMERA' l •.~ ·, t fl ,I ~ eas~o~1-sL1 Can,ln • Welcome From GOVERNOR BILL HASLAM ...U) 2 w > ..,w 3: 0 m WELCOME from the GovERNOR w Dear Friends: u a: On behalf of the great State of Tennessee, I am pleased to extend our warmest greetings to the guests of the 55th AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic. We are especially honored to welcome the players and fans of Mississippi State and Rice. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl provides a great opportunity to showcase the best in athletics and sportsmanship, and we are so Ill proud to have this event in our state. a: 0 During your stay, I encourage you to explore Memphis and get a taste of all that the Volunteer State has to 2 0 offer. Wherever you travel in Tennessee, you will find friendly people who are known for their authentic south• ::c ern hospitality and eager to invite you back for another visit. Again, welcome to Tennessee. Crissy and I send our very best wishes. a:> ...0 Ill Warmest regards, ..,:i: 3: 0 m U) Bill Haslam ~ cc2 ::c ..,... cc uw A. U) 55th AutoZone Liberty Bowl I 1 PRESIDENT, BILLY HICKS 55th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl Welcome to Memphis and the 55th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl en 1- Football Classic! wz w> This entire community welcomes the Mississippi State Bulldogs and ..I the Rice University Owls to Memphis and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. ;: 0 m These two outstanding universities have earned their way to our bowl game through their hard work, dedication and determination to be the best. We congratulate the players and coaches of these two outstanding teams for achieving their goal of playing in a postseason bowl game. Many of college football's greatest players, coaches and teams have participated throughout the AutoZone Liberty Bowl's long history. Four-time AutoZone Liberty Bowl coach, the legendary Paul "Bear' Bryant heads the list of coaches who have walked the Bowl's sidelines. Others include Lou Holtz, Tom Osborne, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. The impressive list of players reads like a Who's Who of college football. Heisman Trophy winners Terry Baker, Ernie Davis, Bo Jack• uw son and Doug Flutie have played in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. More QC recently, players such as Donovan McNabb, Shaun King, Ryan Mallett and A.J. Green have starred in our game. The 55th AutoZone Liberty Bowl's festival of events and today's game are made possible by the generous support of our wonderful corporate sponsors. I want to thank our title sponsor, AutoZone, for their tremendous support. I would also like en to thank FedEx, Quaker State, Rust-Oleum and PEAK for their outstanding support, along with all of our other community a: partners. z0 0 :c It is the goal and mission of our Board of Directors, volunteers and staff for you to have the best bowl experience ever. We extend our deepest gratitude and thanks for your support. Your presence and attendance today insures our 55 years of bowl tradition and history will continue. > a: Today's game is not just about football. For decades, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl has been associated with and supported 0 en... the life-saving efforts of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The kids of St. Jude and their families say Thank You for your :i: support! ..I We hope you enjoy your stay, the game and all the festivities of the 55th AutoZone Liberty Bowl! mI Sincerely, en lll: z ,,/' / - . (/ ,r/(, i ; y{z,J /\) '__/ ;. f' ··- . ... ,--- ;..: ..... cc..I 0 Billy Hicks w A. President en 55th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl 2 I 55th AutoZone Liberty Bowl Set your soul free. The all-new CLA. Starting at $29,900. paint ootionai equipment. MSRP for a 2014 CLA250 exc!udes all t-ansportetion cnarge and dealer prep. Options, model availability and actual dealer price may vary Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC For more information, call 1·800·FOR-MERCEDES, or visit MBUSA.com. t w :E ..,u0 w ~ TABLE OF CONTENTS [ 8 ] en GAMEDAY FEATURE ... An in-depth look at the teams competing wz > in today's game. By Ron Higgins. ..,w ~ [ 12 ] 0 m SCOUTING REPORTS A breakdown of the offenses and defenses of Mississippi State and Rice, plus analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each team. i [ 158] :E OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD This year's honoree is Diamond Rio, [ 169] AUTOZONE LIBERTY uw BOWL RETROSPECTIVE i Take a look back in time with recaps of every AutoZone Liberty Bowl game. From Philadelphia to Memphis and Bear Bryant to Bill Blankenship, explore the Bowl's long and illustrious history. en ! z PUBLISHED BY 0 UNIVERSITY SPORTS PUBLICATIONS CO., INC. :z: 570 Elmont Road Elmont, NY 11003 U~ . B'L P~-• Tel: 516.327.9500 / fax: 516.327.3099 / www.uspsports.com Executive V.P. · Operations: Jeff Botwinick Executive V.P. - Business Development Martin Lewis Executive V.P. - Sales: Steven Farkas Executive V.P. - Team Relations: David Gerschwer Executive Vice President Julie Wong Production Manager: Allie Wassel Production Assistant Jackie Kocsis (j facebook.cam/universttysportspublicalion, Senior Editor: Stephanie Kowalsky Copy Editor: Kelsey Martin t ,f, twitter.com/uspsports Designer: Joe Caputo ©2013 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. AU rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is expressly prohibited. Published under the auspices of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, with the assistance of Patrick Byrne, Amanda Smith and Harold Graeter. Special thanks to Sarah Fetters. Gregg Ellis and the sports information staff at Mississippi State University; and to Chuck Pool and the sports information staff at Rice University. Photos courtesy of: Keith Renard/Skipworth Photograph, David Minkin, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Star Direction. Bill Wright, Terry Hester. Thomas Sellers. Mississippi State University and Rice University. 4 I !5!5th AutoZone Liberty E!lowl w ::E 0 ....CJ w 3 I Governor's Welcome 112 Rice University en 2 Bowl President's Welcome 114 Rice Owls Athletics 1- wz 6 AutoZone Welcome 116 Owls Spirit w> 18 Fedlix Welcome 118 Rice Head Coach David Bailiff and Coaching Staff .... 121 Rice Owls Season in Review ~ 21 Mayors' Welcome to Memphis m 139 Meet the Owls 24 MC:VB Welcome to Memphis 146 Owls Alphabetical Roster 26 Welcome Fans 150 Rice ( )wls Statistics 28 Memphis Attractions 152 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 30 Welcome to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 154 201:l ])istinguishcd Citizen Award .n 19th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl Golf ( .lassic I 'i6 2013 Harry E. /.inn Spirit of 1 i7<i Award 36 AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star ( ,amc 160 Football Bowl Association 40 'learn Welcome Party 16., Miss Auto/,onc l .ibcrty Bowl 4., FCA Breakfast 165 l lomccorning Queens 44 Professional Rodeo Presented by Ford Trucks 166 Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics 46 Players and Couches Dinner I i8 Just Last Year 48 Aut\>Zonc Liberty Bowl Parade and Bash on Beale Pep Rally 182 I Icisruan Trophy Winners 51 Presidents' Gala 184 1\,1 VPs 52 Pre-Game Buffet 186 I ht· Bell Behind the Bowl en a: 189 Remembering Angelo Lucchesi 54 BBQ Bowl z0 191 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Otlic:crs 0 56 Pre-Game Events = 192 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Board ()f Directors 58 I lulftime Spectacular 194 AutoZonr Liberty Bowl Con1111ittLTS and Staff 60 Bowl Buddies 196 AutoZone Liberty Howl Wakrhoys As sol iat i, >11 ~ 64 Mississippi State University 199 Auto/,onl.' I .ibcrty Bowl Patriot» ( .lub ene 66 Mississippi State Bulldogs Athlctic« 20 I /\utoZ()lll' l .ibcrt y !\owl l{ccords = (18 , , l\ulldcigs Spirit 202 AutoZom· I .ibcrty Bowl kcsults & Attendance ill Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen and Coaching Staff 204 Action i'ad, Supporters i:; Mississippi Slate Bulldogs Season in Review 20i AutnZonc Liberty Howl Associutior: Members 9) Med the Bulldogs 210 SH: Network I 00 Bulldogs Alphabetical Roster 21 J 20 I:, Tiger I .anc Supporters I 04 Mississippi Stall? Bulldogs Statistics 214 ...... ...................................................... Specinl I hanks I Oi Nunu-ricnl R()stcr., & ·1c>day's Starting Lineups 21 (, . ........... Aut()/.rnH: Liberty Howl Sponsors !!5!!5t:h Aut:cZcn• Llbart:y l!':lcwl i 5 .,, WELCOME FROM en ~ AqtlJIIJRf!) z ____ w w> Welcome to Memphis and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl! ..I .. ~ On behalf of 70,000 AutoZoners providing great customer service all across North 0 m ' " America, congratulations and welcome to the student athletes, coaches and fans of these two great universities. And, a warm welcome to those of you from here and afar who are loyal supporters of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. This is a very successful partnership that brings three very significant Memphis-based brands together to promote our community. Now in its 55th year, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is one of the oldest and most respected postseason college football games in the country. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is recognized around the world as a leader in the research and treatment of childhood cancers. And, AutoZone is the leading retailer and a leading distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States. w CJ Auto Zone's success is directly linked to our AutoZoners who are dedicated to customer satisfaction. Our pledge is to a: always put customers first and to provide trustworthy advice to help our customers do the job right the first time. That, of course, means we must have the right parts and accessories at the right price every day. At AutoZone, we call that WOW! Customer Service. 'l he AutoZone Liberty Bowl is one of many community projects in which our company has made a significant invest• en ment.