Dec. 31, 1991: Indiana's Last Bowl Win Versus Baylor in Copper Bowl
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The last time the Indiana Hoosiers won a bowl game was exactly 29 years ago today on Dec. 31, 1991.
In honor of the Hoosiers looking to end that streak this Saturday in Tampa, Fla. against Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl, we take a look back at the last time Indiana hoisted up a bowl trophy at the end of a season.
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The Hoosiers had a fairly successful season leading up to its bowl appearance in 1991.
Below was Indiana's regular season schedule during that year:
| Week | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | at No. 7 Notre Dame | L 49-27 | 0-1 |
2 | vs. Kentucky | W 13-10 | 1-1 |
3 | at Missouri | T 27-27 | 1-1-1 |
4 | vs. Michigan State | W 31-0 | 2-1-1 |
5 | vs. Northwestern | W 41-6 | 3-1-1 |
6 | at No. 4 Michigan | L 24-16 | 3-2-1 |
7 | at Wisconsin | W 28-20 | 4-2-1 |
8 | vs. Minnesota | W 34-8 | 5-2-1 |
9 | at No. 10 Iowa | L 38-21 | 5-3-1 |
10 | at No. 19 Ohio State | L 20-16 | 5-4-1 |
11 | vs. Purdue | W 24-22 | 6-4-1 |
As seen above, the Hoosiers struggled to win games against the top-25 opponents, but they were able to handle everybody else.
At 6-4-1, Indiana was placed in the Copper Bowl against the Baylor Bears.
Earlier in the season, the Bears were ranked as high as No. 8 after winning its first five games, including a victory over then-No. 12 Colorado.
But things started to go down hill from there. Baylor finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and was unranked in the AP poll.
So the two teams met in the Copper Bowl at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.
Indiana got things going early on in the first quarter. With 7:09 to go in the quarter, quarterback Trent Green got Indiana into the end zone first, taking a 1-yard run over the pylon. It was a 9-play, 53-yard drive that took 4:46 off the clock.
The Hoosiers tacked on more points in the second quarter. With 6:36 left until halftime, kicker Scott Bonnell connected on a 27-yard field goal attempt to make it 10-0.
Indiana got the ball back with 2:37 left until halftime, and the cream and crimson made sure to take even more momentum into the locker room. Mixed with a combination of run and pass, Indiana got down to the Baylor 5-yard line. From there, running back Vaughn Dunbar punched it in to give Indiana a 17-0 advantage at the half.
Craig Sager interviewed head coach Bill Mallory before the half and told Mallory it looked like the team was having fun out there. Mallory's response: "Well yeah, but we got 30 minutes to play and we stunk against Purdue, so we better not pull that trick this time around."
Indiana continued to dominate Baylor in the second half.
The closest the Bears got to scoring came at the very end of the third quarter. They got down to Indiana's 2-yard line, but they fumbled the hand-off into the end zone, and Indiana free safety Damon Watts recovered it.
The Hoosiers added one more insurance score in the fourth quarter. With 6:09 to play, Green faked a hand-off and kept it himself for a 4-yard touchdown run.
Indiana defeated Baylor 24-0.
Green finished the game with 165 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Dunbar won the game's Most Valuable Player honors on offense with 28 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown. Linebacker Mark Hagen (11 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, and 1 pass broken up) was the game's defensive MVP.
You can watch Indiana's full victory over Baylor in the 1991 Copper Bowl below, courtesy of Galen Clavio's YouTube page:
Related Stories on Indiana football:
- TIAWAN MULLEN EARNS HUGE HONORS: Tiawan Mullen has become the only Indiana cornerback to earn first-team All-American honors. CLICK HERE
- HOOSIERS DETERMINED FOR FIRST BOWL WIN IN 29 YEARS: Indiana might not have gotten the bowl it wanted, but the Hoosiers have plenty of motivation left. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA USING LAST YEAR'S GATOR BOWL AS MOTIVATION: One year after Indiana lost to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, the Hoosiers still look to that game as motivation. CLICK HERE
