The Yellow Jackets and Falcons are two of the best option offenses in the country and when it was over Air Force held on for a 14-7 win.
But with just 21 points scored, the game was still not boring.
Air Force ran for 170 yards on 49 attempts and was outgained on the ground by Georgia Tech’s 279 yards on 57 carries.
The Yellow Jackets, however, lost three fumbles, including one inside the Falcons’ 10-yard line, and the turnover margin ended up being the difference.
Georgia Tech held a 7-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter, having held Air Force to two field goals.
A fourth-quarter touchdown by Air Force’s Jared Tew - and ensuing two-point conversion by Jonathan Warzeka proved to be the winning margin to the delight of the Barksdale Air Force Base personnel and the Falcon fans.
Air Force had a nine-minute drive end with a missed field goal to give Georgia Tech a chance to tie the game with a last-minute 80-yard drive.
John Davis of Air Force intercepted Tevin Washington’s pass on the Falcons’ one-yard line with 11 seconds remaining to stop the Rambling Wreck.
So what about the number of passes predicted?
There was a total of 106 rushing attempts compared to just 37 passes.
It might have been an omen for the New Orleans-Atlanta game that followed the Indy Bowl - the pregame ceremony included skydivers and a landing of the Air Force mascot - a falcon named The Bird.
The only problem was The Bird didn’t land at the 50-yard line but instead flew the coop and wasn’t found until the final minutes of the game - just in time to see the Air Force win.
A few hours later, the Saints stunned Atlanta to seal a playoff spot and possibly even the conference title with a win Sunday over Tampa Bay and an Atlanta loss against the Carolina Jaguars.
While this year’s Indy Bowl may have been a low scoring, it wasn’t boring.
Maybe it didn’t match the uniqueness of the 2000 “snow bowl” overtime game between Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
A driving snowstorm that began during pregame warm ups and continued throughout the entire game. Mississippi State won that game in overtime 43-41.
Ten of the last 12 Independence Bowl games have been decided by a touchdown or less.
In 2001, Alabama beat Iowa State, 14-13.
In 2002, Ole Miss slipped past Nebraska, 27-23.
In 2004, Iowa State defeated Miami University (17-13), followed by a 38-31 win for Missouri over South Carolina.
In 2006, Oklahoma State downed Alabama, 34-31.
The following season, the Crimson Tide earned a 30-24 victory over Colorado.
In 2008, Louisiana Tech grabbed a 17-10 win over Northern Illinois.
Last year, Georgia rolled to a 44-20 win over Texas A&M.
With the ACC and Mountain West Conference returning next year, the fans should be in for another thriller.
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