| Game Name: | Liberty Bowl |
| Subheader: | 19th Liberty Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | December 19 |
| Year Game Played: | 1977 |
| Football Season: | 1977 |
| Stadium: | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| City: | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Visitor Name Short: | Nebraska |
| Visitor Nickname: | Cornhuskers |
| Visitor Record: | 8–3 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 12 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 13 |
| Visitor Coach: | Tom Osborne |
| Visitor Conference: | Big Eight |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 14 |
| Home Name Short: | North Carolina |
| Home Nickname: | Tar Heels |
| Home Record: | 8–2–1 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 14 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 11 |
| Home Coach: | Bill Dooley |
| Home Conference: | ACC |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 14 |
| Home 3Q: | 3 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Mvp: | Matt Kupec (QB, North Carolina) |
| Referee: | James Malone (WAC) |
| Attendance: | 49,456 |
| Us Network: | ABC |
| Us Announcers: | Keith Jackson, Frank Broyles |
| Odds: | Nebraska by 6[1] |
The 1977 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 19, 1977.[2] In the 19th edition of the Liberty Bowl, the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference rallied to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 21–17.[3] [4] [5] [6]
North Carolina led by ten points after three quarters, but was outscored, 14–0, in the fourth quarter as Randy Garcia came off of the Husker bench and completed all three of his passes, two for touchdowns.[3] [4] It was the eighth bowl victory in nine seasons for Nebraska; they remained at twelfth in the final AP poll, and North Carolina slipped to seventeenth.
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
| Statistics | Nebraska | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 17 | |
| Rushes–yards | 52–206 | 55–169 | |
| Passing yards | 161 | 93 | |
| Passes | 14–17–0 | 8–13–1 | |
| Total yards | 367 | 262 | |
| Punts–average | 3–37 | 3–43 | |
| Fumbles–lost | 4–2 | 3–2 | |
| Turnovers by | 2 | 3 | |
| Penalties–yards | 2–10 | 5–35 |