Back to the bayou.

The ISU football team accepted a bid Sunday to play in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La., its second appearance in the game in the last four years.

The Cyclones will face Miami of Ohio from the Mid-American Conference. The RedHawks finished their season with an 8-4 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play.

“Because of the season we’ve had, because of the support we’ve had, we have officially accepted an invitation to the 2004 Independence Bowl,” ISU head coach Dan McCarney said.

“We’re thrilled about it. It will be a great opportunity to play Miami of Ohio. They have had a tremendous history of success and we’re real, real anxious to go down and play this game.”

Iowa State won six games this season, becoming bowl eligible with its comeback win against Kansas State. It was co-champion of the Big 12 North and will play in a bowl for the fourth time in five years.

Iowa State faced Alabama in the 2001 Independence Bowl, falling 14-13 when Tony Yelk’s last-second field goal was called wide right.

“We had an unbelievably tough loss down there on the last play of the game,” McCarney said. “I still think that kick is good.”

Many thought the Cyclones would be playing in the Houston Bowl, but Iowa State moved up in the bowl selection schedule when Texas overtook California in the BCS standings.

Texas will now play Michigan in the Rose Bowl, and Oklahoma will play for the national championship against USC in the Orange Bowl.

Iowa State’s bowl destination was in question until late into the afternoon when the new BCS standings were released.

“About 3 p.m., Bruce [Van De Velde] called and told me that we had two in the BCS and the Independence Bowl was all over Iowa State,” McCarney said.

“They were ecstatic and excited and it sounded like they were going to be inviting Iowa State to come down for the bowl game.”

The Cyclones’ bowl appearance comes one year after they went 2-10 and without a win in the Big 12. Starting this year, Iowa State was picked to finish in the bottom of the conference again.

“We weren’t supposed to be here, nobody expected us to be here,” McCarney said. “This was supposed to be a work in progress, but we’re here and we’re proud of it and we’re absolutely ecstatic.

“Iowa State, four bowls in five years, who are we kidding? This is the smallest budget and the smallest stadium in the Big 12 Conference. We battle the best in America — not just the best in the Big 12 but the best in America — and we’re going to represent this conference and represent our fans and our university. This is what it’s all about. I can’t tell you how excited I am.”

With a bowl appearance secured, senior Ellis Hobbs said the team was happy with any game.

“The whole year, any time you come off a season like we had last year, any type of bowl game was going to be a great one for us,” Hobbs said.

“All we wanted to do was go back. When the time came around this weekend for the choosing to be done, we weren’t really concerned with that because we knew we were going to get to a bowl game.”