Independence Bowl Preview

Independence Bowl
Northern Illinois vs Louisiana Tech
Sunday, December 28, 8:15
on ESPN
Independence Stadium - Shreveport, LA

Why you should watch:

• It's a bowl game
  
• 2 really good running teams
  
• There isn't another good reason....sorry
  

Why you shouldn't watch:

• Week 17 in the NFL....Denver @ San Diego for the AFC West crown
  
• Seriously it's the MAC vs WAC
• More reasons.....NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS LA TECH!!
  

Streaks and Scheduling Notes:
Northern Illinois:

• 6-6 (5-3)
  
• 3rd bowl game in the last 5 years (1-1)
  
• Lost 3 of their last 4 games
• 2-4 away from home this season
  

Louisiana Tech:

• 7-5 (5-3)
  
• 2nd bowl game in last 1o years (lost in 2001)
  
• Won 4 of their last 5 games
• 2-4 away from home this season
  

Key Stats, Figures, and Players:
Northern Illinois:

• All they can do on offense is run the ball. 38th ranked run offense...101 in passing.
  
• Defensively they stop the pass better than most. They are 5th in passing defense.
  
• RB's Me'co Brown and Chad Spann, as well as QB Chandler Harnish, have combined for 1,336 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.
• DE Larry English has 7 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. He has also forced 3 fumbles.
  

Louisiana Tech:

• Offensively they are a duplicate of N. Illinois. They are 26th in rushing offense and 102nd in passing offense.
  
• The difference between the teams is that La Tech stops the run to the tune of 99 yards per game. But they can't stop the passing attack....good thing N. Illinois doesn't have one.
  
• RB's Daniel Porter and Patrick Jackson have rushed for 1,730 yards and 16 touchdowns. They also have 26 catches for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns.
  
• DB Weldon Brown has 4 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles on the season.
  

Who Wins:

Louisiana Tech....Honestly...who cares? This is easily one of the worst bowl games of the season and considering there is a NFL game on at the same time I don't think many people will watch. The game is in Louisiana which is really the big advantage for Tech. They also stop the run well while Northern Illinois doesn't.