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There was a time when Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech met regularly as members of the former Big West Conference.
With each team rebounding from disappointing seasons in 2007, the Huskies and Bulldogs meet for the first time in 12 years in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La.
From 1993-95, Louisiana Tech won two of three over Northern Illinois in conference play. The Bulldogs won 40-14 in the teams’ most recent meeting in 1996. Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series 5-1 and will likely have a major home-field advantage in this contest playing 67 miles from its campus in Ruston.
“Having an opportunity to play in a bowl game in the city that boasts our largest alumni base will provide a tremendous experience for both our players and our fans,” said second-year Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, whose team won four of its last five games to finish 7-5 after going 5-7 in 2007 and secure their first bowl berth since losing to Clemson in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl.
The Bulldogs are 1-2-1 in bowl games.
Northern Illinois, meanwhile, heads to its third bowl in five seasons one year after finishing 2-10. The Huskies lost to TCU in the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl in its most recent bowl appearance.
While 13 teams finished 6-6 to become bowl eligible, the Huskies and first-year coach Jerry Kill were one of nine invited to a bowl despite losing three of their last four games.
Four of the Huskies’ losses, however, came by four points or less to Tennessee, Minnesota, Western Michigan and Central Michigan.
“We believe we are a bowl team and played like it throughout the season,” freshman quarterback Chandler Harnish said. “This team put NIU back on the map.”
While the Independence Bowl has tie-ins with the Big 12 and SEC, those conference were unable to provide enough bowl-eligible teams, marking just the second time since 1998 this game won’t feature a matchup between schools from those leagues.
That doesn’t mean this matchup won’t be competitive.
Louisiana Tech finished tied for second behind No. 9 Boise State in the Western Athletic Conference. The highlight of the Bulldogs’ season came with a 22-14 season-opening win over Mississippi State.
NIU was fourth in the loaded Mid-American Conference’s West Division that featured bowl-bound teams No. 23 Ball State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
Each squad is averaging 25.0 points per contest, while the Huskies boast one of the nation’s top defenses, ranking 16th in allowing 18.1 points per game.
Led by senior defensive end Larry English, the two-time MAC most valuable player and the NCAA’s current active leader with 31 1/2 sacks, NIU made a remarkable defensive turnaround after allowing 30.8 points per contest in 2007.
The 6-foot-3, 254-pound English has eight sacks and a team-leading 15 tackles for loss.
“When you put the film on, the difference between Larry and everyone else is evident,” Kill said. “He doesn’t take plays off, he plays with a tremendous motor. What makes him so special is what is inside of him, he just has a motor that never quits.”
English and the Huskies face a Louisiana Tech team that averaged 34 points over the last five games to help secure a third bowl berth since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1989.
“Our program has come a long way in the last two years, and I think our players and coaches are very deserving,” Bulldogs cornerback Weldon Brown said.
The Bulldogs ranked second in the WAC, averaging 195 rushing yards thanks to first-team All-WAC running back Daniel Porter. The junior rushed for 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns.
Sophomore Phillip Livas, the team’s leader with 39 receptions for 589 yards, earned all-conference honors after averaging 16.6 yards per punt return to rank 10th in the nation. He also returned two for scorers
Northern Illinois was paced by a young, but balanced offense led by Harnish, who threw for 1,342 yards and rushed for 478 and four touchdowns.
Fellow freshman Me’co Brown rushed for a team-leading 508 yards to lead a talented group of running backs that includes sophomore Chad Spann (350 yards, eight TDs) and junior Justin Anderson, who rushed for 1,245 yards in 2007.
While NIU is making its first Independence Bowl appearance, Louisiana Tech makes its fourth and first since tying Maryland 34-all in 1990.
With each team rebounding from disappointing seasons in 2007, the Huskies and Bulldogs meet for the first time in 12 years in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La.
From 1993-95, Louisiana Tech won two of three over Northern Illinois in conference play. The Bulldogs won 40-14 in the teams’ most recent meeting in 1996. Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series 5-1 and will likely have a major home-field advantage in this contest playing 67 miles from its campus in Ruston.
“Having an opportunity to play in a bowl game in the city that boasts our largest alumni base will provide a tremendous experience for both our players and our fans,” said second-year Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, whose team won four of its last five games to finish 7-5 after going 5-7 in 2007 and secure their first bowl berth since losing to Clemson in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl.
The Bulldogs are 1-2-1 in bowl games.
Northern Illinois, meanwhile, heads to its third bowl in five seasons one year after finishing 2-10. The Huskies lost to TCU in the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl in its most recent bowl appearance.
While 13 teams finished 6-6 to become bowl eligible, the Huskies and first-year coach Jerry Kill were one of nine invited to a bowl despite losing three of their last four games.
Four of the Huskies’ losses, however, came by four points or less to Tennessee, Minnesota, Western Michigan and Central Michigan.
“We believe we are a bowl team and played like it throughout the season,” freshman quarterback Chandler Harnish said. “This team put NIU back on the map.”
While the Independence Bowl has tie-ins with the Big 12 and SEC, those conference were unable to provide enough bowl-eligible teams, marking just the second time since 1998 this game won’t feature a matchup between schools from those leagues.
That doesn’t mean this matchup won’t be competitive.
Louisiana Tech finished tied for second behind No. 9 Boise State in the Western Athletic Conference. The highlight of the Bulldogs’ season came with a 22-14 season-opening win over Mississippi State.
NIU was fourth in the loaded Mid-American Conference’s West Division that featured bowl-bound teams No. 23 Ball State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan.
Each squad is averaging 25.0 points per contest, while the Huskies boast one of the nation’s top defenses, ranking 16th in allowing 18.1 points per game.
Led by senior defensive end Larry English, the two-time MAC most valuable player and the NCAA’s current active leader with 31 1/2 sacks, NIU made a remarkable defensive turnaround after allowing 30.8 points per contest in 2007.
The 6-foot-3, 254-pound English has eight sacks and a team-leading 15 tackles for loss.
“When you put the film on, the difference between Larry and everyone else is evident,” Kill said. “He doesn’t take plays off, he plays with a tremendous motor. What makes him so special is what is inside of him, he just has a motor that never quits.”
English and the Huskies face a Louisiana Tech team that averaged 34 points over the last five games to help secure a third bowl berth since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1989.
“Our program has come a long way in the last two years, and I think our players and coaches are very deserving,” Bulldogs cornerback Weldon Brown said.
The Bulldogs ranked second in the WAC, averaging 195 rushing yards thanks to first-team All-WAC running back Daniel Porter. The junior rushed for 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns.
Sophomore Phillip Livas, the team’s leader with 39 receptions for 589 yards, earned all-conference honors after averaging 16.6 yards per punt return to rank 10th in the nation. He also returned two for scorers
Northern Illinois was paced by a young, but balanced offense led by Harnish, who threw for 1,342 yards and rushed for 478 and four touchdowns.
Fellow freshman Me’co Brown rushed for a team-leading 508 yards to lead a talented group of running backs that includes sophomore Chad Spann (350 yards, eight TDs) and junior Justin Anderson, who rushed for 1,245 yards in 2007.
While NIU is making its first Independence Bowl appearance, Louisiana Tech makes its fourth and first since tying Maryland 34-all in 1990.
