CAMPING WORLD INDEPENDENCE BOWL
TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE vs. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES
Saturday, Dec. 26
5:45 p.m. ET
Independence Stadium (50,459/FieldTurf)
Shreveport, La.
#40thIndyBowl
Television
ESPN -
WATCH LIVE
Dave Lamont, Ray Bentley and Jane Slater
Tulsa Radio
KTCK-FM 96.7 (flagship)
THE GAME
The Independence Bowl has been contested in Shreveport, Louisiana, since 1976 … The bowl’s primary conference affiliations are with the ACC and SEC … Tulsa is making its third appearance in the bowl … The Golden Hurricane fell 20-16 to McNeese State in the inaugural game in 1976 and dropped a 27-24 decision to Oregon in 1989 … Virginia Tech is 1-1 in the Independence Bowl … The Hokies fell to Air Force 23-7 in 1984 and defeated Indiana 45-20 in 1993 … Tulsa is 3-1 all-time against Virginia Tech, though the schools have not met since 1978.
iNDEPENDENCE BOWL RESULTS (0-0)
12-13-76 McNeese State 20, Tulsa 16
12-17-77 Louisiana Tech 24, Louisville 14
12-16-78 East Carolina 35, Louisiana Tech 13
12-15-79 Syracuse 31, McNeese State 7
12-13-80 Southern Miss 16, McNeese State 14
12-12-81 Texas A&M 33, Oklahoma St. 16
12-11-82 Wisconsin 14, Kansas State 3
12-10-83 Air Force 9, Mississippi 3
12-15-84 Air Force 23, Virginia Tech 7
12-21-85 Minnesota 20, Clemson 13
12-20-86 Mississippi 20, Texas Tech 17
12-12-87 Washington 24, Tulane 12
12-23-88 Southern Miss 38, Texas-El Paso 18
12-16-89 Oregon 27, Tulsa 24
12-15-90 Louisiana Tech 34, Maryland 34
12-29-91 Georgia 24, Arkansas 15
12-31-92 Wake Forest 39, Oregon 35
12-31-93 Virginia Tech 45, Indiana 20
12-28-94 Virginia 20, TCU 10
12-29-95 LSU 45, Michigan State 26
12-31-96 Auburn 32, Army 29
12-28-97 LSU 27, Notre Dame 9
12-31-98 Mississippi 35, Texas Tech 18
12-31-99 Mississippi 27, Oklahoma 25
12-31-00 Mississippi State 43, Texas A&M 41 (ot)
12-27-01 Alabama 14, Iowa State 13
12-27-02 Mississippi 27, Nebraska 23
12-31-03 Arkansas 27, Missouri 14
12-28-04 Iowa State 17, Miami (Ohio) 13
12-30-05 Missouri 38, South Carolina 31
12-28-06 Oklahoma State 34, Alabama 31
12-30-07 Alabama 30, Colorado 24
12-28-08 Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
12-28-09 Georgia 44, Texas A&M 20
12-27-10 Air Force 14, Georgia Tech 7
12-26-11 Missouri 41, North Carolina 24
12-28-12 Ohio 45, Louisiana-Monroe 14
12-31-13 Arizona 42, Boston College 19
12-27-14 South Carolina 24, Miami (Fla.) 21
TULSA
6-6, 3-5 American
Head Coach
Philip Montgomery (Tarleton State ’95)
6-6, first season
NOTES
Tulsa returns to postseason play after a two-year hiatus as the Golden Hurricane makes its 20th bowl appearance in program history … Tulsa holds a 9-10 record in bowl games after a 31-17 win against Iowa State in the 2012 Liberty Bowl … Tulsa has won four of its last five bowl games … Tulsa was the first school to appear in five consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games after doing so from 1942-46 … The Golden Hurricane has won more games this season (six) than it did in the previous two seasons combined (five) … Four of the six losses have been to teams that were ranked in the top 25 at some point in 2015 … Tulsa ranks 11th nationally in total offense (502.8 ypg) and passing offense (329.8 ypg) … Tulsa has run exactly 1,000 offensive plays entering the Independence Bowl and is averaging 83.3 plays per game … WR Keyarris Garrett, a first-team all-conference selection, ranks second nationally in both receptions (7.3 rpg) and receiving yards (120.9 ypg) … Garrett has 88 catches for 1,451 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while WR Josh Atkinson has 65 catches for 932 yards and four TDs … QB Dane Evans has completed 278 of 441 passes (63.0 percent) for 3,958 yards and 22 touchdowns with eight interceptions … Evans leads The American in passing yards (329.8 ypg) and should become the third Tulsa quarterback to surpass 4,000 yards in a season … RB D’Angelo Brewer leads the team in rushing yards (732), while RB Zack Langer has rushed for 714 yards and 17 touchdowns … S Michael Mudoh is ninth nationally with 10.5 tackles per game … Mudoh has made 126 tackles with five pass breakups and an interception … LB Matt Linscott has 96 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 16.0 tackles for loss and an interception, while DE Trent Martin has 96 stops with 14.0 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles … CB Kerwin Thomas hasa team-high 10 pass breakups … K Redford Jones has hit 16 of 24 field goal attempts.
2015 RESULTS
September
5 Florida Atlantic W ot 47-44
12 at New Mexico W 40-21
19 at Oklahoma L 38-52
October
3 Houston * L 24-38
10 Louisiana-Monroe W 34-24
17 at East Carolina * L 17-30
23 Memphis * L 42-66
31 at SMU * W 40-31
November
7 UCF * W 45-30
14 at Cincinnati * L 38-49
21 Navy * L 21-44
27 at Tulane * W 45-34
December
26 vs. Virginia Tech 5:45 p.m.
* American Athletic Conference game
VIRGINIA TECH
6-6, 4-4 ACC
Head Coach
Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech ’69)
237-121-2, 29th season at Virginia Tech
279-144-4, 34th season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Virginia Tech makes its 23rd consecutive postseason appearance — the longest active streak in the nation, as recognized by the NCAA — with this year’s trip to the Independence Bowl … Coincidentally the streak began with Virginia Tech’s appearance in the 1993 Independence Bowl, a 43-20 win for the Hokies against Indiana … Overall, the Hokies have played in 28 bowl games in their history and are 11-17 in those contests … The game against Tulsa will be the final game for 29th-year head coach Frank Beamer, whose 279 wins as a collegiate head coach are the most of any active FBS coach and rank sixth in FBS history … Justin Fuente, a Tulsa native and the former Memphis head coach, will lead the Hokies next season … The Hokies became bowl eligible with their 23-20 win against Virginia in the regular-season finale … A win against Tulsa would give Virginia Tech its 23rd consecutive winning season … Virginia Tech has won two of its last three bowl games, including a win against Cincinnati in last year’s Military Bowl … The offense is led by WR Isaiah Ford, who set a school record with 10 touchdown receptions in the regular season … Ford has 63 receptions for 937 yards in addition to the 10 TDs and was chosen to the All-ACC first team … QB Michael Brewer was the Opening Day starter, but suffered a collarbone injury against Ohio State and missed five games … Brewer has since returned to the lineup and has thrown for 1,359 yards and 122 touchdowns with six interceptions … RB Travon McMillian has rushed for 961 yards and five touchdowns — both team highs … The defense is paced by S Chuck Clark, who has 100 tackles … LB Deon Clarke has 3.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, while LB Andrew Motuapuaka has 3.0 sacks and 10.0 TFL … S Adonis Alexander leads the team with four interceptions and has three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries …
2015 RESULTS
September
7 Ohio State L 24-42
12 Furman W 42-3
19 at Purdue W 51-24
26 at East Carolina L 28-35
October
3 Pittsburgh * L 13-17
9 North Carolina State * W 28-13
17 at Miami (Fla.) * L 20-30
24 Duke * L 4ot 43-45
31 at Boston College * W 26-10
November
12 at Georgia Tech * W 23-21
21 North Carolina * L ot 27-30
28 at Virginia * W 23-20
December
26 Tulsa 5:45 p.m.
* Atlantic Coast Conference game