Here is the Independence Bowl preview for the game that will be played on December 26 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Frank Beamer’s bowl streak will come to an end and it’s only fitting it will happen were it all began, at the Independence Bowl, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Beamer will be moving on to a different position in the Virginia Tech athletic department, turning over the reigns to Memphis Coach Justin Fuente.
Tulsa will be bowling again, defeating Tulane in the season’s final game to become bowl eligible. First year head coach Philip Montgomery is taking over for a team that recorded only five wins in its last two years. Montgomery’s wide-open attack was a welcome sight in Tulsa, but the Hokies will look to take advantage of a floundering defense that yields 531.5 yards a game (126th in nation).
Bowl: Camping World Independence Bowl
Teams: Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs Virginia Tech Hokies
Date/Time: December 26, 2015 – 5:45 EST on ESPN
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Vegas Line/Total: Virginia Tech -14 / O/U 61.5
Written by: Erik the Hun
6 – 6 Record – 6 – 5 – 1 Vs Spread Over – Under: 7 – 5Season Results 11/27/15 @ Tulane W 45-34 W -9.5 O 58.5 |
6 – 6 Record – 6 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 5 – 7Season Results 11/28/15 @ Virginia W 23-20 L -3.5 U 47.5 |
Junuary 6, 2008 – GMAC Bowl – Tulsa 63 – 7 Bowling Green January 6, 2009 – GMAC Bowl – Tulsa 45 – 13 Ball State December 24, 2010 – Hawai’i Bowl – Tulsa 62 – 35 Hawaii December 30, 2011 – Armed Forces Bowl – Tulsa 21 – 24 BYU December 31, 2012 – Liberty Bowl – Tulsa 31 – 17 Iowa State |
December 27, 2014- Military Bowl – VA Tech 33 – 17 Cincinnati December 31, 2013- Sun Bowl – VA Tech 12 – 42 UCLA December 28, 2012 – Russell Athletic Bowl – VA Tech 13 – 10 Rutgers January 3, 2012 – Sugar Bowl – VA Tech 20 – 23 (OT) Michigan January 3, 2011 – Orange Bowl – VA Tech 12 – 40 Stanford |
Tulsa Outlook:
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane finished the season at 6-6 with a 45-point outburst versus Tulane (45-34) in the last game of the season. Tulsa will look to spread the field often, move the ball quickly, and disrupt the timing of the Hokies aggressive defense. Tulsa’s spread-em-out offense has scored at least 38 points in five of its last six outings. This fast-paced offense is led by junior quarterback Dane Evans, who has found his big-play receiver Keyarris Garrett all season long. Running the football may benefit a Golden Hurricane team that will want to take advantage of the Hokies, who give up 4.6 yards a carry on the ground.
Quarterback Dane Evans flourished in his gunslinger role in 2015. Dane attempted a amazing 441 passes down the field, completing 278 of them, for 42 yards shy of 4000 (3958 yards). Evan’s sixty three percent pass completions is a testament to just how accurate he can be.
The running back position for Tulsa is deep, featuring D’Angelo Brewer and Zack Langer. Brewer led the team with 732 yards, by way of 148 carries and 4 touchdowns. The touchdown machine named Zack Langer (17 TDs), lead the team with 193 carries. Zack is the guy Tulsa uses inside the ten and in all short yardage situations.
Tulsa has two stand-outs at the wide receiver spot, led by Keyarris Garrett, who has amassed 1451 yards (#2 in FBS). Garrett also has 88 catches and seven touchdowns, with 210 of those yards and two scores happening in the finale against Tulane. Joshua Atkinson contributed with 65 catches and 932 yards and four trips to the end zone.
There really isn’t anything good to say about the defensive side of things in Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane’s units number are atrocious, ranking 126th in the nation in yards a game (531.5), 124th against the pass (292.9), and 120th in points allowed at 38.6 per game. Virginia Tech will certainly be able to move the ball against this group.
Virginia Tech Outlook:
Yes, Virginia Tech may be on a bit of a down year defensively, but it’s still three shades better than anything Tulsa has seen over the last eight games. Defensive coordinator Bud Long’s unit is still stout against the pass, and have forced an ACC high, 25 turnovers (18 forced fumbles). Offensively, this just might be the game for Virginia Tech to get on track. Quarterback Michael Brewer has under-rated weapons at his disposal, and Tulsa has been a complete sieve on the defensive side of the ball.
Michael Brewer is slated to get the start in the Camping World Independence Bowl on Saturday, December 26th, but the numbers that were accumulated at the quarterback position came from two starters. Brewer completed 103 passes to his receivers, for 1359 yards and 12 TDs with six interceptions. Brendan Motley, who filled in when Brewer was hurt early in the season, completed 92 balls for 1155 yards and 11 touchdowns with seven INTs.
The running game in Blacksburg, Virginia, was on a somewhat of a down year also. Travon McMillian was the go-to guy in the back field, leading the team in carries at 184, and also in yards, at 961. The tailback reached the end zone five times. Four other backs had minimal carries, and gathered over 700 yards and seven scores.
The Hokies big play wide receiver Isiah Ford, will look to utilize his speed in the open field, against a terrible Tulsa secondary. Ford had respectable numbers, netting 63 catches for 937 yards and a team-leading 10 scores. Six-foot-seven, 245-pound tight end Bucky Hodges will look to add to his 36 catches and 492 yards. The red zone is his domain, and he’ll look to get in for points again, adding to his six on the year.
The Hokies force a lot of fumbles (18), which ranks them 2nd nationally. This could be a major problem for a Tulsa team that has surrendered 20 fumbles on the season. Luther Maddy, Big Dadi Nicolas and Ken Ekanem, should control the line of scrimmage, and look to disrupt the Golden Hurricanes passing attack by setting up shop in the backfield. Linebacker Andrew Motuapauka has been very disruptive in the ten games he has played. The sophomore racked up 66 tackles, 10 of which went for a loss, and a team-high three forced fumbles.
Match-up Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
In this Independence Bowl preview, it’s pretty obvious what the Golden Hurricanes are going to attempt to do, which is to turn this game into a shootout. Dane Evans and Keyarris Garrett will do everything in their power to try to keep up with a Virginia Tech team that will surely put plenty of points up against a terrible defense. The Hokies will try to use their size advantage on both sides of the ball to disrupt the offensive rhythm of Tulsa and push the porous defensive line three yards down the field before the ball is even handed off. If Tulsa can exploit the Hokies secondary, this game could become a shoot-out early, but either way, I expect plenty of scoring in the Independence Bowl on ESPN on Saturday.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Bowl using the audio file below…
