Arkansas State and LA Tech square off inside the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome in New Orleans for the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to round out a five-game opening day Bowl schedule. Generally, this is one of the better bowl games of the season, and this match-up is pairing two prolific offenses against one another.
Arkansas State is coming into the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl as Sun Belt Champions (8-0) with an eight-game winning streak. Louisiana Tech arrives at this contest on a slightly different note, after losing their final game in a 24-58 debacle at the hands of up-and-coming Southern Mississippi.
The two schools are separated by only 300 miles, and have played over 38 times in their history, but haven’t got down to business since 1998.
Bowl: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Teams: Arkansas State Red Wolves vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Date/Time: December 19, 2015 – 9 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Mercedes Benz Super Bowl, New Orleans, LA
Vegas Line/Total: LA Tech -2 / O/U 67
Written by: Erik the Hun
9 – 3 Record – 8 – 4 Vs Spread Over – Under: 9 – 3 12/05/15 Texas State W 55-17 W -24.5 O 68 |
8 – 4 Record – 6 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 7 – 5 11/28/15 Southern Mississippi L 24-58 L -5 O 62 |
December 12, 1970 – Pecan Bowl – Arkansas State 38 – 21 Central Missouri State December 13, 1969 – Pecan Bowl – Arkansas State 29 -21 Drake December 14, 1968 – Pecan Bowl – Arkansas State 14 – 23 North Dakota State January 1, 1954 – Tangerine Bowl – Arkansas State 7 -7 East Texas State December 7, 1952 – Refrigerator Bowl – Arkansas State 19 – 34 Western Kentucky |
December 15, 1990 – Independence Bowl – LA Tech 34 – 34 Maryland December 31, 2001 – Humanitarian Bowl – LA Tech 24 – 49 Clemson December 28, 2008- Independence Bowl – LA Tech 17 – 10 Northern Illinois December 21, 2011 – Poinsettia Bowl – LA Tech 24 – 31 TCU December 26, 2014 – Heart of Dallas Bowl – LA Tech 35 – 18 Illinois |
Arkansas State Outlook:
With a solid 8-0 conference record and an impressive 9-3 record overall, the Red Wolves are poised to take on an old foe when they take the field Saturday night in New Orleans. Arkansas State averages 41 points a game, and has scored 50 or more in the last three contests. The change at QB to Senior Fredi Knighten midway through the season sent the Red Wolves to a 7-0 run and a Sun Belt title.
Fredi Knighten, the Red Wolves QB, has been extremely effective, with solid passing numbers since taking over the job five weeks ago. He has 122 completions for 1698 and 17 TDs to only 7 INTs. Knighten has also collected 358 yards on the ground with another 4 touchdowns.
What really drives this offense is the running game. Three of the Red Wolves running backs average over 6 yards a touch. Arkansas State runs the ball by committee and they do it very well. Michael Gordon (165-1065 yds and 9 TDs) is the leading ball carrier, but Warren Wand and Johnston White have recorded a combined 195 carriers for 1216 yards and 18 more scores. Warren has the lion share of the TDs at 14.
Defensively, the Red Wolves are a very opportunistic group. Fifteen players have recorded a pick and they have caused 34 turnovers, which leads the nation. Disruption could play a roll as senior stater DE Chris Stone, and his 7.5 tackles for a loss, will be suspended due to drug charges.
About Louisiana Tech:
The Bulldogs come into this contest boasting a 8-4 overall record, but were expecting to be in a more prolific bowl, until Southern Miss laid the wood to them to close out the season. Louisiana Tech reached New Orleans by similar means as the Red Wolves, scoring in bunches. They averaged 36.8 points a game and, by games end, should easily have a 3700+ yard passer, 1000+ yard runner and 1200+ yard receiver.
Florida transfer Jeff Driskel took over the signal-calling job for the Bulldogs offense this season. Driskel has been solid, racking up 3,568 yards through the air and throwing for 24 touchdowns and only 8 oops y daisies.
Kenneth Dixon, from Strong, Arkansas, heads up an impressive run game in this pro-style offense. Dixon has over 50 TDs over the last two years and has contributed 22 of those this year. Kenneth knows touchdowns. His 971 yards on the ground should safely put him over the thousand mark by this fast-paced game’s end.
Wide receiver Trent Taylor is the cream-of-the-crop at Louisiana Tech. This junior, though only having a 5’8 frame and only weighing in at 175 pounds, has managed to haul in 89 grabs for 1133 yards with 8 TDs. Carlos Henderson, who lines up on the other side of the field, is a constant deep threat to opposing teams. He has caught 35 catches, but has managed to chalk up over 721 yards for a hefty 20.7 average.
The Bulldog defense has been up and down throughout the year. One interesting component to this match-up is Louisiana Tech will bring the 11th -ranked run stop defense in the FBS. This should provide them with a little confidence, knowing that’s what the Red Wolves do best.
Matchup Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
Pitting these two teams against each other all but ensures that this game is a must-see on Saturday night. There should be plenty of fireworks from start to finish. Both teams like to put up a ton of points. Arkansas State feels they have not gotten the respect they deserved, Louisiana Tech feels that they should be in a better bowl. That combination could come back to haunt the Bulldogs if they do not take this game seriously. If they do, expect both teams to move the ball freely and give the viewers a good ol’ fashioned shoot-out. Crack a refreshment, sit back with some snacks and enjoy the show!
Prediction:
To get further analysis and predictions from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the New Orleans Bowl using the audio file below…
