2019 Independence Bowl

The 2019 Independence Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 26, 2019, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. local CST) on ESPN.^[5] It was the 44th edition of the Independence Bowl, and one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar, the game was officially known as the Walk-On's Independence Bowl.

2019 Walk-On's Independence Bowl
44th Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Miami Hurricanes (9–3) (6–6) C-USA ACC 14 0 Head coach:  Skip Holtz Head coach:  Manny Diaz
1 2 3 4 Total Louisiana Tech 0 7 0 7 14 Miami 0 0 0 0 0
Date	December 26, 2019
Season	2019
Stadium	Independence Stadium
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana
MVP	Justin Henderson (RB, Louisiana Tech) & Connor Taylor (LB, Louisiana Tech)^[1]
Favorite	Miami by 7^[2]
Referee	Scott Campbell (Big 12)^[3]
Attendance	33,129
Payout	US$2,200,000^[4]
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Eric Wood (sideline)
International TV coverage
Network	ESPN Brasil
Announcers	Matheus Suman (play-by-play) Weinny Eirado (analyst)
Independence Bowl  < 2018  2021 >

Teams

 

Miami (left in orange jerseys) and Louisiana Tech line up before a snap in the 2019 Independence Bowl, December 2019

The bowl featured the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs of Conference USA (C-USA) against the Miami Hurricanes of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It was the fifth meeting between the two programs and their first meeting in a bowl game; Miami had won each of their previous four meetings.^[6]

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Main article: 2019 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

Louisiana Tech entered the bowl with a 9–3 record (6–2 in conference). They were co-champions of the West Division of C-USA; UAB advanced to the C-USA Championship Game due to their regular season win over the Bulldogs. This was Louisiana Tech's fifth Independence Bowl, tying them with Ole Miss for the most appearances in the game. The Bulldogs had a record of 2–1–1 in prior editions of the bowl, most recently with their 2008 team winning that season's Independence Bowl over Northern Illinois, 17–10.

Miami Hurricanes

Main article: 2019 Miami Hurricanes football team

Miami entered the bowl at 6–6 (4–4 in conference). They finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Coastal Division of the ACC. The Hurricanes started their regular season with two losses, won six of their next eight games, and then finished with two losses. The 2014 Hurricanes appeared in that season's Independence Bowl, losing to South Carolina, 24–21.

Miami was missing several key players for the game, three due to injury and four due to NFL draft considerations.^[7]

Game summary

2019 Walk-On's Independence Bowl

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Louisiana Tech	0	7	0	7	14
Miami	0	0	0	0	0

at Independence Stadium • Shreveport, Louisiana

• Date: Thursday, December 26, 2019
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. CST)
• Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind: SE 2 mph
• Game attendance: 33,129
• Referee: Scott Campbell
• TV announcers (ESPN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Eric Wood (sideline)
• ESPN game summary

Game information
First Quarter No scoring Second Quarter (9:34) LT – J'Mar Smith 26-yard pass to Israel Tucker, Bailey Hale kick (Drive: 13 plays, 91 yards, 5:18; Louisiana Tech 7–0) Third Quarter No scoring Fourth Quarter (1:15) LT – J'Mar Smith 8 yard rush, Bailey Hale kick (Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 2:07; Louisiana Tech 14–0)

The Bulldogs' win made them the first Group of Five team to shut out a Power Five team in a bowl game in either the Bowl Championship Series (1998–2013) or College Football Playoff (2014–present) era.^[8]

Statistics

Statistics	LT	MIA
First downs	18	15
Plays–yards	68–337	62–227
Rushes–yards	40–174	28–74
Passing yards	163	153
Passing: comp–att–int	13–28–1	15–34–2
Time of possession	31:26	28:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana Tech	Passing	J'Mar Smith	13/28, 163 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Justin Henderson	22 carries, 95 yards
	Receiving	Malik Stanley	3 receptions, 75 yards
Miami	Passing	Jarren Williams	9/20, 94 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Cam'Ron Harris	12 carries, 31 yards
	Receiving	K. J. Osborn	5 receptions, 56 yards

References

1. Spearman, Tanner (December 26, 2019). "Louisiana Tech Blanks Miami in Independence Bowl". underdogdynasty.com. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
2. "Louisiana Tech vs. Miami - Game Summary - December 26, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
3. "2019-20 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
4. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
5. "2019-20 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, times, TV channels". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
6. "Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Miami (FL) Hurricanes football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
7. "Louisiana Tech blanks Miami in Independence Bowl". reuters.com. Field Level Media. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
8. "Louisiana Tech beats Miami 14-0 in Independence Bowl". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Media Guide
• Game statistics at statbroadcast.com