Independence Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech Preview

Northern Illinois limped home, losing three of four and finishing 6-6 but they still earned a bowl bid. Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, won four of five to finish 7-5 and will shoot for an Independence Bowl win.

Oddsmakers currently have the Bulldogs listed as 1-point favorites versus the Huskies, while the game’s total is sitting at 47.

Chandler Harnish went 14-of-24 for 116 yards with two picks for Northern Illinois in its 16-0 loss to Navy in Week 14.

Navy covered as 4-point road underdogs as the teams played under the 51-point total set by oddsmakers.

Ross Jenkins was 16-for-30 with 259 yards and two touchdowns for Louisiana Tech as they lost 35-31 to Nevada in Week 14.

The Bulldogs did cover the 5-point spread, while the final score played OVER the day’s total of 61.

Team records:
Northern Illinois: 6-6 SU, 6-5 ATS
Louisiana Tech: 7-5 SU, 4-6-1 ATS

Northern Illinois most recently:
When playing in December are 1-2
When playing on turf are 6-4
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing outside the conference are 2-8

Louisiana Tech most recently:
When playing in December are 1-4
When playing on turf are 5-5
After being outgained are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 4-6

A few trends to consider:
Northern Illinois is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games
Northern Illinois is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana Tech’s last 5 games
Louisiana Tech is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games