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