New Orleans Bowl: Arkansas State vs Louisiana Tech TV info, live stream, odds, predictions and more

The Sun Belt champion Arkansas State Red Wolves travel to the Big Easy to take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs from Conference USA in the New Orleans Bowl.

The 2015 bowl game schedule begins Saturday December 19 with five FBS matchups. While there are several interesting games lined up, including two sets of rivals squaring off in the New Mexico Bowl (Arizona-New Mexico) and the Las Vegas Bowl (BYU-Utah), the nightcap – the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – includes arguably the two most evenly matched teams.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves opened the season slowly. Playing a tough non-conference slate that included games against USC, Missouri and Toledo, the Red Wolves started 1-3 but rolled through the Sun Belt Conference with an eight-game winning streak to capture the league crown and earn their spot in New Orleans.

While Arkansas State has been highly successful in recent seasons – successful enough for former head coaches Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn to catapult themselves to jobs at Ole Miss and Auburn, respectively – a change of scenery in the post-season is welcome. This will be Arkansas State’s fifth consecutive bowl game following four straight trips to the GoDaddy Bowl.

The opponent will be Louisiana Tech, who finished the season 8-4 after narrowly missing the Conference USA Championship Game. The Bulldogs began their conference slate with a 41-38 loss to eventual champ WKU before rolling to a seven-game winning streak in league play that was only interrupted by a competitive 45-20 loss to Mississippi State. However, Tech fell to Southern Miss 58-24 in the regular season finale, which sent the Golden Eagles to the title game instead.

New Orleans Bowl Information:

• Date: Saturday December 19, 2015
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Location: New Orleans, LA
• TV Channel: ESPN
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• Spread: Louisiana Tech -2

Led by former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel, who has completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 3,575 yards and 24 touchdowns with eight interceptions and ran for 307 yards and five touchdowns, Louisiana Tech has averaged 36.8 points and 465.8 yards of total offense per game this season – both of which rank in the top 30 nationally.

Running back Kenneth Dixon has also been a major contributor both as a runner and as a receiver with 968 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground as well as 354 receiving yards and five TD catches. Unfortunately Dixon, who has 70 career rushing touchdowns and ranks second in NCAA history with 498 career points, has struggled with injury and missed two games earlier this year.

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Driskel and Dixon should have success against the Red Wolves, who have allowed an average of 28.8 points and 396.9 yards of total offense this season. However, Arkansas State is capable of making the game a shootout because of their own balanced high-octane offense that has scored 41.0 points per game this season and has accumulated an average of 448.1 total yards per contest. The Red Wolves have averaged more than 212 yards both on the ground and through the air.

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Quarterback Fredi Knighten provided a spark for the Red Wolves after taking over as a starter midway through the season, and has led Arkansas State to seven consecutive wins as a starter. Knighten has thrown for 1,698 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions this season, and has also contributed 358 rushing yards and four rushing TDs.

Prediction:

While both teams should be able to move the ball through the air, the New Orleans Bowl outcome will be decided on the ground. Arkansas State has a stable of running backs, including Michael Gordon (1,055 rushing yards, 9 TD), Warren Wand (643 rushing yards, 4 TD) and Johnston White (573 rushing yards, 14 TD), but Louisiana Tech has the nation’s No. 9 rush defense. So far this season, the Bulldogs have held opponents to just 114.5 rushing yards per game.

Because the Bulldogs face a slightly easier challenge in the running game, and also boast one of college football’s most prolific running backs, expect Louisiana Tech to outscore Arkansas State in a fittingly fun finish to the first day of bowl games.