This past season both the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks and the Ohio State Bobcats surprised everyone in college football.
The Warhawks opened the year with an upset win over No. 8 Arkansas, while the Bobcats started with seven consecutive victories to remain undefeated until the middle of the season. The two teams will get a chance to see what all the fuss is about on Friday night, as the two meet for the first time in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
Louisiana-Monroe opened the year with a historic win for the program and will finish the year in a similar way, as the Warhawks are appearing in their first bowl game in school history.
"We are very excited that the hard work of the team and the staff have been noticed," coach Todd Berry said to the Associated Press. "To have a historic season culminate in a bowl such as the Independence Bowl is extra special."
Louisiana-Monroe has a high-powered offense that is scoring 35 points per game and is ranked 27th in the nation in passing yards.
Quarterback Kolton Browning has been the most valuable player for the offense, throwing for 2,830 yards and 27 touchdowns with just seven interceptions while completing over 64 percent of his passes. The junior is also leading the team with 441 yards and seven touchdowns.
The only two losses for the Warhawks over the final nine games came while Browning was out of the lineup with a foot injury. He left the game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 3 and missed the next contest at Arkansas State before returning for the 42-16 win over North Texas. Over the final two games, Browning has passed for over 500 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
The Ohio defense would be wise to double team wide receiver Brent Leonard, who is ranked seventh in the nation with 97 catches for 1,042 yards and 10 touchdowns. The junior had 13 receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown in the regular-season finale against Florida International and has posted double-digit receptions in three of the past four games.
Browning and Leonard will team up against a vulnerable Ohio defense that has allowed 80 points and 965 yards in the last two games.
The Warhawks opened the year with the upset 34-31 overtime win over Arkansas, but quickly faded away after losing two in a row to Auburn and Baylor. Louisiana-Monroe rebounded with five straight wins, including a dominating 63-10 win over Tulane. After dropping two straight without Browning, the team ended the year with two straight wins.
"They've played some high-caliber opponents," Bobcats coach Frank Solich said of the Warhawks. "It shows you the capability of Louisiana-Monroe and what they're all about. It'll be a tremendous challenge, but certainly one we look forward to."
Louisiana-Monroe has the advantage after ending the season with a winning streak, but the same can't be said for Ohio.
The Bobcats were sparked by an upset just like the Warhawks after defeating Penn State 24-14 to open the season and went on to win its first seven games for the first time since 1968. Since then, Ohio has backed into the college postseason, losing four of its final five games, including the last three in a row.
Ohio was ranked as high as 23rd in the nation this season and is appearing in their fourth straight bowl game and fifth in six years. Last year Ohio defeated Utah State 24-23 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
"It's exciting for all of us," Solich said. "I think it's great for our program to be able to go to four (bowl) games in a row."
The Bobcats will rely heavily on running back Beau Blankenship, who is ranked 10th in the nation with 125.0 rushing yards per game. The junior has rushed for 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns and also has 177 receiving yards. He is ranked 15th nationally with 139.8 total yards per game and has rushed for over 300 yards and three touchdowns over the final two games of the season.
Ohio has struggled over the final three games, scoring just 15.7 points per game and needs quarterback Tyler Tettleton to get going against a Warhawks defense that is allowing 271.5 passing yards per game and is ranked 60th in the nation in scoring.
The junior has passed for 2,513 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 62 percent of his passes. Tettleton didn't throw an interception until the sixth game of the season and opened the year with four straight games with at least two touchdown passes.
The Bobcats ranked 29th in the nation with 202 rushing yards per game and are averaging over 400 total yards per contest this season. After scoring 45 points against Eastern Michigan in a win on Nov. 1, Ohio's offense went totally downhill, scoring just 33 points in the final two games.
PREDICTION: Louisiana-Monroe 38, Ohio 28. If the Bobcats didn't look so bad towards the end of the season, this game easily could have gone the other way. The Warhawks will be playing a semi-home game in Shreveport and will be completely amped up since they are playing in their first-ever bowl game. Louisiana-Monroe will try to keep a bottle on Blankenship and put the game in Tettleton's hands.
