Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, Houston Cougars to face off Dec. 23 in I-Bowl
Kickoff set for 2 p.m. CST in Independence Stadium in Shreveport
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — The Sun Belt Conference’s Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the American Athletic Conference’s Houston Cougars will face off Dec. 23 in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.
Kickoff for college football’s 11th most-historic bowl game is set for 2 p.m. CST in Independence Stadium in Shreveport.
It is the two squads’ first appearance in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl and their 10th time facing off against each other. The Ragin’ Cajuns won the most recent matchup between the two in 2006. Houston holds the series lead with six wins compared to Louisiana’s three.
Louisiana’s appearance will be the second time the Sun Belt has been represented in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. The University of Louisiana at Monroe was the first in 2012.
Counting Tulsa in 2015 and Temple in 2018, this will be the third appearance in the Independence Bowl for the American Athletic Conference.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete one more time as a football team and end this season with a win,” Houston Head Coach Dana Holgorsen said. “The Independence Bowl has a great tradition going back several decades. This game means a lot. I know our guys will be ready to play, and we look forward to the challenge of facing another good football team.”
MORE ABOUT LOUISIANA
- Louisiana, led by first-year head coach Michael Desormeaux, finished the regular season with a 6-6 (4-4 SBC) record to become eligible for a school-record fifth consecutive season.
- Louisiana had four players selected to the All-Sun Belt First Team, the second-most in the league, and 11 players overall.
- Louisiana finished the season with a plus-50 point differential and defeated bowl-bound teams in half of their wins this season.
- This is the 10th bowl appearance for the Ragin’ Cajuns in school history — all coming since 2011. They will be making their first appearance in the 46-year history of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.
- They are the only current FBS team in the state of Louisiana to have never played in the Independence Bowl, as McNeese State, Louisiana Tech, LSU and Louisiana-Monroe have appeared in the game previously.
MORE ABOUT HOUSTON
- Houston, in their first season under head coach Dana Holgorsen, won five of its final seven games to finish the regular season at 7-5 overall.
- The Cougars, led by First-Team All-Conference quarterback Clayton Tune, were among the nation’s premier offenses, scoring 30-plus points in 11 of their 12 games.
- Houston went 5-3 in its final American Athletic Conference season before moving to the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
- The Cougars are competing in their 15th bowl game in the past 18 seasons — the most in the state of Texas in that span – and 30th in the history of the program.
TO ATTEND THE I-BOWL
Public tickets are on sale. They cost $30 each for endzone bench, $45 for sideline bench and $65 for a limited quantity of sideline chairback seats.
There also are a bevy of other ticket packages available – including group tickets, Family 4-Packs, Small Business Fan Packs and the exclusive Chairman’s Club.
For more information about tickets, click here or call the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl office at (318) 221-0712 or toll-free at (888) 414-BOWL.
MORE QUICK FACTS
🏈 Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is the nation’s 11th-oldest bowl game.
🏈 The 46th edition will be played Friday, Dec. 23 with kickoff at 2 p.m. CT between the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and Houston Cougars.
🏈 The UAB Blazers defeated the No. 13 BYU Cougars 31-28 in the 45th Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Saturday, December 18, 2021.
🏈 The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a one-year extension with Radiance Technologies — ensuring they will be the title sponsor through 2025. The bowl’s conference and team agreements, as well as the television agreement, also run through the 2025 season.
🏈 Army West Point and BYU are slated to match up against a rotation of the Pac-12 Conference, American Athletic Conference and Conference USA, which will be televised on an ESPN network.
Copyright 2022 KSLA. All rights reserved.
