Independence Bowl 2015: Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech TV Schedule, Time and Odds

Frank Beamer's farewell occurs in poetic fashion at Saturday's Independence Bowl, where his Virginia Tech Hokies will encounter the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Beamer's team almost missed out on the opportunity, but it stormed to a 6-6 record by winning three of its last four to plant the Hokies in a 23rd consecutive bowl appearance.

Tulsa doesn't have the same postseason prestige, but the Golden Hurricane also turned it on late in the season, winning three of their last five to land at 6-6 and secure a ticket to the dance.

Beamer's usually stout defense will need a big performance in his farewell affair against a strong Tulsa passing attack. Before things get underway, here's a look at the details to know.

Game Details

When: Saturday, December 26, at 5:45 p.m. ET

Where: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana

Television: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 61.5

Spread: Virginia Tech (-14)

Team Injury Reports

NAME	POS	STATUS
Keevan Lucas	WR	Out for season
Blake Belcher	T	Out for season

NAME	POS	STATUS
Deon Newsome	WR	Out indefinitely
Kendall Fuller	CB	Out for season
Shai McKenzie	RB	Out for season
Marshawn Williams	RB	Out for season

Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.

Looking for the Big One 

Tulsa needs the big play to stand a chance in this one.

That's not so hard for the Golden Hurricane to pull off with a guy like Dane Evans under center. He's completed 63 percent of his passes this year with 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions and helped Keyarris Garrett and Joshua Atkinson stuff the stat sheet.

What folks should really focus on, though, is the big-play threat noted through the offense's gaudy per-catch averages from top names:

NAME	REC	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Keyarris Garrett	88	1451	16.5	50	7
Joshua Atkinson	65	932	14.3	80 (TD)	4
Justin Hobbs	29	516	17.8	61	2
Conner Floyd	44	438	10.0	36 (TD)	3

Don't forget running back Zack Langer and his 17 rushing touchdowns, either.

Tulsa needed every bit of its offensive juice to take home a 45-34 road victory against Tulane to close the season and go bowling despite being down in the fourth quarter.

The effort prompted some strong words from first-year coach Philip Montgomery, according to Kelly Hines of Tulsa World:

There's no time to rest, though, as now Montgomery's offense has to pull off a similar feat against an elite Virginia Tech defense.

That's easier said than done, especially when Tulsa's defense has had serious season-long issues in upholding its end of the bargain.

One More for Beamer 

Things have come full circle for Beamer, whose program returns to the bowl where the epic run started.

ESPN.com captured his thoughts on the return: "It's kind of (a) neat deal really. I remember how excited and how great a thing it was when we got that first bowl bid to go to the Independence Bowl, and such excitement around the program and our fans. To go back there, what goes around comes around. I'm excited."

While there's cause for concern over what the Tulsa offense brings to the table, Beamer and Co. shouldn't have to worry about quarterback Michael Brewer moving the football.

Brewer has just 12 touchdowns this year but gets to go against a defense allowing more than 500 yards per game and a whopping 38.6 points. Top target Isaiah Ford, owner of 10 touchdown catches, shouldn't have any problems breaking free.

The Hokies figure to want to get lead back Travon McMillian going as well in an effort to keep Evans off the field. The freshman averages 5.2 yards per carry with his 960 yards and five scores but isn't exactly a household name just yet—though he might be after a meeting with a Tulsa defense that let up more than 900 rushing yards over its final three contests.

Given the opponent, it seems like the Beamer era might end with an offensive outburst. Odd, but surely the coach wouldn't mind so long as the Hokies nab another bowl win.

Prediction 

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Folks might scoff at the line favoring Virginia Tech here, but there's no reason to hold any disbelief over it. 

There's something special about the Hokies playing one last game for Beamer in the first place, regardless of the opponent. More importantly, there's something downright lopsided about his balanced attack taking on a defense that simply couldn't cut it by American Athletic Conference standards.

Evans is a great quarterback who deserves plenty of attention. He'll get it but find himself lost in the shadow of Beamer against a more complete team.

Look for the Hokies to get out to a lead early and Beamer to cruise off into the sunset relaxed.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 38, Tulsa 27

Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.