TicketCity Bowl: 10 Things You Need to Know About Northwestern Vs. Texas Tech
Despite the fact that the Cotton Bowl Classic has moved across the Metroplex to Jerry Jones’ luxurious Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, a college football bowl game will continue to be played on January 1st in the historic Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas.
Sanctioned by the NCAA in April, the new bowl game was initially dubbed the “Dallas Football Classic” until in early November when TicketCity (an online Texas-based ticket retailer) became the game’s official sponsor and hence the name change to the “Ticket City Bowl”.
This inaugural edition of the TicketCity Bowl pits the Big 12's No. 8 team vs. the Big Ten’s No. 7 squad. In the future the bowl will host a matchup of a Big 10 team with (using an alternate year pattern) either a Big 12 or a Conference USA team.
This year, it’s the 7-5 Texas Tech Red Raiders facing off with the 7-5 Northwestern Wildcats. The following slideshow offers ten tantalizing must know facts.
The Series History
1 of 10
Texas Tech and Northwestern have never met in football.
Texas Tech is 2-5 all time vs. the Big 10.
Northwestern is 21-8 all time vs. teams currently in the Big 12.
The Big 10 is 225–162 all time vs. teams currently in the Big 12.
Northwestern’s Bowl Drought
2 of 10
Despite the fact that Northwestern is making its third consecutive bowl appearance for the first time in school history, the Wildcats have not won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl when Northwestern edged Cal 20-14.
The 1949 Rose Bowl featured a thrilling fourth-quarter drive by the Wildcats, who went 88 yards with under three minutes remaining on the clock to pull off an upset victory over the undefeated Golden Bears.
Northwestern is 1-7-0 all time in bowl appearances and 0-5 in the last decade. Last season the Wildcats suffered a narrow 38-35 defeat to Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
Northwestern QB Dan Persa Won’t Play
3 of 10
Dan Persa was selected by the Big 10 coaches as the first team all-conference quarterback for his performance in 2010.
Persa (a junior from Bethlehem, PA) went 222 of 302 for 2,581 yards, 15 TDs and only four interceptions before suffering a season-ending injury on the winning play against Iowa.
Persa’s replacement is redshirt freshman Evan Watkins who went 26 of 49 for 302 yards, one TD and four interceptions, including throwing three picks in the finale vs. Wisconsin.
Given the fact that Texas Tech’s pass defense is ranked dead last in the nation; Persa’s absence would seem fortuitous for the beleaguered Texas Tech defense.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Who Texas Tech and Northwestern Beat in 2010
4 of 10
Both the Red Raiders and Wildcats were 7-5 overall and 3-5 in respective conference play.
Interestingly, Texas Tech’s six victories were over FBS foes that went 36-28. The Red Raiders beat three teams that finished with a winning record (SMU, Baylor and Missouri).
Northwestern, on the other hand, scored its six FBS wins over teams that finished 24-48 and beat only one team with a winning record (Iowa).
Why the Ground Game Might Decide the Outcome
5 of 10
In Northwestern’s seven victories, they allowed an average of 111 yards per game on the ground while in their five losses they gave up an average of 289 rushing yards per game (including 519 to Illinois and 329 to Wisconsin).
In Texas Tech’s seven victories, they rushed for an average of 155 yards per game while in their five defeats they average only 114 yards per game (including minus-14 vs. Texas).
Las Vegas’ Prediction
6 of 10
The oddsmakers currently have the Red Raiders favored by 9.5 points and the over/under is set at 59.
Texas Tech is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games played on FieldTurf.
The Wildcats are Generous with Sacks
7 of 10
Adding to the woes of losing Dan Persa, Northwestern’s offensive line is tied with Louisiana-Lafayette for the most sacks allowed in the nation with 39.
Texas Tech Has Struggled With Consecutive Wins
8 of 10
The Red Raiders have only managed back to back wins twice this season, which were the first two and then the last two contests of the season (SMU and New Mexico, then FCS Weber State and Houston).
The last time the Red Raiders scored three consecutive victories was the three-game run at the end of the 2009 season (vs. Oklahoma in Lubbock, vs. Baylor in Cowboy Stadium and Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl).
Strength of Schedule
9 of 10
According to the Congrove Computer Rankings, Texas Tech’s strength of schedule was No. 31 while Northwestern ranked No. 63.
Two Different Finishes
10 of 10
Northwestern lost three of their last five games, allowing 118 points in its final two losses to Illinois and Wisconsin.
Texas Tech won three of their last five games, including their biggest win of the season, a 24-17 win over then-ranked No. 12 vs. Missouri in Lubbock.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
