North Carolina vs. Missouri: What You Need to Know About the Independence Bowl

If you happen to be off of work on the day after Christmas and you're looking for an intriguing bowl game to watch, make sure you tune in for the Independence Bowl battle between Missouri and North Carolina.

The Tigers and the Tar Heels didn't perform up to their potential this season, but these are still two talented teams that have enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to put on a good show down in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Here's a look at what you need to know about the two teams competing in the 2011 Independence Bowl:

The Basic Details

Date: Dec. 26, 2011

Time: 5:00 pm ET

Channel: ESPN 2

The Spread: Missouri (-5)

Sponsor: AdvoCare

Conferences Represented: Missouri—Big 12, North Carolina—ACC

Stadium: Independence Stadium

City: Shreveport, Louisiana

Last Year's Result: Air Force 14, Georgia Tech 7

Missouri's 2011 Resume

Overall Record: 7-5

Conference Record: 5-4

Sagarin Schedule Rank: 7

Who They Beat: Miami of Ohio (17-6), Western Illinois (69-0), Iowa State (52-17), Texas A&M (38-31), Texas (17-5), Texas Tech (31-27), Kansas (24-10)

Who Beat Them: Arizona State (37-30), Oklahoma (38-28), Kansas State (24-17), Oklahoma State (45-24), Baylor (42-39)

North Carolina's 2011 Resume

Overall Record: 7-5

Conference Record: 3-5

Sagarin Schedule Rank: 51

Who They Beat: James Madison (42-10), Rutgers (24-22), Virginia (28-17), East Carolina (35-20), Louisville (14-7), Wake Forest (49-24), Duke (37-21)

Who Beat Them: Georgia Tech (35-28), Miami (30-24), Clemson (59-38), North Carolina State (13-0), Virginia Tech (24-21)

Missouri by the Numbers

Offense

Points Per Game: 32.2

Yards Per Game: 472

Passing Yards Per Game: 236

Rushing Yards Per Game: 236

Yards Per Play: 6.3

Defense

Points Per Game: 23.5

Yards Per Game: 382

Passing Yards Per Game: 247

Rushing Yards Per Game: 135

Yards Per Play: 5.1

Special Teams

Field Goal Percentage: 61

Yards Per Punt: 44.3

Yards Per Kick Return: 21.2

Yards Per Punt Return: 8.8

Key Numbers

Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 20-18

Third-Down Conversions: 37 percent

Red-Zone Percentage: 88

North Carolina by the Numbers

Offense

Points Per Game: 28.3

Yards Per Game: 396

Passing Yards Per Game: 249

Rushing Yards Per Game: 147

Yards Per Play: 6.3

Defense

Points Per Game: 23.5

Yards Per Game: 353

Passing Yards Per Game: 247

Rushing Yards Per Game: 106

Yards Per Play: 5.0

Special Teams

Field Goal Percentage: 60

Yards Per Punt: 36.1

Yards Per Kick Return: 24. 4

Yards Per Punt Return: 4.1

Key Numbers

Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 23-24

Third-Down Conversions: 39 percent

Red-Zone Percentage :80

Missouri's Key Offensive Player: QB James Franklin

Missouri QB James Franklin certainly didn't have a perfect first season as a starter as he took over for the departed Blaine Gabbert, but there were times when the young sophomore showed flashes of his enormous potential.

The athletic dual-threat quarterback totaled 3,610 yards of offense and accounted for 33 touchdowns this season, and he gave us glimpses of the type of star player he could become in 2012.

Franklin could really set himself up nicely for next season, and start gaining some serious buzz if he puts together a big day against a quality North Carolina defense down in Shreveport.

Missouri's Key Defensive Player: LB Andrew Wilson

Linebacker Andrew Wilson may only be just a redshirt sophomore, but he's already made his presence felt on the Missouri defense, as he ended up leading the Tigers with 89 total tackles this season.

Wilson has the speed and instincts to locate the ball wherever it may be on the field, and he's the type of linebacker that always seems to come up with a big crucial stop when needed.

North Carolina's Key Offensive Player: RB Giovanai Bernard

After missing his entire freshman season with a knee injury, Giovani Bernard bounced back without a problem in 2011, as he broke onto the ACC scene, rushing for 1,222 yards, scoring 14 touchdowns and hauling in 39 passes for 326 yards.

The former highly-touted recruit has definitely lived up to his high school hype, and Bernard is the type of versatile and dangerous offensive weapon that has to be accounted for on every snap, no matter where he lines up.

North Carolina's Key Defensive Player: LB Zach Brown

DE Quinton Coples may soak up all of the NFL hype, but LB Zach Brown is a great pro prospect in his own right, and he's been the heart and soul of the North Carolina defense this season.

Brown racked up 91 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2011, and he was routinely flying around the field, hunting down ball-carriers all season long.

Breakdown/Prediction

Missouri didn't have the season it was hoping for this year as the Tigers struggled to a 7-5 record, but a lot of that can be attributed to the daunting schedule they had to face this season, as Gary Pinkel's squad played one of the most difficult slates in college football this year.

The Tigers are loaded with talent and great athletes like QB James Franklin, TE Michael Egnew and DE Jacquies Smith, and they definitely have the type of speed and athleticism to put a lot of pressure on the Tar Heels.

North Carolina has some great athletes of its own, though, and you can bet that there will be a lot of NFL scouts who head down to Shreveport to get a good up-close look at big-name prospects like DE Quinton Coples, LB Zach Brown and WR Dwight Jones.

When looking at this game, I see two talented teams that didn't perform as well as they should have this season, but if I'm going to put my trust in one of them, I would rather side with Missouri.

The Tigers will be looking to build some momentum as they get ready to depart the Big 12 for the SEC next season, and overall, I think they're the better coached team.

The player to watch in this game is QB James Franklin, who has future star written all over him.

Franklin has had both moments of greatness and moments of tremendous inconsistency this season, but he got better as the season wore on, and he now looks comfortable in Missouri's offense.

If Franklin plays well and doesn't get intimidated by the scary-looking North Carolina defensive front seven, I think Missouri should come out a winner in the Tigers' final game representing the Big 12.

Prediction: Missouri 30, North Carolina 20