Ohio Crushes ULM 45-14 In Independence Bowl

ULM Warhawk fans were excited about their first ever bowl game. How excited? Enough to help fill the Independence bowl stands with 41,853 screaming fans, the majority of which were wearing maroon and gold Warhawk gear. However, after the opening kickoff, there wasn't much for ULM to be excited about.

The Ohio Bobcats earned their second bowl victory in school history, defeating ULM 45-14 in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl on Friday afternoon. The 31-point margin of victory is the largest in Independence bowl history.

Ohio gave their fans plenty to smile about. Less than three minutes into the game, the Bobcats took a 7-0 lead on a 3 yard touchdown pass from Tyler Tettleton to Donte Foster. Tettleton was a thorn in the Warhawk side all afternoon, accounting for 365 total yards and 2 touchdowns.

ULM struggled in rush defense. Trailing by double-digits for nearly 50 minutes of game time, the Warhawk D was on their heels, allowing Ohio to dictate pace and game plan, and their game plan called for a heavy dose of running the football. As a team, the Bobcats rushed for 219 yards and 4 touchdowns, all scored by Beau Blankenship (19 carries, 104 yards, 4 TDs). Ohio's 556 yards of total offense was also an Independence bowl record.

ULM quarterback Kolton Browning (pictured) finished 2 touchdowns and 219 yards, but threw 3 costly interceptions. The junior from Mabank, Texas had only thrown 7 interceptions going into the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl.

The Sun Belt Conference is now 1-2 in Bowl games this year. Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns defeated the East Carolina Pirates in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl 43-34, while the Western Kentucky Hilltopppers lost to the Central Michigan Chippewas 24-21 in the Little Ceasars Bowl.

Arkansas State will represent the Sun Belt in the GoDaddy.com bowl when the Red Wolves battle the Kent State Golden Flashes on January 6th.