The 43rd edition of the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl will feature a match-up of two first-time Independence Bowl participants, the Temple Owls of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Temple (8-4, 7-1 AAC), led by second-year head coach Geoff Collins, are making their fourth consecutive appearance in a bowl game with the 2018 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl. They are the second American Athletic Conference representative in Independence Bowl history, with Tulsa playing Virginia Tech in the 2015 Independence Bowl.
The Owls defeated Maryland Terrapins in the third week of the season, and their lone defeat in conference play came against the eighth-ranked Central Florida Knights. The Temple roster boasts six players who were selected to the AAC’s All-Conference First Team and the AAC Special Teams Player of the Year, Isaiah Wright.
Duke (7-5, 3-5 ACC) is led by head coach David Cutcliffe, who is making his fourth appearance in the Independence Bowl. Cutcliffe’s Ole Miss teams is won all three games in 1998, 1999 and 2002, and he is a member of the Independence Bowl Foundation Hall of Honor.
The Blue Devils earned three strong out-of-conference victories against bowl-eligible teams, defeating the Army Black Knights, Northwestern Wildcats and Baylor Bears in the first three weeks of the season. Duke also earned victories over the bowl-eligible Miami Hurricanes and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets this season.
The 2018 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl will be the first ever match up of Temple and Duke.
Tickets to the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl can be purchased through Ticketmaster by going to www.WalkOnsIndependenceBowl.com, or by calling the Bowl office at (318) 221-0712 or toll free at (888) 414-BOWL.
This year, fans with a ticket to the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl who are in attendance have an opportunity to win a new Ford F-150 through the Ticket to Drive promotion, courtesy of Gateway Tire & Service Centers and Yokohama Tires.
The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl’s game week will once again be full of events for the public to attend. The schedule of public events is listed below:
- December 23 at 5:30 PM (Shreveport Municipal Auditorium): “Big Game Show” presented by Mike and Judy McCarthy
- December 24 at 7:30 PM (Shreveport Convention Center): Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast
- December 26 at 5:00 PM (Red River District and Downtown Shreveport): Pub Crawl
- December 26 at 6:00 PM (Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets, Downtown and Red River District): Mardi Gras Preview Parade
- December 26 at 7:30 PM (Red River District): Pep Rally and Block Party featuring Parish County Line Concert
- December 27 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (State Fair Grounds): Coca-Cola Fan Fest and World’s Largest Pot of Gumbo
ABOUT THE WALK-ON’S INDEPENDENCE BOWL:
The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl is the 11th-oldest bowl game, set to play the 43rd edition of the game on December 27, 2018 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl enjoys primary conference agreements with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC), as well as backup agreements with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and Conference USA (C-USA). The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl and Independence Bowl Foundation are prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. For more information, visit WalkOnsIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @IndyBowl.
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