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ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY AND LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY ACCEPT

2015 R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL INVITATION

NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 6, 2015) – Arkansas State University and Louisiana Tech University accepted invitations today to compete against one another in the 15th Annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. CST and will air on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

Led by Head Coach Blake Anderson, the Arkansas State Red Wolves finished as Sun Belt Conference champions this season, with a 9-3 overall record and an 8-0 conference record. This will be the Red Wolves’ second appearance in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

With Head Coach Skip Holtz at the helm, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs finished second in the West Division of Conference USA with an 8-4 overall record and a 6-2 conference record. This will be the Bulldogs’ first appearance in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

“This will be the fifth consecutive bowl-game appearance for our program, and our team is again excited about the opportunity to continue our season with another highly respected and well-organized bowl game like the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. This will be my first trip to the New Orleans Bowl as a head coach, but I've been twice before as an assistant and can say from my past involvement that this will be an outstanding experience for our team and fans alike,” said Arkansas State Head Football Coach Blake Anderson.

“As the first bowl game associated with Sun Belt Conference since its inaugural football season in 2001, the New Orleans Bowl has a fantastic history with our league. I’ve seen first-hand the work (Executive Director) Billy Ferrante and his staff put into everything associated with this game, so we’re excited to be a part of this tremendous event. Receiving this invitation is a great testament to what our coaching staff and players have accomplished, and I’m confident this will be a great experience for our team and fans,” added Arkansas State Athletic Director Terry Mohajir.

“Learning about the New Orleans Bowl invitation today brings me great excitement. To represent Louisiana Tech in only its eighth bowl game in school history is certainly something that our players are really excited about. One of the advantages of being in Conference USA is not only the bowl opportunities but also the geographical locations that give our fans an opportunity to see the 2015 team play one more time. We are looking forward to the opportunity to play the Sun Belt Conference champions and are excited to go to New Orleans next week,” said Louisiana Tech Head Football Coach Skip Holtz.

“We are beyond excited to have the Red Wolves of Arkansas State and the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech represent the Sun Belt Conference and Conference USA in the 2015 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl,” said bowl Chairman Paul Valteau. “We look forward to hosting coaches, student-athletes, alumni and fans of both universities for what promises to be a spectacular weekend in New Orleans.”

The 2015 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. CST in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

For more information on the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, visit www.neworleansbowl.org, or follow us onFacebook, Instagram and Twitter @NewOrleansBowl.