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Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs look to take down a power five conference team when they take on the Big Tens Illinois Fighting Illini in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, which will be held at the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 26. The Bulldogs finished as the top team in Conference-USAs West Division this season, going 8-5 overall and 7-1 in conference play. LaTech had a chance for the C-USA outright title, but lost to Marshall in the championship game, 33-26, back on Dec. 6. Illinois, meanwhile, is coming into the game thanks to a win in its regular- season finale against Northwestern, 47-33. The victory made the Illini bowl eligible at 6-6 and improved the teams conference mark to 3-5, which was fifth best in the Big Ten. LaTech sits in a good spot to pick up just its third bowl win in its seventh try (2-3-1). The Bulldogs recorded four more wins in 2014 than they did in head coach Skip Holtzs first season at the helm in 2013. The Bulldogs ranked fourth in most-improved scoring offense with a 102.1 percent improvement, going from an average of 19.2 points per game in 2013 to a current average of 37.5 points per game this season. Running back Kenneth Dixon leads the Bulldog offense. He rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns against Marshall to improve his season total to 1,238 yards and 21 touchdowns. For his career, Dixon has amassed 3,347 rushing yards with 52 touchdowns on the ground in 35 games. As a team, the Bulldogs offense averages 403.8 yards per game, going for 151.2 on the ground and 252.6 through the air. Redshirt senior quarterback Cody Sokol threw for 3,189 yards with 29 touchdowns and 13 picks this season. He was named the C-USAs Newcomer of the Year after transferring in from Iowa. It all starts with Cody Sokol, said Holtz. He came in and did a great job of getting players to buy in, setting a real example as a leader with his toughness and the way he plays the game. Sokols favorite target was sophomore wide receiver Trent Taylor, who hauled in a team-high 62 catches for 814 yards with nine scores. On the defensive side of the ball, Louisiana Tech is the national leader in points off of turnovers. With 14 points off of turnovers in the Marshall game, the Bulldogs have scored 164 points off turnovers in 13 games this season (12.6 points per game). Last season, Louisiana Tech scored only 64 points off turnovers the entire year (5.3 points a game). This will be a nice opportunity for starting defensive end Houston Bates, who transferred to the Bulldogs from Illinois. A fifth-year transfer to the Bulldog program, Bates is a previous All-Big Ten Conference selection. He started all 13 games for the Bulldogs with 28 total tackles to his credit including 10.5 tackles for a loss of 55 yards, 5.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, two pass break-ups and a team-leading 12 QB hurries. The Bulldogs last bowl win came in 2008 when they defeated Northern Illinois in the Independence Bowl. Illinois had to win three of its last five games to even become bowl eligible and the program had a real gut check to get there. There came a point in time right before we played Minnesota where we gathered up as a team and had to go one direction or the other, said Illinois head coach Tim Beckman. We could either step forward, meet the challenge and attack the Minnesota Golden Gophers or we could just give in. This football team was not going to do that. It was important for Beckmans squad to earn its first bowl bid since 2011, despite the lack of overall success this season. We needed to get to a bowl game, our program needs those types of things to move forward, Beckman added. I cannot tell you the excitement that is in Champaign and in our facility with our athletic department to earn a bowl game down here in Dallas. Offensively, Illinois boasts one of the top passing offenses in the Big Ten, ranking third in the conference in passing yards per game (243.2) and completion percentage (61.2 percent) and fifth in passing efficiency. Beckman has done it with a QB competition approach. Senior Reilly OToole was under center for the last two games, both wins, but Wes Hunt and Aaron Bailey are also getting action in practices leading up to the bowl game. OToole finished the season completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 1,049 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games. Lunt completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,729 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions in seven games. Despite who plays under center, wideout Mike Dudek appears to be everyones favorite target, hauling in a team-best 69 catches for 965 yards with six TDs. The Illini averages 26.6 points per game with Josh Ferguson leading the way on the ground. He has run for 685 yards and eight scores. Donovonn Young has added five TDs on the ground. This is a rematch of a 2012 meeting between the two schools that saw Louisiana Tech roll to a 52-24 win in Champaign, Ill. Louisiana Tech is 2-2 all-time against the Big Ten and has won its last two meetings against Big Ten opponents. Prior to Techs 52-24 win over Illinois in 2012, the Bulldogs topped Michigan State, 20-19, in East Lansing on Sept. 13, 2003. These school have a common opponent this year in Western Kentucky. Louisiana Tech dismantled the Hilltoppers, 59-10, on Nov. 1, while Illinois beat WKU, 42-34, on Sept. 6 in Champaign. Pervis Ellison Jersey .J. Mayo made seven three-pointers and scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 20, and the Milwaukee Bucks placed seven players in double figures in a 130-110 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 11th straight game on Monday night. Ray Allen Jersey .C. -- Eric Staal kept his focus after his apparent breakaway goal was waived off early in the third period. https://www.cheapceltics.com/. His big 2-minute outburst in the fourth quarter Tuesday night is all that really mattered for the Dallas Mavericks. Robert Parish Jersey . "Last year we were in a ton of situations, late-game situations we couldnt pull out. Wed kind of fold under the pressure, get frustrated or let a big shot frustrate us," guard DeMar DeRozan said. Danny Ainge Jersey .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston.DALLAS - The Dallas Stars uphill climb toward a second consecutive playoff berth received a big boost when they earned a win their coach called their most impressive of the season.Antoine Roussel scored the go-ahead goal 54 seconds into the second period, and the Stars broke the New York Rangers eight-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory on Monday night.Dallas has won six of seven to move two games over .500 for the first time since Halloween. However, the Stars are still outside of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.Its funny how things snowball in hockey, defenceman Alex Goligoski said. We had a tough time there for a while. Now, were finding ways to lock them down.John Klingberg and Ales Hemsky also scored for the Stars.Were getting a little bit more consistent every game, said Stars coach Lindy Ruff, who ended Dallas five-year playoff drought last season in his first year behind the bench. Were playing better away from the puck, which is something that, if were going to push our way back in, we have to be.The Rangers winning streak tied the NHLs longest this season but fell two games short of matching the team record set during the 1939-40 season and equaled in 1972-73. This run was New Yorks longest in 40 years.J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers.Kari Lehtonen stopped 28 shots and earned his 15th victory of the season. He got help from one post, which defenceman Kevin Klein hit, and when Dallas defenceman Jyrki Jokipakka cleared a puck from the goal line.I owe him a big thank you, Lehtonen said. Maybe a light beer.New Yorks Henrik Lundqvist, who made 23 saves, lost for the first time since Dec. 1.It doesnt matter how many games you win. When you lose, youre disappointed, Lundqvist said. You have an opportunity to get another win, to get more points.Roussels winner came when he gathered the rebbound of a wide shot by Ryan Garbutt.dddddddddddd. He backhanded it into the vacant side of the net for his eighth goal.The Stars sought to match the Rangers high-octane skating.We knew theyre a good skating team, but I think they surprised us a little bit, Lehtonen said. Then we adjusted.The teams traded power-play goals early in the first period. Miller broke in and beat Lehtonen over his left shoulder following a neutral-zone outlet pass from Mats Zuccarello. His fifth goal of the season at 5:57 came while Jason Demers was off for hooking.Five minutes later, rookie Klingberg sailed a puck through traffic and past Lundqvists blocker at 9:02. His previous attempt struck a Rangers players stick and bounced right back to him just inside the blue line,Tanner Glass was serving a tripping penalty at the time.Ive seen us be better, but I dont want to take away anything from Dallas, New York coach Alain Vigneault. They played a real strong game.Rangers defenceman Marc Staal had a hand in goals for both teams exactly a minute apart late in the first period. He unwittingly knocked a centring backhand from the corner by Hemsky through the sliver of space between the left post and Lundqvists left skate to put Dallas ahead 2-1 at 15:46.At the other end, Staal wristed a shot from just inside the blue line that Hayes deflected in at 16:46 for his fifth goal.The Stars improved to 11-2-1 when leading after two periods.Weve found ways to win some games, and we flat out deserved to win some games, which is usually how it goes, Ruff said.NOTES: The NHLs top goal scorers, Dallas Tyler Seguin (25) and the Rangers Rick Nash, were held scoreless. . The Stars improved to 7-7-5 at home. ... New Yorks Derek Stepan failed to record a point for the first time in six games. ... Dallas recalled D Jamie Oleksiak from Texas of the AHL ' ' '