SHREVEPORT, La. — James Franklin’s hard running and timely passing led Missouri to an easy win in its final game as a member of the Big 12. It also gave the Tigers plenty of hope heading into their new home in the Southeastern Conference.
Franklin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Tigers pounded North Carolina 41-24 in the Independence Bowl on Monday night.
Missouri (8-5) ended the season on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 1965. The Tigers will join the SEC next summer and showed one reason they should be a factor immediately: The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Franklin, a star sophomore who did as he pleased in the running and passing games.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said Franklin has just started to realize his potential.
“After the game, I gave him a hug and said congratulations,” Pinkel said. “Then I went back and asked, ‘What happens when you get really good?’ … He kind of gave me a look, but that’s a huge compliment.”
Franklin, selected the game’s offensive most valuable player, rushed for 142 yards and passed for 132 yards despite less than ideal conditions in the cold and rain at Independence Stadium. He led the Tigers to 31 first-half points — an Independence Bowl record.
For North Carolina (7-6), a season that started with a promising 5-1 record ended with a lopsided loss. The Tar Heels lost five of their final seven under interim coach Everett Withers, who leaves to be the defensive coordinator at Ohio State for Urban Meyer.
Today’s bowl games
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6), Detroit, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
Line: Purdue by 2½ points.
Series record: Purdue leads 2-0.
What’s at stake: Purdue, from the Big Ten, is bowling for the first time since 2007 after winning two of its last three games.
Key matchup: Western Michigan wide receiver Jordan White against the Purdue secondary. White has 127 catches for 1,646 yards and 16 touchdowns this year.
Players to watch: Western Michigan — QB Alex Carder has 3,434 yards and 28 touchdowns passing, and only 10 interceptions. Purdue — Sophomore cornerback Ricardo Allen has intercepted three passes this season. He leads a secondary that needs to contain White and the Western Michigan passing game.
Belk Bowl: Louisville (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (7-5), Charlotte, N.C., 6 p.m., ESPN
Line: North Carolina State by 1½ points.
Series record: Louisville leads 3-0.
What’s at stake: Each team comes into the game hot, with the Cardinals having won five of six and the Wolfpack four of five.
Key matchup: Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater against a Wolfpack defense that leads the nation with 24 interceptions.
Players to watch: Louisville — Wide receiver DeVante Parker has six touchdown catches and averages 16.2 yards per reception. North Carolina State — QB Mike Glennon has thrown for 28 touchdowns, the third-best season total in school history, since taking over for Russell Wilson (who’s at Wisconsin).
