Report: BYU faces UAB in 2021 Independence Bowl

The BYU Cougars and UAB Blazers will face off in the 2021 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Brett McMurphy reports. The game will take place at the Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Lousiana. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec 18, 2021. The game will air on ABC and will be available via live stream at WatchESPN.

BYU (10-2)

The Cougars did not take a step back like many expected with Zach Wilson off to the NFL as they pulled off a 10-win season with an offense that is among the best in the country in yards per play against FBS opponents. BYU beat six power conference teams during the regular season and finished 5-0 against the Pac-12 including a win over their rival Utah Utes. When you combine that with the Cougars set to join the Big 12 soon, things could not have gone much better for this program in 2021.

UAB (8-4, 6-2 Conference USA)

The Blazers still have one of the most underrated stories in college football as a program as a whole, and they qualified for their fifth consecutive season in a row. UAB cut their football program in 2015 and made a bowl game every year since they returned to the field in 2017. The 2021 version was led by the defense, which ranked No. 18 in opponent yards per play heading into conference championship weekend.