Five reasons to watch the Independence Bowl

Okay, listen, we get it. Most likely, you think bowl season starts on New Year's Eve. Maybe slightly earlier depending on when your team is playing. But regardless of whether or not you're aware of them, the bowls have already started, and there's plenty of college football action to get you through to the main event around New Year's.

Food and football — they're a match made in heaven like Hall & Oates, Ash and Pikachu, or Jim and Pam. Football is just much more enjoyable when you’re stuffing your face, and fans should expect some savory tailgates with the two teams in the Independence Bowl.

Appropriately hosted in the Shreveport, Louisiana, (hello, Cajun and creole food), the Independence Bowl will host the North Carolina State Wolfpack and Vanderbilt Commodores. Both universities come from areas known for their great food, which can be found at many of their tailgates.

N.C. State comes from Raleigh, which is mainly known for its eastern-style barbecue, where locals use every part of the hog except the squeal. Vanderbilt calls Nashville its home, and when those crazy pre-med kids aren’t hitting the books, they are munching on Nashville hot chicken, a fiery bird that needs to be tasted to be believed.

Here are five reasons to watch the Independence Bowl for both food and non-food related motivations.

Independence Bowl
North Carolina State (6-6, Atlantic Coast Conference) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6, Southeastern Conference)
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport
Time: Monday, Dec. 26, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT
Channel: ESPN2

• Eastern Carolina-style BBQ. Forget about the sauce-slathered barbecue you think you know. The meat is the first and last thing you’ll have in the eastern style. The sauce is a vinegar/pepper-based concoction that is supposed to be the subtle backup to the lead-singing pork, which is slow-cooked, pit-style, utilizing the temperature and smoke from wood to create a mouth-watering flavor. Much like the meat is star in Carolina barbecue, Matt Dayes is the star for N.C. State.
• Matt Dayes running wild. The senior running back had a career season, gaining over 1,373 yards from scrimmage and scoring 10 total touchdowns. He’s the engine that gets this offense running. When he is running with a purpose, N.C. State is tough to stop. However, the Wolfpack can fall apart quicker than the barbecue that Carolina is famous for. In three of its six losses, N.C. State held a lead in the fourth quarter only to give up the lead in the final minutes. This makes the Wolfpack a tough sell to win if the game is close.
• Nashville hot chicken. Holy. Moly. Eat at your risk. Nashville hot chicken is a recent phenomenon, but it has taken over the Nashville area seemingly overnight. First you get a breast, thigh or wing; marinate it in a spicy paste made of lard and cayenne pepper (LOTS of cayenne pepper in some cases); pan fry it; and serve with white bread and pickles. It’s a simple dish with an explosion of flavor that stings the lips and eyes if you’re not careful. And while Vanderbilt is known for its sophisticated education, the football team can get just as hot.
• Can Vanderbilt stay hot? In two games, Vanderbilt was held to single-digit points, but in their last two games, the Commodores have put up 83 combined points, including a 45-34 shootout win against AP 24th-ranked Tennessee. The Commodores tend to go as quarterback Kyle Shurmur goes. In wins, he sports a 7:2 TD:INT ratio. In losses, he has a 2:5 ratio.
• Can N.C. State’s defense stop the show? The Commodores were able to destroy some of the worst defenses in college football in Mississippi and Tennessee. However, they will face a stingy N.C. State defense that has sacked the quarterback 31 times and has seven interceptions.

Mascot edge: Whether we’re talking the animals or the crew in “The Hangover” series, we know what kind of damage a Wolfpack can do. Give me the wolves over the Commodores.