BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The Clemson Tigers, bypassed by the Tangerine Bowl and the recipients of one of the few remaining at-large postseason berths, will take on Louisiana Tech Monday in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Clemson officials were stunned when the Tangerine Bowl chose North Carolina State for its game in sunny Florida, leaving the Tigers to make the long trip to Idaho for a game on the blue artificial turf of Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State. Clemson agreed to buy 8,000 tickets to the game and was chosen over UCLA and Mississippi.
The Humanitarian Bowl will mark the college finale for Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, who became the first player in Division I-A history to reach 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same regular season.
"He is not the type of player you cannot stop," said Louisiana Tech Coach Jack Bicknell. "You just try to contain him and hopefully he does not win the game for them."
Dantzler will have an even more prominent role after running back Travis Zachary as well as left tackle Akil Smith were kicked off the team following their arrest on drug charges earlier this month.
Clemson needed to defeat winless Duke, 59-31, in its regular season finale to snap a three-game losing streak and become bowl eligible.
While Fresno State was the high-profile team in the Western Athletic Conference, it was Louisiana Tech (7-4) that emerged as league champion. The Bulldogs boast a dynamic quarterback of their own in Luke McCown, who threw for 3,337 yards and 28 touchdowns.
The Humanitarian Bowl could be a high-scoring affair. Louisiana Tech ranked 17th nationally in scoring, averaging 34.73 points per game. Clemson has had its troubles on defense, allowing more than 30 points on six occasions.
Louisiana Tech is appearing in a bowl game for the first time since becoming a Division I-A team in 1989.
Clemson has lost five straight bowl games, including a 41-20 setback to Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl last season. The Tigers' last win in a bowl game was over Kentucky in the 1993 Peach Bowl.
