"Houston Bates came in this year, had a great fifa 15 coins year for us,'' Holtz said. "I talk about leadership roles that these young men play. And I think Houston has had a huge role in that, not just as a player on the field but also with his leadership and feel very fortunate to have him.''

Bates said in an Associated Press story that he was nervous when he arrived at Louisiana Tech. But he said he was glad he made the decision to transfer as his mother was able to make the four-hour drive to Ruston to watch him. He said he looks forward to playing against his former teammates Friday.

"Playing with those guys was always a fun time but playing against them, I really don't know how it can be better,'' Bates told the Associated Press. "It's not going to be like a hate matchup. It's going to be a fun one because I didn't leave those guys on bad terms.''

The game features two teams that are in a bowl game after disappointing seasons last year. The Illini, like Louisiana Tech, was 4-8 in 2013. It looked like another losing season in 2014 http://www.utfifas.co/ for Illinois, which was 4-6 in the middle of November after losing five of six games.