Louisiana Tech 35, Illinois 18: Kenneth Dixon scored two touchdowns and made a key defensive play midway through the fourth quarter to prevent a score as the Bulldogs downed the Illini in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Dixon ran for 63 yards and a TD while adding 79 yards and another score on four catches for Louisiana Tech (9-5), which won a bowl game for the first time since defeating Northern Illinois in the 2008 Independence Bowl. Cody Sokol went 14-of-28 for 247 yards and a touchdown while Xavier Woods returned an interception 69 yards for a score for the Bulldogs.

Reilly O'Toole finished 24-of-39 for 295 yards with a touchdown for Illinois (6-7), which committed nine penalties for 68 yards and missed two field goals and an extra point. Malik Turner had a team-high 84 yards receiving, Mike Dudek made seven catches for 73 yards and added a 50-yard run on an end-around while Jon Davis and Donovonn Young each scored for the Illini.

Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 14-3 advantage after one quarter as Jarred Craft broke loose for a 16-yard scoring run and Sokol found Dixon for one of his four first-half completions on a 80-yard TD throw out of the backfield. Davis’ 25-yard catch-and-run early in the second quarter made it 14-9, but Taylor Zalewski missed the extra point and Woods picked off O’Toole on Illinois’ next drive to stake the Bulldogs to a 21-9 advantage at the break.

Illinois scored the first nine points of the second half and appeared to be on the verge of taking its first lead in the fourth quarter when LaKeith Walls forced a fumble on a sack of Sokol, but Dixon stripped Jihad Ward on the return and Sokol recovered at the Louisiana Tech 16. Sokol hit Carlos Henderson for a 70-yard strike three plays later and Dixon ran it in from a yard out two plays after that to seal it.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dixon became the school’s all-time leading rusher (3,410), career scoring leader (366 points) and career rushing touchdown leader (53). … Dudek (1,038) became the eighth player in Illini history with 1,000 receiving yards in a season. … Louisiana Tech concluded its season with 178 points off 42 takeaways, both of which are FBS-best marks.