Houston Bates knew it would be fun to play his former team. He probably didn't realize how much fun it would be.
The former Illinois defensive end graduated in May and with one year of eligibility left transferred to Louisiana Tech to be closer to his hometown of Covington, La.
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Against the Illini in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Friday, Bates was a one-man wrecking crew. The Tech defensive lineman entered the game with 5.5 sacks on the season and then racked up 5.5 sacks with another two tackles for loss in Louisiana Tech's 35-18 victory. Bates also had a sack wiped out by an illegal substitution penalty. He was selected as the game's MVP. According to ESPN College Football, the 6.5 tackles for a loss are an all-time record for a bowl game.
"It was surreal," Bates told ESPN immediately following the game in a televised interview. "It's really been fun."
The 6-3, 250-pound Bates transferred to the school in Ruston, a four-hour drive from Covington, so his mother could watch him play during his final season of eligibility.
"It's the best decision I've ever made in my life," Bates said during the post-game interview on ESPN. "It's a great school, great coaching staff, great program, great community. I really can't thank enough people for getting me here."
Bates, projected as a late-round NFL Draft prospect, was a starter for the Illini last year and was eligible to play right away for the Bulldogs because he had graduated from Illinois with a degree in community health. There was no bad blood between Illini coach Tim Beckman and Bates.
"Houston is a terrific and bright young man who was a great teammate on our football team," Beckman said in February. "We certainly would have liked to have Houston remain on the team, but he indicated that he wanted to finish closer to home and his family. We wish him nothing but the best as he moves on in his career."
Bates, who was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last year, echoed the no-hard-feelings sentiment earlier this week.
“Playing with those guys was always a fun time, but playing against them, I really don’t know how it can be better,” Bates said. “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.”