Florida International played in its first bowl game in school history.
They were led by an outstanding defense that had helped them almost pull off upsets against Rutgers and Texas A&M.
FIU was invited to play in the bowl as the Big Ten Conference was unable to fill its slot in the contest.
Three of its four losses this season were to bowl-bound teams: Boise State, Northern Illinois and Arizona.
This was the fourth time in school history that the Rockets played in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.