LINCOLN, NEB. ? The Nebraska football players and coaches apparently are more excited about participating in the Independence Bowl than their fans are about watching it.

Coach Frank Solich said at his Thursday news conference that the Cornhuskers are approaching the game against Mississippi on Dec. 27 as a business trip, an opportunity to end a disappointing season on a good note.

“They feel very good about the fact they’re going to be able to represent Nebraska one more time this year and do it at Shreveport in the Independence Bowl against a very good football team in Ole Miss,” he said.

It has not gone unnoticed by Solich that Nebraska fans have been less than enthusiastic about making the trip to northern Louisiana.

“I don’t know what to make of it, other than I hope there will be support that’s gathered in terms of going down this last week,” Solich said.

Nebraska ticket manager John Anderson said Thursday that the school has sold 2,200 tickets. Bowl organizers required Nebraska to buy 12,000. Losses incurred by unsold tickets will be absorbed by the university and the Big 12 Conference.

Anderson said the school hopes to sell a total of 3,000 tickets.

Last year, Nebraska sold out of its 21,000-ticket allotment for the Rose Bowl. The school sold an additional 5,000 tickets obtained from the Big 10 and Pacific-10 Conferences.

Nebraska junior Matthew Hoebelheinrich displays Independence Bowl tickets. Hoebelheinrich purchased the tickets Thursday.

Ticket sales are down this year not only because the Huskers had their worst regular season in 41 years, Anderson said, but because the game is two days after Christmas.

“Husker fans are so used to making plans around New Year’s,” Anderson said. “I think it plays some sort of role in the decline.”

Solich said he has heard good reports about the event from fellow Big 12 Conference coaches whose teams have played in the game.

“There is no question that the people of Shreveport do what they can to make it a great bowl game,” Solich said. “I think the people of Nebraska would feel very comfortable down there in that setting and would be part of a great game.”

The Huskers finished the regular season 7-6, with losses in four of their past six games.