Bowl Game Previews: Christmas Eve

Ryan McDowell Posted On December 24, 2014

doughty

This Christmas Eve brings us a pair of bowl games featuring small schools that you likely haven’t had the chance to see this year. While we don’t know what to expect from these players in the future, it’s important not to dismiss these players simply because of where they chose to play. After all, one of the most valuable and highest scoring fantasy assets in the past couple of seasons, Antonio Brown, played at one of these small schools we’ll see in action today.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Central Michigan vs Western Kentucky
ESPN, 12:00 p.m. EST

You won’t have to wait until the first ever playoff games of major college football to see the nation’s most prolific passer. Instead, just tune into the Bahamas Bowl as Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty takes on the Chippewas of Central Michigan in a rematch of the Little Caesars Bowl two years ago. This year’s version should be all about offense as the Hilltoppers’ Doughty led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns. While neither of these teams have a lot of bowl game experience, Western Kentucky did perform at a high level as of late, as they dealt Marshall with their only loss of the season.

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Doughty gets much of the attention, as most quarterbacks do, but they have a potent running game too, led by junior Leon Allen, who can do it all. He’s approaching 1,500 rushing yards and has had multiple games of more than 30 carries. He’s also involved in the passing game, hauling in 46 receptions for over 400 yards. Allen has picked up where another all-purpose back, Antonio Andrews, left off and he is actually the best pro prospect on the Western Kentucky offense.

While the Toppers have Doughty and the passing offense, Central Michigan leans heavily on their talented running back. I was looking forward to watching Thomas Rawls play, but unfortunately, he’ll miss this game due to academic issues. This is apparently a pattern for Rawls, a senior who once played for Michigan before running into off-field trouble. Even though he was once considered a high-end college back, he has a long road ahead of him with many concerns outside of football.

The Central Michigan passing game has struggled this season under young quarterback Cooper Rush, which has affected the production of their top wide receiver, Titus Davis. Davis is the older brother of Western Michigan’s Corey Davis, a devy dynasty favorite. After going 1-2 when Davis was out with a knee injury early in the season, his return jumpstarted the team’s season. He led the team with nine receiving scores and as a senior, will be a player to watch in the late round of April’s draft.

Hawai’I Bowl
Fresno State vs Rice
ESPN, 8:00 p.m. EST

It’s not as easy to get excited about watching this year’s version of Fresno State as compared to the team a year ago, which featured Derek Carr and Davante Adams. Nonetheless, they’ve earned a bowl berth, albeit with a losing record.

Like Fresno State, Rice also got off to a very slow start to the season and even making it to a bowl is a surprise after their 0-3 start. Lacking star power, the game will feature the Owls solid defense against the slightly above average offense of Fresno. I’ll say this…if you have plans this Christmas Eve night, don’t worry about missing this matchup.

If you are tuning in though, the Bulldogs have a couple of players you might want to focus on, namely senior wide receiver Josh Harper and junior running back Marteze Waller. Waller struggled against Boise State in the conference championship game, so he’ll have a lot to prove. He’s closing in on 1,300 rushing yards to go along with eleven touchdowns on the ground. When the Bulldogs throw the ball, it’s usually to Harper as his 86 receptions account for nearly one-third of the catches made by Fresno players this season. While Harper has slightly outpaced his receptions and yardage numbers from a year ago, his touchdowns have been cut almost in half, which is no surprise after the departure of Carr. Harper has a chance to be drafted, but is more likely to be an undrafted free agent.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.