2017 Bowl Game Previews – December 19th-22nd

Rob Willette

The holiday season.  A time to gather around with the family and focus on what is important: fourth-tier bowl games between the Mountain West’s fourth seed and a .500 team from the MAC.  There is no tradition more sacred, and the devy talent is flowing.  A forecast of the week’s games commences below.

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Miami Beach Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Tulsa

Monday, December 19th on ESPN at 12:30 PM ET

Central Michigan rolls into the Miami Beach Bowl with a neat and tidy 6-6 record, highlighted by their miracle over win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater.  They’re led by Cooper Rush, a well-built senior who’s piled up 12,653 yards and nearly 100 touchdowns in his collegiate career.  He’s a pure pocket passer who looks like a potential day three developmental quarterback.

Junior receiver Corey Willis broke out in his third season, eclipsing 1,000 yards and scoring nine times.  He has a slight build (175 pounds) and is likely not dynamic enough at his weight to carve out a significant impact beyond MAC play.  However, he’s the other name to watch if you for some reason tune into this game.

Anyone who has played college fantasy football over the past three seasons is familiar with the name Keevan Lucas.  Lucas rebounded nicely from an injury truncated 2015 campaign to turn in his second career 1,000 yard season.  He’s a smooth athlete in the open field and is bigger than you would expect.  He’s the best draft prospect on the field in this game, in my estimation.

Boca Raton Bowl: Memphis vs. Western Kentucky

Tuesday, December 20th on ESPN at 7:00 PM ET

The 2016 Memphis Tigers outfit does not feature a DeAngelo Williams or Paxton Lynch, though they do have some players posting big offensive numbers.  Receiver Anthony Miller has shown up to the tune of 84 receptions for 1,283 yards and 11 touchdowns.  If I actually tune into this game, I’ll give you a scouting report afterwards as I have no idea what his game is all about. 

Riley Ferguson has been responsible for delivering Miller the football, and while he is not close to the prospect Lynch was, he at least has some tools.  The Memphis passing game is something to key on if you have nothing better to do on a Tuesday night.

Western Kentucky features a potent offense, and also have the game’s best devy prospect: receiver Taywan Taylor.  With an 89/1,586/16 line, he obviously has production on his side, and he looks like a pretty impressive athlete at 6’1”, 195 pounds.  If you’re tuning into this game, make Taylor your focus.  I currently have him on the fringe of the top ten receivers for 2017.

Running back Anthony Wales has put together a monster season himself, with 24 rushing touchdowns and well over 1,000 yards.  He’s a bit undersized and I don’t think he has the explosive ability to compensate.  However, he could be a UDFA who sticks, and all those guys require is the right opportunity to offer some short-term value. 

Poinsettia Bowl: BYU vs. Wyoming

Wednesday, December 21st on ESPN at 9:00 PM ET

Tanner Mangum is back under center for BYU after another injury to Taysom Hill, and he’s a gifted and potentially underrated quarterback on the devy landscape.  He’s got great arm talent and is functionally mobile within the pocket; he can evade a pass rush and make throws on the move.  There’s always a unique factor at play with BYU prospects given the potential of a mission trip, but Mangum is part of a group of rather unheralded signal-callers who play out west.  He leads an offense paced by running back Jamaal Williams, another overlooked prospect who has the talent to play on Sundays and contribute significantly.  He’s a big back who runs angry and possesses the type of feet necessary to succeed as a power back; he’s not just limited to being a between-the-tackles grinder.  Injury concerns and some off-field stuff may keep him towards the day three range, though if anyone is going to have a Jordan Howard-type rookie year from the back-end of the draft, it may be this guy.

A newly formed Twitter darling largely due to the GIF-work of @TyWurth, Josh Allen leads the Wyoming offense and there is a lot to like.  With the so-called prototype size and a live arm, Allen is physically gifted and has the framework to be a top quarterback prospect.  There are certainly warts – namely accuracy concerns – but he’s an intriguing name to watch develop in 2017 (he is draft-eligible though seems unlikely to declare).  This is a very underrated game from a devy perspective.

Poinsettia Bowl: Idaho vs. Colorado State

Thursday, December 22nd on ESPN at 7PM ET

In this quartet of games, this tilt is the least impactful from a devy standpoint.  Neither team features a standout player, though Michael Gallup has taken the mantle from Rashard Higgins and become one of the Mountain West’s better receivers, posting 70 receptions for 1,164 yards and 11 touchdowns.  It’s even more encouraging given the fact this is his first year of Division 1 football.  He moved from Butler Community College and made an immediate impact, which is somewhat rare for junior college players, especially at a position with a rather steep learning curve.  I can’t claim to have a wealth of information on Gallup, but I am intrigued enough to potentially tune into this football game even though it looks like one of the more pedestrian ballgames on the entire slate.

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rob willette