Bowl Game Previews: December 20-24

Don’t look now but bowl season is officially upon us! Starting December 20th you will be able to get your football fix nearly every day, or every other day in some instances, until well into the new year! So sit back and enjoy bowl season as you keep an eye out for some future NFL stars with these first ten bowl games.

December 20

Bahamas Bowl – Charlotte vs. Buffalo

The Bahamas Bowl, which coincidentally has to be the both most plush bowl invites a team could possibly score while also being one of the least heralded bowls in existence, will feature the Charlotte 49ers team that rattled off five straight wins to end the season at 7-5, earning the program their first bowl appearance. They are pitted against the Buffalo Bulls who have an identical record at 7-5 and are looking for their first bowl win in what will be four appearances. This will be a big win for one of the two programs.

Who to Watch

On the Buffalo side of the ball, you can’t help but notice twin terror running backs Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks. Both backs have posted over 1,000 yards rushing this season but it is Patterson who has dominated opponents all season long with five straight 100+ yards games to end the season, capped with a 298-yard performance against Bowling Green which also featured five touchdowns he scored, in just the first half!

Meanwhile, Charlotte is led by sophomore quarterback Chris Reynolds. Reynolds has emerged as a dual-threat with 2,366 passing yards but an impressive 757 rushing yards. His rushing ability has made him the 49ers second-leading rusher and has allowed him to accumulate six touchdowns on the ground alone.

Frisco Bowl – Utah State vs. Kent State

The Frisco Bowl has become less about what each team has achieved on the field and is increasingly become focused on transgressions by Utah State players that occurred off the field. On December 14, 2019, police were called with a report that Utah State players were smoking marijuana in an apartment. Upon arrival, police arrested quarterback Jordan Love, running back Gerold Bright and wide receiver Sean Carter. Pending their trial, Utah State has elected to allow the three players to play in the bowl game.

Who to Watch

Jordan Love began the season as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate but lost PCs with his sophomore campaign midway through the season. He still ended up passing for over 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns which should give Kent State something to worry about.

On the other side of the field, Kent State’s fate will be tied directly to dual-threat quarterback Dustin Crum. Not only was he, obviously, the leading passer for the Golden Flashes, Crum also led the team in rushing with 560 yards and five touchdowns.

December 21

New Mexico Bowl – Central Michigan vs. San Diego State

Now in its 14th year in existence, The New Mexico Bowl lacks much of the pageantry of some of the bigger name bowl games but what it lacks in flash it makes up for with one of the better small bowl defensive matchups of this season. In a matchup between 8-5 Central Michigan and 9-3 San Diego State University, expect less offensive fireworks come December 21st as neither team have done much on the offensive side of the ball.

Who to Watch

San Diego State’s rushing attack was anemic this season with roughly 1,600 gained all season. If there is offense to pay attention to from the Aztecs, it will come from any connection that quarterback Ryan Agnew can make with his leading receiver, Kobe Smith.

Central Michigan’s offense is a bit more explosive but not much so. The Chippewas can boast two running backs with over 900 rushing yards, Senior Jonathan Ward (1,082 yards) and Sophomore Kobe Lewis (977 yards). Collectively the two backs have scored 26 touchdowns on the ground and figure to be prominently used as Central Michigan looks to establish the run early.

Cure Bowl – Georgia Southern vs. Liberty

If you aren’t one for defensive struggles like those likely to occur in the New Mexico Bowl, then might I suggest watching the Cure Bowl which will pit two diametrically opposed offenses against one another. Georgia Southern comes into the game as the nation’s eighth-most prolific rushing offense with 3,138 rushing yards on the season. Conversely, Liberty focuses almost exclusively on the pass with 3,486 passing yards accumulated this year.

Who to Watch

Georgia Southern has no less than seven players with triple digit rushing yards. Chief among those are Junior J.D. King with 776 rushing yards, Junior Wesley Kennedy III with 760 rushing yards and Junior quarterback Shai Werts with 704 yards. Georgia Southern’s triple option is fun to watch if you are a fan of teams rushing the ball all game, but not if you are a defender or fan of the opposing team.

On the other hand, Liberty quarterback Stephen Calvert leads a Flames offense that seems to do nothing but throw the ball. Calvert posted 3,393 passing yards this season, good for the 12th most in the nation. Additionally, his favorite target, Antonio Gandy-Golden, a name who many of you devy fans should remember, has collected 1,333 receiving yards, the third most in the nation. Expect two widely different styles of football.

Boca Raton Bowl – FAU vs. SMU

This bowl is a bit odd in that one team, Florida Atlantic, is about as much of a home team as you will find out of any of these games, however, the Owls also lost their head coach as Lane Kiffin as he opted to take his talent to Ole Miss. The combination of a home setting for FAU in addition to attempting to show that Kiffin made the wrong decision in leaving should make this one a close game

Who to Watch

Chris Robison has helped ignite FAU’s offense all season long with 3,396 passing yards to his name, the 11th-highest total in the nation. He has also managed a very impressive 26:6 touchdown to interception ratio, meaning SMU better make the most of its offensive opportunities as the defense won’t be in a position to help too much.

For SMU, the Mustangs have a trio of game players to keep an eye on. Quarterback Shane Buechele has thrown for 3,626 yards this year, good for the eighth-most in the nation, wide receiver James Proche was a major contributor to those passing yards as he hauled in 102 receptions (second-most in the nation) and gained 1,139 receiving yards (the 15th-most in the nation). SMU also has an impressive rushing game lead by Xavier Jones who gained 1,249 rushing yards and scored the second-most rushing touchdowns in the nation with 21.

Camellia Bowl – FIU vs. Arkansas State

This is one of the few games on this slate that I’m not all that interested to see. Florida International doesn’t really have a standout playmaker, despite being a well-composed team. While Arkansas State has either narrowly won or got blown out of most of their games. Something tells me if FIU gets up early then this game could be over.

Who to Watch

Like I said, on the FIU side there really isn’t a standout playmaker. The closest things the Panthers have to that kind of player are two wide receivers with nearly identical statistics, Senior Tony Gaiter IV (49 receptions, 607 receiving yards and four touchdowns) and Junior Shemar Thornton (48 receptions, 582 receiving yards and five touchdowns).

The Red Wolves, however, have just such a playmaker in Senior wide receiver Omar Bayless. Bayless has exploded this season, posting 84 receptions for 1,473 receiving yards (second-most in the nation) and 16 receiving touchdowns (also second-most in the nation). If FIU has an answer for Bayless it will be a long night for the Red Wolves, otherwise Arkansas State could cruise to victory.

Las Vegas Bowl – Washington vs. Boise State

The Las Vegas Bowl might be the first bowl of the season that many passing college football fans watch as it features features two nationally recognized teams, one of which (Boise State) is nationally ranked. The Broncos have long looked for legitimacy and, despite a 12-1 record, again find themselves outside of the national championship picture due to a perceived lack of strength in their schedule. Look for Boise State to attempt make a statement in Sin City.

Who to Watch

If you would have asked me which Washington player to watch at any point in this season, I would have said Hunter Bryant with no delay. However, he will sit out the game to focus on the NFL Draft. Therefore, keep an eye on running back Salvon Ahmed who posted the first 1,000-rushing-yard season of his career.

Boise State Freshman running back George Holani has been impressive this season, falling just short of 1,000 rushing yards (979 yards) on just 181 carries. If this is what we can expect going forward then he could shoot up devy rankings in no time.

New Orleans Bowl – UAB vs. Appalachian State

The New Orleans Bowl will feature another 12-1 team snubbed in the rankings as #20 Appalachian State faces off against the University of Alabama Birmingham. Appalachian State finished the season as Sun Belt champions behind a powerful running game and multi-pronged passing attack. UAB looks to be a bit outmatched but that’s why we play the games in the field.

Who to Watch

Much of UAB’s offense has funneled through Junior wide receiver Austin Watkins. The cousin of current NFL star, Sammy Watkins, Austin Watkins has accumulated nearly 1,000 receiving yards (933 yards) from just 47 receptions. The next closest receiver is 300+ yards behind Watkins so it’s pretty plain to see who Appalachian State will need to shut down.

Appalachian State’s main player to keep an eye on is, far and away, Junior running back Darrynton Evans. Evans had a monster season in which he ran the ball 236 times, gaining 1,323 yards on the ground and scoring 17 rushing touchdowns. The only way that UAB can hope to stay in the game is if they shut down Evans early.

December 23

Gasparilla Bowl – Marshall vs. UCF

You may ask yourself what exactly is a Gasparilla? I’ll be honest I never considered it before writing this article this year as I assumed it was a flower, drink or brand. As it turns out, if you don’t live near or in Tampa Bay you probably have no idea where the name comes from either. So, Gasparilla is a pirate festival, go figure. This year’s Gasparilla Bowl will match heavy underdog Marshall (8-4) against a very tough Central Florida team that finished 9-3.

Who to Watch

Marshall will rely heavily on their running game, lead by Sophomore running back Brenden Knox. Knox accumulated 1,284 rushing yards, the 17th-most in college football. He was also the Thundering Herd’s leading scorer with 11 touchdowns, seven more than the next closest running back or receiver.

UCF has been tight-lipped about their biggest playmaker, Gabriel Davis, and whether he will play or not. If Davis, who posted 1,241 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns decides not to play, be on the lookout for Freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel who has proven to be an excellent fit for the Knights offense. Gabriel passed for nearly 3,400 yards which tied him for the 12th-most in all of college football, with a touchdown to interception ratio of 27:7, he is more than capable of putting the team on his shoulders and leading them to a win.

December 24

Hawaii Bowl – BYU vs. Hawaii

The Hawaii Bowl seems to just be a combination of several of a couple of previous themes from the nine bowls before it. First, it is in a tropical paradise like the Bahamas Bowl. Second, one of the participants in the bowl game is a home team, like as is the case with the Boca Raton Bowl. That said, who would turn down a bowl game in Hawaii, even those that live there? Hawaii, the team, will face off against BYU in what should be an interesting game given that the Rainbow Warriors rarely get the respect they deserve despite winning the West Division of the Mountain West Conference.

Who to Watch

On the BYU side, the Cougars’ offense has been dreadful. The one player you might want to keep an eye on though is tight end Matt Bushman who leads all of BYU in receiving yards with, get this, 597 yards. See? I wasn’t kidding when I said the offense was bad. However, Bushman is one of the top tight ends in the nation and is currently ranked 13th in our DLF devy TE rankings.

Hawaii’s main draw is Junior quarterback Cole McDonald who has thrown for an impressive 3,642 yards, good for the fifth-most in the nation while throwing for 29 touchdowns. He has also added another 393 yards on the ground, making him the Rainbow Warriors’ second-leading rusher and scoring another eight touchdowns with his feet. BYU must contain him at all costs if they hope to leave Hawaii with a win.