The 2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl will be played in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas between the Michigan State Spartans and the Alabama Crimson Tide who are both 12-1. The winner will advance to the National Championship game on January 11th to eventually face the winner of the Orange Bowl.
The duel between these two teams will be a reunion of master and protege. Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio served on Nick Saban’s coaching staff in Michigan State as a defensive backs coach from 1995 to 2000.
The two squads have similar approaches. Both teams like controlling the clock with the ground game and relying on their defenses to stifle the opposing teams offense. This should be a heck of a ball game between two well-coached teams, that are plum full of talent.
Bowl: Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Teams: Michigan State Spartans vs Alabama Crimson Tide
Date/Time: December 31, 2015 – 8 PM EST on ESPN
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Vegas Line/Total: Alabama -10 / O/U 47
Written by: Erik the Hun
12 – 1 Record – 5 – 7 – 1 Vs Spread Over – Under: 6 – 7 11/28/15 Penn State W 55-16 W -7.5 O 43.5 11/21/15 @ Ohio State W 17-14 W 14.5 U 53.5 11/14/15 Maryland W 24-7 W -14.5 U 54 11/07/15 @ Nebraska L 38-39 L -3.5 O 55.5 10/24/15 Indiana W 52-26 W -14.5 O 59 10/17/15 @ Michigan W 27-23 W 7 O 42.5 10/10/15 @ Rutgers W 31-24 L -12 U 56 10/03/15 Purdue W 24-21 L -23 U 53 09/26/15 C. Michigan W 30-10 L -25.5 U 56 09/19/15 Air Force W 35-21 L -24.5 O 54.5 09/12/15 Oregon W 31-28 L -5 U 66 09/04/15 @ W. Michigan W 37-24 L -16.5 O 55 |
12 – 1 Record – 7 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 5 – 8 11/28/15 @ Auburn W 29-13 W -14.5 U 47.5 11/21/15 Charleston Southern W 56-6 W -40.5 O 50 11/14/15 @ Mississippi State W 31-6 W -7 U 51.5 11/07/15 Louisiana State W 30-16 W -7.5 U 47 10/24/15 Tennessee W 19-14 L -14.5 U 48.5 10/17/15 @ Texas A&M W 41-23 W -5 O 54.5 10/10/15 Arkansas W 27-14 L -15 U 48 10/03/15 @ Georgia W 38-10 W 1.5 U 51 09/26/15 UL Monroe W 34-0 L -37.5 U 53 09/19/15 Mississippi L 37-43 L -9 O 52 09/12/15 Middle Tenn W 37-10 L -34.5 U 56.5 09/05/15 vs Wisconsin W 35-17 W -12.5 O 44.5 |
January 1, 2015 – Cotton Bowl – Mich St 42 – 41 Baylor January 1, 2014 – Rose Bowl – Mich St 24 – 20 Stanford December 29, 2012 – Buffalo W.W Bowl – Mich St 17 – 16 TCU January 2, 2012 – Outback Bowl – Mich St 33 – 30 Georgia January 1, 2011 – Capital One Bowl – Mich St 7 – 49 Alabama |
January 1, 2015 – Sugar Bowl – Alabama 35 – 42 Ohio St January 2, 2014 – Sugar Bowl – Alabama 31- 45 Oklahoma January 7, 2013 – BCS Title Game – Alabama 42 – 14 Notre Dame January 9, 2012 – BCS Title Game – Alabama 21 – 0 LSU January 1, 2011 – Capital One Bowl – Alabama 49 – 7 Michigan St |
Michigan State Outlook:
The Spartans arrived here by defeating Iowa in the Big Ten championship game. Michigan State plays a hard-nosed brand of football, relying on their strong defense to keep games close. A strong running game has always been a given at Michigan State and this year was no different. The Spartans were successful because of the efficient quarterback play of senior Connor Cook and a sturdy defense.
Senior quarterback Connor Cook sprained his shoulder in the Big Ten championship, but will be ready to go against Alabama. Cook has accumulated an outstanding record by winning 34 of the 38 games he has started. The Spartans signal-caller threw for 2911 yards and 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
This year’s group of Spartan running backs shared the workload. Three backs carried the ball for a total of 362 attempts for 1714 yards and 22 scores. Freshmen LJ Scott accounted for 11 of those end zone appearances and fellow freshmen Madre London was responsible for eight more touchdowns.
All-Big Ten receiver Aaron Burbridge churned out a great year catching the rock. Burbridge reigned in 79 balls for 1209 yards and seven scores. Macgarrett Kings Jr. and R.J. Shelton pitched in another 79 catches for 976 yards and nine more touchdowns.
With the departure of coordinator Pat Narduzzi to Pittsburgh ,the Spartan defense tapered off a little this year against the passing game. The back end of the defensive unit allowed 229.8 yards a game through the air placing them 71st in the nation.
It was business as usual in the other major defensive departments. The Spartans were ninth in the country against the rush, giving in to only 113.1 yards a game. Points were not easy to come by against Michigan State. The Spartans were 21st in the country allowing only 20.5 points a match.
Alabama Outlook:
Nick Saban’s team once again won the SEC and will being playing for it all in 2015. This Crimson Tide team was led by the Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. Henry had to be a workhorse because of the inconsistent play at the quarterback position. Thanks to a strong Alabama defense, scoring a lot of points wasn’t necessary.
Senior quarterback Jake Coker struggled at times to move the offense effectively. Coker finished out his senior campaign with 2489 yards on 222 completions and 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
There’s no doubt that opposing defenses knew who would be getting the ball when Alabama took the field in 2015. All SEC running back and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry was an absolute beast. Henry stockpiled an incredible 1986 yards on 339 attempts and scored a nation’s high 23 touchdowns. Kenyan Drake managed to pitch in 347 yards and and a score while giving Henry a breather on the sidelines.
Alabama’s top two receivers made a nice combination. Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart caught 129 balls for 1493 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Tides 6’6 245 pound tight end O.J. Howard, caught 30 passes for 345 yards.
The Crimson Tide’s defense more than made up for any inefficiencies of the Alabama offense. This group was better than anybody in the nation at stopping the run, allowing only 74 yards a contest. Alabama also ranked second in total yards at 258.1 and third in points allowed at 14.4. Defensive lineman Jonathon Allen and linebacker Timmy Williams combined for 19.5 tackles for loss, aiding a secondary that ranked 4th nationally in opponent passing efficiency.
Match-up Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
The 2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl should be a hard-fought affair. It likely will be defined by the performances of the two team’s defenses. Michigan state’s front seven will be tested severely throughout the game. Derrick Henry will be given the ball in large doses behind one of the nations best offensive lines.
If Connor Cook’s shoulder is back to 100 percent healthy, than he should be able to outperform his counterpart Coker and find some scores in the passing game.
Its win and your in for the Spartans from Michigan State and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Buckle up and expect a hard-hitting affair that could come down to the last play of the game.
Prediction:
Join Ej the Rainmaker, Erik the Hun and Adam Greene as the three guys break down their predictions together for the Cotton Bowl. All three gents will appear in the Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Championship Game podcasts.
