A cricket oval, in the beautiful setting of the Caribbean, is where Thursdays Popeyes Bahama Bowl, will be played.
Middle Tennessee and Western Michigan, the two sun soaked squads, had favorable endings to their 2015 NCAA College Football regular seasons. Expect a shoot out to erupt in Nassau, as these two teams love to rack up the yardage.
The Blue Raiders won their last four down the stretch, and put up 69 points combined in the last two games of the season. Western Michigan, after a big conference finale against Toledo, will hope to keep pace with their potent, and balanced offensive attack.
Bowl: Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Teams: Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Western Michigan Broncos
Date/Time: December 24, 2015 – 12 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Vegas Line/Total: W. Michigan -4.5 / O/U 63.5
Written by: Erik the Hun
7 – 5 Record – 8 – 4 Vs Spread Over – Under: 4 – 8 Season Results 11/28/15 @ Texas-San Antonio W 42-7 W -12 U 59 |
7 – 5 Record – 7 – 5 Vs Spread Over – Under: 6 – 5 – 1 Season Results 11/27/15 @ Toledo W 35-30 W 7 O 58.5 |
December 30, 2013- Armed Forces Bowl – Middle Tennesee 6 – 24 Navy January 6, 2011 – GoDaddy Bowl – Middle Tennessee 21 – 35 Miami (OH) December 20, 2009 – New Orleans Bowl – Middle Tennessee 42 – 32 Southern Miss December 26, 2006 – Motor City Bowl – Middle Tennessee 14 – 31 Central Michigan December 29, 1961 – Tangerine Bowl – Middle Tennessee 14 – 21 Lamar |
December 20, 2014 – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – W. Michigan 24 – 38 Air Force December 27, 2011 – Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – W. Michigan 32 – 37 Purdue December 30, 2008 – Texas Bowl – W. Michigan 14 – 38 Rice January 6, 2007 – International Bowl – W. Michigan 24 – 27 Cincinnati December 10, 1988 – California Bowl – W. Michigan 30–35 Fresno State |
Middle Tennessee Outlook:
Middle Tennessee may have one of the most under rated passing attacks in the country. Freshman, Brent Stockstill, son of Head Coach Rick Stockstill, led the Blue Raiders back from a 3-5 start, through the air, setting a Conference USA freshman record throwing for over 3678 yards. Middle Tennessee will hope to get their first bowl victory since coming out victorious in the New Orleans Bowl in 2009.
Brent Stockstill, the proverbial coach’s kid, held up to the high expectations that come from that lofty position. The Blue Raiders quarterback compiled over 3600 yards and 27 touchdown with only eight picks. The confidence, rarely seen from a freshman, combined with his throwing accuracy, were a perfect fit for a team that had something to prove, after feeling like they were snubbed from a bowl last year.
The few times that Middle Tennessee looks to run the ball, they turn to senior running back Jordan Parker. Jordan managed to grind out 467 yards on the ground and six scores. Keeping Brent safe, by picking up key blitzes, is where this 6’1, 220 pound back is valued most.
Wide receivers Richie James and Ed’Marques Batties, are the recipients of the constant air bombardment that Middle Tennessee brings to the table. James tallied one shy of the century mark (99 receptions), for 1208 yards and six touchdowns. Batties, The Blue Raiders go-to guy in the red zone, (13 TDs) and 960 yards, should provide plenty of open looks for Middle Tennessee’s signal caller.
The defense is solid but not spectacular, but turn into beasts in the red zone. The Blue Raiders defense has been susceptible to the pass this year. Opposing quarterbacks threw for nearly 250 yards a game (246 yards), and were middle of the pack, ranking 60th in yards conceded. This combination could lead to big problems against a Western Michigan club that has had no problems moving the football through the air.
Western Michigan Outlook:
Western Michigan also brings a powerhouse offense to the Bahamas. The Broncos have even a better offense, because of their balance between the passing game and the running game. The Broncos are going to back to back bowl games for the first time ever, and have beat a top 25 team for the first time. Western Michigan accomplished this by an electrifying offense, that is not only extremely potent in the passing game, but very successful on the ground. The Broncos are a difficult match-up for any FBS team to prepare for.
A key component to this prolific attack is obviously quarterback Zack Terrell. Terrell not only is accurate at completing 66.8 percent of his passes but he knows exactly who to distribute the rock to. Zach has enjoyed his outlets to the tune of 244 completions for 3225 yards and 27 touchdowns. With only eight interceptions on the year, it’s obvious he knows how to manage the turnover component, to keep the field tilted in the Broncos favor.
The running game by Western Michigan is done by committee. Three different back share the work load to keep defenses balanced. Jamauri Bogan has 143 attempts for 836 yards, but his 12 touchdowns proves he gets the balls when the field is shortened. Jarvion Franklin and LeVante Bellamy contribute to the tune of 289 carries and over 1100 yards and seven more trips to pay dirt.
Wide receivers Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis are quite possibly the best wide receiver tandem at the NCAA College Division I level. Through the course of the year, these two have a massed impressive numbers, that any coach would like to have. Braverman has accumulated 103 catches for 1266 yards and 12 touchdowns and his counterpart Corey Davis has reeled in 81 balls for 1246 yards and 11 touchdowns. This is the combination that any quarterback,at any level of football would be proud to have at his disposal.
The Broncos were the better of the two teams defensively against the pass, holding opposing offensive units to 225 yards a game. The stat that makes this group of Broncos a little different from the rest, is that on third and fourth downs, when the bullet hits the bone, they fall into the top 15 in the country.
Matchup Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
Expect the Blue Raiders and the Broncos to take full advantage of the strengths of their team, and look to exploit the weakness of their counterparts. In one of the worlds most beautiful places, expect these two teams to be energized, and put their best foot forward in the Popeyes Bahama Bowl. This game should be a shoot out, with fourth quarter heroics deciding the fate of these two clubs. Expect nothing but action in the humid environment that only the islands can provide.When you sit back and relax for this game, pour a little rum, because its all good in the 2015 Bahama Bowl.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Bowl using the audio file below…
