The Florida State Seminoles will clash with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the 2017 Independence Bowl from Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The game is set to go off on Wednesday, December 27th at 1:30 p.m. EST. The match-up between the Conference USA’s Golden Eagles and the ACC’s Seminoles can be seen on ESPN. Heading into this contest, Florida State is a -16.5 point favorite and the game’s total sits at 49.
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles soar into this bowl game with a 6-2 conference record and are 8-4 overall. They are currently riding a three-game win streak that placed them in the 2017 Independence Bowl. Southern Miss will be gunning for their second-straight bowl victory. Last season, they found themselves on the winning side of the New Orleans Bowl. In that game, they bested the Ragin’ Cajuns, 28-21.
The Florida State Seminoles have had a year that they wish they could forget. First, they lost their starting quarterback in the very first game of the season against the Crimson Tide. Then they went on to post an overall record of 6-6 and barely made it into a bowl game at all. Lastly, the Seminoles will be without the services of their former head coach Jimbo Fisher. Fisher departed to College station in lieu of the chaos in Tallahassee. To say things are in flux for Florida State heading into the 2017 Independence Bowl is an understatement.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8-4)
The Golden Eagles finished the year with three consecutive victories which included a 28-27 road win over the Thundering Herd to cap off their regular season. Southern Miss features a well-balanced offense that can beat you on the ground and through the air. Junior quarterback Kwadra Griggs had a respectable campaign. He recorded 1,793 passing yards on 135 completions. He also was smart with the pigskin, tossing for 15 touchdowns and throwing only two picks. Backup Keon Howard also saw action at the signal-caller position but has not played in three outings.
Most fans of Southern Miss would say that their running back Ito Smith was hands down their best performer in 2017. After reviewing the stats, I tend to agree. Overall, the steady runner toted the rock 232 times for 1,321 yards. Smith also led the program with 13 trips to the promised land. Quarterback Kwadra Griggs helped out a little, recording almost 280 yards and two more scores.
The Golden Eagles also have a big weapon downfield when they look to punish opposing defenses through the air. Wide receiver Korey Robertson is their big-play man, tallying over 100 receiving yards in three of his last four games. In all, he finished the year with 72 catches for 1,070 yards and 11 end zone grabs. On the other side, teammate Allenzae Staggers held his own with 43 catches for 469 yards and five more touchdowns.
The Southern Mississippi defense did struggle a bit down the final stretch of the season. Even still, they are plenty capable of shutting down an offense. The unit is only conceding an average of 322 total yards per game, good for 17th in the country. They also have posted two shutouts this year and finished out giving up 23 points a game.
Florida State Seminoles (6-6)
The Florida State Seminoles come into the 2017 Independence Bowl without head coach Jimbo Fisher. Word on the street is that they are close to naming Oregon head coach Willie Taggart as their new boss. The Seminoles won their final three games of the regular season to get the right to compete in this affair.
Unfortunately, star quarterback Deondre Francois was injured in week one against Alabama. That meant that the starting role fell to true freshman James Blackman. The 6’5, 180-pound backup did struggle at times throwing interceptions in some key situations. Although that hurt the Seminoles, he did steadily improve as the year went on. Overall, Blackman finished with 1,997 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
With the departure of All-Conference running back Delvin Cook to the Minnesota Vikings, the Seminoles rushing attack also struggled throughout the year. When all was said and done, Florida State sits 84th in the nation, running for 150 yards a game. Another freshman, tailback Cam Akers, led the offense with 931 yards on 181 carries and seven touchdowns. Backfield mate Jacques Patrick pitched in with another 687 yards and six scores.
Although James Blackman attempted to spread the ball around to his receivers, basically three of them did most of the work. Together, the trio reeled in just over 100 balls for almost 1,350 yards and 11 trips to pay-dirt. Nyquan Murray led the unit with 40 catches for 604 yards. Auden Tate was the top pass-catcher in the red zone, snatching up a team-high seven scores.
On defense, the Seminoles didn’t do that bad considering they were on the field for a lot of games they participated in. Florida State will be relying on their defense to come through with a big performance against a strong Southern Mississippi offense. All totaled, the squad did find some success against the pass and run in the tough ACC Conference, allowing an average of 21.9 points per contest. In fact, the Seminoles were great down the stretch, allowing only 38 points in their final three games.
Prediction
Las Vegas made it very clear when they came out with the Seminoles as a two-touchdown favorite that the Golden Eagles didn’t have much of a chance. The public agreed and has pushed this line up another point and a half to 16.5. Well, allow me to retort. Southern Miss may not have played the level of competition as the Florida State Seminoles but they did face-off against some SEC foes. Because of that, they won’t be intimidated when they take the field against the mediocre Seminoles.
Let’s not forget, Southern Miss can run the ball effectively and pass it just as well. I like an offense that has solid players at the three main skilled positions. Also, their defense has caught Florida State at the right time. Give me the Golden Eagles and the 16.5 points in this version of the 2017 Independence Bowl in Louisiana. Florida State may win but I believe they will be tested for all four quarters of post-season football in this one. @EriktheHun
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Trends
The Golden Eagles are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
The Under is 5-0-1 in the Golden Eagles last 6 non-conference games.
The Seminoles are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 bowl games.
The Under is 5-2 in the Seminoles last 7 Bowl games.
