Even through Saturday was filled with College Bowl games, this is the first one I’ll actually get to watch so I’m kind of pumped. The Miami Beach Bowl features two teams I know little or nothing about as Central Michigan (6-6) takes on Tulsa (9-3). Thanks to a quick primer from Erik’s GMS Bowl preview, I think I’m ready for this. Football on a Monday afternoon? God bless America.
As always, scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for the press release from Tulsa.
The 2016 football season culminates for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Central Michigan Chippewas Monday afternoon in beauty and warm Miami, Florida, as the two teams square-off in the Third Annual Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park.
The game kicks off at 2:31 (ET) and can be seen live on ESPN.
Tulsa (9-3, 6-2 AAC) has its hands full against an extremely talented Chippewas (6-6, 3-5 MAC) team from the Mid-American Conference, who like the Hurricane, came up just shy in a couple critical games this year.
Tulsa will be looking for its 10th double-figure winning season, and first since the 2012 season. The Hurricane could also become the first team in NCAA DI/FBS history to complete a season with a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers. Josh Atkinson needs just 73 receiving yards to put the Hurricane over the top and into the NCAA record books.
The Chippewas, who began the year with a 3-0 record, including non-conference wins over Oklahoma State and UNLV, will be looking to finish the season with a winning record. CMU is making its 10th bowl game appearance and third straight.
Tulsa’s offense has been explosive this season, but will face a stiff test against a CMU defense that ranks 43rd nationally for total defense and 49th for passing yards allowed. The Hurricane averages 41.4 points to rank 11th nationally, and 522.5 total yards for a No. 6 national ranking. Tulsa ranks 8th nationally in rushing with 261.8 yards per game and throws for another 260.8 yards, which ranks 40th in the nation.
CMU has allowed its opponents to score only 28.3 points per game and has held the opposition in its 12 games to an average of under 400 yards of total offense, while also forcing 18 turnovers on the year.
Dane Evans makes the motor run for the Tulsa offense as the senior quarterback already is the school’s all-time passing leader. Evans has completed 58-percent of his passes for 3,044 yards and 27 touchdowns this year.
Evans’ favorite targets have been fellow seniors Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson and sophomore Justin Hobbs. Lucas averages 92.3 yards with 1,108 yards and has 12 TDs on 74 receptions, while Atkinson has caught 66 passes for 927 yards and Hobbs has 657 yards on 47 receptions.
Lucas is approaching the school record for career receiving yards with 3,178 yards, needing 165 more to tie Howard Twilley (1963-65) for the all-time mark, and with 29 career TDs is three shy of Twilley’s and Steve Largent’s record of 32 receiving touchdowns.
The Tulsa ground game, which has rushed for a school record and is tied for the nation’s lead with eight 300+ yards this year, will look for another strong performance to again provide the Hurricane with a balanced offensive attack. Tulsa’s two-headed monster at running back, James Flanders and D’Angelo Brewer, is ranked one-two in the American Athletic Conference this year with averages of 127.4 and 120.9 yards per game. The tandem has averaged 248.3 of Tulsa’s 261.8 yards on the ground this year.
The game is on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. Watch it with me.
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