The San Jose State Spartans and the Georgia State Panthers will square off in the AutoNation Cure Bowl this Saturday. Following last year’s renovation of the Florida Citrus Bowl, the stadium was granted a third straight bowl. The problem with adding more bowl games though is finding teams to fill them. San Jose State (5-7), will be one of three teams that will participate in a NCAA Bowl game with a losing record, because of academic eligibility. Georgia State (6-6) won their way into this game after starting the season 2 – 6 and recording just one win in the last two years.
Bowl: Autonation Cure Bowl
Teams: San Jose State Spartans vs Georgia State Panthers
Date/Time: December 19, 2015 – 7 PM EST on CBSSN
Location: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando FL
Vegas Line/Total: SJ State -3.5 / O/U 56
Written by: Erik the Hun
5 – 7 Record – 7 – 5 Vs Spread Over – Under: 7 – 5 11/27/15 Boise State L 23-40 L 8 O 57 |
6 – 6 Record – 8 – 3 – 1 Vs Spread Over – Under: 4 – 8 12/05/15 @ Georgia Southern W 34-7 W 20.5 U 57 |
December 27, 2012 – Military Bowl – SJ State 29 – 20 Bowling Green December 26, 2006 – New Mexico Bowl – SJ State 20 – 12 New Mexico December 8, 1990 – California Raisin Bowl – SJ State 48 – 24 Central Michigan December 12, 1987 – California Bowl – SJ State 27 – 30 Eastern Michigan December 13, 1986 – California Bowl – SJ State 37 – 7 Miami (OH) |
Georgia State Last 5 Bowl Appearances: This is the Panthers First Bowl appearance in team history, in only their sixth year of Div 1 Football |
San Jose State Outlook:
This will be San Jose’s 10th bowl and third of the 2000’s. They are looking to go 7-3 over that span. This team had an up and down year in 2015, beating the teams they were expected to and and losing to the teams they were expected to. Eleven players on this squad made the All-Mountain West team, including First Team members, Tyler Ervin, Michael Carrizosa, and Billy Freeman.
Tyler Ervin, San Jose’s Mr. Everything, has had an impressive year once again. He has amassed over 1,700 total yards (264-1469 yds and 44-337 yds) and totaled 15 TDs. Tyler also has handled kicking returning duties over his career and has an additional five touchdowns to show for it. He will have to have a big day if San Jose State wants to keep pace.
Wide Receiver Billy Freeman leads the way for an average air attack. He has 47 receptions for 581 yards and reached pay dirt six different times. QB Kenny Potter will be responsible for distributing the ball to these play makers. Although he was not stellar, he did manage the games he played fairly well, throwing for 14 TDs and six picks.
San Jose State did post the nation’s second best passing defense (153.6 yds), which could come in rather handy, because Georgia moves the football primarily through the air. The Spartans also boast Punter Michael Carrizosa, a Ray Guy Awards’ finalist. Michael pinned the ball 19 of 43 times inside his opponents 20-yard-line in 2015.
Georgia State Outlook:
The Georgia State Panthers are heading into the Cure Bowl on the heels of a four-game winning streak, after winning the last four games on their schedule and out gaining those opponents by 170 yards a game. Quite an achievement for a team that only managed one win in the last two years. They will once again come into this game as underdogs, which is just fine for the Panthers. Georgia State is 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven as an underdog, and three of those they won outright in that underdog roll.
There’s no secret how Georgia State chooses to move the football, it’s pass, pass, and pass. Quarterback and Sun Belt Player of the year Nick Arbuckle has been the perfect man for this offensive air raid. Arbuckle has tallied 4,160 yards through the air, one of only seven QBs to achieve this in 2015, and 26 touchdowns to only 11 INTs.
The Panthers wide receivers, Penny Hart (71-1095 yds and 8 TDs with a 15.4 avg) and Robert Davis (60-979 yards and 6 TDs with a 16.3 avg) are Arbuckle’s favorite targets. He also has two other receivers that together total over 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Although Georgia State’s defense ranks 85th nationally in total yards and 81st in points allowed, they showed some promise on this four-game streak, holding their opponents to an average of 14.2 points a game. The icing on the cake was their ability to hold the nation’s number one rushing attack and heated rivals Georgia Southern, to just 135 yards on the ground.
Matchup Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
San Jose State may enter this game with a little chip on its shoulder, due to all the talk of a 5-7 team deserving the right to play in a NCAA College Football Bowl game. None of this will matter if the Spartans cannot run the ball effectively Saturday. Tyler Ervin will need to have another big game performance, and San Jose State must limit their turnovers to stay competitive.
Georgia State is riding a four-game win streak and have been underrated since they turned the season around after a 2-6 start. Nick Arbuckle and Air Panthers, will need to solve the countries number 2 defense to continue its magical run to close out the season with a Cure Bowl Title.
Prediction:
To get further analysis including predictions from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Autonation Cure Bowl using the audio file below…
