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Spreitzer Bowl GOY
Take " (262) CONNECTICUT "
I'm laying the points with Connecticut, my Bowl Game of the Year. Five MAC programs made it to a bowl game this season, four from the stronger West division. The first three have already played, and none looked truly qualified offensively to be playing in late December. CMU, WMU, and NIU combined for a grand total of just 45 points in their three losses to FAU, Rice, and Lousiana Tech. Buffalo, from the less difficult East division, draws arguably the toughest physical challenge yet. UConn owns a huge advantage on the defensive side of the football, and the offense gets "just what the doctor ordered" from the Buffalo defense. First of all, the Bulls are here thanks in part to their opponents' miscues. The win over Ball State was about as "phony" as it gets. Buffalo was out-gained by over 200 yards, but BSU couldn't hang onto the football with five turnovers leading to 28 Buffalo points. The Bulls' offense ranks in the second half of the NCAA as far as talent is concerned. They're going to have to line up against a Husky defense that ranks in my top-25 in the nation. UConn allowed just 3.5 yards per carry and just 117 rypg. The D-line, especially DE's Williams and Brown put relentless pressure on opposing signal-callers. The Bulls obviously want to run the ball first with RB Starks, to set up the passing game and QB Willy. But as mentioned above, UConn is quite stingy against the run or pass. In fact, they allowed just 282 typg this season. Offensively, UConn will pound the ball at a small defensive front. The Bulls give up 4.6 yards per carry and the defense ranks in my bottom-third in college football overall. UConn RB Donald Brown ran for over 18-hundred yards this season and should have little trouble running behind his bigger offensive line. As far as the pass defense is concerned, Buffalo has a grand total of just 12 sacks this season. While UConn is not known for their passing game, QB Lorenzen should have plenty of time to pick apart a weak Buffalo secondary when needed. The Bulls allowed a 66% completion rate this season along with 250 pypg and 17 TDs with just 8 picks. It's no wonder the secondary suffered so much. With no pass rush from the front seven, the DBs are going to be under constant pressure. Let's not forget, that despite returning 18 starters from last year's squad, Buffalo began the season just 2-5 SU, which included a 35-yard pass on the final play of the game to inch by Temple. Three other wins in the second half of the season came in overtime, including a 3-point win over hapless Army, a 3-point win over defenseless Akron, and a come-from-behind OT win over mediocre Bowling Green. The Bulls were actually outgained in four of their wins this season. So, while being a big fan of Coach Gill, I must admit, in a sense, his team, with all of those returning starters and a lot of preseason hype, didn't quite meet preseason expectations. That may seem like an unfair statement considering where this program was when Gill took over, but it is the cold, hard fact. Then, during bowl preparations while trying to get focused for a more talented and stronger Big East opponent, the team had to deal with the distraction of their HC interviewing for a few other jobs, including Syracuse, and of course, the fiasco at Auburn. Taking on UConn was already going to be imposing on its own. Having to do so in the environment they have been in makes it even tougher. The Big East has won both meetings with the MAC since the International Bowl's inception two seasons ago, including Rutgers 52-30 thrashing of Ball State a year ago. I believe Buffalo's offense is in a heap of trouble in this one, and their small-ish defense will wear down throughout the contest. I have UConn winning by 17-to-20 points. My Bowl GOY is a play on the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday. Thanks! GL! Scott.
Take " (262) CONNECTICUT "
I'm laying the points with Connecticut, my Bowl Game of the Year. Five MAC programs made it to a bowl game this season, four from the stronger West division. The first three have already played, and none looked truly qualified offensively to be playing in late December. CMU, WMU, and NIU combined for a grand total of just 45 points in their three losses to FAU, Rice, and Lousiana Tech. Buffalo, from the less difficult East division, draws arguably the toughest physical challenge yet. UConn owns a huge advantage on the defensive side of the football, and the offense gets "just what the doctor ordered" from the Buffalo defense. First of all, the Bulls are here thanks in part to their opponents' miscues. The win over Ball State was about as "phony" as it gets. Buffalo was out-gained by over 200 yards, but BSU couldn't hang onto the football with five turnovers leading to 28 Buffalo points. The Bulls' offense ranks in the second half of the NCAA as far as talent is concerned. They're going to have to line up against a Husky defense that ranks in my top-25 in the nation. UConn allowed just 3.5 yards per carry and just 117 rypg. The D-line, especially DE's Williams and Brown put relentless pressure on opposing signal-callers. The Bulls obviously want to run the ball first with RB Starks, to set up the passing game and QB Willy. But as mentioned above, UConn is quite stingy against the run or pass. In fact, they allowed just 282 typg this season. Offensively, UConn will pound the ball at a small defensive front. The Bulls give up 4.6 yards per carry and the defense ranks in my bottom-third in college football overall. UConn RB Donald Brown ran for over 18-hundred yards this season and should have little trouble running behind his bigger offensive line. As far as the pass defense is concerned, Buffalo has a grand total of just 12 sacks this season. While UConn is not known for their passing game, QB Lorenzen should have plenty of time to pick apart a weak Buffalo secondary when needed. The Bulls allowed a 66% completion rate this season along with 250 pypg and 17 TDs with just 8 picks. It's no wonder the secondary suffered so much. With no pass rush from the front seven, the DBs are going to be under constant pressure. Let's not forget, that despite returning 18 starters from last year's squad, Buffalo began the season just 2-5 SU, which included a 35-yard pass on the final play of the game to inch by Temple. Three other wins in the second half of the season came in overtime, including a 3-point win over hapless Army, a 3-point win over defenseless Akron, and a come-from-behind OT win over mediocre Bowling Green. The Bulls were actually outgained in four of their wins this season. So, while being a big fan of Coach Gill, I must admit, in a sense, his team, with all of those returning starters and a lot of preseason hype, didn't quite meet preseason expectations. That may seem like an unfair statement considering where this program was when Gill took over, but it is the cold, hard fact. Then, during bowl preparations while trying to get focused for a more talented and stronger Big East opponent, the team had to deal with the distraction of their HC interviewing for a few other jobs, including Syracuse, and of course, the fiasco at Auburn. Taking on UConn was already going to be imposing on its own. Having to do so in the environment they have been in makes it even tougher. The Big East has won both meetings with the MAC since the International Bowl's inception two seasons ago, including Rutgers 52-30 thrashing of Ball State a year ago. I believe Buffalo's offense is in a heap of trouble in this one, and their small-ish defense will wear down throughout the contest. I have UConn winning by 17-to-20 points. My Bowl GOY is a play on the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday. Thanks! GL! Scott.
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