Bowl breakdown: 6 games Saturday, including 1 where NCAA passing records could fall
Rejoice, college football fans, as Saturday is the busiest postseason day of the year, with six(!) bowl games. If you choose, you can watch college football for about 14 hours in a row.
And it’s not just quantity; there are some quality matchups as well, including one must-watch bowl — seriously, you should watch — where two significant NCAA single-season passing records are on the line.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each of the six bowls on Saturday.
Boca Raton Bowl
Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky
Time/TV: 11 a.m., ESPN (Clay Matvick play-by-play, Rocky Boiman analyst)
Venue: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla. (capacity of 29,419)
On3 bowl ranking: 12th (of 42)
Team records: Appalachian State 10-3; Western Kentucky 8-5
Records vs. bowl teams: Appalachian State 5-3; Western Kentucky 3-4
All-time bowl records: Appalachian State 6-0; Western Kentucky 4-3
Key stats: Western Kentucky QB Bailey Zappe has a chance to set two important single-season NCAA records — one for most passing yardage and one for most TD passes. He has thrown for 5,545 yards and 56 TDs; the records are 5,833 by Texas Tech’s B.J. Symons in 2003 and 60 by LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2019. Thus, Zappe needs 289 yards and five TDs. But App State has allowed just 12 TD passes this season and surrenders 206.6 passing yards per game.
The line: Appalachian State by 3
The buzz: Both teams lost in their conference title games — App State to Louisiana and Western Kentucky to UTSA. Zappe’s quest for the two NCAA records is a major storyline, and given App State’s defensive prowess, this should be interesting. Western is the only team in the nation with two receivers with at least 80 receptions; Jerreth Sterns is the nation’s leader with 137 (for 1,718 yards and 14 TDs) but Mitchell Tinsley (who had 80 catches for 1,299 yards and 12 TDs) has entered the transfer portal and won’t play. The Hilltoppers’ defense isn’t much, though, and App State is one of just eight teams nationally with at least 2,400 rushing yards and 3,100 passing yards. Keep an eye on App State LB DeMarco Jackson, who has 114 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, an interception, five pass breakups and 12 quarterback hurries. The Mountaineers are second nationally with 108 tackles for loss. App State will be without standout senior WR Corey Sutton (upper body surgery).
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. UTEP
Time/TV: 2:15 p.m., ESPN (John Schriffen play-by-play, Rene Ingoglia analyst)
Venue: University Stadium, Albuquerque (capacity of 37,457)
On3 bowl ranking: 37th (of 42)
Team records: Fresno State 9-3; UTEP 7-5
Records vs. bowl teams: Fresno State 4-3; UTEP 1-4
All-time bowl records: Fresno State 11-12; UTEP 5-9
Key stats: Fresno State is ninth nationally in pass offense, averaging 330.1 yards per game; the Bulldogs have been held to fewer 300 yards just three times and one of those was a 298-yard performance in a loss to Oregon. But UTEP has allowed just one opponent to throw for 300 yards (340 by Boise State) and has held 10 foes under 250 and six under 200.
The line: Fresno State by 11.5
The buzz: Fresno State has an interim coach, Lee Marks, following the departure of Kalen DeBoer for Washington. Shortly after DeBoer left, prolific QB Jake Haener entered the transfer portal, then reversed course. But Marks has not said who will start at quarterback, going so far as to agree with a questioner who asked if the starter would be found out when the team takes the field Saturday. Haener threw for 3,810 yards and 32 TDs this season, and WR Jalen Cropper (76 receptions, 11 TDs) heads a deep receiving corps. UTEP was a pleasant surprise this season; the Miners won a combined five games in the past four seasons. UTEP has one of the best deep threats in the nation in Jacob Cowing, who has 67 catches for 1,343 yards (the yardage total is sixth nationally — and he averages 20.04 per catch) and seven TDs. Cowing is tied for second nationally with 17 receptions of at least 30 yards and second (behind Alabama’s Jameson Williams) with seven of at least 50 yards.
Independence Bowl
No. 13 BYU vs. UAB
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., ABC (Roy Philpott play-by-play, Cole Cubelic analyst)
Venue: Independence Stadium, in Shreveport, La. (capacity of 53,000)
On3 bowl ranking: 22nd (of 42)
Team records: BYU 10-2; UAB 8-4
Records vs. bowl teams: BYU 5-2; UAB 3-3
All-time bowl records: BYU 15-21-1; UAB 1-3
Key stats: BYU is 10th nationally in third-down conversion percentage, at 46.9. But the Cougars are 90th defensively in the same stat, allowing foes to convert on 41.2 of their third downs.
The line: BYU by 7
The buzz: Just call this the “Acronym Bowl.” BYU is the only team in the final CFP top 20 playing in a pre-Christmas bowl. The Cougars have a shot at finishing in the top 10 in the final polls, which they haven’t done since 1996 (they went 14-1 and were fifth). RB Tyler Allgeier, who began his career as a walk-on, has rushed for 1,414 yards and is tied for the national lead with 20 rushing TDs; he has six 100-yard games and has scored multiple TDs five times. QB Jaren Hall is a dual threat who takes care of the ball as well as spreads it around (nine players have at least 11 receptions). But BYU’s run defense is nothing special, and that should provide UAB with some hope. The Blazers’ DeWayne McBride and Jermaine Brown Jr. are an effective duo at running back, and TE Gerrit Prince and WR Trea Shropshire aren’t necessarily prolific (a combined 57 receptions), but they are productive (a whopping 23.5 yards per catch between them, with 14 TDs). UAB is stout defensively, allowing 104.2 rushing yards per game and just 3.03 yards per carry (eighth-lowest nationally).
LendingTree Bowl
Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty
Time/TV: 5:45 p.m., ESPN (Chris Cotter play-by-play, Mark Herzlich analyst)
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, in Mobile, Ala. (capacity of 25,450)
On3 bowl ranking: 32nd (of 42)
Team records: Eastern Michigan 7-5; Liberty 7-5
Records vs. bowl teams: Eastern Michigan 3-4; Liberty 5-3
All-time bowl records: Eastern Michigan 1-3; Liberty 2-0
Key stats: Liberty has a minus-11 turnover margin, sixth-worst in the nation; the TO margin is minus-14 in the Flames’ five losses. EMU has struggled defensively all season; the Eagles surrender 428.4 yards per game (101st nationally) and 6.11 yards per play (107th).
The line: Liberty by 9.5
The buzz: Liberty comes in on a three-game losing streak, all to bowl teams (Ole Miss, Louisiana and Army); the Flames were outscored 100-44 in those games. Flames QB Malik Willis is an early-round NFL prospect, but he struggled down the stretch, going 54-of-105 (51.4 percent) for 640 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions during the losing streak. EMU is looking for its first eight-win season since 1987; it would be just the seventh time in EMU’s 130-year football history that the Eagles have won at least eight games. EMU has a solid 1-2 punch at wide receiver with Hassan Beydoun and Dylan Drummond (a combined 144 receptions for 1,585 yards and 10 TDs).
LA Bowl
Oregon State vs. Utah State
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ABC (Joe Tessitore play-by-play, Jesse Palmer analyst)
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. (capacity of 70,240)
On3 bowl ranking: 23rd (of 42)
Team records: Oregon State 7-5; Utah State 10-3
Records vs. bowl teams: Oregon State 3-3; Utah State 4-3
All-time bowl records: Oregon State 11-6; Utah State 5-8
Key stats: Oregon State is 13th nationally with 32 rushing TDs. Utah State is fifth nationally with 39 passing TDs.
The line: Oregon State by 7
The buzz: Utah State won the Mountain West title game with a rout of COVID-ravaged San Diego State. The Aggies were 1-5 last season, and Blake Anderson was the MWC coach of the year. Logan Bonner, who came with Anderson from Arkansas State, has thrown for 3,560 yards and 36 TDs. WR Deven Thompkins is a standout; he has 96 receptions for 1,589 yards (16.6 yards per catch and nine TDs (the receptions total is fourth nationally, the yardage total second). Utah State is aggressive defensively and is third nationally with 107 tackles for loss. Oregon State is all about the run offensively. RB B.J. Baylor has rushed for 1,258 yards and 13 TDs, and heads a deep group of backs who should have room to run. One big negative for the Beavers: First-team All-Pac-12 LB Avery Roberts won’t play after having minor ankle surgery earlier this month. Roberts’ 128 tackles are sixth-most nationally. Oregon State’s pass defense is shaky, and the pass rush is nothing special, either.
New Orleans Bowl
No. 23 Louisiana vs. Marshall
Time/TV: 9:15 p.m., ESPN (Anish Shroff play-by-play, Mike Golic Jr. analyst)
Venue: Superdome (capacity of 73,208)
On3 bowl ranking: 26th (of 42)
Team records: Louisiana 12-1; Marshall 7-5
Records vs. bowl teams: Louisiana 5-0; Marshall 2-5
All-time bowl records: Louisiana 5-3; Marshall 12-4
Key stats: Louisiana is tied for fifth nationally with a plus-13 turnover margin. Marshall has committed 23 turnovers, tied for seventh-most nationally, and QB Grant Wells has thrown 12 interceptions.
The line: Louisiana by 4
The buzz: Louisiana is the Sun Belt Conference champ and the third league titlist to take the field in the postseason (after Northern Illinois and Utah State). Coach Billy Napier has left for Florida, and offensive coordinator Michael Desormeaux already has been promoted to coach. The Ragin’ Cajuns prefer to rely on their rushing attack and a stout defense to win games. Louisiana will be without leading rusher Chris Smith (knee), but still has a nice group of backs; QB Levi Lewis also is a running threat. Marshall features RB Rasheen Ali, who has rushed for 1,241 yards and is tied for the national lead with 20 rushing TDs. The Herd rush defense is iffy, though.