Bowl breakdown: COVID-related cancellation means just one game Monday
After a one-day break for the NFL, the bowl season cranks back up Monday with one game. There were supposed to be two, but the Military Bowl between Boston College and East Carolina was canceled because of COVID issues at BC.
And truth be told, the one bowl being played, the Quick Lane in Detroit, isn’t what it was supposed to be because of a coaching change and numerous opt-outs at Nevada.
Here’s a quick look at the Quick Lane.
Quick Lane Bowl
Nevada vs. Western Michigan
Time/TV: 11 a.m. ESPN (Mike Couzens play-by-play, Dustin Fox analyst)
Venue: Ford Field, in Detroit (capacity of 65,000)
On3 bowl ranking: 27th (of 42)
Team records: Nevada 8-4; Western Michigan 7-5
Records vs. bowl teams: Nevada 2-4; Western Michigan 3-5
All-time bowl records: Nevada 7-11; Western Michigan 1-9
Officiating crew: From the AAC
Key stats: Nevada is fourth nationally in passing offense at 365.8 yards per game. But most of the folks responsible for that lofty ranking won’t play in this one (more on that in a minute). Western Michigan, meanwhile, is third in the nation in time of possession per game (35:00), behind only Army and Air Force. And the guys most responsible for that stat will play for the Broncos.
The line: Western Michigan by 6.5
The buzz: This is not the same Nevada team that challenged for the Mountain West title. Star QB Carson Strong, the league’s offensive player of the year, has opted out; in addition, the top five receivers are out, including first-team All-MWC WR Romeo Doubs (80 catches, 11 TDs) and standout TE Cole Turner (62 catches, 10 TDs). Starting at quarterback will be Nate Cox, more notable for his size (he’s 6 feet 9) than anything he has done on the field for the Wolf Pack; he’s 15-of-21 for 168 yards and a TD in his two seasons at Nevada. Cox is a Louisiana native who played just one season of high school football (not surprisingly, he also played basketball). He began his career at Louisiana Tech but didn’t play, then moved on to Garden City (Kan.) CC and eventually Nevada. This will be his first college start. The Wolf Pack defense is no great shakes, anyway, and now faces an even tougher task without a powerful offense to bail it out. Western Michigan features a standout wide receiver in Skyy Moore, who has 92 catches for 1,257 yards and 10 TDs; the receptions total is 10th nationally and the yardage total is 12th. He has had seven 100-yard games this season and five outings with double-digit catches. Western relies heavily on its rushing attack; Sean Tyler and La’Darius Jefferson share time at running back, and have combined for 1,840 yards and 19 TDs. The Broncos lead the MAC in total defense, but they don’t force many turnovers (12 all season) and have allowed 22 TD passes with just three interceptions. But DE Ali Fayad is tied for sixth nationally with 11.5 sacks and also has eight quarterback hurries. He had a sack of Kenny Pickett in Western’s upset of ACC champion Pitt in September.