Posted
on 12/05/2007 10:25:33 AM
By: CappersPicks.com College Football Handicapping
Staff
CFB - GMAC Bowl - Bowling Green vs. Tulsa (8:00 PM ET - ESPN)
Jan.
6 -- GMAC Bowl Preview Mobile, Ala., Tulsa
(9-4) vs. Bowling Green (8-4), 8 p.m. (ESPN)
With a total set at 76, there figures to
be no shortage of offense at the GMAC Bowl
when Bowling Green and Tulsa go head-to-head.
Kickoff for the second last game of the college
football season is set for 8:00 PM ET on
ESPN Sunday night.
The Falcons
finished the season at 8-4, rallying for
SU & ATS wins in their
last four games, although none of those came
over teams with a winning record. They were
outscored by an 83-41 margin against bowl
teams in two games.
The Golden
Hurricane averaged 39.5 PPG and were an
offensive machine, with QB Paul Smith leading
the way, throwing for over 300 yards in
all 13 games. They finished 9-4 SU, but
just 4-9 ATS after yielding 35.4 PPG and
470.9 YPG. For BGSU, this is the third
bowl appearance in the L5 seasons, they
are 2-0 SU & 1-1 ATS, including
a win over Memphis in this game in ’04.
Tulsa beat BYU early in ’07, but was
1-3 SU & ATS vs. other bowl teams.
BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green’s third bowl invite over
the past five years will be laced with offense
and heavily seasoned with passing. Sophomore
QB Tyler Sheehan completed 63.2% of his pass
attempts this season for a whopping 3,123
yards (16th among all FCS programs) and 23
TDs matched by just 11 interceptions.
His favorite target, sophomore Freddie Barnes,
caught 77 of those passes for 891 yards,
nine going for scores. The result is a passing
offense that ranks 19th in the nation. However,
the overall offensive efforts lacks a bit
due to a poor rushing game, ranking 44th
among FCS programs with 416.92 total yards
per game.
Junior QB Anthony Turner actually led the
team in rushing, averaging 5.0 yards per
carry but gaining just 101 carries for 501
total rushing yards. With that said, Turner
gathered nine rushing TDs and provided Bowling
Green their best opportunity to shine in
the ground game.
On defense,
things don’t look as
good. The Falcons are giving up 413 yards
per game (78th in the nation) and have concerns
about their abilities to grow that effort
for the bowl. Injury concerns linger for
junior LB John Haneline, the team’s
leading tackler battling strained ligaments
in his foot. If he is out, there are problems.
TULSA
With the second-most productive QB on the
college football planet in tow, fans might
guess Tulsa comes forth as an unoriginal
force of lopsided offense. That is not
the case.
Yes, senior
QB Paul Smith is having an outstanding
campaign, completing 60% of his passes
for 4,753 yards (only Texas Tech’s
Graham Harrell has more) and an astounding
42 TDs versus just 19 interceptions, giving
Tulsa the 3rd-ranked passing offense in the
land. However, junior RB Tarrion Adams is
not to be outdone, averaging 5.5 yards per
carry for 1,113 yards.
Match an additional 244 yards earned via
the reception and it is fair to rank Tulsa
as an offensive juggernaut. The defense has
been atrocious, allowing an average of 469
yards per game (111th among 119 FCS programs).
This group is especially vulnerable to the
rush, giving up 195.9 rushing yards per game
(97th in the nation). This team is built
on offense, thrives on offense, and needs
offense to compete. Otherwise, anything is
possible.
THE GAME
This will be, if nothing else, an exciting
testament to the rise of the passing offense
in college football. These two QBs account
for so much offense for their respective
teams, it would be hard to imagine those
trends don’t continue into the postseason.
Smith is going to be gunning for the gold.
A talented field general with a rocket
for an arm, the stage to show and prove
in a pressure situation is difficult to
find for Tulsa during the season.
If he can solidify a victory for his team,
built on the prolific passing offense he
provides, Smith could be announcing his arrival
as a player to covet in the mid-to-later
rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft.
Of course, you might say the same about
Sheenan as he looks to embark on a prodigious
collegiate career. He has all the talented
needed to shine and has a great opportunity
to prove as much in a strong bowl appearance.
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