College Bowl Preview (Part II)
By Corey Hunter
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Preview:
Nov 23, 2013; Hattiesburg, MS, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders quarterback Logan Kilgore (10) makes a throw against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the second half of their game at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Middle Tennessee won, 42-21. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
The Blue Raiders were left out of the bowl picture with an 8-4 record in 2012. In 2013 they made the jump to Conference USA and more bowl options opened for them. Middle Tennessee State ended the year on a high note by winning its last five games, including a 51-49 shootout over bowl-bound Marshall.
Don’t fall asleep on the Blue Raiders, a team that finished third in the C-USA East standings, they have scored at least 42 points in seven of their eight victories. Middle Tennessee is paced by senior QB Logan Kilgore who has passed for nearly 2,500 yards and has thrown 16 TDs. He had his best game of the season in that Marshall win when he passed for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Navy Midshipmen Preview:
Dec 14, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds (19) runs with the ball against Army during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Navy also enters the Armed Forces Bowl on a winning streak. The Midshipmen have won 4 consecutive games. Navy has now won at least eight games in every season but one since 2002. That mark was in jeopardy to start the year as Navy got off to a middling start. After eight games, the Midshipmen were a mediocre 4-4. Included in those 4 defeats were losses to bowl-bound teams like Duke and Notre Dame.
Navy is led by sophomore quarterback Keenan Reynolds. Reynolds broke the NCAA single-season mark for rushing TDs with 29. Navy is not as likely to beat you through the air as much as they are able to run the football with their vaunted triple-option running game. Against San Jose State, Keenan Reynolds scored seven rushing touchdowns and even passed for one more for good measure.
Since playing Army in the traditional end-of-the-year battle, Navy has had one of the shortest layoffs of any team in the country (16 days). The Midshipmen should be ready for the spirited battle coming their way from Middle Tennessee State.
Bowl Outlook:
Navy has a running style that is extremely difficult to emulate in practice and even harder to stop in game situations. The triple-option, when hitting on all cylinders, can be a very dangerous running style…and Navy runs it to near perfection.
Look for Navy to play this game at its pace and control the clock with well-sustained drives. It should come as no surprise that Navy was second nationally in rushing yards per game with 322,m but was near the bottom nationally in passing yards per game with 91.5 yards.
Middle Tennessee must remain patient and not try to overplay the run. The Blue Raiders also have a respectable running game ranking 25th nationally in that category. They will also likely try to keep the ball on the ground, preferring the run over the pass. The difference in this game will be the ability of each team to finish their drives. The team that can punch the ball over the goal line more than settling for FGs will be the winner. I suspect Navy will be the team that can accomplish that feat more often.
Score: Middle Tennessee State – 31 Navy – 37