Boca Raton Bowl Spooky Express Bowling for Dollars

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SELECTION AND ANALYSIS THREAD

 

 

 

BOCA RATON BOWL

 

MARSHALL vs NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 6:00 p.m.ET

ESPN

 

I mean it in the most honest of ways when I say that this game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Boca Raton Bowl, could very well end up being one of the best games of the bowl season. These two teams are both incredibly talented, have some serious playmakers, and are going to make for an exciting game to watch. Heck, just look at Marshall’s lone loss this season, a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky, and even that one was an amazing game to watch. This game will kick off on Tuesday, December 23rd at 6:00pm EST, and will be aired on ESPN. Let’s look at each team and give a prediction and pick on the matchup.

 

Dominating Season for Marshall

 

The Thundering Herd have literally been dominant this season. They rank 18th in passing yards per game (287.8), 7th in rushing yards per game (275.6), 5th in points per game (45.1) and their defense has allowed just 20.8 points per game, which is good for 22nd in the entire country. They do a little bit of everything, which explains why they were 12-1, with a 7-1 Conference USA record. Rakeem Cato is the man to watch in this game, as he’s been absolutely dominant for his second straight season. He’s thrown for 3,622 yards with 37 touchdowns this season, and has now thrown for 30 or more touchdowns in three straight seasons.

 

Northern Solid on Both Sides of the Ball

 

Let’s not forget about how good Northern Illinois has been this year, as the Huskies’ 11-2 record, and 7-1 conference record in the MAC is no joke. They not only are 14th best in the nation in rushing, averaging 252.9 yards per game, but they average 32.2 points per game, and only give up 23.6 per game defensively. They finished the year by rolling off seven straight, and are now set up for a great matchup against a talented opponent. The Huskies are led by the talented wide out Da’Ron Brown, who has hauled in 64 catches for 1,002 yards and seven total touchdowns. He’ll be the player to watch for this offense, without question.

 

With all due respect to the Huskies, I truly believe that the Thundering Herd are going to come out and make a statement. I figured Marshall could be favored by even more than this, and I strongly believe the the senior QB, Cato, goes out on the highest of notes, while putting up a big bowl victory and drawing even more attention to himself heading into his NFL push. Marshall has so much talent on both sides of the ball and we're taking them to win by 3+ touchdowns in this one!

 

Marshall Thundering Herd

 

Check back closer to game day for any changes to the spread and/or prediction here and at the Spooky Express