The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl pits two defensive minded teams together. The weather may not be an ideal setting for a bowl game, but both teams are are happy to oblige mother nature for this match-up.
Terry Bowden and Akron are bowl bound for the first time in his four year tenure with the Zips,who are making only their second bowl appearance in the history of the team.
With their fifth straight appearance, Utah State is accustom to being bowl bound. This wasn’t the season the Aggies expected, after struggling with consistency throughout the year and after losing three of the last four games, the Aggies are happy to get a chance to extend their five-game win streak to end the regular season.
Bowl: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Teams: Akron Zips vs Utah State Aggies
Date/Time: December 22, 2015 – 3:30 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Vegas Line/Total: Utah St -7 / O/U 47.5
Written by: Erik the Hun
7 – 5 Record – 7 – 5 Vs Spread Over – Under: 5 – 7 11/27/15 Kent State W 20-0 W -10.5 U 38 |
6 – 6 Record – Vs 5 – 7 Spread Over – Under: 9 – 3 11/28/15 Brigham Young L 28-51 L 3 O 51 |
December 27, 2005 – Motor City Bowl – Akron 31 – 38 Memphis |
December 20, 2014 – New Mexico Bowl – Utah State 21 – 6 UTEP December 26, 2013 – Poinsettia Bowl – Utah State 21 -14 Northern Illinois December 15, 2012 – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Utah State 41 – 15 Toledo December 17, 2011 – Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Utah State 23 – 24 Ohio December 29, 1997 – Humanitarian Bowl – Utah State 19 – 35 Cincinnati |
Akron Outlook:
The run defense has been an absolute beast this year. With seven seniors, and a attacking front seven full of upperclassmen, no opposing team has had their way with the Zips. Oklahoma managed a paltry 100 yards on the ground, Pittsburgh and Bowling Green were both held to under 130. Akron has held teams to a 2.8 yards a carry over the course of the season, and 89.8 rushing yards against is good for third in the country.
Senior Linebacker Jatavis Brown is the big dog of this pack of animals. With 108 tackles and with 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss, Aggie running backs must beware. How do you stop a spread attack? With ballers like Brown and a disciplined front seven.
The offense has been mediocre at best. QB Thomas Woodson (148-2034 yards and 16 TDs with 10 INTs) captains an offense that stays balanced between the run and the pass, but neither discipline has shown anything that would grab a defensive coordinators attention. Wide Receiver Jerome Lane, has at times, shown an ability to break a big one. He does average 21.4 yards a catch and has hauled in eight TDs.
Utah State Outlook:
The Aggies got off to a rough start going 1-2 and losing Chuckie Keeton to a knee injury. Does it seem like Chuckie has been around forever? That’s because he has. This will be Keeton’s fifth year in Aggie land. Expect Kent Myers (107-1470 and 14 TDs and only 3 picks) to share snaps with the fifth year senior Keeton.
Whoever lines up under center will be looking to get the ball to Utah State’s number one option, wide receiver Hunter Sharp. Sharp has hauled in 60 catches and 8 touchdowns despite missing the first to games of the year for team violations. The eight touchdowns were tie for first in the Mountain West.
Make no mistake about it, the Aggies are like Akron in the fact that they’re lead by the defensive side of the ball. The Aggies rank 14th against the pass, limiting opposing teams to 180.4 yards a game. This unit is lead by two first-team all-Mountain West performers at linebacker, Kyle Fackrell and Nick Vigil. Fackrell has 13.5 tackles for a loss and five fumble recoveries and Vigil has a whopping 140 tackles and 12.5 of those occurring behind the line of scrimmage.
Matchup Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
This game is set to go off on the crazy blue turf in Boise, but both defenses will be seeing red. Eighty percent of the talent lies on the defensive side of the ball and both offenses should struggle to muster much of anything. Points will be at a premium and a few big plays, either via turnovers or a few big plays could be the difference. So put on your big boy pants and try to stay warm in front of your television. If you like a good old fashioned slobber knocker, than this is the game for you.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Idaho Potato Bowl using the audio file below…
