Christmas will be over, but you still won’t have moved off the couch when Miami (OH) University takes on Mississippi State in the St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field in, you guessed it, St. Petersburg Fla. Why does St. Petersburg get its own bowl? We still don’t know.
You’ll have to actually get up early for this one with its 11 a.m. kick off time. It will be beamed into your house by ESPN and likely brought to you by various brands of beers, snacks and daily fantasy websites. Monday morning football? Why the hell not?
The Game: Miami (OH) vs Mississippi State (-13.5, 59.5 O/U)
The Miami (OH) Redhawks (6-6)
The Redhawks come into the St. Petersbug Bowl just happy to be there. Miami (OH) opened the season with a six-game losing streak, but powered through the back half of its schedule like the last five minutes of Star Wars: Rogue One. The Redhawks are the first team in history to do that.
The offense is led by quarterback Gus Ragland, who missed the early part of the season recovering from a torn ACL. Ragland has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,274 yards, 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. Yep. Not one in six starts. Miami’s offense likes to spread the ball around, but Jared Murphy and James Gardner are its most productive receivers. Murphy, a 5-foot-10, 179-pound redshirt junior, caught 41 passes for 532 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 12.7 yards per catch. Gardner, a 6-foot-4, 212-pound sophomore, caught 40 passes for 658 yards, five touchdowns and 16.5 yards per catch.
Miami’s defense doesn’t bring a lot of frightening talent to the table, but they do have three players, cornerbacks De’Andre Montgomery and Heath Harding, defensive end J.T. Jones and defensive end Austin Gearing that might not be completely overmatched physically by the Bulldogs. Jones has 40 tackles, six sakcs and 11.5 tackles for a loss this season. Gearing has 35 tackles, six tackles for a loss and four sacks. Montgomery and Harding both have over 60 tackles and have snagged four picks apiece.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7)
While the Redhawks may be happy to be in St. Petersburg, the Bulldogs are just happy to be anywhere. This was a disaster of a season for Mississippi State that began with an embarrassing 21-20 loss to South Alabama. That was a money game for USA and they were supposed to lay down and take it, but this prostitute decided to kick off the covers and stab Mississippi State in the sack. The season never got better and the Bulldogs shouldn’t even be bowl eligible. But there are too many bowls, so look who’s here. And favored by two touchdowns, for God’s sake.
On offense, quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has been a lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal season. He passed for 2,287 yards and 21 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while rushing for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns. On a winning team, that’s a potential Heisman campaign. On a losing team, it’s worth a line or two in the media guide. Fitzgerald’s favorite target is wideout Fred Ross. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior hauled in 68 passes for 873 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 12.8 yards per catch. Ross will likely find his way onto an NFL roster next season.
The Bulldogs still boast an SEC defense with real SEC talent. Defensive tackle Jonathan Calvin can raise his draft stock too in this game, and look for the 6-foot-3, 272-pound senior to add to his seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss against the Redhawks. He’ll have to beat fellow defensive lineman A.J. Jefferson to the quarterback. Jefferson has 10.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks this season.
Trends and Notes
Mississippi State is 5-7 against the spread this season. The Redhawks are 8-4
The Bulldogs played the 31st toughest schedule in the country. Miami’s schedule was ranked 124th.
This is the first time an SEC team has played in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
Last year Marshall defeated UConn 16-10 in front of a crowd of 14,652 people, the lowest attendance in the bowl’s history.
Current NFL players Mohamed Sanu, Blake Bortles and Jacoby Brissett have been named this game’s most valuable player.
The Pick
The Bulldogs are going to win the game and, frankly, the spread and over are probably safe. This is Mississippi State’s chance to end a shitty season on a high note and that means they’re going to want to run up the score. Mississippi State 48, Miami (OH) 17
Fun Fact: This is the second year the St. Petersburg Bowl comes in without a name sponsor. In years past they’ve sold the naming rights to the magicJack phone company, Beef O’Brady’s and Bitcoin.
To make a wager on this year’s Bowl Games, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.
