Bowl Watch Day 3: 12-23

[MichaelWeston]

Tuesday; December 23 GBN Report

BOCA RATON BOWL; MARSHALL (12-1) vs NORTHERN ILLINOIS (11-2); 6 PM ET; ESPN … Two perennial championship teams in their respective conferences, these two mid-major programs are solid winning teams that should make for a high-powered, action packed game. This game could be an incredible showcase for two excellent QB. The biggest name in this game would be Marshall QB RAKEEM CATO (#12, 6'0, 181), a very productive collegiate passer who is probably better suited as CFL candidate. Cato passed for over 3600 yards this and ran for over 500 more, while he threw 37 TD passes and ran for 6 more, but did post 13 INTs. Cato has a host of weapons at his disposal including mighty-mite WR TOMMY SHULER (#1, 5'7, 168). The Thundering Herd also come at opponents with waves of defenders led by undersized LB NEVILLE HEWITT (#43, 6'2, 217) who wasn't even projected to be a starter last summer, but led the team in tackles with 114. DT JAMES ROUSE (#11, 6'5,270) is also somewhat undersized for an interior defender, but some think he has enough quickness to move outside to DE in an NFL 4-3 scheme. Meanwhile, NIU lost all-everything QB JORDAN LYNCH to graduation, but plugged in sophomore DREW HARE (#12, 6'1, 215) who proceeded to make the change look seamless. HARE is a dual threat, like CATO, who passed for almost 2,100 yards and 17 TDs while throwing only 2 INTs. He also rushed for 850 yards and 8 more scores. HARE's favorite target is emerging senior WR DA'RON BROWN (#4, 6'0,200) who caught balls for over 1000 yards, while bruising TB CAMERON STINGILY (#42, 6-0, 242) is a throwback to the days when teams, both pro and college, leading rushers were actually fullbacks; he‘d just as soon run over people than around them. Other Huskies to watch include OT TYLER LOOS (#75, 6'5, 305); S DECHANE DURANTE (#1, 6'2, 200; and DT DONOVAN GORDON (#94, 6'0, 300).

POINSETTA BOWL: NAVY (7-5) vs SAN DIEGO STATE (7-5); 9:30 PM ET; ESPN … It was something an off year for the Midshipmen, but they still won 7 games this fall, including THE GAME over ARMY for the 13th straight time. The Midshipmen run, run, pass and then run some more. They win with tough play on both sides of he ball and tenacity. Playing this team always requires 60 minutes of competition. As always NAVY relies on their QB to keep the offense sailing and this year is no exception with junior KEENAN REYNOLDS (#19, 5-11, 195), who rushed for over 1,000 yards and threw just enough to keep defenses on their toes, running the show. Meanwhile, the Navy defense swarms to the ball and is not quite as small as many people might expect, but don‘t expect any to be drafted. The AZTECS took a while to get organized and start winning this past fall, but by season's end they were playing quite well. The AZTECS became a big time running team in 2014 so much so that leading WR EZELL RUFFIN (#3, 6-1, 210), who is good enough to get an invitation to the East-West Shrine game, only had a couple dozen catches. Meanwhile, the SDSU man to watch is undersized sophomore RB DONNEL PUMPHREY (# 19, 5-8, 170) who ran for over 1700 yards. However, the Aztecs do have a few full sized pro prospects to watch including OT TERRY POOLE (#79, 6'5, 310); DE SAM MEREDITH (#98, 6'4, 290); and OLB JOSH GAVERT (#48, 6'2, 215), although none is more than a free agent type prospect. By the end of this one we could see a bowl record for rushes in one game. If you are a passing fancier go to bed and rest up for Christmas.